Deck Strategies
Yedora, Grave Gardener
Leverages creatures dying to return them to the battlefield and generate value, often utilizing artifacts and mana ramp to play large threats and maintain board presence.
Patron of the Moon
Uses Moonfolk tribal synergies and landfall triggers to grow creatures and set up combos, transforming Moonfolk into powerful Moon spirits to overwhelm opponents.
Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar
Focuses on playing and sacrificing creatures to draw cards and generate incremental advantage, supported by a sacrifice theme and value engine.
Iraxxa, Empress of Mars
Casts spells from outside the hand (via suspend or cascade) to create token creatures that bolster the battlefield and apply pressure through combat.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Storm Cauldron significantly restricted land drops by bouncing lands to players' hands, forcing reliance on artifact mana and careful resource management.
- 2
The synergy between Shadowheart's sacrifice ability and Yedora's recursion created a strong engine for card draw and board resilience.
- 3
Iraxxa's ability to create tokens through casting spells from outside the hand (like through suspend or cascade) enabled rapid army building.
- 4
Players prioritized artifact ramp and token generation early to mitigate the impact of limited land availability.
- 5
Yedora's ability to return creatures to the battlefield after death allowed continuous pressure despite creature removals.
Notable Cards
Iraxxa, Empress of Mars
Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar
Yedora, Grave Gardener
Storm Cauldron
Expedition Map
Treasure Map // Treasure Cove
Lotus Cobra
Ashnod's Altar
Midnight Clock
Summary
The game began with players deploying ramp and utility artifacts to accelerate their mana and prepare for their commanders. Early plays included Expedition Map, Treasure Map, and various mana rocks which set the stage for more impactful turns. Iraxxa, Empress of Mars came down early, creating token creatures through its Paradox ability as spells were cast from outside the hand, while Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar was brought out to leverage creature sacrifices for card draw. The presence of Storm Cauldron complicated the mana base by returning lands to players' hands whenever tapped, encouraging players to rely on mana rocks and artifact ramp. Yedora, Grave Gardener entered the battlefield mid-game and began to capitalize on creatures dying by returning them to play, establishing a resilient board presence. The interaction between Shadowheart's sacrifice ability and Yedora's recursion created significant value, allowing continuous card draw and board development. Meanwhile, the mono-blue Patron of the Moon deck focused on Moonfolk and landfall synergies, aiming to evolve Moonfolk into powerful Moon spirits to combo off. The game featured key plays around managing limited land drops due to Storm Cauldron and maximizing the value from creature deaths and spell casting from unusual zones, culminating in a dynamic board state where synergy between sacrifice, token generation, and recursion dictated the pace and outcome.