Deck Strategies
Kenrith, the Returned King
Midrange value and disruption, using creatures like Hullbreacher to deny opponents card advantage and leveraging Kenrith’s versatility to gain incremental benefits and control the board.
Niv-Mizzet, Parun
Control and combo with heavy card draw, leveraging spells that trigger Niv-Mizzet’s damage output and using artifact ramp to assemble powerful spells quickly.
Krark & Sakashima
Artifact-based combo and wheel effects, using mana acceleration and copy synergies to generate large amounts of mana and card advantage, aiming to end the game with explosive combo turns.
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Stax and artifact combo control, using cards like Static Orb and Rhystic Study to lock down the board and generate value while assembling artifact combos to close out the game.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Baal’s use of Hullbreacher effectively punished opponents’ wheel effects and card drawing, disrupting their resources.
- 2
Cameron’s strategic use of Solve the Equation for a Timetwister early on aimed to refill his hand and disrupt opponents’ plans.
- 3
Leite’s timely casting of Static Orb with Urza on the battlefield created a powerful stax lock, significantly slowing down the game and forcing careful sequencing.
- 4
Sigi’s repeated casting of Urza and activation of artifact mana sources allowed him to stay relevant despite board stax effects.
- 5
The interplay between Rhystic Study triggers and mana acceleration created complex decision points on whether to pay or let opponents draw cards, affecting tempo and resource management.
- 6
Baal’s protection of Seedborn Muse with Grand Abolisher indicated careful timing to avoid counterspells and stax interference.
- 7
Cameron’s use of Red Elemental Blast to remove Urza while managing Niv-Mizzet’s triggers demonstrated tight sequencing and prioritization to gain advantage.
Notable Cards
Hullbreacher
Serra Ascendant
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Jeweled Lotus
Rhystic Study
Static Orb
Dig Through Time
Mystical Tutor
Gilded Drake
Seedborn Muse
Grand Abolisher
Hushbringer
Pyretic Ritual
Arcane Signet
Everflowing Chalice
Summary
The game began with each player establishing their board presence and ramping towards their key combos and value engines. Baal on Kenrith set up a midrange strategy leveraging creatures like Serra Ascendant and Hullbreacher to build incremental advantage and disrupt opponents’ card draws. Cameron on Niv-Mizzet, Parun focused on card draw and damage through his commander and spells like Solve the Equation and Dig Through Time, aiming to outvalue opponents and control the board. Leite piloted a Krark & Sakashima deck, utilizing artifact mana acceleration like Mana Vault and Jeweled Lotus along with wheel effects and copy synergies to generate explosive turns. Sigi’s Urza deck played a stax-like control game with Static Orb and Rhystic Study, aiming to limit opponents’ resources while assembling key artifact combos.