Diamond Commander League | S1:E11 | Dakkon, K'rrik, Hope, Nezahal | MTG EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Dakkon Blackblade

  Ramp aggressively, control the board with sweepers and disruption, then use Dakkon’s growing power to finish off opponents.

• 

  K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth

  Exploit extort and life payment mechanics to cast numerous black spells cheaply, draining opponents' life while generating value and board presence.

• 

  Hope of Ghirapur

  Build a voltron strategy by equipping Hope with powerful artifacts and supporting it with Eldrazi creatures to deal commander damage quickly.

• 

  Nezahal, Primal Tide

  Ramp mana rocks to cast Nezahal early, use its bounce and card draw abilities to maintain card advantage and control the game tempo.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Ben’s use of Infernal Darkness to make all mana-producing lands produce black mana enabled multiple spells to be cast by paying life instead of mana, fueling his extort-driven bleed strategy.

• 2

  Casting Curse of Disturbance combined with extort created a continuous stream of zombie tokens when attacking, increasing board presence and incremental damage.

• 3

  Dakkon Blackblade’s player leveraged multiple board wipes to reset the game state while ramping up lands and preparing Dakkon to dominate late-game combat.

• 4

  Nezahal’s ability to bounce creatures and draw cards kept Carlos ahead on resources, but was limited by opponents’ interaction and enchantments like Anguished Unmaking and Stony Silence.

• 5

  Hope of Ghirapur’s sacrifice ability temporarily restricted opponents from casting non-creature spells, providing a defensive buffer while Dylan developed his board.

Notable Cards

• 

  Devastation Tide

• 

  Curse of Disturbance

• 

  Liliana of the Dark Realms

• 

  Plague Myr

• 

  Sire of Stagnation

• 

  Mystic Forge

• 

  Sapphire Medallion

• 

  Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin

• 

  Portcullis

Summary

The game featured four players piloting distinctly different strategies, leading to a dynamic and interactive Commander match. Early on, Dave, playing Dakkon Blackblade, focused on ramping and controlling the board with sweepers while setting up his powerful commander to finish off weakened opponents. Ben's K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth deck aggressively drained life through extort triggers and black mana synergies, using life payments to fuel spells and gain incremental advantage. Dylan's Hope of Ghirapur was a voltron-style build supported by Eldrazi creatures and equipment, aiming to quickly boost his commander and attack for lethal commander damage. Carlos, on Nezahal, Primal Tide, ramped heavily and leveraged his commander for card advantage while controlling the pace of the game with bounce effects and counterspells. Key turning points included several board wipes like Devastation Tide that reset the battlefield and slowed aggressive strategies. K'rrik's resilience to such wipes and its ability to extort and pay life instead of mana for spells allowed Ben to maintain pressure. The use of enchantments like Curse of Disturbance created additional threats through token generation, further taxing opponents. Meanwhile, Dakkon Blackblade’s control elements and ramp allowed for a late-game presence that threatened to take over once the board was stabilized. Nezahal's card draw and bounce effects kept Carlos ahead on resources, but the interactions among the players’ decks prevented any single player from dominating early, leading to a tense mid-game standoff.