The Most Powerful Mechanic in Magic - Commander Gameplay | Ep 9

Deck Strategies

• 

  Kenrith, the Returned King

  Aggressively deploy creatures that represent Mario Kart characters and tracks, using Kenrith’s versatility to support vehicles and push fast, high-impact damage early in the game.

• 

  Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer

  Exploit the morph mechanic by playing multiple morph creatures and enabling free morph casts each turn, using cards that grant flash to maximize tempo and surprise.

• 

  Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

  Build a resilient board state by accumulating +1/+1 counters on Skullbriar that persist through zone changes, aiming to steadily grow an indestructible threat and leverage contagion counters.

• 

  Kambal, Consul of Allocation

  Control the game by draining opponents’ life when they cast noncreature spells, combining lifegain creatures and effects to stabilize and win through incremental life loss.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Deploying a large lifelinker early, like Sarah Ascendant, can set a difficult pace for opponents by combining life gain and immediate damage output.

• 2

  Utilizing morph and free morph triggers allows for flexible tempo plays and makes it harder for opponents to predict threats.

• 3

  Ozolith’s ability to transfer counters can protect key creatures and enable resilient threats even after board wipes or removal.

• 4

  Strategic removal of key token generators, like Putrefy targeting Tivosh’s demon tokens, can significantly slow down opponents’ engine-based strategies.

• 5

  Coordinating vehicle crew boosts with creatures like Veteran Motorist enhances the power of vehicle-based decks and synergizes well with thematic builds.

• 6

  Managing life totals carefully is crucial when facing decks that leverage life gain and drain simultaneously, as seen with Kambal’s consistent life drain effect.

Notable Cards

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  Unlicensed Hearse

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  Veteran Motorist

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  Putrefy

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  Trail of Mystery

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  Dwarven Mine

Summary

The game began with each player establishing their thematic board presence centered around their chosen mechanics. Zebex, piloting Kenrith, the Returned King, quickly set an aggressive tempo by playing a life-linking creature that grew large with his high life total and immediately dealt significant damage. Veggiewagonyee, playing Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer, focused on deploying morph creatures and building a flexible board with creatures that could be cast for free via morph triggers. Airbubbles, with Skullbriar, the Walking Grave, aimed to leverage counters and resilience, establishing early board presence with Skullbriar to accumulate counters and persist through removal. MTG Nerd Girl, playing Kambal, Consul of Allocation, aimed to drain opponents' life, synergizing with creatures that punish opponents for casting noncreature spells to control the game and slowly chip away at opponents' life totals. A key moment occurred when Zebex leveraged his early life-linking creature to hit multiple opponents for six damage on turn one, significantly putting pressure on Airbubbles. Meanwhile, Veggiewagonyee used morph creatures alongside Trail of Mystery to ramp and buff their board, maintaining flexibility and surprise. Airbubbles attempted to build counters on Skullbriar but faced early aggression and removal, including a well-timed Putrefy that removed a threatening demon token generated by MTG Nerd Girl. The game evolved with players balancing aggression, board development, and strategic removal while each mechanic’s strength was put to the test. The morph mechanic’s versatility, the resilience of counters on Skullbriar, the life-drain synergy of Kambal, and Kenrith’s aggressive board presence all demonstrated the power of their respective mechanics in different ways.