Mistform vs Gishath vs Zurgo vs Unesh EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign

  Ramp quickly and use powerful draw engines like Consecrated Sphinx and Mirage Mirror to maintain a steady flow of cards, controlling the board through value and tempo.

• 

  Gishath, Sun's Avatar

  Aggressively cast large dinosaurs and leverage combat damage triggers to generate card advantage and dominate the board with powerful creatures and the monarch mechanic.

• 

  Zurgo Bellstriker

  Utilize aggressive red creatures and burn spells combined with Chandra, Flamecaller to maintain pressure, generate tokens, and chip away at opponents' life totals.

• 

  Mistform Ultimus

  Employ tribal synergies and shapeshifting creatures to adapt to the board state, relying on incremental value from spells like Rapid Hybridization and replication effects.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Adam’s use of Mirage Mirror copying Unesh allowed him to trigger the legendary rule tactically and maintain board presence while drawing cards.

• 2

  Tom’s aggressive use of commander damage and monarch triggers with Gishath enabled him to generate massive card advantage and board control quickly.

• 3

  Bill’s decision to hold back casting Legion Warboss to avoid damaging all opponents showed careful threat assessment and timing.

• 4

  The countering of board wipes with Swan Song was a critical moment that preserved Tom’s dominant board state.

• 5

  Adam's repeated use of Consecrated Sphinx to generate multiple flying Thopter tokens provided defensive buffers and card draw that kept him in the game despite aggressive attacks.

• 6

  Tom’s sequencing of playing powerful creatures and activating monarch twice with Gishath in one turn was pivotal in overwhelming opponents and gaining card advantage.

• 7

  Bill leveraging Chandra, Flamecaller ultimates to create multiple hasty tokens helped him apply pressure on multiple opponents simultaneously.

• 8

  The interaction between Adam and Bill blocking key creatures showed good defensive coordination to limit damage from Tom's aggressive attacks.

Notable Cards

• 

  Consecrated Sphinx

• 

  Mirage Mirror

• 

  Silverblade Paladin

• 

  Chandra, Flamecaller

• 

  Sphinx of Foresight

• 

  Rift Bolt

• 

  Rapid Hybridization

• 

  Siege-Gang Commander

• 

  Pristine Talisman

• 

  Talisman of Unity

• 

  Trapjaw Tyrant

Summary

The game began with a typical ramp and early board development phase, with players casting mana rocks and their commanders to establish board presence. Adam, piloting Unesh, Criosphinx Sovereign, leveraged early ramp and card draw engines like Mirage Mirror and Consecrated Sphinx to maintain card advantage. Tom's Gishath, Sun's Avatar deck quickly developed a threatening board with creatures like Silverblade Paladin and charging Behemoths, utilizing the monarch mechanic to gain incremental value and card advantage. Meanwhile, the Mistform Ultimus deck focused on tribal synergies with cards like Shape Shifter and various signets but struggled to keep pace with the heavy hitters on the board. Bill’s Zurgo Bellstriker deck applied steady pressure with aggressive creatures and Chandra, Flamecaller, generating tokens and direct damage to control the board.