Ruric Thar vs Bruna vs Rubinia vs Selvala EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Ruric Thar, the Unbowed

  Focuses on aggressive creature combat with equipment support to deal consistent damage, punishing opponents for noncreature spells and using ramp to enable big threats.

• 

  Bruna, the Fading Light

  Utilizes life gain, recursion, and anthem effects to build a resilient angel tribal board state, bringing back key creatures repeatedly to maintain pressure.

• 

  Rubinia Soulsinger

  Leverages stealing opponents’ creatures and comboing with cards like Deadeye Navigator and Helm of the Host to create multiple copies and generate overwhelming board presence.

• 

  Selvala, Explorer Returned

  Focuses on ramp and mana generation through Selvala’s ability, producing tokens and protecting key pieces with spells like Asceticism and Heroic Intervention to outvalue opponents.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Tom’s use of Helm of the Host combined with Deadeye Navigator created powerful infinite or near-infinite combat phases, which became the central win condition.

• 2

  Brian’s attempt at a board wipe with Route was effectively countered by Tom’s Flusterstorm, showcasing the importance of counterspell protection in maintaining combo setups.

• 3

  Robinia Soulsinger’s stealing ability created a dynamic board state with creatures changing controllers, forcing players to adapt their strategies continuously.

• 4

  Joe’s timely use of Asceticism and Heroic Intervention protected his key creatures and permanents from removal spells, demonstrating the value of resilience in multiplayer EDH.

• 5

  Players prioritized land drops and ramp spells early to enable their midgame strategies, highlighting the importance of mana acceleration in competitive EDH games.

Notable Cards

• 

  Helm of the Host

• 

  Deadeye Navigator

• 

  Flusterstorm

• 

  Asceticism

• 

  Heroic Intervention

• 

  Courser of Kruphix

• 

  Voice of All

• 

  Karmic Guide

• 

  Crystal Ball

• 

  Gilded Lotus

• 

  Lightning Greaves

Summary

The game began with a typical ramp and setup phase, as players developed their mana bases and deployed early creatures like Courser of Kruphix, Birds of Paradise, and Deathless Angel. Early interactions involved incremental life gain, card draws, and minor board presence establishment. Tom’s deck focused on ramp and combo pieces, including Gilded Lotus, Helm of the Host, and Deadeye Navigator, enabling powerful synergies and stealing opponents’ creatures with Robinia Soulsinger. Brian’s Bruna deck struggled initially to find lands but eventually stabilized, leveraging recursion with Karmic Guide and Voice of All to maintain board presence and gain life. A major turning point occurred when Tom executed a devastating combo involving Helm of the Host and Deadeye Navigator, generating multiple copies and enabling massive damage output without attacking. Brian attempted a board wipe with Route, but Tom countered it using Flusterstorm to protect his board state, leading to significant damage dealt by Ruric Thar without needing to swing. Joe’s Selvala deck focused on generating mana and life through Selvala’s ability and utilizing tokens, while also trying to protect key pieces with Asceticism and Heroic Intervention. The game featured multiple steals, recursion, and protective spells, culminating in a tense standoff where Tom’s combo-driven strategy dominated the midgame, while other players struggled to keep pace or disrupt his engine. The game’s flow highlighted the power of synergy between equipment and creatures in Tom’s deck, the resilience and life-gain engine of Brian’s Bruna, and the utility and ramp from Joe’s Selvala. The interactions between stealing effects, recursion, and counterspells defined the dynamic board state, with key moments revolving around the protection and disruption of combo pieces. Ultimately, the win condition centered around Tom’s ability to generate multiple attacking copies of creatures via Helm of the Host and Deadeye Navigator, overwhelming opponents through repeated combat phases and damage triggers.