FLASH IS BANNED SO WHO'S THE NEW BEST DECK IN cEDH? - Play to Win

Deck Strategies

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  Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

  Ramp mana quickly using creatures and artifacts to generate massive mana, then combo off with infinite mana combos to win through massive spells or infinite triggers.

• 

  Tana, the Bloodsower & Tymna the Weaver

  Utilize a Blood Pod style stax deck that leverages sacrifice outlets, token generation, and tutoring to control the board and lock opponents down while generating incremental card advantage.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce & Thrasios, Triton Hero

  Curiosity Control that uses Vial Smasher's damage triggers in conjunction with Curiosity or other draw engines to draw cards and deal damage, while protecting key spells with disruption like Veil of Summer.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using Vexing Shusher to make Fire Covenant uncounterable was a game-changing interaction, enabling a powerful board wipe that cleared opponents' threats while preserving the controller's board.

• 2

  The Curiosity Control deck leveraged the synergy between Vial Smasher's damage triggers and card draw spells to maintain consistent card advantage and pressure on opponents.

• 3

  Blood Pod's stax elements, including sacrifice outlets and early lock pieces, aimed to disrupt Kinnan's mana acceleration but struggled to fully contain the combos.

• 4

  Kinnan's efficient mana ramp and ability to chain spells like Dramatic Reversal and Eldritch Evolution allowed for explosive turns and combo assembly.

• 5

  Timna-Tana Blood Pod demonstrated the importance of early disruption and incremental value generation but ultimately faced challenges against infinite mana combos.

• 6

  Proper sequencing and protection of key spells such as casting Veil of Summer before resolving Fire Covenant highlighted the importance of timing and interaction in high-level cEDH play.

Notable Cards

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  Vexing Shusher

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  Fire Covenant

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  Veil of Summer

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  Eldritch Evolution

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  Gilded Drake

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  Basalt Monolith

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  Cyclonic Rift

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  Breeding Pool

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  Runic Armasaur

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  Llanowar Elves

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  Assassin's Trophy

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  Mana Confluence

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  Prismatic Vista

Summary

The game unfolded as a high-level cEDH match featuring five top-tier decks, including Kinnan, Tana-Tymna Blood Pod, and Vial Smasher Curiosity Control. Early turns focused on ramping mana and setting up key pieces, with Kinnan quickly establishing a strong mana base to fuel combo potential. The Blood Pod deck utilized sacrifice and tutoring engines to gain incremental advantage, while the Curiosity Control deck leveraged Vial Smasher and protective spells like Veil of Summer to maintain card advantage and disrupt opponents. A pivotal moment occurred when the Curiosity Control deck made Fire Covenant uncounterable using Vexing Shusher, enabling a devastating board wipe that crippled opponents' boards without losing its own presence. Despite attempts at stax disruption by Blood Pod, Kinnan's faster mana acceleration and combo lines proved difficult to contain. The game progressed into the late stages with timely use of stax pieces and lock elements from the Blood Pod deck, but Kinnan's ability to generate infinite mana combos and win through card draw and mana exploitation remained the central threat. The overall win condition revolved around Kinnan assembling infinite mana and then leveraging that to cast game-ending spells or combos, while the other decks aimed to disrupt or outvalue through stax or control effects.