Deck & Commander Strategies
Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients
Ramp into powerful dragons and leverage the Forgotten Realms synergy to generate board dominance through big threats and raw power.
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit
Utilize landfall triggers and a synergistic token strategy to build incremental advantage and outvalue opponents over time.
Sam, Loyal Attendant
Support Frodo and the Fellowship by generating food tokens and providing small creature utility to stabilize and gain life, enabling sustained board presence.
Éowyn, Shieldmaiden
Create and leverage a token army, using middle-earth warrior synergy to overwhelm opponents with numerous attackers.
Anikthea, Hand of Erebos
Focus on enchantment-heavy gameplay, reanimating enchantments from the graveyard to maintain board presence and pressure.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
The unique rule of taking life to fetch tapped basics with stun counters drastically slows early game development, forcing players to adapt their ramp and tempo strategies.
- 2
Players carefully manage life totals to optimize the number of lands fetched, balancing immediate resource needs against long-term survivability.
- 3
Anikthea’s enchantment recursion allows for sustained board presence despite the slow land ramp and counters on lands.
- 4
The Fellowship deck’s synergy between Frodo and Sam with token and food generation offers incremental value and defensive options.
- 5
Deploying legendary creatures triggers additional benefits such as Gimly’s treasure tokens, promoting a synergy-focused mid-game buildup.
- 6
Players’ cautious approach to land drops and mana usage highlights the importance of maximizing value under the constraints of the stun counter mechanic.
Notable Cards
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Love Song of Night and Day
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Gilded Goose
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Arcane Signet
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Sanctum Weaver
Gameplay Summary
The game begins with a unique rule that forces players to pay five life and roll a six-sided die to fetch that many tapped basic lands with stun counters, significantly slowing early ramp.
This mechanic shapes the game’s tempo, as players carefully balance life totals and ramp strategies.
Early turns focus on setting up board presence with mana acceleration and minor creatures, with Vrondiss, Rage of Ancients’ player leveraging the D&D Forgotten Realms precon’s dragon synergy, while the Fellowship deck utilizes landfall and token generation tactics. Key moments include players gradually overcoming the stun counters to ramp into impactful plays like deploying legendary creatures, enchantments, and token generators.
Anikthea, Hand of Erebos capitalizes on enchantment recursion to maintain pressure while Éowyn, Shieldmaiden’s token strategy begins to build momentum.
Frodo and Sam’s synergy supports incremental advantage with food and small creatures, contributing to board development.
The game’s pacing is dictated by the land entry restrictions and the interplay of enchantments and legendary creatures, setting the stage for a mid-game clash where resource management and board control become critical.
