EDH/Commander Gameplay #7 - Jenson Carthalion vs Sliver Legion vs Balmor, Battlemage Captain

Deck Strategies

• 

  Jenson Carthalion, Druid Exile

  Cast a high number of multicolored spells to generate value through scribing and token creation, using powerful creatures and angel tokens to control the battlefield and apply pressure.

• 

  Sliver Legion

  Deploy as many Slivers as possible to boost each other’s power and toughness, leveraging Sliver Legion’s anthem effect to overwhelm opponents with a wide swarm of synergistic creatures.

• 

  Balmor, Battlemage Captain

  Utilize incident and sorcery spells to trigger Balmor’s ability, granting creatures +1/+0 and trample, while generating extra combat phases to overwhelm opponents with aggressive flying wizards and burn damage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Casting multicolored spells in Jenson’s deck triggers scribing and angel token creation, providing both board presence and incremental advantage.

• 2

  Balmor’s ability to buff creatures and grant trample after casting incidents and sorceries enabled aggressive swings and incremental damage to multiple opponents.

• 3

  Mana Cannons posed a recurring threat by dealing damage to all players based on the number of colors in spells cast, influencing players’ spell choices and tempo.

• 4

  Sliver Legion’s impact was initially limited due to a lack of untapped lands and Sliver synergy on the board, highlighting the importance of mana base setup in tribal decks.

• 5

  Players leveraged removal and damage spells strategically to manage threats, with timing of burn and combat tricks being crucial to maintaining board control.

Notable Cards

• 

  Fusion Elemental

• 

  Mana Cannons

• 

  Talisman of Creativity

• 

  Thrill of Possibility

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  Balmor, Battlemage Captain

• 

  Sliver Legion

Summary

The game featured three distinct decks competing for control and victory. Jack piloted Sliver Legion, focusing on playing as many Slivers as possible to maximize their synergy and overwhelm opponents with a wide board of creatures. Matt played Jenson Carthalion, Druid Exile, leveraging a multicolor strategy with a heavy emphasis on casting multicolored spells to generate value, including creating powerful angel tokens. Alex piloted a newly built Balmor, Battlemage Captain deck, aiming to capitalize on extra combat phases and incident/sorcery triggers to buff his creatures and deal incremental damage through burn spells and combat tricks. Early turns saw the players setting up mana bases and deploying key pieces: Slivers began populating the battlefield but initially lacked synergy due to tapped lands; Jenson started generating value with multicolor spells, creating flying angels and utilizing creatures with death touch and other abilities. Balmor cast various instants and sorceries to boost creatures and deal damage to opponents, including some discard and draw effects for card advantage. A pivotal moment came when Jenson cast a large multicolor creature, Fusion Elemental, triggering damage and token generation. However, a threat from mana cannons dealing damage per multicolor spell cast pressured all players, shaping cautious play. Later in the game, Alex's Balmor deck aggressively used its ability to create tokens and deal damage with burn spells, pressuring both opponents. Jack struggled to find impactful Slivers but remained a threat with his legion commander. Strategic removal and damage spells were exchanged, with players balancing aggression and defense. The game was defined by interactions around multicolor spell casting, incremental burn damage, and board presence from tokens and Slivers, leading to a tense battle of attrition and value generation.