Deck & Commander Strategies
Blue, Loyal Raptor
Accumulate +1/+1 and keyword counters on Blue to make it increasingly powerful, then use Owen Grady's ability to teach those counters to other dinosaurs, enhancing the entire board and enabling aggressive combat.
Owen Grady, Raptor Trainer
Partnered with Blue, Loyal Raptor, Owen adds and distributes keyword counters to dinosaurs, focusing on building synergy between counters and keywords to control the board and deliver damage quickly.
Ian Malcolm, Chaotician
Manipulate the exile zone by exiling the top cards of all players' libraries as they draw extra cards, then cast spells from the exiled cards to generate value and disrupt opponents, with a high variance, unpredictable playstyle.
Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists
Utilize reanimation and cascade mechanics to cheat big dinosaurs into play from the library or graveyard, repeatedly untapping Ellie and Alan to generate explosive board presence and overwhelm opponents.
Indominus Rex, Alpha
Discard creature cards with keywords to gain those keywords as counters on Indominus Rex upon entering the battlefield, drawing cards for each keyword counter and using a massive, keyword-rich dinosaur to dominate combat.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Discarding multiple keyword creatures to Indominus Rex Alpha significantly increased its power and card draw, creating a major swing in board advantage.
- 2
The use of Owen Grady to distribute keyword counters enabled Blue to scale quickly and boost the entire dinosaur army's effectiveness.
- 3
Ellie and Alan's ability to untap repeatedly allowed for multiple big dinosaur plays in a single turn, pressuring opponents with resilience.
- 4
Ian Malcolm's exile mechanic introduced an unpredictable element, forcing players to adapt to spells cast from exile and manage their libraries carefully.
- 5
The destruction of the Monster Manual artifact by Besu demonstrated how removal of key combo enablers forced players to pivot their strategies midgame.
- 6
Early aggressive combat and commander damage exchanges set a tense tone, encouraging players to develop both offensive and defensive tactics.
Notable Cards
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Indominus Rex, Alpha
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Owen Grady, Raptor Trainer
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Blue, Loyal Raptor
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Ian Malcolm, Chaotician
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Ellie and Alan, Paleontologists
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Monster Manual // Zoological Study
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Karmic Guide
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Frantic Search
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Nin, the Pain Artist
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Meticulous Archive
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Questing Beast
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Hydroid Krasis
Gameplay Summary
The game opened with players quickly establishing their boards and mana bases.
Owen Grady and Blue, Loyal Raptor synergized early to build a counters engine, pumping up Blue to teach other dinosaurs counters and keywords.
Meanwhile, Indominus Rex Alpha entered with a powerful discard mechanic, gaining multiple keyword counters from discarded creatures and drawing cards, shifting momentum in that player's favor.
Ellie and Alan Paleontologists leveraged reanimation and cascade effects to flood the board with big dinosaurs from various zones, creating resilient threats.
Ian Malcolm Chaotician disrupted opponent strategies by exiling cards from the top of libraries and enabling casting from exile, adding layers of unpredictability.
Key early combat exchanges and removal spells, such as the destruction of the Monster Manual artifact, tested players’ resilience and forced adaptations.
The game’s tension rose as players deployed large dinosaurs with multiple combat keywords, with Indominus Rex Alpha’s card draw and counter accumulation posing a significant threat.
The combination of counter manipulation, graveyard recursion, and keyword acquisition shaped the midgame, setting up for a potential overwhelming board presence and lethal commander damage.
