Secret Santa | Commander VS | Magic: the Gathering Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Zedruu the Greathearted

  The deck is designed to give 'gifts' to opponents, using Zedruu's ability to gain life and draw cards for each permanent owned by the player but controlled by an opponent.

• 

  Urza, Chief Artificer

  The deck primarily focuses on creating constructs and artifact ramping. It leverages Urza's ability to utilize artifacts for mana generation and construct creation.

• 

  Hofri Ghostforge

  The deck is built around creating tokens and copies of other players' cards, using Hofri's ability to resurrect creatures as Spirit tokens.

• 

  Maelstrom Wanderer

  The deck is built to maximize the cascade ability of the Maelstrom Wanderer, aiming to cast high-cost spells for free.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The Humble Defector played by Zedruu's controller was a unique strategy that allowed for increased card draw and player interaction.

• 2

  The Urza player's early game construct generation was a notable element that set the pace for the game.

• 3

  Hofri's deck strategy of playing with other players' cards made for interesting gameplay and unpredictable turns.

• 4

  The balance between giving 'gifts' and gaining advantage through Zedruu's abilities was a strategic decision that impacted the game flow.

Notable Cards

• 

  Humble Defector

• 

  Decanter of Endless Water

• 

  Dispatch

• 

  Vault of Whispers

• 

  Mystic Monastery

Summary

In this unique Secret Santa edition of Commander VS, each player gifted a deck to another player. The commanders of the decks were Zedruu the Greathearted, Urza, Chief Artificer, Hofri Ghostforge, and Maelstrom Wanderer. The game started with all players ramping up their mana base and drawing cards, with Zedruu's player using Humble Defector to give cards to others. Urza's player started generating constructs early in the game, with Zedruu's player also distributing 'gifts' to opponents. Hofri's player managed to generate tokens and copies of other players' cards. The Maelstrom Wanderer player, however, struggled with the ramp strategy and had difficulty getting momentum. The game saw several back-and-forth exchanges and ended with a dramatic finale, although the transcript does not provide the ultimate winner or the specific win condition.