Generic Commader Episode 35- Tarkir Dragonstorm Kotis v Felothar v Sarkhan v Shiko

Deck Strategies

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  Shiko, Paragon of the Way

  A Jeskai-colored deck that exploits Shiko's ability to exile and copy three-drop creatures from the graveyard, generating tokens and drawing cards through casting spells that target creatures, with a focus on value and tempo.

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  Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant

  A dragon tribal deck that uses Sarkhan's behold mechanic to find and play dragons, creating treasure tokens and growing Sarkhan through dragon triggers, aiming to overwhelm opponents with powerful flying dragons.

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  Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan

  An Abzan reanimator and +1/+1 counters deck that emphasizes growing creatures quickly using Hardened Scales and other counter synergies, with a combo involving Walking Ballista and Heliod to close out games.

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  Kotis, the Fangkeeper

  A mutate-based deck that builds indestructible creatures by layering mutations, exiles and casts cards from opponents' libraries upon dealing combat damage, and uses cloning to create multiple resilient threats while maintaining board control with selected wipes.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Shiko's ability to exile and copy three-mana or less creatures from the graveyard creates a recurring value engine that synergizes well with cards that benefit from multiple creature entries and targeting.

• 2

  Sarkhan's use of the behold mechanic early to find key dragons and generate treasure tokens sets up a strong mana ramp and board presence for the dragon tribal strategy.

• 3

  Felothar leverages Hardened Scales to accelerate +1/+1 counters and combos, notably the Walking Ballista and Heliod interaction, which presents a potent and somewhat unexpected win condition that opponents must prepare for.

• 4

  Kotis's mutate strategy cleverly bypasses the legend rule by mutating on top of creatures, enabling multiple copies of indestructible threats and maximizing value from casting exiled cards.

• 5

  The inclusion of Ghostly Prison by Kotis's pilot indicates a defensive approach anticipating aggressive board states and helping to buy time for the mutate and clone strategy to develop.

• 6

  Early land choices and mana development across players reflect careful ramp and color fixing to enable timely casting of key spells and commanders.

Notable Cards

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  Shiko, Paragon of the Way

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  Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant

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  Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan

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  Kotis, the Fangkeeper

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  Hardened Scales

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  Ghostly Prison

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  Walking Ballista

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  Season of Growth

Summary

The game begins with each player developing their board state according to their commanders' unique mechanics. Shiko, Paragon of the Way, focuses on casting and copying valuable three-mana or less creatures from the graveyard, leveraging token creation and card draw synergy. Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant, builds up through his behold mechanic, creating treasure tokens and growing stronger as more dragons enter the battlefield, emphasizing a dragon tribal theme. Felothar, Dawn of the Abzan, plays a +1/+1 counter and reanimator strategy, utilizing synergy with Hardened Scales to rapidly grow creatures and assemble combos including Walking Ballista with Heliod. Kotis, the Fangkeeper, relies on mutating creatures to gain indestructibility and casting exiled spells for free, generating a resilient board presence and using cloning effects to multiply threats while running some board wipes for control.