Anafenza vs Narset vs Zurgo vs Surrak EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Anafenza, the Foremost

  Aggressively apply poison counters through infect creatures and +1/+1 counter synergies, using sacrifice outlets to tutor threats and maintain pressure.

• 

  Narset, Enlightened Master

  Control the board with spells and enchantments, generate card advantage through extra draws and tutor effects, while protecting key creatures with evasion and hexproof.

• 

  Surrak Dragonclaw

  Gain incremental advantage through extra turns and tempo plays while disrupting opponents with spells like Mine's Dilation, setting up powerful creatures to close the game.

• 

  Zurgo Helmsmasher

  Enhance aggressive creatures with equipment to deliver high damage in combat, using synergy between swords and creatures to dominate combat phases.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Anafenza player aggressively focused on infect damage, prioritizing the removal of threats like Zurgo quickly to maintain pressure on the table.

• 2

  Surrak utilized Mine's Dilation combined with extra turn effects to disrupt opponents' spells while advancing their own board state.

• 3

  Narset's player used protective enchantments to keep key creatures alive and leveraged powerful card draw spells to maintain resources.

• 4

  Zurgo's player maximized equipment synergies to boost combat effectiveness, swinging aggressively to chip away at opponents' life totals.

• 5

  The use of Cyclonic Rift to respond to Mine's Dilation was a pivotal moment that prevented a cascade of spell disruption.

• 6

  Multiple players used tutors and card draw engines to maintain momentum and find answers to board threats, showing the importance of resource management in multiplayer EDH.

Notable Cards

• 

  Altar of Bone

• 

  Siege Behemoth

• 

  Core Prowler

• 

  Sword of the Animist

• 

  Cyclonic Rift

• 

  Aqueous Form

• 

  Leyline of Anticipation

• 

  Propaganda

• 

  Jace Beleren

Summary

The game began with each player establishing their early board presence using ramp and equipment to develop their strategies. The Anafenza deck focused on +1/+1 counters and infect damage, aggressively applying poison counters on opponents with creatures like Core Prowler and leveraging sacrifice outlets like Altar of Bone to tutor key threats such as Siege Behemoth. Narset's deck utilized control elements, card advantage from spells like Dig Through Time, and protective enchantments like Aqueous Form to maintain board presence and survive early aggression. Surrak Dragonclaw's player manipulated extra turns via Time Stream Navigator and exploited Mine's Dilation to disrupt opponents' spells while advancing their own tempo. Zurgo Helmsmasher's deck concentrated on equipment synergy, powering up creatures like Zurgo and Beetleborgs Ergo with Sword of the Animist and Sword of the Enemy for impactful combat phases.