Shirei vs Ur-Dragon vs Ikra / Vial vs Ezuri EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Ezuri, Claw of Progress

  Builds experience counters by casting and attacking with creatures, growing his board through +1/+1 counters and using creatures like Cold-Eyed Selkie and Champion of Lambholt to outpace opponents.

• 

  Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker

  Leverages sacrifice outlets and recursion, utilizing creatures like Disciple of Griselbrand and Bone Shredder to generate value from dying creatures, aiming to chip away at opponents over time.

• 

  The Ur-Dragon

  Focuses on dragon tribal synergy, generating tokens via Locust God and amplifying their strength with tribal support such as Xenograft, aiming to overwhelm opponents with flying threats.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Combines aggressive ramp and control with Primal Amulet enabling early board wipes like Blasphemous Act and spells that force discards or damage, aiming to control the board and deal incremental damage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Trevor's use of Primal Amulet to flip it into Primal Wellspring allowed him to ramp aggressively and cast a costly board wipe (Blasphemous Act) for only one red mana, drastically shifting the board state.

• 2

  Matt's decision to hold off on recasting Azuri until a safer moment showed a strategic awareness to protect his key threats from removal.

• 3

  Shawn's Locust God synergy with token generation and repeated activation of its draw and discard ability kept his board replenished and his opponents under pressure.

• 4

  Pat's persistent land drop issues severely limited his ability to execute his strategy despite having synergistic cards, illustrating the importance of mana consistency in EDH.

• 5

  The interaction of sacrifice effects with life gain and damage (e.g., Perilous Mirror and Disciple of Griselbrand) was pivotal for Pat to stay relevant despite board setbacks.

• 6

  Counterspells were effectively used to disrupt Pat's Thoughtpicker Witch, preventing incremental card advantage and library disruption.

Notable Cards

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  Blade of the Bloodchief

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  Mirror Entity

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  Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring

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  Blasphemous Act

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  Thoughtpicker Witch

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  Gilded Lotus

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  Champion of Lambholt

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  Cold-Eyed Selkie

Summary

Key turning points included Trevor's efficient use of Primal Amulet to ramp and board wipe at a low cost, significantly reshaping the battlefield. Shawn's Locust God proved a major threat, generating insect tokens and applying pressure with flying vigilance attackers. Matt's strategy of growing his creatures through experience counters and combat damage allowed him to threaten opponents steadily. Pat's deck, relying on recursion and sacrifice synergies, was hampered by land scarcity, delaying his ability to execute his plan. The game featured interactions such as counterspells to disrupt Pat's Thought Picker and strategic sacrifice effects to stabilize life totals and board presence. The game evolved into a contest of board presence, token swarms, and incremental value through commanders' unique abilities.