Deck Strategies
The Gitrog Monster
Utilizes dredge and graveyard synergies to draw through the deck quickly, enabling a combo with cards like Ramunap Excavator and Dark Confidant to win by having the entire deck in hand.
Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger
Leverages graveyard recursion and discard effects to disrupt opponents and generate card advantage, aiming for infinite mana combos involving Worldgorger Dragon and Animate Dead to win.
Zur the Enchanter
Focuses on tutoring key enchantments and control elements to assemble a Consultation or Spoils of the Vault combo, winning by drawing the entire deck and casting Laboratory Maniac or similar effects.
God-Eternal Kefnet
Controls the board with counterspells and draw manipulation, aiming to take infinite turns by copying draws with Kefnet's ability and using extra turn spells like Temporal Manipulation.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Repeatedly recasting Kroxa forced opponents to discard critical answers, enabling Kroxa's player to maintain board presence and fuel graveyard combos.
- 2
Zur's use of Enlightened Tutor to fetch Mystic Remora helped stall the game and generate card advantage while digging for combo pieces.
- 3
Kefnet's player maximized Jace, the Mind Sculptor's brainstorm ability combined with Mystic Sanctuary to recycle key spells and maintain control.
- 4
The Gitrog Monster player used Ramunap Excavator to recur lands from the graveyard, sustaining mana development despite taking damage from Ancient Tomb and other effects.
- 5
Players had to carefully manage life totals and mana resources due to aggressive land drops and fast mana artifacts in the early game.
- 6
Board wipes and discard spells played a pivotal role in shifting momentum, particularly Kroxa's ETB discard and Zur's counterspells disrupting combo setups.
Notable Cards
Ramunap Excavator
Dark Confidant
Worldgorger Dragon
Animate Dead
Enlightened Tutor
Mystic Remora
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Temporal Manipulation
Spoils of the Vault
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Cabal Ritual
Path to Exile
Cyclonic Rift
Bottomless Pit
Tarnished Citadel
Ancient Tomb
Summary
The game started with players developing their mana bases and early board presence while utilizing their commanders' unique abilities. The Gitrog Monster player focused on setting up a dredge-based combo involving cards like Ramunap Excavator and Dark Confidant to dig through the deck and draw significant cards. Kroxa's player leveraged graveyard recursion and discard effects, repeatedly casting Kroxa to force discards and gain card advantage, while setting up potential infinite mana combos using cards like Worldgorger Dragon and Animate Dead. Zur the Enchanter aimed to set up a powerful Consultation or Spoils of the Vault combo to draw out the entire deck, using tutors and control elements to protect their setup. God-Eternal Kefnet's player controlled the board and sought infinite turns through copying draws and extra turn spells, supported by Jace, the Mind Sculptor and temporal manipulation cards. Key turning points included multiple instances where Kroxa entered the battlefield, forcing opponents to discard and disrupting their hands while enabling graveyard synergies. Zur's player used Enlightened Tutor and Mystic Remora to stall and dig for combo pieces, while Kefnet's player repeatedly used Jace's abilities to manipulate the top of the deck and protect their board state. The Gitrog Monster player pushed damage with Ramunap Excavator and set up the dredge combo but faced disruption from discard spells and removal. The game revolved around navigating discard effects, recurring threats, and locking down opponents through control and combo interactions, with players constantly balancing resource development and disruption.