Early Access Doctor Who Precons - EDH Gameplay Breakdown from Decked Out
It's about time! The Doctor Who preconstructed Commander decks are here, and the Decked Out crew is joined by none other than Principal Magic Designer Gavin Verhey to explore the decks, dive into the lore, and determine WHO will be victorious!
Timey-Wimey (The Tenth Doctor)
VeggieWagon has got a lot of time on his hands with the new mechanic time travel. The keyword will allow him to manipulate time counters, used primarily on suspended cards and vanishing permanents. The Tenth Doctor gives easy access to that ability, while Rose Tyler as the Doctor's companion is a major commander damage threat. On top of that, suspend allows powerful spells to be set up for very little mana. Are Veggie's opponents out of time, or is this not his moment?
Blast from the Past (The Fourth Doctor)
AirballMTG is kickin' it old school (the kids still say that, right?) with the Bant historic deck. Sagas really shine here, triggering historic-matters abilities like the Doctor's companion Sarah Jane Smith, getting replayed from the graveyard, and even new Saga synergy from Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright. The deck also incorporates Food and Clue strategies for even more value. Can Airball blast past the competition, or is he just history?
Paradox Power (The Thirteenth Doctor)
MTGNerdGirl is representing the modern age of Doctor Who, and you've go to hand it to her - or don't! The paradox keyword triggers from spells cast from anywhere other than hand, so cascade, impulse draws, and flashback are all on the table. The Doctor's companion Yasmin Khan supplies a steady stream of card advantage and paradox triggers. Thirteen's second ability has massive potential to untap all your creatures if you can get counters on them, allowing NerdGirl to commit to casting spells and swinging out. Will NerdGirl get this engine running, or is the game out of her hands?
Masters of Evil (Davros, Dalek Creator)
Gavin Verhey created these cards, and that means he can destroy them too! His deck features villains from across the Doctor Who timeline, but they all like to present the heroes with villainous choices! Davros himself makes opponents pick: discard, or let the villain draw! This deck is capable of taking down the entire table at once since many of its cards affect all opponents at once, like Ensnared by the Mara. Will Gavin be one step ahead of the Doctors, or will he be the one exterminated?
How It All Went Down
Ahead of Schedule - The Early Game
Veggie does the commander thing on turn 1 with a Sol Ring into a mana rock, allowing him to pull ahead despite ramp from NerdGirl and Airball. By turn 4, everyone has their primary commander on the battlefield. Gavin's synergy between Dalek Squadron and Davros, Dalek Creator starts dropping life totals and generating advantage. Things seem pretty even until Veggie suspends a few cards and then drops The Parting of the Ways, hitting nonland on each of the five exiled cards. With a total of seven spells waiting to be cast and The Tenth Doctor threatening to fast forward, it's clear who the threat is.
On Trial - The Mid Game
Between Airball, NerdGirl, and Gavin, the best they can do before Veggie's big turn is drop his life total to the teens. He does get to untap, unleashing a flurry of spells, including The Face of Boe, The Eleventh Hour, and a clutch Out of Time to prevent lethal combat damage in the coming round. Airball immediately takes the chance to remove the Out of Time, ensuring Veggie's demise before his next turn. Airball now faces down NerdGirl's growing 8/8 Sisterhood of Karn and Gavin's wide army of Dalek tokens. Big attacks from both make life totals drop, but Airball clears the slate with The Night of the Doctor, making it anyone's game (but Veggie's).
DELETED - The End Game
Each player is scrambling to reestablish a board to protect their low life totals. Gavin's Genesis of the Daleks gets stuffed by Airball's Banish to Another Universe, and Airball rebuilds with The Eighth Doctor's ability. NerdGirl finally hits her stride with multiple non-hand spells, culminating in a big Impending Flux. With few blockers left and each of her opponents at low life, NerdGirl swings big and untaps with The Thirteenth Doctor's ability. Gavin pokes through with a resilient Vashta Nerada, and then he reveals his grand scheme: a Delete for all his available mana, just enough to take out Airball and NerdGirl. The villains are victorious!
By the Numbers
Doctors cast: 5
Villainous choices made: 4
Suspended cards: 9
Lore explained: All of it
Watch the entire episode here so Veggie can tell his parents that he's finally a doctor.
