Clean Fair Magic Commander Gameplay #7 | Guff vs. Runo vs. Zaxara vs. Kyler

Deck Strategies

• 

  Runo Stromkirk

  Focuses on summoning large sea creatures like Krakens and Octopuses, utilizing graveyard recursion and transformation to ramp into big threats.

• 

  Commodore Guff

  A Superfriends deck that leverages planeswalkers and artifact ramp to control the board and generate incremental advantage.

• 

  Zaxara, the Exemplary

  Builds a Hydra token army by casting X-cost spells, using her ability to create and grow green Hydra tokens with +1/+1 counters.

• 

  Kyler, Sigardian Emissary

  Swarm the battlefield with humans, pump creatures with counters, and use anthem effects to overwhelm opponents through wide and tall board presence.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Players carefully manage the Doom counters on Lava Brink Floodgates to delay or trigger a board wipe, which can drastically shift board states.

• 2

  The synergy between casting X spells and creating Hydra tokens with Zaxara puts pressure on opponents to deal with growing threats quickly.

• 3

  Kyler’s strategy to put +1/+1 counters on humans and reduce blockers by power creates a strong offensive board that discourages attacks.

• 4

  Runo’s transformation mechanic incentivizes deck building with high-cost creatures and enables powerful top-deck recursion.

• 5

  Commodore Guff’s reliance on planeswalkers and artifact ramp requires patience and control, aiming for a late-game dominance.

Notable Cards

• 

  Cultivate

• 

  Brainstorm

• 

  Champion of Lambholt

Summary

The game begins with players gradually establishing their boards through strategic ramp and early plays. Commodore Guff focuses on deploying planeswalkers and artifacts to control the game, while Runo Stromkirk develops a strategy centered around summoning large Kraken and Octopus creatures. Zaxara, the Exemplary builds up powerful Hydra tokens by casting spells with variable mana costs, and Kyler, Sigardian Emissary aims to swarm the battlefield with humans and boost their strength through counters. Early turns involve careful land drops, ramp spells like Cultivate, and defensive plays such as Ludix Test Subject transforming into a 3/3 creature. A key moment arises when Lava Brink Floodgates enters play, introducing a looming board wipe threat that forces players to manage doom counters carefully to avoid losing all creatures. Runo's ability to transform by revealing high-cost creature cards and Zaxara's token production with X spells indicate their plans for powerful board presence. Meanwhile, Kyler's wide board of humans and counter synergies make attacking risky for opponents. The interplay of ramp, token generation, and potential board wipes sets the stage for a dynamic midgame where players must balance offense and defense. The transcript ends with players poised to leverage these synergies, hinting that the game will likely be decided by who can best capitalize on their commander’s unique abilities and manage threats like the Lava Brink Floodgates.