Deck Strategies
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
A Death and Taxes style deck that taxes opponents' noncreature spells and applies pressure through efficient white creatures and disruption, aiming to lock out degenerate combos and win through incremental combat damage.
Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder / Thrasios, Triton Hero
A blink and toolbox deck that uses creature flicker effects and value creatures to find combo pieces and control the board, setting up for a combo finish with toolbox recursion.
Aurelia, the Warleader
A combo deck focused on generating infinite combat phases using Aurelia's extra attack steps, aiming to win by dealing lethal damage through repeated combat triggers.
Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
A wizard tribal combo deck that leverages Inalla’s eminence ability to create token copies of Wizards and repeatedly cast spells from graveyard or hand, enabling a combo finish through spell recursion and sacrifice outlets.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
The early Mystic Remora played by Jan significantly taxed opponents' early spells, establishing early card advantage and slowing down the game.
- 2
Ben Wheeler’s use of Inalla to copy Spellseeker multiple times allowed him to tutor key spells like Burnt Offering and Unearth, enabling a fast combo setup.
- 3
The interaction of additional costs on spells like Culling the Weak and Burnt Offering required careful mana management and sequencing from Ben Wheeler to continue the combo chain.
- 4
Benjamin’s Thalia pressured opponents by increasing the mana cost of noncreature spells, making it more difficult for combo players to execute their plans smoothly.
- 5
Alex’s Aurelia attempted to set up infinite combat steps early, but the aggressive and disruptive nature of other decks put pressure on this plan.
- 6
Jan’s deck leveraged toolbox creatures like Spellseeker and Kithian Hero of Akros to adapt to board states and find crucial pieces, demonstrating flexible midgame value generation.
Notable Cards
Mystic Remora
Mox Diamond
Spellseeker
Burnt Offering
Unearth
Land Tax
Smuggler's Copter
Noble Hierarch
Ranger-Captain of Eos
Sensei's Divining Top
Chromatic Lantern
Culling the Weak
Summary
The game began with a fast-paced early setup from all players, featuring efficient mana acceleration and key disruptive elements. Benjamin's Thalia deck sought to lock down the game by taxing opponents' noncreature spells and deploying small white creatures for steady pressure. Jan on Thrasios and Bruse used a blink-based toolbox strategy, aiming to generate value and find combo pieces through creatures like Spellseeker and card recursion spells. Alex piloted Aurelia with a plan to create infinite combat phases, leveraging extra combat steps to overwhelm opponents. Meanwhile, Ben Wheeler on Inalla focused on a wizard tribal combo deck, using Inalla's ability to create token copies of wizards and repeatedly cast spells like Unearth and Burnt Offering to fuel a combo engine.
