Mana Maelstrom -  Casual Commander - EP 14 - Raggadragga, Karlach, Eshki, Jan Jansen thumbnail Blurred backdrop thumbnail
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Mana Maelstrom - Casual Commander - EP 14 - Raggadragga, Karlach, Eshki, Jan Jansen

CheckForTraps TCG


Commanders featured in this Gameplay Reviewed & Verified

Decklist

Deck & Commander Strategies

  • Raggadragga, Goreguts Boss

    Raggadragga, Goreguts Boss

    A manador and landfall focused deck that buffs small creatures through landfall triggers and synergizes with multiple mana dorks to build a wide board presence.

  • Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter

    Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter

    An artifact-centric deck leveraging artifact recursion and token generation to control the board and create value through sacrificing and replaying low-cost artifacts.

  • Karlach, Fury of Avernus

    Karlach, Fury of Avernus

    Aggressive Gruul deck aiming to win through repeated combat phases, utilizing haste, trample, and combat phase manipulation to maximize damage output in a short window.

  • Eshki, Temur's Roar

    Eshki, Temur's Roar

    A dragon tribal deck focusing on ramping into large flying creatures and maintaining board presence with protection and damage triggers from dragons.

Gameplay Insights

  • 1

    The use of multiple combat phases by Karlach’s player was pivotal, enabling multiple attack steps and maximizing damage output while resetting attackers with haste and first strike.

  • 2

    Jan Jansen’s synergy with artifact recursion allowed repeated use of utility artifacts like Lotus Pedal, generating artifact tokens and enabling flexible plays.

  • 3

    Raggadragga’s deployment of manador creatures boosted by landfall triggers and the commander’s buff created a threatening board state early on.

  • 4

    Eshki’s player protected key dragons using equipment and enchantments to maintain board control and deter removal.

  • 5

    The Secret Rendezvous spell facilitated card draw between players, potentially shifting resources but also showing a casual, social aspect to the game.

  • 6

    Strategic equipment plays such as equipping Thunderbreak Regent with Basilisk Collar and making it indestructible demonstrated careful value optimization and board resilience.

Notable Cards

  • Karlach, Fury of Avernus

    Karlach, Fury of Avernus

  • Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter

    Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter

  • Raggadragga, Goreguts Boss

    Raggadragga, Goreguts Boss

  • Thunderbreak Regent

    Thunderbreak Regent

  • Lightning Greaves

    Lightning Greaves

  • Enduring Courage

    Enduring Courage

  • Basilisk Collar

    Basilisk Collar

Gameplay Summary

The game began with players establishing their mana bases and early board presence through various ramp creatures and artifact synergies.

Early plays included Land of War Elves from Raggadragga's player to boost mana, while Jan Jansen’s player focused on artifact generation and recursion, including deploying Luris of the Dream Den to replay artifacts like Lotus Pedal.

Eshki’s player ramped into powerful dragons, notably casting Thunderbreak Regent with protective equipment such as Basilisk Collar and making it indestructible.

Karlach’s player showcased the aggressive Gruul strategy centered on multiple combat phases, haste, and big creatures, culminating in casting Karlach herself equipped with Lightning Greaves to enable rapid, repeated attacks.

Raggadragga’s manador buff strategy began to take shape with the commander and various +2/+2 landfall boosts to his mana dorks.

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