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

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Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist card Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist videos from Tolarian Community College 
EDH.Wiki 
Sengir, the Dark Baron

Sengir, the Dark Baron

Sengir, the Dark Baron card Sengir, the Dark Baron videos from Tolarian Community College 
EDH.Wiki 
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death card Alesha, Who Smiles at Death videos from Tolarian Community College 
EDH.Wiki 
Vela the Night-Clad

Vela the Night-Clad

Vela the Night-Clad card Vela the Night-Clad videos from Tolarian Community College 
EDH.Wiki 
Meria, Scholar of Antiquity

Meria, Scholar of Antiquity

Meria, Scholar of Antiquity card Meria, Scholar of Antiquity videos from Tolarian Community College 
EDH.Wiki 

Personalities featured in this Gameplay

Brian Kibler

Gavin Verhey

Olivia Gobert-Hicks

The Professor

Decklists

Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist + Sengir, the Dark Baron Deck on Archidekt

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death Deck on Archidekt

Vela the Night-Clad Deck on Archidekt

Meria, Scholar of Antiquity Deck on Archidekt

Deck & Commander Strategies

  • Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

    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

    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

    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

    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

    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

  • Sengir, the Dark Baron

    Sengir, the Dark Baron

  • Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

    Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist

  • Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

    Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

  • Vela the Night-Clad

    Vela the Night-Clad

  • Meria, Scholar of Antiquity

    Meria, Scholar of Antiquity

  • Ornithopter

    Ornithopter

  • Fain, the Broker

    Fain, the Broker

  • Mari, the Killing Quill

    Mari, the Killing Quill

Gameplay 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.

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