Generic Commander Ep 18- Commanders of 2024

Deck Strategies

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  Keruga, the Macrosage

  Not explicitly detailed in the gameplay, but typically Keruga decks focus on leveraging its ability to draw and gain life through ramping and casting large creatures or spells.

• 

  Glarb, Calamity's Augur

  Cheats out high mana-value lands and spells from the top of the deck, generating tokens and card draw to overwhelm opponents, with a win condition revolving around decking oneself with Lab Man.

• 

  Kastral, the Windcrested

  A bird tribal deck leveraging token generation, tribal synergies, and graveyard recursion to build a wide board and generate incremental advantage through multiple triggers when birds hit opponents.

• 

  The Jolly Balloon Man

  Combo-oriented deck inspired by Kiki-Jiki, focusing on creating infinite or powerful token combos by using the commander’s unique abilities and synergies.

• 

  Alania, Divergent Storm

  Spellslinger deck aiming to cast multiple spells per turn, gaining incremental value and storm-like effects to control the board and potentially close out the game with storm mechanics.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The bird tribal deck capitalized on multiple triggers by hitting several players with birds, enabling the cheating of creatures onto the battlefield and growing the team.

• 2

  Glarb's ability to cheat lands and spells from the top of the deck synergized well with token production and card draw, setting up a unique self-mill win condition.

• 3

  Alania's spellslinger approach relies on casting spells in sequence to generate value, though it requires precise play to maximize the storm effect.

• 4

  Jolly Balloon Man’s deck, while seemingly casual, posed a combo threat reminiscent of Kiki-Jiki, creating tension and forcing opponents to consider potential infinite combos.

• 5

  The use of newer cards like Murmurations and interaction with graveyards showed a blend of classic and modern strategies, highlighting the evolving power level of 2024 commanders.

Notable Cards

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  Mosswort Bridge

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  Freewind Falcon

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  Expressive Iteration

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  Omen Machine

Summary

The game featured five commanders all released in 2024, creating a dynamic and fresh gameplay environment. Early turns focused on ramping mana and establishing board presence, with players deploying lands like Snow-Covered Mountains, Mosswort Bridge, and Orderly Plaza to fix colors and prepare for impactful spells. The bird-themed deck piloted by Kastral, the Windcrested, leveraged classic and new bird tribal synergies, including token generation and graveyard recursion, aiming for wide board states and incremental advantage. Glarb, Calamity's Augur's deck centered on cheating out high-cost spells and lands from the top of the deck, combining token creation and card draw to accelerate its game plan and potentially win by decking itself through Lab Man. Alania, Divergent Storm focused on spellslinger mechanics, trying to capitalize on casting multiple spells and generating value through storm-like effects. Meanwhile, Jolly Balloon Man's deck, reminiscent of Kiki-Jiki style combos, aimed to create infinite or game-ending combos with quirky interactions.