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Boomer Commander w/ Josh Lee Kwai, Spice8Rack and Sam! Shuffle Up & Play 78 Magic Gathering Gameplay

Tolarian Community College

Commanders featured in this video Reviewed & Verified

Personalities featured in this video

Decklists

Deck Strategies

  • Old Rutstein

    Old Rutstein

    A slow, grindy deck that plays into themes of aging and being stuck in a rut, likely focusing on control elements, incremental advantage, and leveraging board states that punish opponents over time.

  • Omnath, Locus of Mana

    Omnath, Locus of Mana

    A ramp-focused deck that uses Omnath’s ability to store and capitalize on large amounts of green mana, aiming to play big spells or overwhelming threats by accumulating mana and exploiting landfall synergies.

  • Shattergang Brothers

    Shattergang Brothers

    A value and sacrifice midrange deck that uses the Brothers' ability to sacrifice creatures and artifacts for incremental advantage, controlling the board while generating resources and punishing opponents through attrition.

  • Skeleton Ship

    Skeleton Ship

    A deck built around older Legends cards and synergy, possibly emphasizing resilience, incremental damage through deathtouch or unblockable creatures, and leveraging nostalgia with synergistic interactions among classic cards.

Gameplay Insights

  • 1

    Josh prioritized keeping a hand with one of only two mana rocks in his deck, highlighting the importance of mana acceleration in his build.

  • 2

    Spice8Rack’s practice of floating mana before playing Omnath indicated careful resource management to maximize the commander’s potential.

  • 3

    Sam’s Shattergang Brothers deck introduced a prize card and a soul-signing tradition, adding a unique social and competitive dynamic to the gameplay.

  • 4

    The early land plays and thematic choices (such as Okina Temple and older-looking Islands) underscored the nostalgic boomer theme, influencing both deck construction and in-game decisions.

  • 5

    Players were mindful of incremental advantages and board development, focusing on setting up their strategies before engaging in larger conflicts.

Notable Cards

  • Old Rutstein

    Old Rutstein

  • Omnath, Locus of Mana

    Omnath, Locus of Mana

  • Shattergang Brothers

    Shattergang Brothers

  • Skeleton Ship

    Skeleton Ship

  • Canyon Slough

    Canyon Slough

  • Sol Ring

    Sol Ring

Summary

The game of Commander started with each player unveiling their boomer-themed decks, adding a nostalgic and thematic twist to the gameplay. Josh Lee Kwai piloted Old Rutstein, a deck designed around the concept of being both old and stuck in a rut, hinting at a strategy focused on grindy, perhaps control-oriented plays. Spice8Rack chose Omnath, Locus of Mana, likely leveraging Omnath's ability to generate and utilize large amounts of green mana, possibly to ramp into big threats or spells. Sam played Shattergang Brothers, a classic Jund commander known for its sacrifice and value-driven abilities, suggesting a midrange or value-oriented approach. The professor took on Skeleton Ship, a legendary creature from older sets, indicating a deck that might emphasize older, perhaps underappreciated cards with synergy and resilience. Early turns featured players setting up their mana bases with thematic lands and spells, such as Okina Temple and Canyon Slough, while teasing potential strategies tied to their commanders. The game involved tactical decisions about resource management, such as floating mana with Omnath and searching for key artifacts like Sol Ring, which would accelerate game plans. Although the video transcript cuts off before late-game developments, the presence of a prize card and a tradition of soul signatures added stakes and flavor to the match, encouraging competitive but friendly gameplay. The game likely progressed through incremental board development, value trades, and strategic sacrifices, especially from Shattergang Brothers, culminating in a dynamic multiplayer Commander experience centered on old-school Magic nostalgia and clever deck-building themes.

Description

We’re playing Commander for Boomers with Magic: The Gathering’s oldest (by age) content creator: Josh Lee Kwai (The Command Zone / Game Knights)! Spice8Rack and Rhystic studies join Prof for some old school Commander fun!

▶Are you looking to Shuffle Up & Play games of Magic: The Gathering over webcam? The “Looking For Game” section of our Patron Discord is 100% free and open to everyone: discord.gg/tolariancommunitycollege

#magicthegathering #mtgcommander #commander

►Check out my guests’ channels! The Command Zone: www.youtube.com/@commandcast

Rhystic Studies: www.youtube.com/@RhysticStudies

Spice8Rack: www.youtube.com/@Spice8Rack

►Decklists

Prof’s Deck: archidekt.com/decks/13152200/boomer_commander_skeleton_ship

Sam’s Deck: archidekt.com/decks/13152224/kaboomsday

SPice’s Deck: archidekt.com/decks/13152240/modern_border_omnath

Josh’s Deck: archidekt.com/decks/13152301

►Credits Lead Editor | Director: Kevyn Wallace Editor: Theo Nguyen Assistant Editor: Brian Sirk Music / SFX: Def Cat @defcatofficial Intro VFX: Kyle Sullivan, Kevyn Wallace

►Special Thanks Josh-TheProxyGuy Andre Garcia Jebari Dean

►This episode is brought to you thanks to our wonderful Patreon community. Join to support the show, or just Shuffle Up & Play with other awesome people on our Patron Discord by going to www.Patreon.com/TolarianCommunityCollege

►This show is made in part due to Card Kingdom. You can help us out by visiting our affiliate link at www.CardKingdom.com/TCC