Deck Strategies
Zurgo Stormrender
An aggressive Mardu token deck that generates numerous warrior tokens through combat triggers and buffs, aiming to draw cards and drain life via token sacrifice loops or a Dualcaster Mage combo to close out the game quickly.
Shiko, Paragon of the Way
A Jeskai flicker deck that repeatedly blinks the commander to reuse spells from the graveyard, gaining card advantage and controlling the board before winning through an Underworld Breach combo.
Plagon, Lord of the Beach
A deck that plays large creatures to convert their presence into card advantage, setting up a Blind Obedience extort loop to drain opponents and win through incremental life loss.
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
A Dimir ninja deck that uses ninjutsu to sneak unblockable attackers through, dealing significant damage via combat and possibly assembling Doomsday piles to win through combo or burn damage.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Zurgo effectively used token generation and sacrifice triggers to accumulate card advantage and apply consistent pressure on opponents.
- 2
Yuriko maximized value by flickering creatures and spells, using ninjutsu to maintain board presence and card filtering.
- 3
Shiko's initial slow start and greedy keep led to early resource struggles, but the deck aimed to stabilize with recursion and flicker combos.
- 4
Players had to carefully track and adjust life totals due to minor miscalculations, demonstrating the importance of accurate bookkeeping in cEDH.
- 5
Early interaction and disruption were critical in slowing down combo attempts, forcing players to balance aggression with protection.
Notable Cards
Esper Sentinel
Mystical Tutor
Enlightened Tutor
Wild Research
Brainstorm
Underworld Breach
Dualcaster Mage
Blind Obedience
Soulless Jailer
Summary
The game began with all players setting up their boards with early plays, focusing on ramp and disruption. Zurgo Stormrender established an aggressive token generation engine using his mobilize ability, supported by Howl Squad Heavy to pump out goblin tokens and steadily increase his combat speed. This aggressive token production allowed Zurgo to chip away at opponents’ life totals while setting up for a potential combo finish. Meanwhile, Shiko aimed to leverage his flicker abilities alongside graveyard recursion to build card advantage and control the board, preparing for an Underworld Breach combo. Plagon focused on gaining card advantage by converting large creatures into card draw and aimed to execute a Blind Obedience extort loop to drain opponents. Yuriko employed ninjutsu tactics to sneak through unblockable attacks, setting up for heavy damage or possibly assembling a Doomsday pile for a combo finish. Key turning points involved Zurgo aggressively applying pressure with tokens and card draws from token deaths, forcing opponents to respond quickly. Yuriko's ability to flicker creatures and reuse spells allowed for powerful card filtering and incremental advantage. Shiko struggled with a slow start but looked to stabilize with flicker and graveyard recursion combos. Plagon’s strategy hinged on accumulating big creatures for card draw before looping extort. Throughout, players had to carefully manage life totals and interaction, with some life total miscalculations occurring but not significantly impacting the game flow. The game showcased a tense balance between aggressive board presence, combo assembly, and interaction, with Zurgo's token-driven aggression and combo potential standing out as a major threat.