Deck & Commander Strategies
Preston, the Vanisher
Utilizes blink effects on non-token creatures entering the battlefield to create illusion token copies that generate card advantage and can be sacrificed to exile non-land permanents, controlling the board through repeated enter-the-battlefield triggers.
Ayula, Queen Among Bears
Focuses on a bear tribal theme, using Ayula’s ability to either bolster bears with +1/+1 counters or force favorable fights against opponent creatures, leveraging a critical mass of bears supported by snow-covered forests.
Tyvar, the Pummeler
An elf tribal ramp deck that builds a board of creatures to enable Tyvar’s overrun effect, granting indestructibility to himself and pumping all creatures for a large, potentially game-ending combat phase.
Hydro-Man, Fluid Felon
A mono-blue ramp deck that grows Hydro-Man by casting blue spells and untaps him to turn into a blue mana-producing land, enabling the casting of multiple clones and ramp spells to accelerate into powerful plays.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Preston’s blink synergy creates multiple illusion tokens to generate card advantage and board control, with the potential to exile key permanents by sacrificing illusions, creating a slow but powerful control axis.
- 2
Ayula’s ability to force bears to fight or grow with +1/+1 counters creates flexible board control and pressure, especially with a deck heavily committed to bear tribal and snow-covered lands.
- 3
Tyvar’s indestructibility granted to himself and the overrun effect based on the largest creature’s power sets up a lethal combat phase once sufficient elves are on board.
- 4
Hydro-Man’s transformation into a land during end step enables significant mana ramp, facilitating the casting of multiple clones and other spells to increase board presence quickly.
- 5
The use of snow-covered forests in Ayula’s deck to support specific bear synergies demonstrates creative deckbuilding to maximize tribal effectiveness within a mono-green shell.
Notable Cards
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Preston, the Vanisher
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Ayula, Queen Among Bears
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Tyvar, the Pummeler
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Hydro-Man, Fluid Felon
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Wild Growth
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Heritage Druid
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Nettle Sentinel
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Ponder
Gameplay Summary
The game began with each player showcasing their unique mono-colored decks, setting the tone for a diverse but focused battle.
Phil Gallagher piloted Preston, the Vanisher, leveraging a blink strategy to create illusion token copies of non-token creatures entering the battlefield, aiming to eventually exile problematic permanents by sacrificing those illusions.
Phil’s ability to blink creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects provided card advantage and board presence, setting up powerful synergies. Ayula, Queen Among Bears, brought a bear-centric aggressive strategy, using her ability to either buff bears or force them into fights, capitalizing on a deck filled heavily with bear creatures and snow-covered forests to support them.
Tyvar, the Pummeler led an elf-themed deck focused on ramp and a potential overrun with his ability to pump creatures and grant indestructibility, preparing for large combat turns.
Hydro-Man, Fluid Felon piloted a mono-blue ramp deck that utilized blue spells to grow his commander and converted him into a land to accelerate mana, enabling the casting of powerful clones and ramp spells. Early turns focused on ramp and setting the stage, with players developing their boards carefully.
Preston’s blink synergies began to take shape, generating multiple illusion tokens and card draw, while Ayula aimed to maintain board control with bear fights.
Tyvar and Hydro-Man focused on ramping and building up their creatures to unleash big turns.
The game’s critical moments revolved around Preston’s blinking combos that could exile key permanents, and Tyvar’s potential to leverage his overrun effect for a decisive combat finish.
The interplay of ramp, token creation, and targeted removal defined the pacing, promising a climactic conclusion based on board control and resource advantage.
![Commander VS S16E1: Ayula VS Urza VS The First Sliver VS Yawgmoth [EDH] thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tkuMVsCr0s4/sddefault.jpg)
![Herumkommandiert #04 Tribal Trouble | Commander EDH Gameplay [Deutsch] thumbnail](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/le505YcXDvU/sddefault.jpg)
