Deck & Commander Strategies
Glarb, Calamity's Augur
Control the top of the library with surveil and card draw to assemble a Doomsday-like combo finish, leveraging graveyard interactions and card advantage to dominate the mid to late game.
Kotis, the Fangkeeper
Build a voltron board with pump spells and equipment, stealing opponents' best spells and growing Kotis through exile interactions while maintaining board presence and pressure.
Emet-Selch, Unsundered
Utilize self-mill, looting, and graveyard recursion to generate card advantage and recurring threats, applying pressure with creatures like Shi Uldrid and disrupting opponents' hands and boards.
Esika, God of the Tree // The Prismatic Bridge
Assemble a five-color mana base to run a polymorph combo strategy, cheating in large threats through polymorph while protecting key pieces with counterspells and drawing cards for consistency.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Players leveraged looting and surveil effects extensively to sculpt their hands and fuel graveyard synergies, critical for their respective strategies.
- 2
The use of Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale by Kotis’ player effectively taxed opponents' creatures, influencing their development and combat decisions.
- 3
Emet-Selch’s player exploited the interaction of looting and bounce effects to maintain pressure and card advantage, especially leveraging Shi Uldrid’s lifelink to sustain through damage.
- 4
Esika’s polymorph strategy required precise mana fixing and protection spells to safely execute the combo, with Veil of Summer providing crucial interaction counterplay.
- 5
Combat phases were pivotal for triggering commanders’ abilities and forcing opponents to make difficult blocks, often swinging board control and life totals.
- 6
Resource management, including life total sacrifices and mana usage, was key to maintaining tempo and enabling high-impact plays across the game.
Notable Cards
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Doomsday
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Mystic Remora
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Veil of Summer
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Polymorph
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Arcane Signet
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Dark Ritual
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Glimpse the Unthinkable
Gameplay Summary
The game begins with a tight early interaction where each player establishes their board and sets up their strategies.
Glarb uses a Doomsday-like approach, controlling the top of his library through surveil and card advantage, aiming for a powerful combo finish.
Kotis employs a Sultai voltron-style deck with pump spells and equipment, focusing on stealing opponents' best spells and building a threatening creature.
Emet-Selch leverages self-mill and graveyard manipulation alongside powerful looting effects and recurring threats, applying pressure with creatures like Shi Uldrid.
Esika runs a five-color polymorph strategy, focusing on assembling a diverse mana base and using polymorph to cheat in game-winning creatures, supported by card draw and interaction tools like Mystics and counterspells. Significant moments include multiple instances of looting and surveilling that fuel graveyard synergies and card selection, as well as combat phases where commanders and key creatures trade damage and trigger abilities.
The players carefully manage resources such as life totals and mana while responding to each other's plays with removal and protective spells like Veil of Summer.
Key board states involve Cotus growing stronger through exile interactions, and Emet-Selch repeatedly pressuring opponents with looting and bouncing effects.
The game showcases a dynamic tug-of-war between control, combo setup, and combat damage, with players punishing risky draws and capitalizing on opponents' vulnerabilities to steer towards victory.
