WHO'S THE SCARIEST COMMANDER IN cEDH - NITPICKING NERDS vs PLAY TO WIN - HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Deck Strategies

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  Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

  Kraum aims to generate card advantage and incremental value through its combat triggers, supporting a tempo and control-oriented plan with efficient spells and removal.

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  Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

  Ikra Shidiqi focuses on life gain and control elements, leveraging high life totals and synergistic effects to outlast opponents and stabilize the board.

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  The Gitrog Monster

  The Gitrog Monster deck exploits graveyard recursion, dredge, and card draw engines like Necropotence to generate massive card advantage and infinite mana combos for a game-winning Finale of Devastation.

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  Karador, Ghost Chieftain

  Karador utilizes graveyard recursion and sacrifice themes to generate value and maintain board presence, often assembling combos around reanimating creatures.

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  Sidisi, Brood Tyrant

  Sidisi employs self-mill and dredge synergies to assemble combo piles quickly, often leveraging Doomsday to find a game-winning sequence swiftly.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The Gitrog Monster player skillfully stacked Necropotence triggers to reorder and selectively exile cards, maximizing the value of their graveyard and library manipulation.

• 2

  Sidisi's Doomsday attempt was countered early, demonstrating the importance of timely interaction against fast combo decks in cEDH.

• 3

  The interaction between dredge triggers and Necropotence allowed the Gitrog player to loop through their library multiple times, generating infinite draw and mana.

• 4

  Players needed to carefully manage their discard and shuffle triggers to maintain control over the complex stack of effects during the Gitrog player's combo sequence.

• 5

  Despite having disruption available, opponents hesitated to use it fully, highlighting the tension between interaction and preserving resources in high-stakes combo lines.

Notable Cards

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  Necropotence

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  Doomsday

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  Dakmor Salvage

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  Finale of Devastation

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  Dark Ritual

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  Gemstone Caverns

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  Marsh Flats

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  Tomb of the Spirit Dragon

Summary

The game began with each player setting up their board state, with early plays centered around ramp and card advantage. The Gitrog Monster player utilized Necropotence aggressively on turn one to set up a powerful engine, discarding and stacking cards strategically to maximize value. Meanwhile, the Sidisi player executed a fast Doomsday combo, aiming to assemble a winning pile quickly. The Gitrog player leveraged interactions with Dakmor Salvage and other dredge effects to maintain card flow and board presence. The game featured a complex sequence of triggered abilities and interactions, particularly around Necropotence and dredge triggers, allowing for extensive library manipulation and resource generation. Ultimately, the Gitrog Monster deck looked to close the game with a Finale of Devastation combo enabled by infinite mana and a stocked board. The other decks attempted to disrupt and interact but were unable to prevent the Gitrog player from establishing their loop and combo finish. The game was marked by intricate timing and stacking of multiple effects, showcasing the high complexity and synergy in cEDH gameplay.