PRIDE cEDH! - Nadu/Zada vs Slicer/Grand Arbiter vs Korvold/Dargo vs "you have 4 commanders??"

Deck Strategies

• 

  Nadu, Winged Wisdom + Zada, Hedron Grinder

  Establish a wide board of creatures to maximize Zada’s damage doubling through red cantrips and spells, aiming for explosive, fast damage bursts.

• 

  Slicer, Hired Muscle // Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist + Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

  Apply early stax disruption with cards like Dampening Sphere and counterspells, then chip away at opponents with Slicer’s combat damage and control the pace of the game.

• 

  Korvold, Fae-Cursed King + Dargo, the Shipwrecker

  Leverage sacrifice outlets and card draw mechanics to generate incremental advantage, using Dargo to trigger sacrifices and Korvold to grow in power and overwhelm opponents.

• 

  Borborygmos and Fblthp + Drana and Linvala

  Utilize a five-color Food Chain combo approach with Borborygmos and Fblthp and Drana/Linvala for tutors and synergy, aiming to assemble infinite mana or combo lines for a decisive finish.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of Dampening Sphere early effectively slowed down the red mana-heavy decks, impacting their ability to cast multiple spells per turn.

• 2

  Players spread combat damage strategically to avoid focusing down a single opponent, showcasing typical cEDH diplomacy and damage management.

• 3

  Dargo was used politically to trade with Slicer, demonstrating the importance of sacrifice outlets in mitigating opponent threats and managing the board state.

• 4

  Equipping Sword of Truth and Justice to Sarah Ascendant provided both a power boost and card draw, illustrating efficient use of equipment to maintain pressure.

• 5

  Food Chain and Grim Monolith were key ramp and combo enablers in the Borborygmos and Fblthp deck, highlighting the synergy between infinite mana combos and multi-color tutor support.

Notable Cards

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  Slicer, Hired Muscle // Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist

• 

  Dargo, the Shipwrecker

• 

  Sword of Truth and Justice

• 

  Food Chain

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  Grim Monolith

• 

  Chrome Mox

• 

  Mystic Remora

• 

  Pyroblast

Summary

The game featured four competitive decks, each exploiting the Pride Month special rule where all commanders have partner, enabling unusual and powerful combinations. Early turns focused on ramp and establishing board presence, with the Slicer/Grand Arbiter deck deploying early stax elements like Dampening Sphere to disrupt spells and slow opponents. Nadu/Zada aimed to flood the board with creatures and leverage Zada’s ability to capitalize on red cantrips for explosive damage, while Korvold/Dargo sought synergy through sacrifice outlets and card draw to build a threatening board. The Borborygmos and Fblthp plus Drana and Linvala deck took a five-color approach centered around Food Chain combos and powerful tutors for consistency and combo execution. A key turning point was the heavy pressure from Slicer dealing incremental damage and the strategic use of Dargo as a sacrifice outlet to trade with Slicer, illustrating the political maneuvering typical in cEDH. Several players tried to balance aggression with disruption, highlighted by timely removal spells like Pyroblast targeting blue threats and the careful timing of equipment like Sword of Truth and Justice to pump creatures and gain life. The game’s dynamic revolved around managing the stax elements while trying to assemble combos or overwhelming board states, with each deck leveraging its unique strengths to survive and dominate the table.