Deck & Commander Strategies
Kaalia of the Vast
A mid-range deck aiming to cheat large demons and angels onto the battlefield to quickly assemble combo pieces and win through overwhelming board presence or combo finishers.
Thrasios, Triton Hero and Vial Smasher the Fierce
A control-combo deck that uses incremental advantage, disruption, and efficient mana acceleration to set up powerful win combos, often involving spells like Brain Freeze and Thassa’s Oracle.
Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh and Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
A midrange-cheat deck that leverages Reality Scramble to repeatedly cheat large threats from the command zone onto the battlefield, creating potent board states and forcing opponents to respond quickly.
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools and Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
A card advantage focused midrange deck that uses its commanders to draw cards and generate mana before executing a combo finish, such as Oracle Breach and Brain Freeze.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Using Reality Scramble to cheat high-impact creatures like Void Winnower and Sire of Insanity was a game-changing move that created huge board presence and disrupted opponents’ hands.
- 2
The combination of Brain Freeze milling and Thassa’s Oracle with Demonic Consultation allowed for a surprise instant win by decking out the library and triggering Oracle's win condition.
- 3
Bolas's Citadel enabled casting spells from the top of the library, facilitating explosive turns where multiple spells were cast in succession to build a winning board state.
- 4
Alex’s effective use of disruption spells like Force of Will and Veil of Summer protected key plays and ensured his combo could resolve without interference.
- 5
Corey’s use of Reanimate on Razaketh demonstrated the power of recursion to regain board presence and maintain pressure despite heavy disruption and board wipes.
Notable Cards
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Bolas's Citadel
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Underworld Breach
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Reality Scramble
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Void Winnower
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Sire of Insanity
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Dockside Extortionist
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Thassa's Oracle
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Demonic Consultation
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Brain Freeze
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Rhystic Study
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Mana Vault
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Force of Will
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Esper Sentinel
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Lion's Eye Diamond
Gameplay Summary
The game began with players establishing their mana bases and early control elements, with key plays such as casting Remora and deploying aggressive mana rocks to ramp quickly.
Everett on Kaalia set up a powerful combo with Bolas's Citadel and Underworld Breach, sacrificing and casting multiple spells from the top of his library, demonstrating a potent midrange combo approach.
Alex on Thrasios and Vial Smasher controlled the board with disruption and card advantage before executing a dramatic win by milling his entire deck with Brain Freeze, then casting Thassa's Oracle and Demonic Consultation to exile his library, winning on the spot. In a subsequent game, Alex again started strong with efficient ramp and disruption, while Tyler piloted Rograkh and Tevesh to a board state featuring Reality Scramble to cheat massive threats like Void Winnower and Sire of Insanity into play.
Tyler’s Reality Scramble plays were pivotal, repeatedly flipping high-impact creatures that pressured opponents and reset hands, shifting momentum in his favor.
Corey leveraged Birgi and reanimation spells to bring back key threats such as Razaketh, aiming to gain advantage and pressure.
The game showcased intense interactive plays focused on cheat-into-play threats, powerful combos, and disruption, with a dynamic board state that required careful resource management from all players.