Yisan vs Oona vs Animar vs Gitrog

Decklists

Deck & Commander Strategies

Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
A mono-green toolbox deck that tutors for creatures to adapt to and answer threats, using Yisan's verse ability to efficiently find and deploy powerful utility creatures for control and incremental advantage.
Oona, Queen of the Fae
A control combo deck that aims to generate infinite mana and mill opponents out, leveraging spells like Ad Nauseam to dig for combo pieces and counterspells to protect its game plan.
Animar, Soul of Elements
A combo-oriented creature deck that uses Animar’s cost reduction to deploy and combo off with creatures that generate value through flicker and interactions, often aiming for free Eldrazi or infinite combos.
The Gitrog Monster
A land-centric combo deck focusing on sacrificing lands for value triggers, graveyard recursion, and resource denial, aiming to win through overwhelming card advantage and damage from creatures like Gitrog and Ob Nixilis.

Gameplay Insights

1
Mike’s use of Pernicious Deed to clear the board was a key tempo shift that reset the battlefield and allowed Gitrog to establish dominance through land recursion.
2
Ryan’s repeated activations of Yisan, combined with Quirion Ranger to untap Yisan, enabled him to efficiently tutor multiple impactful creatures in one turn, greatly increasing his board presence and versatility.
3
Dylan’s casting of Ad Nauseam was a critical dig to find his combo pieces, although he carefully stopped to avoid losing life, demonstrating precise resource management.
4
Don’s use of Venser, Shaper Savant paired with Deadeye Navigator provided flicker protection and value, allowing Animar to maintain resilience against removal and disruption.
5
Mike’s repeated use of Ob Nixilis triggered by sacrificing lands and fetching with Verdant Catacombs repeatedly drained Don’s life, applying consistent pressure through synergistic land interactions.
6
The interplay of graveyard hate from Bojuka Bog and Scavenging Ooze showed the importance of graveyard control in this meta, disrupting key graveyard-focused strategies.

Notable Cards

Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Quirion Ranger
Temur Sabertooth
Karametra's Acolyte
Bane of Progress
Great Oak Guardian
Oona, Queen of the Fae
Ad Nauseam
Animar, Soul of Elements
Glen Elendra Archmage
Venser, Shaper Savant
Deadeye Navigator
The Gitrog Monster
Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
Pernicious Deed
Null Rod
Vampiric Tutor
Force of Will
Mana Crypt
Skullclamp

Gameplay Summary

The game began with players establishing their mana bases and early board presence, with Yisan setting up a toolbox strategy, Oona aiming for infinite mill and mana, Animar focusing on combo interactions driven by cost reduction, and Gitrog leveraging land synergies and graveyard recursion.

Early turns saw key plays like Mike's Null Rod and Pernicious Deed, which disrupted opponents' strategies and cleared the board, shifting the tempo.

Dylan's Oona piloted a classic control and combo approach, casting Ad Nauseam to dig for key combo pieces, while Don's Animar attempted to develop a threatening board with creatures like Glen Elendra Archmage and Venser paired with Deadeye Navigator for resilience and flicker value. A pivotal moment arose when Ryan's Yisan activated multiple times, using Quirion Ranger to untap and fetch a suite of utility creatures including Temur Sabertooth, Karametra's Acolyte, Bane of Progress, and Great Oak Guardian.

This board of versatile creatures allowed Ryan to answer threats and maintain pressure.

Meanwhile, Mike's Gitrog Monster repeatedly leveraged land sacrifices and graveyard recursion to trigger Ob Nixilis's devastating loyalty drain against Don.

The game featured intense interactions around graveyard management, counterspells, and creature utility, with each player vying to assemble their win conditions amid disruption.

The interplay between Yisan's toolbox versatility, Oona's combo potential, Animar's creature synergy, and Gitrog's land-based recursion defined the evolving board state and strategic decisions.

Watch on YouTube