$25 Budget Commander | Eligeth & Krark v Grismold v Merieke v Belbe | MTG EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Eligeth, Crossroads Augur & Krark, the Thumbless

  This deck focuses on card draw and tempo through blue-red spells and creatures, leveraging Eligeth's ability to draw cards and Krark's synergy with random effects. It uses bounce effects like Flood of Tears to reset the board and maintain control.

• 

  Grismold, the Dreadsower

  Grismold generates a steady stream of 1/1 green plant tokens each end step, growing stronger as tokens die. It aims to overwhelm opponents with an expanding army and synergizes with sacrifice and token death triggers.

• 

  Merieke Ri Berit

  Utilizes control and disruption, including stealing opponent creatures and life drain effects like Retreat to Hagra. The deck aims to lock down opponents by manipulating creature control while chipping away at life totals.

• 

  Belbe, Corrupted Observer

  Focuses on graveyard interaction and incremental advantage by exiling opponents' graveyard cards and recurring threats. It combines disruption with value creatures and removal to maintain pressure.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Flood of Tears served as a budget Cyclonic Rift, resetting the board and allowing the caster to rebuild advantageously.

• 2

  Grismold's token generation and growth from token deaths created consistent board pressure that opponents had to address.

• 3

  Retreat to Hagra repeatedly drained life from all opponents while gaining life for its controller, slowly tipping life totals.

• 4

  Belbe’s ability to exile cards from opponents' graveyards and sacrifice itself for value created disruption and card advantage.

• 5

  Players negotiated small trades and control shifts, highlighting how budget decks can still engage in complex board states and interactions.

Notable Cards

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  Flood of Tears

• 

  Prognostic Sphinx

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  Grismold, the Dreadsower

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  Retreat to Hagra

• 

  Genesis Hydra

Summary

The game featured a diverse set of budget Commander decks, each leveraging unique synergies within a $25 card limit. Early plays included ramp and card advantage setups, with Carlos's Eligeth, Crossroads Augur and Krark, the Thumbless deck focusing on drawing cards and controlling the board. John M's Grismold, the Dreadsower created a steady stream of plant tokens, benefiting from token death triggers to grow his board presence. Dylan piloted Merieke Ri Berit with a suite of control and life-drain effects, while Jason's Belbe, Corrupted Observer deck revolved around graveyard interaction and incremental advantage. The game had multiple small skirmishes, with players trading damage and deploying key creatures while jockeying for board control and card advantage. A pivotal moment came when Carlos cast Flood of Tears, functioning as a budget Cyclonic Rift, bouncing back opponents' permanents and resetting the board state to his advantage. This allowed him to re-establish control with Prognostic Sphinx and other threats. John M’s repeated use of Grismold’s token creation pressured opponents, while Dylan's life loss and gain effects from Retreat to Hagra chipped away at opponents' resources. Jason's graveyard plays and removal attempts kept the board in flux. The game was marked by strategic exchanges of control effects, token production, and incremental damage, with each player leveraging their commander’s abilities to shape the battlefield. The gameplay highlighted how budget decks can still produce dynamic, interactive games with meaningful plays and shifts in momentum.