Baral vs Ezuri vs Akiri vs Sakashima & Vial Smasher[ EDH/Commander, MTG Gameplay ] 2022

Deck Strategies

• 

  Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

  Utilizes cloning of legendary creatures to generate value and copy powerful effects, combined with Vial Smasher's random damage for incremental damage output and disruption.

• 

  Baral, Chief of Compliance

  Mono-blue control deck centered on counterspells and interaction to protect its own game plan while disrupting others, aiming to win through incremental advantage and spells.

• 

  Akiri, Fearless Voyager

  Voltron-style Boros deck that equips Akiri with powerful equipment like Sword of Hearth and Home and Battle Axe to deal lethal combat damage quickly.

• 

  Ezuri, Renegade Leader

  Elf tribal deck focused on generating wide board presence and comboing off with elf synergies to produce massive tokens or infinite mana combos.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Grixis midrange deck that deals random damage tied to casting spells, aiming to chip away opponents' life totals while leveraging efficient creatures and disruption.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Baral's player consolidated all interaction into one streamlined mono-blue deck, allowing for strong counterspell presence to slow down opponents' key plays.

• 2

  Sakashima's cloning triggers posed a recurring threat, prompting opponents to hold removal and counterspells for critical moments.

• 3

  Akiri's player carefully sequenced equipment and Stoneforge Mystic tutor to assemble a potent voltron threat capable of quick combat damage wins.

• 4

  Ezuri's elfball strategy focused on ramping out elves and tutors like Elvish Harbinger to set up a combo finish but needed to navigate through the heavy interaction on board.

• 5

  Vial Smasher's random damage triggers added constant pressure, forcing opponents to consider damage prevention or removal to stay alive.

• 6

  Players demonstrated restraint in aggression early on, prioritizing board development and interaction to prepare for mid-game power plays.

Notable Cards

• 

  Treasure Cruise

• 

  Stoneforge Mystic

• 

  Sword of Hearth and Home

• 

  Swiftfoot Boots

• 

  Imperial Recruiter

• 

  Urza's Saga

• 

  Elvish Harbinger

• 

  Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

Summary

The game opened with typical ramp and setup plays from all players, with the Akiri deck focusing on equipping and voltron strategies, Baral's mono-blue deck packing heavy counterspell interaction, Sakashima and Vial Smasher leveraging clone synergies and random damage, and Ezuri pushing elf tribal and combo. Early turns saw players establishing mana bases and developing their board states cautiously, with Baral's player emphasizing control elements to disrupt others. Sakashima's cloning potential was a notable threat, but the group managed to respond to key plays with removal or counterspells. The Akiri player assembled equipment-based threats like Stoneforge Mystic to enhance combat damage output, while Ezuri set up elf synergies for a potential elfball combo finish. Meanwhile, Vial Smasher's damage triggers kept pressure on opponents intermittently.