Acererak Control vs. Ghyrson Storm [Duel Commander-EDH] - Magic: The Gathering thumbnail Blurred backdrop thumbnail
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Acererak Control vs. Ghyrson Storm [Duel Commander-EDH] - Magic: The Gathering

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Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Decklist

Deck & Commander Strategies

  • Acererak the Archlich

    Acererak the Archlich

    Acererak's deck uses a control shell with minimal creatures, emphasizing venturing through dungeons for value and life gain. It relies on incremental board control through zombies, hand disruption, and exile effects to prevent opponents from executing their combos, while slowly grinding out a win via attrition and resource denial.

  • Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph

    Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph

    Ghyrson Storm is a storm combo deck that aims to cast multiple one-damage spells to build a high storm count and finish the game with Grapeshot or similar spells. It includes a mix of burn spells, token generators, and spells from exile to maximize storm potential and deliver a lethal burst of damage quickly.

Gameplay Insights

  • 1

    Acererak's use of venturing through dungeons was pivotal for generating incremental resources and life gain, helping to stabilize against the storm deck's early aggression.

  • 2

    The timing of hand disruption spells such as Agonizing Remorse significantly slowed Ghyrson's combo development by removing critical cards from their hand.

  • 3

    Bouncing key artifacts like Jet Medallion disrupted Ghyrson's mana acceleration, delaying their storm turns.

  • 4

    Acererak's minus ability to seize control of multiple permanent types at once effectively crippled the storm deck's board and paved the way for a control win.

  • 5

    Ghyrson Storm's reliance on one-damage spells and burn to increase storm count was countered by targeted removal and exile effects, highlighting the importance of disruption against storm strategies.

  • 6

    The final cast of Petition to Exile removed graveyard resources, preventing Ghyrson from leveraging flashback or reuse of burn spells, securing the game for Acererak.

Notable Cards

  • Grapeshot

    Grapeshot

  • Sudden Edict

    Sudden Edict

  • Check for Traps

    Check for Traps

  • Agonizing Remorse

    Agonizing Remorse

  • Electrostatic Field

    Electrostatic Field

  • Lava Dart

    Lava Dart

  • Flame Jab

    Flame Jab

  • Liliana, the Last Hope

    Liliana, the Last Hope

Gameplay Summary

The game began with both players mulliganing but eventually settling on strong hands.

Ghyrson Storm focused on assembling a storm combo, leveraging one-damage spells such as Lava Dart and Flame Jab, alongside cards like Grapeshot to build up a burst of damage.

The opponent with Acererak the Archlich took a more control-oriented approach, utilizing control elements, dungeon ventures, and creature token generation to stabilize and gain incremental advantages.

Acererak's deck aimed to slowly control the board and leverage the venturing through dungeons mechanic for life gain and value, all while maintaining pressure with zombies and resource denial via exile effects. Midway through the match, Ghyrson attempted to apply pressure by casting multiple spells to increase storm count while managing board presence with cards like Electrostatic Field and Sudden Edict.

Acererak responded with disruption and board control, including bounce effects and hand disruption such as Agonizing Remorse and Check for Traps, which helped slow down Ghyrson's storm buildup.

Acererak also capitalized on venturing through the dungeon multiple times, generating treasures and zombies while denying key cards from Ghyrson's hand. The turning point came when Acererak used its minus ability to take control of key permanents from the opponent, crippling Ghyrson's board state.

This, combined with continuous dungeon ventures and card advantage, allowed Acererak to lock down the game.

Ghyrson's attempts to storm off were repeatedly interrupted.

Eventually, Acererak cast Petition to Exile, effectively ending the game by removing Ghyrson's graveyard resources and locking out further storm attempts, securing a control victory through incremental value and disruption rather than a swift combo finish.

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