Deck Strategies
Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
Generate infinite creature mana using Food Chain and sac outlets like Squee, then win by dealing damage through effects like Impact Tremors.
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Build artifact mana and value engines to generate infinite mana and create overwhelming artifact creatures to win.
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Use Yisan's ability to tutor creatures repeatedly and assemble creature-based combos to overwhelm opponents with large finishers.
Kraum, Ludevic's Opus (Opus Thief)
Disrupt opponents' hands with wheel effects combined with Notion Thief to gain card advantage and combo off with Laboratory Maniac and Demonic Consultation to win.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Opus Thief's timely Cyclonic Rift reset the board, disrupting early explosive starts and shifting the game tempo in their favor.
- 2
Korvold's Food Chain combo was slowed down significantly due to mana denial and counterspells early in the game.
- 3
Urza leveraged artifact ramp and synergy pieces like Trinket Mage and Manifold Key to maintain pressure and set up infinite mana.
- 4
Yisan's strategy focused on tutoring creatures to assemble powerful finishers but was slowed by the heavy disruption from opponents.
- 5
Mana Drain was used effectively to counter Korvold's key enchantment, delaying his combo assembly.
- 6
Dockside Extortionist generated a large number of treasures, which were crucial for enabling Opus Thief's flash and combo plays.
- 7
Notion Thief was flashed in to deny opponents card draw from wheel effects, turning disruption into card advantage.
- 8
Each player balanced setting up their combos while attempting to disrupt others, highlighting the interactive and competitive nature of the game.
Notable Cards
Food Chain
Squee, the Immortal
Impact Tremors
Mana Drain
Cyclonic Rift
Dockside Extortionist
Notion Thief
Laboratory Maniac
Demonic Consultation
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Craterhoof Behemoth
Finale of Devastation
Mana Vault
Mox Opal
Training Grounds
Summary
The game started with each player developing their board state and setting up their primary engines. Korvold began aggressively ramping and setting up Food Chain interactions, but was curbed early by a well-timed mana drain counterspell from Opus Thief's pilot. Urza set up artifact ramp and artifact synergies to generate large amounts of mana and value, while Yisan focused on creature tutoring to assemble powerful combos. Opus Thief aimed to disrupt opponents' hands with wheel effects combined with Notion Thief to capitalize on card draw, eventually assembling a Laboratory Maniac combo for a potential win. A pivotal moment occurred when Opus Thief cast a Cyclonic Rift, wiping the board and resetting the explosive early plays, shifting the game tempo dramatically. This allowed Opus Thief to gain control of the board and leverage treasures generated from Dockside Extortionist to flash in key creatures and disrupt opponents while fueling their own combo. Meanwhile, Korvold and Urza continued to rebuild, with Korvold attempting to piece together Food Chain infinite mana combos and Urza assembling artifact synergies for infinite mana and damage. Yisan sought to tutor into a large creature finisher like Craterhoof Behemoth or Finale of Devastation. The game revolved around managing these combo threats, counterspells, and disruption, with the win condition revolving around infinite mana combos and overwhelming board states to finish opponents.