EDH Gameplay - Episode 89: Nekusar VS Yarok VS Hazezon VS Naban

Deck Strategies

• 

  Hazezon Tamar

  Ramp aggressively with lands to flood the board with Sand Warrior tokens, buff them with anthem effects, and use sacrifice mechanics to protect these tokens from leaving the battlefield triggers.

• 

  Naban, Dean of Iteration

  Leverage a wizard tribal theme with a mill subtheme, doubling enter-the-battlefield triggers to generate card advantage and mill opponents while controlling the board with counterspells and removal.

• 

  Nekusar, the Mindrazer

  Focus on card draw and wheel effects to force opponents to discard and draw multiple cards, dealing damage through Nekusar’s ability and maintaining control with spells.

• 

  Yarok, the Desecrated

  Double all enter-the-battlefield triggers to maximize value from creatures, lands, and other permanents, generating tokens and synergizing with landfall and ramp strategies.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The repeated use of wheel effects by Nekusar combined with discard triggers from creatures like Fell Specter significantly shifted life totals and card advantage across the table.

• 2

  Hazezon’s approach to sacrificing his commander after creating tokens cleverly avoids negative leave-the-battlefield triggers, protecting his board state.

• 3

  Naban’s use of enter-the-battlefield triggers doubled with his commander synergizes well with milling opponents and gaining card advantage, especially when combined with flash creatures and instant-speed spells.

• 4

  Yarok’s strategy of doubling ETB effects extends beyond creatures to lands and enchantments, allowing maximization of token generation and ramp benefits.

• 5

  Control elements such as counterspells and tempo plays were pivotal in shaping the pace of the game, notably countering key commander deployments early on to slow down opponents’ strategies.

Notable Cards

• 

  Yavimaya Elder

• 

  Solemn Simulacrum

• 

  Fell Specter

• 

  Field of the Dead

• 

  Archmage Emeritus

• 

  Wheel and Deal

• 

  Cultivate

• 

  Noxious Gearhulk

• 

  Exotic Orchard

• 

  Choked Estuary

• 

  Disallow

• 

  Spell Swindle

• 

  Wizard's Retort

• 

  Command Beacon

Summary

The game begins with each player establishing their board state according to their commander’s strategy. Hazezon Tamar focuses on ramping and land drops to flood the board with Sand Warrior tokens, leveraging anthem effects and ways to sacrifice his commander to protect his tokens. Naban, Dean of Iteration deploys a wizard tribal deck with a mill subtheme, using his commander's ability to double enter-the-battlefield triggers and combining it with control elements to disrupt opponents. Nekusar, the Mindrazer aims to maximize wheel effects and card draw to deal damage through his commander’s ability, supplemented by control spells to maintain board presence. Yarok, the Desecrated capitalizes on doubling all enter-the-battlefield triggers, playing a mix of creatures and lands with ETB effects to generate value and tokens, including a landfall package that synergizes with ramp cards. Early turns see players developing their mana bases and board presence, with several impactful plays such as the use of wheel effects by Nekusar and the field of the dead creating tokens for Yarok. The game features critical moments where control and disruption shape the flow, including counterspells and sacrifice of treasures to cast key creatures like Archmage Emeritus. Multiple wheel effects combined with Nekusar’s ability cause significant damage to all players through discard triggers from creatures like Fell Specter. Hazezon’s strategy to generate tokens while buffing them and Naban’s ability to mill cards synergize well with their board control tactics. The gameplay is dynamic with players balancing aggression through combat and maintaining control via spells and ETB interactions. The summary ends as Hazezon successfully casts his commander and prepares to attack, with the game poised for further strategic developments and interactions among the four diverse decks.