Deck & Commander Strategies
Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
Utilizes a toolbox and value-oriented approach supported by Birthing Pod and mana acceleration through lands like Gaea's Cradle. Generates value by repeatedly untapping permanents and assembling a resilient board presence.
Hashaton, Scarab's Fist
Aggressive combat and artifact synergy. Utilizes Hasheton and equipment to apply pressure while leveraging artifact-based toolbox and disruption.
Thrasios, Triton Hero
Focuses on card advantage and mana ramp, leveraging Thrasios' ability to filter and draw cards. Uses artifacts and mana rocks to accelerate and control the pace of the game.
Tymna the Weaver
Aims to gain incremental card advantage through combat damage triggers and political interactions. Paired with Kraum for additional card draw and tempo plays.
Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
Works in tandem with Tymna to maximize card draw and aggressive tempo. Exploits early damage and combat interactions to fuel continuous advantage.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Using Birthing Pod to tutor and sacrifice key creatures was a critical turning point, enabling the Derevi player to escalate board presence swiftly.
- 2
The Derevi player's use of Gaea's Cradle provided explosive mana acceleration that pressured opponents early and allowed casting high-impact spells ahead of curve.
- 3
Players leveraged combat damage as a way to generate card draw and probe opponents for answers, exemplified by Tymna's attacks to draw additional cards.
- 4
Cloudshift was used reactively to save creatures or disrupt combat phases, highlighting the importance of instant-speed interaction in the game.
- 5
Mana rocks like Chrome Mox and Mana Vault accelerated the pace of play, but also introduced life loss that players had to carefully manage.
- 6
Fetch lands and utility lands like Rafi's Tower and Inventor's Fair were key for fixing mana and finding crucial pieces, underscoring the importance of land quality in multicolor decks.
- 7
Timing of spells and responses was crucial, with players holding back interaction to maintain control while waiting for optimal moments to cast powerful spells.
Notable Cards
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Gaea's Cradle
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Birthing Pod
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Chrome Mox
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Cloudshift
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Mana Vault
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Weathered Wayfarer
Gameplay Summary
The game started with a slow and methodical early phase, with players ramping mana and developing board presence.
The Derevi player established early pressure by casting key mana dorks and ramp artifacts, eventually casting Derevi herself to start generating value with untaps.
Hashaton made a notable entrance with Hasheton, setting up potential aggression.
The Tymna/Thrasios decks focused on card draw and incremental advantage, with one player deploying a Chrome Mox imprinting Pneumatic Betrayal and the other deploying mana acceleration and utility lands.
A pivotal moment occurred when the Derevi player used Birthing Pod to sacrifice and tutor for a powerful threat, escalating the board state significantly.
Meanwhile, interaction was limited, and players were careful to maintain resources for key responses, with some players attempting to probe for answers through combat damage.
The presence of mana rocks, fetch lands, and utility lands like Rafi's Tower and Inventor's Fair indicated a focus on resource efficiency and toolbox strategies.
The game was marked by tactical decision-making around timing and response windows, particularly with spells like Cloudshift and the usage of Cradle to generate explosive mana.
The overall win condition appeared to center around establishing a strong board presence through value creatures and combo enablers, with players seeking to leverage incremental advantage and disruption to outpace opponents.
