EDH/Commander Gameplay #11 - Nymris vs Carth vs K'rrik

Deck Strategies

• 

  Nymris, Oona's Trickster

  Cycle through the deck rapidly to assemble combo pieces and win through combo interactions.

• 

  K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

  Use life payment to cast black spells cheaply, combine with Menace creatures and life-drain effects to pressure opponents.

• 

  Carth the Lion

  Leverage multiple Planeswalkers and corruption counters to control the board, generate incremental advantage, and win through attrition or planeswalker ultimates.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using proliferate on counters (Planeswalkers and creatures) to accelerate abilities and board impact was a key strategic element.

• 2

  K'rrik's ability to pay life instead of black mana allowed for explosive casting of multiple black spells, fueling board presence and pressure.

• 3

  The control player leveraged Liliana Vess’s abilities to manage threats and set up strong board states, including searching for critical cards and destroying creatures.

• 4

  Combo assembly with Nymris required careful card cycling and resource management, with moments of uncertainty about the exact combo pieces indicating the intricate synergy needed.

• 5

  Players' decisions about who to attack and when to use Planeswalker -3 abilities affected the flow and tension, demonstrating the importance of diplomatic timing in multiplayer Commander.

Notable Cards

• 

  Liliana Vess

• 

  Profane Tutor

• 

  Jeweled Lotus

Summary

The game featured three distinct decks piloted by Alex, Jack, and Matt, each leveraging unique strategies revolving around their commanders. Alex’s Carth the Lion deck focused on a Superfriends approach, utilizing various Planeswalkers and corruption counters to control the board and generate value. Jack’s Nymris, Oona's Trickster deck implemented a budget combo strategy revolving around cycling cards and assembling combo pieces to achieve a win condition. Meanwhile, Matt’s K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth deck exploited life manipulation and black mana cost reduction to cast powerful black spells efficiently and maintain board presence. Early turns saw typical ramp and setup plays, with key plays including the deployment of Planeswalkers like Liliana Vess by Alex and combo setup by Jack. Matt aggressively used K'rrik’s ability to pay life instead of mana for black spells and leveraged creatures with Menace and life-drain triggers. The game’s pivotal moments involved careful proliferate steps to enhance counters on Planeswalkers and creatures, the strategic destruction of threats by Liliana, and attempts to protect and attack with key pieces. The interaction between the combo potential of Nymris, the control and value engine of Carth, and the aggressive life-based synergy of K'rrik created a dynamic battlefield where players had to carefully manage resources and timing. The game highlighted the importance of synergistic combos, Planeswalker utility, and life manipulation in a high-powered Commander setting.