Heliod, Azami, Thrasios & Bruse Tarl, Kenrith - #cEDH Gameplay Ep 26

Deck Strategies

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  Heliod, Sun-Crowned

  A stax and hatebear deck that taxes opponents with disruptive creatures and uses enchantments and artifacts to gain incremental advantage, aiming to slow the game and win through incremental value and combat damage.

• 

  Azami, Lady of Scrolls

  A combo deck focused on drawing large numbers of cards by tapping wizard creatures, supported by artifact ramp and recursion to assemble combo pieces and control the board.

• 

  Thrasios, Triton Hero & Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder

  A blue-based pod combo/control deck that utilizes efficient cantrips, powerful creatures, and interaction to assemble combos like Splinter Twin and Kiki-Jiki to close out the game.

• 

  Kenrith, the Returned King

  A five-color control and combo deck that leverages disruption, tutors, and value engines like Mystic Remora to control the board and eventually win through combos or incremental advantage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Laureano's use of artifact recursion with Academy Ruins to repeatedly bring back Walking Ballista was key to maintaining board control despite multiple board wipes.

• 2

  David's Meltdown disrupted artifact-based ramp and combo pieces, forcing Laureano to use Force of Will defensively and slowing down his progress.

• 3

  Baal's Toxic Deluge was a well-timed play to clear the board, but overlooked Laureano's ability to recur key creatures and maintain pressure.

• 4

  The strategic deployment of hatebears by Sequeira helped slow down Baal's Kenrith and David's combos, influencing the pacing of the game.

• 5

  Laureano's gradual build-up of mana with Sol Ring, Grim Monolith, and Tezzeret allowed him to cast Azami and draw through his deck efficiently, setting up his combo.

• 6

  David's decision to not draw cards while Notion Thief was on board showed awareness of card advantage dynamics and disruption tactics.

Notable Cards

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  Walking Ballista

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  Academy Ruins

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  Tezzeret the Seeker

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  Rhystic Study

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  Meltdown

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  Toxic Deluge

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  Mystic Remora

• 

  Silent Arbiter

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  Mother of Runes

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  Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

Summary

The game began with Laureano's Azami deck quickly establishing a strong mana base through artifacts like Sol Ring and Grim Monolith, setting up for a powerful combo start despite a shortage of blue mana. David's Blue Pod deck aimed to leverage card draw and combo pieces such as Kiki-Jiki and Splinter Twin, while Baal's Kenrith list focused on control elements and disruption with cards like Mystic Remora and Toxic Deluge. Sequeira's Heliod stax deck applied early pressure with hatebears like Mother of Runes and Thalia to tax opponents and disrupt their plans. Early turns saw Laureano aggressively using Walking Ballista to control the board and pressure life totals, while David attempted to bait counterspells and prepared for a Splinter Twin combo with Meltdown and Rhystic Study providing card advantage. Baal's Toxic Deluge wiped several key creatures but Laureano utilized Academy Ruins to recur Walking Ballista and maintain board presence. The game shifted as Laureano deployed Tezzeret the Seeker to untap mana sources and cast Azami, enabling strong card draw. Baal cast Kenrith to capitalize on the stalled board state, but found himself targeted by hatebears and disruption from Sequeira. Laureano's strategic use of tutors and artifact recursion kept him threatening, while David and Baal jockeyed for control with draw spells and disruption. The pivotal moment was Laureano assembling his combo and controlling the board with Walking Ballista and Azami, securing his position as the primary threat going forward.