IS MARNEUS THE BEST TOURNAMENT cEDH DECK?! | Live cEDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Marneus Calgar

  A controlling Esper colors deck that focuses on protecting its board, disrupting opponents' plans, and gradually establishing card advantage to win through attrition rather than fast combos.

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  Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

  A five-color legendary-based toolbox deck that tutors powerful legendary creatures to assemble combos or overwhelming threats, relying on versatility and synergy among legendary permanents.

• 

  Atraxa, Grand Unifier

  A proliferate and counters-focused deck that enhances creatures and permanents over time, pressuring opponents with incremental growth and value while maintaining a resilient board presence.

• 

  Curie, Emergent Intelligence

  A blue-based combo deck that aims to quickly win using cards like Thassa's Oracle combined with devotion or draw-based combos, often attempting early turn wins with minimal board development.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Curie attempted a turn two win with Thassa's Oracle leveraging devotion to blue but was disrupted by Thoughtseize and interaction from opponents, highlighting the importance of early disruption in cEDH.

• 2

  Marneus Calgar's deck prioritized establishing a protected board with a suite of control spells and artifact ramp to stabilize the game and prevent fast combo wins from opponents.

• 3

  Players leveraged artifact mana ramp extensively to cast powerful spells early, demonstrating typical cEDH pacing where explosive starts are common but require interaction to prevent immediate losses.

• 4

  The use of cards with ETB effects and disruption like Thoughtseize and Tainted Pact were pivotal in controlling opponents' key combo pieces and preventing quick wins.

• 5

  The game demonstrated a balance between aggressive combo attempts and controlling strategies, with Marneus ultimately prevailing through resilient control and card advantage rather than combo finishers.

Notable Cards

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  Mana Vault

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  Mox Diamond

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  Tarnished Citadel

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  Thassa's Oracle

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  Thoughtseize

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  Arcane Signet

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  Morphic Pool

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  Fellwar Stone

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  Tainted Pact

Summary

The game began with all four players setting up their initial mana bases and early plays cautiously, with Marneus Calgar aiming to execute a controlling Esper 'Farm' strategy. Early turns saw the players ramping mana using artifacts like Mana Vault and Mox Diamond, setting the stage for explosive plays. A key moment occurred on turn two when Curie, Emergent Intelligence attempted a quick win with Thassa's Oracle, leveraging devotion to blue to try to win immediately. However, interaction from other players prevented this instant win, demonstrating the high level of counterplay present in the match. As the game progressed, Marneus Calgar's controlling approach began to shine by using efficient removal, counterspells, and disruption to keep opponents in check while advancing its own board state. Sisay, Weatherlight Captain and Atraxa, Grand Unifier also developed their boards, with Sisay potentially tutoring powerful legendary creatures and Atraxa applying pressure via proliferate and counters. The match featured intense resource management and interaction, with Marneus focusing on locking down opponents' strategies and staying protected. Eventually, Marneus leveraged its control tools and card advantage engines to outlast opponents, securing a win through incremental value and board dominance rather than immediate combos.