LAWD of the Rings - Decked Out EDH Gameplay Breakdown
One of the best ways to challenge your deckbuilding skills and make for an easy Rule Zero discussion is to set a budget limit for the decks. The Decked Out team of AirballMTG, MTGNerdGirl, and VeggieWagon are joined by expert Commander-er Joe Cherries for the latest gameplay episode to battle it out with these restrictions: Commanders from The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth and a $100 budget.
Monarch Melee - Aragorn, King of Gondor
Joe Cherries is here to fight for the crown! Their deck prioritizes keeping the monarch status for card advantage and to buff Aragorn's ability, preventing any opponents from blocking at all. Cards like Spectacular Showdown and Champions of Minas Tirith make it tough for opponents to steal the monarchy, and even if they do, Joe can just play a Court of Grace or blink Aragorn with Nahiri's Resolve. The addition of the initiative just makes sense since they will already be protected from attacks. Can Joe keep their subjects in line, or will the government be overthrown?
Orc Typhoon - Saruman, the White Hand
Even though he hasn't seen Lord of the Rings, Airball knows he likes a Shark Typhoon effect in the command zone. His budget build controls the board with removal and counterspells while building a massive Orc army. Archmage Emeritus and Kess, Dissident Mage ensure that Airball always has a spell to cast. The deck even plays on the interaction between amass Orcs and the original amass from War of the Spark, playing Dreadhorde Invasion and Widespread Brutality. Will Airball live the dream of a lethal Chandra's Ignition, or does he not realize that Saruman gets defeated in the end?
Pew PEW - Legolas, Master Archer
Veggie has stepped out of his blue-tinted comfort zone with a mono-green Voltron list. He aims to keep problematic creatures off the board using Legolas's abilities in combination with Ram Through, Windswift Slice, and similar effects while building a deadly big commander. An abundance of protection spells, like Tamiyo's Safekeeping, make it difficult for anyone to deal with Legolas, and a simple Rogue's Passage could spell instant death for an unlucky opponent. Can Veggie shoot down his opponents one by one, or will his Elf eyes not see what's coming?
Comfort Food - Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit and Sam, Loyal Attendant
NerdGirl's budget building approach is simple: find a precon that is already solid and jam one of her favorite pricey cards into it. The Food and Fellowship shell gets a big upgrade with Resplendent Angel, tying in perfectly with the deck's grindy life gain strategy. Other NerdGirl favorites, Griffin Aerie and Indulging Patrician, add more ways to whittle away at her opponents while sitting safely behind a pile of food and blockers. Will Resplendent Angel carry NerdGirl to victory, or will she have to duke it out with the base precon?
How It All Went Down
Ramp Gang - The Early Game
With solid ramp from each player, the game gets a surprisingly fast start. Legolas, Aragorn, and Frodo hit the battlefield within the first few turns, putting pressure on Airball to form a plan. In a shields-down moment, Veggie flashes in Mithril Coat to put the shields up on Legolas. He now presents a serious threat to a table that needs to find exile removal. Joe plays Aerial Extortionist, a soft answer to Veggie's setup, and sends Legolas back to the command zone. Each player has some useful pieces on the board, but no one looks more ahead than another.
Critical Mass - The Mid Game
NerdGirl fuels her engine with Rapacious Guest, increasing her Food count each combat and building a late game threat. Veggie recasts Legolas, reequips with Mithril Coat, and holds a hand full of spells to interact. Joe sets up what they call the "super monarchy," holding both monarch and initiative at the same time with Tomb of Horrors Adventurer. However, Airball simply draws and digs with Dig Through Time, taking constant incidental combat damage each round. He finally drops Widespread Brutality to clear the way for his commander, Saruman, the White Hand.
The Grand Payoff - The End Game
NerdGirl finds her big budget card Resplendent Angel and completes her engine, pumping out Angels, gaining life, and draining the table. To combat that, Veggie lands Greatbow Doyen, allowing him to deal massive player damage when his 21-power Legolas hits creatures. With an indestructible cannon aimed at everyone's faces, Veggie looks to quickly lock the game up. Out of no where, Airball amasses a 58-power Orc Army and casts what would be a lethal Chandra's Ignition. In response, Veggie fights one of Airball's creatures with Legolas, which would take him out of the game before it could resolve, but Airball taps his final two mana to Counterspell the fight spell. With 58 to everyone's face, Airball wins!
By the Numbers
Armies amassed - 65
Monarchies toppled - 10
Food eaten - 9 (including lunch)
Wig hairs that got in Veggie's mouth - 3
Watch the full episode here so Veggie can never have to play mono-green again.
