Deck & Commander Strategies
Maelstrom Wanderer
Leverages cascade to cast multiple large creatures and extra turn spells quickly, generating overwhelming board presence and tempo advantage. Utilizes haste and cascade to keep opponents off balance.
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
Focuses on unblockable ninjas and topdeck manipulation to deal damage through commander triggers. Uses ninjutsu to get early damage in and supports the plan with extra turns and discard effects to maintain hand size and pressure.
Kodama of the East Tree & Jeska, Thrice Reborn
A big creature combo deck that cheats large creatures into play and leverages Jeska's damage doubling ability. Generates treasure tokens to ramp into even bigger threats and combos, using Tooth and Nail to put game-winning creatures on the battlefield.
Olivia, Crimson Bride
A combo-oriented deck aiming to generate infinite combat steps through reanimation and artifact synergies. Uses tutors to assemble combos and graveyard recursion to maintain pressure and maximize combat phases.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Yuriko's early ninjutsu attacks combined with Curtain's Call significantly pressured opponents by dealing incremental damage and forcing difficult decisions.
- 2
Maelstrom Wanderer's cascades into extra turn spells and big creatures allowed multiple combat phases in a single turn, swinging momentum heavily in Ryan's favor.
- 3
Carlos's use of Tooth and Nail to cheat Urabrask and Old Gnawbone into play, followed by Jeska's damage doubling, created a high-impact turn that dealt massive damage and generated a large treasure token pool.
- 4
Kelly's timely use of board wipes like Damnation and Toxic Deluge helped stabilize the board and disrupt opponents' tempo before setting up combo pieces like Dockside Extortionist and Ashnod's Altar.
- 5
Political negotiations influenced key removal decisions, with players opting to keep certain threats alive temporarily to avoid becoming immediate targets.
- 6
The synergy between Jeska's ability and Kodama's cheat-into-play effect was a central threat that required focused answers from the rest of the table.
- 7
Despite powerful board presence, careful resource management and timing were vital as players balanced aggression with survival in a high-power, fast-paced game.
Notable Cards
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Maelstrom Wanderer
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Etali, Primal Storm
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Moraug, Fury of Akoum
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Jeska, Thrice Reborn
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Kodama of the East Tree
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Tooth and Nail
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Old Gnawbone
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Dockside Extortionist
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Damnation
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Nyxbloom Ancient
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Deathrender
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Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty
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Talisman of Indulgence
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Talisman of Dominance
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Toxic Deluge
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Fierce Guardianship
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Sakashima's Student
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Xenagos, God of Revels
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Ashnod's Altar
Gameplay Summary
The game featured a high-power four-player Commander pod with Maelstrom Wanderer, Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, Kodama of the East Tree paired with Jeska, Thrice Reborn, and Olivia, Crimson Bride.
Early turns involved setting up mana bases and deploying key ramp artifacts like Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and various mana dorks.
Yuriko was aggressive early, using ninjutsu to deal incremental damage and disrupt opponents, while Maelstrom Wanderer leveraged cascade triggers to summon impactful creatures and extra turns, significantly influencing combat phases.
Kodama and Jeska focused on cheating large creatures into play and generating treasure tokens, building a threatening board presence supported by powerful synergy between Jeska's damage doubling and Kodama's cheat effects.
Olivia aimed to set up infinite combat steps through reanimation and combos but faced disruption from board wipes and removal. A pivotal moment occurred when Olivia cast Damnation, clearing much of the board and resetting the tempo, but Maelstrom Wanderer quickly recovered by recasting and cascading into powerful threats like Etali, Primal Storm, and Moraug, Fury of Akoum.
Ryan's cascade-driven plays dealt heavy damage and leveraged political decisions to avoid early elimination.
Carlos's Kodama/Jestka deck executed a major Tooth and Nail to put Urabrask and Old Gnawbone into play, creating a devastating attack that severely damaged opponents and generated a massive treasure pool.
Kelly's Olivia deck responded with Toxic Deluge and a Dockside Extortionist combo to generate more resources and pressure.
Meanwhile, Yuriko used topdeck manipulation and discard effects to maintain pressure, occasionally utilizing Curtain's Call to deal damage across the board. The game showcased a dynamic flow of board wipes, cascading big threats, and combo setups.
Each player balanced aggression with political maneuvering, deciding when to deploy removal or hold back to avoid becoming the primary target.
The game highlighted the strength of cascade effects combined with extra turn spells, large creature synergies with Jeska and Kodama, and Olivia's potential for infinite combat steps, all in a fast-paced, high-power environment.
![Godo vs Greven vs Kamahl//Jeska vs Yuriko [EDH/Commander, Magic The Gathering Gameplay] 2021 thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DDc4feFl_9s/sddefault.jpg)
