Tarkir: Dragonstorm! Early Commander Gameplay | Teval v Betor v Elsha v Eshki | WPCS 150

Deck Strategies

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  Elsha, Threefold Master

  Voltron and token synergy deck that generates monk tokens with prowess through combat damage, enhancing them with equipment and anthem effects to create a large army for a wide and powerful attack.

• 

  Betor, Kin to All

  Abzan toughness-focused deck that accumulates large total creature toughness to trigger powerful effects like drawing cards, untapping all creatures, and dealing massive damage to opponents at end-step.

• 

  Teval, Arbiter of Virtue

  Graveyard-centric deck that uses delve to cast spells for less mana, focusing on loading the graveyard and casting high-impact spells quickly, accepting life loss as a tradeoff to gain tempo.

• 

  Eshki, Temur's Roar

  Temur creature deck that places counters on Eshki when casting creatures, drawing cards and dealing damage to opponents when casting large creatures, leveraging big creatures to control the board and pressure opponents.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Elsha's ability to create monk tokens with prowess each time she deals combat damage sets up a scalable board presence that can be dramatically enhanced with anthem effects and equipment.

• 2

  Betor's strategy revolves around accumulating massive total toughness to unlock powerful end-step triggers that can swing the game by drawing cards, untapping creatures, or inflicting severe life loss to opponents.

• 3

  Teval's delve mechanic allows for casting expensive spells at a reduced cost by utilizing the graveyard, accelerating game progression while managing life loss as a resource.

• 4

  Eshki benefits from casting large creatures to both draw cards and damage opponents, making each big creature spell a potential game-changer.

• 5

  Early plays like ramp creatures and lands that generate mana or provide utility (e.g., Fanatic of Ronus, Perilous Landscape) help accelerate each player's game plan.

• 6

  The interaction between graveyard exile (Bjukabog) and graveyard-dependent strategies adds a layer of disruption and resource management to the game.

• 7

  Players are mindful about resource timing, such as saving key spells for optimal moments (e.g., holding a bank for a finale), indicating strategic depth in spell sequencing.

Notable Cards

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  Elsha, Threefold Master

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  Betor, Kin to All

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  Teval, Arbiter of Virtue

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  Eshki, Temur's Roar

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  Drake Hatcher

• 

  Perilous Landscape

Summary

The game begins with each player establishing their board presence and mana base, showcasing their commanders' unique abilities and strategies. Elsha, Threefold Master builds around a Voltron plan by generating monk tokens with prowess and aiming to boost them into a large army, leveraging combat damage triggers. Betor, Kin to All focuses on accumulating high total toughness among creatures to enable powerful end-step effects such as card draw, untapping creatures, and massive life loss to opponents, scaling towards a devastating board state. Teval, Arbiter of Virtue emphasizes graveyard interaction and spells with delve to cast powerful spells cheaply, aiming to overwhelm opponents quickly despite life loss from casting. Eshki, Temur's Roar uses a counter and damage theme tied to casting creatures, with an emphasis on casting big creatures to draw cards and deal damage to all opponents.