Deck Strategies
Jacob Hauken, Inspector // Hauken's Insight
Control and grind the game with card draw and interaction until assembling the Dramatic Scepter infinite mana combo to win through infinite turns and creatures.
Eruth, Tormented Prophet
Storm deck focused on casting many cheap spells to build storm count and win through Brain Freeze combos or Aetherflux Reservoir.
Umbris, Fear Manifest
Utilizes Hullbreaker Horror for infinite mana combos to repeatedly cast Umbris and exile opponents’ libraries, winning through decking opponents.
Torens, Fist of the Angels
Combo deck centered around Cloudstone Curio to generate infinite Soldiers and win via Concordant Crossroads or other combat outlets.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Baal’s use of Burning Inquiry early severely disrupted Leite’s ability to find lands and cast spells, crippling the Eruth storm deck’s setup.
- 2
Jacob Hauken’s ability to exile cards from hand and draw allowed Baal to sculpt his hand for the combo pieces efficiently.
- 3
The interaction between Isochron Scepter imprinting Dramatic Reversal and mana rocks created a loop for infinite mana and untaps, which was essential for Baal’s win.
- 4
Copy Artifact was cleverly used to copy Isochron Scepter and imprint Swan Song, enabling the generation of infinite bird tokens as a win condition.
- 5
Timing Baal’s Nexus of Fate to gain extra turns after establishing the infinite mana and token combo was critical in closing out the game.
- 6
Drannith Magistrate was played to shut down opponents’ commander and combo plays, showing the importance of stax elements in disrupting storm and combo decks.
- 7
Spell Pierce and Swan Song were employed effectively to counter key spells and protect Baal’s combo setup.
Notable Cards
Dramatic Reversal
Isochron Scepter
Mystic Remora
Burning Inquiry
Nexus of Fate
Copy Artifact
Swan Song
Tezzeret the Seeker
Mana Vault
Thieving Skydiver
Drannith Magistrate
Summary
The game began with all players mulliganing to suboptimal hands, creating a slow and tactical early game. Baal, piloting a control-oriented Jacob Hauken deck, focused on ramp and card draw using Mystic Remora and eventually assembled a combo involving Isochron Scepter and Dramatic Reversal to generate infinite mana and card draw. He used Sensei’s Divining Top alongside this combo to draw his entire library and then copied Isochron Scepter with Copy Artifact to imprint Swan Song, enabling him to create infinite bird tokens. Baal then took extra turns with Nexus of Fate and overwhelmed the table with infinite creatures and extra turns to secure victory. The early disruption, including a devastating Burning Inquiry, hindered Leite’s Eruth storm deck, which struggled to find lands and execute its storm plan.
