Teysa vs Sakashima//Vial Smasher vs Lathril vs Birgi [EDH/Commander, MTG Gameplay] 2021 thumbnail Blurred backdrop thumbnail
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Teysa vs Sakashima//Vial Smasher vs Lathril vs Birgi [EDH/Commander, MTG Gameplay] 2021

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Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces card Sakashima of a Thousand Faces videos from MTG The Stack 
EDH.Wiki 
Lathril, Blade of the Elves

Lathril, Blade of the Elves

Lathril, Blade of the Elves card Lathril, Blade of the Elves videos from MTG The Stack 
EDH.Wiki 
Vial Smasher the Fierce

Vial Smasher the Fierce

Vial Smasher the Fierce card Vial Smasher the Fierce videos from MTG The Stack 
EDH.Wiki 
Teysa Karlov

Teysa Karlov

Teysa Karlov card Teysa Karlov videos from MTG The Stack 
EDH.Wiki 
Birgi, God of Storytelling

Birgi, God of Storytelling

Birgi, God of Storytelling card Birgi, God of Storytelling videos from MTG The Stack 
EDH.Wiki 

Decklists

Sakashima of a Thousand Faces + Vial Smasher the Fierce Deck on Archidekt

Lathril, Blade of the Elves Deck on Archidekt

Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty Deck on Moxfield

Deck & Commander Strategies

  • Teysa Karlov

    Teysa Karlov

    Midrange aristocrats deck that floods the board with small tokens and leverages sacrifice outlets and death triggers to generate value and drain opponents' life.

  • Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty

    Birgi, God of Storytelling

    Storm combo deck aiming to cast multiple spells per turn using Birgi's ability to generate mana, building a high storm count to win with spells like Grapeshot.

  • Sakashima of a Thousand Faces Vial Smasher the Fierce

    Sakashima of a Thousand Faces and Vial Smasher the Fierce

    Grixis midrange deck focused on casting big, impactful spells while dealing random damage to opponents via Vial Smasher, and leveraging clone synergies with Sakashima.

  • Lathril, Blade of the Elves

    Lathril, Blade of the Elves

    Elf tribal deck that ramps quickly, generates tokens, and uses synergy among elves combined with tutors and card advantage to overwhelm opponents.

Gameplay Insights

  • 1

    Calvin's use of Necropotence early in the game allowed him to gain significant card advantage at the cost of life, enabling him to fuel his aristocrats strategy.

  • 2

    Max carefully managed Birgi's mana generation and storm count by casting multiple spells in a turn, including rituals and burn spells, preparing for a potential Grapeshot combo finish.

  • 3

    Guy's casting of Vial Smasher and Sakashima early on enabled a steady stream of random damage triggers to opponents, applying pressure while developing board presence with clones.

  • 4

    The presence of Roiling Vortex on the battlefield restricted life gain and caused incremental damage, influencing players' life management and timing of plays.

  • 5

    Calvin's response to Fiery Confluence by sacrificing Circle of Protection to itself minimized damage and preserved board presence through token generation.

  • 6

    Lathril's deployment and the use of Sylvan Library allowed the elf tribal player to maintain consistent card draw and ramp, setting up a strong midgame board.

  • 7

    Multiple tutors such as Vampiric and Demonic Tutor were used effectively to find key pieces like Necropotence and Bolus Citadel, demonstrating the importance of consistency in these decks.

Notable Cards

  • Necropotence

    Necropotence

  • Roiling Vortex

    Roiling Vortex

  • Fiery Confluence

    Fiery Confluence

  • Sylvan Library

    Sylvan Library

  • Vampiric Tutor

    Vampiric Tutor

  • Demonic Tutor

    Demonic Tutor

  • Lathril, Blade of the Elves

    Lathril, Blade of the Elves

  • Vial Smasher the Fierce

    Vial Smasher the Fierce

  • Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

    Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

  • Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty

    Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty

  • Garrison Cat

    Garrison Cat

  • Green Sun's Zenith

    Green Sun's Zenith

  • Grapeshot

    Grapeshot

Gameplay Summary

The game began with each player establishing their board state according to their deck strategies.

Calvin, playing Teysa Karlov, focused on a midrange aristocrats theme, flooding the board with small creatures and leveraging sacrifice outlets for incremental value.

Max piloted Birgi, God of Storytelling, aiming for a storm combo with spells like Grapeshot, carefully building mana ramp and storm count.

Guy played a Grixis deck with Sakashima of a Thousand Faces and Vial Smasher the Fierce, aiming to cast big spells and deal random damage through Vial Smasher's triggered ability.

The narrator controlled Lathril, Blade of the Elves, building an elf tribal board with heavy interaction and card advantage tools like Sylvan Library and tutors. Early turns saw mana acceleration and key spells such as Roiling Vortex and Necropotence coming into play.

Calvin utilized Necropotence to dig deep into his deck, sacrificing life for card advantage, while Max developed his storm engine, including lands with counters and spells that fuel Birgi's ability.

Guy dropped Vial Smasher and Sakashima, creating clone synergies and starting to chip away at opponents' life totals.

The elf tribal player established a solid ramp base and cast Lathril to begin generating elf tokens and board presence.

The game was marked by strategic plays around life management due to Roiling Vortex and Necropotence, and significant board wipes like Fiery Confluence.

Calvin's aristocrats generated value through sacrifice triggers, while Max prepared for a potential Grapeshot finish.

The interactions between clone effects, random damage triggers, and elf token generation created a dynamic and shifting board state as players jockeyed for control and position.

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