HALLOWEEN SPECIAL PART 1 FEAT. OOPS...ALL SALT - cEDH - XIRA v UMBRIS v VITO v DIHADA - MTG GAMEPLAY

Deck Strategies

• 

  Dihada, Binder of Wills

  Utilizes graveyard recursion and sacrifice synergies to control the board and assemble combo pieces, often leveraging reanimation and token generation to overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Umbris, Fear Manifest

  Focuses on disruption and stealing opponents' resources, using emblems and fear effects to control combat and protect its own board state, while applying incremental advantage.

• 

  Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

  Combines lifelink and drain effects with sacrifice outlets to create a powerful life-drain combo, aiming to win by reducing opponents' life totals rapidly through synergistic damage and gain.

• 

  Xira, the Golden Sting

  Leverages infect and poison counters to create a fast, aggressive win condition, using creatures with infect and proliferate effects to quickly accumulate poison counters on opponents.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Braids' sacrifice trigger was used to force opponents to lose creatures early, disrupting their board development.

• 2

  The use of Opposition Agent to exile opponents' tutors slowed down their ability to search key combo pieces.

• 3

  A player attempted to chain Pest tokens to create a lethal board state but needed additional setup for the combo to work.

• 4

  Reanimation spells combined with Buried Alive allowed for graveyard recursion of key combo pieces.

• 5

  Gilded Drake was strategically used to steal important creatures, causing a shift in board control.

• 6

  Tasha's Hideous Laughter was cast to disrupt opponents' hands, creating a tempo swing.

• 7

  Toxic Deluge was used as a crucial board wipe to reset the battlefield and thwart aggressive attacks.

• 8

  Players carefully timed their rituals and mana acceleration to maximize their combo potential and interaction.

• 9

  The game featured a tense balance between building combos and deploying disruption to prevent opponents from winning.

• 10

  A late-game betrayal and graveyard combo setup indicated a looming decisive play in the next part.

Notable Cards

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  Opposition Agent

• 

  Braids, Cabal Minion

• 

  Gilded Drake

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  Necrotic Ooze

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  Tasha's Hideous Laughter

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  Toxic Deluge

• 

  Chain of Smog

• 

  Professor Onyx

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  Buried Alive

• 

  Faithless Looting

• 

  Cabal Ritual

Summary

The game began with players establishing their mana bases and early board presence, with initial spells like Nest Placenta, Opposition Agent, and Witch being cast. The players carefully developed resources while probing for interaction opportunities. Early disruption came from effects like Braids, which forced sacrifices, and Tasha's Hideous Laughter, which generated chaos. A notable early play involved chaining Pest tokens as a win condition attempt, but it required precise board setup that was not immediately achieved. Midgame saw key plays such as a reanimation sequence using Buried Alive and Necrotic Ooze, with players leveraging graveyard synergies and sacrifice outlets to gain advantage and threaten combos. The tension escalated as players deployed powerful cards like Gilded Drake to steal key creatures and set up pivotal interactions. One player attempted an all-in combo with Professor Onyx but was unable to finish it immediately, leading to a tense standoff with players holding removal and countermagic. Later turns featured strategic attacks and board wipes, including Toxic Deluge, which reset the battlefield and slowed aggressive advances. Players used rituals and mana acceleration spells to fuel their sequences, while carefully timing their disruption to prevent opponents' combos. The game unfolded as a high-stakes battle of attrition and precision, with each player balancing between building their win condition and disrupting others. The final moments captured a dramatic betrayal and a player pushing their combo into the graveyard, setting the stage for a decisive sequence in the following part of the match.