STDs IN MAGIC!?!? – Wise Mothman vs Caesar vs Ojer Axonil vs Karona – Manasplaining #08

Deck Strategies

• 

  The Wise Mothman

  Apply radiation and discard effects that punish opponents for casting nonland spells, dealing incremental damage and weakening their board presence over time.

• 

  Caesar, Legion's Emperor

  Generate soldier tokens by sacrificing creatures during attacks, then use those tokens to either draw cards or deal damage directly to opponents.

• 

  Karona, False God

  Distribute harmful gifts and detrimental effects to opponents using a five-color gift-giving deck aimed at making others lose the game through persistent conditions.

• 

  Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might

  Deal incremental burn damage to all players and amplify this damage based on Ojer’s power, turning small hits into devastating blows.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using Layline of Anticipation allowed for flash-speed spell casting, enabling reactive plays and surprising opponents.

• 2

  Rolling Vortex created steady damage pressure and punished free spells, forcing players to consider their mana usage carefully.

• 3

  Ojer Axonil’s ability to convert small burn damage into larger damage based on its power shifted the damage scale, making every point of damage more threatening.

• 4

  Caesar’s token generation and sacrifice synergy provided both card advantage and removal options, maintaining board control and offensive presence.

• 5

  Karona’s gift-giving approach introduced complex negative effects that disrupted opponents’ strategies and created a tense game state.

Notable Cards

• 

  Castle Embereth

• 

  Reflecting Pool

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  Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power

Summary

The game began with players establishing their board states and quickly setting up aggressive and synergistic strategies. The Wise Mothman started by applying a radiation mechanic that punished opponents for casting nonland spells, creating incremental damage and pressure. Caesar, Legion's Emperor pushed a token-creation and sacrifice engine that dealt damage and drew cards, enabling both board presence and direct damage. Karona, False God led a gift-giving style deck that distributed harmful effects to opponents, aiming to destabilize the table through dangerous and debilitating conditions. Ojer Axonil focused on amplifying incremental burn damage, turning small burns into massive hits based on his power, which started at four and could escalate quickly. Early turns saw players deploying key lands and creatures such as Goblin Javelin, Vexing Rad-Gal, and various ramp spells, rapidly escalating the pace of the game. Rolling Vortex was played to consistently chip away at players during upkeeps and punish free spell casts, adding to the toxic atmosphere. The combination of burn damage, incremental poison-like effects from radiation and rad counters, and token-driven combat damage created a highly volatile board where players were forced to adapt quickly or fall behind. Key moments included the use of Layline of Anticipation to flash spells, Silver Library for card advantage at a life cost, and strategic attacks leveraging Ojer’s damage amplification. The game’s tension rose as the damage and negative effects compounded, putting players on a knife edge as they sought to survive and take advantage of their unique strategies.