Commander Legends 2 - Nalia, Wilson & Scion, Sivriss & Master Chef, Jan Jansen - Gameplay Ep 112

Deck Strategies

• 

  Wilson, Refined Grizzly

  A combo deck centered around Ad Nauseam and Hermit Druid to dig deep into the deck, winning primarily through repeated casting and copying of Chain of Smog paired with Witherbloom Apprentice to drain opponents' life rapidly.

• 

  Nalia de'Arnise

  A Shadowborn Apostle tribal deck that leverages the commander’s ability to cast Apostles from the top of the library, aiming to amass a critical mass of Apostles to drain opponents’ life with Zulaport Cutthroat triggers.

• 

  Sivriss, Nightmare Speaker

  A creature combo deck utilizing Protean Hulk and other combo pieces like Hapatra and Green Sun Zenith to assemble a lethal board presence or combo finish.

• 

  Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter

  A combo deck focused on artifact synergy, particularly using Clock of Omens and Ashnod's Transmogrant to generate infinite mana and leverage combo outlets like Reckless Fireweaver for damage.

• 

  Master Chef

  Supports Protean Hulk combos by tutoring and assembling combo pieces, with synergy for creature-based combos and value plays.

• 

  Scion of Halaster

  Built as a background commander supporting combo and value strategies, likely focusing on spells and control elements but less emphasized in this gameplay.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The early casting and repeated copying of Chain of Smog on the same player with Witherbloom Apprentice's magecraft triggered a lethal life drain combo that was difficult to interact with.

• 2

  Nalia's strategy relied heavily on consistently drawing and casting Shadowborn Apostles, but it struggled to assemble fast enough before being overwhelmed by faster combo decks.

• 3

  Josh’s decision to pass on immediately casting Ad Nauseam in the first game and instead setting up Chain of Smog showcased a unique and efficient alternate win condition.

• 4

  Baal’s Jan Jansen deck demonstrated strong ramp and setup potential with mana artifacts and tutors, but it required more time to assemble its infinite mana combo.

• 5

  Diogo’s creature-centric combo build leveraged Green Sun Zenith and Eldritch Evolution for flexibility but was unable to close the game quickly against aggressive combos.

• 6

  The games highlighted the importance of interaction, as the lack of early removal allowed Josh’s Chain of Smog combo to resolve unimpeded both times.

Notable Cards

• 

  Chain of Smog

• 

  Witherbloom Apprentice

• 

  Shadowborn Apostle

• 

  Zulaport Cutthroat

• 

  Ad Nauseam

• 

  Mana Vault

• 

  Ashnod's Transmogrant

• 

  Clock of Omens

• 

  Protean Hulk

• 

  Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

• 

  Demonic Tutor

Summary

The gameplay featured two matches with four players piloting decks from Commander Legends 2: Battle for Baldur's Gate. In the first game, Josh's Wilson, Refined Grizzly deck utilized an unexpected win condition involving Chain of Smog and Witherbloom Apprentice. After setting up mana and ramp, Josh cast Chain of Smog on himself repeatedly, triggering Witherbloom Apprentice's magecraft ability to drain opponents' life quickly, securing a turn 2 victory. Rodrigo's Nalia de'Arnise Apostles deck tried to assemble its combo by casting multiple Shadowborn Apostles and relying on Nalia to cast more from the top of the library but was cut short by the swift win from Josh. Diogo's Sivriss and Master Chef Protean Hulk list and Baal's Jan Jansen Clock of Omens combo deck had limited board impact in this game before it concluded. The second game saw more development as Rodrigo again focused on assembling his Apostle combo to drain life with Zulaport Cutthroat triggers while Josh aimed for a more traditional Ad Nauseam combo. Josh ramped with Mana Vault and Llanowar Wastes, using Ad Nauseam to draw deeply into his deck and set up Witherbloom Apprentice and Chain of Smog once again. Despite some interaction from the other players, Josh executed a similar win by chaining Chain of Smog on himself to deal lethal damage. Meanwhile, Diogo played a creature-centric strategy centered on Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons, and Baal attempted to assemble his Jan Jansen infinite mana combo with Clock of Omens and Ashnod's Transmogrant but did not complete it before the game ended. Both games highlighted the power of early combo assembly and the importance of interaction to prevent swift victories.