This Pod Chose Violence, ft. Narset, Tovolar, Liesa, Yuriko [EDH/Commander Gameplay]

Deck Strategies

• 

  Narset, Enlightened Master

  Cast multiple noncreature spells during combat by exiling cards from the top of the library, enabling free casts through extra combat and extra turn spells to generate overwhelming value and combo potential.

• 

  Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow

  Aggressive ninja tribal deck leveraging ninjutsu to unblock attackers, dealing damage and triggering reveal effects that burn opponents based on the converted mana cost of revealed cards, aiming to quickly reduce opponents' life totals.

• 

  Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

  Control and taxing strategy that punishes opponents for casting spells by draining their life, slowing the game down, and incrementally gaining advantage through attrition.

• 

  Tovolar, Dire Overlord

  Werewolf tribal focused on transforming creatures through the day/night cycle, drawing cards from attacking with wolves and werewolves, and generating board presence and card advantage through aggressive combat.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Narset’s ability to chain extra combats and extra turns created a snowball effect that pressured opponents to respond quickly or risk being overwhelmed by free spell casts.

• 2

  Yuriko’s ninjutsu allowed for surprise unblockable attackers, dealing incremental damage while refilling hand resources through her reveal and draw mechanic, maintaining consistent pressure.

• 3

  Liesa’s life loss effect on opponents whenever they cast spells acted as a taxing deterrent, forcing players to carefully consider their spellcasting to avoid losing valuable life points.

• 4

  Tovolar’s werewolf transformation mechanic introduced a dynamic board state that swung between day and night, strengthening creatures and enabling card draw, which impacted the timing of attacks and defensive plays.

• 5

  Early-game plays with cheap unblockable creatures like Slither Blade set up aggressive tempo, but the presence of taxing and control elements created a balance between offense and defense throughout the game.

Notable Cards

• 

  Narset, Enlightened Master

• 

  Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow

• 

  Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

• 

  Tovolar, Dire Overlord // Tovolar, the Midnight Scourge

• 

  Slither Blade

• 

  Village Ironsmith // Ironfang

• 

  Throne of the God-Pharaoh

• 

  Cascade Bluffs

Summary

The game featured a competitive four-player Commander pod with Narset, Enlightened Master; Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow; Liesa, Shroud of Dusk; and Tovolar, Dire Overlord as commanders. Early turns saw players establishing their boards with ramp and utility creatures, with Slither Blade making early appearances to chip away at opponents. Narset’s deck focused on casting multiple noncreature spells through her attack trigger, leveraging extra combat and extra turn effects to chain powerful spells for free. Meanwhile, Yuriko’s deck employed a ninja-themed aggressive strategy, dealing damage through ninjutsu triggers and burning opponents based on the converted mana cost of revealed cards. Liesa’s deck took a more controlling approach, punishing opponents for casting spells by draining life and taxing their resources. Tovolar’s deck revolved around werewolf tribal synergies, capitalizing on transforming werewolves and drawing cards through aggressive attacks while managing the day/night cycle of the board. The game’s pivotal moments involved players balancing aggression with disruption. Yuriko’s surprise ninjutsu activations inflicted incremental damage, forcing opponents to respond. Narset threatened to overwhelm with extra turns and free spells, pushing the pace of the game. Liesa’s taxing abilities slowed down opponents’ spellcasting, creating tension around resource management. Tovolar’s werewolf transformation mechanic added a dynamic tempo shift, as the board state changed between day and night effects, strengthening his creatures and drawing cards. The interplay between aggressive damage, taxing spells, and combo potential kept the game tense and interactive. The game likely ended with either Narset’s spell chains or Yuriko’s aggressive burn finishing off opponents, as the others attempted to mitigate damage and stall the combos.