Deck & Commander Strategies
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
Utilizes stax effects and ramp to disrupt opponents' resources and accelerate Jeleva's own game plan, focusing on exile-based library disruption rather than direct combos.
Kalamax, the Stormsire
Storm combo deck leveraging artifact and spell synergies with powerful tutors and draw spells to assemble lethal storm counts and finish with commander damage.
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and Tana, the Bloodsower
Treasure and token generation combined with combat damage to ramp quickly and apply pressure, enabling a pirate-themed combo finish.
Tivit, Seller of Secrets
Control and disruption-focused deck using counterspells and interaction to protect its game plan and hinder opponents, while slowly accumulating advantage.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Using Mana Drain to protect Jeleva and cast key spells disrupted opponents' combo attempts and bought critical time.
- 2
Failing to resolve the Blasphemous Act board wipe due to Snapcaster Mage allowed Kalamax to maintain pressure and recover quickly.
- 3
Copying and countering key spells like Dig Through Time and Narset's Reversal were pivotal in slowing down Kalamax’s storm engine.
- 4
Jeleva's exile-based stax approach was effective at resource denial but struggled to keep pace with fast storm and treasure ramp decks in the late game.
- 5
The interaction between Malcolm generating treasures and Tana producing tokens created significant mana acceleration, posing a continuous threat alongside Kalamax’s storm strategy.
Notable Cards
-
Mana Drain
-
Blasphemous Act
-
Demonic Tutor
-
Dig Through Time
-
Snapcaster Mage
-
Vandalblast
-
Nature's Claim
Gameplay Summary
The game featured a five-player cEDH pod with commanders Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge; Kalamax, the Stormsire; Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator paired with Tana, the Bloodsower; and Tivit, Seller of Secrets.
Jeleva's strategy focused on stax and ramp elements, aiming to control the game by stripping opponents' libraries and locking down their resources rather than assembling a combo.
Early turns saw heavy interaction including counterspells like Mana Drain and removal spells to disrupt key threats, notably targeting Kalamax’s mana sources and storm enablers. Kalamax's deck played a classic storm and artifact synergy game, using tutors and powerful draw spells like Dig Through Time to find combo pieces.
Malcolm and Tana utilized treasure generation and token production to ramp and pressure opponents, while Tivit applied disruption with counterspells and interaction.
A pivotal moment arose when Jeleva failed to successfully board wipe Kalamax’s board due to a Snapcaster Mage returning crucial spells to hand, allowing Kalamax to maintain a threatening board presence.
Despite Jeleva's strong stax plan, Kalamax's storm bursts and tutors put immense pressure, culminating in significant commander damage.
Jeleva attempted to leverage high-impact spells like Blasphemous Act and Dilemma to regain control, but managing to contain Kalamax’s explosive turns proved difficult in the late game.