Sauron, the Dark Lord vs Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest vs Blind Seer vs Breena, the Demagogue

Deck Strategies

• 

  Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest

  Aggressive flying damage dealer that exiles cards from the top of the library on attacks to fuel additional damage and card advantage. Focuses on maintaining offensive pressure and protecting key creatures with equipment and instant-speed interaction.

• 

  Breena, the Demagogue

  Token and counter synergy deck that grows creatures and draws cards when multiple creatures attack. Uses political and combat tricks to control the board and maintain card flow.

• 

  Sauron, the Dark Lord

  Midrange control and token generation with abilities that punish opponents for casting spells. Leverages token armies and direct damage to establish board dominance and pressure opponents.

• 

  Blind Seer

  Control and card advantage focused deck using counterspells, card draw, and disruption to manage threats. Utilizes spells like wash out and tactical removal to keep the board clear and build resources.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Maintaining the monarchy was a critical element, providing card draw and damage triggers that influenced attack and defense decisions.

• 2

  Arj's use of Scheming Symmetry to tutor cards alongside Max was an effective way to improve consistency and ensure access to key spells.

• 3

  Matt's sacrifice of Burnished Heart to find basics and enable mana fixing showcased efficient resource management to cast Sauron early.

• 4

  Max's protection of Dragonhawk with Lightning Greaves and Tibilous Trickery allowed him to keep a key threat on board despite removal attempts.

• 5

  Jon's timing of wash out to bounce black permanents disrupted Matt's board significantly, though Matt phased out Sauron to protect him.

• 6

  The use of Overload Cyclonic Rift by Matt to clear Arj's board forced Arj into a difficult position, even at the cost of his commander.

• 7

  Arj's transformation of Sheldrid into True Scriptures was a powerful board wipe that reset the battlefield and temporarily halted opponents' momentum.

• 8

  Political deals, such as Jon convincing Matt to take damage from Atari Wizard to draw a card, highlighted the importance of negotiation in multiplayer Commander.

Notable Cards

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  Gutterbones

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  Priest of Fell Rites

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  Esper Sentinel

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  Goldspan Dragon

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  Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest

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  Cyclonic Rift

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  Disciple of Bolas

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  Lightning Greaves

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  Wash Out

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  Gadwick, the Wizened

Summary

The game opened with early plays establishing board presence and mana acceleration from all players. Arj leveraged Breena, the Demagogue's ability to grow multiple attacking creatures and draw cards, combining it with Ember Wild Captain's Monarch ability to maintain card advantage. Matt utilized Sauron, the Dark Lord to build a threatening board state, including token generation and damage output. Max's Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest deck focused on aggressive flying threats with exile and damage triggers to control the board and maintain pressure, while Jon, piloting Blind Seer, relied on card draw and control elements like wash out and tactical removal to maintain a flexible game plan. Key turning points included Matt's dark ritual enabling the early deployment of Sauron, and Max's timely use of Lightning Greaves and a Tibilous Trickery to protect Dragonhawk and maintain offensive momentum. Arj's use of Sheldrid's transformation into True Scriptures wiped out key creatures, temporarily swinging the tempo. Matcha's overload Cyclonic Rift disrupted Arj's board but at the cost of his commander, shifting the battlefield dynamics. The game featured multiple exchanges of the monarchy, which added layers of card advantage and damage distribution, influencing attack priorities and political interactions. The win condition revolved around assembling strong board states with incremental damage and card draw advantages, with each player attempting to outpace the others through synergistic combat triggers and control spells.