Secret Santa Commander! Krenko, Alela, Ur-Dragon, Chatterfang The Worst Possible Commander Show #42

Deck Strategies

• 

  The Ur-Dragon

  Ramp into big, powerful dragons and cheat in high-cost permanents, overwhelming opponents with sheer power and card advantage.

• 

  Alela, Artful Provocateur

  Leverage artifact and enchantment synergies to generate fairy tokens and apply tax effects to slow opponents, while controlling the board with disruption.

• 

  Krenko, Mob Boss

  Create massive goblin token swarms through Krenko's tap ability and aggressive red spells, aiming to overwhelm opponents with numbers and combat damage.

• 

  Chatterfang, Squirrel General

  Utilize a critter tribal theme with token generation and synergy, enhanced by banned cards to create a mix of small and large creatures for versatile threats.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The game featured controlled mulliganing, where the deck builders made mulligan decisions for the players to maintain deck secrecy and surprise.

• 2

  Ben’s early use of Demonic Tutor to fetch key lands and ramp spells set up his rapid mana growth and powerful dragon threats.

• 3

  Shea’s aggressive deployment of goblin tokens and Warren Instigator's ability to flood the board quickly pressured opponents early.

• 4

  Blake’s Alela deck used artifact/enchantment synergies and taxation effects to disrupt opponents' tempo while building a fairy army.

• 5

  Chatterfang’s deck showed early token generation and synergy potential, with the inclusion of banned cards indicating possible combo or overpowered interactions later.

• 6

  The game’s initial turns demonstrated a balance of ramp and board development, with attacks and token generation setting the stage for midgame power plays.

Notable Cards

• 

  Demonic Tutor

• 

  Warren Instigator

• 

  Cultivate

• 

  Volcanic Island

• 

  Undergrowth Stadium

• 

  Obscura Storefront

• 

  Temple of Malady

Summary

The game started with players unveiling decks built in a Secret Santa style, where each deck was designed by another player without revealing its contents. The gameplay quickly showcased the distinct strategies of each deck. Ben’s Ur-Dragon deck emphasized ramp and powerful dragons with potential high-cost permanents and even included two banned cards, signaling a very explosive and overwhelming late game. Blake’s Alela deck focused on artifact and enchantment synergies that generate fairies and tax opponents, aiming for incremental advantage and disruption. Shea's Krenko deck was a mono-red goblin tribal theme, built to flood the board with tokens and leverage Krenko's ability to generate massive goblin armies. CovertGoBlue’s Chatterfang deck combined critter tribal elements with a twist, including some banned cards to enhance the deck’s ability to swarm and control the board with small but numerous creatures.