PLAY TO WIN vs SPLIT SECOND - Nath-Birgi-Orvar-Kenrith - cEDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

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  Kenrith, the Returned King

  A midrange deck that leverages Kenrith's versatile abilities to control the board, gain incremental advantage through creatures like Yagmoth and Thran Physician, and disrupt opponents while maintaining a strong life total.

• 

  Nath of the Gilt-Leaf

  A graveyard and sacrifice synergy deck focused on producing snakes via Hapatra and generating card advantage through Yagmoth, enabling a grindy value engine that can disrupt opponents and control the board state.

• 

  Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty

  A red-based storm deck that uses low-cost rituals, mana rocks, and wheels to build a high storm count, aiming to win by casting a lethal chain of spells in a single turn.

• 

  Orvar, the All-Form

  A spell-copying deck that leverages Orvar's ability to copy instants and sorceries, generating value and tempo to overwhelm opponents, often relying on key spells and tempo plays to maintain control.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Nath's use of Yagmoth and Hapatra to repeatedly sacrifice creatures and generate snakes allowed for a significant surge in card draw and board presence, turning the tide of the game.

• 2

  Birgi's clever use of Wheel of Misfortune combined with mana acceleration and ritual spells enabled a strong storm turn without taking damage, maintaining both hand size and life total.

• 3

  The interaction between Fire Covenant and Yagmoth's ability was a pivotal play that was initially misplayed, costing additional card draws but still resulting in substantial progress for Nath.

• 4

  Orvar's strategy relied heavily on untapping and copying key spells to gain incremental advantage, forcing opponents to respond to repeated tempo plays.

• 5

  Kenrith's deployment of utility creatures like Yagmoth and use of disruption spells helped stabilize the board and pressure opponents, though it was challenged by the explosive storm and sacrifice synergies.

Notable Cards

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  Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

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  Wheel of Misfortune

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  Mana Crypt

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  Mystic Remora

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  Collector Ouphe

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  Chord of Calling

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  Imperial Seal

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  Scavenging Ooze

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  Skullclamp

Summary

The game opened with each player developing their board, deploying early ramp and utility creatures while setting up their key synergies. Birgi's storm deck began to accelerate with mana rocks and rituals, aiming to build a storm count quickly. Nath used discard and snake generation synergy to apply pressure and disrupt opponents, while Orvar sought to leverage his ability to copy spells for value. Kenrith focused on board presence and incremental advantage with value creatures and disruption. Early combat and minor skirmishes started to chip away at life totals, but the real turning point came when Nath leveraged Yagmoth, Thran Physician and Hapatra to generate multiple snakes and draw several cards through repeated sacrificing, gaining significant card advantage and board control. A critical moment occurred as Nath mismanaged the interaction with Fire Covenant and Yagmoth, missing some additional card draws, but still emerging in a strong position with a significant life lead. Meanwhile, Birgi executed a key wheel effect with Wheel of Misfortune, cleverly avoiding damage, and further refilled his hand to fuel a powerful storm turn involving mana diamonds, Spirit Guides, and multiple spells, culminating in drawing multiple cards and setting up a lethal storm count. Orvar and Kenrith continued to develop their boards and apply pressure, but the storm deck's explosive turn threatened to close the game rapidly. The game was shaping up with storm combos and creature synergies vying for control, focused on generating overwhelming advantage through incremental card draw, token generation, and storm count.