Deck Strategies
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
The deck aims to generate value through tapping and untapping shenanigans and outlasting opponents in a long game, finishing them off with unblockable creatures.
Zacama, Primal Calamity
The goal of the deck is to ramp quickly and use Zacama's abilities to control the board by removing threats while gaining life.
Elenda, the Dusk Rose
This deck seeks to benefit from creatures dying, putting counters on Elenda, and creating a swarm of vampires for a massive attack.
Azor, the Lawbringer
The deck aims to draw cards, control the board by removing small creatures, and dominate by attacking with Azor from the air.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Mel's play of Propaganda early in the game introduced a political element that could significantly affect the course of the game, especially for Craig who likes to attack with multiple creatures.
- 2
Josh's early play of Vedalken Orrery allowed him to keep mana open and play reactively, potentially disrupting opponents' plans.
- 3
Jimmy's use of Herald's Horn and Sensei's Divining Top in conjunction allowed him to manipulate his draws and maximize the value he got from his merfolk tribal deck.
- 4
Craig's use of Guy's Cradle in conjunction with Thornscape Familiar allowed him to potentially play his commander, Zacama, Primal Calamity, much earlier than expected, putting a significant threat on the board.
Notable Cards

Propaganda

Vedalken Orrery

Herald's Horn
Summary
This intense game saw four players, each with unique strategies revolving around their chosen commanders from the Rivals of Ixalan set. Early in the game, most players focused on setting up their boards with mana ramp and card draw engines, trying to get ahead in resources. The game heated up quickly with Craig's Zacama, Primal Calamity deck threatening to come online quite early due to his aggressive ramping strategy. Mel, piloting an Azor, the Lawbringer deck, introduced a political aspect to the game by playing Propaganda, which aimed to discourage aggressive attacks. Meanwhile, Jimmy, commanding Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca, set up his own card draw engine and started to control the flow of the game, while Josh, with Elenda, the Dusk Rose, seemed to be biding his time, setting up for a big turn with his commander.
Description
This video is sponsored by Wizards of the Coast! Support the show by using our Card Kingdom affiliate link for your next Magic purchase: www.cardkingdom.com/commandzone
SHOW NOTES:
Craig “Mr. Infect” Blanchette makes his long-awaited return to the show, alongside former Magic: the Gathering creative team member Mel Li, to battle it out with the new multicolored legends from Rivals of Ixalan! It’s an epic throwdown between Kumena, Elenda, Azor and Zacama.
Who will emerge victorious? ONLY ONE MAY STAND!!
(Links to the deck lists are included below)
Huge thanks to UltraPro (www.ultrapro.com - @UltraProIntl) for sponsoring this episode and providing awesome prizes for our giveaways!
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Where to find our guests online:
Mel Li:
@smelissali
Craig Blanchette
@CraigBlanchette
Credits:
Terry Robertson & Dom Rollandeli - Additional Editing
Lauren Haroutunian - Director of Photography
Geoffrey Palmer - Special Graphics and FX
Danny Batterman - Script Supervisor and L2 Judge
Bonnie Bacevich - Set Design
DECK LISTS:
Jimmy’s Kumena:
www.archidekt.com/decks/4663867/jimmys_kumena_game_knights_14
Craig’s Zacama:
www.archidekt.com/decks/4663742/craigs_zacama_primal_calamity_game_knights_14
JLK’s Elenda
www.archidekt.com/decks/4663740/jlks_elenda_game_knights_14
Mel’s Azor:
www.archidekt.com/decks/4663739/mels_azor_game_knights_14
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