Deck Strategies
K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
Utilizes life payment to generate black mana for casting spells, enabling fast reanimation and recursion lines, while applying aggressive pressure through commander damage and resilient threats.
Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder & Thrasios, Triton Hero
Focuses on value generation and interaction using Seedborn Muse to maximize untap phases, with a toolbox of control and combo pieces to grind out opponents.
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Tymna the Weaver & Thrasios, Triton Hero
Leverages card draw and interaction to grind value, using combat damage to draw cards and ramp, while setting up combos involving Auriok Salvagers and other artifact synergies.
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator & Vial Smasher the Fierce
Grixis exploitation deck that uses treasure generation and damage triggers to fuel combos, emphasizing disruption and efficient card selection to assemble game-winning lines.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Shatner’s use of Final Parting to attempt a lethal combo was expertly countered by Yukarin’s Mana Drain, shifting momentum and preserving his life total while gaining mana advantage.
- 2
Baal’s strategic resolution of Seedborn Muse created a significant tempo advantage by allowing multiple untap phases, forcing opponents to find answers quickly.
- 3
Vasher’s political negotiation to delay attacks in exchange for a peace treaty highlights the importance of diplomacy in multiplayer cEDH to buy time for combo setup.
- 4
The interaction and timing around casting Eldritch Evolution to sacrifice Seedborn Muse demonstrated a balance between removing a threat and progressing towards a win condition.
- 5
Players carefully managed their storm counts and interaction spells to avoid giving opponents openings for explosive combos, showing high-level risk assessment.
- 6
The repeated use of Thrasios activations for card selection and scrying underlines its critical role in optimizing draws and maintaining resource advantage throughout the game.
Notable Cards
K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
Seedborn Muse
Final Parting
Vile Entomber
Rest in Peace
Gilded Drake
Mana Drain
Lim-Dûl's Vault
Auriok Salvagers
Delay
Deflecting Swat
Jeweled Lotus
Tymna the Weaver
Thrasios, Triton Hero
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Vial Smasher the Fierce
Summary
The PlayMax Season 2 finals featured a highly competitive four-player game with decks piloted by Battle Shatner on K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth; Baal on a Bruse Tarl and Thrasios list; Vasher on Tymna and Thrasios; and Yukarin on Grixis Malcolm Exploitation. Early on, Shatner established a threatening board presence with K'rrik and leveraged his commander’s ability to pay life for mana, enabling him to cast powerful spells like Final Parting and Vile Entomber to gain card advantage and pressure opponents. Baal focused on assembling a Seedborn Muse lock to maintain continuous interaction and maximize value from his commanders, while Vasher and Yukarin developed their boards with disruption and combo potential, including Gilded Drake steals and treasure generation from Malcolm. Key turning points included Baal resolving Seedborn Muse, which allowed him to untap and maintain control over the game state, and Yukarin's strategic use of Mana Drain and Lim-Dûl's Vault to dig for critical combo pieces. Political negotiations also played a role, with Vasher leveraging a peace treaty to prevent attacks while setting up a Gilded Drake steal of Malcolm. The game featured multiple interaction spells such as Delay, Deflecting Swat, and Rest in Peace, which hindered reanimation and graveyard-based strategies. As the game progressed, the players carefully navigated around each other's threats, with Baal attempting to combo with Emiel, and Vasher preparing an explosive Auriok Salvagers play, setting the stage for a complex and dynamic late game.
