Deck Strategies
Judith, Carnage Connoisseur
A midrange deck focused on creating tokens, gaining life through life-link, and leveraging combat damage to trigger damage effects and potentially win with Aetherflux Reservoir.
Voja, Jaws of the Conclave
A shapeshifter tribal deck combining elves and wolves to generate card advantage and board presence, aiming to overwhelm opponents with multiple creatures and synergy.
Etrata, Deadly Fugitive
A blue-black deck that manifests and plays opponents' cards from the top of the library, utilizing stealthy plays and graveyard interactions to disrupt and control the game.
Anzrag, the Quake-Mole
A green ramp and big creature deck that emphasizes smashy combat with large creatures and multiple combat phases to quickly apply pressure and win through combat damage.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
The game featured a strong early focus on ramping mana to accelerate into powerful plays and commanders, particularly from the green decks.
- 2
Manifesting opponents' cards from the top of the library allowed Etrata’s player to generate value and create unpredictable board states.
- 3
Judith’s deck avoided heavy board wipes common in Rakdos decks, opting instead for a resilient midrange approach with life gain and token production.
- 4
Combat was a key battleground with multiple decks looking to leverage synergies from creatures and combat damage triggers rather than relying on mass removal.
Notable Cards
Aetherflux Reservoir
Arcane Signet
Talisman of Impulse
Furycalm Snarl
Manifest
Dolmen Gate
Summary
The game began with players ramping aggressively to establish early board presence, particularly with the green decks focusing on mana acceleration. Voja, Jaws of the Conclave aimed to leverage both elves and wolves, assembling a shapeshifter-heavy board while drawing plenty of cards. Anzrag, the Quake-Mole focused on big creature combat and multiple combat steps to overwhelm opponents. Judith, Carnage Connoisseur took a midrange approach, creating tokens and gaining life through life-link synergies and positioning to snipe key targets with Aetherflux Reservoir. Etrata, Deadly Fugitive brought a unique twist by manifesting and playing opponents' cards, adding a sneaky element to the game plan. Early turns were marked by the players setting up mana bases and casting key ramp spells like Arcane Signet and Talisman of Impulse, with John’s Etrata deck manifesting cards and using its graveyard interactions to generate value. Christian’s Judith deck focused on board presence and life gain, while Emma’s Voja deck ramped quickly and aimed to dominate combat with shapeshifters. A key turning point was when ramp and card draw began to create board states that forced players to consider removal and combat carefully, but no full board wipes occurred, keeping the tension high. The game’s progression highlighted the contrasting strategies of midrange aggression, big green stompy creatures, tricky card theft, and token synergy fighting for control and eventual victory.