SCARY F**KING TRIBAL DECKS | MTG Commanders | Lathril vs Hakbal vs Gishath vs Varina

Deck Strategies

• 

  Lathril, Blade of the Elves

  Generate a large number of elf tokens through combat damage and tap abilities, then leverage those elves to drain opponents' life while gaining life, using anthem effects and token synergies to overwhelm the board.

• 

  Varina, Lich Queen

  Build a zombie army by attacking with zombies to draw and discard cards, gaining incremental life and card advantage, while creating additional zombie tokens from the graveyard to outvalue opponents.

• 

  Hakbal of the Surging Soul

  Ramp lands and explore with Merfolk creatures to accelerate mana, generate card advantage, and create Merfolk tokens, enabling explosive plays and board presence through synergistic tribal mechanics.

• 

  Gishath, Sun's Avatar

  Utilize trample, vigilance, and haste to deal combat damage and reveal dinosaur creatures from the library, putting them directly onto the battlefield to flood the board with powerful dinosaurs quickly.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Lathril's combination of token creation and Elderfang Venom's deathtouch and life drain created a significant early board presence that pressured all opponents.

• 2

  Varina's attacks served dual purposes: generating zombies for board presence and cycling cards for card advantage and life gain, making her a resilient threat despite taking some damage.

• 3

  Hakbal's strategy of ramping land drops and leveraging exploring triggered strong synergy with Merfolk spells, enabling explosive plays and token generation.

• 4

  Gishath's ability to put dinosaurs directly onto the battlefield upon dealing combat damage provided a powerful way to quickly increase board presence, forcing opponents to react.

• 5

  Players had to weigh whether to cooperate temporarily to handle Lathril's overwhelming elf tokens or risk allowing her to snowball out of control.

• 6

  The use of anthem and untapping effects on elves allowed for rapid growth in power and toughness, making combat interactions more punishing and shifting tempo dramatically.

Notable Cards

• 

  Elderfang Venom

• 

  Midnight Reaper

• 

  Path of Ancestry

• 

  Breeding Pool

• 

  Rootbound Crag

Summary

The game featured four commanders with tribal themes, each focusing on unique synergies: Lathril, Blade of the Elves generating elves and punishing opponents through life loss; Varina, Lich Queen creating a zombie army and leveraging card draw and discard to gain life; Hakbal of the Surging Soul ramping lands and exploring with a Merfolk theme; and Gishath, Sun's Avatar, a dinosaur tribal deck that floods the board with powerful creatures. Early turns saw players developing their mana bases and setting up their strategies, with Lathril quickly establishing an elf token presence supported by an anthem enchantment that granted deathtouch to elves, increasing their threat level. Varina aimed to attack with zombies to draw and discard cards while gaining life, creating a resilient board state. Hakbal focused on ramping and exploring with Merfolk creatures, generating card advantage and mana acceleration. Gishath was poised to unleash a flood of dinosaurs from the top of the deck upon dealing combat damage. A key turning point was Lathril's rapid elf token generation combined with the Elderfang Venom enchantment, allowing life drain and incremental damage. This forced opponents to consider removal options early. Meanwhile, Varina's attacks produced zombies and card advantage but also made her a target for control. Hakbal and Gishath aimed to stabilize and grow their boards to contest the escalating elf swarm. The gameplay showcased intense tribal synergy exploitation, with players balancing aggression and defense as the elf tokens multiplied and life totals fluctuated. The game likely revolved around whether Lathril could maintain overwhelming board presence or if the other decks could counter and capitalize on their own tribal strengths to secure victory.