Gavi vs. Vito vs. Purphoros vs. Kelsien | The Command Dudes #13 | Magic: The Gathering EDH Gameplay

Deck & Commander Strategies

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  Gavi, Nest Warden

  Utilizes free cycling on their own turn to generate an army of cat tokens and conserve mana for impactful interactions during opponents' turns, aiming to overwhelm through token production and combat tricks.

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  Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded

  Cheats out large creatures quickly, attacks aggressively to deal damage and triggers Purphoros’ damage abilities, then recurs creatures from the graveyard to maintain pressure and close out the game.

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  Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

  Leverages life gain and drain mechanics to control the board and deal high burst damage, often winning through incremental life swings and direct damage enabled by life gain triggers.

• 

  Kelsien, the Plague

  Focuses on controlling opponents’ creatures by giving the commander deathtouch, growing it larger over time, and removing blockers, eventually winning by attacking with a big, hard-to-block commander.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Cycling was aggressively used by Gavi’s pilot to generate tokens and apply pressure while maintaining mana for interaction.

• 2

  Purphoros’ strategy to cheat out large creatures combined with recursion from cards like Mimic Vat shifted the tempo and forced defensive plays.

• 3

  Vito’s life gain and burn mechanics provided both protection and a potential sudden-death threat, influencing opponents to play cautiously.

• 4

  Kelsien’s approach of granting deathtouch to the commander allowed for efficient board control and deterred attacks, slowly building towards a lethal commander strike.

• 5

  A critical board wipe and damage distribution via Purphoros’ triggered abilities significantly altered board states, demonstrating the power of incremental damage and synergy in multiplayer games.

• 6

  Players utilized strategic targeting and timing of cycling and equipment to maximize damage output and disruption.

Notable Cards

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  Puresteel Paladin

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  Mimic Vat

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  Shabraz, the Skyshark

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  Vampire Nocturnus

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  Armored Skyhunter

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  Exotic Orchard

Gameplay Summary