Deck & Commander Strategies
Thrasios, Triton Hero and Kodama of the East Tree
This deck aims to generate incremental value through Thrasios's scry and card draw ability while controlling the board and disrupting opponents. It wins primarily via a combo enabled by Kodama of the East Tree, leveraging powerful artifacts and creatures like Karn, the Great Creator to lock opponents out or assemble a game-ending sequence.
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and Tana, the Bloodsower
A Temur Pirates synergy deck that uses Malcolm's ability to generate treasures and enable multiple attacks combined with Tana's token creation from combat damage. It wins by overwhelming opponents with pirate tribal synergies and treasure-fueled burst damage, sometimes finishing with Finale of Devastation.
Syr Carah, the Bold
A burn and storm-based deck that uses Syr Carah's card advantage from dealing damage and casting spells. The deck aims to assemble a storm combo, often leveraging graveyard interactions and Underworld Breach to chain spells and finish the game quickly.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
A ramp and value deck that uses Kinnan to generate additional mana from noncreature mana producers, enabling the casting of large creatures like Hullbreaker Horror and Tishana, Voice of Thunder. The deck aims to lock down opponents while establishing a powerful board presence to close out the game.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Dante's use of Gilded Drake to steal Kinnan was a crucial play, removing a major threat and turning it against its owner.
- 2
The repeated counterspell battles around key spells like Crop Rotation and Finale of Devastation demonstrated the importance of protecting combo enablers in cEDH.
- 3
Dante's sequencing of Thrasios's scry ability to find specific answers like Force of Vigor and Force of Negation showcased tight resource management and foresight.
- 4
Cal's attempt to disrupt Dante's Rhystic Study with Pyroblast was cleverly countered using Dispel, illustrating the significance of having counterspells ready against known hate cards.
- 5
Alex's use of Scroll Rack to cycle through cards and rearrange the library helped maintain card quality despite pressure from multiple opponents.
Notable Cards
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Karn, the Great Creator
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Rhystic Study
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Finale of Devastation
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Force of Will
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Force of Negation
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Gilded Drake
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Crop Rotation
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Mana Crypt
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Scroll Rack
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Training Grounds
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Mana Drain
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Flusterstorm
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Tireless Provisioner
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Underworld Breach
Gameplay Summary
The game started with a high-powered board state featuring four competitive commanders: Thrasios/Kodama, Malcolm/Tana, Syr Carah, and Kinnan.
Early turns saw aggressive mana acceleration and key pieces like Karn, the Great Creator, and Rhystic Study entering the battlefield, setting the stage for tight interaction and control.
Dante, piloting Thrasios/Kodama, established a strong value engine with Rhystic Study and powerful artifacts, including a resolved Karn and multiple mana rocks, while actively disrupting opponents' plays with counters and removal. Cal on Malcolm/Tana focused on assembling a pirate synergy win condition, leveraging Malcolm's ability to produce treasures and Tana's token generation.
Chad on Syr Carah aimed for burn and storm-based combo lines but was kept in check by early pressure and counterspells.
Alex playing Kinnan sought to ramp into big creatures and utilize Kinnan's synergy with mana producers to generate explosive value.
The pivotal moment came when Dante used Gilded Drake to steal Kinnan and then followed up with Finale of Devastation, fetching critical creatures and ramping further, gaining significant board advantage.
The game featured multiple counter wars around key spells like Crop Rotation and Finale of Devastation, with Dante successfully protecting his combo pieces using Force of Will and Force of Negation, while also breaking opponents' Rhystic Studies and other control elements with Force of Vigor.
By maintaining card advantage and board presence, Dante positioned himself for a combo finish enabled by Kodama of the East Tree's ability, while the other players struggled to execute their win conditions under constant pressure.
