IS ESPER SENTINEL SECRETLY THE BEST CEDH CARD?? | MAMTG cEDH S4 E21 | ft @PlaytoWinMTG

Deck Strategies

• 

  Sophina, Spearsage Deserter

  Utilizes a four-color Underworld Breach combo deck leveraging Sophina's ability to create Clues that fuel a Turbo Time combo finish, aiming for a fast combo kill through artifact and spell recursion.

• 

  Jeska, Thrice Reborn

  A midrange MAD (Multiple Artifact Destruction) farm deck that grinds value by feeding infinite mana through Jeska’s ability to repeatedly generate damage and mana, enabling powerful combos to close the game.

• 

  Kenrith, the Returned King

  A five-color combo deck that uses popular cEDH infinite mana combos filtered through Kenrith’s versatile abilities to generate game-winning loops, combining combos with control elements to maintain advantage.

• 

  Tymna the Weaver

  A midrange aggressive deck focusing on drawing cards through combat damage and generating incremental advantage, often combining with other commanders like Jeska to enable infinite mana combos and finishers.

• 

  Korvold, Fae-Cursed King

  Turbo Ad Nauseam strategy that accelerates mana quickly to cast Ad Nauseam, aiming to draw the entire deck and win either through storm combos or by stealing opponents' win conditions with Prador grasp synergy.

• 

  Cecily, Haunted Mage

  Works in tandem with Sophina in a Turbo Time deck, focusing on artifact-based combos and exploiting recursion and card draw to quickly assemble a lethal combo.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Players used Esper Sentinel as a tax on card draws, triggering Orcish Bow Master to repeatedly ping opponents and control the board subtly over time.

• 2

  Timna’s attack choices were used as signals to opponents about available resources and intentions, influencing combat and threat assessment.

• 3

  Jessica, Thrice Reborn’s ability was strategically employed to remove problematic creatures like Sopina, resetting board state when advantageous.

• 4

  Mana acceleration with Mana Crypt, Mox Opal, and Grim Monolith enabled explosive turns and combo setups early in the game.

• 5

  Political pressure and threat assessment were crucial, with players bullying high-value cards like Dockside Extortionist to prevent opponents from gaining too much advantage.

• 6

  The game demonstrated the importance of incremental value engines and subtle damage triggers alongside traditional infinite mana combos in cEDH gameplay.

Notable Cards

• 

  Esper Sentinel

• 

  Dockside Extortionist

• 

  Underworld Breach

• 

  Mana Crypt

• 

  Mox Opal

• 

  Sol Ring

• 

  Deathrite Shaman

• 

  Arcane Signet

• 

  Grim Monolith

Summary

The game featured a high-level competitive Commander match with players piloting decks centered around powerful combo-oriented and midrange strategies. Early turns saw players establishing mana acceleration with cards like Mana Crypt, Mox Opal, and Sol Ring to quickly develop their boards. The Esper Sentinel card proved pivotal, generating incremental value by taxing opponents' draws and synergizing with Orcish Bow Master for repeated damage triggers. Combat interactions, such as Timna the Weaver attacking to pressure specific players and utilizing Jessica, Thrice Reborn’s ability to remove threats like Sopina, Spearsage Deserter, shaped the flow of the game. The players leveraged the synergy between infinite mana generators and their commanders—Kenrith and Jeska notably filtering and exploiting mana for combos aimed at closing the game quickly. There was a clear focus on political plays and managing threats like Dockside Extortionist and Underworld Breach to maintain board control and prevent opponents from gaining runaway advantage. The match’s tension revolved around maintaining tempo while seeking critical combos to finish the game, with Esper Sentinel’s continuous card draw disruption and damage pinging standing out as a subtle but impactful element.