Aetherdrift commander! Gonti vs Saheeli vs Mendicant Core vs Nissa - EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Gonti, Night Minister

  Encourages opponents to cast spells they don't own by rewarding them with treasure tokens, aiming to control the game pace and capitalize on exiling and casting cards from opponents' libraries.

• 

  Mendicant Core, Guidelight

  Artifact-centric deck that ramps with artifacts and copies artifact spells to generate value, aiming to overwhelm opponents with artifact synergies and board presence.

• 

  Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker

  Focuses on energy generation through landfall and uses energy to cast large permanent spells at reduced cost, aiming to ramp into powerful threats quickly.

• 

  Saheeli, Radiant Creator

  Builds an artifact creature token army by copying artifacts using energy, leveraging artifact synergies and energy to maintain board control and pressure opponents.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Gonti’s ability to reward opponents for casting spells they don't own created a diplomatic atmosphere where players were cautious about whom to attack.

• 2

  Mendicant Core's ramp with artifact spells and the ability to copy them was a crucial engine for board presence and pressure.

• 3

  Nissa’s landfall and energy generation allowed her to ramp quickly and threaten large permanent spells, shifting the game’s momentum.

• 4

  Saheeli’s creation of artifact creature tokens via energy use allowed her to build a threatening board state while maintaining artifact synergies.

• 5

  Players used equipment like Sword of the Animist to accelerate land drops, which synergized well with Nissa’s landfall triggers.

• 6

  Early combat was cautious with players testing each other’s defenses and abilities, setting the stage for more intense mid-game interactions.

Notable Cards

• 

  Sol Ring

• 

  Sword of the Animist

• 

  Twitching Doll

• 

  Promising Vein

Summary

The game featured four commanders from the Aetherdrift set: Gonti, Night Minister; Mendicant Core, Guidelight; Nissa, Worldsoul Speaker; and Saheeli, Radiant Creator. Early on, Gonti encouraged non-aggressive play by rewarding opponents who cast spells they did not own with treasure tokens, fostering an unusual group dynamic. Mendicant Core's artifact-heavy deck quickly ramped up with artifacts and used its ability to copy artifact spells, gaining board presence and value through artifact synergies. Nissa focused on energy generation and landfall triggers, aiming to ramp into big spells by paying energy instead of their mana costs. Saheeli leveraged energy and artifact creation, generating copies of artifact creatures to build a wide board state. Throughout the early and mid-game, players developed their boards cautiously, balancing aggression and defense while building up their respective engines.