Deck Strategies
Gollum, Scheming Guide
Utilizes a guessing game mechanic on attacks where opponents guess the top card type of the library; incorrect guesses make Gollum unblockable and draw a card, aiming to buff and quickly finish opponents.
Lord of the Nazgûl
Focuses on deploying up to nine Nazgûl creatures and triggering ring temptations to place +1/+1 counters on his wraith creatures, turning them into deadly threats with deathtouch to control the board.
Arwen, Weaver of Hope
Builds a +1/+1 counter synergy deck with mana dorks that produce mana based on their power or toughness, using this mana to expand the board with more counters and creatures.
Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant
Leverages life gain triggers and spells that double life totals to reach a high life total threshold, winning the game instantly by surpassing 111 life.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
The combination of Explorer's Scope and Sword of the Animist allowed Gollum to ramp lands consistently in a mono-black deck, which is typically mana-starved, giving him a crucial early-game advantage.
- 2
The Nazgûl player strategically used ring temptations to buff all wraiths with +1/+1 counters and deathtouch, creating a board that was difficult to block and threatening to opponents.
- 3
Gollum’s guessing game mechanic forced opponents into a psychological battle of information and deception, with incorrect guesses granting him unblockable attacks and card draws, making each attack high risk and high reward.
- 4
Arwen’s mana dork and counter synergy aimed to create exponential growth in board presence, relying on creatures that produce mana proportional to their stats, enabling her to outpace opponents in resource generation.
- 5
Bilbo’s deck carefully balanced ramp and life gain, setting up a potential explosive life gain combo to reach the instant-win life total threshold, making his life total a key metric for opponents to monitor and disrupt.
Notable Cards
Explorer's Scope
Sword of the Animist
Cabal Stronghold
Arcane Signet
Dark Ritual
Summary
The game began with a slow and strategic ramp-up phase as players established their boards, focusing on their thematic Lord of the Rings commanders. The Lord of the Nazgûl player sought to amass multiple Nazgûl creatures to leverage ring temptations for incremental buffs and board presence. Gollum, Scheming Guide, utilized a unique mechanic where opponents guessed the top card type of his library during attacks, providing him card advantage and potential unblockable attacks when opponents guessed wrong. Arwen, Weaver of Hope, focused on a +1/+1 counter synergy that ramped mana based on creature stats, aiming to grow her board exponentially. Meanwhile, Bilbo, Birthday Celebrant, aimed to capitalize on life gain triggers to reach a high life total and win by reaching a life threshold of 111 through explosive life-gain combos. Early key moments included Gollum successfully leveraging equipment to ramp and applying pressure with his guessing game mechanic, though opponents carefully navigated the risk of letting him draw cards and hit unblockable states. The Nazgûl deck made steady progress by deploying multiple Nazgûl and triggering ring temptations, boosting his creatures with deathtouch to deter blockers. Arwen’s deck began to build its board state with mana dorks and counter synergies, setting up for a potential explosive growth turn. Bilbo’s deck was patiently accumulating life gain triggers and ramping mana for a potential big life gain push. The gameplay highlighted the interplay between unique mechanics: Gollum’s guessing game, Nazgûl’s ring temptation counters, and Arwen’s counter-based mana ramp, creating a diverse and thematic battle. The game was poised to pivot on life gain thresholds, card advantage from Gollum’s attacks, or Nazgûl’s combat dominance.
