Nicol Bolas vs Vial Smasher | Tymna vs The Scorpion God vs Márton EDH / CMDR game play

Deck Strategies

• 

  Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

  A control and disruption deck that uses discard effects and powerful planeswalkers to dominate the board and outvalue opponents, aiming to control the game until Nicol Bolas transforms and finishes opponents with direct damage and card advantage.

• 

  The Scorpion God

  A midrange deck focused on graveyard recursion, controlling the board through -1/-1 counters and removal, and leveraging life loss triggers and powerful creatures to wear down opponents over time.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce / Tymna the Weaver

  An aggressive and tempo-oriented deck that maximizes damage through Vial Smasher's random damage triggers on spell casts and Tymna's card draw from combat damage, utilizing efficient creatures and spells to pressure opponents quickly.

• 

  Márton Stromgald

  A token and synergy deck that repeatedly casts Molten Birth to generate goblin tokens, using equipment and other synergies to buff tokens and maintain board presence, applying pressure through numbers and incremental advantage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Fred's use of Archfiend of Ifnir combined with Jaya Ballard's discard ability created a powerful board wipe effect by giving opponents' creatures multiple -1/-1 counters, which significantly shifted board control.

• 2

  Kevin's overload of Cyclonic Rift was a crucial play that bounced all non-land permanents back to hand, effectively resetting the board and enabling the Archfiend of Ifnir trigger to finish off Nicol Bolas.

• 3

  Eric's repeated casting of Molten Birth, aided by luck in rolling evens, allowed him to generate a steady stream of tokens, maintaining pressure despite limited land drops.

• 4

  Timely removal spells such as Swords to Plowshares and Terminate were essential in halting key threats like Tymna and the Merfolk, preventing opponents from gaining significant card advantage.

• 5

  Vial Smasher's random damage triggers on spell casts created consistent incremental damage, contributing to focused damage on key players and shifting combat dynamics.

• 6

  Players effectively used life loss from artifact and enchantment triggers (Fragment, Banewhip Punisher) to chip away at opponents' life totals while developing their boards.

Notable Cards

• 

  Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

• 

  Molten Birth

• 

  Archfiend of Ifnir

• 

  Jaya Ballard

• 

  Banewhip Punisher

• 

  Cyclonic Rift

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce

• 

  Tymna the Weaver

• 

  Swiftfoot Boots

• 

  Swords to Plowshares

• 

  Cabal Coffers

Summary

The game started with players developing their mana bases and establishing early board presence through creatures and token generators. Kevin, piloting Nicol Bolas, the Ravager, focused on disruption and control, using discard effects and powerful planeswalkers to keep opponents in check. Eric, with Márton Stromgald, leveraged repeated casting of Molten Birth to create numerous goblin tokens, gaining value through luck and token synergies. Fred, playing The Scorpion God deck, utilized cards like Banewhip Punisher and Archfiend of Ifnir to control the board and apply pressure, while also recurring threats and manipulating opponents' life totals. Key turning points included Fred's use of Archfiend of Ifnir combined with Jaya Ballard's discard abilities to weaken opponents' creatures significantly, and Kevin's overload of Cyclonic Rift to reset the board and eliminate Nicol Bolas after it had been weakened by minus one counters. Eric's consistent token production with Molten Birth kept him threatening on the board despite occasional misrolls. The game saw multiple interactions involving life loss from artifacts like Fragment and the strategic use of removal spells such as Swords to Plowshares and Terminate. Ultimately, combat damage from Vial Smasher and Tymna, combined with timely spells and card advantage, shaped the flow of the game, with each player attempting to leverage their deck's strengths while mitigating threats from others.