Deck & Commander Strategies
Voja, Jaws of the Conclave
A +1/+1 counter-based Stompy deck that multiplies counters on creatures and uses aggressive creatures to overwhelm opponents.
Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion
A counters-focused deck that stacks +1/+1 counters to grow creatures exponentially while maintaining board dominance and math-heavy gameplay.
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
An aggressive group-hug deck that leverages constant counter growth on Skullbriar and other creatures to pressure opponents.
The Ur-Dragon
A ramp and cheat large dragons into play deck, using mana acceleration and Cavern of Souls to cast powerful flyers and transform key creatures.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Lae'zel's player effectively used Hardened Scales and Master Chef to exponentially increase +1/+1 counters, creating a growing threat that forced opponents to respond.
- 2
Skullbriar's player utilized aggressive attacks combined with group-hug effects to pressure opponents while managing board state with key blockers like Wolfskull Shaman.
- 3
The Ur-Dragon's player leveraged Cavern of Souls to ensure their dragon spells resolved, including the powerful Niv-Mizzet, the Ravager, which disrupted opponents by forcing discards and transforming to a resilient threat.
- 4
Combat decisions were pivotal, with players strategically blocking to preserve their board while trading damage, notably the blocking of the large trample Rhino to mitigate lethal damage.
- 5
Multiple players had to carefully track and remember triggered abilities such as Wolfskull Shaman's kinship and Master Chef's counter doubling to maximize their board presence.
Notable Cards
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Bristling Boar
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Master Chef
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Hardened Scales
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Loyal Guardian
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Cavern of Souls
Gameplay Summary
The game began with players establishing their mana bases and early board presence, each focusing on their commanders' synergies.
Voja, Jaws of the Conclave, and Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion, quickly developed boards centered around +1/+1 counter themes, with creatures like Bristling Boar and Loyal Guardian amplifying counters.
Meanwhile, Skullbriar, the Walking Grave, focused on aggressive board states supported by group-hug elements, and The Ur-Dragon player aimed to cheat large dragons into play leveraging Cavern of Souls and mana ramp. A key turning point came when Lae'zel's counters began multiplying exponentially, aided by cards like Hardened Scales and Master Chef, bolstering her creatures to overwhelming sizes.
Simultaneously, Skullbriar's aggressive attacks applied pressure, but defensive plays such as blocking with Wolfskull Shaman and casting Guy Sage to distribute counters mitigated some damage.
The Ur-Dragon player cast Niv-Mizzet, the Ravager, utilizing its discard effect and transformation to maintain board control and card advantage.
The game was a dynamic clash of counter-stacking and high-impact creatures, with players carefully managing combat and triggers to maximize their threats while attempting to survive lethal damage from massive creatures like Billy, the Bristling Boar and the growing Rhino token.
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