Kaalia vs Zur vs Godo vs Pako/Haldan

Decklists

Deck & Commander Strategies

Kaalia of the Vast
A midrange deck focused on cheating large creatures into play or winning through value spells like Ad Nauseam, leveraging ramp, treasure generation, and combo lines to overwhelm opponents.
Haldan, Avid Arcanist / Pako, Arcane Retriever
A Temur midrange deck aiming to generate infinite turns and close out the game with a large creature, backed by interaction and tempo plays.
Godo, Bandit Warlord
An aggressive ramp deck focused on quickly casting Godo to equip Helm of the Host, creating infinite combat steps for lethal damage.
Zur the Enchanter
An Esper control deck that uses Zur to tutor and deploy key enchantments to control the board and disrupt opponents.

Gameplay Insights

1
Everett's use of Ad Nauseam early in the game leveraged massive card draw and mana acceleration to assemble a complex combo quickly.
2
The interaction between Saw in Half and Dualcaster Mage created a powerful loop enabling infinite Praetor's Grasp casts to exile opponents' libraries, effectively decking them out.
3
Multiple treasure generators, particularly Dockside Extortionist, provided the mana needed for repeated escape costs and spell casting.
4
Using March of Otherworldly Light and Deflecting Swat to remove key opposing threats like Opposition Agent was crucial to maintaining combo continuity.
5
Everett's repeated use of escape mechanics on multiple spells maximized resource efficiency and enabled sustained pressure throughout the turn sequence.

Notable Cards

Ad Nauseam
Dockside Extortionist
Dualcaster Mage
Saw in Half
Praetor's Grasp
Underworld Breach
Manifold Key
Sensei's Divining Top
Chrome Mox
Mana Vault
Lion's Eye Diamond
Culling the Weak

Gameplay Summary

The game started with a typical setup from all four players, each developing their board and mana bases while advancing their individual strategies.

Everett on Kaalia of the Vast focused on ramping and drawing cards, quickly setting up an explosive Ad Nauseam turn supported by Dockside Extortionist treasures and multiple mana rocks.

Utilizing Top, Manifold Key, and Underworld Breach, Everett chained spells and generated significant card advantage.

A pivotal moment occurred when Everett used a complex interaction involving Dualcaster Mage copying Saw in Half, creating a loop that allowed him to exile entire opponent libraries with repeated Praetor's Grasp casts.

This lock eventually led to opponents decking out, securing a dramatic win for Kaalia.

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