Decked Out Has Got No Sol - EDH Gameplay Breakdown
Sol Ring: the soul of the format. It is perhaps the most powerful card in Commander and certainly the most played. On the newest episode of Decked Out, the casual-focused show bans Sol Ring for a game to see what happens. Decked Out team members AirballMTG and MTGNerdGirl are joined by Joe Cherries and Senior Game Designer at Wizards Melissa DeTora. When asked about the Sol Ring ban, Melissa confidently stated [redacted].
Ban Abilities!
Joe has already cut Sol Ring from many of their decks, so this challenge had a nice ring to it... or it didn't? Joe's deck aims to boost Agatha's power and use effects like Bhaal's Invoker or Waker of the Wilds as many times as possible to blast and overrun their opponents. Magus of the Candelabra and Diviner's Wand give some unique off-angles for the deck as well. Will Joe make Agatha's ability ban-worthy, or will Agatha's cauldron just leave a coffee ring?
Ban Doctor Who!
Melissa is about to flip out. Her Missy deck brings back any creatures that die, but they only return as face-down Cyberman creatures. Thanks to the interaction with Cybermen, morph, and manifest, she has many ways to turn those creatures face-up and repeat the process. Ixidor, Reality Sculptor and Ugin's Mastery find fun new homes in this deck, and Ruthless Ripper can even go infinite with a free sacrifice outlet. Can Melissa turn the game on its head, or are her opponents too much to face down?
Ban Democracy!
Airball votes blue! And green! With Círdan in the command zone, he's hoping to lose his seat: if a player receives no votes, they play a permanent for free. A voter-subsidized It That Betrays or One with the Multiverse sounds ideal, and Psychosis Crawler can punish opponents who try to re-elect him. If all else fails, Airball can commit voter fraud with Illusion of Choice. Will Airball be voted Most Likely to Succeed or Class Clown?
Ban NerdGirl!
In a pod full of odd strategies and weird interactions, NerdGirl is in her happy place as the token Orzhov player playing Orzhov tokens. Her deck takes advantage of cards like Illustrious Wanderglyph and Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff that make tokens on each player's turn. Toss in some staples like Mondrak, Glory Dominus and Moonshaker Cavalry, and NerdGirl is ready to win via good old-fashioned Magic: The Gathering. Can she value and drain out her opposition, or is her deck a little too sol-less?
How It All Went Down
Magus of the Tithe - The Early Game
The first few turns are fair Magic. Joe sets up with Drillworks Mole and Agatha of the Vile Cauldron while the other players ramp responsibly. With a Magus of the Candelabra, Joe presents a scary engine of big mana and buffs. That is, until NerdGirl takes over as big bad with a fair and balanced Smothering Tithe. Airball tries to keep up with a Crystal Shard, threatening to set the other players back if they tap out.
The Bigger Problem - The Mid Game
NerdGirl's influx of Treasures helps her cast Mondrak, Glory Dominus and Charismatic Conqueror, forcing the table to pay their taxes and tap their creatures unless they want to give her a bunch of tokens. Melissa flips a Silumgar Assassin, and, after some deliberating, decides to destroy Joe's Magus. Airball casts his commander, Círdan the Shipwright, serving each player the dilemma of how to vote, considering NerdGirl's Smothering Tithe. When the votes shake out, Melissa gets to drop a free permanent, but the best she can manage is Goblin Bombardment.
It's Missy Time - The End Game
A clutch Languish from Melissa dismantles both NerdGirl and Joe's engines, and she then drops a seemingly innocuous Dragon's Eye Savants and passes. Joe quickly warns the table that a combo is incoming: if Missy hits the board on Melissa's next turn, she can sacrifice the Savants to Goblin Bombardment, it returns face-down as a Cyberman, and then she can reveal a blue card to flip it face-up and repeat until everyone's life is 0. Airball finds no answers and develops his board. Joe finds no answers and develops their board. NerdGirl is able to dig through multiple cards, including the ideal roll for a Treasure Chest, but she is still not able to find a solution. Melissa untaps, casts Missy, reveals a blue card in hand, and wins!
By the Numbers
Votes cast: 4
Treasures generated in one rotation: 9
Weird morph-Cyberman-sacrifices: ∞
Watch the full episode here so Veggie is allowed back on the show.
