SUCH A SAVAGE COUNTER!!! Commander / EDH Gameplay 109 - Hinata VS Beledros VS Marneus Calgar VS Elas

Deck Strategies

• 

  Marneus Calgar

  Generate a large army of Space Marine tokens, leverage sacrifice outlets like Ashnod's Altar for mana ramp, and use token doublers such as Anointed Procession to overwhelm opponents through combat damage and card advantage.

• 

  Hinata, Dawn-Crowned

  A spellslinger deck focused on casting multiple instant and sorcery spells to generate value and control the board, supported by Hinata's ability to tap and untap, enabling multiple spell casts per turn.

• 

  Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim

  Life gain and drain synergy deck that uses creatures and enchantments to gain life while simultaneously draining opponents, coupled with value engines like Trading Post for incremental advantage.

• 

  Beledros Witherbloom

  A value-based deck focused on life payment and surveil mechanics to filter the deck and generate resources, with a powerful activated dragon ability to dominate the board in the late game.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Countering Beledros Witherbloom’s dragon ability with Sister of Silence was a critical tempo play that disrupted Jay’s late-game plan.

• 2

  Marneus Calgar’s use of Ashnod's Altar to sacrifice tokens for mana acceleration allowed rapid deployment of powerful creatures and token doublers.

• 3

  Commissar Severina Rain’s mass life loss ability significantly weakened opponents simultaneously, shifting the game’s momentum in Marneus Calgar’s favor.

• 4

  The synergy between token generation and life gain/drain mechanics created multiple layers of incremental advantage for players like Marneus Calgar and Elas il-Kor.

• 5

  Tom’s Hinata Dawn-Crowned spellslinger interactions provided defensive utility but struggled to keep pace with the aggressive token swarm and value attrition strategies on the table.

Notable Cards

• 

  Ashnod's Altar

• 

  Anointed Procession

• 

  Sister of Silence

• 

  Trading Post

• 

  Doom Whisperer

• 

  Militia Bugler

• 

  Mind Stone

Summary

The game began with a typical multi-player setup where each player deployed their respective lands and early creatures or artifacts to establish board presence and mana acceleration. Marneus Calgar's token strategy quickly manifested, creating multiple Space Marine tokens and leveraging card draw and life gain synergies. Early on, there was a notable interaction where Jay activated Beledros Witherbloom’s costly dragon ability, but it was countered by a well-timed Sister of Silence, which set back Jay’s game plan significantly. Throughout the mid-game, Marneus Calgar capitalized on sacrificing tokens to Ashnod's Altar to ramp into his commander and other impactful spells, while also deploying Anointed Procession to double token creation and increase pressure on opponents. The combat phases were crucial, with Marneus Calgar’s token army dealing significant damage, forcing blocks and life loss across the table, while Tom’s Hinata Dawn-Crowned provided a defensive and spellslinger element, and Harry’s Elas il-Kor contributed life gain and drain with value creatures and Trading Post interactions. Jay’s Beledros deck was slowed by the counter on his dragon activation but remained a threat with life payment and surveil mechanics. A pivotal moment was Marneus Calgar’s casting of Commissar Severina Rain, which inflicted mass life loss on opponents, swinging the game momentum. The combination of token generation, sacrifice outlets, and mass damage effects poised Marneus Calgar for a dominant position as the game progressed toward a token swarm and attrition win condition.