Deck & Commander Strategies
Etali, Primal Conqueror
Utilizes fast mana acceleration and discard synergies to cast Etali early, attacking swiftly to deal damage and generate card advantage by exiling and casting spells from opponents' decks.
Ral, Monsoon Mage
Focuses on artifact combos and cascade spells to generate massive mana and value, repeatedly casting Metalwork Colossus and leveraging Krark-Clan Ironworks for infinite or near-infinite artifact sacrifice loops and card draw.
Kefka, Court Mage
Leverages cascade triggers and fast mana to chain spells and generate incremental advantages, using cascade to cheat powerful spells into play and disrupt opponents through damage and control elements.
Zhulodok, Void Gorger
Builds a colorless mana base with ramp artifacts and lands like Ancient Tomb and Thespian's Stage to cast Zhulodok and other heavy threats, focusing on board development and value generation in a slower, more methodical manner.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Casting Etali on turn one set an aggressive tempo that forced opponents to respond quickly or risk losing significant life early.
- 2
Ral's use of cascade combined with artifact synergies allowed for multiple recasts of Metalwork Colossus, generating overwhelming board presence and value in a short time.
- 3
Toxic Deluge was a key board wipe that reset the battlefield, but was cleverly followed up by artifact recursion and cascades to maintain pressure.
- 4
The interplay of sacrifice outlets like Krark-Clan Ironworks with Metalwork Colossus enabled loops that threatened to close out the game rapidly.
- 5
Fast mana rocks and early ramp were essential to enabling explosive turns and combos in this high-powered game setting.
Notable Cards
-
Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness
-
Lion's Eye Diamond
-
Metalwork Colossus
-
Krark-Clan Ironworks
-
Toxic Deluge
-
Ancient Tomb
-
Thespian's Stage
Gameplay Summary
The game started explosively with Joseph casting a turn one Etali, Primal Conqueror, leveraging Lion's Eye Diamond and other mana acceleration to quickly bring Etali into play and threaten early aggression.
Eric on Ral, Monsoon Mage deployed a powerful mana ramp suite including Lion's Eye Diamond, Soul Ring, and Jessica's Will to set up a cascade and artifact-based combo strategy centered around Metalwork Colossus and Krark-Clan Ironworks.
Rebel's Kefka deck utilized fast mana and cascade triggers to generate advantage and establish board presence, while the player on Zhulodok, Void Gorger focused on colorless mana ramp through Ancient Tomb and Thespian's Stage aiming to cast their commander and develop a robust board state.
The early turns saw significant board development and interactions, including a Toxic Deluge wipe initiated by Ral to clear the board and reset the pace, followed by a cascade chain that allowed the casting of multiple impactful artifacts and spells, including Echos of Eternity and multiple Metalwork Colossus recasts.
This led to a complex board state with artifact recursion and strong threat generation.
The game’s pivotal moments centered around Ral's cascade combos and artifact synergies, which pressured opponents and disrupted their plans, while Etali's aggressive early presence demanded immediate attention.
The game concluded quickly by turn three with multiple players knocked out after intense board control exchanges and damage swings, highlighting the high-powered and fast-paced nature of the matchup.
