IMPENDING DOOM - IMPLEMENTS OF cEDH - S14E4 - ETALI v SISAY v RAFFINE v JENSON - MTG GAMEPLAY

Deck Strategies

• 

  Etali, Primal Conqueror

  A midrange value and reanimation deck that leverages Etali's ability to cast spells from the top of opponents’ decks and uses convoke and sacrifice outlets to maximize board presence and disruption.

• 

  Jenson Carthalion, Druid Exile

  A ramp and combo-oriented deck that uses efficient mana acceleration and spells to control the board and enable explosive plays, often relying on artifact synergy and spell recursion.

• 

  Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

  A toolbox deck focused on searching and casting legendary creatures, controlling the game through disruption and value creatures, with a toolbox approach to assemble combos or win conditions.

• 

  Raffine, Scheming Seer

  A graveyard and card advantage-focused deck that uses Raffine’s ability to generate card draw and resource denial, aiming to outvalue opponents over time and leverage discard and graveyard interactions.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using Mnemonic Betrayal to steal and replay key spells from opponents' graveyards was a pivotal disruption tactic.

• 2

  Casting Etali alongside convoke and sacrifice outlets to generate multiple tokens and swing the board state in one explosive turn.

• 3

  Sisay’s use of Opposition Agent and other legendary creatures to deny opponents' search abilities provided strategic control over the game.

• 4

  The timing of Veil of Summer to protect against discard and disruption was crucial for maintaining board presence.

• 5

  Players effectively leveraged artifact ramp and mana acceleration to enable high-impact spells early in the game.

Notable Cards

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  Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness

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  Mnemonic Betrayal

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  Allosaurus Shepherd

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  Opposition Agent

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  Sylvan Library

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  Mana Crypt

• 

  Saw in Half

Summary

The game began with all players developing their mana bases and early board presence, including creatures like Fairy Mastermind, Aquarian Ranger, and Noble Hierarch. Early turns focused on setup, with Sisay and Raffine generating value and card advantage through their respective abilities. Etali made a significant impact midgame by casting the commander alongside spells like Gamble and utilizing convoke to generate tokens and reanimate threats, swinging the momentum. A critical turning point occurred when a series of well-timed plays involving Mnemonic Betrayal and reanimation spells allowed Etali's controller to disrupt opponents' graveyards and board states, leading to a chain reaction that devastated the table. Meanwhile, Sisay leveraged toolbox-style plays with cards like Opposition Agent and Finality of Devastation, aiming to control the game and find key threats. The game featured intricate interactions with various value engines such as Sylvan Library, Allosaurus Shepherd, and artifact ramp, culminating in a complex battlefield where resource denial and recursion were key themes.