Deck & Commander Strategies
Kenrith, the Returned King
A midrange deck with unorthodox plays, leveraging Kenrith's versatile abilities for card advantage, removal, and combat tricks, supported by fast mana and tutors to control the game tempo.
Kess, Dissident Mage
Midrange deck with storm and Ad Nauseam lines, aiming to generate large hands quickly and win through combo finishers like Thassa's Oracle and Tainted Pact.
Kraum, Ludevic's Opus and Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Aggressive midrange deck capitalizing on card advantage from commanders and artifacts like Dockside Extortionist and Skullclamp, with both Ad Nauseam and Demonic Consultation combo routes.
Rielle, the Everwise
Control and discard focused midrange deck that utilizes Rielle's ability to draw cards from opponents discarding, aiming to maintain card advantage and disrupt opponents.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Zack's lethal combo with Thassa's Oracle and Tainted Pact was foiled by forcing a draw from an empty library triggered by Jesper's Kenrith, a pivotal mistake ending Zack's game abruptly.
- 2
Mike's use of Dockside Extortionist followed by Chain of Vapor protected his treasure token generation despite Swan Song and Pyroblast interactions, maintaining his card advantage engine.
- 3
Jesper effectively leveraged Rhystic Study to tax opponents and gain incremental advantage, while using Kenrith's abilities to manipulate opponents' draws and enable combo disruption.
- 4
Adam's use of Sensei's Divining Top and Brain Freeze indicated a control and combo setup, but he struggled to keep pace with the aggressive midrange pressure from other players early on.
Notable Cards
-
Necropotence
-
Dockside Extortionist
-
Thassa's Oracle
-
Tainted Pact
-
Rhystic Study
-
Skullclamp
-
Sensei's Divining Top
-
Lion's Eye Diamond
-
Veil of Summer
-
Pact of Negation
Gameplay Summary
The game began with Jesper on Kenrith, the Returned King, establishing a fast mana base and early board presence, including Bloom Tender and Tarnished Citadel.
Jesper quickly developed his board with mana acceleration and card draw engines like Rhystic Study.
Zack on Kess, Dissident Mage, leveraged Necropotence to draw a massive hand, setting up a lethal combo involving Thassa's Oracle and Tainted Pact.
However, a critical misplay forced Zack to draw from an empty library, resulting in his elimination.
Meanwhile, Mike piloting the Grixis partner pair of Kraum and Tevesh Szat built a strong board state with Dockside Extortionist generating treasure tokens and Skullclamp providing card draw through sacrificial Thrulls.
Jesper continued to pressure the table with his versatile Kenrith, using its abilities to manipulate cards and maintain advantage.
Adam on Rielle, the Everwise, focused on control and card draw but lagged behind in board development early on.
The game showcased intense interactions involving counterspells, Rhystic Study taxes, and timely removal, with Jesper's Kenrith and Mike's Tevesh/Kraum exerting strong midrange pressure after Zack's combo attempt failed.
