Wednesday Night Live Sweet 16 | MTG EDH | Commander Gameplay

Deck Strategies

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  Meren of Clan Nel Toth

  Utilizes graveyard recursion to repeatedly bring back creatures, gaining incremental advantage through death triggers and attrition.

• 

  Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge

  Generates treasure tokens to ramp into powerful dragons and leverage treasure synergies for explosive plays.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Aggressively casts spells to deal damage to opponents each time spells are cast, paired with Kraum for card draw and consistent pressure.

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  Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

  Provides card draw and assists Vial Smasher in maintaining hand size and applying constant pressure through damage and spellcasting.

• 

  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

  Leads a mono-white cat tribal deck that creates numerous small creatures, pumps them up, and uses Elesh Norn's anthem and lockdown effect to dominate the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Vial Smasher consistently targeted specific opponents to maximize damage output and disrupt their game plans.

• 2

  Elesh Norn's anthem effect created a significant lockdown on opponents' creatures, shifting the game tempo in mono-white's favor.

• 3

  The synergy between Gadrak's treasure generation and dragon spells allowed for explosive turns that pressured all opponents.

• 4

  Meren's ability to recur creatures from the graveyard provided resilience against board wipes and attrition strategies.

• 5

  The partnership of Vial Smasher and Kraum allowed for consistent card advantage and incremental damage, creating a strong offensive presence.

Notable Cards

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  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

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  Meren of Clan Nel Toth

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  Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge

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  Vial Smasher the Fierce

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  Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

Summary

The game began with each player setting up their unique strategies centered around their commanders. Meren of Clan Nel Toth focused on graveyard recursion to outvalue opponents through creature death and reanimation. Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge aimed to generate and leverage treasure tokens to fuel powerful dragon synergies and resource advantage. Vial Smasher the Fierce partnered with Kraum, Ludevic's Opus to create a synergy of aggressive spellcasting and card draw, aiming to damage opponents consistently while maintaining hand advantage. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite led a mono-white cat tribal deck that sought to build a wide board of small cats, pump them up, and exert control through Elesh Norn's powerful anthem effect and lockdown capabilities. Early turns saw players establishing their boards and resource engines, with Vial Smasher targeting opponents to disrupt their plans and Gadrak accumulating treasures for explosive plays. Meren's graveyard recursion allowed her to maintain resilience despite aggression, while Elesh Norn's lockdown elements began to slow the pace of the game. As the game progressed, key turning points included Elesh Norn's board presence imposing a taxing effect on opponents' creatures, and Gadrak's treasure generation enabling large threats to hit the battlefield. The win condition for Elesh Norn revolved around creating an overwhelming cat army and locking down opponents' resources, whereas Meren aimed to grind out value through recurring creatures and incremental advantage. The partnership of Vial Smasher and Kraum sought to end the game quickly via consistent spell damage and card advantage, leveraging their synergies to pressure multiple opponents simultaneously. Ultimately, the game showcased a dynamic interplay of aggressive damage, board control, and value recursion, with players adapting to shifting board states and managing threats accordingly.