Edgar vs Varina vs Inalla vs Meren [EDH Commander] Gameplay 2020

Deck Strategies

• 

  Inalla, Archmage Ritualist

  Leverages reanimation and 'champion' effects to create and duplicate tokens, aiming for a combo finish with Wanderwine Prophets that generates multiple hasty attackers.

• 

  Meren of Clan Nel Toth

  Focuses on graveyard recursion and experience counters, using sac outlets and efficient creatures to maintain board presence and value over time.

• 

  Varina, Lich Queen

  Emphasizes a mill strategy supported by card advantage from becoming the monarch, aiming to deplete opponents' libraries rather than relying on zombie tribal synergy.

• 

  Edgar Markov

  Aggressive vampire tribal deck relying on early mana rocks and token generation to pressure opponents, but vulnerable to disruption and removal.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Inalla's player used Entomb and Reanimate to quickly set up a powerful combo with Wanderwine Prophets, leveraging its champion ability to create multiple hasty attackers.

• 2

  Meren's use of Eldritch Evolution to sacrifice ramp creatures and find key sac outlets like Viscera Seer helped accumulate experience counters and maintain board control.

• 3

  Varina's mill strategy was supported by the Court of Cunning allowing multiple players to mill themselves, but it lacked the impact to stop Inalla's combo from dominating.

• 4

  Force of Vigor was a critical early interaction that disrupted Edgar Markov's mana rocks, slowing down his ability to build a threatening board.

• 5

  Snapcaster Mage was used to flashback Entomb, enabling Inalla to set up graveyard combos faster and maintain pressure on opponents.

Notable Cards

• 

  Wanderwine Prophets

• 

  Entomb

• 

  Reanimate

• 

  Court of Cunning

• 

  Merciless Eviction

• 

  Snapcaster Mage

• 

  Eldritch Evolution

• 

  Viscera Seer

• 

  Destiny Spinner

• 

  Talisman of Hierarchy

Summary

The game began with a typical ramp and setup phase from all players, with Meren of Clan Nel Toth focusing on experience counters and sac outlets, Varina, Lich Queen opting for a mill-centric build rather than the usual zombie tribal, and Inalla, Archmage Ritualist setting up a combo with Wanderwine Prophets using Reanimate and Entomb interactions. Edgar Markov's player attempted to establish board presence early with mana rocks and key vampires but was hampered by timely interaction from the graveyard-focused decks. A pivotal moment occurred when Inalla's player successfully assembled a combo involving Wanderwine Prophets, using reanimation and champion effects to create multiple hasty copies that could attack immediately, rapidly swinging the game in their favor. Despite Varina's milling attempts and Edgar's aggressive vampire tokens, the synergy and recursion capabilities of Meren and Inalla's decks outpaced the others. The game concluded with Inalla's combo overwhelming the table, demonstrating the power of graveyard recursion and token duplication in a well-tuned deck.