Deck & Commander Strategies
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Leverages artifact ramp and synergies to generate massive mana and card advantage, using locks like Counterbalance and recursion spells such as Underworld Breach to control the game and combo off for a win.
Dihada, Binder of Wills
Utilizes stealing and copying opponents' spells and permanents to disrupt and gain advantage, aiming to out-tempo opponents and leverage unique interactions for card advantage and control.
Orvar, the All-Form
Focuses on spell copying and synergy with instants and sorceries to generate value and combos, often aiming to chain spells to overwhelm opponents or assemble game-ending combos.
Kairi, the Swirling Sky
Uses a tempo and control approach with flying creatures and spells to manipulate combat and board state, aiming to outpace opponents through incremental advantage and disruption.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
Establishing Counterbalance early allowed Urza to exert significant control over opponents' spells and maintain card advantage.
- 2
The decision to break the initial 'fish pack' (informal early-game non-aggression pact) marked a crucial turning point, accelerating the game's pace.
- 3
Using Underworld Breach in combination with artifact ramp enabled explosive turns and recursion, putting immense pressure on the table.
- 4
Players carefully weighed when to counter spells versus maintaining political stability, highlighting the importance of timing and table dynamics in cEDH.
- 5
Perplexing Chimera provided a unique value engine but was acknowledged as complex to manage over remote play, showing the challenges of certain cards in different settings.
Notable Cards
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Counterbalance
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Underworld Breach
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Lotus Petal
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Lion's Eye Diamond
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Chrome Mox
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Perplexing Chimera
Gameplay Summary
The game started with players developing their mana bases while setting up initial card advantage and interaction pieces.
Urza, Lord High Artificer quickly established a strong presence with artifact ramp like Lotus Petal and deployed Counterbalance to disrupt opponents.
Early turns focused on subtle interaction and maintaining board presence without overly aggressive early threats.
As the game progressed, players began to leverage their commanders' unique abilities, with Urza utilizing artifact synergies and card draw engines, while others like Dihada and Orvar sought to assemble their combos or powerful tempo swings.
A key turning point was when Urza managed to establish a lock with Counterbalance and Underworld Breach, generating significant card advantage and board control, which pressured the table heavily.
Despite attempts from other players to disrupt these strategies, Urza maintained momentum with efficient resource generation and spell recursion.
The game revolved around intricate interactions, with players carefully choosing when to counter or let certain plays resolve.
Ultimately, the player piloting Urza positioned themselves to capitalize on artifact synergies and spell recursion to overwhelm opponents and secure a win.