MTG Commander Gameplay | Mazirek v Jon Irenicus v Xyris v Samut | TTJ ep70

Deck Strategies

• 

  Samut, Vizier of Naktamun

  Aggressively deploys hasty creatures and uses combat tricks to maintain pressure, drawing cards through combat damage to fuel continuous attacks.

• 

  Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

  Sacrifices creatures and other permanents to grow his token army exponentially, using sacrifice synergies to overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Jon Irenicus, Shattered One

  Employs milling through permanents like Altar of Brood to deplete opponents' libraries while ramping mana and controlling the board.

• 

  Xyris, the Writhing Storm

  Generates large numbers of snake tokens and uses aggressive combat strategies, including double strike creatures, to steadily chip away at opponents' life totals.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Jon Irenicus' use of Altar of Brood created a slow but consistent mill effect that pressured all opponents simultaneously.

• 2

  Mazirek’s deployment of Cradle of the Death God significantly amplified his token production, turning sacrifice effects into a powerful board presence.

• 3

  Samut’s early play of a Grove of the Burnwillows to grant life to all players showed a group-hug approach that temporarily balanced the board state before ramping aggression.

• 4

  Jon’s casting of Circle of Dreams Druid alongside Cradle of the Death God enabled efficient mana generation to sustain his milling and control tactics.

• 5

  Xyris leveraged double strike creatures and token production to maintain offensive momentum and capitalize on combat phases.

• 6

  The decision by players to tax each other's spells with Ristic Study altered the pace of spellcasting, forcing opponents to consider resource management carefully.

Notable Cards

• 

  Circle of Dreams Druid

• 

  Fires of Yavimaya

• 

  Piper of the Swarm

• 

  Exotic Orchard

Summary

The game began with all four players establishing their mana bases and early board presence. Samut started with a group-hug style play, boosting life totals for all players, while Mazirek focused on sacrificing permanents to generate large token swarms. Jon Irenicus utilized mill-themed cards like Altar of Brood to slowly mill opponents and gain incremental advantages, while Xyris aimed to generate numerous snake tokens and apply constant pressure. Early turns saw incremental milling from Jon, while Mazirek and Xyris built board presence with tokens and rat creatures, respectively. Samut leveraged haste and combat tricks to maintain offensive pressure. A pivotal moment occurred when Mazirek dropped Cradle of the Death God to significantly boost his token army. Jon Irenicus played Circle of Dreams Druid to enhance his mana ramp and sustain his milling engine. Meanwhile, Xyris began threatening the table with multiple attacks aided by double strike creatures and snake tokens. Samut contributed by deploying creatures with haste and drawing cards to maintain momentum. The game saw a steady escalation of board states with Mazirek's sacrifice synergies and Jon's mill strategies clashing with aggressive token swarms from Xyris and fast creatures from Samut. The interactions between milling, token generation, and combat damage shaped the evolving battlefield dynamics.