Gavin Verhey Made Me A Commander Deck! | Shuffle Up & Play #20 | Magic: The Gathering EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

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  Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

  Control and disruption in Grixis colors, utilizing partner Sengir, the Dark Baron for aggressive vampire tribal synergy and removal.

• 

  Sengir, the Dark Baron

  Aggressive vampire tribal synergy combined with Ludevic’s control elements to pressure opponents and maintain board presence.

• 

  Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

  Aggressive tribal deck featuring an all-Secret Lair card pool, focusing on efficient creatures and synergy to overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Vela the Night-Clad

  Token generation and sacrifice to trigger incremental life loss to all opponents, leveraging bounce spells and card draw for attrition.

• 

  Meria, Scholar of Antiquity

  Artifact-based ramp and card draw in GRL colors, enabling explosive mana acceleration and combos with cheap artifacts.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Vela the Night-Clad’s ability to drain life from all opponents whenever creatures left the battlefield created continuous pressure and forced opponents to respond promptly.

• 2

  Meria’s deck leveraged cheap artifact ramp and card draw to accelerate mana production, enabling explosive turns and combo potential.

• 3

  The synergy between Ludevic and Sengir combined control and aggressive tribal vampire strategies, effectively balancing board control with offense.

• 4

  The Secret Lair-only card pool in Alesha’s deck offered a unique constraint that led to creative tribal and aggressive plays.

• 5

  Token generation and bounce spells were pivotal in maintaining Vela’s incremental life drain while replenishing board presence.

Notable Cards

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  Sengir, the Dark Baron

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  Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

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  Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

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  Vela the Night-Clad

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  Meria, Scholar of Antiquity

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  Ornithopter

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  Fain, the Broker

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  Mari, the Killing Quill

Summary

The game featured five players each piloting decks built by a friend, creating a unique draft of strategies and playstyles. Early on, the game showcased the synergy of Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist paired with Sengir, the Dark Baron, highlighting Grixis control elements with a focus on leveraging both commanders' abilities. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death's deck was notable for its all-Secret Lair card pool, emphasizing tribal and aggressive interactions. Meria, Scholar of Antiquity's artifact-centric deck demonstrated explosive mana acceleration and card draw, enabling rapid deployment of threats and combos. Vela the Night-Clad's deck capitalized on making and repeatedly sacrificing tokens to drain opponents' life, creating incremental advantages through attrition and card advantage. Key turning points included the utilization of Vela's ability to drain life whenever creatures left the battlefield, which pressured multiple opponents simultaneously. The artifact ramp and card draw from Meria's deck enabled significant tempo swings, while Sengir's deck used disruption and removal to control the board. The Secret Lair-themed Alesha deck contributed aggressive pressure and synergy with tribal elements. The game pivoted around resource management, token generation, and careful sequencing of spells to maximize each commander’s unique strengths. Ultimately, the game revolved around balancing board presence with efficient removal and exploiting incremental life loss to close out opponents.