High Power Haymayker Commander Hijinks | Ep 194 | MTG Commander Gameplay thumbnail Blurred backdrop thumbnail
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High Power Haymayker Commander Hijinks | Ep 194 | MTG Commander Gameplay

Elder Dragon Hijinks


Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Decklists

Deck & Commander Strategies

  • The Ur-Dragon

    The Ur-Dragon

    A five-color dragon deck that avoids typical dragon aggro, focusing instead on a unique, slower build with dragons and other synergistic elements for a novel gameplay experience.

  • Aerith Gainsborough

    Aerith Gainsborough

    A lifelink-centric deck that gains incremental counters and life, aiming to build Aerith up into a large threat while generating tokens and leveraging life gain to dominate combat.

  • Dihada, Binder of Wills

    Dihada, Binder of Wills

    A graveyard-focused deck that uses Dihada's ability to fill the graveyard and generate treasure, enabling casting or reanimation of massive threats to control the board and crush opponents.

  • Kaalia of the Vast

    Kaalia of the Vast

    An aggressive angel tribal deck that cheats large angels into play when Kaalia attacks, supported by early disruption and Dragon Tempest to maximize damage output.

Gameplay Insights

  • 1

    Casting Dragon Tempest early on turn three significantly raised the threat level for Kaalia's deck by enabling immediate damage from attacking angels and dragons.

  • 2

    Removing Suture Priest with Lightning Helix was a strategic choice to curb Aerith's life gain and incremental advantage.

  • 3

    Using Roaming Throne to pump Aerith Gainsborough allowed her to grow quickly into a formidable attacker, showcasing synergy between equipment and commander.

  • 4

    Gao, Feral Youth's damage trigger at end step tied to graveyard activity added a steady source of pressure, integrating well with Dihada's graveyard strategy.

  • 5

    Players balanced aggressive creature deployment with life gain and treasure generation to escalate board presence and combat effectiveness.

Notable Cards

  • Dragon Tempest

    Dragon Tempest

  • Suture Priest

    Suture Priest

  • Lightning Helix

    Lightning Helix

  • Roaming Throne

    Roaming Throne

Gameplay Summary

The game began with players establishing their boards with ramp, life gain, and early threats.

Aerith Gainsborough's player focused on building a lifelink-based strategy with incremental counters and tokens, gaining life steadily.

Kaalia of the Vast quickly deployed threats and cast Dragon Tempest early, signaling a high-impact aggressive approach centered around angels.

Dihada, Binder of Wills utilized graveyard filling and treasure generation to cast or reanimate large threats like Aison and Valavoth, aiming to overwhelm opponents with powerful creatures.

Meanwhile, The Ur-Dragon player opted for a unique dragon deck that deviated from typical aggressive dragon strategies, focusing on a more novel and fun experience with a mix of dragons and other elements. Key moments included the casting of Dragon Tempest on turn three, ramping up the threat level for Kaalia's angel-centric deck.

The destruction of Suture Priest by a Lightning Helix was a notable removal to slow down Aerith's life gain engine.

Roaming Throne helped Aerith's commander grow significantly, increasing her threat potential.

The interaction between Gao, Feral Youth's end step damage and graveyard mechanics added to the pressure on opponents.

The game’s pace was driven by aggressive creatures, life gain synergies, and treasure generation, culminating in escalating board states with commanders growing larger and more dangerous each turn.

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