Introduction to cEDH

Welcome to the Introduction to cEDH page! This article aims to provide a summary of what cEDH is, how it's played, what archetypes are most common, and showcase the variety of resources and strategies that the format has to offer. It aims to inform players new to the competitive side of the format about what strategy they might like to play. This article assumes a basic knowledge of EDH.

CEDH is a 100 card singleton format subset of Elder Dragon Highlander (Commander) that seeks to play as efficiently as possible in order to maximize winrates.

## What Makes a Deck Competitive?

A deck being considered "competitive" is difficult to define, but at the core, a competitive deck is built to win. This means that competitive decks will be playing the best available tutors, the best mana acceleration, and the best cards to support how they want to win. Winning is always the goal, but every competitive deck takes a different route getting there. Almost every competitive deck plays some sort of infinite combo, as winning through combat damage when your opponents have a combined 120 life is hard to achieve without some sort of incredible force multiplier such as Winota, Najeela, Yuriko, or an infinite combo that makes a deck's creatures infinitely big or make infinite hasty creatures.

Additionally, playing cEDH is a player mindset. A pilot can have a cEDH deck in their hands, but when the their deck is piloted casually, it can throw the entire game out of balance. Being focused, calm under pressure, and level-headed are important traits for cEDH players to have, as it enables them to maintain tight and optimal plays throughout the game. We play the game to win, but we still play it for the fun. cEDH is a test of skill and of patience.

Finally, people reference the Decklist Database as the be-all, end-all, definitive list of decks that are competitive. This is untrue. Almost any deck, including those thought of as outdated or not good enough, can still be played at competitive tables and win games. Though many such decks have been powercrept or replaced, they are still viable in their own way. Time and time again, decks that people thought of as old or outdated come out of nowhere and surprise people with how strong they can be. The Database is a snapshot of the format and what people are playing, not a tier list or resource of the only viable decks.

## Common Competitive Commanders

Popular commanders for cEDH include, but are not limited to:

* Thrasios, Triton Hero
* Tymna the Weaver
* Kraum, Ludevic's Opus
* Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
* Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
* Najeela, the Blade-Blossom
* Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
* Rograkh, Son of Rogahh
* Tasigur, the Golden Fang
* The Gitrog Monster
* Winota, Joiner of Forces
* K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
* Kess, Dissident Mage
* Jeska, Thrice Reborn
* Kenrith, the Returned King
* Urza, Lord High Artificer
* Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

These commanders and their strategies range from fast combo to stax, control, midrange, and everything in between.

## Major Archetypes

### Turbo Naus/Turbo

> *See also: Turbo, Ad Nauseum*
>
>

A deck type that wants to land a specific card, typically Ad Nauseam, as soon as possible, and convert it into a win. These are the decks that give cEDH the reputation for games ending on turn 3, as they are seeking to win the game as fast as possible. These decks are most similar to Storm and combo decks in 60-card formats, as they often take many actions in a turn before getting to their combo as the payoff.

Turbo decks include:

* Rograkh, Son of Rogahh + Silas Renn, Seeker Adept
* Inalla, Archmage Ritualist
* Old Stickfingers
* Godo, Bandit Warlord
* Anje Falkenrath
* Yidris, Maelstrom Wielder

### **Midrange**

> *Midrange Hub*
>
>

A deck type that wants to establish a value engine. Typical midrange decks can attempt fast wins with the right hand, but prefer to set up an advantage engine and use that engine to accumulate enough resources to win as protected and as safely as they can, typically in the turns 4-7 range. These decks are most similar to the Midrange/Goodstuff decks in 60-card formats, as they take their time before winning securely and reliably, after the interaction has been used on faster decks.

Midrange decks include:

* Thrasios, Triton Hero + Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder/Tymna the Weaver
* Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
* Chulane, Teller of Tales
* Elsha of the Infinite
* Tymna the Weaver + Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

### **Stax/Hatebears**

*Stax Hub*

A deck type that wants to slow the game down with cards like Rule of Law that prevent players from taking actions. A stax deck wants to land a card or combination of cards that significantly hampers the table's ability to perform their gameplan, and then use the time and turns bought by that stax and other value engines to assemble their win, whether that be a combo, dealing combat damage, or locking its opponents out of the game. Stax decks play very similarly to decks like Death and Taxes in 60-card formats, as they shut off or slow down their opponents ability to execute their gameplan.

Stax decks in the format include:

* Heliod, Sun-Crowned
* Tymna the Weaver + Tana, the Bloodsower
* Winota, Joiner of Forces
* Shorikai, Genesis Engine
* Minsc, Beloved Ranger

### **Control**

*Control Hub*

A deck archetype similar to Stax that wants to stop early wins, set up value engines, and slowly accumulate overwhelming advantage over its opponents before winning the game. However, while control decks often use stax pieces they can break parity on, control decks employ countermagic and removal over a density of stax. This archetype plays very similarly to its 60-card counterparts, controlling the opponents and bleeding them dry of resources over many turns before winning.

Control decks in the format include:

* Orvar, the All-Form
* Vial Smasher the Fierce + Thrasios, Triton Hero
* Niv-Mizzet, Parun
* Urza, Lord High Artificer
* Tatyova, Benthic Druid
* Azami, Lady of Scrolls

## Minor Archetypes

These are archetypes that usually fit within another major archetype, describe how a deck wins, or play outside the major archetypes due to the unique nature of the deck's construction.

### Polymorph

A deck archetype that wants to cheat a very large, game-winning creature (usually Hullbreaker Horror) into play and assemble a combo through that creature. Usually this term is used as a way of describing how a deck wins, while the deck itself falls into one of the deck archetypes listed above.

Common Polymorph decks include:

* Shorikai, Genesis Engine
* Urza, Lord High Artificer
* Rograkh, Son of Rogahh + Thrasios, Triton Hero / Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

### **Tempo**

A deck archetype that wants to land a threat, usually its commander, and snowball and protect that threat until a win is found, either through combat damage or a combo win. This archetype is very rare in cEDH, as it usually describes a blue-playing, creature-based deck that can win fast or grind into the lategame. As such, it doesn't fit into any one particular archetype, due to their speed of wins varying greatly from game to game.

Common Tempo decks include:

* Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
* Najeela, the Blade-Blossom
* Jeska, Thrice Reborn + Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker

### **Reanimator**

A deck archetype that seeks to use a spell like Reanimate or Animate Dead to put a big creature from its graveyard directly into play, usually one that enables a combo win. Common reanimator targets are Razaketh the Foulblooded, Hullbreaker Horror, Worldgorger Dragon, or Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward. These decks can win fast with the correct opening hand, but usually play a midrange, control, or stax gameplan.

Common reanimator decks include:

* Tasigur, the Golden Fang
* Tymna the Weaver + Thrasios, Triton Hero (See Razakats)

### **Hulk**

A deck archetype that wants to cheat in and sacrifice a Protean Hulk. From there, it can assemble combos using the Hulk's ability to cheat multiple creatures directly into play, usually resulting in an infinite loop of sacrificing and bringing back creatures to kill opponents with Blood Artist-style effects. Hulk piles vary wildly from deck to deck because of colors, but the end goal is the same: Get a Hulk to die, tutor creatures, win.

Common Hulk decks include:

* Varolz, the Scar-Striped / Grist, the Hunger Tide / Dina, Soul Steeper
* Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools + Thrasios, Triton Hero
* Thrasios, Trition Hero + Tymna the Weaver
* Tymna the Weaver + Halana, Kessig Ranger

### **Storm**

Storm in cEDH is a little tricky to define. Most Storm decks in the format are Turbo Ad Nauseam decks, due almost entirely to Ad Nauseam's format-defining draw power that almost always enables its caster to win the game. Additionally, many combos in cEDH such as Polymorph strategies involve casting infinite spells (usually to generate infinite mana and sink into a commander or outlet), but do not utilize a non-deterministic wincon or playstyle like Storm decks in other formats. However, non-Ad Naus decks that emulate Storm strategies from 60-card formats that seek to cast many spells in a turn and win do exist, they are simply less common. As such, they are given their own section here.

Common storm decks in the format include:

* Krark the Thumbless + Sakashima of a Thousand Faces
* Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain
* Krark the Thumbless + Thrasios, Triton Hero
* Birgi, God of Storytelling

### **Evolution**

A creature-based deck that usually plays a more midrange gameplan. This subarchetype, usually led by Thrasios, Triton Hero and a partner or Kenrith the Returned King, uses cards like Neoform, Eldritch Evolution, and Birthing Pod to cheat in creatures that generate immense value or win the game through infinite mana combos. They then dump this infinite mana into an outlet, usually their commander.

## Common Terms in cEDH

**Dead Card:** A card that, outside of a very specific purpose, usually winning, sits in the hand while doing nothing to further the game plan. Most decks seek to eliminate these kinds of cards unless absolutely necessary.

**Fast Mana:** Cards like Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond, and Chrome Mox that are 0 mana artifacts that tap for mana. Labelled as such because of their mana-positive nature, enabling explosive turn 1 plays, they are the backbone of the format and something almost every deck that seeks to be competitive should play, unless they have a very very good reason not to.

**Hard Lock:** A combination of cards, almost always employed in a stax deck, that prevents its opponents from playing the game on a fundamental level. An example of a hard lock is Karn, the Great Creator + Mycosynth Lattice.

**Kingmaking**: A situation when a player is faced with stopping the known wins of two players, but can only prevent one of those wins. In such cases, the player with the interaction holds the outcome of the game in their hands, thus choosing who wins.

**Meta-Buster:** Usually a control or stax deck that is designed to combat a specific meta with the stax pieces or countermagic it plays.

**Meta (Local):** The group of decks that a pilot faces regularly, much like a playgroup.

**Meta (Overall):** The cards, combos, archetypes, and commanders defining the format at large at a given time.

**One-Card Combo:** A deck that, in conjunction with its commander and another card, wins the game through an infinite combo. Common one-card combos in the format are Godo, Bandit Warlord + Helm of the Host and Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Glint-Horn Buccaneer.

**Pilot:** The player in control of a cEDH deck.

**Pod:** A group four players playing cEDH.

**Primer:** A guide written by the creator or creators of a decklist about how to play a deck. Usually a primer covers the deck's strategy, combo lines, mulligan decisions, and much more.

**Proactive/Reactive/Adaptive:** Descriptors of a deck's speed at which it tries to win the game. Proactive means a deck wants to go fast, Reactive means it wants to respond to threats before presenting its own, and Adaptive plays both roles equally depending on the game and pod.

**Spite Play:** An action a player takes against one of their opponents that is solely punishing of that opponent when the player taking the action has no way to win, or is "spiting" the opponent taking the action against them by punishing them with sub-optimal play,

**Stack War/Counter War:** A sequence of spells by two or more players fighting with instant-speed actions. Usually this takes the form of counterspells, but decks without them can add to the stack by activating abilities of creatures or casting follow-up spells.

## Misconceptions

A common misconception is that cEDH games end by turn 3. This could not be further from the truth! Some cEDH decks are usually able to threaten wins as early as turn 3 (On occasion earlier, Turn 1 wins with insanely good openers are not unheard of), but other decks in the format are built to answer those early win attempts and end up leading most games to end around turn 5-6, but its not uncommon for them to go even longer.

Another big misconception about cEDH is that the people who play it only are out to win. This is completely untrue as well. CEDH players want to have fun just like more casual players. We simply wish to do it in a way that pushes the limits of the Commander format, and play the most powerful, clean Magic we can. Tight, powerful, explosive, and unique plays define cEDH, and playing that way is fun for us.

A third large misconception is that cEDH is the same three decks, and all of those decks are 4 and 5-color goodstuff decks that stifle the format's creativity. This is also untrue. The community is constantly brewing and crafting the next big thing waiting to break out of the established mold. Just because something is the best doesn't mean everyone will play it. Part of the fun of building a cEDH deck is seeing just how far you can push an idea or strategy. While not every idea can be cEDH (you can only get so far trying to win with Goblin Charbelcher), it's a wide-open format that is in no way solved.

A fourth is that cEDH players are hyper-invested, and that to even start playing you must invest thousands of dollars into a set of fast mana and other expensive cards. This is not true. Most cEDH playgroups and local game stores are accepting of the use of proxies, and you are more than welcome to use them as long as your store or playgroup are ok with it. cEDH players want to play against the player and their skills with a deck, not against their wallet. Gatekeeping people out of playing cEDH because they don't own expensive cards that are necessary is not something that the majority of playgroups will do.

The final big misconception is that cEDH players seek to play against more casual players with their highly optimized decks just to win games, or "pubstomp". This is also very incorrect, as most cEDH players seek to play against decks at their power level so that everyone can improve and have a good time. It ruins everyone's fun if someone uses a cEDH level deck in a casual pod,. That person will stomp the casual pod, as more casual decks aren't optimized to fight against cEDH decks.

## What's Next on my cEDH Journey?

There are many, many gameplay videos out there on Youtube. Where you go is up to you, but if you have been enticed by this powerful format, the next big step is to pick a deck and start playing. There's many great communities out there that will welcome new players with open arms. Additionally, there are multiple online resources that let you practice playing cEDH without buying a single card, like untap.in or Cockatrice. If you play a lot in paper and your playgroup is also up for trying the format, feel free to proxy out some decks and play some games, or even at your local game store if they allow that. However, be VERY clear with the people you want to play with that your deck is cEDH level, and be sure that they are ok either playing against it, or so that they can pull out their own cEDH decks.

## Resources

**Introductory sites**

CEDH Guide: https://cedh.guide/

CEDH Staples Guide: http://cedhstaples.com/

### Gameplay channels

Playing with Power: https://www.youtube.com/c/PlayingWithPowerMTG

Play to Win: https://www.youtube.com/c/PlaytoWinMTG

Split Second: https://www.youtube.com/c/SplitSecond

Moderately Anonymous MTG: https://www.youtube.com/c/ModeratelyAnonymousMTG

### Deck Repositories

Decklist Database: https://cedh-decklist-database.com/

Budget Brews: https://budgetbrews.club/

### Deckbuilding Sites and Card Searchers

Moxfield: https://www.moxfield.com/

Scryfall: https://scryfall.com/

MTGAssist: https://www.mtgassist.com/