The Birthday Beatdown | cEDH | Chulane v Tevesh/Ishai v Tevesh/Thrasios v Birgi

Deck Strategies

• 

  Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools

  A reanimator-based combo deck that utilizes artifact and spell synergies to generate value and disrupt opponents' hands, aiming to assemble combos that win through infinite or overwhelming damage.

• 

  Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker

  A commander that grows stronger as opponents cast spells, supported by control elements and artifact synergies to pressure opponents and lock down the game.

• 

  Chulane, Teller of Tales

  A midrange deck focused on ramp, drawing cards through creature spells, and generating value to outpace opponents while maintaining answers to threats.

• 

  Birgi, God of Storytelling

  Aggressive red-based deck that leverages fast mana and cheap spells to generate energy and card advantage, aiming for quick combo finishes or continuous pressure.

• 

  Thrasios, Triton Hero

  A flexible and efficient two-card combo commander, paired with value engines and mana acceleration to assemble game-winning combos or control the board.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of Aethersworn Canonist and Opposition Agent early on created significant disruption against spell-heavy decks, delaying opponents' combos.

• 2

  Urza's Saga was leveraged repeatedly to produce constructs that both pressured players and helped control the board by making some creatures unable to attack.

• 3

  The incremental damage from mana artifacts like Mana Crypt and Ancient Tomb was carefully managed, balancing risk and tempo advantage.

• 4

  Players made strategic use of hand disruption spells and combat damage to whittle down opponents' resources while maintaining their own game plan.

• 5

  Tevesh Szat’s ability to generate treasures and combo off was threatened by artifact hate like Graph Digger's Cage, requiring careful sequencing.

• 6

  Blocking assignments were crucial, such as using constructs to absorb attacks to preserve key creatures and maintain board presence.

• 7

  Soul Ring and other mana accelerators were key to enabling explosive midgame turns and casting multiple spells to draw cards and develop the board.

• 8

  Players were mindful of sequencing their spells around critical counters like Mental Misstep, highlighting the importance of timing in cEDH games.

Notable Cards

• 

  Opposition Agent

• 

  Urza's Saga

• 

  Mana Crypt

• 

  Paladin Class

• 

  Ancient Tomb

• 

  Prismatic Vista

• 

  Strike It Rich

• 

  Esper Sentinel

Summary

The game began with all four players establishing their early boards and mana bases, including key mana artifacts like Mana Crypt and Urza's Saga, setting the stage for explosive turns ahead. Tevesh Szat and Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker's player focused on controlling the board with pieces like Aethersworn Canonist and Opposition Agent, while also generating treasure tokens and pressuring life totals. Chulane, Teller of Tales, took a midrange approach, ramping mana and drawing cards through creatures and value spells. Birgi, God of Storytelling and Thrasios, Triton Hero also developed their boards with mana acceleration and utility creatures, setting up for their respective combo or value engines. As the game progressed, players jockeyed for position, using their commanders' abilities and artifact synergies to maintain card advantage and control the tempo. Urza's Saga repeatedly produced constructs, applying pressure and locking down opponents' plays. The key turning points involved strategic use of hand disruption and combat damage to weaken opponents while preserving threats. The game featured incremental damage and resource denial, with players carefully balancing aggression and defense. The eventual win conditions centered around leveraging Tevesh Szat's reanimator potential and Ishai's scaling power, combined with artifact synergies to execute lethal combos or overwhelming board states.