Deck & Commander Strategies
Gladiolus Amicitia
Landfall-focused deck that uses land drops to buff creatures with trample and push through damage, aiming for a quick, powerful one-turn kill by repeatedly triggering landfall synergies.
Sigil Captain
Aggro deck that boosts all 1/1 creatures to 3/3s, leveraging cheap creatures with counters and evasion like flying lifelink to overwhelm opponents.
Cunning Nightbonder
Flash and instant-speed spells deck that reduces the cost of flash spells and prevents counterspells, focusing on maximizing tempo and disruption with reactive plays.
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
Aggressive commander that deals damage to all opponents equal to combat damage dealt by Rograkh, supported by equipment and pump spells to swing large amounts of damage quickly.
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar
Landfall and token generation deck that punishes opponents with incremental damage through landfall triggers and token buffs, while gaining life and creating blockers to stabilize.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Rograkh’s controller maximized combat damage by layering multiple auras and pump spells, turning Rograkh into a 6/1 with menace to apply lethal pressure in one big swing.
- 2
Ketis’ landfall triggered incremental damage to all opponents, synergizing well with token creatures and life gain triggers from Jotty Offshoot, creating a war of attrition.
- 3
Sigil Captain’s ability to convert 1/1 creatures into 3/3 threats forced opponents to prioritize removal early or risk being overwhelmed by flying lifelink attackers.
- 4
Cunning Nightbonder’s flash discount on spells enabled reactive gameplay, allowing key instants to be cast at unexpected times to disrupt opponent’s tempo and protect threats.
- 5
Use of multiple damage pings combined with life gain and token defense helped stabilize the board and mitigate aggressive swings from opponents.
Notable Cards
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Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh
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Sigil Captain
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Cunning Nightbonder
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Blades of Velis Vel
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Haunted Cloak
Gameplay Summary
The game started with each player unveiling unique Pauper Commander decks, each built around distinctive mechanics and synergies.
Early turns focused on ramping mana and setting up board presence, with players deploying key creatures like Ketis, Rograkh, and Sigil Captain to start applying pressure.
Ketis’ landfall abilities and Rograkh's ability to deal damage to all opponents upon commander damage quickly shaped the board state.
The Sigil Captain deck looked to enhance one-ones into sizable threats, while the Cunning Nightbonder deck aimed to leverage instant-speed spells and flash creatures for disruption and tempo. A pivotal moment occurred when Rograkh’s controller equipped multiple auras and combat buffs, swinging with a 6/1 menace, forcing players to respond defensively.
Meanwhile, the landfall synergy from Ketis and token generation from spells began to chip away at opponents' life totals.
Strategic use of damage pings from Saboteur and Jotty Offshoot’s life gain created a steady attrition effect.
Despite some players running low on card advantage, the game maintained tension through incremental damage and board control.
The clash of aggressive combat and tactical instant-speed plays defined the mid-game, setting up for a potential finish through combat damage or incremental burn from landfall triggers and ping effects.
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