HE'S ORCING, HE'S AMASSING, HE'S SWINGING - GirlPod, NotGrenton, LoveandEDH!

Deck Strategies

• 

  Sauron, the Dark Lord

  Leverages Nas Ghouls and the Ring mechanic to apply pressure through incremental damage, card draw, and forced sacrifices, while using influence counters to mill opponents and control the board.

• 

  Magda, the Hoardmaster

  Focuses on generating large amounts of treasure tokens quickly to fuel casting of powerful dragons and overwhelming the table with a treasure swarm.

• 

  Rafiq of the Many

  Aggressively attacks with creatures, using Rafiq’s double strike and exalted triggers to maximize combat damage and improve player comfort and effectiveness in combat.

• 

  Chulane, Teller of Tales

  Deploys creatures efficiently to draw cards and bounce permanents, maintaining board presence and card advantage through creature-based synergy.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The presence of Null Rod significantly disrupted artifact-heavy decks, forcing Magda and others to delay or rethink their typical treasure and mana ramp strategies.

• 2

  Sauron’s end step ability to place influence counters and force opponents to choose between letting him draw cards or milling themselves added a steady source of pressure.

• 3

  Rafiq’s player embraced aggressive combat to improve their gameplay, highlighting the commander’s strength in combat-centric strategies.

• 4

  Chulane’s early deployment of creatures to trigger card draw and maintain tempo was crucial to staying competitive against artifact disruption.

• 5

  Players showed awareness of key threats by prioritizing removal of Null Rod to unlock their artifact synergies, demonstrating adaptive strategic planning.

Notable Cards

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  Sauron, the Dark Lord

• 

  Null Rod

• 

  Sol Ring

• 

  Magda, the Hoardmaster

• 

  Rafiq of the Many

• 

  Chulane, Teller of Tales

• 

  Arcane Signet

• 

  Esper Sentinel

Summary

The game began with players setting up their mana bases and early plays, including ramp and artifact plays. NotGrenton on Sauron, the Dark Lord, quickly established a board presence with Nas Ghouls and utilized Sauron's influence counters and scry ability to pressure opponents through milling and damage. Magda, the Hoardmaster focused on generating treasures and preparing for a dragon swarm, while Rafiq of the Many aimed for aggressive combat damage and improving combat skills. Chulane, Teller of Tales concentrated on deploying creatures quickly to leverage card draw and board development. A key turning point came with the interaction of Null Rod on the battlefield, which severely hindered artifact-based strategies such as Magda's treasure generation and the use of mana artifacts like Sol Ring. This forced players to adapt their strategies, slowing down potential explosive starts and shifting focus to creature combat and board control. Sauron’s incremental damage through milling and combat damage proved impactful, while Rafiq’s player sought to capitalize on combat prowess. The game unfolded with tactical plays around artifact disruption, combat damage, and incremental value generation, setting the stage for a dynamic mid-game where players jockeyed for advantage through board control and resource denial.