CEDH Gameplay! Malcolm/Kediss vs Korvold vs Rakdos vs Thrasios/Yoshimaru

Deck Strategies

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  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator / Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar

  A combo-centric deck focused on drawing cards and assembling a sequence of creatures and spells that generate infinite or overwhelming value, primarily through Malcolm and Kediss's synergy with card draw and landfall effects.

• 

  Korvold, Fae-Cursed King

  A sacrifice and value engine deck that leverages Korvold's ability to draw cards and grow in power by sacrificing permanents, aiming to grind out opponents through incremental advantage and explosive late-game plays.

• 

  Rakdos, the Muscle

  An aggressive disruption deck that employs creatures like Opposition Agent to shut down opponents' tutoring and combo attempts, combined with direct damage and board control to maintain tempo and pressure.

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  Thrasios, Triton Hero / Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful

  A value-oriented deck that uses efficient mana dorks and card draw engines like Rhystic Study and Risen Reef to accumulate resources, enabling control elements and eventually winning through powerful creature synergies or combo lines.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Opposition Agent proved to be a critical piece of disruption, effectively shutting down Malcolm/Kediss's tutoring-based combo line and forcing the use of counterspells early.

• 2

  Orzhov Pontiff's ability to ping creatures with low toughness targeted Malcolm and Kediss's commanders, significantly hindering their combo execution by removing key combo pieces or forcing them to deal with incremental damage.

• 3

  Players prioritized conserving counterspells for high-impact threats and combo pieces rather than early non-threatening spells, reflecting a meta-conscious approach to interaction.

• 4

  The presence of Rhystic Study created tension by taxing spells and generating card advantage, influencing players' decisions about when and how to cast spells to avoid giving free draws.

• 5

  Mana acceleration and land management were crucial, with fetchlands, mana dorks, and bounce spells used strategically to maintain tempo and enable key plays.

Notable Cards

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  Opposition Agent

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  Rhystic Study

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  Force of Will

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  Orzhov Pontiff

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  Birds of Paradise

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  Risen Reef

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  Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

Summary

The game opened with a relatively slow early setup as players deployed key mana acceleration and utility lands. Rakdos, the Muscle aggressively established board presence with early threats like Opposition Agent, which proved pivotal in disrupting other players' tutoring and combo strategies. Thrasios and Yoshimaru leveraged card draw engines like Rhystic Study and mana dorks to build a strong resource base, while Korvold aimed to capitalize on sacrifice synergies. Malcolm and Kediss focused on assembling their combo involving incremental card draw and precise creature interactions, but struggled against the disruption from Opposition Agent and opposing threats like Orzhov Pontiff. A key turning point came when Rakdos used Opposition Agent to shut down Malcolm's and Kediss's tutoring lines, forcing the use of a Force of Will to remove it but losing tempo in the process. Additionally, Orzhov Pontiff exerted pressure by pinging low-toughness commanders Malcolm and Kediss, complicating their ability to protect their combo pieces. The game flowed into a tense midgame where players carefully conserved interaction, focusing on disrupting the faster combo decks while building their own win conditions. The interplay of card draw, counterspells, and synergistic creatures dictated the pace, with Rakdos's early disruption and Thrasios/Yoshimaru's card advantage shaping the board state significantly.