Birgi, Hapatra, Tymna & Jeska, Thrasios & Smasher - #cEDH Gameplay Ep 52

Deck Strategies

• 

  Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty

  A storm-based deck that generates large amounts of red mana quickly to cast multiple spells in a turn, leveraging cantrips and spells that double effects to reach a lethal storm count, finishing with infinite mana outlets like Staff of Domination and win conditions such as Jeska, Thrice Reborn.

• 

  Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

  A combo/control deck focused on assembling synergies to produce -1/-1 counters and snake tokens, utilizing recursive creatures like Protean Hulk and Zulaport Cutthroat to drain opponents’ life and gain incremental advantage, supported by ramp and tutors to find key combo pieces.

• 

  Tymna the Weaver & Jeska, Thrice Reborn

  A Mardu-based control/farm deck that draws heavily through Tymna’s card advantage and Jeska’s abilities, combining disruption with card draw engines like Peer into the Abyss, and winning through infinite mana combos involving Auriok Salvagers and Lion’s Eye Diamond.

• 

  Thrasios, Triton Hero & Vial Smasher the Fierce

  A controlling combo deck that uses efficient mana dorks, disruption like Cyclonic Rift and Deathrite Shaman, and value creatures to survive early aggression, aiming to combo off with infinite mana generation and recursive lines.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Leite’s early use of Jeweled Lotus and Mox Diamond to ramp into a storm count highlighted the importance of fast mana in storm decks, but without early lands, his progression was stalled despite good card filtering and cantrips.

• 2

  Afonso’s careful management of Deathrite Shamans in response to each other prevented Kakah from easily resolving Cyclonic Rift on key enchantments like Smothering Tithe, showcasing how interactive responses can maintain board state control.

• 3

  Afonso’s sacrifice chains with Protean Hulk, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Yawgmoth allowed incremental life drain and card draw, setting up a slow but resilient combo line, though disruption and opponent interaction delayed his win.

• 4

  Baal’s timely use of Peer into the Abyss to draw a massive number of cards set him up for a lethal infinite mana combo involving Lion’s Eye Diamond and Auriok Salvagers, culminating in a final burst using Jeska, Thrice Reborn to clear opponents’ life totals.

• 5

  Kakah’s use of Cyclonic Rift to bounce Smothering Tithe disrupted Baal’s mana acceleration, demonstrating the power of well-timed interaction even in a controlling/combo deck.

• 6

  Grand Abolisher’s presence on Baal’s board during the win attempt prevented opponents from interacting during his combo turn, underscoring the importance of protection in cEDH play.

Notable Cards

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  Jeweled Lotus

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  Mox Diamond

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  Staff of Domination

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  Dual Strike

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  Experimental Frenzy

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  Gemstone Caverns

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  Deathrite Shaman

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  Protean Hulk

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  Zulaport Cutthroat

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  Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

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  Peer into the Abyss

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  Grand Abolisher

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  Cyclonic Rift

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  Smothering Tithe

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  Auriok Salvagers

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  Final Fortune

Summary

The game began with Leite aggressively establishing his Birgi storm deck, utilizing early mana acceleration through Jeweled Lotus and Mox Diamond, paired with cantrips and burst damage spells like Dual Strike and Crimson Wisps. Despite a strong start, Leite was unable to immediately go off due to a lack of lands and had to shift to attacking while continuing to build his storm count. Afonso, piloting a combo-focused Hapatra deck, aimed to assemble a combo involving Hapatra’s ability to generate -1/-1 counters and exploit creatures like Protean Hulk and Zulaport Cutthroat for incremental advantage and life drain, while also employing Gaea’s Cradle for ramp. Baal’s Tymna & Jeska deck played a control-farm strategy, drawing cards with Peer into the Abyss and using creatures like Grand Abolisher to protect his combo attempts. Kakah’s Thrasios & Smasher deck maintained a more controlling posture, leveraging cards like Deathrite Shaman and Cyclonic Rift to disrupt opponents and protect his combo lines.