EP8 | Estrid v Chishiro v Phabine v Zabaz | MTG Commander Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Estrid, the Masked

  A control and enchantment-focused deck that mills itself to fill the graveyard with enchantments, creating mask tokens and leveraging enchantment synergies for board control and incremental advantage.

• 

  Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp

  A modular tribal deck that places +1/+1 counters on modular creatures, transferring counters upon death to keep creatures growing and maintaining board presence through artifact interactions.

• 

  Phabine, Boss's Confidant

  A token-focused deck that uses the parlay mechanic to create and buff creature tokens each turn, aiming to overwhelm opponents with an aggressive swarm of hasty tokens.

• 

  Chishiro, the Shattered Blade

  Ramp and token generation deck that leverages enchantments, auras, and equipment to create tokens and boost creatures, building a wide and powerful board to apply pressure early and often.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The early deployment of Stony Silence was a pivotal disruption against Zabaz's artifact-based modular strategy, limiting his ability to activate key artifact abilities and slowing his tempo.

• 2

  Mystic Barrier's attack direction restriction created a defensive stalemate, forcing players to reconsider attack targets and adding a political layer to combat decisions.

• 3

  Phabine’s parlay mechanic steadily built a token army that gained incremental power each turn, pressuring opponents while also drawing cards to maintain momentum.

• 4

  Chishiro’s use of enchantment-triggered token generation and equipment synergy allowed him to develop a growing threat while ramping mana to support larger plays.

• 5

  Players relied on calculated combat exchanges and tactical use of removal spells like Angel Fire Ignition to manage board threats and maintain balance in a politically charged game state.

Notable Cards

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  Stony Silence

• 

  Mystic Barrier

• 

  Gift of Paradise

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  Nest Invader

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  Iron Apprentice

• 

  Smothering Tithe

Summary

The game began with a cautious early setup as players established their mana bases and deployed initial threats. Zabaz's modular tribal deck quickly put pressure on the board with creatures like Iron Apprentice and Nest Invader, while Estrid focused on enchantments and milling herself to generate value. Phabine generated tokens and leveraged the parlay mechanic to grow them, creating a token swarm with additional buffs. Chishiro ramped mana and created tokens from enchantments and equipment, aiming to grow a powerful board presence. A significant early turning point was the play of Stony Silence, which shut down artifact abilities and hindered Zabaz's modular synergy. This forced Zabaz to adapt and slowed his momentum. Mystic Barrier further locked down attacks by restricting who could be attacked, complicating combat decisions and forcing players into defensive postures. Throughout the midgame, key enchantments and creatures like Queen Elena boosted token creation and board presence, while combat damage and strategic trades kept life totals fluctuating. The interplay of token production, enchantment synergies, and modular counters drove the game toward a tense standoff, with players carefully navigating forced attacks and political deals to position themselves for the late game.