EDH Gameplay | A Very Commander Xmas | Bumbleflower V Gor Muldrak V Hylda V Voja | EP 31 #christmas

Deck Strategies

• 

  Ms. Bumbleflower

  Focuses on casting multiple spells to place counters as 'gifts' on creatures and draw cards, maintaining hand size and providing incremental advantage through continuous value generation.

• 

  Voja, Jaws of the Conclave

  Builds a board of Elemental creatures with +1/+1 counters, leveraging token production and counter synergies to grow a threatening wide board presence.

• 

  Gor Muldrak, Amphinologist

  Utilizes tribal synergies by turning all creatures into Salamanders and granting them protection (shroud), while managing board state to control creature counts and gain advantage from unique Salamander tribal interactions.

• 

  Hylda of the Icy Crown

  Controls the board by tapping creatures and generating Elemental tokens with poison counters, steadily increasing pressure and applying incremental damage over time.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Gor Muldrak’s use of Arcane Adaptation to make all creatures Salamanders combined with Steely Resolve’s grant of shroud to the Salamanders created a significant protective board state that limited opponents' targeting options.

• 2

  Ms. Bumbleflower’s ability to draw cards on casting multiple spells per turn allowed her to maintain consistent resources and keep pressure through continuous gifting counters.

• 3

  Hylda’s strategy of tapping creatures to generate Elemental counters and poison counters created incremental damage that pressured opponents without relying on big swings.

• 4

  Players managed their creature counts carefully, as Gor Muldrak’s ability rewarded having the fewest creatures, which influenced deployment and attack decisions.

• 5

  The combination of tribal synergies and protective effects led to a slower, strategic game where incremental value was prioritized over immediate lethal threats.

Notable Cards

• 

  Arcane Adaptation

• 

  Steely Resolve

• 

  Kira, Great Glass-Spinner

• 

  Niblis of the Breath

• 

  Wirewood Lodge

Summary

The game started with all four players setting up their mana bases and deploying early creatures to establish board presence. Ms. Bumbleflower focused on giving 'gifts' by placing counters on creatures whenever she cast spells, drawing cards when casting multiple spells per turn to maintain hand advantage. Voja aimed to build a board of Elementals with counters to grow their strength. Gor Muldrak leveraged his ability to grant protection to Salamanders, creating a unique tribal synergy with cards that made all creatures become Salamanders, while also benefiting from getting shrouded Salamanders when having the fewest creatures. Hylda of the Icy Crown played a more controlling role, tapping creatures to produce Elemental tokens and placing poison counters, steadily applying pressure on opponents. A key turning point was Gor Muldrak's use of Arcane Adaptation to turn all creatures into Salamanders, synergizing with his commander’s protection ability and other tribal effects, significantly altering the battlefield dynamics. This forced other players to reconsider their attack and block strategies due to widespread shroud. Meanwhile, Bumbleflower’s continuous gifting and card draw kept her options open, while Hylda and Voja developed incremental board advantages with their respective token and counter strategies. The game revolved around board state manipulation, synergy exploitation, and resource management, with players carefully balancing aggression and defense amid shifting creature identities and protective effects. The win condition appeared to hinge on leveraging tribal synergies and incremental value from counters and tokens rather than explosive combos, making for a strategic and interactive midrange game.