$5 And Below | Commander VS | Magic: the Gathering Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Alela, Artful Provocateur

  This deck aims to generate value from playing low-cost artifacts and enchantments, using Alela's ability to create a swarm of faerie tokens.

• 

  Kalamax, the Stormsire

  The strategy revolves around copying instants and generating value from Kalamax's ability, aiming to control the board and overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Gishath, Sun's Avatar

  This deck is focused on ramping out large dinosaurs quickly using Gishath's ability, aiming to overpower opponents with a massive dino army.

• 

  The Council of Four

  The deck aims to draw a lot of cards and generate tokens, with several alternate win conditions built in.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The early game decision to ramp using Fiery Inscription proved to be a game-changing moment, allowing the Kalamax player to take control of the game.

• 2

  The use of Howling Mine by The Council of Four player, while beneficial for all players, ultimately favored the Kalamax player more due to their deck strategy.

• 3

  The decision of the Gishath player to focus on establishing a strong board presence early on was a good strategic move, but it was not enough to counteract the value generated by the Kalamax player.

Notable Cards

• 

  Arcane Signet

• 

  Fiery Inscription

• 

  Howling Mine

Summary

The match starts off with a tight balance of power. Early plays are focused on building mana and setting up defenses. With each deck designed to maximize value from cards costing $5 or less, the game quickly becomes a showcase of strategic decision-making and efficient resource use. As the game progresses, each player tries to establish their board presence and leverage their commander's unique abilities. The turning point of the match comes when the Kalamax, the Stormsire player starts duplicating instants, tipping the scales in their favor. Despite the other players' best efforts to counteract this advantage, the Kalamax player continues to dominate the field, eventually leading to their victory.