EDH Gameplay - Episode 56: Kalamax VS Zaxara VS Nekusar VS Sidisi

Deck Strategies

• 

  Kalamax, the Stormsire

  Focuses on casting and copying instant and sorcery spells to generate value, create tokens, and deal incremental damage, aiming to overwhelm opponents through a storm-like sequence of spells.

• 

  Zaxara, the Exemplary

  Utilizes tribal synergies with Exemplar creatures and spell casting to build a board presence, generate tokens, and leverage counters to increase threats and resilience.

• 

  Nekusar, the Mindrazer

  Combines discard and draw effects to inflict damage on opponents each time they draw cards, while using graveyard interactions and sacrifice outlets to maintain pressure and card advantage.

• 

  Sidisi, Brood Tyrant

  Focuses on self-mill and graveyard recursion to generate zombie tokens, control the board through creature sacrifice, and maintain a steady stream of threats.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Sacrificing creatures to Bone Miser to force mass discard and redraw disrupted players' hands but synergized well with Nekusar's damage plan.

• 2

  Using spell copying effects with Kalamax allowed multiple simultaneous removals and token generation, significantly shifting board control.

• 3

  Casting Windfall reset hands and resources, creating a high-risk, high-reward scenario that tilted the game state.

• 4

  Missed lethal opportunities, such as holding Tainted Strike without the proper target, demonstrated the importance of timing and board awareness.

• 5

  Sidisi's self-mill and token production kept pressure on opponents while providing resources for sacrifice and recursion.

• 6

  Zaxara's token generation and use of plus-one counters helped maintain board presence despite aggressive attacks and removals.

Notable Cards

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  Young Pyromancer

• 

  Bone Miser

• 

  Prophetic Bolt

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  Windfall

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  Tainted Strike

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  Beast Whisperer

• 

  Cryptbreaker

Summary

The game began with each player establishing their board states and mana bases, with early plays including creatures like Young Pyromancer, Bone Miser, and various ramp spells. Philip's Sidisi deck aggressively milled cards to trigger graveyard synergies and generate zombies, while Kirby's Nekusar deck leveraged discard and draw effects to maintain card advantage and pressure. Martin's Kalamax deck focused on casting and copying spells to generate value and incremental damage, whereas Alex's Zaxara deck developed a token army and utilized tribal synergies. A pivotal moment occurred when Kirby sacrificed his creatures to Bone Miser, forcing everyone to discard and redraw, which disrupted many hands but also fueled Nekusar's damage engine. Martin executed a powerful combination by casting and copying spells like Prophetic Bolt and Pawgrapher to remove key threats like Bone Miser and Sidisi's commander, simultaneously generating tokens and dealing damage. Later, a Windfall cast by Kirby reset hands again, but a missed opportunity with a Tainted Strike in hand highlighted the fragile balance of the game state. The interplay of spell copying, graveyard recursion, and token generation defined the midgame, with players carefully managing resources and threats in an ongoing battle for board control and survivability.