Can SmallAnt Speedrun A Commander Game?! | Shuffle Up & Play #23 | Magic: The Gathering EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

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  Braids, Arisen Nightmare

  Leverages artifact and creature sacrifice mechanics to generate card advantage and disrupt opponents, focusing on graveyard interactions and attrition.

• 

  Maelstrom Wanderer

  Aggressively cascades into multiple creatures with haste to quickly overwhelm opponents, emphasizing fast tempo and multiple triggers.

• 

  Kethis, the Hidden Hand

  Utilizes mono-green ramp and legendary synergies to deploy powerful legendary creatures and permanents quickly, using Voltron tactics and hexproof to protect threats.

• 

  Thrun, Breaker of Silence

  Focuses on resilient threats and disruption, aiming to maintain board presence and pressure opponents through efficient creature combat and protection effects.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Choosing opening hands allowed players to maximize early ramp and synergy potential, speeding up game development.

• 2

  Braids's forcing opponents to sacrifice permanents or lose life created a taxing dynamic that pressured players to respond every turn.

• 3

  Mana ramp artifacts like Mana Crypt and Arcane Signet were critical to accelerating plays and enabling early deployment of impactful spells.

• 4

  SmallAnt's use of green ramp and legendary creatures facilitated rapid board presence and threat escalation, showcasing the strength of mono-green Voltron in a speedrun context.

• 5

  The interaction between legendary permanents and cards granting hexproof highlighted the importance of protecting key threats to maintain momentum.

• 6

  The game demonstrated how even preconstructed or 'souped up' precons can be tuned for speed and efficiency with careful opening hand selection.

Notable Cards

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  Braids, Arisen Nightmare

• 

  Maelstrom Wanderer

• 

  Kethis, the Hidden Hand

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  Thrun, Breaker of Silence

• 

  Mana Crypt

• 

  Arcane Signet

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  Birds of Paradise

• 

  Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful

• 

  Fyndhorn Elves

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  Verdant Catacombs

Summary

The game started with each player selecting their opening seven cards to optimize a potential speedrun in Commander. Braids, Arisen Nightmare focused on graveyard synergies with artifact and creature sacrifice mechanics, aiming to control the board and generate card advantage. Maelstrom Wanderer deployed a fast, aggressive strategy with cascade triggers and creatures that gain haste to rapidly pressure opponents. Kethis, the Hidden Hand played a mono-green Voltron-style deck emphasizing legendary permanents and ramp, aiming to quickly assemble powerful threats and protect them with hexproof granted by Shall I, the Voice of Plenty. Thrun, Breaker of Silence had a simpler plan, leveraging resilience and disruption but with less early ramp and fewer combo pieces compared to others. Early plays included ramp spells such as Birds of Paradise, Mana Crypt, and Arcane Signet, quickly accelerating mana production for explosive turns. Braids punished opponents who chose not to sacrifice permanents, creating a taxing board state. Bloody’s Maelstrom Wanderer was temporarily mana-starved but poised to cascade into impactful creatures once mana stabilized. SmallAnt’s Kethis deck used green ramp and legendary synergies to put lands and permanents directly onto the battlefield, setting up a strong mid-game presence. The game’s turning point involved the deployment of key creatures and enchantments that increased board presence and threatened opponents' life totals, with attacks and sacrifices driving the action forward. The win condition revolved around overwhelming opponents with efficient creature attacks or comboing off with legendary permanents empowered by Kethis’s ability.