Bloomburrow is back! Cruelclaw v Baylen v Malcolm/Vial v Malcolm/Tana

Deck Strategies

• Infamous Cruelclaw

  A spellslinger build leveraging the commander’s ability to cast large spells for free, aiming to control the board and generate value while dealing incremental damage.

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  Baylen, the Haymaker

  An aggressive midrange deck focused on creature combat damage, treasure generation, and extort triggers to outvalue opponents and wear them down.

• 

  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator / Vial Smasher the Fierce

  A Grixis pirate tribal and spellslinger deck using artifact ramp and interaction, aiming to leverage pirate synergies and efficient removal to control the game.

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  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator / Tana, the Bloodsower

  A combo-oriented deck that generates tokens and uses creature-based combos, particularly involving Niambi and Curiosity, to draw large portions of the deck and finish opponents swiftly.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The Infamous Cruelclaw player prioritized casting large spells to pressure opponents early and maintain board control, leveraging the commander’s free casting ability effectively.

• 2

  Baylen's use of treasure generation combined with extort kept steady incremental damage and resource advantage, forcing opponents to respond to constant threats.

• 3

  The Malcolm/Tana deck's combination of Eldritch Evolution and Niambi to set up a Curiosity draw combo was the game-winning line, highlighting the power of creature-based combo engines in Commander.

• 4

  Players carefully used interaction like Mana Drain and Pyroblast to disrupt key spells, but ultimately the combo deck was able to outvalue and outpace the group.

• 5

  Despite strong combat and disruption from other decks, the ability to draw and replay key combo pieces repeatedly with Endurance sealed the game for the Malcolm/Tana player.

Notable Cards

• 

  Worldfire

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  Magda, Brazen Outlaw

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  Niambi, Faithful Healer

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  Curiosity

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  Eldritch Evolution

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  The One Ring

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  Mox Opal

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  Deflecting Swat

Summary

The game featured a dynamic four-player Commander match with aggressive and combo-centric strategies vying for control. Infamous Cruelclaw focused on casting large spells to generate value and pressure, while Baylen, the Haymaker aimed to push through damage with a creature-heavy approach supported by treasures and extort triggers. Malcolm decks, piloted by two players, played different builds: one with Vial Smasher the Fierce focusing on pirate synergies and generic Gx strategies, and the other combining Malcolm with Tana, the Bloodsower to leverage token generation and combo potential. Key turning points included early mana acceleration and artifact ramp, with Cruelclaw casting high-impact spells like Worldfire and Imp to the Abyss to control board state. Magda and other treasure generators helped Baylen apply consistent combat pressure, while Malcolm decks deployed interaction and combo pieces such as Niambi and Curiosity. Ultimately, the Malcolm/Tana player assembled a powerful combo with Niambi and Curiosity, using Eldritch Evolution to tutor and cast key pieces, drawing most of their deck and clearing the board. This overwhelming advantage allowed them to eliminate all opponents through repeated damage and card draw synergies, securing a decisive victory.