New Year, New Decks, Same Old Friends - cEDH Gameplay - MARNEUS v STORM v ROG/IKRA v MASTER OF KEYS

Deck Strategies

• 

  Marneus Calgar

  Generate tokens to overwhelm opponents while drawing cards to maintain hand advantage, using token synergies and proactive board presence to push towards a win.

• 

  Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper / Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh

  Leverage sacrifice and combo pieces to generate incremental advantage and value, aiming to assemble a lethal combo or control the board through creature interactions.

• 

  Storm, Force of Nature

  Ramp quickly into storm spells to build a storm count, then use powerful instants and sorceries with storm to generate massive value and finish opponents in a combo turn.

• 

  The Master of Keys

  Utilize graveyard recursion and milling to maintain card advantage and board control, recurring key creatures and disrupting opponents while slowly building towards a win.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Mayhem Devil's recurring damage through sacrifice effects created ongoing pressure on all players' life totals, subtly shaping their strategic decisions.

• 2

  Storm's Will was used not only for ramp but also to copy instants and sorceries, generating significant value and threatening multiple players simultaneously.

• 3

  The interaction of Dramatic Reversal combined with Force of Negation successfully countered a key Overpowering Attack play, highlighting the importance of instant-speed interaction to disrupt combo turns.

• 4

  Players carefully managed their life totals and resources, balancing aggression with the need to stay alive against multiple opponents in a high-tension multiplayer environment.

• 5

  Using Bergy, the Risen to generate additional red mana and trigger synergy effects was a pivotal mana acceleration play that enabled more explosive turns.

• 6

  Strategic timing of token generation and sacrifice effects, such as from Paragon and Ikra's abilities, was critical to maximizing board presence and card draw.

Notable Cards

• 

  Mayhem Devil

• 

  Overpowering Attack

• 

  Dramatic Reversal

• 

  Force of Negation

• 

  Mox Amber

• 

  Mox Diamond

• 

  Cabal Ritual

• 

  Necropotence

• 

  Bloom Tender

• 

  Wishclaw Talisman

Summary

The game began with each player establishing their board presence and ramping mana, setting up for their respective strategies. Marneus Calgar focused on generating tokens and card draw, while Rograkh with Ikra Shidiqi aimed to assemble combos and generate value from sacrificing creatures. Storm, Force of Nature used aggressive mana ramp and storm spells to build towards a big combo turn, while Master of Keys utilized graveyard recursion and mill to apply pressure. Early plays of Mayhem Devil introduced a slow but persistent life loss effect that influenced players' life totals and decisions throughout the game. A key turning point came when Storm successfully cast Storm's Will, leveraging storm copy effects to generate significant value and tentatively target the player with the largest hand. This was met with a strong counterplay involving Dramatic Reversal and Force of Negation that stalled an Overpowering Attack attempt, showcasing the interactive and reactive nature of the game. Throughout the match, players carefully managed resources and life totals to maintain board presence while preparing for decisive combos or win conditions.