Deck & Commander Strategies
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Leverages aggressive artifact and tempo plays, often using fast mana rocks and disruption to pressure opponents and set up combo lines.
Tymna the Weaver
A midrange value and control strategy that uses Tymna's card draw and combat damage to generate incremental advantage, supported by efficient interaction and combo finishes.
Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
A tempo-control deck that combines card draw from combat damage with a suite of counters and removal, aiming to control the board while assembling a combo finish.
Francisco, Fowl Marauder + Jeska, Thrice Reborn
A rogue cEDH archetype focusing on artifact synergies and powerful combo engines like Worldgorger Dragon, utilizing Jeska's abilities for additional mana and damage ramp to close games quickly.
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
A clone-based combo-control deck that uses Sakashima's ability to copy key creatures and combos, often disrupting opponents while setting up infinite mana or damage lines.
Krark, the Thumbless
A high-variance, artifact combo deck that uses Krark's abilities to generate explosive plays through coin flips and artifact synergies, aiming for quick wins with infinite combos.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Countering the early Dark Ritual with Mental Misstep was a critical disruption, forcing the player to reconsider their mana acceleration and tempo plays.
- 2
Choosing whether to pay life to protect a Mystic Remora or keep mana open for interaction was a tense decision impacting available plays and information given to opponents.
- 3
The Francisco Jeska deck's unusual combo lines and artifact synergies created unique decision points, illustrating the advantage of brewing innovative strategies in cEDH.
- 4
Players prioritized forcing opponents to interact with each other’s threats while carefully preserving their own resources, highlighting the parasitic nature of some cEDH decks.
- 5
The mulligan decisions and sequencing underscored the high skill level present, as even small missteps could open lethal windows for opponents.
Notable Cards
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Mental Misstep
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Dark Ritual
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Worldgorger Dragon
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Mystic Remora
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Watery Grave
Gameplay Summary
The final match of the Arcane Series II cEDH tournament featured four top-tier players piloting highly competitive decks, including two versions of Tymna and Kraum, a Francisco Jeska deck, and a Sakashima list.
Early turns saw thoughtful mulligans and strategic plays such as countering a Dark Ritual with Mental Misstep, showcasing the intense interaction typical of cEDH.
Players carefully navigated resource management and interaction, with key moments involving attempts to disrupt opponents' combos and protect their own lines.
Despite the high pressure and complexity, the game progressed with players balancing aggression and control, eyeing win conditions like Worldgorger Dragon combos and other powerful infinite mana synergies typical to these decks.
The match was marked by a delicate dance of resource denial, timing, and sequencing, with the Francisco Jeska deck representing a novel archetype in the tournament scene and proving a strong contender among more established strategies.
