CRYPTIDS, LOVERS, and PUPPIES | Wise Mothman v Yoshimaru v Myrel v Kellan | MTG Commanders

Deck Strategies

• 

  Myrel, Shield of Argive

  Builds a large army of soldier artifact tokens by attacking and prevents opponents from casting spells or activating abilities of artifacts, creatures, or enchantments during her turn, aiming to overwhelm with numbers and board control.

• 

  Kellan, the Kid

  Capitalizes on casting spells from zones other than hand to cascade into additional permanent spells for free or to ramp lands, aiming to generate massive value and board presence quickly through spell recursion and big plays.

• 

  Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful

  Focuses on growing a legendary creature through playing multiple legendary permanents, leveraging pirate synergies and exploring to generate card advantage and incremental growth.

• 

  The Wise Mothman

  Utilizes a radiation counter mechanic that mills cards from each player's deck, then uses the number of milled non-land cards to put +1/+1 counters on creatures, aiming for explosive growth and powerful board presence fueled by milling.

• 

  Francisco, Fowl Marauder

  Pirate synergy deck that benefits from dealing damage to players by exploring and generating card advantage, supporting the growth of Yoshimaru and contributing to aggressive board development.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of Shard of Broken Glass on Francisco F. Marauder enabled repeated milling triggers on attack, accelerating graveyard interactions and card advantage through explore.

• 2

  Radiation counters from The Wise Mothman created a persistent pressure where players had to mill cards each turn, fueling his board growth and forcing opponents to adapt or lose board state quickly.

• 3

  Kellan, the Kid’s ability to cast spells from zones other than hand without paying their mana cost allowed for explosive plays and ramping, increasing tempo significantly early in the game.

• 4

  Myrel’s ability to lock opponents out of casting spells or activating abilities during her turn slowed down enemy responses, giving her time to build a formidable token army.

• 5

  Early combat damage with commanders, especially Yoshimaru and Francisco, contributed to incremental advantages through counters and card advantage, shaping the mid-game board state.

Notable Cards

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  Shard of Broken Glass

• 

  Mortuary Mire

• 

  Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

• 

  Drowned Catacomb

• 

  Francisco, Fowl Marauder

Summary

The game features four players piloting distinct commanders with unique strategies, leading to a dynamic and interactive match. Early turns involved ramping and setting up board presence, with Myrel, Shield of Argive focusing on building a soldier token army, Kellan, the Kid utilizing spells cast from unusual zones to cascade into additional plays, and Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful steadily growing through legendary permanents and pirate synergy. The Wise Mothman introduced a radiation counter mechanic that added a mill-based synergy, granting significant board growth through +1/+1 counters on creatures as non-land cards were milled. This mechanic created a tension among players, as radiation counters forced milling at the start of their turns, accelerating the game pace and rewarding aggressive milling and combat strategies. Key turning points included the equipping of Shard of Broken Glass to Francisco F. Marauder, enabling repeated milling and triggering exploration to generate card advantage. Combat damage with commanders began to shape the board state, particularly with Yoshimaru gaining incremental growth and Francisco exploring for lands. The Wise Mothman’s radiation counters and milling triggered powerful growth on the board, making it a focal threat. The interaction between milling and counter placement led to escalating board states where creatures became larger and players were forced to respond quickly or be overwhelmed. The game’s win condition revolved around leveraging either the soldier tokens army, the efficient spell recursion and cascade of Kellan, or the exponential growth of +1/+1 counters fueled by milling from The Wise Mothman, with combat damage and commander synergy playing essential roles throughout.