CRUX FEAT. WE CAME AS ROMANS - cEDH - S19E8 - FIRST SLIVER v NAJEELA v EZURI v WINOTA - MTG GAMEPLAY

Deck Strategies

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  Ezuri, Renegade Leader

  A mono-green elf tribal deck focused on ramping mana with cards like Llanowar Elves and Cradle, growing creatures with Ezuri’s ability, and leveraging card advantage engines such as Sylvan Library and Hermit Druid for combo setup or overwhelming board presence.

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  Najeela, the Blade-Blossom

  A five-color warrior tribal deck that aims to generate multiple combat phases by producing extra combat triggers and leveraging warrior synergy for aggressive combat and combo potential.

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  Winota, Joiner of Forces

  A human and non-human tribal deck that exploits Winota's ability to cheat humans into play when attacking with non-human creatures, enabling explosive board development and aggressive combat sequences.

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  The First Sliver

  A Sliver tribal deck focused on building a wide board of Slivers, leveraging their shared abilities for incremental advantage, and ramping quickly into a large-scale combat finish with effects like Elvish Finale and Overrun-style boosts.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The early removal of Hermit Druid and copying of the removal with Wandering Archaic slowed down the combo potential of the green player, demonstrating the importance of interaction even in ramp/combo decks.

• 2

  The use of Deafening Silence and Grand Abolisher effectively limited instant-speed interaction, allowing the First Sliver player to execute their combo sequence with less disruption.

• 3

  Activating multiple mana sources simultaneously, especially with Cradle of the Accursed and Gemstone Mine, was key to enabling the massive Elvish Finale play that ended the game.

• 4

  The timely use of Swansong to counter Demonic Consultation prevented a potential game-winning tutor chain, showcasing the value of counterspells even in a primarily creature-based meta.

• 5

  Passing the Wishclaw Talisman among players kept the tension high, as players timed their activations carefully to maximize value and disruption.

Notable Cards

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  Cradle of the Accursed

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  Hermit Druid

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  Natural Order

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  Elvish Harbinger

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  Demonic Consultation

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  Swords to Plowshares

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  Grand Abolisher

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  Deafening Silence

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  Sylvan Library

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  Arcane Signet

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  Wandering Archaic // Explore the Vastlands

Summary

The game began with each player developing their board state cautiously, establishing mana bases and deploying early creatures and utility lands. The First Sliver player quickly set up their key engine with cards like Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and Sylvan Library, accelerating into their commander presence. Meanwhile, Ezuri and Najeela jockeyed for board control, with several tempo plays including removal spells and tutors shaping the early turns. A critical moment came when a Hermit Druid was played but promptly removed via a Swords to Plowshares effect and duplicated interaction, slowing down combo potential. The players continued to stabilize with various creatures and disruption, including a Grand Abolisher and a Deafening Silence to limit instant-speed responses. The tension escalated as the First Sliver player cast Natural Order to fetch a key elf, and then used Cradle to ramp aggressively, setting up for a huge combat phase.