Yuriko vs Will & Lucas vs Rocco vs Alela [EDH/Commander, Magic The Gathering Gameplay 2022]

Decklists

Deck & Commander Strategies

Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
An evasive ninja tribal deck that uses ninjutsu to trigger Yuriko’s ability for damage and card draw, focusing on dealing incremental damage through unblockable attacks and ninja synergy.
Alela, Artful Provocateur
A control and token strategy that locks down opponents with enchantments and generates fairy tokens to overwhelm the board while maintaining control over the game state.
Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
A food token-based recursion deck that generates value through sacrificing food and repeatedly returning creatures to the battlefield, aiming for sustained board presence and incremental advantage.
Wernog, Rider's Chaplain
Utilizes artifact and creature synergies to generate value and control the board, likely focusing on incremental gains through sacrifices and recursion.
Bjorna, Nightfall Alchemist
Likely an alchemy or spell-casting focused deck that leverages instant and sorcery spells alongside creature abilities to gain advantage and control the board.

Gameplay Insights

1
Using Rocco’s ability to repeatedly bounce and replay creatures like Wirewood Symbiote to generate incremental advantage and mana efficiency.
2
Yuriko’s unblockable ninja attacks trigger multiple damage and card draw effects, effectively pressuring opponents while replenishing the player's hand.
3
Casting wheels and draw effects to refill hands and find critical combo pieces midgame, balancing risk and reward carefully.
4
Leveraging mana acceleration artifacts such as Mox Opal and rituals to enable explosive turns with multiple spells and triggers.
5
Alela’s strategy to lock down the board with enchantments and flood with fairies slows down opponents while setting up for a decisive finish.

Notable Cards

Mox Opal
Mystic Remora
Dark Ritual
Wirewood Symbiote
Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
Alela, Artful Provocateur

Gameplay Summary

The game started with all players developing their boards and ramping mana, with early plays including Will and Lucas playing their commanders and key ramp elements, while others set up their strategies with mana dorks and utility creatures.

Early interactions centered around setting up the board state, including the use of Chromox and Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer to generate value and combos with returning creatures.

Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, quickly began to pressure players with ninja attacks and triggered abilities that dealt damage and drew cards, setting the tone for an aggressive, evasive strategy.

Alela, Artful Provocateur focused on locking down the board with token generation and control elements, aiming to overwhelm opponents with fairies and enchantment synergies.

Rocco's deck revolved around food token generation and leveraging creature return abilities to maintain board presence and value, creating incremental advantages through combat and sacrifice triggers. Midgame saw a pivotal moment when players began to cycle through cards rapidly, using wheels and draw spells to refill hands and find key pieces.

The use of Dark Ritual and mana artifacts like Mox Opal accelerated explosive plays, allowing for multiple spells and triggers in a turn.

Combat phases became tense with Yuriko executing multiple unblockable ninja strikes, triggering damage and card draw effects that pressured opponents heavily.

The interactions between commanders and their synergies started to surface more clearly, with Alela's fairies bolstering board control and Rocco's recursion enabling sustained threats.

The game progressed with players balancing between building their board state and disrupting opponents, setting the stage for a potential explosive finish through combo or overwhelming board presence.

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