Pride cEDH 2025! Vivi/Etali vs Heliod/Nekusar vs Kefka/Kutzil vs Satoru/Rograkh

Deck Strategies

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  Heliod, the Radiant Dawn and Nekusar, the Mindrazer

  Stick commanders early, resolve wheels to draw cards and force opponents to discard, then win through burn damage or classic Underworld Breach combos.

• 

  Kefka, Court Mage and Kutzil, Malamet Exemplar

  Leverage hand disruption and protection spells to control opponents while using Kefka for card advantage and Food Chain combos to generate infinite mana and win.

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  Satoru, the Infiltrator and Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh

  Utilize zero-mana creatures and low curve to rapidly deploy threats and generate card advantage, winning through Ad Nauseam or Underworld Breach combos.

• 

  Vivi Ornitier and Etali, Primal Conqueror

  Ramp aggressively with Vivi to cast Etali early, then win by attacking with Etali to exile and cast spells from opponents' decks, often leveraging extra turns from Etali flipping.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Players carefully managed life totals to pay for abilities like Rhystic Study triggers while maintaining tempo.

• 2

  The use of flash creatures and instant-speed interaction allowed reactive plays to disrupt opponent combos and key spells.

• 3

  Wristic Study triggers created repeated decision points about paying or denying card draw, influencing pacing and resource management.

• 4

  Ragavan's early aggression and treasure generation provided significant board presence and card advantage that pressured opponents.

• 5

  Tutors such as Vampiric Tutor and Enlightened Tutor were pivotal in assembling combo pieces or key interaction spells quickly.

• 6

  Players leveraged multiple low-cost and zero-cost creatures to accelerate combos and maximize value from commanders' abilities.

Notable Cards

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  Rhystic Study

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  Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

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  Obosh, the Preypiercer

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  Orcish Bowmasters

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  Arcane Signet

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  Ancient Tomb

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  Underworld Breach

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  Food Chain

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  Flusterstorm

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  Abrupt Decay

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  Relic of Legends

Summary

The game started with all players setting up their mana bases and early board presence, with aggressive card draw and disruption shaping the pace. Rograkh and Satoru's Grixis deck leveraged zero-cost creatures and card draw engines to rapidly flood the board while applying incremental damage. Heliod and Nekusar's deck aimed to stick their commanders early and use wheel effects to maintain card advantage and pressure opponents with burn and Underworld Breach combos. Kefka and Kutzil utilized hand disruption and protection effects to control the board and set up a Food Chain finish. Vivi and Etali focused on ramping quickly with Vivi to cast Etali, aiming to win through Etali's combat damage and extra turns after it flipped. Key turning points involved Rograkh's aggressive use of Ragavan and Ornithopter to generate treasures and incremental damage, alongside recursive threats and draw triggers from card advantage spells like Rhystic Study. The Heliod/Nekusar player tried to keep up pressure with wheels and removal but faced disruption from reactive spells like Flusterstorm and Abrupt Decay. The Kefka/Kutzil deck used tutors and disruption to slow opponents while building towards Food Chain combos. The game featured multiple interactions around paying or denying Rhystic Study triggers, impacting tempo and card draw. Ultimately, the game revolved around maintaining board control, managing life totals carefully, and resolving key combo pieces to close out.