Ratchet Affinity vs. Ardoz RDW [Duel Commander-EDH]

Decklists

Deck & Commander Strategies

Ratchet, Field Medic // Ratchet, Rescue Racer
Utilizes artifact synergy and vehicles to gain incremental advantage, leveraging lifelink and recursion to stabilize and outlast aggressive opponents.
Ardoz, Cobbler of War
A Red Deck Wins strategy focused on early aggression, efficient creatures, and burn spells to apply fast and consistent pressure aiming to close out the game quickly.

Gameplay Insights

1
The interaction of Ratchet’s vehicle form granting lifelink and artifact synergy allowed for strong board presence and life gain but required careful sequencing to maximize benefit.
2
Welding Jar’s repeated recursion was pivotal in protecting key artifacts and maintaining board stability against aggressive damage.
3
Ardoz’s use of burn spells like Chain Lightning and Fiery Confluence was essential to overcoming Ratchet’s defensive artifact strategies.
4
The timing of Parallax Wave to reset the board was a strategic attempt to slow down Ardoz’s aggression but came too late to shift momentum decisively.
5
Misplays around the timing of Welding Jar recursion impacted Ratchet’s potential to leverage burn spells effectively, illustrating the importance of precise sequencing in artifact-based decks.

Notable Cards

Ratchet, Field Medic // Ratchet, Rescue Racer
Welding Jar
Parallax Wave
Goblin Guide
Chain Lightning
Fiery Confluence

Gameplay Summary

The game featured a duel between Ratchet, Field Medic // Ratchet, Rescue Racer and Ardoz, Cobbler of War, highlighting contrasting strategies.

Ratchet’s deck leveraged vehicles and artifact synergies, with key plays involving the transformation of Ratchet into a vehicle that gains lifelink and boosts creatures.

Early plays included deploying creatures like Goblin Guide and setting up artifact combos, supported by cards like Welding Jar and Parallax Wave to protect and manipulate the board state.

Ardoz’s aggressive Red Deck Wins (RDW) approach aimed to apply early pressure with efficient creatures and burn spells such as Chain Lightning, pushing damage quickly to close out the game. A critical turning point was Ratchet’s use of artifact-based recursion and protection effects to stabilize against Ardoz’s assault, including recurring Welding Jar to keep key artifacts alive and Parallax Wave to reset the board when needed.

However, Ardoz’s relentless damage output eventually overwhelmed Ratchet despite these efforts.

The game ended when Ratchet’s lifegain and artifact synergy proved insufficient to counter the burst damage delivered by Ardoz’s aggressive tempo and burn spells, concluding in a win for Ardoz.

The match demonstrated the tension between artifact-based midrange resilience and fast red aggression in a duel Commander setting.

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