EDH Gameplay | Live @ Face to Face Calgary | Hakbal v Etali v Rhys v Ruric Thar | Game 1 | EP32

Deck Strategies

• 

  Rhys the Redeemed

  Token generation and doubling to flood the board with elves and other tokens, aiming to overwhelm opponents through wide board states and synergy.

• 

  Hakbal of the Surging Soul

  Landfall and explore synergy to ramp mana, grow creatures, and cast large spells efficiently while maintaining board presence.

• 

  Etali, Primal Storm

  Aggressive dinosaur tribal combat focused on casting Etali and other spells to trigger multiple combat damage instances and gain card advantage.

• 

  Ruric Thar, the Unbowed

  Creature-based ramp and punishment deck that focuses solely on creatures and lands, punishing opponents for casting non-creature spells through combat damage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Rhys leveraged his turn one commander drop to quickly create an elf token and started doubling tokens by turn six, generating significant board presence early.

• 2

  Hakbal’s explore mechanic allowed him to play lands directly from his hand and grow his creatures, synergizing well with his deck’s ramp and landfall themes.

• 3

  Etali’s player prioritized protecting his commander to enable multiple combat phases and spells casting, aiming to maximize damage output and card advantage.

• 4

  Ruric Thar’s deck punished non-creature spell casts, encouraging a creature-heavy board and creating tension around spell sequencing for opponents.

• 5

  The use of artifact ramp such as Ruby Medallion and Coalition Relic helped accelerate mana development, enabling faster deployment of threats and combos.

• 6

  Scroll Rack was used to manipulate the top of the library to maximize card draw and hand optimization, showcasing the importance of card selection and sequencing.

• 7

  Early board wipes and targeted removal, such as an evoke spell destroying a key artifact, influenced tempo and forced players to adapt their strategies.

Notable Cards

• 

  Rhys the Redeemed

• 

  Hakbal of the Surging Soul

• 

  Etali, Primal Storm

• 

  Ruric Thar, the Unbowed

• 

  Scroll Rack

• 

  Ruby Medallion

• 

  Commander's Plate

• 

  Coalition Relic

• 

  Howling Mine

Summary

The game opened with Rhys the Redeemed quickly establishing a token-based board presence by casting his commander on turn one and generating elf tokens. Rhys aimed to leverage his ability to double tokens and build a wide board. Meanwhile, Hakbal of the Surging Soul focused on ramp and land synergy, utilizing the explore mechanic to accelerate his board development and grow his creatures. Etali, Primal Storm pursued an aggressive strategy centered on casting and re-casting Etali to generate multiple combat triggers, aiming to overwhelm opponents with repeated damage and card advantage. Ruric Thar, the Unbowed played a creature-heavy deck designed to punish non-creature spells and maintain constant pressure through combat damage and creature abilities.