Azor vs Yennett vs Sek'Kuar vs Riku EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Yennett, Cryptic Sovereign

  Control and card advantage through revealing top cards and casting free spells, supported by planeswalkers and countermagic to maintain board presence and disrupt opponents.

• 

  Sek'Kuar, Deathkeeper

  Sacrifice and recursion synergy focused on generating value from sacrificing creatures, particularly Shadowborn Apostles, to fuel powerful demons and board presence.

• 

  Azor, the Lawbringer

  Control and prison elements using enchantments to slow opponents, gain incremental life, and protect the board while setting up a law-abiding thematic lock.

• 

  Riku of Two Reflections

  Combo and control with a focus on copying spells and creatures, utilizing extra turns, tutors, and control elements to outvalue opponents and set up powerful plays.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Martin's use of Skullclamp on multiple Shadowborn Apostles created a massive card draw engine that fueled his combo and board presence.

• 2

  Nick's timely Day of Judgment wiped the board but allowed Martin to capitalize by sacrificing apostles to Extractor Demon triggers for significant milling and life gain.

• 3

  Max effectively used Yennett's ability to cast free spells, which combined with Liliana Vess and card selection spells, provided strong midgame control and tempo advantage.

• 4

  Jamison's casting of Expropriate prompted a crucial counterspell from Nick, demonstrating the importance of interaction to prevent game-breaking combos.

• 5

  Max's cascade into Extract from Darkness showcased the power of layering graveyard recursion with board control to maintain pressure on opponents.

Notable Cards

• 

  Shadowborn Apostle

• 

  Skullclamp

• 

  Extractor Demon

• 

  Liliana Vess

• 

  Expropriate

• 

  Day of Judgment

• 

  Enigma Sphinx

• 

  Extract from Darkness

• 

  Blind Obedience

• 

  Authority of the Consuls

Summary

The pivotal moment occurred when Martin executed a near 'Exodia' combo with his Shadowborn Apostle deck, flooding the board with tokens and drawing multiple cards via Skullclamp. This overwhelming board presence forced a mass board wipe by Nick using Day of Judgment, but Martin rebounded by sacrificing his tokens to bring out a powerful Extractor Demon, milling a significant portion of Max's library and gaining life for Nick. Max responded with a strong tempo play by casting Enigma Sphinx and cascading into Extract from Darkness, milling all opponents and recasting a key creature from his graveyard. The game was marked by high-value interactions, layering of synergies, and a struggle between token swarm, control elements, and free spellcasting, setting up for a late-game finish reliant on Martin's token recursion or Max's card advantage engine.