Which tribe is best? Zombies or Rogues? EDH Gameplay - Anowon Vs Varina Vs Xenagos Vs Zur

Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Deck & Commander Strategies

Zur the Enchanter
Focuses on tutoring powerful enchantments like Astro Slide to gain incremental advantage and disrupt opponents through cycling interference while maintaining card draw and control.
Varina, Lich Queen
Zombie tribal deck that uses Varina's ability to filter through the deck and fill the graveyard with zombies for reanimation, generating board presence and card advantage through discard and draw.
Xenagos, God of Revels
Ramp into large creatures and use damage-based board wipes to clear smaller threats while leaving big creatures alive to attack aggressively and gain tempo.
Anowon, the Ruin Thief
Rogue tribal deck that relies on milling opponents, cycling synergy, and plus-one counters on creatures like Thieves' Guild Enforcer and Blackguard to out-value and overwhelm opponents.

Gameplay Insights

1
Jimmy's use of Amulet of Vigor with Lotus Field allowed him to generate significant mana and cast multiple spells in a single turn, enabling a strong early board presence.
2
Fernando's timing of Leadership Vacuum to return Rick's Xenagos to the command zone disrupted Rick's tempo and prevented immediate retaliation.
3
Rick's Hour of Devastation wiped the board, temporarily halting aggressive strategies and resetting the game state, allowing reanimation decks to capitalize on graveyard resources.
4
Fernando leveraged flash creatures like Notion Thief to steal card draws, amplifying his card advantage while hindering Jimmy's cycling strategy.
5
Jordan's Varina deck effectively used discard and reanimation to maintain pressure even after board wipes, showcasing the resilience of zombie tribal synergy.
6
The interplay between cycling, milling, and graveyard recursion created complex resource management decisions, forcing players to adapt their strategies dynamically.

Notable Cards

Thieves' Guild Enforcer
Amulet of Vigor
Lotus Field
Fluctuator
Shadow of the Grave
Leadership Vacuum
Hour of Devastation
God-Eternal Kefnet
Mnemonic Betrayal
Archfiend of Ifnir
Cyclonic Rift
Sensei's Divining Top
Drake Haven

Gameplay Summary

The game started with each player establishing their board presence through land drops and early plays that supported their tribal synergies and ramp strategies.

Jimmy's Zur deck leveraged cycling enchantments and draw effects to maintain card advantage, while Fernando's Rogue tribal deck aggressively milled opponents and built counters on creatures like Thieves' Guild Enforcer and Blackguard to grow threats.

Rick's Xenagos deck focused on ramp and damage-based board wipes to clear the field while preserving his big creatures.

Jordan piloted a Varina zombie tribal deck that used graveyard filling and reanimation to maintain board presence and apply pressure. A pivotal moment occurred when Rick cast Hour of Devastation, wiping the board and resetting the creature state, allowing Jordan to follow up with powerful plays like God-Eternal Kefnet and Scarab God to rebuild.

The interactions between Rogue triggers and cycling effects created significant value and forced opponents to respond carefully to avoid losing resources.

Leadership Vacuum from Fernando disrupted Rick's attempts to capitalize on Xenagos' abilities, showcasing timely disruption in the game.

The game featured a back-and-forth tempo with players balancing aggression and card advantage, with key plays including Jimmy's combo of Amulet of Vigor and Lotus Field to generate mana and cast multiple spells, and Fernando's use of Mnemonic Betrayal to exploit graveyards.

The game appeared to revolve around leveraging tribal synergies, graveyard interactions, and strategic board wipes to gain dominance.

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