Deck Strategies
Orcus, Prince of Undeath
Utilizes sacrifice and recursion mechanics to control the board and generate value, often resetting the battlefield with Orcus's minus four minus four mode while building a resilient undead army to finish opponents.
Chatterfang, Squirrel General
Focuses on generating a large army of squirrel tokens, exploiting token synergies and sacrifice outlets to drain life from opponents and maintain board presence through aggressive token creation.
Orvar, the All-Form
Leverages wizard tribal synergies and multiple creature casts to untap mana sources and create token copies of powerful spells or creatures, enabling explosive board states and combo finishes.
Aphemia, the Cacophony
Centers on enchantment synergies and zombie token generation, using enchantment recursion and sacrifice triggers to build board presence and drain opponents’ life totals with combat damage and triggered abilities.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Orcus's board wipe mode was a crucial turning point, clearing the board but allowing Martin to accumulate many squirrel tokens thanks to Black Market counters and token generation.
- 2
Orvar’s synergy with Arcane Adaptation turned all creatures into wizards, enabling multiple untap triggers and token copies that overwhelmed opponents with large, buffed creature tokens.
- 3
Martin maximized the value of his squirrel tokens by combining Chatterfang’s token creation with sacrifice outlets and Blood Artist triggers to steadily drain opponents’ life totals.
- 4
Nick’s use of enchantment-based removal and equipment like Nightmare Lash allowed for massive damage output, especially when combined with Aphemia’s zombie token generation and sacrifice triggers.
- 5
The interplay between sacrifice triggers, token generators, and card draw engines like Underworld Connections and Black Market created dynamic and tense board states requiring careful timing of spells and combat attacks.
Notable Cards
Chatterfang, Squirrel General
Orcus, Prince of Undeath
Orvar, the All-Form
Aphemia, the Cacophony
Squirrel Nest
Black Market
Arcane Adaptation
Rite of Replication
Nightmare Lash
Underworld Connections
Plaguecrafter
Pawn of Ulamog
Thermal Flux
Blood Artist
Underworld Hermit
Summary
The game began with a balanced early setup from all four players, each developing their board with mana acceleration and key enchantments. Martin, piloting Chatterfang, focused on creating a swarm of squirrels through Squirrel Nest and Chatterfang’s token generation, steadily growing his board. Nick's Aphemia deck leveraged enchantment synergies and zombie token generation, maintaining pressure with enchantment-based value. Max’s Orcus deck utilized powerful creatures and board wipes like Orcus's minus four minus four mode to reset the board while building value from sacrificing creatures and recurring threats. The player with Orvar capitalized on casting multiple creatures, using Arcane Adaptation to turn all creatures into wizards, which synergized with Orvar’s ability to untap mana and generate token copies, allowing for explosive board presence and powerful spells like Rite of Replication to overwhelm opponents. A pivotal moment came when Orcus triggered a large board wipe, clearing the battlefield but leaving Martin with many squirrel tokens due to his token synergies and Black Market counters. Nick’s Aphemia then equipped a Nightmare Lash to boost damage output significantly, leading to a major alpha strike that pressured Martin heavily. The Orvar player responded by generating multiple large token copies of Master of Pearl Trident and swinging with significant islandwalk bonuses, showcasing the deck’s combo potential. Martin countered by leveraging his massive squirrel army, supported by cards like Blood Artist and Underworld Hermit to drain opponents’ life totals. The game featured multiple shifts in tempo, with board wipes and token floods defining the midgame, as well as recurring enchantments and sacrifice synergies creating tense, dynamic board states. The eventual win condition revolved around overwhelming opponents with either massive token swarms or devastating combos enabled by Orvar’s wizard tribal synergies and mana generation.
