Commander Secret Santa - Gameplay Ep 81

Deck Strategies

• 

  Khod, Etlan Shiis Envoy

  Leveraging homid tribal synergies by turning all lands into Islands to enable Islandwalk and buff homid creatures for evasive, incremental damage.

• 

  Claire D'Loon, Joy Sculptor

  Generating prowess-triggered tokens and using Claire’s ability to convert tokens into real cards and recur them for sustained board presence.

• AirballMTG (Oracle of the Alpha / Battle of Wits)

  Assembling a massive deck with Power Nine cards to win via Battle of Wits, a unique library size-based win condition.

• 

  Kenrith, the Returned King

  A creative holiday-themed deck incorporating Wizards holiday gift cards to provide versatile utility and thematic synergy.

• Veggiewagonyee (Cod, Etlan Shiis Envoy)

  A homid tribal deck focusing on creatures with Islandwalk and tapping abilities to control lands and apply pressure.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Khod’s ability to make all lands Islands synergized powerfully with homid creatures' Islandwalk, enabling unblockable damage early and often.

• 2

  Oracle of the Alpha conjured Power Nine cards into the library, accelerating the Battle of Wits win condition in a novel way under heavy rule zero agreements.

• 3

  Claire’s token recursion mechanic combined with prowess triggers from Monastery Mentor allowed sustained pressure and board development.

• 4

  The use of tapping abilities to disable opponents' lands showed strategic restraint and holiday spirit, opting for minimal aggression initially.

• 5

  The inclusion of Wizards holiday gift cards in Kenrith’s deck added a unique thematic layer while maintaining gameplay functionality.

Notable Cards

• 

  Khod, Etlan Shiis Envoy

• 

  Oracle of the Alpha

• 

  Battle of Wits

• 

  Claire D'Loon, Joy Sculptor

• 

  Monastery Mentor

• 

  Mox Pearl

• 

  Castle Ardenvale

Summary

The game began with each player piloting decks built as Secret Santa gifts, reflecting the recipient’s preferences. Early turns featured typical ramp and mana development, with notable synergy emerging from the homid tribal strategy led by Khod, Etlan Shiis Envoy, which turned all lands into Islands and buffed homid creatures, enabling evasive attacks with Islandwalk. The Cod commander deck leveraged this tribal synergy effectively to apply pressure. Meanwhile, the Battle of Wits deck led by Airball focused on assembling a massive library, conjuring Power Nine cards with Oracle of the Alpha, aiming for a unique and challenging win condition. Claire D'Loon’s deck generated tokens with prowess triggers, then utilized her ability to turn tokens into real cards and recur them from graveyard or hand, ramping and threatening board presence. Kenrith’s deck featured a creative holiday theme with Wizards holiday gift cards, blending familiar utility with festive flavor. Key turning points included the activation of Islandwalk and homid buffs by Khod’s deck, which allowed consistent damage and board control early on. Battle of Wits player steadily built towards a library-based victory, while Claire’s token recursion and prowess creatures established a formidable board state. The interplay of unique mechanics like tapping lands to disable mana, synergistic tribal buffs, and festive-themed creatures created dynamic and thematic gameplay. Ultimately, the game showcased diverse strategies—from tribal aggression and token recursion to combo-style library wins—highlighting the creativity and thematic depth of the Secret Santa deck builds.