Cardboard Command Ep. 6 The Face to Face-Off | MTG Commander | EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

  Build a wide board of cat tokens with anthem effects and synergy from artifacts like Aqueous Monument, aiming to overwhelm opponents with large numbers of vigilant creatures.

• 

  Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge

  Leverage dragon tribal synergy and political negotiation to avoid early aggression, building up resources and using Gadrak’s abilities to control the board and strike at weakened opponents.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce & Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

  Aggressive Grixis spell-slinger style, dealing damage through triggered effects and burn spells, while applying pressure with Vial Smasher and supporting spells like Dragon Tempest.

• 

  Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen

  Control and disruption through removal and powerful planeswalker effects, aiming to stabilize the board while positioning for a late-game finish with Bolas’s transformative power.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Players used political deals to temporarily avoid attacks, notably John’s arrangement to not be attacked for two full rounds in exchange for no aggression, shifting the balance of power.

• 2

  Colin’s use of Vampiric Link on Vial Smasher effectively limited his attack options but provided lifelink, showing a trade-off between offense and survivability.

• 3

  Lucas’s Elesh Norn deck capitalized on token generation and anthem effects to quickly build a threatening board, forcing opponents to choose between attacking him or dealing with his growing army.

• 4

  Targeted removal was carefully deployed to break key synergies, such as destroying Coffin Queen to disrupt token support, highlighting the importance of timing in creature removal.

• 5

  The game featured heavy interaction between players to balance aggression and diplomacy, demonstrating the complexity of multiplayer Commander politics.

Notable Cards

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  Vial Smasher the Fierce

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  Dragon Tempest

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  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

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  Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge

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  Coffin Queen

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  Vampiric Link

Summary

The game started with players establishing their mana bases and early board presence with ramp spells and creatures. Notably, Colin's Grixis deck aggressively deployed Vial Smasher the Fierce and leveraged Dragon Tempest for incremental damage. Lucas's Elesh Norn deck focused on creating a resilient cat token army with synergy from Aqueous Monument and Leonine Warleader, building a formidable board state quickly. John’s Gadrak deck took a more political approach, using Gadrak’s dragon synergy and leveraging politics to avoid early aggression, striking deals to protect himself from attacks for multiple turns. A pivotal moment occurred when Colin’s Vial Smasher was enchanted with Vampiric Link, granting lifelink and forcing attack restrictions that shifted the political dynamics of the table. Players navigated complex diplomacy, with John securing temporary peace by promising not to attack if left alone, while Lucas pushed aggressive token production. Spencer on Nicol Bolas kept a conservative but threatening presence, capitalizing on others’ focus on politics. The game’s tension centered on balancing aggression with alliance, where strategic creature destruction and careful targeting aimed to disrupt opponents’ key threats without provoking overwhelming retaliation.