Niv Parun, Yuriko, Katilda, Kenrith - ft Elesh Norn #cEDH Gameplay Ep 98

Deck Strategies

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  Niv-Mizzet, Parun

  Control and combo deck focusing on drawing cards and dealing damage through Niv-Mizzet’s triggered abilities, usually enabled by enchantments like Curiosity and artifacts to generate infinite damage.

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  Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow

  Turns and burn deck leveraging ninjutsu to sneak in evasive creatures and trigger Yuriko’s damage-dealing ability, combined with interaction and card draw to chain multiple attacks in a single turn.

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  Katilda, Dawnhart Prime

  Stax and combo deck that ramps aggressively using mana dorks and land synergies like Gaea’s Cradle, employing disruption to slow opponents and win through incremental advantage and combos.

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  Kenrith, the Returned King

  Versatile midrange deck based on evolution and treasure generation, using Kenrith’s flexible abilities to pump creatures, gain life, and apply pressure with powerful Praetors and treasure tokens.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Casting Elesh Norn early created a heavy board state lock that crippled low-toughness creatures and pressured all players, forcing adaptations.

• 2

  Hélder’s use of Sakashima the Impostor to copy Elesh Norn neutralized Baal’s board dominance and allowed Yuriko’s creatures to survive and attack effectively.

• 3

  Multiple Rhystic Study triggers influenced players' mana usage decisions, often forcing them to pay or allow opponents to draw additional cards.

• 4

  Baal’s Dockside Extortionist was removed by Skyclave Apparition but died to state-based effects without exiling a creature, showing precise timing and stacking knowledge.

• 5

  Hélder’s sequence of ninjutsu activations with Yuriko delivered a critical 15 damage in a single combat phase, leveraging multiple Elesh Norns and card draw to close out the game.

• 6

  Strong counterspell and interaction usage, including Mana Drain and Force of Negation, were essential in disrupting Kenrith’s attempts to take over the game.

Notable Cards

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  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

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  Sakashima the Impostor

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  Dockside Extortionist

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  Rhystic Study

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  Mana Drain

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  Curiosity

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  Mox Diamond

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  Mox Opal

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  Jeweled Lotus

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  Phantasmal Image

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  Sylvan Library

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  Skyclave Apparition

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  Temporal Manipulation

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  Noxious Revival

Summary

The game began with all four players establishing their mana bases and early board presence. David on Niv-Mizzet, Parun aimed to assemble his combo pieces, while Hélder's Yuriko deck focused on a turns-and-burn strategy with heavy interaction and evasive ninjutsu attacks. Rodrigo's Katilda deck played a stax/combo style, leveraging mana ramp and disruption to slow opponents. Baal piloted Kenrith with an evolution theme, generating treasures and applying pressure with powerful creatures like Elesh Norn. Early turns saw Baal casting Elesh Norn, which severely hampered most decks by reducing toughness and disabling creatures, but Hélder cleverly used Sakashima the Impostor to copy Elesh Norn and nullify its effects on his creatures. Multiple Elesh Norns on the battlefield created a taxing environment that disrupted Niv-Mizzet’s typical combo potential. Hélder’s Yuriko eventually went on the offensive with multiple ninjutsu triggers, dealing massive damage through combat and triggered abilities. Baal attempted to close out the game using Kenrith’s versatile abilities but was stymied by Hélder’s counterspells and interaction. The pivotal moment was Hélder’s Yuriko dealing a lethal 15 damage combo with card draw and extra turn synergy, decisively swinging the game in his favor.