We Play Our Most OBSCURE Decks | Deathleaper vs Squall vs Ishkanah vs Vial Smasher / Ishai

Deck & Commander Strategies

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  Deathleaper, Terror Weapon

  Leverages token creation, copies, and Myriad to produce multiple attacking creatures each turn, triggering Deathleaper's ability to deal damage and grow in power, aiming to overwhelm opponents with swift, repeated combat damage.

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  Squall, SeeD Mercenary

  Focuses on reanimating small permanents from the graveyard by dealing combat damage with Squall's double strike, using discard outlets and unblockable effects to maintain pressure and gain card advantage.

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  Ishkanah, Grafwidow

  Floods the board with spiders and uses delirium to convert them into mana, enabling multiple activations of Ishkanah’s ability to drain opponents’ life totals and control the board through sacrifice and token synergies.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce / Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker

  Combines wheel effects and forced discard to disrupt opponents’ hands while drawing cards, then leverages this card advantage to ping opponents and maintain pressure through incremental damage and resource denial.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Squall’s use of Key to the City to make his creatures unblockable was crucial for enabling multiple combat damage triggers and reanimation effects, allowing him to replay key permanents and maintain board presence.

• 2

  Deathleaper’s early deployment of Firebender Ascension combined with haste granted by the Fire Crystal accelerated the deck’s aggressive damage output, forcing opponents to prioritize defense.

• 3

  Ishkanah’s strategy to generate spiders and use sacrifice outlets like Ashnod's Altar hinted at a combo or value engine, but the deck required careful setup to start pressuring opponents effectively.

• 4

  The Vial Smasher/Ishai player’s card draw and forced discard engine from Jayce’s Archivist created tension in the game by telegraphing an impending wheel effect, forcing opponents to consider holding removal or accepting card loss.

• 5

  Players appeared to balance aggression and timing, preparing to respond to each other's telegraphed plays, such as potential board wipes following the wheel or sudden bursts of commander damage.

Notable Cards

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  Firebender Ascension

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  Key to the City

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  Twitching Doll

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  Ashnod's Altar

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  Wayfarer's Bauble

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  Arcane Signet

Gameplay Summary