Zendikar Rising Commander Decks: Playtest and Review!

Deck Strategies

• 

  Anowon, the Ruin Thief

  Leverages milling opponents' decks to fuel card draw and value, combined with reanimation and token generation to maintain board presence and pressure. Uses disruption and incremental damage to control the pace of the game.

• 

  Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor

  Focuses on landfall triggers to build a strong board presence with counters and tokens. Utilizes cloning and cipher mechanics to generate multiple threats and maintain card advantage while applying pressure through combat damage and milling.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Adam’s use of Stolen Identity with Invisible Stalker and Cipher was a key combo, allowing multiple unblockable attacks that triggered milling and card draw repeatedly.

• 2

  The landfall synergy from Obuun provided consistent growth on creatures and token production, creating a resilient and threatening board state.

• 3

  Anowon’s milling strategy effectively fueled card draw and reanimation but struggled against the aggressive token swarm and multiple combat damage triggers.

• 4

  A well-timed board wipe with Ingorux Awakening turned the tide in favor of Anowon, clearing Adam’s board and enabling a lethal air assault.

• 5

  The use of Retreat to Emeria for generating tokens each turn proved powerful for maintaining board presence and synergizing with Obuun’s counters.

• 6

  Sacrificing tokens to deal incremental damage while drawing cards through Anowon’s ability showcased a balanced approach between offense and resource generation.

Notable Cards

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  Anowon, the Ruin Thief

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  Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor

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  Invisible Stalker

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  Stolen Identity

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  Retreat to Emeria

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  Sigarda, Host of Herons

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  Extract from Darkness

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  Meren of Clan Nel Toth

• 

  Keeper of Fables

Summary

The gameplay showcased two new Zendikar Rising Commander decks led by Anowon, the Ruin Thief, and Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor. The first game featured a back-and-forth battle where Adam's Obuun deck aggressively utilized landfall triggers and token creation, supported by powerful creatures like Invisible Stalker and Meren of Clan Nel Toth. Adam leveraged stolen identity and cipher mechanics to create multiple copies of key creatures like Omnath, which synergized with Anowon's milling and card draw, pushing significant damage through milling and combat. Despite some strong plays by the Anowon deck, including milling and reanimation strategies, Adam's consistent pressure and token army overwhelmed, forcing a concession after heavy combat damage and multiple landfall triggers stacked up. In the second game, the Anowon deck shifted to a more controlling and value-oriented approach, utilizing cards like Sigarda, Host of Herons, Marsh Flitter, and Extract from Darkness to mill and draw cards while generating goblin tokens for defense and incremental damage. Adam's deck continued to ramp and generate tokens, with key plays like Retreat to Emeria and Keeper of Fables fueling card advantage and landfall synergies. A pivotal moment occurred when the Anowon player cast Ingorux Awakening, wiping out Adam's board and swinging for lethal damage. Adam attempted to stabilize with token generators and large creatures but was ultimately defeated by the Anowon deck’s board wipe and subsequent air assault. The third game began with a slower opening, featuring early creatures and ramp, setting the stage for another strategic battle focused on landfall and milling synergies.