Niv-Mizzet vs Kwain vs Phlage vs Varina - EDH gameplay video

Deck Strategies

• 

  Niv-Mizzet, Parun

  Utilizes a spell-slinging engine that draws cards and deals incremental damage through instants and sorceries, aiming to control the board and win via repeated direct damage.

• 

  Kwain, Itinerant Meddler

  Focuses on group card draw combined with life loss, creating political pressure and leveraging the life loss to weaken opponents while maintaining card advantage.

• 

  Varina, Lich Queen

  Generates and buffs zombie tokens, drawing and discarding cards to gain life and grow a resilient board presence with deathtouch and lifelink zombies to control combat.

• 

  Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury

  Aggressive damage dealer that repeatedly reenters the battlefield via escape mechanics, dealing damage and gaining life to apply pressure and stabilize life totals.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Phlage's repeated reanimation via Soul Reclamation allows continuous damage and life gain, becoming a major pressure point on the board.

• 2

  Varina's synergy with zombies having deathtouch and lifelink creates a strong defensive and offensive presence, discouraging attacks.

• 3

  Kwain's group draw ability forces opponents to balance the benefit of card advantage against the cost of life loss, influencing player decisions.

• 4

  Niv-Mizzet's ability to deal damage whenever cards are drawn and to draw cards when spells are cast makes him a consistent source of incremental damage and card advantage.

• 5

  Players carefully used treasure tokens and mana rocks, timing their spells to maximize impact without overextending into board wipes or counterspells.

Notable Cards

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  Niv-Mizzet, Parun

• 

  Kwain, Itinerant Meddler

• 

  Varina, Lich Queen

• 

  Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury

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  Dreadhorde Invasion

• 

  Coercive Portal

Summary

The Commander game begins with all four players developing their boards cautiously. Niv-Mizzet, Parun builds a reactive draw-and-damage engine by casting instants and sorceries that trigger Niv-Mizzet to deal incremental damage to opponents. Kwain, Itinerant Meddler leverages group card draw combined with life loss, creating a political tension point with his activated ability that makes all players draw but lose life. Varina, Lich Queen focuses on generating zombie tokens and gaining incremental life through card draw and discard, while also growing her board with zombies having deathtouch. Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury aggressively impacts the board by repeatedly entering and leaving the battlefield, dealing damage and gaining life through escape mechanics. Early on, Phlage makes an impactful entrance by dealing 3 damage and gaining life, establishing early pressure. Varina builds a growing army of zombies and leverages buffs like deathtouch to control the board. Niv-Mizzet steadily deals small amounts of damage while replenishing hand resources, and Kwain attempts to create political leverage by enabling mass card draw at the cost of life. A key turning point occurs when a spell (Soul Reclamation) is cast to recur Phlage from the graveyard, allowing repeated damage triggers. Varina uses discard synergies to gain life and board presence, while Niv-Mizzet and Kwain jockey for control with targeted burn and card advantage. The game features a mix of incremental damage, life gain, and board presence battles, with players carefully managing resources and timing attacks. The eventual win condition likely revolves around Varina’s growing zombie army with lifelink and deathtouch or Niv-Mizzet’s direct burn and card draw synergy, given the incremental damage and resource management observed.