Commander Gameplay Queen Kayla vs Baba Lysaga vs Negan vs Eriette TTJ Ep 44 ​⁠

Deck Strategies

• 

  Queen Kayla bin-Kroog

  Utilizes Boros-themed artifact and equipment synergies to enhance creatures and apply pressure, aiming to dominate combat phases with boosted attackers.

• 

  Eriette of the Charmed Apple

  Focuses on enchantments and political gameplay to manipulate opponents' actions, using control elements and incentive-based strategies to stay safe and win.

• 

  Malik, Grim Manipulator

  Aims for early board disruption and removal through enter-the-battlefield effects, leveraging mind games to eliminate key threats and establish dominance.

• 

  Baba Lysaga, Night Witch

  Relies on Aristocrat mechanics, sacrificing food tokens and creatures to gain value, drain life from opponents, and maintain board presence.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Negan's early casting of Malik, Grim Manipulator on turn two created a pivotal moment by forcing each player to secretly select a creature for removal, resulting in the loss of multiple key creatures and shifting board control.

• 2

  The use of Unwinding Clock to untap artifacts at the end of turns enabled additional resource generation and potential combo interactions, increasing tempo.

• 3

  Baba Lysaga's strategy of generating and sacrificing food tokens synergized well with her Aristocrat theme, allowing for incremental life drain and board advantage.

• 4

  Queen Kayla's rapid artifact deployment and equipment cost reduction helped maintain pressure despite early losses from Negan's board wipe effect.

Notable Cards

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  Unwinding Clock

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  Mishra's Foundry

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  Malik, Grim Manipulator

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  Baba Lysaga, Night Witch

Summary

The game started with players establishing their mana bases and ramping quickly, with early plays including artifacts like Soul Ring and Lotus Pedal to accelerate their resources. Baba Lysaga focused on Aristocrat synergies, aiming to sacrifice food tokens and creatures to gain advantages, while Queen Kayla bin-Kroog pushed a Boros artifact and equipment theme, leveraging synergies to boost her board presence. Malik, Grim Manipulator was played by Negan, who made a significant impact early by casting his commander on turn two and triggering its enter-the-battlefield ability, forcing opponents into a mind game to select creatures for removal, leading to a key early board wipe of valuable creatures. Eriette of the Charmed Apple, meanwhile, worked on political plays and enchantment synergies to control the pace of the game and incentivize opponents to focus on each other.