Zurzoth vs Birgi vs Svella vs Mazirek EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Zurzoth, Chaos Rider

  Utilizes discard and draw effects to generate devil tokens that deal damage when they die, leveraging card advantage and incremental ping damage to wear down opponents.

• 

  Birgi, God of Storytelling

  Executes a red storm combo with repeated spell casting, generating mana and dealing damage through triggers from creatures like Thermo-Alchemist and Gutter Snipe to quickly reduce opponents' life totals.

• 

  Svella, Ice Shaper

  Focuses on ramp and efficient creatures to control the board, using artifact and enchantment removal, while applying pressure with midrange threats and synergy with lands.

• 

  Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

  Builds a sacrifice and +1/+1 counter synergy by deploying creatures that create tokens and force sacrifices, then buffs the team massively using Mazirek’s ability to overwhelm opponents.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Kevin’s use of Burning Inquiry combined with Zurzoth’s ability to create devil tokens that ping opponents was a constant source of incremental damage and hand disruption, keeping opponents off balance.

• 2

  Maxim’s (Birgi) storm combo sequence was a pivotal moment, chaining spells with flashback and mana generation to deal widespread damage and generate treasure tokens, rapidly escalating his board state.

• 3

  Miguel’s timely destruction of Mind Stone slowed Kevin’s acceleration, but the overall damage output from the other players pressured his Svella deck heavily.

• 4

  Maxim (Mazirek) capitalized on Mazirek’s +1/+1 counter synergy with Demon’s Disciple forcing opponent sacrifices, which multiplied his board’s strength significantly before casting Dragonstorm for game-impacting dragons.

• 5

  Consistent ping damage from Thermo-Alchemist and Cavalcade of Calamity made combat risky, forcing careful blocking and resource management from all players.

• 6

  The interplay between sacrifice effects and token generation created a dynamic board state where every creature loss benefited Mazirek’s player, pushing his board state forward rapidly.

Notable Cards

• 

  Faithless Looting

• 

  Thermo-Alchemist

• 

  Cavalcade of Calamity

• 

  Burning Inquiry

• 

  Dragonstorm

• 

  Demon's Disciple

• 

  Electrostatic Field

• 

  Ruric Thar, the Unbowed

• 

  Colossal Dreadmaw

• 

  Tuktuk Rubblefort

• 

  Return to Nature

Summary

The game began with all four players developing their mana bases and deploying early threats, including Svella, Ice Shaper, and Zurzoth, Chaos Rider. Kevin, piloting Zurzoth, leveraged card draw and discard effects like Faithless Looting and Burning Inquiry to generate devil tokens and apply consistent pressure with cavalcades and ping effects. Maxim, on Birgi’s side, utilized a storm-like strategy revolving around Thermo-Alchemist and a suite of spells that generated mana and triggered damage on opponents, culminating in a flurry of burn spells and token generation. Miguel’s Svella deck focused on ramp and solid creatures like Colossal Dreadmaw and Ruric Thar, the Unbowed, which helped control the board and punish spell-heavy decks. Maxim (Mazirek) aimed to grow his creatures quickly with Mazirek’s ability, generating value through sacrifice and +1/+1 counters while deploying threats such as Demon’s Disciple and Dragonstorm to protect and advance his board state. A significant turning point occurred when Maxim (Birgi) executed a powerful storm sequence, chaining spells to generate mana, draw cards, and deal incremental damage to all opponents. His use of flashback spells and token generators like Gutter Snipe and Electrostatic Field maximized his damage output. Meanwhile, Kevin’s Zurzoth deck maintained pressure through repeated devil token creation and ping damage, using Burning Inquiry to disrupt opponents’ hands. Miguel’s Svella deck tried to stabilize with creatures and artifact destruction but faced difficulty against the ongoing storm and sacrifice synergies. Maxim (Mazirek) leveraged Mazirek’s ability to buff his team and force sacrifices, eventually casting Dragonstorm to bring in heavy hitters that added double strike and board presence. The interplay of damage pings, sacrifice triggers, and storm spells made for a dynamic and tense match where each player sought to maximize incremental advantages while disrupting others’ strategies.