XTINA GG hates birds ft. Mark the Gruul Guy | GtG #4

Deck Strategies

• 

  Krenko, Mob Boss

  Swarm the board with goblin tokens quickly and use haste granted by Rubblefort to deliver fast, explosive damage.

• 

  Nikya of the Old Ways

  Generate double mana from lands to cast large creatures, focusing on ramp and big stompy creatures to overpower opponents.

• 

  Grolnok, the Omnivore

  Mill cards and place croak counters on permanents to replay them for value, leveraging artifact and frog synergies.

• Rendmaw, the Creaking Nest

  Create and distribute bird tokens to all players, using them to deal damage and manipulate board presence.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Mark's use of Death Reap Ritual with morbid triggered card draw but was cleverly countered by Tina sacrificing a creature to deny the draw.

• 2

  Rubblefort's ability to grant haste was a key enabler for Krenko's goblin swarming strategy, increasing early game aggression.

• 3

  Heartwood Storyteller created a political dynamic where casting non-creature spells would benefit opponents, influencing players' spell choices.

• 4

  Tina's decision to ping Mark with Chandra's damage helped keep pressure on a ramp-focused opponent, balancing the board state.

• 5

  Players were cautious about overextending given the potential for wide board wipes or damage from token synergies.

Notable Cards

• 

  Chandra, Dressed to Kill

• 

  Heartwood Storyteller

• 

  Frog Tongue

Summary

The game opened with each player establishing their board states aligned with their deck themes: goblins, frogs, and birds with a heavy focus on token generation and synergy. Early turns saw players developing mana bases and deploying key creatures like Rubblefort to grant haste and Chandra, Dressed to Kill to chip away at opponents. Tina's Krenko deck aimed to flood the board with goblin tokens and utilize haste for aggressive swings, while Mark's Nikya deck focused on doubling mana and deploying creatures to grow large threats. Tom's Grolnok frog deck leveraged croak counters and artifact synergy, milling and replaying permanents for incremental value. Dom's Rendmaw bird deck concentrated on creating bird tokens to pass around and generate widespread damage.