EDH Gameplay - Episode 77: Vito VS Esika VS Edgar VS Chulane

Deck Strategies

• 

  Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

  Focuses on life gain and drain by using aristocratic creatures and effects like Sanguine Bond to punish opponents whenever the player gains life, aiming to drain opponents out while controlling the board.

• 

  Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge

  Utilizes ramp and protection to cheat out powerful planeswalkers and protect them with board wipes and hate cards, aiming to generate overwhelming value and control the board through planeswalker loyalty.

• 

  Chulane, Teller of Tales

  Ramp low to the ground with efficient creatures, generate continuous card advantage with ETB effects, and overrun opponents with a wide board of value creatures supported by bounce and draw spells.

• 

  Edgar Markov

  Tribal vampire aggro and token generation, using Edgar’s eminence to flood the board with vampire tokens, buffing them and recurring key creatures to maintain continuous pressure and swarm opponents.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Matt’s early deployment of Forerexian Arena and Sanguine Bond set a taxing life-drain environment that demanded immediate answers from opponents.

• 2

  Calvin’s use of Toxic Deluge effectively reset aggressive boards, especially targeting Edgar’s vampire tokens, buying time for his planeswalker strategy.

• 3

  Alex’s Chulane leveraged Nylia, Keen-Eyed and other low-cost creatures to reduce costs and maintain card advantage, enabling consistent pressure through ETB triggers.

• 4

  The counterspell Mystic Snake disrupted Calvin’s planeswalker development, showcasing timely interaction and slowing down a key threat.

• 5

  Edgar’s combat phase with multiple tokens attacking different opponents maximized damage output and life gain synergy, applying multi-directional pressure.

• 6

  Vito’s combination of life gain triggers and aristocratic creatures created a threatening life-drain combo that forced opponents to carefully consider attacking or blocking.

• 7

  The interplay between planeswalkers and creature tokens defined the midgame, where board control and value generation determined the pace.

Notable Cards

• 

  Sanguine Bond

• 

  Toxic Deluge

• 

  Mystic Snake

• 

  Chulane, Teller of Tales

• 

  Edgar Markov

• 

  Oko, Thief of Crowns

• 

  Gifted Aetherborn

Summary

The game began with each player developing their board and ramping mana to execute their strategies. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose focused on an aristocratic, life-drain strategy, establishing early board presence with cards like Forerexian Reclamation and Sanguine Bond. Esika, God of the Tree aimed to cheat out planeswalkers and protect them with a variety of hate cards and board wipes like Toxic Deluge. Chulane, Teller of Tales ramped aggressively with mana dorks and value creatures, aiming to overrun opponents through card advantage and creature synergy. Edgar Markov's deck swarmed the board with vampire tokens and leveraged tribal synergies to buff his team and maintain pressure through combat damage and recursion. Key turning points occurred when Calvin's Esika deck cast Toxic Deluge to clear out aggressive boards, temporarily halting Edgar and Matt's vampire swarms. However, Chulane and Edgar managed to rebuild quickly, with Edgar flooding the board again and Chulane leveraging his draw and bounce effects to maintain tempo. The interaction between Chulane's creatures and Edgar's vampire tokens created a strong offensive front. Meanwhile, Vito's life drain effects threatened to turn the tide by punishing opponents for life gain. The game featured strategic removal and counter plays, such as a Mystic Snake countering an important planeswalker from Esika's deck, showcasing tight interaction among players. Ultimately, the game revolved around maintaining board presence while preventing others' win conditions, with vampire tribal aggression and planeswalker value vying for dominance.