Can Orvar survive the titans of cEDH? Malcolm/Vial vs Tymna/Thrasios vs Kinnan vs Orvar

Deck Strategies

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  Orvar, the All-Form

  Orvar's deck focuses on copying instants and sorceries to generate value and tempo, aiming to leverage spellslinger synergies to control the board and ultimately win through incremental advantage or a combo finisher.

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  Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

  Kinnan's deck accelerates mana by generating additional mana from nonland permanents, enabling explosive plays and combo lines that generate infinite mana or draw, leading to a swift game-ending combo.

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  Tymna the Weaver and Thrasios, Triton Hero

  This partner combination seeks to maximize card advantage through combat damage triggers and efficient mana usage, enabling a toolbox style of play that finds combo pieces and controls the game until a winning line can be executed.

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  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and Vial Smasher the Fierce

  This aggressive pair aims to pressure opponents with direct damage and disruption while maintaining card advantage through Vial Smasher's damage trigger and Malcolm's ability to provide card filtering, setting up a fast and disruptive combo finish.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of Brain Freeze as a hand- and graveyard-disrupting combo was a pivotal moment that crippled Orvar's ability to recover and contest the late game.

• 2

  Players carefully managed mana resources, with multiple instances of cracking Mana Confluence and treasure tokens to execute complex spell sequences.

• 3

  The interaction between removal spells and counterspells around breach combos required precise timing and sequencing to avoid disruption.

• 4

  Despite Orvar's potential for value copying spells, the deck struggled to keep pace with the raw combo speed and card advantage engines of Tymna/Thrasios and Kinnan.

• 5

  Paying commander tax and interaction costs responsibly was critical to maintaining tempo and enabling multi-step combo lines.

• 6

  Leveraging partner commanders provided flexibility in deck construction and strategic options during mid- to late-game turns.

Notable Cards

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  Brain Freeze

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  Mana Confluence

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  Mayhem Devil

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  Breach

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  Mystical Tutor

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  Chromatic Lantern

Summary

The game begins with players carefully developing their mana bases and setting up early plays, with several players utilizing treasure generation and land drops to ramp efficiently. Early turns show typical cEDH pacing, with players casting signets, fetching lands, and deploying low-cost creatures and spells to dig through their decks. Orvar, the All-Form's player attempts to establish a foothold but faces pressure from aggressive interaction and disruption from the other decks. A notable turning point occurs when an opponent resolves Brain Freeze, a powerful combo piece that grinds down multiple players' hands and graveyards, severely limiting Orvar's options and effectively putting them on the back foot. Despite attempts to dig out of the unfavorable position, Orvar struggles to keep pace with the faster combo-oriented decks in the game. Meanwhile, the Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy and Tymna/Thrasios decks leverage their card advantage and mana acceleration to assemble winning lines. The game culminates with a precise sequence of spells and mana usage that allows one player to close out the game, demonstrating the high-level synergy and interaction typical of cEDH play.