Yeva vs Thalia vs Elsha vs Brallin/Shabraz | CEDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Yeva, Nature's Herald

  A midrange creature deck that leverages Yeva's instant-speed flash ability to interact and deploy threats unexpectedly, combining efficient creatures with value engines to maintain board presence.

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  Brallin, Skyshark Rider & Shabraz, the Skyshark

  A curiosity combo deck focused on enchanting creatures with Curiosity to draw cards and generate value, aiming to chain draw and out-resource opponents.

• 

  Elsha of the Infinite

  A proactive spellslinger deck that exploits Elsha's ability to cast spells from the top of the library, using cantrips and recursion engines to generate card advantage and combo off.

• 

  Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

  A stax and control deck that aims to lock opponents down through taxing effects, disruptive creatures, and key land destruction spells like Armageddon to control the pace and win through combat damage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of flash creatures and instant-speed interactions by Yeva's pilot to maintain board presence despite heavy disruption was crucial for survival.

• 2

  Destroying Curiosity with Nature's Claim at a critical moment significantly stalled Brallin's card draw engine, demonstrating the impact of timely removal.

• 3

  Thalia's casting of Armageddon at a moment when opponents had developed their mana bases effectively reset the board and handed her a tempo advantage.

• 4

  Elsha's loops involving Sensei's Divining Top and Storyteller generated substantial card draw but were ultimately stymied by Thalia's taxing effects, highlighting the importance of resource denial in cEDH.

• 5

  The interaction between Geier Reach Sanitarium and discard/draw effects allowed subtle manipulation of hands and graveyards, supporting value generation under pressure.

Notable Cards

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  Jeweled Lotus

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  Mystic Remora

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  Sensei's Divining Top

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  Finale of Devastation

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  Dockside Extortionist

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  Curiosity

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  Armageddon

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  Stoneforge Mystic

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  Nature's Claim

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  Geier Reach Sanitarium

Summary

The game began with each player setting up their respective strategies, with Yeva's midrange deck establishing early board presence through instant-speed interactions and value creatures like Heartwood Storyteller and Generous Patron. Brallin and Shabraz's curiosity deck focused on drawing cards through repeated curiosity triggers on creatures such as Glenhorn Buccaneer, although their key enchantment was destroyed early by Nature's Claim. Elsha of the Infinite's deck aimed to maximize casting spells from the top of the library, generating card advantage and threats through combos involving Sensei's Divining Top and Storyteller. Thalia's deck adopted a stax approach, applying pressure with tax effects and lock pieces, culminating in a devastating Armageddon that leveled the battlefield and disrupted opponents' mana bases. A pivotal moment occurred when Charles, piloting Thalia, successfully cast Armageddon, wiping lands and significantly setting back the others while benefiting from Life Gain synergies with Sarah Ascendant and recurring threats like Stoneforge Mystic. Despite efforts from Mike (Yeva) to maintain board presence with flash creatures and value plays, the land destruction heavily impacted resource development. Ryan (Elsha) attempted to leverage recursive cantrips and draw engines to recover, but Thalia's taxing effects constrained his ability to loop spells. Ultimately, Charles capitalized on the land wipe and slow recovery by opponents to establish control and push through damage, leading to Adam's elimination and a dominant board state for Thalia's stax strategy.