Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, enters the Idiot Gauntlet vs Sisay, Malcolm/vial and Ob Nixilis

Deck Strategies

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  Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

  Utilizes Alesha’s ability to recur creatures with impactful enter-the-battlefield or sacrifice triggers, aiming to assemble infinite sacrifice combos combined with Ad Nauseam to draw out a win. The deck leverages discard outlets and blood artist effects to drain opponents.

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  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator & Vial Smasher the Fierce

  Focuses on a fast two-card combo with Blight-Horn Buccaneer and Malcolm to kill opponents quickly. If the combo fails, it falls back on Underworld Breach piles for a secondary win condition.

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  Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

  Cheats legendary permanents onto the battlefield using Sisay’s ability, aiming to assemble a game-ending combo with cards like Mount Doom or Anointed Procession, controlling the board and winning through overwhelming value.

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  Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin

  Generates incremental advantage and deals damage through triggered abilities that deal one damage, including cards like Kiki-Jiki’s clone and Mayhem Devil. The deck then looks to close out the game with a combo involving Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Walking Ballista.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Players leveraged mana artifacts and fast mana to accelerate into early threats and combos quickly, emphasizing the importance of mana efficiency in competitive Commander.

• 2

  The use of sacrifice outlets combined with card draw (such as Ad Nauseam) enabled Alesha’s deck to generate explosive combo turns despite early setbacks like the loss of Alesha herself.

• 3

  Countermagic and interaction like Force of Will and Grand Abolisher played a pivotal role in protecting combos and disrupting opponents’ sequences, showcasing the delicate balance between aggression and control in cEDH.

• 4

  Copying counterspells with flare of duplication to double down on disruption was a key interaction that helped maintain board state control and prevent the opponent’s win conditions from resolving.

• 5

  Players carefully managed triggers and energy counters (e.g., with Unstable Amulet) to maximize value from their spells and maintain pressure across the table.

Notable Cards

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  Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

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  Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

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  Vial Smasher the Fierce

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  Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

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  Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin

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  Underworld Breach

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  Mount Doom

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  Anointed Procession

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  Agatha's Soul Cauldron

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  Walking Ballista

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  Party Thrasher

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  Mox Diamond

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  Mana Crypt

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  Grand Abolisher

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  Force of Will

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  Flare of Duplication

Summary

The game featured a four-player Commander duel with Alesha, Who Smiles at Death, Malcolm/Vial Smasher, Sisay, Weatherlight Captain, and Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin. Early turns saw players establishing mana bases and deploying key ramp artifacts such as Mox Diamond, Mana Crypt, and Jewel Lotus, alongside utility lands like Flooded Strand and Godless Shrine. Alesha's pilot started by casting Alesha herself and some sacrifice synergy pieces like Lotho Corruptor and Party Thrasher, aiming to leverage ad nauseum and infinite sacrifice combos for a win. Meanwhile, Malcolm and Vial Smasher’s pilot aggressively pursued a fast combo kill with Blight-Horn Buccaneer and Malcolm, and Sisay aimed to cheat legendary permanents into play to assemble a win con involving Mount Doom or other combos. Ob Nixilis’s pilot focused on incremental card advantage and damage through one-damage triggers and a combo with Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Walking Ballista. The early game was punctuated by interaction such as Grand Abolisher and counterspells like Force of Will, with both disruption and combo attempts weaving through the gameplay. Notably, Alesha was sacrificed early, temporarily removed, but the player managed to continue their combo strategy by deploying additional sacrifice outlets and card draw. The game featured a complex stack with multiple responses, including flare of duplication copied with sacrifice payoffs, and mana management under pressure from opposing decks’ disruption. The game’s dynamic revolved around balancing fast combo attempts with timely interaction and resource denial, with key moments revolving around resolving or countering pivotal spells that threatened to end the game. Although the transcript only covers early to mid-game turns, it reveals intense strategic depth and the tension between explosive combos and interactive control elements.