The Real Battle for Baldur's Gate | EDH Gameplay Ep 31

Deck Strategies

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  Karlach, Fury of Avernus

  Focus on multiple and large combat phases, using Agent of the Shadow Thieves to grant deathtouch and indestructible to attackers, aiming to dominate combat and control the board through combat damage.

• 

  Imoen, Mystic Trickster

  Utilize the initiative and blink effects from Far Traveler to repeatedly trigger enter-the-battlefield effects and gain continuous card advantage while controlling the board with ward and evasive abilities.

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  Ellyn Harbreeze, Busybody

  Generate numerous tokens and use Cultist of the Absolute to pump Ellyn, turning the tokens into threats and paying the tax cost for additional value, building a strong board presence and resilience.

• 

  Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher

  Produce large amounts of mana that can only be used for spells from the top of the library, combined with the Raised by Giants background and card draw like Future Sight, to potentially go infinite and overwhelm opponents with a flurry of spells.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of Agent of the Shadow Thieves allowed Karlach to create a threatening board state with death touch and indestructible, making attacks highly risky for opponents.

• 2

  Imoen’s ability to draw multiple cards each turn with the initiative and her background’s blink synergy provided significant card advantage, keeping her well-stocked on resources.

• 3

  The Curse of Opulence enchantment was strategically placed on Ellyn Harbreeze to generate gold tokens for all players attacking her, creating a shared resource pool that affected attack decisions.

• 4

  Vhal’s strategy to produce colorless mana restricted to casting spells from the top of the deck synergized well with Raised by Giants for mana ramp and Future Sight to play extra spells, setting up strong late-game turns.

• 5

  Dungeon Delver’s doubling of room abilities synergized with the backgrounds and commanders, amplifying the effects of dungeon ventures and making dungeon progression a key element in the game.

Notable Cards

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  Agent of the Shadow Thieves

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  Cultist of the Absolute

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  Far Traveler

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  Raised by Giants

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  Future Sight

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  Curse of Opulence

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  Dungeon Delver

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  Lightning Greaves

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  Monologue Tax

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  Smuggler's Share

Summary

The game featured five players each piloting decks built around the background mechanic, leading to a diverse and interactive gameplay. Early turns were relatively slow, with players focusing on ramping mana and setting up their board states. Karlach, Fury of Avernus aimed to leverage multiple combats and combat tricks, gaining indestructible and deathtouch from her background and auras. Imoen, Mystic Trickster used the initiative and blink synergy from her Far Traveler background to generate card advantage and control the board. Ellyn Harbreeze focused on token generation and boosting those tokens into significant threats with the help of Cultist of the Absolute. Vhal, Candlekeep Researcher relied heavily on mana production and playing spells from the top of the library, enhanced by the Raised by Giants background and cards like Future Sight, setting up a potential infinite mana or spell cast combo. The early game saw valuable interactions, such as the use of clues and treasures to generate card advantage and mana acceleration, and the deployment of curses like Curse of Opulence to disrupt opponents while generating resources.