Mono-Black Might be Better Than You Think in cEDH…

Deck Strategies

• 

  Birgi, God of Storytelling

  A mono-red storm deck that uses card draw and discard effects to generate infinite storm count and mana, aiming to win through Aetherflux Reservoir or Grapeshot.

• 

  Jorn, God of Winter

  A Sultai stax deck that locks down opponents with control elements and wins through a combo of Thassa's Oracle and Demonic Consultation or poison counters with Oren Frostfang and Finn the Fangbearer.

• 

  Orvar, the All-Form

  A mono-blue combo deck utilizing buyback spells reduced by Orvar's ability, combined with mana artifacts like Sapphire Medallion, to generate infinite mana and storm count, winning by drawing the deck and comboing out.

• 

  Tergrid, God of Fright

  A mono-black stax deck that disrupts opponents' hands and gains value from discards and sacrifices, aiming to win through incremental damage with cards like Torment of Hailfire and repeated activations of Tinybones, Trinket Thief.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Early use of Burning Inquiry by Birgi's pilot generated significant card draw and discard, fueling storm count growth.

• 2

  Jan's use of Mental Misstep to counter a turn 1 mana artifact prevented Orvar from establishing an immediate combo, showcasing timely disruption.

• 3

  Orvar's pilot efficiently cast turn 1 commander and ramped with mana rocks like Manic Crypt and Grim Monolith to accelerate combo setup.

• 4

  Tergrid's player leveraged ancient tomb and mana rocks aggressively to cast the commander early, aiming to establish a mono-black stax presence quickly.

• 5

  Jorn's stax strategy emphasized controlling the board and mana denial, forcing opponents to play 'fair magic' while setting up a powerful combo finish.

• 6

  Multiple players attempted to pressure each other early with commander damage, but the game remained focused on assembling combos and stax elements.

• 7

  Interaction between the decks involved careful management of life totals due to early damage from ramp spells and combat, influencing subsequent plays.

Notable Cards

• 

  Burning Inquiry

• 

  Grim Monolith

• 

  Sapphire Medallion

• 

  Sensei's Divining Top

• 

  Thassa's Oracle

• 

  Demonic Consultation

• 

  Torment of Hailfire

• 

  Tinybones, Trinket Thief

• 

  Mana Vault

Summary

The game began with a fast-paced opening where each player quickly deployed their commanders and set up their initial mana bases. Dylan, piloting Birgi, God of Storytelling, initiated early card draw and discard effects to fuel his storm combo strategy. Jan, with Jorn, God of Winter, established a stax control setup aiming to lock down the board and eventually win through a combo involving Thassa's Oracle and Demonic Consultation or poison counters. Mike's Orvar, the All-Form deck sought to leverage buyback spells and mana artifacts like Sapphire Medallion to generate infinite storm and mana, aiming to draw out his deck and win through combos involving Sensei's Divining Top and Palinchron. Adam, on Tergrid, God of Fright, deployed a mono-black stax deck focused on grinding opponents' hands while gaining value from forced discards and sacrifices to win through cards like Torment of Hailfire or Tinybones, Trinket Thief.