Zirda vs Kinnan vs Rielle vs Illuna | Ikoria Commanders | cEDH Gameplay | Casually Competitive

Deck Strategies

• 

  Illuna, Apex of Wishes

  Leverages Food Chain and creatures like Eternal Scourge or Simic Mutate creatures to generate infinite creature mana and combo off by repeatedly mutating Illuna or other creatures for a win.

• 

  Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

  Uses Kinnan’s ability to generate infinite mana with artifacts like Basalt Monolith or mana dorks plus Freed from the Real, then casts Thrasios to draw through the deck and find win conditions.

• 

  Rielle, the Everwise

  Focuses on discard and wheel effects to draw cards and build storm count, winning through cards like Ether Flux Reservoir by generating value from discarding and drawing.

• 

  Zirda, the Dawnwaker

  Reduces activation costs of mana rocks like Basalt Monolith and Grim Monolith to generate infinite mana, then wins through outlets such as Walking Ballista or Heliod, Sun-Crowned combos.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Joseph’s use of Deflecting Swat to redirect Manglehorn’s destruction from his Basalt Monolith to Bill’s Mana Crypt was a key defensive play that preserved his combo potential.

• 2

  Jordan’s Windfall reset player hands and disrupted established board states, creating a strategic reset that affected all players’ plans.

• 3

  Aura of Silence applied tax effects that increased the cost of Bill’s spells, influencing his mana development and timing.

• 4

  Early removal like Red Elemental Blast was crucial in slowing Nate’s Kinnan combo by destroying his commander shortly after it was cast.

• 5

  The game demonstrated the importance of balancing combo assembly with timely interaction and disruption to control the pacing and prevent opponents from winning.

Notable Cards

• 

  Basalt Monolith

• 

  Grim Monolith

• 

  Food Chain

• 

  Eternal Scourge

• 

  Manglehorn

• 

  Deflecting Swat

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  Mana Crypt

• 

  Windfall

• 

  Aura of Silence

Summary

The game featured four commanders from Ikoria: Illuna, Apex of Wishes; Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy; Rielle, the Everwise; and Zirda, the Dawnwaker. Early turns saw typical ramp and setup plays, with each player developing their mana base and deploying key combo pieces. Joseph (Zirda) quickly assembled a combo involving Basalt Monolith and Grim Monolith to generate infinite colorless mana, but lacked a direct win outlet at that moment. Bill (Illuna) focused on a Food Chain combo strategy aiming to generate infinite creature mana through creatures like Eternal Scourge and utilizing Food Chain for combo wins. Nate (Kinnan) tried to establish infinite mana through Kinnan’s ability combined with mana dorks and artifacts, but was disrupted early on by removal such as Red Elemental Blast. Jordan (Rielle) aimed to leverage card draw synergies from discarding and wheels to storm off and win through cards like Ether Flux Reservoir. A pivotal moment occurred when Bill played Manglehorn to destroy Joseph’s Basalt Monolith, but Joseph responded with Deflecting Swat to redirect the destruction to Bill’s Mana Crypt. Bill then cast Delay to protect the Mana Crypt, resulting in the Basalt Monolith being destroyed instead. This interaction slowed down Joseph’s combo while preserving Bill’s mana acceleration. Later, Jordan’s Windfall forced all players to discard and redraw, shaking up hands and board states. Joseph managed to reassemble some combo pieces but still lacked a clear win. The game revolved around each player trying to establish their infinite mana combos while disrupting opponents, with tempo shifts driven by well-timed counterspells, removal, and board interaction. The game demonstrated the tension between assembling combos and managing opponents’ responses in a fast-paced semi-competitive multiplayer environment.