Community Decks with CovertGoBlue & Maldhound | EDH Gameplay Ep 50

Deck Strategies

• 

  Breeches, Brazen Plunderer

  Focuses on pirate tribal synergy supported by counterspells and disruption to control the board state and push through damage.

• 

  Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier

  Utilizes combat tricks and equipment that scale with lands to create a large, vigilant army, copying targeted spells or abilities for massive value.

• 

  Zask, Skittering Swarmlord

  Swarm tribal with graveyard recursion to flood the board with tokens and drain opponents’ life quickly.

• 

  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

  Synergizes with Breeches to augment pirate tribal strategies, focusing on interaction and tempo.

• 

  Yurlok of Scorch Thrash

  Implements mana burn mechanics to punish opponents for inefficient mana use while generating mana advantage for itself.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Countering Azusa, Lost but Seeking early significantly slowed down a ramp-focused player's mana development, highlighting the importance of timely counterspell use in Commander.

• 2

  Agrus Kos’ ability to copy targeted spells and abilities was leveraged extensively with equipment and combat tricks to rapidly increase board presence.

• 3

  Zask’s graveyard recursion with Dread Return allowed for repeated value and token generation, creating pressure on opponents through swarm synergy.

• 4

  The mana burn mechanic of Yurlok of Scorch Thrash forced players to carefully consider their land usage and mana expenditure, adding a layer of resource management tension.

• 5

  Players prioritized countering the spell of the player to their left to mitigate the biggest immediate threats, demonstrating a common multiplayer interaction strategy.

Notable Cards

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  Skullclamp

• 

  Azusa, Lost but Seeking

• 

  Arcane Denial

• 

  Blackblade Reforged

• 

  Dread Return

• 

  Sylvan Library

• 

  Swarmyard

Summary

The game started with players setting up their mana bases and early board states, with an emphasis on ramp and card draw. One notable early interaction was a counterspell denying an attempt to cast Azusa, Lost but Seeking, which would have allowed playing multiple lands per turn and accelerated mana significantly. This slowed down one player's land development but also set a tone of careful counterspell usage. The player running Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier focused on building a threatening board with equipment like Blackblade Reforged, which scaled with lands, while maintaining vigilance and combat tricks to capitalize on Agrus Kos' ability to copy targeted spells or abilities. Another key moment involved the Zask, Skittering Swarmlord player utilizing Dread Return to cheat creatures from the graveyard, aiming to build a wide swarm and drain opponents rapidly. Meanwhile, the Breeches, Brazen Plunderer and Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator deck leveraged countermagic and pirate synergy to disrupt opponents and push through damage. The Yurlok of Scorch Thrash deck, with its mana burn mechanic, pressured players to manage their mana carefully, punishing overextension. The game featured substantial interaction through counterspells and removal, with players jockeying for tempo and board presence. The turning points revolved around successful disruption of key plays, efficient use of combat and equipment synergy, and graveyard recursion enabling Zask to maintain pressure. The game’s win conditions centered on overwhelming the table with combat damage, draining life through swarm effects, and leveraging value from spells copied by Agrus Kos.