Deck Strategies
Old Gnawbone
A green ramp and value deck that aims to build a strong board presence with creatures and enchantments, progressively increasing power and card advantage to win through combat damage or incremental value.
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
A fast combo ramp deck that leverages Selvala's untap and mana generation abilities combined with equipment like Sword of the Paruns and infinite untap combos to generate massive mana quickly, enabling large spells and game-ending combos such as Tooth and Nail for Craterhoof Behemoth.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Selvala's player exploited infinite untap combos with Sword of the Paruns to generate enormous amounts of mana, enabling a turn 2-3 win.
- 2
Using Tooth and Nail with entwine to put Craterhoof Behemoth and Thea Tempest Roar directly onto the battlefield was a game-winning move that overwhelmed Old Gnawbone's slower strategy.
- 3
Old Gnawbone's ramp and value approach was too slow to compete against Selvala's explosive combo potential in a 1v1 format.
- 4
The synergy between untap effects, mana equipment, and card draw in the Selvala deck allowed for rapid cascading of spells and tutors to assemble the winning combo quickly.
Notable Cards
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Old Gnawbone
Sword of the Paruns
Tooth and Nail
Craterhoof Behemoth
Parallel Lives
Birds of Paradise
Summary
The game began with both players developing their mana bases and setting up their board states. Old Gnawbone's player focused on ramping with cards like Birds of Paradise, Parallel Lives, and other mana accelerators to build a solid green midrange board. Meanwhile, Selvala's player quickly established a fast mana engine using creatures like Selvala herself, Sword of the Paruns, and untap effects to generate massive amounts of mana early in the game. A key turning point came when Selvala's player used infinite mana combos involving Sword of the Paruns and untapping Selvala repeatedly to produce an overwhelming amount of mana, enabling the casting of powerful spells like Great Henge, Old Gnawbone, and Craterhoof Behemoth via Tooth and Nail. From that point, the Selvala deck cascaded through multiple spells, fetched essential creatures with tutors, and used Tooth and Nail to put Craterhoof Behemoth and Thea Tempest Roar directly onto the battlefield. This allowed a decisive full-board attack that secured a swift victory. Old Gnawbone's slower, value-based ramp strategy was unable to keep pace with Selvala's explosive combo and overwhelming board presence, illustrating the power disparity between a midrange deck and a fast combo deck in a 1v1 Commander setting.
