Alela vs Edgar vs Animar vs O-Kagachi [EDH/Commander Gameplay] 2020

Deck Strategies

• 

  Alela, Artful Provocateur

  Generate flying faerie tokens through artifacts and enchantments, leveraging evasive creatures to chip away at opponents and control the airspace.

• 

  Animar, Soul of Elements

  Build a large board of creatures with +1/+1 counters, utilizing proliferate and cascade effects to ramp into huge hydras and swing for lethal damage.

• 

  O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami

  Leverage a five-color spirit tribal deck to disrupt opponents by bouncing lands and applying steady pressure with spirits and utility creatures like Nikki-Onna.

• 

  Edgar Markov

  Develop a vampire tribal board using eminence triggers to flood the battlefield with vampires, applying incremental damage and drain with Blood Artist and aggressive combat.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Adrien prioritized casting creatures that enable +1/+1 counter synergies and proliferate, using Evolution Sage and Hardened Scales to exponentially increase Animar's power.

• 2

  Calvin maximized Edgar Markov's eminence ability by casting low-cost vampires to flood the board and trigger Blood Artist for incremental life drain.

• 3

  Ryan's O-Kagachi deck effectively disrupted opponents with repeated Nikki-Onna plays to bounce key lands, slowing down their mana development.

• 4

  Jake leveraged artifact and enchantment synergies with Alela to generate flying tokens and support his board control strategy.

• 5

  The casting of Craterhoof Behemoth on an Animar board with multiple counters was a game-defining moment, threatening an alpha strike that forced opponents to respond or face defeat.

• 6

  Careful sequencing of land plays and mana fixing was critical for the five-color decks, especially in enabling early ramp and timely deployment of key threats.

Notable Cards

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  Evolution Sage

• 

  Hardened Scales

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  Craterhoof Behemoth

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  Blood Artist

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  Urza, Lord High Artificer

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  Empyrean Eagle

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  Vampire Nighthawk

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  Mystic Forge

Summary

The game began with each player establishing their mana base and early board presence. Ryan's O-Kagachi spirit tribal deck quickly ramped to five colors while Jake's Alela deck set up artifacts and enchantments to generate flying tokens. Adrien on Animar focused on building a board of hydras and other creatures that benefit from +1/+1 counters and proliferate effects, while Calvin on Edgar Markov developed a strong vampire tribal board with synergy from his commander's eminence ability. Key turning points included Adrien ramping aggressively with Evolution Sage and Hardened Scales, allowing him to cast massive creatures such as Steel-Leaf Hydra and Craterhoof Behemoth, which set up a potential lethal alpha strike. Calvin leveraged Edgar's eminence to create a horde of vampires and used Blood Artist triggers to drain opponents. Ryan's O-Kagachi repeatedly bounced lands and disrupted opponents with creatures like Nikki-Onna, applying steady pressure. The game featured multiple combat phases with Edgar Markov pushing damage, but Animar's growing board and token generation from Alela created tension. A pivotal moment was Adrien casting Craterhoof Behemoth with a large Animar board, threatening to end the game, showcasing the explosive potential of +1/+1 counter synergies and cascade plays. The game was a dynamic interplay of tribal synergies, counters, and aggressive combat, with Animar's strategy focusing on a big hydra finish, Edgar Markov building vampire swarms for incremental damage and drain, O-Kagachi controlling the board with spirits and land disruption, and Alela generating flying tokens to chip away and defend. The evolving board states and timely plays demonstrated the complexity and interaction depth among these decks.