Gonti vs Zedruu vs Neheb vs Rakdos EDH / CMDR game play for Magic: The Gathering

Deck Strategies

• 

  Gonti, Lord of Luxury

  Focuses on disruption by stealing opponents' cards, controlling the game through enchantments and tutors, and leveraging card advantage to maintain control.

• 

  Rakdos, Lord of Riots

  Aggressive burn and combat damage deck that aims to cast big creatures cheaply by dealing damage to opponents and using direct damage spells to clear the path.

• 

  Zedruu the Greathearted

  Utilizes enchantments and political effects to hamper opponents while benefiting from giving away permanents; aims to stabilize through tokens and utility creatures.

• 

  Neheb, the Eternal

  Leverages red mana generation and recurring creatures to deal continuous damage and pressure opponents, often using damage redirection and recursion synergies.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Kevin's use of tutors early on to set up key enchantments like Ghostly Prison and Propaganda helped slow down aggressive decks and buy time.

• 2

  Max's casting of Flame Rift combined with Satyr Fire Dancer created a powerful damage burst that pressured multiple opponents simultaneously.

• 3

  The strategic use of exile triggers, such as from Helm of Obedience and Gonti's ability, allowed for targeted removal and resource denial.

• 4

  Mark's inability to cast large creatures early hampered his ability to leverage Zedruu’s political advantages, forcing him to seek recursion options.

• 5

  The deployment of board wipes like Supreme Verdict shifted momentum and forced players to rebuild, showcasing the importance of timely mass removal in multiplayer.

• 6

  Neheb’s use of damage redirection to protect key creatures and maximize damage output was a subtle but effective tactic in the mid-game.

Notable Cards

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  Supreme Verdict

• 

  Ghostly Prison

• 

  Propaganda

• 

  Blood Moon

• 

  Erebos, God of the Dead

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  Flame Rift

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  Helm of Obedience

• 

  Solitary Confinement

Summary

The game began with all players establishing their mana bases and early board presence. Max's Rakdos deck applied early pressure with aggressive creatures and burn spells, while Kevin's Gonti deck focused on disruption and control through tutors and enchantments like Ghostly Prison and Propaganda. Mark's Zedruu deck aimed to leverage enchantments and political advantage, slowly building board presence with tokens and utility creatures. Meanwhile, the narrator's Neheb deck relied on casting and recurring impactful creatures like Carne Liberated and Erebos to maintain pressure. A key turning point came when Kevin cast Supreme Verdict to clear the board, resetting the battlefield and slowing aggressive starts. Max continued to develop his board with spells like Satyr Fire Dancer and Flame Rift, creating a wide damage output. The narrator capitalized on this by casting Gonti and stealing valuable cards from opponents, generating advantage and controlling the flow of the game. Mark struggled to maintain momentum due to limited creature threats and eventually resorted to casting Rise from the Dark Realms to regain some board presence. The game featured multiple strategic plays involving exile effects, damage redirection, and political maneuvering, culminating in a tense atmosphere where each player tried to outlast the others through resource management and timely removals.