cEDH with friends on the Combat Step Discord

Deck Strategies

• 

  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

  Focused on incremental card advantage and tempo through bouncing and replaying creatures, using Malcolm’s ability to protect key pieces and generate value.

• 

  Tana, the Bloodsower

  Aggressive token generation and board presence, aiming to overwhelm opponents with creatures and incremental damage.

• 

  Niv-Mizzet, Visionary

  A control-midrange deck that leverages Niv-Mizzet’s ability to deal damage and draw cards, combining non-combat damage triggers with spells and artifacts for value and eventual combo potential.

• 

  Shorikai, Genesis Engine

  Value and card advantage through artifact synergy, generating pilots and drawing cards while maintaining board presence.

• 

  Animar, Soul of Elements

  Utilizes +1/+1 counters and cheap spells to quickly grow creatures and apply pressure, leveraging synergy with spells and creatures to dominate the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Using Malcolm’s ability to bounce creatures back to hand helped protect them from removal and reuse enter-the-battlefield effects.

• 2

  The copy effect generated by Heat Shimmer on Gleeful Arsonist allowed repeated damage triggers to opponents, synergizing with Niv-Mizzet’s damage-based abilities.

• 3

  Force of Negation was used effectively to counter key spells without paying mana, maintaining control in a fast-paced cEDH environment.

• 4

  Rolling Vortex served as a consistent source of damage each upkeep, pressuring opponents’ life totals and creating tension for resource management.

• 5

  Skullclamp was attached to a pilot token from Shorikai to generate card advantage, highlighting the value of artifact synergy in the midgame.

• 6

  Players carefully managed mana and life totals, balancing aggressive plays with reactive control to maintain board presence and card advantage.

Notable Cards

• 

  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

• 

  Gleeful Arsonist

• 

  Skullclamp

• 

  Force of Negation

• 

  Mox Opal

• 

  Shorikai, Genesis Engine

Summary

The game began with players setting up their mana bases and early ramp, including key plays like casting Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, and establishing mana acceleration with artifacts such as Mox Opal and Soul Ring. Early turns focused on resource development and minor interactions, including drawing cards and setting up board presence with creatures like Poliwog and Gleeful Arsonist. The players also utilized subtle disruption such as Force of Negation to counter important spells and maintain control. Midgame saw increased board interactions, including the activation of Shorikai, Genesis Engine to generate value and draw cards, as well as the use of damage-dealing permanents like Rolling Vortex to apply pressure and control life totals. Players engaged in tactical plays, bouncing creatures like Malcolm back to hand and using equipment such as Skullclamp to gain card advantage. The game featured several triggers and synergy plays, including copying abilities and managing counters on creatures to maintain tempo. Overall, the game unfolded as a strategic battle of resource management and timely disruption, with players leveraging their commanders’ unique abilities to gain incremental advantages.