Malfegor vs Meren vs Sydri vs Temmet EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

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  Malfegor

  A discard and sacrifice-focused deck using effects like Faith of the Devoted and Archfiend of Ifnir to drain opponents' resources and life while applying -1/-1 counters to control the board.

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  Meren of Clan Nel Toth

  A graveyard recursion deck leveraging dredge and sacrifice mechanics with cards like Light from the Loam, Survival of the Fittest, and Eternal Witness to generate value and grow experience counters for powerful creatures.

• 

  Sydri, Galvanic Genius

  An artifact synergy deck that produces tokens and enhances them with equipment and enchantments, using cards like Shatter Spy Network, Steel Shaper's Gift, and Cyclonic Rift to control the board and build a strong board presence.

• 

  Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun

  A token generation and combat enhancement deck focusing on creating wide boards with spells like Secure the Wastes and buffing them with creatures like Fire Shrieker to apply pressure through combat damage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Sean’s use of Cryptbreaker to distribute -1/-1 counters on all opponents’ creatures was a pivotal board control play that significantly weakened opposing forces.

• 2

  Matt’s overload of Cyclonic Rift effectively reset the board, enabling his artifact synergy deck to regain tempo and momentum.

• 3

  Trevor maximized value from graveyard recursion by repeatedly dredging and sacrificing creatures to trigger Survival of the Fittest and gain experience counters.

• 4

  Mike’s life gain synergy involving Chalice of Life and Blood Gift Demon allowed him to sustain through aggressive damage and draw extra cards.

• 5

  The timing of Necromantic Summons with Spell Mastery granted Sean substantial board presence at a key moment, swinging the game state in his favor.

Notable Cards

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  Land Tax

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  Faith of the Devoted

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  Archfiend of Ifnir

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  Cryptbreaker

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  Cyclonic Rift

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  Chalice of Life // Chalice of Death

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  Survival of the Fittest

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  Eternal Witness

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  Beacon of Immortality

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  Necromantic Summons

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  Secure the Wastes

Summary

The game featured four distinct decks led by Malfegor, Meren of Clan Nel Toth, Sydri, Galvanic Genius, and Temmet, Vizier of Naktamun. Early turns saw players developing their mana bases and setting up key engines such as Wastes Not, Land Tax, and Blood Gift Demon. Meren utilized dredge and reanimation strategies, repeatedly casting Light from the Loam and sacrificing creatures to generate value and experience counters. Sydri focused on artifact synergies with cards like Shatter Spy Network and Steel Shaper's Gift, producing tokens and equipping them for aggressive swings. Temmet leveraged token generation and combat enhancements, exemplified by plays like Secure the Wastes and Fire Shrieker to boost his army. Malfegor capitalized on discard and sacrifice interactions, using cards like Faith of the Devoted and Archfiend of Ifnir to gain incremental advantage and disrupt opponents. Midgame saw significant board shifts, with Sean (Malfegor) using Cryptbreaker activations to apply -1/-1 counters on opposing creatures, effectively clearing much of the board and stalling aggressive attacks. Matt (Sydri) responded with an overloaded Cyclonic Rift to reset the board state in his favor, setting up for his artifact-based win conditions. Trevor's Meren deck continuously recycled creatures and value pieces through reanimation and sacrifice, while Mike's deck maintained life gain synergy with cards such as Chalice of Life and Blood Gift Demon, providing sustain and card advantage. Key moments included Trevor's multiple sacrifices to trigger Survival of the Fittest, Sean's Necromantic Summons utilizing Spell Mastery for enhanced creatures, and Matt's Beacon of Immortality doubling his life total, backed by Alhammarret's Archive for massive life gain. The game unfolded as a dynamic battle of attrition and synergy exploitation, with players carefully timing board wipes, token production, and reanimation plays. The interplay between -1/-1 counters, graveyard recursion, and artifact boosts created a tense environment where incremental advantage often dictated the direction of the game. The win conditions revolved around overwhelming opponents with reanimated creatures, artifact-enhanced tokens, or persistent life gain and drain effects, making each player adapt their strategy to the evolving board state.