Thru For 2 Episode 1 | Commander Gameplay | Ft Balan, Nalia de'Arnise, Lorcan, and Lyra Dawnbringer

Deck Strategies

• 

  Balan, Wandering Knight

  A mono-white voltron deck focused on equipping Balan with multiple cheap artifacts to draw cards and pump his power, ending the game through combat damage.

• 

  Nalia de'Arnise

  A two-color cleric/rogue/warrior/wizard tribal deck that manipulates the top of the library to cast spells efficiently, generating value and board presence.

• 

  Lyra Dawnbringer

  An angel tribal deck that leverages life gain and flying creatures to stabilize and overwhelm opponents with powerful angels and incremental advantage.

• 

  Lorcan, Warlock Collector

  A monoblack reanimator and sacrifice deck that uses life payments and discard effects to control the board, wiping creatures and stealing opponents’ permanents to gain advantage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Balan’s use of equipment with Puresteel Paladin enabled free equips and card draw, accelerating his voltron plan efficiently.

• 2

  Lorcan’s Eldest Reborn forced each opponent to sacrifice creatures, disrupting their boards and enabling his reanimation strategy.

• 3

  Nalia’s ability to cast spells from the top of her library helped maintain tempo and pressure on opponents.

• 4

  Lyra’s life gain triggers from angels like Shattered Angel provided sustainability against aggressive plays.

• 5

  The interaction of paying life for casting spells and triggering lifelink created a potent value engine for Lorcan’s player.

• 6

  Board wipes and creature theft from Lorcan shifted the game balance, requiring players to adapt their strategies dynamically.

Notable Cards

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  Lion Sash

• 

  Bone Saw

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  Puresteel Paladin

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  Archpriest of Iona

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  Shattered Angel

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  Blood Artist

• 

  Mind Stone

Summary

The game began with players establishing their board presence and setting up their strategies. Balan, Wandering Knight focused on a mono-white voltron build, equipping his commander with cost-efficient equipment like Lion Sash and Bone Saw to draw cards and boost his attacks. Nalia de'Arnise aimed to leverage cleric, rogue, warrior, and wizard spells while manipulating the top of her library to cast spells efficiently. Lyra Dawnbringer's player built around angels and life gain, playing cards such as Archpriest of Iona and Shattered Angel to stabilize and gain incremental advantage. Lorcan, Warlock Collector, a monoblack reanimator deck, began setting up with life payments and sacrifices, casting creatures like Blood Artist and Eldest Reborn to control the board and trigger value from death effects. As the game progressed, key turning points included Lorcan's use of Eldest Reborn to force sacrifices, disrupting opponents' boards, and his commander’s ability to wipe the board and take control of creatures, which posed a significant threat to other players. Balan capitalized on his multiple equipment interactions, drawing cards and buffing his commander into a lethal threat. Nalia's ability to cast spells from the top of her deck allowed her to maintain pressure and generate value through creatures like Gazelle Gold Mine. Lyra continued to support with angels and life gain triggers to stay alive. The game saw chaotic swings in board state as Lorcan’s reanimation and board wipe effects reset the battlefield, forcing players to adapt quickly. The match revolved around managing these powerful plays and interactions, with players jockeying for position and attempting to close out with either voltron damage, angelic aggression, or attrition through sacrifice and reanimation.