Sheldon Menery Rules Commander | Shuffle Up & Play #14 | Magic: The Gathering Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Momir Vig, Simic Visionary

  Ramp and card draw focused on casting creatures from the top of the deck with Momir Vig’s ability to generate value and board presence through random creatures, leveraging Simic’s colors for synergy and tempo.

• 

  Phelddagrif

  A nostalgia-driven token generation strategy that relies on creating multiple hippo tokens to overwhelm opponents, focusing on classic Commander synergy with group hug and multiplayer interaction.

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  Baru, Fist of Krosa

  An aggressive mono-green stompy deck that aims to ramp quickly and apply pressure with big creatures and combat tricks, focusing on straightforward beatdown and board dominance.

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  Doran, the Siege Tower

  A treefolk tribal deck that leverages toughness-based synergy and life gain, exemplified by playing cards like Diamond Valley to sacrifice creatures for life, enhancing survivability and board control.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of a proxy for Diamond Valley allowed the Doran player to maintain synergy despite the card's reserve list status, highlighting a flexible approach to deck building in casual formats.

• 2

  The mulligan approach was informal, emphasizing keeping hands with three lands to maintain game flow and avoid overly punishing draws in this format.

• 3

  Early plays focused heavily on mana ramp and card draw to set up mid-game threats, with players prioritizing creatures that provide immediate value such as Elvish Visionary and Coiling Oracle.

• 4

  Discussion around card legality and inclusion of older cards with alternate borders demonstrated the community’s willingness to adapt rules for fun and accessibility in casual Commander play.

• 5

  Momir Vig’s ability to generate creatures from the top of the deck introduced an element of unpredictability, requiring adaptive play and tactical decision-making to capitalize on the creatures generated.

Notable Cards

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  Diamond Valley

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  Elvish Visionary

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  Coiling Oracle

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  Misty Rainforest

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  Primeval Titan

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  Temple of the False God

Summary

The game features a Pre-EDH format where players use decks without any Commander precon cards or cards printed after New Phyrexia. Four players bring distinct commanders: Momir Vig, Phelddagrif, Baru, Fist of Krosa, and Doran, the Siege Tower. Early turns focus on ramping and developing board presence with classic cards like Elvish Visionary and Coiling Oracle. Notably, Doran's player incorporates a proxy for Diamond Valley to synergize with his treefolk tribal deck, emphasizing life gain and toughness interactions. Momir Vig's deck utilizes his ability to generate random creatures from the top of the deck, aiming for value and board control through synergy with Simic colors and card draw. Meanwhile, Phelddagrif's nostalgic hippo token generation and Baru's aggressive, straightforward approach set the stage for diverse gameplay dynamics. The game has a casual yet strategic tone with players discussing mulligan rules and format constraints, but the main flow revolves around mana development, card advantage, and creature deployment to establish early board states.