Deck Strategies
Torsten, Founder of Benalia
Builds a knight tribal board by casting large knights and creating a steady stream of soldiers with minimal noncreature spells, aiming to overwhelm opponents through synergy and combat buffs.
Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir
Utilizes Eminence to create and buff knights from the command zone, drawing cards and applying pressure via commander attacks while supporting a knight tribal theme.
Alandra, Sky Dreamer
Focuses on card draw and token generation to gain incremental value, ramping mana through lands and spells to fuel a sustained midrange or combo-oriented plan.
Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Aggressively ramps by playing multiple lands per turn to accelerate into big spells and graveyard hate, aiming to outpace opponents and control the board.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Sidar Jabari’s Eminence ability was pivotal, allowing repeated card draw and pressure while discarded knights like Cavalier of Dawn returned to the battlefield to remove problematic permanents.
- 2
Conjurer's Mantle equipped to Sidar Jabari enabled drawing multiple knights from the top of the library, reinforcing the knight tribal synergy and maintaining hand resources.
- 3
The use of Wintermoor Commander to grant indestructibility to attacking knights increased combat resilience and sustained board presence.
- 4
Players leveraged mana ramp creatures like Lotus Cobra and landfall effects to accelerate into powerful spells and abilities quickly.
- 5
Destroying Propaganda with Cavalier of Dawn’s ETB effect shifted the board state by removing a taxing defensive enchantment, allowing freer attacks.
- 6
Players carefully managed paying one mana for triggers (such as from Esper Sentinel and other creatures) to maximize value from their synergies.
Notable Cards
Torsten, Founder of Benalia
Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir
Wintermoor Commander
Conjurer's Mantle
Cavalier of Dawn
Lotus Cobra
Elvish Reclaimer
Scavenger Grounds
Propaganda
Alandra, Sky Dreamer
Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Ominous Seas
Oracle of Mul Daya
Summary
The game started with each player developing their board with lands and early creatures, setting the stage for their respective strategies. Torsten, Founder of Benalia, focused on assembling a knight tribal board, aiming to cast seven-drop knights and maintain a steady stream of creatures with minimal noncreature spells. Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir capitalized on its Eminence ability, creating and buffing knights while drawing cards and pressuring opponents with commander attacks. Alandra, Sky Dreamer, centered on card draw and token generation, ramping mana through lands and spells to outpace opponents. Azusa, Lost but Seeking, ramped aggressively to play multiple lands and accelerate into big spells, including Scavenger Grounds for graveyard hate. Key turning points included the use of Wintermoor Commander and conjurers mantle to generate card advantage and buff knights, enabling repeated pressure and incremental value. Sidar’s Eminence triggered multiple times, drawing cards and discarding threats like Cavalier of Dawn, which later returned to the battlefield to destroy key permanents such as Propaganda, shifting board control. The players leveraged mana ramp and landfall synergies to maintain tempo, with notable interactions involving Lotus Cobra and Elvish Reclaimer. The game was marked by incremental board development, tactical combat phases, and the recycling of threats to maintain pressure. The eventual win condition revolved around overwhelming the opponents with a critical mass of knights and synergistic combat buffs, supported by card advantage engines and board control effects.