Command & Counter cEDH Gameplay - Curie v. Derevi v. Krark & Sakashima v. Tayam

Deck Strategies

• 

  Curie, Emergent Intelligence

  Utilizes artifact and instant/sorcery synergy to draw massive cards and generate overwhelming board states. The deck focuses on control, card advantage, and infinite combos involving artifact recursion and extra turn spells to close out the game.

• 

  Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

  Leverages Derevi's ability to tap and untap permanents for mana and control, often using stax elements and creature-based disruption to slow opponents while establishing a resilient board.

• 

  Krark, the Thumbless

  Relies on spell-slinging and coin flip mechanics to generate value and tempo, often leveraging artifact synergies and recursion to maintain pressure and disrupt opponent’s plans.

• 

  Tayam, Luminous Enigma

  Focuses on flicker and enter-the-battlefield effects to generate incremental advantage, often paired with control elements and value creatures to out-resource opponents.

• 

  Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

  Utilizes copy effects and synergy with powerful creatures and spells to create board states that are difficult for opponents to interact with, often leveraging legendary permanents for outsized value.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Curie's choice to eliminate the player with the strongest card draw engine early was crucial to maintaining control and securing a safe board state.

• 2

  The use of artifact recursion and mana engines like Basalt Monolith and Mana Vault enabled Curie to generate immense mana and cast multiple spells in a turn.

• 3

  Interaction involving counterspells and timing of spells (such as waiting to activate K's ability before resolving Red Elemental Blast) demonstrated high-level strategic sequencing.

• 4

  Curie's ability to loop artifacts with Sensei's Divining Top and Mana sources to generate infinite mana allowed for a complex combo to take infinite turns and ultimately win the game.

• 5

  The combination of card draw, counterspells, and extra turn spells gave Curie a dominant late game presence that other players struggled to counter.

Notable Cards

• 

  Faith's Reward

• 

  Dread Return

• 

  Basalt Monolith

• 

  Mana Vault

• 

  Sensei's Divining Top

• 

  Nexus of Fate

• 

  Mox Opal

Summary

The game kicked off with a strong opening from Curie, who quickly established a powerful engine by imprinting cards like Faith's Reward and Dread Return, enabling massive card draw and board presence. Curie's early turns were marked by drawing 12 cards, creating a formidable 12/12 trampler, and generating significant card advantage which set the tone for the rest of the game. Other players developed their boards more slowly, with key plays including artifact ramp and protective creatures, but none could match Curie's explosive start. A pivotal moment came when Curie decisively eliminated a major threat on the board, removing a player with a strong draw engine to secure control and protect their own board state.