Ukkima Cazur, Taigam O Master, Rielle, Meren

Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Deck & Commander Strategies

Ukkima, Stalking Shadow & Cazur, Ruthless Stalker
A Food Chain combo deck aiming to generate infinite mana by sacrificing misthollow Griffin or other creatures to Food Chain, then winning through Thassa's Oracle or other combo finishers.
Taigam, Ojutai Master
A control/stax deck that leverages taxing permanents like The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale and Scroll Rack to disrupt opponents, while using card draw and counterspells to maintain dominance and lock the board.
Rielle, the Everwise
A storm and discard-based deck that draws cards through Rielle's ability, generates storm count, and aims to combo off with spells like Cyclonic Rift to clear the board and win.
Meren of Clan Nel Toth
A value and recursion deck that uses creatures like Dark Confidant and Caustic Caterpillar to control the board while recurring threats from the graveyard to grind out opponents.

Gameplay Insights

1
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale proved a pivotal stax piece, forcing Baal to sacrifice creatures and slowing down aggressive strategies.
2
David's use of Mana Drain to counter Baal's Oakhame Adversary allowed him to ramp significantly and maintain control over the game pace.
3
Luis's Scroll Rack and Intuition combo provided powerful card selection and value generation, allowing him to quickly assemble key pieces.
4
Baal's timing of sacrificing Caustic Caterpillar to destroy Back to Basics was critical for maintaining mana flexibility for the group.
5
Pedro Leite's strategic use of Lim-Dul’s Vault and Imperial Seal helped him dig through the deck efficiently despite heavy taxing effects and limited ramp.
6
The interplay of multiple taxing enchantments (Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora, Land Tax, Back to Basics) created a highly interactive and challenging resource management environment.

Notable Cards

The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Scroll Rack
Rhystic Study
Food Chain
Misthollow Griffin
Cyclonic Rift
Mana Drain
Dark Confidant
Caustic Caterpillar
Mana Crypt
Back to Basics
Land Tax
Chrome Mox

Gameplay Summary

The game featured a tense and strategic battle among four players piloting different cEDH decks.

Luis, playing a control/stax Taigam deck, opened with efficient mana production and disruptive elements such as Land Tax, Scroll Rack, and eventually The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, which heavily taxed creature-heavy strategies.

David's Rielle deck focused on card draw and storm-based disruption, leveraging Rhystic Study, Mystical Tutor for Cyclonic Rift, and steal effects like Thieving Skydiver to disrupt the board and build a storm win.

Baal's Meren deck utilized value creatures and graveyard recursion, including Dark Confidant and Caustic Caterpillar, to maintain steady board presence and disruption.

Pedro Leite piloted a Food Chain combo deck with Ukkima and Cazur, ramping quickly with Elves of Deep Shadow, Lotus Petal, and Ancient Tomb, setting up Food Chain and combo pieces like Misthollow Griffin for a potential infinite mana or Thassa's Oracle win condition. Key turning points included Luis establishing The Tabernacle, which severely restricted creature-heavy strategies, forcing Baal to sacrifice key creatures.

David's timely counterspells and a powerful Back to Basics locked down non-basic lands and slowed opponents' mana bases.

Pedro Leite's use of Lim-Dul's Vault and Imperial Seal helped him dig for combo pieces while managing the taxing board state.

The interaction between Luis's control elements and Baal's value recursion created a dynamic stalemate, while David's storm setup threatened a sudden game-ending Cyclonic Rift combo.

The game revolved around managing resources under heavy disruption, with each player seeking to execute their respective win conditions amidst a taxing and controlling environment.

Watch on YouTube