Darien vs Ezuri vs Ishkanah vs Zurgo [EDH/Commander, Magic The Gathering Gameplay] 2021

Deck Strategies

• 

  Darien, King of Kjeldor

  Mono-white midrange token deck aiming to go wide with soldier tokens from Darien's ability, gain life through synergy cards like Soul’s Attendant, and close out games with life gain combos involving cards such as Karma and Herborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.

• 

  Ishkanah, Grafwidow

  Midrange combo deck combining spider tribal elements with complex land and artifact combos to generate infinite mana, utilizing cards like Deserted Temple, Cabal Coffers, Crop Rotation, Chain of Smog, and Protean Hulk to assemble game-winning sequences.

• 

  Zurgo Helmsmasher

  Mardu control-beatdown deck leveraging Zurgo's indestructibility on your turn to survive board wipes, clearing opponents' boards frequently and winning through commander damage and efficient removal.

• 

  Ezuri, Renegade Leader

  Elf tribal deck focused on accelerating mana with elves, growing the board, and using Ezuri's activated ability to pump creatures for a lethal alpha strike or to enable large finishers like Craterhoof Behemoth.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Darien’s token generation combined with life gain from Soul’s Attendant provided a resilient board presence forcing opponents to consider multiple blockers or removal spells.

• 2

  Ishkanah’s pilot prioritized assembling infinite mana combos using artifact land recursion and land-based combos with Crop Rotation and Cabal Coffers, creating significant late-game threats.

• 3

  Zurgo’s hybrid control strategy relied on frequent board wipes and Zurgo's indestructibility to maintain a clear battlefield and push through damage, but faced challenges against the rapid board development of elves and tokens.

• 4

  Ezuri’s elf tribal deck built up a large board early with elves like Elvish Champion and used mana acceleration to activate Ezuri’s pump ability, presenting a serious threat of a wide alpha strike.

• 5

  Key interactive moments included Ishkanah’s attempts at combo assembly being disrupted or slowed, and Darien’s life gain helping absorb damage and stabilize against aggressive decks.

• 6

  Chain of Smog proved to be an MVP card, facilitating combo execution and disrupting opponents’ plays simultaneously.

Notable Cards

• 

  Soul's Attendant

• 

  Karma

• 

  Chain of Smog

• 

  Crop Rotation

• 

  Fiend Artisan

• 

  Craterhoof Behemoth

• 

  Dark Confidant

• 

  Elvish Champion

Summary

The game featured four distinct Commander decks each pursuing their unique strategies. Darien, King of Kjeldor led a mono-white midrange deck focused on going wide with tokens and leveraging life gain synergies to maintain board presence and survive through attrition. Ishkanah, Grafwidow commanded a midrange-combo deck that aimed to generate infinite mana through intricate combos involving lands like Deserted Temple, Cabal Coffers, and artifact recursion, with backup combos such as Chain of Smog and Protean Hulk lines to close out the game. Zurgo Helmsmasher played a hybrid control and beatdown deck, using board wipes to keep opponents' boards clear while pushing through damage with Zurgo's indestructibility. Ezuri, Renegade Leader piloted an elf tribal deck intending to flood the board with elves and use Ezuri's pump ability to overwhelm opponents, potentially finishing with large damage bursts from cards like Craterhoof Behemoth. Early turns saw players developing their mana bases and deploying key pieces: Darien played Soul’s Attendant to stabilize life, Ishkanah’s pilot established ramp and combo enablers like Fiend Artisan and Crop Rotation, while Ezuri started building his elf army. Key moments included Ishkanah’s attempts to assemble combos with lands and artifact recursion, as well as Zurgo’s use of board wipes and protective spells to maintain control. The interactions between Darien’s life gain and token generation and Ezuri’s aggressive elf swarm created a dynamic board state. The game revolved around Ishkanah's combo lines threatening to generate infinite mana, while Darien’s and Ezuri’s boards posed continuous pressure. Zurgo’s control elements tried to disrupt these plans but struggled to keep pace. Ultimately, the game highlighted the tension between combo finishes and wide board strategies with Darien’s tokens and Ezuri’s elves, while Ishkanah sought to pull off a game-winning infinite mana combo.