BALLOON MAN 🆚 SLINZA 🆚 SHROOFUS 🆚 NIV | Foundations EDH / Casual Commander

Deck Strategies

• 

  Slinza, the Spiked Stampede

  Aggressively utilize counters and artifact destruction to control the board, leveraging fight effects and beatdown tactics to dominate the battlefield.

• 

  Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

  Draw massive amounts of cards by dealing damage to opponents and creatures, using spells and commander abilities to generate card advantage and control the game.

• 

  The Jolly Balloon Man

  Create and copy balloon tokens to generate board presence, using combat tricks and synergies with other creatures to pressure opponents and gain value.

• 

  Shroofus Sproutsire

  Generate a large number of saplings and enhance them with equipment and enchantments, aiming to overwhelm opponents with a wide board and incremental value.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Arya Flame’s damage counters synergized powerfully with repeated damage spells, allowing Sam to steadily chip away at opponents and draw through triggers.

• 2

  Niv-Mizzet’s card draw engine was potent but vulnerable, as Beast Within effectively dismantled his board presence at a crucial moment.

• 3

  The Jolly Balloon Man’s balloon token copying and combat tricks created strong tempo plays but ultimately couldn’t withstand focused removal.

• 4

  Sam’s use of board wipes and efficient removal spells like Pongify and Lightning Bolt turned the tide decisively in his favor.

• 5

  Managing creature tokens and leveraging fight interactions early helped Slinza control the board until bigger threats appeared.

Notable Cards

• 

  Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

• 

  Beast Within

• 

  Pongify

• 

  Lightning Bolt

• 

  The Jolly Balloon Man

• 

  Slinza, the Spiked Stampede

Summary

The game began with a typical ramp and development phase from all four players, each establishing their board presence with early creatures and mana acceleration. Key early plays included Slinza, the Spiked Stampede's aggressive board control and removal of artifacts, while The Jolly Balloon Man created balloon tokens and leveraged powerful combat tricks. Shroofus Sproutsire generated a significant number of saplings, bolstered by various enchantments and equipment, to build a wide board. Meanwhile, Niv-Mizzet, Visionary drew a massive number of cards through repeated damage triggers, rapidly fueling his hand and board state. A pivotal moment came when Niv-Mizzet's repeated damage spells, combined with Arya Flame's counters, dealt heavy damage to multiple opponents and drew an overwhelming number of cards. However, John responded with Beast Within to destroy Niv-Mizzet, temporarily halting that threat. The Jolly Balloon Man's commander was recast but quickly met removal, triggering a chain reaction that eliminated another opponent. In a decisive turn, Sam capitalized on Arya Flame's damage triggers and efficient removal spells like Pongify and Lightning Bolt to wipe the board and take out key opponents, ultimately winning the game by leveraging a combination of damage and board wipes.