M21 - Rin and Seri, Gadrak, Vito, Barrin, Tolarian Archmage

Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Deck & Commander Strategies

Rin and Seri, Inseparable
A combo tribal deck using Aluren and token synergies to generate value and create overwhelming board presence, aiming to win through continuous value generation and combos with creatures like Pack Leader and Main Lion.
Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge
A prison-style deck focusing on ramping with snow lands and artifacts, controlling the board with sweepers and disruption, and utilizing Gadrak’s ability to keep opponents locked down while advancing its own game plan.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
A lifegain combo deck that exploits sacrifice outlets like Carrion Feeder and Deathgreeter alongside spells like Exquisite Blood to drain opponents’ life totals rapidly, winning through incremental lifegain and damage loops.
Barrin, Tolarian Archmage
A control and theft deck that uses bounce effects and counterspells to disrupt opponents, combined with stealing permanents to gain advantage and maintain board control through spells like Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir.

Gameplay Insights

1
Strategic use of Time Twister enabled players to refresh their hands, allowing for new lines of play and disruption.
2
The Gadrak player’s timely board wipe with Slaughter the Strong reset the board state, securing tempo and control advantages.
3
The Rin and Seri pilot used tribal triggers and token generation to apply pressure while carefully managing board states to avoid removal.
4
Barrin’s player leveraged bounce effects repeatedly to disrupt opponents’ artifact and commander setups, maintaining control over the game flow.
5
Deafening Silence was used as symmetrical hate to prevent opponents from capitalizing on wheel effects, showing effective group disruption.
6
Vito’s deck demonstrated synergy between lifegain triggers and sacrifice outlets, setting up a potent combo to drain opponents’ life totals.
7
Mindcrank combined with sacrifice effects created incremental and ongoing damage, pressuring opponents steadily.
8
Players showed careful sequencing, often passing turns without casting spells to avoid triggering counterspells or board wipes prematurely.

Notable Cards

Deafening Silence
Mindcrank
Slaughter the Strong
Carrion Feeder
Deathgreeter
Exquisite Blood
Mana Drain
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Vandalblast
Grim Monolith
Aluren
Pack Leader

Gameplay Summary

The game featured four decks piloting new Core Set 2021 commanders, leading to a dynamic interplay of combo, control, and prison strategies.

The Rin and Seri deck pursued a combo-oriented plan with Aluren synergy, aiming to generate value through token generation and combo pieces like Pack Leader and Main Lion.

Gadrak’s deck focused on a prison strategy, leveraging sweepers and board control to limit opponents' options while ramping with artifacts and snow lands.

Vito’s deck centered on a lifegain combo with sacrifice outlets such as Carrion Feeder and Deathgreeter, combining them with spells like Exquisite Blood to close out the game.

Barrin’s deck aimed to disrupt and steal key permanents, using bounce effects and Teferi-style control to maintain advantage and frustrate opponents’ strategies. Early turns saw significant interaction around ramp and disruption, including counterspells like Mana Drain and strategic use of wheels via Time Twister to refresh hands.

Key moments included Gadrak’s board wipe with Slaughter the Strong, clearing all but his own commander, which shifted the board state heavily in his favor.

Rin and Seri’s player carefully timed the casting of their commander and triggered tribal synergies to pressure opponents, while Vito’s pilot assembled a threatening board state with token generators and sacrifice outlets.

Barrin’s player utilized bounce effects to undermine opponents’ board presence and cast time manipulation spells to maintain control.

The game featured repeated strategic resets and resource denial, with cards like Deafening Silence and Mindcrank generating incremental advantage or disruption.

Ultimately, the game revolved around managing board presence and resource flow, with each deck leveraging their unique strengths to carve out paths to victory.

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