Deck & Commander Strategies
Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator and Vial Smasher the Fierce
An aggressive damage combo deck that aims to capitalize on early creature threats and damage triggers to pressure opponents quickly while leveraging efficient mana acceleration and disruption.
Kenrith, the Returned King
A midrange ramp and utility toolbox deck that uses ramp creatures and card advantage engines to outvalue opponents and leverage Kenrith’s versatile abilities for combat tricks, life gain, and utility.
Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
A ramp and combo deck that accelerates mana rapidly to deploy large threats and combo pieces, often utilizing Green Sun Zenith and Natural Order to fetch and cheat big creatures to the battlefield for game-winning combos.
Blue Farm (Tymna the Weaver and Kraum, Ludevic's Opus)
A control and card advantage deck focusing on efficient removal, counter spells, and card filtering to disrupt opponents while slowly building a winning board state through incremental advantage and tempo.
Gameplay Insights
- 1
The early casting of Malcolm on turn one set an aggressive tone and forced opponents to respond quickly to mounting damage pressure.
- 2
Selvala’s attempt to Natural Order for a game-winning creature was decisively countered by Force of Negation, highlighting the critical importance of holding key countermagic to prevent combos.
- 3
Players effectively used mana acceleration such as Mana Vault and Gaia's Cradle to rapidly deploy threats and maintain tempo.
- 4
The interplay between removal on key utility creatures (like birds) and disruption spells such as Pyroblast demonstrated tight control of board state and tempo swings.
- 5
Blue Farm’s use of filtering and control elements pressured opponents’ hands and mana, forcing conservative plays and preventing free wins.
- 6
Kenrith’s flexible abilities and ramp creatures enabled a balanced approach, contributing both to defense and offense, adapting to board states dynamically.
- 7
The match maintained a delicate balance where no player could easily close out the game, emphasizing the high skill and strategic depth typical in cEDH gameplay.
Notable Cards
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Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
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Vial Smasher the Fierce
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Kenrith, the Returned King
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Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
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Natural Order
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Force of Negation
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Noble Hierarch
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Mana Vault
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Wishclaw Talisman
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Pyroblast
Gameplay Summary
The game started with a fast-paced, high-tension setup as players quickly established their mana bases and early board presence.
Malcolm/Vial Smasher's aggressive start with turn one Malcolm set an early threat, while Blue Farm and Kenrith developed powerful mana acceleration and card advantage tools.
Selvala leveraged ramp and card draw to build a threatening board state, aiming to drop a large creature with Green Sun Zenith, while Kenrith played a balanced approach with ramp and utility creatures like Noble Hierarch and Silvan Library.
A crucial turning point came when Selvala attempted to Natural Order for a game-winning play, but it was countered by Force of Negation, preventing an immediate loss and keeping the game open.
Subsequent turns involved tactical exchanges of removal and combat damage, with players jockeying for position through efficient resource use and countermagic. The game’s tension peaked with Selvala setting up a combo threat and Malcolm/Vial Smasher pressuring opponents with consistent damage triggers.
Blue Farm's control elements and card filtering tools pressured opponents’ resources, while Kenrith aimed to leverage his commander’s versatility.
Despite aggressive early plays, the players carefully navigated threats with removal and counters, leading to a strategic balance of power.
The gameplay revolved around careful sequencing of ramp, disruption, and threat deployment, with the natural order counterplay marking the key moment that prevented an early game-ending combo.
The match remained dynamic with players poised to capitalize on any slip-ups or openings for lethal damage or combo execution.
