Cosima vs Octavia vs Orvar vs Livio & Thrasios EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Orvar, the All-Form

  Focuses on casting and copying instant and sorcery spells to generate value and board presence, often ciphering spells to repeatedly trigger benefits and maintain pressure.

• 

  Octavia, Living Thesis

  Utilizes creatures and bounce spells to control the board while maintaining card advantage through Fact or Fiction and other draw spells, aiming to out-resource opponents.

• 

  Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel & Thrasios, Triton Hero

  Ramp-heavy deck that leverages landfall and creature utility to control the board, maintain card advantage via monarch status, and generate incremental value through Thrasios’s scry and draw abilities.

• 

  Cosima, God of the Voyage // The Omenkeel

  A mono-blue vehicle deck that emphasizes flicker and evasion, using Cosima’s vehicle form to draw cards and exile opponents’ library cards while maintaining tempo with flash creatures and equipment.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Nick’s use of Cosima’s vehicle form combined with evoke spells and Skilled Animator allowed him to repeatedly draw cards and exile opponent library cards, maintaining card advantage and board pressure.

• 2

  The casting and ciphering of Trait Doctoring with Orvar created multiple token copies, boosting board presence and enabling more aggressive attacks.

• 3

  Martin’s rulings to maintain monarch status and activate Thrasios multiple times generated consistent card advantage and ramp, helping stabilize his board.

• 4

  Max’s overloaded Cyclonic Rift reset the board effectively, forcing all players to rebuild and temporarily halting momentum, showcasing the power of well-timed board wipes in multiplayer games.

• 5

  The interplay of flash creatures and instant-speed spells, especially from Nick’s deck, allowed for dynamic responses and a resilient board state despite heavy disruption.

Notable Cards

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  Cyclonic Rift

• 

  Trait Doctoring

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  Solemn Simulacrum

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  Fact or Fiction

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  Fiend Hunter

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  Reclamation Sage

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  Regal Behemoth

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  Skilled Animator

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  Weatherlight

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  Archetype of Imagination

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  Concordant Crossroads

Summary

The game started with players establishing their mana bases and setting up early board states. Nick, playing a mono-blue vehicle deck led by Cosima, God of the Voyage, quickly gained tempo by flashing out his commander’s vehicle form and drawing cards through evoke triggers and cycling. He used multiple evasive attacks to exile cards from opponents’ libraries, steadily increasing his advantage. Meanwhile, the player piloting Orvar, the All-Form, leveraged creature copying and ciphered spells to build a board presence and apply pressure, notably using Trait Doctoring and Cyclonic Rift to disrupt and gain advantage. Martin, controlling the Livio and Thrasios deck, focused on ramping and controlling the board with creatures like Fiend Hunter and Reclamation Sage, while also maintaining the monarch status to draw additional cards. Max’s Octavia, Living Thesis deck utilized Fact or Fiction and bounce spells to maintain card advantage and tempo. Key moments included a powerful overloaded Cyclonic Rift by Max that returned all opponents’ nonland permanents to their hands, significantly resetting the board. Nick’s ability to flash in creatures and vehicles allowed him to keep up aggressive pressure, while Martin’s multiple activations of Thrasios drew him critical lands and cards, stabilizing his position. The interplay of evasive commanders, card draw, and board wipes shaped a dynamic game state with shifting momentum.