UNHOLY HAND COMMANDER EPISODE 1

Deck Strategies

• 

  Thalia and The Gitrog Monster

  Ramp aggressively with lands and artifacts to trigger landfall, generate tokens, and apply pressure through combat damage and +1/+1 counters.

• 

  Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor

  Curse opponents to drain life over time while surviving and controlling the board to pick off weakened players.

• 

  Chatterfang, Squirrel General

  Create a large token army of squirrels, amplified by enchantments that produce tokens each upkeep to overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Liesa, Shroud of Dusk

  Tax opponents' resources and drain their life to slow down the game while maintaining control through taxing spells and creatures.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using Shadrix Silvercoil created a political dilemma, encouraging negotiation and temporary alliances to avoid mutual harm.

• 2

  The Gitrog Monster player effectively used land-fetching spells combined with life gain to maintain card advantage and board pressure.

• 3

  Chatterfang’s token generation combined with Wolfcaller's Howl created exponential growth in board presence, forcing opponents to respond quickly.

• 4

  Liesa’s taxing and draining abilities effectively slowed opponents, making resource management critical for all players.

• 5

  Discarding curse cards and managing hand resources was a consistent challenge, influencing players' strategic choices.

Notable Cards

• 

  Wolfcaller's Howl

• 

  Mind Stone

• 

  Tainted Remedy

• 

  Conduit of Worlds

• 

  Assassin's Trophy

Summary

The game began with players establishing their board states and ramping mana. The Gitrog Monster deck focused on landfall triggers, ramping aggressively with artifacts like Mind Stone and Soul Ring, aiming to generate tokens and overwhelm opponents through combat damage. Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor set up a curse strategy, chipping away at opponents' life totals while maintaining board presence. Chatterfang, Squirrel General generated wide token swarms, leveraging enchantments like Wolfcaller’s Howl to produce multiple creatures each upkeep. Liesa, Shroud of Dusk played a taxing control role, draining opponents' resources and life with persistent effects and taxing enchantments. Key turning points included the casting of Shadrix Silvercoil, which created political tension as it forced opponents to choose between life loss and card draw or token creation and creature buffs. The Gitrog Monster player made strong use of land-fetching spells and life gain synergy, accelerating their board development. The squirrel token army steadily grew, applying pressure and threatening to overwhelm slower opponents. The taxing and draining effects from Liesa slowed down opponents' tempo, forcing difficult decisions about resource management. The game unfolded as a dynamic battle of attrition, with players balancing life totals and board presence while jockeying for control and advantage, setting the stage for a decisive combat finish or combo win condition from the aggressive token and landfall strategies.