PAKO IS ON THE NAUGHTY LIST! | Lathril vs Kenrith vs Zedruu vs Pako/Haldan | MTG Commander Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Pako, Arcane Retriever

  Aggressively attack to exile cards and place fetch counters, growing Pako and enabling the casting of exiled cards with Haldan's help, aiming to leverage card advantage and tempo.

• 

  Lathril, Blade of the Elves

  Generate and buff elf tokens to overwhelm opponents, using combat damage to accumulate 'coal' counters as a thematic resource for winning the game.

• 

  Kenrith, the Returned King

  Flexible deck with multiple win conditions that manipulate life totals, card draws, and opponent resources, providing both support and pressure through incremental advantage.

• 

  Zedruu the Greathearted

  Control and political manipulation through gifting permanents to opponents while punishing them with stalling effects and direct damage to maintain board control.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Pako's attack triggers early provided significant card advantage by exiling cards from all players and placing fetch counters, allowing casting of powerful spells from exile using Haldan's ability.

• 2

  Lathril's consistent elf token generation and buffing created a strong board presence that pressured opponents and accumulated thematic counters for a win condition.

• 3

  Kenrith's use of multiple win conditions kept opponents guessing and allowed adaptation to the evolving board state, enhancing survivability and control.

• 4

  Zedruu's gifting and punishing playstyle slowed opponents while leveraging political decisions to maintain control over the game pace.

• 5

  The casting of 'World at War' added a crucial additional combat phase that could swing board states dramatically, demonstrating the impact of well-timed spells on tempo and damage output.

Notable Cards

• 

  Pako, Arcane Retriever

• 

  Haldan, Avid Arcanist

• 

  Lathril, Blade of the Elves

• 

  Kenrith, the Returned King

• 

  Zedruu the Greathearted

• 

  World at War

• 

  Sol Ring

• 

  Arcane Signet

• 

  Lightning Greaves

Summary

The game started with a typical mana ramp and land development phase from all four players, setting the stage for their respective strategies. Pako, Arcane Retriever, along with Haldan, Avid Arcanist, quickly established their synergy by attacking early to exile cards from all players' libraries, placing fetch counters and growing Pako with +1/+1 counters. This early aggression set a tempo advantage while enabling Pako's owner to cast exiled cards with Haldan's ability. Meanwhile, Lathril, Blade of the Elves, focused on generating elf tokens and buffing them to swarm opponents, aiming to accumulate 'coal' as a thematic win condition. Kenrith, the Returned King, played a versatile role, offering multiple win conditions and manipulating life totals and cards, while Zedruu the Greathearted leveraged gifting and punishing opponents through forced sacrifices and damage.