This Commander Should (Probably) Be Banned

Deck Strategies

• 

  The Beamtown Bullies

  Aggressively harass opponents by recurring creatures and graveyard threats, utilizing cards like Spectacular Showdown and Dictate of the Twin Gods to push damage and disrupt opponents.

• 

  Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor

  Build and manipulate a curse engine to weaken opponents and generate value by sacking and redistributing curses, leveraging synergies for incremental advantage.

• 

  Ms. Bumbleflower

  Play a group hug style deck that encourages card draw and cooperation, aiming to survive by gaining favor and then leveraging large payoffs from accumulated resources.

• 

  Captain America, First Avenger

  Equip Captain America with powerful artifacts each turn to steadily increase combat damage output, aiming to chip away at opponents with large, well-equipped strikes.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Sam’s Beamtown Bullies utilized a 4/4 vigilance, haste creature with graveyard recursion to maintain constant pressure on opponents, forcing them to respond quickly.

• 2

  Jake’s curse manipulation engine with Lynde allowed for creative disruption by sacking and moving curses, creating a flexible and resilient strategy.

• 3

  Dane’s group hug deck with Ms. Bumbleflower effectively used card draw triggers to keep options open while avoiding early aggression, fostering a more political game state.

• 4

  Hamish’s Captain America capitalized on equipping large and varied artifacts, ensuring consistent damage output and board presence each turn.

• 5

  The interaction between graveyard recursion and enchantment triggers created a dynamic game flow where players had to carefully manage resources and timing of plays.

• 6

  Simic Ascendancy’s presence hinted at a potential alternate win condition that could shift the game’s momentum if left unchecked.

Notable Cards

• 

  Spectacular Showdown

• 

  Dictate of the Twin Gods

• 

  Master of Cruelties

• 

  Simic Ascendancy

• 

  Despotic Scepter

• 

  Grim Guardian

• 

  Lightning Greaves

• 

  Unmarked Grave

• 

  Inverter of Truth

• 

  Cultivate

Summary

The game began with a relatively slow and cautious early phase, as players developed their mana bases and deployed initial threats. Sam's Beamtown Bullies deck quickly established a threatening board presence with a 4/4 haste vigilance creature capable of recurring graveyard threats, starting to pressure opponents aggressively. Jake's Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor focused on building a curse engine, aiming to manipulate curses for incremental advantage and disruption. Dane’s Ms. Bumbleflower played a group hug style, providing card draw and support to others in hopes of avoiding aggression and gaining value through cooperation. Hamish’s Captain America deck geared up by equipping powerful artifacts onto the commander, preparing to swing with heavily buffed attacks to chip away at opponents’ life totals each turn. Key turning points included the deployment of powerful enchantments and creatures that synergized with curses and graveyard interactions, particularly from Lynde and the Beamtown Bullies. The presence of cards like Simic Ascendancy hinted at alternate win conditions, while the Beamtown Bullies' ability to recur threats from the graveyard created constant pressure. The game dynamic revolved around balancing aggression, resource management, and the interplay of curses and equipment. The Beamtown Bullies deck’s relentless harassment and recurring threats ultimately defined the game's tempo, making it a central force to be reckoned with throughout the match.