Akiri Thrasios, Derevi, Muldrotha, Atla - #cEDH Cockatrice Gameplay Ep 16

Deck Strategies

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  Akiri, Line-Slinger / Thrasios, Triton Hero

  Generate mana ramp and card advantage to assemble infinite combos involving Ascendancy and mana rocks, using Akiri to protect key artifacts and Thrasios to draw cards and find combo pieces.

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  Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

  Utilize recursive creatures, survival of the fittest, and incremental value engines to establish a resilient board presence and combo through creature interactions, typically leveraging untap effects and synergy.

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  Muldrotha, the Gravetide

  Leverage graveyard recursion and powerful value creatures to maintain card advantage and board presence, using land-based interactions and mana acceleration to set up combos or overwhelming board states.

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  Atla Palani, Nest Tender

  Ramp aggressively with spells and creatures like Dockside Extortionist, using Atla’s ability to generate board presence and find combo pieces, often through land and treasure synergies.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The early use of Toxic Deluge significantly slowed down aggressive strategies, forcing players to reconsider their tempo.

• 2

  Soul-Guide Lantern’s timely exile of Derevi’s key graveyard combo pieces forced a shift from combo to combat-based win attempts.

• 3

  Players carefully managed mana crypt flips to avoid unnecessary life loss, which influenced when they chose to deploy and attack.

• 4

  Crop Rotation was used strategically to remove problematic lands like Tarnished Citadel, enabling smoother mana development and combos.

• 5

  Mental Misstep was used early to counter a crop rotation, demonstrating the value of narrow counterspells in disrupting combo lines.

• 6

  Players often chose to hold back attacks to avoid falling into combo kill windows, highlighting the high tension and strategic patience in cEDH gameplay.

Notable Cards

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  Dockside Extortionist

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  Survival of the Fittest

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  Toxic Deluge

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  Soul-Guide Lantern

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  Mana Crypt

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  Collector Ouphe

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  Crop Rotation

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  Rhythm of the Wild

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  Carpet of Flowers

Summary

The game opens with a slow build-up where players develop their mana bases and establish positions. Derevi generates incremental advantage through survival of the fittest and recursive value, while Muldrotha sets up with collector oofs and crop rotation. Akiri Thrasios focuses on ramp and card draw to assemble combos, and Atla Palani's deck remains mysterious but applies pressure with ramp and creatures like Dockside Extortionist. Early board wipes like Toxic Deluge are cast to reset the board, disrupting aggressive advances and combo attempts. A notable moment occurs when Soul-Guide Lantern exiles key combo pieces from Derevi's graveyard, shutting down part of his game plan and forcing him to rely on combat damage to win. Players carefully navigate mana constraints, land destruction, and counterspells while probing for combo windows. The game features multiple back-and-forth interactions involving mana crypt flips, crop rotations, and survival activations, with players holding back attacks in anticipation of combo opportunities. The tension increases as the board state stabilizes into a standoff, with each pilot maneuvering to assemble their win condition or disrupt others.