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Commander VS: S4E1 Mazirek vs Rakka vs Bruna vs Jeleva

SCG Commander

Commanders featured in this video Reviewed & Verified

Deck Strategies

  • Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

    Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

    Utilizes sacrifice and recursion mechanics to generate +1/+1 counters, create tokens, and draw cards, overwhelming opponents through incremental advantage and board presence.

  • Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge

    Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge

    Focuses on cascading into powerful spells to disrupt opponents and generate tempo, aiming to chain impactful instants and sorceries for a swift victory.

  • Bruna, Light of Alabaster

    Bruna, Light of Alabaster

    Leverages white angels and equipment synergies to control the board and apply pressure with resilient creatures and combat tricks.

  • Rakka Mar

    Rakka Mar

    Employs mono-red aggression with burn spells and fast creatures to apply early pressure and reduce opponents' life totals quickly.

Gameplay Insights

  • 1

    Mazirek’s synergy with sacrifice outlets and +1/+1 counter doublers like Doubling Season creates exponential growth in board presence, making it a key turning point.

  • 2

    Utilizing Deathreap Ritual every turn to draw cards off sacrifices provides Mazirek with a continuous resource stream, maintaining momentum.

  • 3

    Jeleva’s cascade triggers are critical for maintaining spell velocity and disrupting opponents' plans, showcasing the power of chaining spells efficiently.

  • 4

    The threat of Mazirek’s board state forces other players to either commit resources to removal or risk being overwhelmed, dictating the pacing of the game.

  • 5

    Bruna’s resilience through angel tribal and equipment gives her defensive staying power but struggles to match Mazirek’s resource generation.

  • 6

    Rakka Mar’s mono-red aggression pressures opponents early but may falter against well-established boards and recursion-heavy decks like Mazirek’s.

Notable Cards

  • Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

    Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest

  • Corpsejack Menace

    Corpsejack Menace

  • Doubling Season

    Doubling Season

  • Deathreap Ritual

    Deathreap Ritual

  • Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge

    Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge

  • Bruna, Light of Alabaster

    Bruna, Light of Alabaster

Summary

The game features four commanders selected from a fan submission: Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest; Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge; Bruna, Light of Alabaster; and Rakka Mar. The players begin by setting up their boards, with Mazirek focusing on a sacrifice-centric strategy that builds +1/+1 counters and recurs creatures. Early turns see Mazirek leveraging cards like Corpsejack Menace and Doubling Season to rapidly increase board presence and card draw through Deathreap Ritual. Meanwhile, Jeleva's deck aims to leverage her cascade-like ability to cast powerful spells quickly, while Bruna provides an aggressive white-based angel tribal or equipment synergy approach. Rakka Mar’s strategy revolves around mono-red aggression and likely burn spells and creatures to pressure opponents early. As the game unfolds, Mazirek's ability to sacrifice creatures to grow his board and draw cards creates significant tempo and resource advantage, forcing the other players to respond or be overwhelmed. Jeleva attempts to chain spells off cascade triggers to disrupt opponents and find win conditions. The balance of power swings as players try to eliminate threats, but Mazirek’s synergy with sacrifice and recursion proves difficult to overcome. The game likely culminates with Mazirek winning by overwhelming opponents with resilient threats and value generated from continuous sacrifice and +1/+1 counters.

Description

Commander VS is back! The fan mail has piled up during their brief hiatus, but they’re thrilled to be back honoring a special request from one of their biggest fans! The guys are back to start off season four with decks from a fan, Mackenzie, from Santiago, Chile!

Decklists: articles.starcitygames.com/premium/commander-vs-viewer-request

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