Commander Gameplay | Kudo V Phage V Questing Beast V Satya | EP 37

Deck Strategies

• Satya, Aetherflux Genius

  Leverages menace and haste to create attacking tapped token copies of creatures, gaining energy and using it to maintain board presence or fuel abilities. The deck likely focuses on tempo and incremental advantage through token creation and energy management.

• Kudo, King Among Bears

  Builds a bear tribal synergy by turning all creatures into bears and capitalizing on the tribal bonuses. The deck aims to overwhelm opponents with numerous synergistic bear creatures and buffs.

• 

  Phage the Untouchable

  Focuses on deploying Phage to deal combat damage, which causes instant destruction of creatures and results in the player dealt commander damage losing the game. The deck aims to win by direct commander damage with Phage while managing the risk of losing by casting her from anywhere other than hand.

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  Questing Beast

  Aggressively attacks with a fast, evasive creature that has multiple combat abilities including haste, deathtouch, and unpreventable combat damage. The deck uses Questing Beast to pressure opponents and deal damage to creatures and planeswalkers, supported by equipment and buffs to maximize impact.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Questing Beast's early deployment and aggressive attacks set a fast pace, forcing opponents to react quickly and strategically.

• 2

  Kudo's bear tribal synergy transformed the board, creating a unique battlefield dynamic that pressured all players.

• 3

  Phage's threat of instant player loss upon commander damage created tension and cautious play, with players wary of allowing her to connect.

• 4

  The use of equipment to buff Questing Beast significantly increased its damage output but was met with timely counterspells to prevent overpowering the board.

• 5

  Becoming the monarch was used as a defensive tactic to disincentivize attacks by forcing opponents to pay cards from their hands, effectively protecting the monarch.

• 6

  Players carefully chose attack targets to avoid early deaths from commander damage, highlighting the importance of threat assessment in multiplayer EDH games.

Notable Cards

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  Questing Beast

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  Phage the Untouchable

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  Satya, Aetherflux Genius

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  Kudo, King Among Bears

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  Sword of War and Peace

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  Sundial of the Infinite

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  Path of Ancestry

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  Unexpected Windfall

Summary

The game started with a relatively slow early pace as players established their mana bases and dropped early creatures. Questing Beast made a strong early impact by being cast on turn two, leveraging its haste and aggressive stats to apply steady pressure, enhanced further by equipment like Armadillo Cloak and Hammer of the Song. Satya, Aetherflux Genius created attacking tokens but was cautious about overcommitting, while Kudo, King Among Bears began transforming the board into an overwhelming bear tribal theme, amplifying synergy by turning all creatures into bears. Phage the Untouchable's player focused on setting up the deadly commander that causes instant player loss upon dealing combat damage, creating a looming threat for the table. As the game progressed, Questing Beast continued to be a primary source of damage and disruption, but it also faced counterspells, notably a Sword of War and Peace that was countered to prevent further buffs. The board state saw increasing complexity with players jockeying for position: one player became the monarch and created a deterrent to attacks based on hand size, while others prepared for explosive turns with treasure generation and mana ramp. The bear tribal synergy from Kudo's deck threatened to dominate the battlefield, creating a unique thematic tension. Key moments included the deployment of powerful equipment and removal spells, as well as strategic decisions to avoid attacking certain players to delay inevitable commander damage. The game was marked by a delicate balance between aggressive combat and defensive plays to survive until one of the lethal commanders closed out the game.