Deck & Commander Strategies
Kaalia of the Vast
Fast Mardu aggro-combo deck that cheats large demons and dragons into play quickly to apply pressure and finish opponents before they can assemble their combos.
Dargo, the Shipwrecker with Thrasios, Triton Hero
Combo deck focused on cheating creatures into play and sacrificing them for value, generating infinite mana through combos involving French Keyfleet, Underworld Breach, and other cEDH staples.
Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper and Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
Value and control-oriented deck leveraging card draw, interaction, and life gain to outlast opponents and gradually assemble a winning combo or lock.
Tivit, Seller of Secrets
Control and disruption deck that uses wheel effects and graveyard recursion like Survival of the Fittest to filter draws and find key combo pieces or disruption tools.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Early mulligans were critical as players prioritized having access to ramp and interaction over a flood of lands or slow hands.
- 2
The use of Wheel of Misfortune reshaped the game state drastically, forcing players to adapt their strategies and resource management.
- 3
Kaalia’s plan to cheat large demons and dragons into play was countered by tight interaction from other players, requiring careful timing and sequencing.
- 4
Dargo’s sacrifice-based combo line required setting up multiple pieces, including protection from removal to avoid disruption during the combo execution.
- 5
Players leveraged both discard and recursion spells like Necromancy to maintain pressure and recover key creatures or threats.
- 6
Mana rocks and lands that produce multiple colors, such as Mana Confluence and Mox Opal, were essential for enabling fast casting of spells and combos in this multi-color environment.
- 7
Interaction such as Pyroblast was kept even in suboptimal hands to prevent opponents' combo lines from gaining momentum.
Notable Cards
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Kaalia of the Vast
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Dargo, the Shipwrecker
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Thrasios, Triton Hero
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Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper
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Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
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Tivit, Seller of Secrets
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Wheel of Misfortune
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Survival of the Fittest
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Underworld Breach
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Dark Ritual
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Necromancy
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Pyroblast
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Dockside Extortionist
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Mox Opal
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Mana Confluence
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Windswept Heath
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Tropical Island
Gameplay Summary
The game featured a highly competitive cEDH four-player match with Kaalia of the Vast, Dargo with Thrasios, Ikra Shidiqi paired with Kraum, and Tivit, Seller of Secrets as the commanders.
Early on, players struggled with suboptimal opening hands, mulliganing multiple times to find the right balance of ramp and interaction.
Kaalia aimed to quickly cheat big demons and dragons into play to pressure opponents, while Dargo focused on a combo-centric strategy involving sacrificing creatures and generating infinite mana with cards like French Keyfleet and Underworld Breach.
Ikra and Kraum provided a value and grindy toolbox approach, leveraging card draw and interaction to survive and capitalize on the board state.
Tivit brought a control-oriented shell with disruption and possible combo lines involving wheel effects and Survival of the Fittest to filter and find key pieces.
The game’s turning point came after a pivotal Wheel of Misfortune cast by one player, which heavily reshaped hands and board presence, forcing players to recalibrate their strategies.
Despite the chaotic draw and discard effects, the players maintained tight resource management and interaction, with attempts to establish the combos or board dominance.
The game’s progression was marked by careful sequencing of spells, well-timed interaction such as counterspells and removal, and calculated risk-taking with mulligans and gambles.
The eventual win condition centered on executing infinite mana combos or overwhelming board presence through cheating large creatures into play, with Kaalia’s fast demon and dragon deployment and Dargo’s sacrifice combo being the primary threats.
