Don't Bug Out - cEDH Gameplay! Grist vs Najeela vs Glarb vs Elsha

Deck Strategies

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  Grist, the Hunger Tide

  Focuses on graveyard reanimation, aiming to cheat out powerful creatures like Hoarding Outburst or Protean Hulk to assemble a combo and win the game.

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  Glarb, Calamity's Augur

  Utilizes top-deck manipulation and card advantage through casting big spells off the top, aiming to win via Doomsday or Bolas’s Citadel combo lines.

• 

  Elsha of the Infinite

  Leverages instant-speed casting of non-creature spells from the top of the library, combined with artifacts and Sensei’s Divining Top to draw through the deck and assemble combos.

• 

  Najeela, the Blade-Blossom

  A five-color aggressive and combo deck that attempts to win early with Ad Nauseam into Breach or Thassa’s Oracle, or alternatively through warrior beatdown.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Glarb's Garb enabled repeated top-deck manipulation and provided a steady flow of card advantage through surveilling.

• 2

  Elsha’s player effectively used Soul Ring flicker combos with Flicker effects to generate mana and cast multiple spells each turn, setting up for a critical top-deck draw and combo sequence.

• 3

  Flusterstorm played a pivotal role in countering key spells and protecting combo pieces, highlighting the importance of storm-based counterspells in cEDH.

• 4

  Najeela’s early play of Smothering Tithe generated significant treasure tokens, accelerating mana availability and pressuring opponents.

• 5

  The match demonstrated the delicate balance between aggressive combo assembly and disruption, with players carefully timing their spells and counterspells to outmaneuver opponents.

Notable Cards

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  Grist, the Hunger Tide

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  Glarb, Calamity's Augur

• 

  Elsha of the Infinite

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  Najeela, the Blade-Blossom

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  Flusterstorm

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  Smothering Tithe

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  Mystical Tutor

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  Arcane Signet

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  Mox Diamond

Summary

The game featured four competitive cEDH decks, each pursuing distinct strategies that created a tense and interactive match. Early turns saw players setting up their mana bases and establishing key pieces such as Grist’s insect tokens and Glarb’s Garb to generate value through surveilling cards. Elsha’s player focused on casting non-creature spells from the top of the library at instant speed, leveraging artifacts like Soul Ring and Talismans to ramp and enable powerful top-deck manipulation with Sensei’s Divining Top. Meanwhile, Najeela’s deck sought to either combo off early with Ad Nauseam into a Breach or Thassa’s Oracle finish or apply pressure through warrior tribal aggression. Throughout the early game, players carefully managed resources and counterspells, particularly Flusterstorm, to protect their key spells and hinder opponents’ combos.