WHO'S THE BEST BACKGROUND COMMANDER IN cEDH? PLAY TO WIN vs MIND MUSCLE MAGIC vs PLAYING WITH POWER

Deck Strategies

• 

  Wilson, Refined Grizzly

  Utilizes Food Chain combo to generate infinite mana and draw through the deck rapidly, leveraging recursion and enter-the-battlefield triggers to win quickly.

• 

  Burakos, Party Leader

  Focuses on explosive ramp and board presence, using mana acceleration like Jeweled Lotus and card draw to quickly deploy threats and control the game tempo.

• 

  Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy

  Relies on efficient card filtering and control elements, using anticipation and counterspells to maintain tempo while developing a strong board.

• 

  Scion of Halaster

  Leverages disruption and recursion spells to control opponents’ resources and maintain card advantage throughout the game.

• 

  Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward

  Combines protective and disruptive elements with artifact synergies and counterspells to control the board and protect key pieces.

• 

  Agent of the Iron Throne

  Utilizes aggressive creatures and sacrifice synergies, aiming to pressure opponents early and maintain board control.

• 

  Folk Hero

  Focuses on early aggression and efficient creature deployment to apply pressure and generate incremental advantage.

• 

  Candlekeep Sage

  Centers on card draw and combo facilitation, aiming to assemble key pieces like Food Chain quickly and execute infinite mana combos.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The early removal of Leonin Arbiter was crucial for enabling Food Chain to be tutored and assembled without disruption.

• 2

  Wilson, Refined Grizzly’s enter-the-battlefield draw and discard ability synergized perfectly with Food Chain to generate infinite mana and card draw.

• 3

  Holding up counterspells like Fierce Guardianship allowed the combo player to protect their win condition effectively in a fast-paced environment.

• 4

  The use of card filtering spells such as Anticipate and Ponder helped players maintain tempo but could not outpace the explosive combo finish.

• 5

  Players balanced aggressive ramp and interaction but ultimately the deck with the most consistent combo line and protection secured a quick victory.

Notable Cards

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  Food Chain

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  Wilson, Refined Grizzly

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  Eternal Scourge

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  Jeweled Lotus

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  Fierce Guardianship

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  Leonin Arbiter

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  Swords to Plowshares

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  Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy

• 

  Burakos, Party Leader

Summary

The game began with players ramping aggressively, setting up their mana bases and early board presence. Burakos, Party Leader started strong by leveraging Jeweled Lotus and ramping into key creatures. Other players followed suit with efficient mana acceleration and card draw, such as casting Elvish Mystic, Scion of Halaster, and Gale, Waterdeep Prodigy. Early interaction included Leonin Arbiter and Swords to Plowshares, which disrupted tutoring and board development. The game saw steady development with card filtering and threat deployment, but the pivotal moment came when Wilson, Refined Grizzly's deck assembled a Food Chain combo. By using Food Chain to exile Eternal Scourge and recast it infinitely, combined with Wilson’s enter-the-battlefield effect to draw and discard repeatedly, the player generated infinite mana and card draw, allowing a win on turn four with Yagami's Will and Fierce Guardianship backup. This quick combo finish ended the game before others could stabilize or respond effectively.