Sydri vs Xenagos vs Nazahn vs Vial Smasher / Ikra EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

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  Xenagos, God of Revels

  Ramp quickly to deploy large creatures and use Xenagos's ability to give them haste and double their power, enabling massive damage early in the game. The deck aims to cheat big threats into play via Tooth and Nail and overwhelm opponents with brute force.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Leverage spell damage triggers to apply incremental pressure while ramping and casting impactful spells like Explosive Vegetation and Comet Storm to control the board and deal direct damage.

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  Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith

  Focus on equipping Nazahn and other creatures with powerful equipment to create efficient combat threats, supporting a midrange strategy centered on creature combat and synergy.

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  Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

  Utilize life gain and a defensive board state to outlast opponents, using creatures with lifelink and disruption to stabilize while slowly accruing incremental advantage.

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  Sydri, Galvanic Genius

  (Though Sydri was eliminated early) Typically relies on artifact synergies and control elements to generate value and protect the board state.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Matt's early ramp with Somberwald Sage and Rites of Flourishing allowed rapid deployment of threats and mana acceleration, enabling Tooth and Nail on turn five to cheat in game-ending creatures.

• 2

  The use of Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker to generate an enormous token army from Worldspine Wurm was a decisive combo that overwhelmed opponents quickly.

• 3

  Trevor's use of Vial Smasher's spell damage triggers maximized the impact of his burn spells, but the deck lacked tools to handle indestructible creatures like Worldspine Wurm and Blightsteel Colossus.

• 4

  Mike's life gain and blockers bought time, but insufficient removal and board presence led to his defeat when overwhelmed by the token swarm.

• 5

  Political dynamics around Xenagos's 'bro code' to avoid attacks on him delayed aggression temporarily, but Matt ultimately pressed advantage by attacking key players strategically.

• 6

  Matt's use of See the Unwritten to cheat in heavy hitters like Blightsteel Colossus and Malignus further cemented his board dominance after the initial combo.

• 7

  The interaction of copying spells with Clever Impersonator and Vial Smasher's damage triggers created volatile board swings but was not enough to stop Matt's overwhelming threats.

Notable Cards

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  Worldspine Wurm

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  Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

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  Tooth and Nail

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  Somberwald Sage

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  Rites of Flourishing

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  Comet Storm

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  Explosive Vegetation

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  Clever Impersonator

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  Blightsteel Colossus

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  Malignus

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  Fierce Empath

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  Noxious Gearhulk

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  Steelshaper's Gift

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  Zealous Conscripts

Summary

The game began with each player setting up mana bases and early ramp spells. Matt, piloting Xenagos, God of Revels, ramped aggressively using cards like Somberwald Sage and Rites of Flourishing, quickly establishing a strong board presence. A key turning point came when Matt cast Tooth and Nail to cheat in Worldspine Wurm and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, creating a massive army of 355/355 Wurm tokens through Kiki-Jiki's ability. Trevor, controlling Vial Smasher the Fierce, responded with powerful spells like Explosive Vegetation and Comet Storm, but ultimately fell victim to the overwhelming threats on the board. Meanwhile, Mike on Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper, attempted to stabilize using life gain and blockers, including Clever Impersonator copying key creatures, but was eventually overwhelmed by Matt's colossal threats. The game ended when Matt swung lethal damage with his Colossus and token army, cementing a victory through sheer board dominance and efficient combo synergy.