HOW POWERFUL IS SAURON, THE DARK LORD IN cEDH? | Tymna/Halana - Sauron - Tevesh/Kraum - Tasigur

Deck Strategies

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  Sauron, the Dark Lord

  Leverages orc token generation and card draw from its counters, synergizing with equipment like Orcs' Bow Master to ping opponents and maintain board control. Uses disruption like Opposition Agent and efficient spells to dominate the board and build a lethal army.

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  Tasigur, the Golden Fang

  Utilizes graveyard recursion and delve mechanics to cast powerful spells efficiently, combining mana acceleration with control elements and card draw to outvalue opponents and enable large plays.

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  Tymna the Weaver / Halana, Kessig Ranger

  Focuses on card draw through combat damage and token generation, applying pressure with efficient creatures and disruption to control the board while drawing cards.

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  Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools / Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

  Combines draw and discard mechanics with powerful spells and interaction, using Kraum's card draw and Tevesh's abilities to control the game and generate incremental advantage.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  The player with Sauron skillfully used Orcs' Bow Master triggers to ping multiple opponents and manipulate the ring ownership, maximizing value from combat damage.

• 2

  Opposition Agent was pivotal in disrupting opponents' search effects, exiling key cards and slowing their game plan.

• 3

  Copying Orcs' Bow Master with Fantasmal Image allowed repeated ping triggers, increasing board control and damage output.

• 4

  Efficient mana use and recursion through cards like Dark Ritual, Dockside Extortionist, and Underworld Breach enabled explosive turns and sustained pressure.

• 5

  The One Ring's forced discards and card draws created significant hand disruption and helped maintain a steady flow of resources.

• 6

  Strategic use of removal spells like Abrupt Decay and Prater's Grasp targeted key opposing threats, maintaining board dominance.

Notable Cards

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  Sauron, the Dark Lord

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  Opposition Agent

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  Dockside Extortionist

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  Underworld Breach

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  Birthday Escape

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  The One Ring

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  Abrupt Decay

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  Mana Crypt

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  Birds of Paradise

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  Windfall

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  Brainstorm

Summary

The game began with players establishing their mana bases and developing early board presence, with key plays including casting mana acceleration like Birds of Paradise and Mana Crypt, and card draw spells such as Windfall and Brainstorm. Sauron, the Dark Lord quickly became a focal point, with the player leveraging its ability to generate card advantage and amass an orc army token army. The interaction between Orcs' Bow Masters and Sauron created significant pressure, pinging opponents and generating incremental value. Opposition Agent was a critical disruption piece, exiling key cards like Protective Hulks and slowing opponents' searches. Mid-game saw several powerful spells like Dockside Extortionist, Underworld Breach, and Dark Ritual fueling explosive turns. The player piloting Sauron also used Fantasmal Image to copy key creatures and Birthday Escape to draw multiple cards, enhancing their resource advantage. The One Ring repeatedly triggered, forcing hand discards and card draws, further fueling the engine. Key removal spells such as Abrupt Decay and Prater's Grasp were used to control opposing threats. The game's pace was defined by efficient mana use, disruption, and building up a threatening board state with orc tokens and powerful artifacts, setting up for a likely combo or overwhelming attack to close out the game.