Tawnos vs Zirda vs Vadrok vs Nikara/Yannik | CEDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Tawnos, Urza's Apprentice

  Control-oriented deck using counterspells and stacks effects combined with infinite mana combos involving Sands of Time to generate overwhelming resources and execute multiple win conditions.

• 

  Zirda, the Dawnwaker

  Fast combo deck focusing on generating infinite colorless mana using artifact mana rocks like Grim Monolith and Basalt Monolith, then converting that mana into win conditions quickly.

• 

  Nikara, Lair Scavenger / Yannik, Scavenging Sentinel

  Midrange reanimator deck leveraging powerful creatures and combos like Razaketh the Foul and Villis, Broker of Blood to grind out value and eventually close the game.

• 

  Vadrok, Apex of Thunder

  Combo control deck aiming to generate card advantage and resource denial through wheels, card stacks pieces like Alms Collector and Narset, Parter of Veils, and recursion enabled by the commander.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The early casting of Stranglehold by Mike severely limited opponents' ability to interact with their graveyards, slowing combo setups and reanimation strategies.

• 2

  Sands of Time created a unique game state where lands and artifacts repeatedly tapped and untapped, synergizing with Tawnos's ability to generate infinite mana during upkeep, enabling powerful combo turns.

• 3

  Ryan's Grand Abolisher was a key play to protect his combo attempts from disruption, though it was met with general table dislike due to restricting interaction.

• 4

  Adam's use of Dockside Extortionist generated a large amount of treasure tokens early, accelerating his mana pool despite the control-heavy board state.

• 5

  Folger's ability to draw extra cards and grow creatures with Timna and Good Fortune Unicorn helped maintain pressure and value despite the controlling elements on the board.

Notable Cards

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  Sands of Time

• 

  Stranglehold

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  Trinisphere

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  Lotus Petal

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  Strionic Resonator

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  Dockside Extortionist

• 

  Grand Abolisher

• 

  Mana Crypt

• 

  Fabricate

Summary

The game began with a tense early setup as Mike, piloting Tawnos, Urza's Apprentice, took the lead by establishing early mana acceleration and control elements including Trinisphere and Stranglehold, significantly hindering opponents' plays. This early disruption forced slower starts from the other players. As Sands of Time entered play for multiple players, it introduced a complex board state where artifact creatures and lands were repeatedly tapped and untapped, enabling Tawnos to leverage his ability to generate infinite mana during upkeep. Meanwhile, Ryan on Zirda, the Dawnwaker, developed a fast combo strategy, attempting to gain infinite colorless mana with artifact mana engines and colorless mana sinks, though he was slowed by the early board control. Folger piloting Nikara and Yannik ran a midrange reanimator strategy aimed at grinding value and combo setups with creatures like Razaketh and utilizing Timna the Weaver for card draw, while Adam on Vadrok focused on combo control through wheel effects and resource denial, aiming to disrupt opponents' hands and generate card advantage.