Deck Strategies
Urza, Lord Protector
Utilizes artifact cost reduction to cast multiple spells per turn, combining powerful artifact interactions and instant-speed disruption to control the game and build towards a melded Urza threat.
Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
A storm-style deck focused on casting numerous zero-cost artifacts to trigger Jhoira’s draw ability, generating massive card advantage and storm count to assemble a lethal combo quickly.
Thrasios, Triton Hero / Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
Midrange combo deck aiming to use Natural Order to fetch Protean Hulk and sacrifice it to Tevesh, then combo off with value engines like Thrasios and Tevesh if an immediate win is not possible.
Minsc, Beloved Ranger
Proactive combo deck that cheats Protean Hulk or Academy Rector into play and uses Minsc’s ability to reduce Hulk’s toughness and trigger its death to assemble infinite creature combos, often winning through infinite hasty creatures.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Minsc’s use of his ability to reduce Protean Hulk’s toughness to zero was crucial in triggering a chain of creature recursion and flicker effects to assemble an infinite hasty creature combo.
- 2
Jhoira’s explosive card advantage engine was temporarily shut down by a timely Chain of Vapor bounce spell, illustrating the importance of interaction against storm decks.
- 3
The Wheel of Fortune cast by Jhoira’s pilot effectively stripped away countermagic from Thrasios/Tevesh, enabling Minsc to combo off unimpeded.
- 4
Urza’s early artifact ramp and cost reduction enabled him to deploy threats and interaction quickly but lacked sufficient card draw to maintain momentum against heavy disruption.
- 5
The Aven Mindcensor and Outbound Liberator synergy helped slow down opponents’ graveyard and library interactions, playing a key role in board control.
Notable Cards
Protean Hulk
Karmic Guide
Felidar Guardian
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Jeweled Amulet
Chain of Vapor
Mana Crypt
Mystic Remora
Windfall
Natural Order
Summary
The game began with all four players setting up their respective mana bases and early plays, with Urza, Lord Protector leveraging artifact cost reduction and interaction, Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain quickly assembling zero-drop artifacts to generate card advantage, Thrasios and Tevesh Szat aiming for a Protean Hulk combo via Natural Order, and Minsc, Beloved Ranger focusing on cheating Protean Hulk and Academy Rector into play for combo setup. Early interaction notably included counterspells and bounce spells to disrupt opponents' boards and plans, with Jhoira’s storm-style artifact synergy rapidly advancing her combo state. A pivotal moment occurred when Minsc successfully executed a Protean Hulk combo, using Minsc’s ability to reduce Hulk’s toughness to zero, triggering Hulk to fetch a series of creatures including Karmic Guide and Felidar Guardian. This enabled an infinite hasty creature combo with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, allowing Minsc to overwhelm the table and secure victory. Throughout the game, Jhoira’s card draw engine proved powerful but was ultimately stifled by a well-timed Chain of Vapor and aggressive disruption. Urza struggled to maintain card advantage without additional draw engines despite strong early plays, while Thrasios/Tevesh’s attempts to grind value were curtailed by discard and disruption strategies from the other players.