#cedh Gameplay: How Many Etalis do you Need to Win?

Deck Strategies

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  Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

  Kinnan aims to generate enormous amounts of mana quickly by leveraging noncreature mana dorks and artifact ramp, enabling him to cast large spells and activate powerful abilities to control the board and close the game.

• 

  Breya, Etherium Shaper

  Breya focuses on artifact combos, utilizing her ability to create Thopter tokens and copy key creatures like Etali to generate card advantage and overwhelming board presence. She uses tutors and removal to maintain control.

• 

  Etali, Primal Conqueror

  Etali’s deck centers on dealing combat damage through repeated hits and copying Etali with spells or abilities to exile cards from opponents’ libraries, fueling further advantage and often winning through multiple combat triggers in a single turn.

• 

  Selvala, Heart of the Wilds

  Selvala leverages ramp and card draw from her high-powered mana production to generate large amounts of mana quickly, enabling her to cast big spells or combo off. She also uses interaction and recursion to stabilize the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Breya copying multiple Etali with her ability created a devastating swarm of triggers that significantly shifted the game state.

• 2

  Repeated use of bounce spells such as Tight Spot combined with artifact recursion disrupted opponents' boards while maintaining Breya’s and Etali’s momentum.

• 3

  Etali’s combat damage trigger synergy was maximized by copying the commander multiple times, enabling rapid card advantage and board control.

• 4

  Players carefully timed interaction and sacrifice outlets to maintain presence on board despite heavy removal and bounce effects.

• 5

  The combination of tutors and artifact mana sources allowed Breya to quickly assemble combo pieces and maintain pressure throughout the mid-game.

Notable Cards

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  Etali, Primal Conqueror // Etali, Primal Sickness

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  Breya, Etherium Shaper

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  Lion's Eye Diamond

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  Fabricate

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  Diabolic Intent

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  Manglehorn

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  Eternal Witness

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  Spellskite

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  Ancient Tomb

• 

  Tinder Wall

Summary

The game started with early ramp and resource development from all players, setting the stage for a high-powered cEDH match. Breya and Kinnan developed mana bases quickly, with Etali leveraging aggressive casting and combat damage triggers to generate card advantage. A pivotal moment occurred when the Etali player copied multiple Etalis using Breya's ability, creating a swarm of powerful attackers that began to dominate the board. This combo, combined with Breya's artifact synergies and tutors like Fabricate and Diabolic Intent, enabled a rapid board state expansion and card draw engine. Meanwhile, Selvala's ramp and interaction helped stabilize her position but struggled to keep pace with the explosive Etali plays. The game featured multiple bounce and recursion spells, including repeated use of Manglehorn, Tight Spot, and Eternal Witness to control and recover permanents, leading to several board resets and tempo shifts.