Emet Selch, Unsundered vs Hashaton vs Narset, Jeskai Waymaster vs Smasher & malcolm cEDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Narset, Jeskai Waymaster

  Turbo Jeskai storm deck aiming to generate large storm counts and refill the hand with Narset’s ability, leveraging mana acceleration and card draw to win with infinite storm combos involving Banishing Knack and Valley Floodcaller.

• 

  Hashaton, Scarab's Fist

  Esper Turbo Ad Nauseam reanimator deck that uses discard outlets and fast mana to generate a large hand, reanimate threats, and win through a combination of Ad Nauseam’s life gain and reanimation synergies.

• 

  Emet-Selch, Unsundered

  Graveyard-centric combo deck using fast mana and powerful recursion pieces like Grinding Station to generate infinite mana and value, aiming to lock opponents out or win through persistent graveyard interactions.

• 

  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

  Aggressive tempo deck using mana rocks and incremental draw effects like Curiosity to pressure opponents early, capitalizing on fast creature damage and disruption to pave the way for a finish.

• 

  Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Damage-oriented aggressive deck leveraging random damage triggers from spells and incremental treasure generation to apply pressure and finish opponents quickly.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Narset’s ability to discard and redraw at end step was leveraged to refill the hand and facilitate storm combos, but required careful mana and card management due to low initial hand size.

• 2

  Hashaton’s discard outlets combined with reanimation targets allowed rapid accumulation of resources, but the deck was sensitive to early disruption and required precise sequencing to maximize Ad Nauseam's effectiveness.

• 3

  Emet-Selch’s use of Grinding Station alongside fast mana sources like Ancient Tomb enabled a powerful infinite mana combo that pressured opponents to interact quickly or face a lockout.

• 4

  Players prioritized early mana acceleration and interaction, with multiple instances of tapping mana rocks and lands to cast key spells like Narset and Hashaton to establish board presence.

• 5

  The combination of incremental damage from Malcolm and Vial Smasher kept pressure on opponents, forcing them to balance between defending against combos and preserving life totals.

Notable Cards

• 

  Narset, Jeskai Waymaster

• 

  Hashaton, Scarab's Fist

• 

  Emet-Selch, Unsundered // Hades, Sorcerer of Eld

• 

  Grinding Station

• 

  Banishing Knack

• 

  Valley Floodcaller

• 

  Ad Nauseam

• 

  The One Ring

• 

  Ghostly Pilferer

• 

  Ancient Tomb

• 

  Curiosity

• 

  Talisman of Progress

• 

  Demonic Tutor

Summary

The game opened with aggressive early plays from multiple players aiming to establish fast mana and board presence. The Narset, Jeskai Waymaster player focused on setting up a turbo Jeskai storm strategy, leveraging incremental draw and mana acceleration with cards like Soul Ring and the One Ring to fuel Narset’s powerful ability to replay spells and draw through their deck. Meanwhile, Hashaton, Scarab's Fist piloted a fast Esper Turbo Ad Nauseam reanimator deck, attempting to quickly generate a large hand and board state using discard outlets and reanimation to overwhelm opponents. Emet-Selch, Unsundered took advantage of Ancient Tomb and other fast mana sources to deploy graveyard synergies and lock pieces such as Grinding Station, aiming for a combo finish. Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and Vial Smasher the Fierce also contributed aggressive tempo and damage with incremental treasure generation and efficient creatures. Key turning points included the Narset player managing to maintain card advantage through incremental draw and interaction despite an initially slow start, while Hashaton's discard and reanimation synergy threatened to rapidly escalate the board state. Emet-Selch’s Grinding Station combo presented a significant threat, forcing opponents to respond quickly or lose to infinite mana and recursion loops. The interactions among these decks created a tense dynamic where players balanced between advancing their combos and disrupting others. The game’s win conditions centered on storming off with Narset’s infinite draws, Ad Nauseam’s lethal hand size and reanimation, and Emet-Selch’s recursive combo lock, with Malcolm and Vial Smasher providing aggressive early pressure and incremental damage to close out the game once the combos were established or disrupted.