Deck & Commander Strategies
Kenrith, the Returned King
Utilizes Phantasmo and image loops with Mythical Excavations to generate value, control the board, and combo off using recursion from Academy Rector.
Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
Executes a turbo pod combo line by casting Rocco, sacrificing to get Vivian, and then using Vivian's ability to pod away creatures, leading to a fast turn three win with Dockside Extortionist backup.
Dargo, the Shipwrecker & Tymna the Weaver
Focuses on rapid mana acceleration with Mana Vault and Exploration effects, controlling the board and drawing cards to assemble a combo finish.
Pako, Arcane Retriever & Haldan, Avid Arcanist
Aims for a quick deployment of Paco turn two and uses artifact and enchantment synergies to create instant-speed combos and generate card advantage, seeking a fast and explosive win.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Keeping a risky hand with only two lands and relying on topdecking a third land to enable a key turn three play showcased the high variance but high reward nature of cEDH.
- 2
Rocco’s line of sacrificing a redirector to get Vivian and then podding away creatures provided a resilient backup should the initial combo be interrupted.
- 3
The choice to ramp with Birds of Paradise and aggressively use exploration to enable early land drops was critical for setting up early plays in Dargo & Tymna’s deck.
- 4
The players carefully considered how many cards they expected to draw before making a win attempt, balancing greed and risk in their mulligan decisions.
- 5
Using Sylvan Library early to dig for the needed red spell to pitch to fury demonstrated prioritization of combo enablers over immediate tempo.
- 6
Combat decisions were influenced by players’ knowledge of opponents' potential combo pieces and the need to pressure specific threats rather than just attacking the player with the most life.
Notable Cards
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Haldan, Avid Arcanist
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Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer
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Dockside Extortionist
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Mana Vault
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Sylvan Library
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Arena Rector
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Academy Rector
Gameplay Summary
The game began with aggressive early plays focused on ramping and assembling combo pieces quickly.
Paco & Haldan aimed to deploy Paco turn two, leveraging artifact and enchantment synergies for instant-speed value and potential fast wins.
Rocco’s deck sought a turn three win by casting Rocco, sacrificing a redirector to bring out Vivian, and then using a pod chain to assemble combo components like Dockside Extortionist and Dark Confidant.
Dargo & Tymna adopted a more controlling approach, integrating Mana Vault and exploration effects to accelerate mana production and maintain pressure.
Kenrith's deck was built around versatile planeswalker-style effects with dark side phantasms and image loops, aiming for value and control synergy with Mythical Excavations and Academy Rector as key enablers.
Early turns were marked by calculated risk-taking, such as keeping hands with potential but missing ideal lands, and drawing into key cards like Arena Rector and fury spells to enable combos.