Tarkir: Dragonstorm First Look with Alternate Themed Rules! | Commander Party #9 | MTG EDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Zurgo Stormrender

  Aggressively generate and attack with warrior tokens using mobilize triggers, leveraging faction counters to produce powerful dragon tokens for overwhelming board presence and fast damage output.

• 

  Ureni of the Unwritten

  Utilize graveyard recursion and card draw to maintain resource advantage; boost creatures’ power and toughness, apply trample, and create dragons to push through damage efficiently.

• 

  Shiko and Narset, Unified

  Spell-sling with a focus on instants and sorceries to trigger rebound and discover effects, drawing cards and casting spells for free to control the board and build advantage.

• 

  Teval, the Balanced Scale

  Leverage graveyard milling and recursion to create dragon copies of creatures, ramp mana, and control the battlefield through repeatable value from faction counters.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Faction counters on the Dragonstorm acted as a key resource, enabling players to choose between ramping mana, buffing creatures, or creating powerful dragon tokens, shaping tactical choices throughout the game.

• 2

  Lexi’s use of Zurgo’s mobilize ability to generate attacking warrior tokens that draw cards or punish opponents for token loss created continuous pressure and card advantage.

• 3

  Daniel’s Jeskai deck maximized the synergy between casting multiple instants and sorceries and the faction ability that granted rebound or free casting, enabling explosive turns.

• 4

  Becca’s strategy to exile creatures from the graveyard to create dragon copies added a resilient threat generation engine, which combined with faction counters, made midgame board states highly impactful.

• 5

  Whitney’s combination of milling lands to generate insect tokens and boosting creatures with trample showcased a diverse approach to maintaining board presence and offense.

Notable Cards

• 

  Zurgo Stormrender

• 

  Ureni of the Unwritten

• 

  Shiko and Narset, Unified

• 

  Teval, the Balanced Scale

• 

  Crawling Sensation

• 

  Elemental Bond

• 

  Think Twice

Summary

The game began with players setting up their mana bases and early board presence, with Lexi (Zurgo Stormrender) rapidly deploying her aggressive Mardu tokens that generate value through repeated attacks. Daniel (Shiko and Narset, Unified) focused on spell-slinging and card draw synergies typical of Jeskai, aiming to control the board and leverage instant and sorcery spells. Whitney (Ureni of the Unwritten) emphasized card advantage and graveyard recursion, using crawling sensations and elemental bonds to maintain a steady flow of creatures and spells. Becca (Teval, the Balanced Scale) utilized graveyard interactions to create powerful dragon tokens and recur threats, setting up for a mid-to-late game presence. The unique Tarkir: Dragonstorm faction counters added a thematic and tactical layer, rewarding players for casting commanders, dragons, or impactful spells by enabling incremental abilities like mana ramp, creature buffs, or dragon token creation. Midgame saw players activating their faction abilities to generate flying dragon tokens and enhance their board states, with Lexi's Mardu tokens and Becca's graveyard-based recursion becoming especially threatening. Daniel’s Jeskai deck aimed to capitalize on casting multiple instants and sorceries with rebound and discover mechanics, while Whitney’s Temur deck used power-boosting and trample to push through damage. The pivotal moments involved managing faction counters on the Dragonstorm to unleash powerful dragon tokens with haste and mobilize, shifting board control. The game’s win condition revolved around overwhelming opponents with dragons and leveraging synergies between faction abilities and commanders’ unique strengths, culminating in aggressive combat phases and spell-driven tempo swings.