Lost Caverns of Ixalan Game - Clavileno, Ghalta, Ojer Taq, Xolatoyac - EDH / Commander Format

Deck Strategies

• Clavileno, First of the Blessed

  Vampire tribal focused on sacrificing creatures to grow vampires and gain life, using Aristocrats and anthem effects to overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant

  Ramp-heavy deck aiming to cast huge dinosaurs and creatures for free, applying pressure with big threats and generating treasures for mana advantage.

• 

  Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation

  Token generation and poison counters with fian mites, creating a swarm and leveraging token synergies to control the board and deal incremental damage.

• 

  Xolatoyac, the Smiling Flood

  Counter-based deck with untapping combos and land animation, focusing on generating board presence with creatures and enhancing them with +1/+1 counters.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Clavileno's player effectively used sacrifice outlets like Indulgent Aristocrat combined with Bloodghast recursion to maintain board presence and draw cards.

• 2

  Ghalta’s player leveraged ramp spells like Nature's Lore and Ramp and Growth to quickly assemble mana but had limited follow-up threats initially, making their early turns less threatening.

• 3

  Ojer Taq’s use of fian mites with toxic counters pressured opponents over time, while token generation from the commander and spells like Launch the Fleet created wide boards.

• 4

  Xolatoyac’s player maximized mana efficiency by untapping Devoted Druid and animating lands with Nissa, creating strong attackers with haste to keep opponents on the defensive.

• 5

  The attack phases often targeted the ramp-heavy Ghalta player to slow down their explosive mana development.

• 6

  Strategic blocking and removal, such as Swords to Plowshares on Oldknowlbone, were pivotal in mitigating early large threats and controlling tempo.

Notable Cards

• 

  Indulgent Aristocrat

• 

  Bloodghast

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  Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort

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  Devoted Druid

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  Nissa, Who Shakes the World

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  Launch the Fleet

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  Myriad Landscape

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  Village Rites

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  Sanctum Seeker

Summary

The game began with players setting up their ramp and early board presence, with significant focus on land drops and mana acceleration. The Clavileno player utilized vampire tribal synergies, sacrificing vampires to grow their board and life total, leveraging commanders and cards like Indulgent Aristocrat and Bloodghast to generate value. Ghalta’s player ramped heavily, aiming to cast large creatures for free, with Oldknowlbone providing treasure tokens and life gain, though early aggression was mitigated by removal. Ojer Taq built a token swarm with fian mites and used his commander to generate additional tokens, applying pressure with poison counters and incremental damage. Xolatoyac’s player focused on +1/+1 counters and untapping synergies, animating lands and creating board presence with creatures like Devoted Druid and Nissa, shaking the battlefield with haste and vigilance threats.