Liesa vs Queza vs Lord Xander vs Awaken the Blood Avatar [EDH/Commander, MTG Gameplay 2022]

Deck Strategies

• 

  Queza, Augur of Agonies

  Utilizes a combo involving Peregrine Drake and Skaab Ruinator to repeatedly draw and reset the deck, draining opponents’ life totals massively by exploiting card draw triggers.

• 

  Lord Xander, the Collector

  Controls opponents by forcing discard and milling their libraries while punishing attacks with forced sacrifices, aiming to disrupt and drain opponents’ resources.

• 

  Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

  Deals incremental damage to opponents whenever they cast spells and gains life, leveraging angels and anthem effects to control the board and chip away at life totals.

• 

  Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar

  Focuses on sacrificing creatures to trigger life drain effects and board control, applying pressure through attrition and recursive sacrifice synergies.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Queza’s combo involving repetitive deck drawing and returning was a central game-winning plan, requiring careful assembly and protection.

• 2

  Lord Xander’s ability to force discard and mill opponents impaired their resource development and disrupted key plays.

• 3

  Liesa’s incremental life loss effect on opponents casting spells created constant pressure, forcing opponents to be cautious with their plays.

• 4

  Extus leveraged sacrifice triggers combined with life drain to maintain board presence and chip away at opponents effectively.

• 5

  Players made critical decisions around timing of spells and combat to maximize value from anthem effects and planeswalkers.

• 6

  The multiplayer nature required balancing aggression with defense to avoid becoming the main target while advancing win conditions.

Notable Cards

• 

  Peregrine Drake

• 

  Skaab Ruinator

• 

  Lord Xander, the Collector

• 

  Queza, Augur of Agonies

• 

  Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

• 

  Extus, Oriq Overlord // Awaken the Blood Avatar

• 

  Awaken the Blood Avatar // Awaken the Blood Avatar

• 

  Wedding Announcement // Wedding Festivity

• 

  Solemn Simulacrum

• 

  Faith of the Devoted

• 

  Azorius Signet

• 

  Imperious Oligarch

Summary

The game featured four distinct Commander decks battling in a multiplayer Commander (EDH) format. Early turns focused on ramp and board development, with players deploying key mana sources and utility creatures. Lord Xander, the Collector exerted pressure by forcing opponents to discard and mill cards, while Queza, Augur of Agonies aimed to chip away life totals through a life drain and draw synergy combo involving Peregrine Drake and Skaab Ruinator. Liesa, Shroud of Dusk applied incremental damage with her static effect causing opponents to lose life whenever they cast spells, while generating value from her angels. Extus, Oriq Overlord, paired with the Awaken the Blood Avatar enchantment, focused on sacrificing creatures for life drain and board control, applying pressure through attrition. Midgame saw Lord Xander leveraging his discard and mill effects to disrupt opponents' resources, while Queza moved towards assembling his complicated combo to repeatedly draw and reset his deck for massive damage output. Liesa's deck continued to chip away at opponents' life totals steadily, and Extus capitalized on forcing sacrifices and draining life to maintain presence and control. Key plays included deploying anthem effects and planeswalkers for incremental advantage, as well as strategic responses to opponents’ threats. The game revolved around managing life totals and resources, with the eventual win condition hinging on Queza’s combo damage or Extus's sacrifice-driven drains, while Lord Xander and Liesa worked to control the board and drain opponents incrementally.