Mirran Loathing In Las Vishgraz - Decked Out EDH Gameplay Breakdown

VeggieWagon • May 3, 2023

Deckbuilding

If there's one thing Commander players can agree on, it's this: Poison is a beautiful, balanced, and beloved mechanic. The only way to improve on it would be to have two poison players in the same pod, right? AirballMTG (the third creator of Decked Out) and L2 judge Vi sit down with MTGNerdGirl and VeggieWagon to decide once and for all who would win: Mirrans or Phyrexians. The latest episode of Decked Out is toxic, I'm slipping under.

Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa

The masks are off, and Airball is a super spreader. His control approach to poison relies on proliferate to finish the job without even worrying about icky combat. Karn's Bastion

and Contagion Engine
 allow Airball to hold up interaction until he can safely rack up the counters before he untaps. Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa
 steals extra spells every turn to compensate for the 1-for-1 removal. Will this long-term game plan work for a typically fast method to kill?

Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa (AirballMTG)

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Commander (1)

Planeswalkers (1)

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Neyali, Suns' Vanguard

The best way to beat an infection is to...hit it in the face? NerdGirl's Boros aggro takes advantage of poison creatures' poor stats, pumping out beefy, double-striking tokens that can end the game the old-fashioned way. Anthem effects like Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer[\el] and [el]Felidar Retreat

ensure that every attack can threaten lethal, and Boros Charm
 and Grand Crescendo
 make it very difficult to stop the freight train. Can NerdGirl fight through the poison to eliminate the Phyrexians before it overtakes her?

Neyali, Suns' Vanguard (MTGNerdGirl)

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Commander (1)

Planeswalkers (1)

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Vishgraz, the Doomhive

Toxic guys only want one thing, and it's disgusting: poison counters. Veggie is compleatly confident in his support for Phyrexia, big beats-style. His army of Infect and Toxic creatures is made more threatening by Ohran Frostfang

and Champion of Lambholt
. If Veggie's opponents somehow stop the effects of the Phyrexian oil, he can still one-shot them with a 21+ powered commander. Will the table fold to the inevitability of poison counters, or is Veggie's strategy too straightforward?

Vishgraz, the Doomhive (VeggieWagon)

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Commander (1)

Planeswalkers (1)

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Otharri, Suns' Glory

Vi can't resist playing the long game in support of the Mirrans. They have stocked up on board wipes and removal to keep the board clear for Otharri, but the true heart of the resistance lies in their sneaky answers to Infect and Toxic. Cards like Leeches

, Delaying Shield
, and Ward of Piety
 provide relief from poison counters. Can Vi outlast the worst of the infection and come out with a win when the dust settles?

Otharri, Suns' Glory (Vi)

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Commander (1)

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How It Went Down

Poison IV - The Early Game

Both Veggie and Airball drop Toxic creatures right away, leading with Venerated Rotpriest

and Pestilent Syphoner
. The Boros decks appear to stutter-start, allowing a few quick poison counters. Vi manages to remove both creatures, but Veggie recurs his Rotpriest with a Noxious Revival
. He also slams Glissa's Retriever
, and suddenly Vi and NerdGirl are halfway dead to poison.

"That's not a board wipe; this is." - The Mid Game

Just in the nick of time, Vi resets the board with Blasphemous Act

...almost. NerdGirl reacts with Grand Crescendo
 to save her creatures, only to have them destroyed the next turn by Airball's Culling Ritual
. A surviving Emeria Angel
 stabilizes NerdGirl's board, but Airball recovers quickly as well thanks to Moldervine Reclamation
. He decides it's time to act, casting Phyrexian Swarmlord
, but Vi strikes it down before Airball can untap. Vishgraz, the Doomhive
 makes it's first appearance, and Veggie's opponents realize it may kill them in a single swing. Additionally, Airball puts the table on a clock with Karn's Bastion
.

Dissention in the Ranks - The Late Game

Realizing that he too will lose to proliferated poison, Veggie turns on his Phyrexian counterpart and begins swinging his massive commander at Airball. A team effort forces Airball to tap out for a Beast Within

, and it is the opening Vi needs to swing for lethal. With Sunforger
 online, Vi takes a prime position to win. NerdGirl convinces Veggie to attack them, forcing Vi to cast a preemptive Intimidation Bolt
. Attacks would be prevented, but NerdGirl then destroys the target of the Bolt, fizzling the spell and leaving Vi wide open for the final poison counter. NerdGirl fears a kill spell from Veggie to stop her final attack on him, but he reveals a hand full of lands as he drops his life total to zero. NerdGirl wins!

By the Numbers

Poison counters: 27

Betrayals: 2

Dated references: 2

Pepsi sponsorships lost: 1

Watch the episode here or Veggie will get compleated.

VeggieWagon

VeggieWagon

VeggieWagon is the co-host of Decked Out, an EDH gameplay show focused on having fun with Commander (weird, I know). He spends the rest of his time writing silly songs and sketches about Magic: The Gathering, which allows him to eat on occasion.