Nath, Hapatra, Kaalia, Animar - #cEDH Gameplay Ep 25

Deck Strategies

• 

  Nath of the Gilt-Leaf

  A discard and stax-oriented deck aiming to disrupt opponents' hands while generating value through discard triggers, using Nath to create tokens and pressure the table.

• 

  Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

  A combo-centric deck that leverages -1/-1 counters and snake tokens to control the board and generate infinite combos with sacrifice outlets and payoff creatures.

• 

  Kaalia of the Vast

  A stax deck that uses disruption and lockdown effects to slow opponents while setting up Kaalia to cheat powerful angels, demons, or dragons into play for a quick finish.

• 

  Animar, Soul of Elements

  A combo deck that uses creature ramp, card draw, and Neoform recursion to quickly assemble infinite or near-infinite combos, often hindered by stax pieces on the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Luis's use of Ad Nauseam to dig for combo pieces was a pivotal moment, signaling a strong combo turn despite not immediately winning.

• 2

  The interaction between Hapatra’s snake tokens and sacrifice outlets like Razaketh and Yawgmoth enabled powerful incremental advantage and combo potential.

• 3

  Pessoa’s deployment of Torpor Orb and Deafening Silence effectively hampered Baal’s Animar deck, forcing alternative lines of play.

• 4

  The removal of key stax pieces such as Torpor Orb and Scroll Rack via Force of Vigor and Deflecting Swat was crucial for Luis to maintain his combo lines.

• 5

  Sequeira’s Nath deck synergized with Luis’s combos by creating additional tokens from discards, effectively participating in the combo engine rather than just opposing it.

• 6

  Luis’s combination of mana acceleration (Gaea’s Cradle, LED) and discard outlets allowed him to sustain life and board presence while setting up complex combos.

Notable Cards

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  Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

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  Ad Nauseam

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  Razaketh, the Foulblooded

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  Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

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  Blood Artist

• 

  Torpor Orb

• 

  Scroll Rack

• 

  Deafening Silence

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  Neoform

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  Sylvan Library

• 

  Bag of Holding

Summary

The game started with Luis establishing a strong early board presence by playing Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons on turn one, quickly generating value through -1/-1 counters and snake tokens. Pessoa deployed a disruptive staxy Kaalia list with cards like Torpor Orb and Deafening Silence to slow down combo and creature-based strategies, notably targeting Baal's Animar deck. Baal struggled with these lock pieces but managed to develop his board with Animar and card draw engines like Sylvan Library and Neoform. Sequeira (Nath player) focused on discard disruption and incremental value, while also applying pressure through Nath's discard triggers. A key turning point was Luis's Ad Nauseam turn, which although did not lead to an immediate win, allowed him to dig deeply for combos while maintaining life to execute future plays. Luis further leveraged his combo potential by using Pattern of Rebirth and Razaketh, the Foulblooded to tutor powerful creatures like Yawgmoth and Blood Artist, synergizing with Hapatra's tokens and discard effects to control the board and generate incremental advantage. The interaction between Nath's discard triggers and Luis's sacrifice/draw engine formed the backbone of a potent combo line, allowing Luis to chain discard and sacrifice effects to overwhelm opponents. Meanwhile, Pessoa's stax pieces attempted to disrupt these lines, but Luis's timely removal of key permanents and card advantage engines shifted the momentum in his favor. The game unfolded as a battle between Luis's combo engine and the various stax and control elements from the other players, with Luis maintaining pressure through recursive value and incremental combo steps.