Varina vs Seizan vs Vial // Ikra vs Kaseto EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

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  Varina, Lich Queen

  Control and attrition through card draw and discard triggers, generating value from creatures dying to out-resource opponents.

• 

  Seizan, Perverter of Truth

  Spellstorm and combo focused deck that uses instant and sorcery spells to generate mana, draw cards, and assemble powerful combos such as Primal Wellspring for infinite mana and spell recursion.

• 

  Kaseto, Orochi Archmage

  A focus on creatures with enter-the-battlefield and death triggers, particularly Grimgrin, to generate board presence and value through token generation and reanimation.

• 

  Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

  Life gain and big creatures to outlast opponents, utilizing life gain triggers and efficient attackers.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Aggressive burn and damage-based deck, leveraging Vial Smasher's damage trigger with spells to steadily reduce opponents' life totals.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Seizan's player heavily utilized the synergy between Cabal Coffers and Urborg to generate massive amounts of black mana, enabling multiple high-impact spells and combos.

• 2

  Varina's ability to draw and discard cards on creature damage helped maintain a steady flow of resources, particularly when paired with creatures like Grimgrin for board control and value.

• 3

  The use of Dark Petition combined with Reiterate allowed Seizan to tutor for multiple key cards and gain large amounts of life, setting up a strong late game.

• 4

  Matt's use of Bloodchief's Ascension provided additional card draw whenever opponents lost life, synergizing well with the spells and abilities that dealt incidental damage.

• 5

  Mike's aggressive approach with Vial Smasher and token generators created pressure early on, forcing opponents to manage board state carefully to avoid quick losses.

• 6

  Key removal spells such as Red Elemental Blast were timely used to disrupt powerful threats like Howling Mine, preventing opponents from drawing excessive cards.

• 7

  The board wipe with Wretched Confluence reset the board state and allowed for a change in momentum, highlighting the importance of well-timed mass removal in multiplayer Commander games.

• 8

  The interaction between Stolen Identity and Slag Worm allowed for repeated creature token generation and buffing, demonstrating effective use of spells to maximize board presence.

Notable Cards

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  Varina, Lich Queen

• 

  Seizan, Perverter of Truth

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  Kaseto, Orochi Archmage

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  Vial Smasher the Fierce

• 

  Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

• 

  Cabal Coffers

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  Grimgrin, Corpse-Born

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  Howling Mine

• 

  Demonic Tutor

• 

  Dark Petition

• 

  Reiterate

• 

  Rooftop Storm

• 

  Stolen Identity

• 

  Aqueous Form

Summary

The game began with each player setting up their mana base and early plays, including ramp spells and artifact equipment to prepare for midgame strategies. Varina, Lich Queen triggered multiple times, drawing and discarding cards to maintain hand advantage. Seizan, Perverter of Truth focused on spellcasting and card draw, utilizing Dark Petition and Reiterate to find key pieces and generate large amounts of mana with Cabal Coffers. Kaseto, Orochi Archmage worked on controlling the board with creatures like Grimgrin and leveraging token generation. Vial Smasher the Fierce and Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper pushed aggressive early plays and damage output, with Vial Smasher maximizing damage from spells and Ikra focusing on life gain and board presence.