PRE BAN-HAMMER! ETALI v. FRANSISCO/MALCOLM v. MARCHESA v. TALION - cEDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

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  Etali, Primal Conqueror

  Etali aims to leverage high-impact creatures and combat damage to exile cards from opponents' decks, gaining advantage and closing out the game through aggressive, combat-based damage and disruption.

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  Francisco, Fowl Marauder

  Francisco focuses on treasure generation and artifact ramp, utilizing treasure tokens to accelerate mana and cast impactful spells ahead of others, aiming to overwhelm opponents quickly.

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  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

  Malcolm uses treasure tokens to ramp into powerful spells and combos, often focusing on artifact synergies and fast mana to outpace opponents and secure victory through explosive mana turns.

• 

  Talion, the Kindly Lord

  Talion capitalizes on artifact synergies and combo pieces, such as Baron and Fairy Mastermind, to create infinite loops and a dominant board presence, leveraging recursion and control elements to close out games.

• 

  Marchesa, Dealer of Death

  Marchesa employs a resilient, value-heavy strategy based on dethrone and +1/+1 counters, aiming to outlast opponents with creature recursion and incremental advantage through combat and sacrifice triggers.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Casting Baron and Fairy Mastermind to generate infinite combos provided Talion a huge advantage and board dominance.

• 2

  Copying Volatile Storm Drake with Flesh Duplicate amplified Talion's board control and created a significant threat.

• 3

  The interaction between Sticker Goblin, Chrome Mox, and Besmirch showcased a complex mana acceleration combo that fueled high-impact plays.

• 4

  Choosing to cast The One Ring while it enters the battlefield tapped was a strategic misstep that reduced card advantage potential.

• 5

  Early disruption and counter magic significantly hindered Etali's aggressive strategy, forcing adaptation.

• 6

  Players prioritized fast mana artifact deployment to gain tempo early, influencing the pace of the game and the sequence of plays.

Notable Cards

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  Jeweled Lotus

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  Mox Diamond

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  Chrome Mox

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  Flesh Duplicate

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  Besmirch

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  The One Ring

Summary

The game began with a fast-paced setup, featuring explosive mana acceleration from multiple players, including early deployment of fast mana artifacts such as Jeweled Lotus, Mox Diamond, and Chrome Mox. Malcolm quickly established a treasure-based ramp strategy, while Talion leveraged powerful artifact synergies to develop a threatening board state. Marchesa aimed to stabilize with resilient creatures and value engines. Etali's player faced significant disruption due to copying and counter spells early on, which impeded their typical aggressive strategy. A pivotal moment occurred when Talion cast Baron and Fairy Mastermind, creating an infinite combo that generated overwhelming board presence. This was further amplified by casting multiple Volatile Storm Drakes and copying them with Flesh Duplicate, effectively dominating the battlefield. The interaction between Sticker Goblin, Chrome Mox, and Besmirch showcased a complex mana combo that fueled explosive plays. Throughout the game, players struggled with managing the threat of infinite combos and recursive artifact abuse, leading to intense board wipes and strategic plays. The game featured a heavy emphasis on artifact synergy, counter magic, and combo disruption, with multiple players racing to establish control before the others could execute their win conditions.