Boros Showdown xMas Special - Jeska & Ardenn, Rograkh & Ardenn, Aurelia, Zirda #cEDH Gameplay Ep 89

Deck Strategies

• 

  Jeska, Thrice Reborn & Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist

  A staxy/combo deck that leverages Ardenn’s ability to equip multiple equipments at once and Jeska’s damage doubling to assemble a lethal combo involving combat damage and equipment synergies.

• 

  Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh & Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist

  A combat-focused voltron deck that uses Rograkh’s aggressive stats and Ardenn’s equipment enabling ability to pressure opponents with weapons like Dowsing Dagger and Sword of Fire and Ice, alongside disruption like Deflecting Swat and Aven Mindcensor.

• 

  Aurelia, the Warleader

  A combo deck centered on Aurelia’s ability to grant an additional combat phase, combined with equipment like Sword of Hearth and Home and creatures with haste/dash to generate infinite combat steps for a table wipeout.

• 

  Zirda, the Dawnwaker

  A combo deck focused on generating infinite mana with Zirda and Basalt Monolith, then leveraging cards like Walking Ballista or Fireball to deal lethal damage to opponents after silencing the board with disruption tools.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Leite’s use of Aurelia’s multiple combat phases combined with Ragavan’s dash and Sword of Hearth and Home enabled an infinite combat step combo that ended the game decisively.

• 2

  Baal’s decision to equip Dowsing Dagger on Rograkh provided immediate value and board presence while avoiding counters, highlighting the importance of flexible equipment choices.

• 3

  Rodrigo’s early Stoneforge Mystic equipped with Sword of Fire and Ice allowed card draw and targeted damage, setting up strong combat turns and synergy with Ardenn.

• 4

  Hélder’s Zirda deck relied heavily on assembling infinite mana with Basalt Monolith and Moonsilver Key, but was disrupted by Eidolon of Rhetoric and Aven Mindcensor, showing how stax elements can delay combo decks.

• 5

  The presence of multiple tutors like Imperial Recruiter and Open the Armory accelerated the assembly of key combo pieces across decks, emphasizing the high synergy between equipment and creature tutors in Boros cEDH.

• 6

  Efficient use of interaction such as Abrade to remove Aven Mindcensor and Deflecting Swat to redirect damage showed the importance of timely removal to protect or disrupt combos.

Notable Cards

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  Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist

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  Jeska, Thrice Reborn

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  Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh

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  Aurelia, the Warleader

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  Zirda, the Dawnwaker

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  Stoneforge Mystic

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  Sword of Fire and Ice

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  Sword of Hearth and Home

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  Jeweled Lotus

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  Esper Sentinel

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  Deflecting Swat

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  Aven Mindcensor

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  Mother of Runes

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  Skullclamp

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  Lotus Petal

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  Basalt Monolith

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  Walking Ballista

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  Goblin Cannon

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  Imperial Recruiter

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  Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

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  Dockside Extortionist

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  Jeska's Will

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  Hammer of Nazahn

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  Arcane Signet

• 

  Mana Crypt

Summary

The game featured a Boros showdown with four aggressive and combo-oriented decks centered around Jeska & Ardenn, Rograkh & Ardenn, Aurelia, and Zirda. Early turns saw players developing their board presence and assembling combo pieces, with Baal focusing on Rograkh voltron and combat synergies, Hélder setting up Zirda’s infinite mana combo, Leite ramping into Aurelia for multiple combat phases, and Rodrigo assembling a Jeska & Ardenn equipment combo. A critical turning point came when Leite utilized Aurelia’s combat phase doubling ability combined with Ragavan’s dash and Sword of Hearth and Home to generate infinite combat steps, effectively winning the game by overwhelming the table with relentless attacks. The game was marked by interactions such as Stoneforge Mystic tutoring powerful swords, key removal spells disrupting board states, and efficient use of ramp and card draw to accelerate combos.