Commander Gameplay: Gabriel Luna v Nolan Gould v Sean Marquette v Blackneto TTJ MTG Ep 39

Deck Strategies

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  Starscream, Power Hungry // Starscream, Seeker Leader

  A secret children artifact-focused deck that ramps quickly with mana rocks and aims to deploy powerful threats early to dominate the board.

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  Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder

  A fast, aggressive deck that punches hard and often, aiming to win in one explosive turn through infinite combat steps enabled by cascade triggers, but with minimal interaction.

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  The Mimeoplasm

  A control and value deck that leverages milling and graveyard theft to steal and recast opponents' creatures, supplemented by multiple board wipes to maintain board control.

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  Zacama, Primal Calamity

  A ramp-focused dinosaur tribal deck that uses enrage triggers and powerful dinosaurs to control the board and apply constant pressure with large creatures.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The players agreed to a land search effect that accelerated all players' mana bases, significantly impacting the game's pace and enabling earlier deployment of threats.

• 2

  Yidris's deck sacrificed interaction for speed and damage output, relying on quick kills that pressured opponents to respond swiftly.

• 3

  Mimeoplasm's heavy use of board wipes and graveyard manipulation kept the board state reset, preventing any single player from gaining overwhelming advantage early on.

• 4

  Zacama's player leveraged enrage mechanics and dinosaur synergies to maintain steady pressure while ramping for big threats.

• 5

  Starscream's artifact ramp combined with mana rocks allowed for explosive early turns, posing a significant threat to opponents' life totals.

Notable Cards

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  Black Market

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  Mana Crypt

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  Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin

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  Ripjaw Raptor

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  Rejuvenating Springs

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  Forerunner of the Empire

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  Arcane Signet

Summary

The game began with all four players ramping mana aggressively and establishing their early board presence. Starscream's player utilized mana rocks and ramp spells to accelerate into a powerful board quickly. Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder's pilot focused on a fast, punchy game plan aiming for infinite combat steps to win in a single explosive turn. The Mimeoplasm player played a grindy, control-oriented strategy using multiple board wipes and milling to steal opponents' graveyard creatures and leverage value from their cards. Zacama, Primal Calamity's player aimed to capitalize on dinosaur synergies, using ramp and enrage triggers to maintain board control and apply pressure with large creatures. A key moment was when the players cooperated on a land search effect that ramped all players significantly, setting the stage for accelerated threats. The board developed with various threats and enchantments, including Black Market and Forerunner of the Empire, enabling resource generation and incremental damage. Despite attempts to disrupt, the game maintained a balance of aggression and interaction. The Yidris deck's low interaction was noted, making it vulnerable but capable of a quick kill if left unchecked. The Mimeoplasm deck's heavy board wipes and graveyard manipulation kept the board in check, while Zacama's dinosaur tribal resilience kept the pressure steady. The Starscream deck leveraged artifact synergies and mana acceleration to push threatening creatures early. The game was a tense balance of ramp, value plays, and strategic attacks, with players jockeying for position to deliver their win conditions around turns five to seven as per the house rules.