EDH Gameplay - Episode 99: Hamza VS Saskia VS Edgar VS Meren

Deck Strategies

• 

  Edgar Markov

  Swarm the board with vampire tokens and pump them using vampire lords and anthem effects, while controlling the board with removal spells and gaining incremental advantage through Edgar's vampire eminence ability.

• 

  Saskia the Unyielding

  Build a human tribal army boosted by plus one plus one counters and tokens, dealing damage to multiple opponents each combat phase through Saskia's ability, and leveraging value creatures and equipment to maintain pressure.

• 

  Hamza, Guardian of Arashin

  Ramp into large creatures ahead of schedule using Hamza's cost reduction and plus one plus one counter synergies, combined with card draw to maintain momentum and board presence.

• 

  Meren of Clan Nel Toth

  Fill the graveyard quickly through self-mill and sacrifice effects, accumulate experience counters, and repeatedly reanimate creatures for value and board control.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Edgar Markov's player effectively used Forerunner of the Legion to tutor Captivating Vampire early, which allowed gaining control of other commanders, shifting the power balance significantly in his favor.

• 2

  Saskia's ability to deal damage to multiple opponents each combat was aggressively leveraged, especially with the support of Thalia's Lieutenant and token synergies, amplifying damage output.

• 3

  Meren's player used sacrifice and reanimation effectively, with key plays like casting Underrealm Lich and returning creatures from graveyard, maintaining board presence despite pressure.

• 4

  Hamza's ramp strategy was slowed by early removal and disruption, but his ability to cast large creatures with cost reduction aimed to swing the momentum later in the game.

• 5

  Strategic use of removal such as Vindicate and Go for the Throat to dismantle key creatures and disrupt synergy chains proved critical in controlling tempo.

• 6

  The interaction between equipment like Skullclamp and creatures with death triggers was skillfully used to generate card advantage and maintain pressure.

Notable Cards

• 

  Forerunner of the Legion

• 

  Captivating Vampire

• 

  Thalia's Lieutenant

• 

  Spore Frog

• 

  Skullclamp

• 

  Collective Effort

• 

  Bloodstained Mire

• 

  Vindicate

• 

  Laid to Rest

• 

  Underrealm Lich

• 

  Gold-Forged Sentinel

• 

  Kodama of the East Tree

Summary

The game began with a typical multiplayer setup involving four distinct strategies: Edgar Markov's vampire tribal deck aiming to swarm and pump vampires, Saskia the Unyielding's human tribal deck with plus one plus one counters and token synergies, Hamza, Guardian of Arashin's high-cost creature ramp deck with counter synergies, and Meren of Clan Nel Toth's graveyard-focused reanimator deck. Early turns were spent developing board presence with creatures and ramp while players exchanged minor combat damage and board interactions. Edgar Markov quickly established pressure using vampire tokens and anthem effects, notably leveraging Forerunner of the Legion to tutor Captivating Vampire, which helped him gain control over opponents' commanders, including Saskia and Hamza, turning their strengths against their owners. Saskia's player pushed aggressive damage with enhanced humans and leveraging Saskia's damage redirection to punish multiple opponents simultaneously, while Meren focused on filling the graveyard and using sacrifice outlets to generate experience counters and reanimate threats.