#cEDH Tournament Round 1 - Urza, Yisan, Kenrith, Smasher & Thrasios - Gameplay Ep 77

Deck Strategies

• 

  Urza, Lord High Artificer

  Artifact combo and ramp deck aiming to assemble infinite mana combos using Power Artifact, Grim Monolith, and other artifact synergies, then winning through massive spells or creatures enabled by infinite mana.

• 

  Yisan, the Wanderer Bard

  Toolbox combo deck that uses Yisan’s ability to tutor creatures for infinite mana combos with creatures like Woodland Bellower and Duskwatch Recruiter, supported by ramp and card advantage from Sylvan Library.

• 

  Kenrith, the Returned King

  Aggressive midrange deck leveraging haste, exalted triggers, and life gain to apply pressure early and maintain board control with interaction like Grand Abolisher and Cyclonic Rift.

• 

  Thrasios, Triton Hero and Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Control/combo deck focusing on disruption with spells like Abrupt Decay, Force of Negation, and countermagic, while generating card advantage with Sylvan Library and attempting to stabilize and find a combo finish.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Baal’s use of overloaded Cyclonic Rift reset the board at a crucial point, enabling him to maintain board presence and momentum.

• 2

  Miguel’s timely Red Elemental Blast on Tidespout Tyrant prevented a devastating board wipe that could have ended the game.

• 3

  Gonçalo’s decision to hardcast Tidespout Tyrant instead of waiting for a safer combo window showed a willingness to take risks to disrupt opponents.

• 4

  Baal’s aggressive mana base allowed him to recover quickly from board wipes and apply continuous pressure with Kenrith and Emiel.

• 5

  Tiago’s repeated use of Scryb Ranger to untap Birds of Paradise and replay lands was key to managing limited mana resources and assembling his combo.

• 6

  Multiple layers of counterspells and interaction, including Force of Will, Force of Negation, and Pact of Negation, highlighted the high-level strategic counterplay typical of cEDH.

• 7

  Gonçalo’s eventual resolution of Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale was a strong strategic play aimed at controlling the board, but Baal’s creature-heavy deck mitigated its impact with efficient blockers and life gain.

Notable Cards

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  Kenrith, the Returned King

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  Urza, Lord High Artificer

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  Power Artifact

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  Grim Monolith

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  Cyclonic Rift

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  Tidespout Tyrant

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  Sylvan Library

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  Deathrite Shaman

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  Force of Will

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  Force of Negation

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  Abrupt Decay

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  Carpet of Flowers

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  Grand Abolisher

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  Gitaxian Probe

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  Phyrexian Revoker

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  Scryb Ranger

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  Yisan, the Wanderer Bard

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  Mana Vault

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  Mox Opal

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  Mana Crypt

Summary

The game began with Baal aggressively ramping and deploying his Kenrith, the Returned King, using haste and exalted triggers to apply early pressure. Miguel, on Thrasios and Vial Smasher, struggled with land drops but maintained control elements like Abrupt Decay and Force of Negation, disrupting key threats such as Grand Abolisher and Power Artifact. Gonçalo, piloting Urza, Lord High Artificer, focused on assembling his artifact ramp and combo pieces, including Power Artifact and Grim Monolith, but faced heavy interaction and disruption. Tiago on Yisan employed a slower ramp and toolbox strategy, struggling to find lands but setting up Sylvan Library and Yisan to generate card advantage and assemble infinite mana loops with creatures like Woodland Bellower and Duskwatch Recruiter. A key turning point was Gonçalo’s attempt to hardcast Tidespout Tyrant to clear the board, which was countered by Miguel’s timely Red Elemental Blast. Baal’s overloaded Cyclonic Rift successfully reset the board, allowing him to maintain aggression with Kenrith. Gonçalo also managed to resolve Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, attempting to restrict the board, but Baal’s superior mana base and creatures allowed him to push through damage. The late game involved heavy interaction with multiple Force of Will and Force of Negation spells countering big plays. Baal eventually pressured the table with Emiel the Blessed to blink Kenrith repeatedly, gaining life and counters, maintaining a strong board presence while Miguel and Tiago struggled to stabilize. The game ended with Baal in a commanding position, having eliminated Gonçalo and poised to finish off the remaining opponents.