Are C13 Commanders Still CEDH Viable?

Deck Strategies

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  Prossh, Skyraider of Kher

  A Food Chain combo deck aiming to assemble the Food Chain + Prossh combo to generate infinite mana and kill the table through repeated sacrifice and token generation.

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  Derevi, Empyrial Tactician

  A stax-oriented deck leveraging Derevi’s ability to tap and untap permanents to lock down opponents, disrupt their plays, and eventually win through combat and control elements.

• 

  Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge

  A midrange Grixis deck focusing on wheels and Underworld Breach combos to generate value and storm off, utilizing spells to control the board and refuel the hand.

• 

  Nekusar, the Mindrazer

  A wheel and Ad Nauseam combo deck that uses Nekusar’s ability to deal damage on card draw, aiming to burn out opponents through consistent damage and recursion with wheels and draw spells.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The use of Winter Orb by Derevi's player to disrupt opponents' mana development created significant tempo advantage.

• 2

  Opposition Agent was strategically flashed in to shut down tutor effects, directly impacting Prossh's combo setup.

• 3

  Wheel of Fortune effectively reset the hands, disrupting Prossh’s Food Chain combo and shifting the game’s momentum.

• 4

  Recurring draws and card selection via Sylvan Library and Mystic Remora enabled players like Derevi and Nekusar to maintain pressure and out-value opponents.

• 5

  Combat phases were used not only for damage but also to trigger Derevi's untap ability, allowing for multiple activations of stax elements and mana untapping.

Notable Cards

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  Food Chain

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  Winter Orb

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  Opposition Agent

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  Sylvan Library

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  Mystic Remora

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  Wheel of Fortune

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  Dockside Extortionist

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  Spellseeker

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  Walking Ballista

Summary

The game featured four decks piloted by experienced players, each led by a Commander from the 2013 Commander preconstructed sets. The game opened with standard resource development and early board presence, with key mana acceleration and draw spells like Sylvan Library and Mystic Remora enabling players to build their hands and set up combos. Early interactions included Derek's stax elements slowing the field, and Prossh setting up for a Food Chain combo, though it was disrupted by a Wheel of Fortune that reshuffled players’ hands. As the game progressed, strategic plays such as the casting of Winter Orb and Hakori, Dust Drinker added control elements, while Jeleva aimed to leverage wheels and Underworld Breach synergies. Nekusar's player utilized recursion and draw spells to keep pressure on opponents. Notable plays included the use of Opposition Agent to disrupt tutor effects, and targeted combat to trigger Derevi’s untap abilities. The game demonstrated how these older commanders could still leverage powerful synergies and control elements to remain competitive in a cEDH environment, with a mix of combo potential, stax lock pieces, and wheel effects driving the gameplay dynamics.