Webcam Wizards #13: Volrath vs Zaxara vs Kalamax vs Ikra || Vial Smasher EDH / CMDR game play

Deck Strategies

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  Volrath, the Shapestealer

  Focuses on mutating creatures to steal and enhance opponents' creatures, creating a resilient and adaptive board presence that can pressure opponents through combat damage and synergy with counters.

• 

  Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

  A spellslinger build that gains life and generates value from casting numerous instant and sorcery spells, aiming to outlast opponents with incremental advantages and life gain.

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  Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Deals consistent damage to opponents whenever a player casts a spell, combined with aggressive spellslinging and damage amplification to quickly reduce opponents' life totals.

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  Zaxara, the Exemplary

  Leverages X-spells to generate large hydra tokens and ramp mana, aiming to overwhelm opponents with big creatures and sustained pressure from spellcasting.

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  Kalamax, the Stormsire

  Utilizes storm and spell copying synergies to generate multiple spells per turn, growing hydra tokens and controlling the board with removal and counter effects.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Copying key spells like Terminate and Extanguinate significantly shifts board control and tempo, forcing players to carefully consider spell timing and responses.

• 2

  Mutation mechanics on Volrath enable flexible creature enhancement but require protection against removal and sacrifice effects to maximize value.

• 3

  Ramp spells such as Cultivate and Kodama's Reach are vital for accelerating mana to cast high-impact spells and commanders.

• 4

  Vial Smasher’s triggered damage on opponents’ spellcasting creates a constant threat that pressures players to play cautiously with their spells.

• 5

  Card draw engines like Sylvan Library and Muse Drake provide crucial hand advantage, allowing players to maintain options and respond to board developments.

• 6

  Strategic life gain from Ikra Shidiqi helps mitigate aggressive damage while supporting a spellslinger approach.

Notable Cards

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  Sylvan Library

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  Cultivate

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  Kodama's Reach

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  Muse Drake

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  Terminate

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  Primal Amulet // Primal Wellspring

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  Electrodominance

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  Disciple of the Ring

Summary

The multiplayer Commander game featured a dynamic and interactive board state with Volrath, the Shapestealer, Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper, Vial Smasher the Fierce, Zaxara the Exemplary, and Kalamax the Stormsire. Early turns focused on developing mana bases and setting up board presence, with key plays including ramp spells like Cultivate and Kodama's Reach, and strategic use of planeswalkers such as Nissa. The game saw multiple interactions involving counter manipulation, token generation, and creature sacrifices, particularly revolving around Kalamax's hydra tokens and Volrath’s mutation mechanics. Players also leveraged card draw engines like Sylvan Library and Muse Drake to maintain hand advantage. A pivotal moment occurred when Extanguinate was cast, threatening to clear the board, but the presence of copy effects and counterspells introduced complex layers of interaction. Volrath's ability to mutate creatures and generate value was countered by timely removal spells like Terminate, often doubled through various copy effects. The game pace accelerated with multiple ramp and draw spells, while threats like Zaxara’s mana generation through X-spells and Vial Smasher’s damage triggers pressured opponents. The match highlighted the tension between building board state and disrupting opponents, with the eventual win condition likely revolving around leveraging damage from Vial Smasher’s triggered abilities or Volrath’s mutated creatures to close out the game.