Commander Gameplay 26 - Zacama v. Ayula v. Vial Smasher-Ikra-Obosh[Companion] v. Locus of the Roil

Deck Strategies

• 

  Zacama, Primal Calamity

  Ramp aggressively with lands and powerful dinosaurs to dominate combat and use Zacama's abilities to control the board and close out games.

• 

  Ayula, Queen Among Bears

  Build a bear tribal board with creatures that grow and gain buffs, leveraging card draw and indestructibility to maintain board presence and apply pressure.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce / Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

  Use Ikra's life gain and draining ability combined with Vial Smasher's damage doubling to burn opponents and control the game with spells and damage triggers.

• 

  Omnath, Locus of the Roil

  Ramp with elementals and landfall triggers to generate value, boost Omnath with counters, and apply pressure with a combination of creatures and burn spells.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The massive board wipe with Blasphemous Act dramatically reset the board state, limiting the aggressive creature strategies and forcing players to adapt.

• 2

  Danny used Inspiring Call to protect his creatures with indestructible in response to incoming damage, allowing his damage to connect successfully.

• 3

  Josh’s use of Obosh as a companion restricted his deck to odd-cost cards, but this was leveraged effectively to maximize damage output through burn spells.

• 4

  Oscar capitalized on Omnath’s landfall triggers and +1/+1 counters to progressively increase his threat level, making Omnath a significant damage dealer.

• 5

  Isabella strategically sacrificed Kadama's Reach with Deathgorge Scavenger’s ETB effect to boost her creature’s power temporarily during combat.

• 6

  Danny’s use of Beast Whisperer and Bear Cub enabled continuous card draw and board presence, which was critical for maintaining pressure before the board wipe.

Notable Cards

• 

  Blasphemous Act

• 

  Keeper of Fables

• 

  Deathgorge Scavenger

• 

  Obosh, the Preypiercer

• 

  Rhythm of the Wild

• 

  Bloodchief Ascension

• 

  Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Itlimoc, Cradle of the Sun

Summary

The game began with players developing their board states through ramp and creature deployment. Isabella on Zacama focused on establishing a strong dinosaur presence, casting creatures like Siege Hornceratops and Deathgorge Scavenger to pressure opponents. Danny piloting Ayula built a bear tribal strategy, leveraging creatures like Vivian Champion of the Wilds and Keeper of Fables to grow his board and draw cards. Josh, using Vial Smasher and Ikra Shidiqi with Obosh as a companion, aimed to burn opponents with damage spells and incremental damage triggers. Oscar on Omnath, Locus of the Roil, ramped with elemental synergies, bolstering Omnath with +1/+1 counters and using spells like Wet Math and Rhythm of the Wild for value and haste. A key turning point was Josh casting Blasphemous Act, dealing massive damage (26) to all creatures, which likely reset the board and shifted the tempo significantly. Prior to this, Danny had built a formidable board with tokens and counters on his creatures, but the board wipe hindered his momentum. Throughout the game, players took advantage of their commanders' abilities and supporting synergies, with Zacama's ramp and combat prowess, Ayula's bear tribal buffs and card draw, and Omnath's elemental value engine creating dynamic interactions. The game showcased a balance between aggressive creature strategies and controlling elements through removal and burn, with each player adapting to the evolving board state.