Krenko vs Gisa vs Hapatra vs Nekusar | The Command Dudes #16 |Magic: The Gathering CMDR/EDH Gameplay

Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Deck & Commander Strategies

Krenko, Mob Boss
Swarm the board with goblin tokens rapidly and overwhelm opponents through sheer numbers, buffing goblins with tribal synergies and mountainwalk to push damage through.
Ghoulcaller Gisa
Generate value by sacrificing creatures to create zombie tokens, drawing cards through death triggers, and leveraging zombie tribal buffs to control the board and win through attrition.
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Apply -1/-1 counters to creatures to create deathtouch snake tokens, controlling the board by discouraging attacks and slowly building an army of snakes to win through combat damage.
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
Control the game by forcing opponents to draw and discard cards through wheel effects while dealing incremental damage, disrupting opponents’ strategies and burning them out over time.

Gameplay Insights

1
Krenko's use of Path of Ancestry maximized token production by granting scry triggers on each goblin cast, allowing precise draws and continued pressure.
2
Hapatra effectively used her ability to put -1/-1 counters on opposing threats, then proliferated counters to build a formidable snake army with deathtouch, deterring attacks.
3
Gisa capitalized on sacrifice outlets and zombie synergy to turn creature deaths into card draws, maintaining hand size and board presence despite repeated combat losses.
4
Nekusar employed Opposition Agent to disrupt opponents' tutor searches, reducing their ability to find key combo pieces or answers early in the game.
5
The interaction between goblin tokens and deathtouch snakes created a tense board state where attackers had to carefully consider trades, slowing down aggressive pushes.
6
Equipping Hapatra with Whisper Silk Cloak granted unblockability and shroud, enabling consistent commander damage to opponents with high life totals.
7
Players balanced between attacking to reduce life totals and holding back blockers to maintain board control, highlighting the strategic depth of token-based tribal decks in multiplayer Commander.

Notable Cards

Krenko, Mob Boss
Goblin King
Path of Ancestry
Death Baron
Undead Augur
Midnight Reaper
Opposition Agent
Faithless Looting

Gameplay Summary

The game featured a dynamic clash between four distinct decks: an aggressive goblin swarm, a value-driven zombie synergy, a -1/-1 counter snake deck, and a wheel-and-damage focused Nekusar control build.

Early on, the goblin deck quickly established a wide board presence, leveraging Krenko, Mob Boss to flood the battlefield with goblins and buff them with key tribal support such as Goblin King and Mog War Marshal.

Meanwhile, Gisa's zombie deck generated steady card advantage through sacrificing and recurring zombies, utilizing Death Baron and Undead Augur to maintain board control and draw cards.

Hapatra's snake deck took advantage of -1/-1 counters to create multiple deathtouch snakes, steadily applying pressure and discouraging attacks.

Nekusar sought to disrupt opponents with wheel effects and incremental damage, though initially lagged behind on mana and board presence. Key turning points included Krenko's explosive goblin production combined with Path of Ancestry triggers fueling constant threats, and Hapatra's repeated deployment of snakes with deathtouch, which complicated blocking strategies.

Gisa capitalized on her sacrifice outlets to keep drawing cards and maintain zombies, while Nekusar attempted to slow the game with cards like Opposition Agent to hamper opponents' tutoring and searching.

Combat exchanges often saw goblins and snakes trading blows, but the presence of unblockable equipment on Hapatra allowed some consistent commander damage.

The game featured intense board tension with each player vying for incremental advantage, setting the stage for a climactic finish driven by token swarms, incremental damage, and value engine synergies.

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