Elesh Norn vs Urza vs Niv-Mizzet vs Thrasios/Bruse | CEDH Gameplay

Deck Strategies

• 

  Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

  A stax control deck that slowly locks down opponents using taxing effects and denies their key plays while pumping creatures for a decisive swing.

• 

  Thrasios, Triton Hero & Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder

  A tempo 'blue pod' deck that uses interaction and combo-like Birthing Pod chains to generate value and soft-lock the board.

• 

  Urza, Lord High Artificer

  A stax and artifact synergy deck that seeks to disrupt opponents, generate mana and card advantage, then win through a polymorph into a game-ending creature.

• 

  Niv-Mizzet, Parun

  A control shell focused on counter magic and permission, using Niv-Mizzet's ability combined with Curiosity to deal continuous damage and draw cards for the win.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Charles effectively used Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx to generate large amounts of mana, enabling him to cast high-impact stax pieces and pump Elesh Norn to threaten combat damage.

• 2

  Mike utilized Gilded Drake to steal key opponent permanents, disrupting their board states and leveraging tempo swings.

• 3

  Ryan leveraged artifact copying and Sensei's Divining Top to maintain card selection and mana advantage while setting up his polymorph combo.

• 4

  Folger’s Niv-Mizzet repeatedly triggered damage and card draw through Curiosity and removal spells, applying steady pressure and controlling the game flow.

• 5

  Multiple players made efficient use of treasure generation from Dockside Extortionist to ramp into powerful spells and commanders quickly.

• 6

  The interaction between stax effects and tempo threats created dynamic board states where timing and sequencing of spells were critical to gaining advantage.

Notable Cards

• 

  Grand Abolisher

• 

  Dockside Extortionist

• 

  Gilded Drake

• 

  Sensei's Divining Top

• 

  Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

• 

  Sanctum Prelate

• 

  Path to Exile

• 

  Chain of Vapor

• 

  Curiosity

Summary

The game started with each player establishing their board presence and setting up their respective strategies. Charles on Elesh Norn focused on a stax control approach, locking down opponent plays with cards like Drynith Magistrate and Grand Abolisher while generating large mana through Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Mike piloting the Thrasios and Bruse partner combo developed a tempo-based 'blue pod' deck, utilizing Birthing Pod lines and value creatures like Dockside Extortionist and Gilded Drake to maintain pressure and soft-lock opponents. Ryan on Urza deployed a stax-oriented 'polytyrant' strategy aiming to control the board with artifact synergies, Sensei's Divining Top, and a polymorph combo finish. Folger on Niv-Mizzet played a control shell centered around counterspells and permission, aiming to leverage Niv-Mizzet's synergy with Curiosity to close out the game.