EP: 7 Planechase- Skrelv v Donal v Zurgo v Emrakul

Deck Strategies

• 

  Skrelv, Defector Mite

  Utilizes toxic counters to gradually poison opponents while protecting key creatures with hexproof and unblockable abilities. Aims to incrementally wear down opponents through poison damage and evasive tactics.

• 

  Donal, Herald of Wings

  Builds a flying swarm by copying non-legendary flying creatures to overwhelm opponents in the air. Focuses on air superiority and incremental damage through numerous flying tokens.

• 

  Zurgo Helmsmasher

  Aggressively attacks every turn with haste and grows stronger through combat damage and creature deaths. Employs a Voltron approach, aiming to end the game quickly with commander damage.

• 

  Emrakul, the Promised End

  Leverages a high casting cost reduced by graveyard synergies and powerful control effects to manipulate opponents' turns. Aims to dominate the game by taking control of key turns and applying overwhelming pressure with a large Eldrazi body.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The Planechase format introduced multiple plane effects that significantly altered combat phases, including granting extra combat steps and changing damage assignments based on toughness rather than power.

• 2

  Morphic Tide's board reshuffling forced players to adapt rapidly as all permanents were shuffled back into libraries and selectively redeployed, resetting the battlefield and disrupting strategies.

• 3

  Skrelv's ability to grant toxic and unblockable traits to creatures made poison counters a persistent threat, forcing opponents to prioritize poison as well as commander damage when planning blocks and attacks.

• 4

  Zurgo's indestructibility and haste during its controller's turn allowed it to repeatedly attack aggressively, applying constant pressure and forcing defensive plays.

• 5

  Donal's token copying ability proved effective for building a flying army, especially when combined with plane effects that boosted flying creatures' power and granted haste.

• 6

  Emrakul's control effect, which stole control of an opponent’s turn, created pivotal moments that could swing momentum by disrupting opponents' plans and gaining extra turns.

Notable Cards

• 

  Skrelv, Defector Mite

• 

  Donal, Herald of Wings

• 

  Zurgo Helmsmasher

• 

  Emrakul, the Promised End

• 

  Plague Myr

• 

  Throne of the God-Pharaoh

• 

  Morphic Tide

• 

  Mind Stone

• 

  Clifftop Retreat

Summary

The game began with all four players deploying their commanders and adapting to the chaotic Planechase format, which introduced unpredictable plane effects each turn. Early turns featured Skrelv, Defector Mite, leveraging its toxic ability to spread poison counters, while Donal, Herald of Wings, focused on creating flying creature tokens and copying flying creatures to build air superiority. Zurgo Helmsmasher aimed to pressure opponents quickly with aggressive Voltron-style attacks, growing stronger as creatures died to its damage. Emrakul, the Promised End, presented a looming threat with her high casting cost mitigated by graveyard synergies and a powerful control effect that temporarily took over opponents' turns. As planes shuffled and altered battlefield conditions, key moments included the chaotic roll of additional combat phases, and the Morphic Tide phenomenon that reshuffled all permanents into players' libraries, dramatically resetting board states. Skrelv’s toxic counters became a constant threat, forcing players to navigate both poison and commander damage carefully. Zurgo’s relentless aggression and haste made blocking difficult, but Emrakul's control abilities and sheer power created tension and forced opponents to adapt. Donal’s token generation and copying ability consistently pressured the skies, creating multiple flying attackers. The game’s pivot points revolved around managing poison counters, leveraging plane effects such as extra combat phases, and resetting the battlefield, with the win condition hinging on a combination of commander damage and poison counters leading to player elimination.