Selvala vs Octavia | Round 1 | JG 031222

Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Deck & Commander Strategies

Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Ramp quickly using mana acceleration to cast large creatures and draw cards, aiming to overwhelm opponents through resource advantage and creature power.
Octavia, Living Thesis
Leverage artifact synergies and spell copying to generate incremental value, control the board, and assemble combos that can decisively swing the game in her favor.

Gameplay Insights

1
Selvala's early mana ramp was crucial for developing a threatening board presence quickly.
2
Octavia's ability to copy spells created pivotal moments by either clearing Selvala's board or generating card advantage.
3
Maintaining resource parity was key for Octavia to stay in the game against Selvala’s creature pressure.
4
The interaction between artifact recursion and spell copying was a central theme dictating board control shifts.

Notable Cards

Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Octavia, Living Thesis

Gameplay Summary

The duel between Selvala, Heart of the Wilds and Octavia, Living Thesis showcased a clash of two distinctly different strategies in the Duel Commander format.

Selvala's deck focused on ramping mana quickly with green-based acceleration and generating card advantage through her ability to draw cards and ramp creatures, aiming to overwhelm the opponent with large creatures and sustained resource advantage.

On the other hand, Octavia's deck centered around artifact synergy and spell copying, leveraging her ability to cast artifacts and copy spells to develop a board state that could control the game tempo and create combo opportunities. Throughout the match, Selvala managed to establish early board presence and ramp mana, putting pressure on Octavia's resources.

Octavia responded by using artifact interactions and spell recursion to stabilize and generate incremental value, slowly building towards a critical mass of artifacts and spells that could be copied for devastating effect.

Key turning points included moments when Octavia successfully copied powerful spells to clear Selvala's board or generate card advantage, and when Selvala utilized her ramp to cast large threats that challenged Octavia's defenses.

Ultimately, the game revolved around whether Selvala could maintain enough pressure to close out before Octavia assembled her combo pieces or overwhelming artifact synergies to take control.

Watch on YouTube