Deck & Commander Strategies
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Generate massive amounts of mana and card draw quickly to storm off and win through combo or overwhelming spells.
Syr Carah, the Bold
A storm deck that uses the commander’s ability to exile cards for additional card advantage, aiming to win by casting a flurry of spells and dealing damage through storm triggers.
Jetmir, Nexus of Revels
A stax-style deck focused on grinding out opponents by attrition, controlling the board, and slowly winning through incremental advantage without relying on a combo finish.
Tergrid, God of Fright
A pox-style disruption deck that forces opponents to sacrifice permanents and discard cards, turning those losses into a personal advantage by reanimating exiled cards and locking the board down.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Tergrid’s massive exile and reanimation sequence created a large board state that locked down opponents temporarily but could not match the speed of a storm combo deck.
- 2
Syr Carah’s ability to exile cards from the top of the library provided crucial card advantage fueling an explosive storm turn.
- 3
Drannith Magistrate initially prevented graveyard casting, but Syr Carah overcame this lock with a well-timed Grapeshot that cleared the way for a storm finish.
- 4
The use of Jeweled Lotus and multiple rituals enabled Syr Carah to generate the massive mana necessary to chain spells and trigger damage engines like Guttersnipe and Aetherflux Reservoir.
- 5
Peer into the Abyss was a key draw spell that allowed Chad (Syr Carah) to refill his hand massively, facilitating his storm sequence.
- 6
Tergrid’s sacrifice lock with Ranger Captain of Eos was an effective early disruption but was insufficient to halt the eventual storm combo.
- 7
The interplay between artifact ramp (Mana Vault, Chrome Mox), ritual effects, and token generation on Syr Carah’s side was pivotal in accelerating the storm sequence.
Notable Cards
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Phyrexian Dreadnought
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Phyrexian Revoker
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Liliana of the Veil
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Memory Jar
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Dragon's Rage Channeler
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Ancient Tomb
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Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
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Jeweled Lotus
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Aetherflux Reservoir
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Guttersnipe
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Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
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Drannith Magistrate
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Gaea's Cradle
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Peer into the Abyss
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Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
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Grapeshot
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Seething Song
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Mana Vault
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Chrome Mox
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Treasonous Ogre
Gameplay Summary
The game started with a diverse field featuring four unique commanders, each adopting distinct strategies ranging from storm combos to stax and disruption.
Early turns saw players establishing board presence and setting up key pieces, with Tergrid leveraging discard effects and tutoring to create a massive advantage by returning numerous permanents from exile to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Syr Carah executed a high-velocity storm combo, drawing heavily and generating vast amounts of mana through ritual chains and token synergies, ultimately aiming to burn down opponents with numerous spells and damage triggers. Tergrid's massive board presence and repeated discard triggers severely disrupted opponents, but Syr Carah's explosive mana ramp and card draw engines quickly turned the tide.
The critical turning point came when Syr Carah managed to break through Drannith Magistrate's lock with a well-timed Grapeshot, enabling a powerful storm sequence that leveraged cards like Jeweled Lotus, Aetherflux Reservoir, and Guttersnipe to deal widespread damage and gain life.
Despite Tergrid's resilience and attempts to control the board, the swift and overwhelming storm damage proved decisive in closing out the game.
