Deck Strategies
Armix, Filigree Thrasher
Aggressively utilizes artifacts and equipment to boost creatures and apply pressure, aiming to win through combat damage supported by artifact synergies.
Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
Leverages card draw and spellcasting to generate value and control the board, aiming to combo off or win through incremental advantage.
Tivit, Seller of Secrets
Focuses on artifact ramp and disruption, using artifact synergies to generate mana and control opponents' resources to pave the way for a combo finish.
Kess, Dissident Mage
Utilizes graveyard recursion to replay powerful spells and maintain control, aiming to outvalue opponents through repeated spellcasting and disruption.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Centers around ramping mana quickly through creatures and lands, enabling big plays and combos by generating large amounts of mana and card advantage.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Using Mindbreak Trap to counter spells during a Time Twister maximized disruption by forcing opponents to wheel and reshuffle, significantly impacting their hands and tempo.
- 2
Activating Urza in the main phase to enable additional mana generation while managing combat and interaction carefully was a key strategic decision.
- 3
Players targeted mana rocks like Jeweled Lotus early with Manglehorn to stifle ramp and prevent explosive plays.
- 4
Allowing opponents to draw additional cards through Mystic Remora and Counterbalance was leveraged strategically to fuel own card draw engines and combo potential.
- 5
Casting Gilded Drake to steal high-impact creatures like Seaborn Muse provided a powerful tempo swing by enabling untap effects and mana acceleration.
Notable Cards
Jeweled Lotus
Mana Crypt
Sol Ring
Manglehorn
Force of Negation
Mindbreak Trap
Mystic Remora
Counterbalance
Gilded Drake
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Summary
The game begins with players developing their mana bases and establishing early board presence, including casting key artifacts like Jeweled Lotus and mana rocks such as Mana Crypt and Sol Ring. Early interaction is heavy, with players deploying disruptive creatures like Manglehorn to target opponents' artifacts and utilizing countermagic such as Mental Misstep and Force of Negation to maintain control. Urza's activation and land manipulation play a role in ramping mana quickly, enabling more impactful spells. The game features pivotal moments like a well-timed Mindbreak Trap that counters multiple spells during a Time Twister, significantly disrupting hand sizes and tempo. As the game progresses, players leverage card advantage engines like Mystic Remora and Counterbalance to maintain a steady flow of cards, while also setting up combo pieces and win conditions. Key plays include casting Gilded Drake to steal important creatures and utilizing creatures such as Seaborn Muse to untap permanents, enabling repeated use of mana-generating abilities. Players carefully manage resources, with some opting to allow opponents to draw more cards to fuel their own combos. The game remains tense with back-and-forth interaction, as players attempt to assemble their combos while disrupting others, culminating in a complex board state where players balance aggression with control to secure victory.
