Deck & Commander Strategies
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
Aggressive equipment-based strategy focusing on equipping creatures like Cloud with powerful swords for combat dominance and incremental damage.
Sauron, the Dark Lord
A midrange/control deck leveraging Nazgûl and amass mechanics to apply pressure through incremental growth and combat damage, using the Ring bearer to boost threats.
The Master of Keys
Token generation and graveyard recursion focused deck, using the Master of Keys’ escape ability to create multiple angel tokens and disrupt opponents with spells like Aura of Silence.
Breya, Etherium Shaper
Artifact synergies with control elements, using artifacts like Talisman of Progress and various tutors to generate value, while maintaining board presence and removal.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
The use of Dranath Magistrate early in the game effectively shut down commander-centric strategies, making Desmond a primary target and shaping the game’s political landscape.
- 2
Aura of Silence was a pivotal card that disrupted opponents’ ability to cast spells and activate abilities, enabling Josh to safely build up his board state with Sigil of the Empty Throne.
- 3
Josh’s repeated use of Master of Keys’ escape ability to create angel tokens created an overwhelming board presence that was difficult for others to answer.
- 4
Eric’s use of Nazgûl and amass provided consistent incremental damage and board pressure, though it was ultimately insufficient against the token swarm.
- 5
Kousno’s attempts to generate value through cards like Argentas and Navigation Orb were hampered by the heavy disruption on the board.
Notable Cards
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Aura of Silence
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Sigil of the Empty Throne
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Nazgûl
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Sword of Hearth and Home
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Ripples of Undeath
Gameplay Summary
The game began with a typical ramp and early board presence as each player played lands and deployed early threats like Healer's Hawk and various talismans.
Desmond, piloting a white-based deck, quickly established board control with Dranath Magistrate, severely restricting opponents' ability to cast their commanders, which made him a primary target.
Meanwhile, Josh leveraged powerful enchantments like Aura of Silence and Sigil of the Empty Throne to slowly generate value and angels, effectively locking down the board and preventing key spells from resolving.
A pivotal moment occurred when Josh used Master of Keys to repeatedly escape and generate tokens, culminating in a massive angel army that overwhelmed opponents.
Despite some aggressive plays by Eric with Nazgul and amassing tokens, the control and token production from Josh’s deck proved decisive.
Ultimately, Josh’s angel tokens dealt lethal damage to Kousno, securing the victory after methodically shutting down and out-valuing the other players.
