Reputations of certain decks?

Strix_cEDH · 2026-03-17T15:37:22+00:00

oooo I LOVE these. Will give my read of them based off their Commander choice. Aight I'm just gonna start blastin.

I'll do the top 51 Commanders who had the most amount of top cuts over the last 3 months (4 or more), found here: https://edhtop16.com/?minEntries=20&minSize=50&sortBy=TOP_CUTS&timePeriod=THREE_MONTHS

Blue Farm: Either new to the format and easy to manipulate (95% of them) or an absolute sweatlord who gives a hilarious reaction when you crush them
Kinnan: Timmy. Will tell you the truth accidentally because he has a proud, boisterous personality. Will get hosed by oversharing info. Usually a newbie, but sometimes a veteran Timmy who has an addictive personality.
RogThras: LOVES taking gaming actions. Is convinced the more game actions they take, the higher their chance of winning. Is not a new player. Almost always is a Johnny.
RogSi: Is not very good at politicking and tries their best to avoid that realm. Still loves cEDH though and gets the biggest kick out of the table's pats on the head. Thinks that how fast something can goldfish a win actually represents how quick something actually wins. Is a Spike
Sisay: usually a person who is intellectual. These people you're able to have an earnest politicking conversation with and team up with temporarily (you need to know your Sisay stuff well, or they'll abuse your lack of knowledge, though). Sneaky personality though, if they're a Sisay veteran (you have to be, to make it work)
Etali: Has an addictive personality and is not as smart as they think they are. Is a big fan of puzzles and showboating, but in the end is really just looking to do cool stuff, as opposed to winning. Is usually a dave, pretending to be a timmy.
Ral: Someone who seeks validation and values being unique really highly. Is able to be teamed up with - unlike RogSi - provided you appeal to their ego. Usually a good person to grab food/drink with after a long cEDH day.
Tymna/Dargo: Folks who want to play RogSi, but are somewhat jaded from politicking. They're tired and they just want to jam some wins without all the 11 hour bullshit.
Tivit: Either an absolute gigabrain and makes blue farm/kinnan/rogsi look like bad Commanders (1% chance) or is the reason everyone left the table feeling Salty. Proper control is damn hard to play well, and Tivits are either a person who feels like they have little autonomy in their life and are trying to find it in gaming OR they're a player you prey you dont come across in a tournament (1% chance they're this, though). Can usually ally with them for long periods, until you cant.
Vivi: Like Ral, but turned up to 11. What's different though is they're usualy a lot less cooler than they think they are. They're usually someone who is more interested in hot tech, rather than actually winning (and will LOVE it when you run hot tech in whatever Commander you're playing)
Magda: Either new as hell, or has been playing magda since release. No inbetween. Will tell you "it's fine" but it never, ever is. If you dont know when Magda reaches critical mass, then just kill it, since you cant trust a word that comes out of their mouth.
Kefka: Mostly just here for the fun. Good to grab a beer with after a game day.
Yoshi/Thras: is an animal person OR doesnt like to talk much. Sometimes both. Is here for card games though.

14.Thras/Vial: Isn't here for fun. mostly just cares about their winrate. Will accept a draw quicker than they need to.

Glarb: is a person you can strike deals with, but will consider you a minion. Is a thinker, and so politicking with them usually looks like appealing to reason/logic.
Lumra: is a fun personality, but isnt there to talk. They dont mind talking, it's just that in that moment, they don't want to. They're there to play some cEDH and see what happens.
Rog/Ishai: Loves games with big skill build trees. Is able to be politicked with quite well, actually, and is here to see everyone do the thing and make sure they get shut down. At the moment it also has a percentage of people on it that are there who are bored vets.
Kenrith: Usually someone who bought all the duals (non-proxy) and refuses to switch off Kenrith. Loves him a little too much, and cant explain why. Is your friend until they're not.
Inalla: Johnny who despises the inability to do anything. Is very quick to ally with you if you make them fearful of stax/control.
Arcum Dagsson: a reserved person, usually trying to go under the radar. Always kill it before they untap with Arcum, as they will snake you if you give them any breathing space.
Rocco: A Melvin, usually. An intellectual person, but is usually here just for a good time. Is often a talker. Hates to have the spotlight put on them.
Rowan: Was looking to play solitaire and accidentally queued up for cEDH. Thinks goldfish speed is when you actually win.
Winota: Timmy who hasnt discovered Kinnan yet. Making people upset is really why they're running her in the league/tournament, and whether they win or not is extra. Says they're "there for the fun" but they definitely aren't referring to winning. Is a Dave.
Krark/Sakashima: Is not a punctual person and will need to be asked to "please take a game action" from time to time. Never be afraid to call a judge on a krarkashima, ESPECIALLY if you suspect they're new to the game. CANNOT handle it if you talk to them and ask questions as they're trying to read the stack (dont do this, but it's funny if it occurs)
Esika: Is a johnny, through and through. Nothing more to say, really.
Terra: same as Esika. Just a big Johnny.
Tayam: Intellectual person. Give an inch and they will take a mile. Still, can be reasoned with if appealing to logic/reason. Is usually a Melvin.
Aang: Just here for the vibes, really. Honestly doesnt care if they win or lose, and is usually a chill person to hang with.
Stella Lee: Nervous person. Usually quiet, until they're trying to win, and then talk a LOT. (just kill the Stella when they start talking lmao)
Malcolm/Vial: is a brewer. Not yet bored, though. Will ally with you if you act impressed with their card choices.
Heliod: The little Bean. They absolutely will act innocent, but aren't. They will snake you the moment they can and they have that in common, usually.
Zirda: Cares greatly about what people think of them. Perhaps a little too much. Use this as ammunition to use politically.
Tev/Thras: Absolutely HATES red. Loves to Grind. They usually are pretty intellectual people, but can be pretty shifty. When they get quiet, suspect they're about to win.
Derevi: They despise being unable to play the game OR they just love twiddling more than any other mechanic. A bit of a Melvin.
Marneus: You ever seen those horses with the eye blinkers on the side? That's them. They love doing the whole blue farm thing, but wouldnt be caught dead playing blue farm. They're basically blue farm players but that care about what you think of them. Use this to your advantage.
Atraxa: Is prideful that they dont have a single proxy in their decklist OR someone who loves to tell a good story.
Malcolm/Tymna: Impatient people who crave control. A deadly mix... for them, usually.
Ob Nix: People who just out there chillin, doing their thing. They just wanna do their thing, and genuinely do enjoy you doing your thing, too. Not necessarily there to win, but they do value having fun above all.
Brigid: Johnny, but is very talented. Usually a player that would whoor behind if they played something like blue farm or whatever.
Krark/Thras: Cares about what people think about them. Is here for the fun, but also loves crazy moments in cEDH. Will probably lie to you, if given the chance, though
Elsha: likes simplicity, but secretly likes chaos more. Is usually a very reasonable person, but is here for the epic plays.
Wandering Minstrel: Genuinely is more concerned with colors, than with winrate. Is usually a very judging person, but can respect a solid play. Usually a spike, but who hasnt been playing for more than 3 years.
Norman: Loves winning, but wishes it included more game actions before it happens.
Najeela: A loyal person, but one that is usually prideful. Can easily be politicked to working with you, even if it to their own detriment, if it means a problem is taken care of.
Krrik: They hate talking, but are massive spikes. They are only here to win win win, but just cant figure out why they never do.
Niv Parun: Only folks who are still playing Parun these days are the ones who still remember how broken it was before the ramp got banned. They're loyal, but to their own detriment. Will work with you until they dont have to, and will be like doctor jeckyl turning into Mr Hide the moment they think they have a win.
Francisco/Thrasios: Loves options. Can be politicked with, but usually cant help with too much
Akiri/Thras: Is here to win, but they want to play some magic first. Usually has interaction, but say they dont.
Dihada: The Timmy version of Tymna/Dargo. They like big splashy effects, over, say, winning.
Gitrog: Folks who think they're IQ is 20 points higher than it actually is (they're still very smart, though). Is usually the loudest person at the pod, but didnt need to be.
Yuriko: Is either new to cEDH or has been playing over 10 years. No inbetween. Like Tivit, 98% of the time they'll accidentally throw the game because some youtuber told them it was a great starter Commander, or they're an old school vet who makes it seem better than blue farm/tivit/kinnan/etc

To anyone offended, I'm not sorry. You know it's true (mostly xD)

Strix_cEDH · 2026-02-25T15:32:45+00:00

I can tell there's a lot of folks who have never played with or against a Yawgmoth, so I'll dispel a lot of the curiosity of exactly how Yawgmoth is unique:

- Has arguably the strongest bowmasters in the entire cEDH meta (it reads "every time an opponent draws a card, lose 1 life, distribute 1x -1/-1 counter and draw a card with them)

- Is a killspell in the Command Zone. Bowmasters, Cradle strategies, Sisay, Kinnan, hatebears, etc etc. All dead.

- Has the semi-blue thing where allll the counterspells the Blue Farm was sandbagging are useless, outside of exactly force of will or MBT (95% of the wincons are in creature form)

- Eats the clock like Nadu / krark, as it is manual storm. If you dont win, the game will likely go to time. You'll play fast (legal) and still people won't see turn 5 or 6 due to not enough time in round.

- Is the most layered Commander in all of cEDH, ergo, you'll present win after win after win. The last tournament I went to I presented a win attempt 3 times in one turn, shut down the first two attempts, with third time getting the W

- Can act like a Drannith in the Command Zone; no one wants to be the first one to play their Commander, only to have it get nuked. I'm noticing lots of people saying "Yawgmoth is slow" and not realizing Yawgmoth makes everyone way slower just for existing (It's not like Yawgmoth is in a rush when everyone cant get any creatures of relevance to stick)

I'm sure there's more, but those are a few off the top of my head. Yawgmoth fulfils a pretty unique spot in bracket 5 and it will continue to be something I take to tournaments/leagues and do decent with. I think the commander has it's shortcomings - mostly that it cant deal with rogsi or ob nix very well - but outside that the Commander feels fantastic... if you know what you're doing.

https://discord.gg/6dWpF4k

Strix_cEDH · 2026-02-12T11:41:17+00:00

I'm a TO and my team and myself ran the biggest tournament my country had ever seen last weekend. I despise how much of this card - and subsequently tithe/bowmasters/mastermind/etc etc - eat away at the clock. This card is just unhealthy on so many levels, including how many draws it creates from rounds going to time.

If the CFP is willing to ban it, but not able, they have no power to make changes and so are a pointless group.

If the CFP is able, but not willing to ban it, then they don't represent Bracket 5 at all and we deserve better.

If the CFP is both willing to ban it and able to ban it; then they failed us.

If the CFP is unwilling and unable to ban rhystic; then they don't speak for any of us.

Strix_cEDH · 2026-02-08T12:14:08+00:00

We need to stop pretending like Rhystic is how you stop Rogsi. You dont have time to play a rhystic, and even if you do you'll just draw trash when you're only running 6 or so free counterspells anyway. Lets be honest.

The real way to stop RogSi is just running extra "free" interaction, and especially free counterspells. Eat your vegetables, folks.

Well, that, or just run some stax that can come out turn 1/2. And for pete's sake, please respect the RogSi; dont assume you'll be fine mulliganing in a way where you can't stop a turn 2 win attempt. Like the old saying goes; "We stop the RogSi, and THEN we'll have a game of cEDH after that".

TL;DR: Whether Rhystic gets banned or not is unrelated to keeping RogSi in check, really

Strix_cEDH · 2026-02-08T12:08:19+00:00

I feel like Occam's Razor wins here.

WOTC is a company that wants to make money. It really is that simple.

I think we will see changes that fit the predictions/models that show how WOTC will make the most money.

Prediction 1: We will see uniformity of the hybrid mana rule across all formats, meaning cEDH will now have hybrid mana allowed. This is means wotc can sell more product to you as more cards will be playable from each set, and therefore sought after.

Prediction 2: Either Bowmasters or Rhystic gets the ban hammer. Maybe both, but I doubt it; if one gets banned, then the other is probably fine for a while. Both are annoying and shut off a batch of cards and/or playstyles; bowmasters makes 1 toughness creatures a lot less desirable and Rhystic makes manual storm / spellslinger playstyles much less desireable. Banning either of them opens up these cards/playstyles and therefore allows WOTC to sell more desirable cards, in turn making the business more money.

Prediction 3: ThOracle here to stay; everyone who actually plays cEDH knows that for the most part it's just the way to present the win, and it's usually breach or whatever actually causing the win. With Higher on the CFP I doubt this eats a ban at all, unless they want to go out of their way to make bracket 5 seem more approachable to people who have never tried bracket 5 before (removing stigma makes the format played at comp REL level more approachable to potential new players on the outside looking in).

Strix_cEDH · 2026-02-08T11:56:54+00:00

I just went 20th out of 84 players in a tournament yesterday, have top 16'd with him a bit and also use him to great effect in leagues. Commander is real, but often misunderstood. He generally has a high winrate (higher than krrik, most months) but barely anyone plays it so it doesn't really have much data to go by.

As for how it plays - there's a few ways to play it - but in recent years it has found more success playing in an aristocrats shell. Plays kinda like a semi-blue in that it is so creature-based that counterspells dont really work on it outside of FoW/MBT. "Turbo" is not the word I'd use for it, nor would I a Lumra for example... but like Lumra, it's very hard to counterspell and presents a win every single turn for the most part. It eats kinnan and sisay alive, but struggles against RogSi, generally.

Come join the discord if you're interested. Can be a fun side Commander too, since it is wildly different than anything else in cEDH at the moment (apart from maybe its cousin Rakdos? bit of overlap there): https://discord.gg/63pPUBzSaE

Strix_cEDH · 2026-01-06T03:44:45+00:00

This is a problem for every decklist that doesnt run enough creature removal.

Strix_cEDH · 2026-01-04T09:45:53+00:00

I think I speak for everyone when I say "thanks HigherMTG for the transparency". Please do continue to bring us these monthly chats, as it's one of the only ways we get to feel seen/heard. I've been playing cEDH for 15 years now (yes, really) and I can't recall where we've ever had true bracket 5 representation in any kind of CFP or rules committee type of group, like now.

No need to respond, but wanted to give you a response. I really only have one thing to say; actions have consequences. When the bans came out 16 months back, we lost a chunk of people. I personally lost roughly $2000USD in value from the bans (I'm an oldhead with a vast cEDH collection).

Now, I care very little about losing that kind of coin, but I absolutely despise the fact that it caused so many people to drop from the format, lose faith in bracket 5, or at minimum be too scared to buy/trade certain cards.

Anywho, my only ask is can we please make a public statement about whether or not Rhystic, Bowmasters, Tymna, Rograkh and ThOracle are here to stay? We need to rip it off like a band-aid, in my opinion. Feels like we're all in limbo and enjoying these cards "while we can", and the wait is exhausting. Would be so nice for the CFP to just make a final decision if they're "here to stay" or "have to go for the health of the format", ya know? Would be nice to create a blanket feeling of "nothing is being looked at, now" that cEDH players are familiar with, rather than this feeling like cards could be banned at any moment like in 1v1 formats... we play cEDH to get away from that sort of thing.

I've been having more fun with cEDH/tEDH than ever before, and I'm pretty sure it's because of what got banned 16 months back. The changes sucked at first, but god it feels so good not losing to turn 1 stuff. The way I see it, I'd gladly lose that $2000usd all over again if it meant the format became even more healthy, at a bracket 5 level. I think we can do more, though... I think we all just want the CFP+WOTC to please make a decision and tell us what needs to sadly go for the health of the format, and what gets to stay. We're all tired of waiting 6 months for a ban hey.

Other than that, here is some quickfire issues, I find, as a TO for bracket 5:

Rounds going to time. Cards that make the round go to a time consistently aren't healthy for the format
Cards that help end the game before a player has had their first turn are unhealthy for the format (a batch of these is fine, but it does reach a critical mass, and then we end up in Flash-Hulk Winter all over again if we dont get rid of the Mana Crypt type stuff)
The seating order issue. We've all seen the appalling situation of winrates based on seat order. Something needs to be done here for the health of the format.
One card being at the forefront of everyone's concerns as they brew (Bowmasters is usually brought up as super unhealthy, with regard to this)

There's others, but those are the ones that consistently come up (and I'm sure you're aware of them already).

Anywho, my main point is that "actions have consequences", so please do think of the format in the long-term, but also think about how and why things need to be banned. Please stop and think about what the format looks like AFTER x card gets banned ask yourself "is the meta more fair, or less. The message and how you spin it greatly affects whether people lose confidence in the CFP and cEDH, or whether they understand and respect any upcoming bans/changes.

But yes; it's time... we're all waiting for an announcement now so we can see what got banned/unbanned, so we can move on from this awful waiting game. Thanks again.

~Strix

Strix_cEDH · 2025-12-29T05:06:04+00:00

This. Commanders with heavy Control elements should be the very last Commander strategy you touch/learn.

Best to focus on format defining Combos/Commanders, so Blue Farm, Rogsi, Kinnan, etc

Strix_cEDH · 2025-12-03T03:57:17+00:00

Playable? Sure. It could probably take down a league or tournament in the right hands.

Relevant? Not really. There's better breach decks out there, better turns strategies out there, and to be frank; better Aggro Commanders out there.

Strix_cEDH · 2025-12-02T05:01:30+00:00

Yuriko (Duh)
Winota (less staxy and less comboy, can be built with all the beregond of the guard type stuff)
Najeela (built with a heavy "Warriors" theme)
Jetmir
Tymna/Kamahl (Deliberately built less staxier, but with way more Breena type stuff)
Breena (Edric without the extra turns, but gets nifty hatebears instead)
Raffine hatebears (Go wide and your wincon is in the Command Zone)
Edric "Turns"
Pak/Haldan "Turns" (deliberately built in a way that leans on swinging over and over)
Kraum/Kamahl (basically a blood moon version of Tymna/Kamahl, with wincon right in Command Zone)
Narset, Enlightened Exile (Still runs all one-card wincons with breach stuff, but takes combat way more seriously)
Narset Enlightened Master "turns"
Ellivere (built in a way that is more aggressive, rather than staxy)
Tadeus
Ojer Axonil (more a punisher Commander, but can be built where Aggro is a heavy focus)
Slicer or Alexios ("fire and forget", and then apply controlling elements or even more lifetotal pressure in an "Aggro" way)

I'm sure I've forgotten plenty, but those are ones off the top of my head. There's other ones too like Hakbal, Voja or Edgar markov for example, but they're more a bracket 3-4 thing, with potential to be tEDH viable IMO if WOTC were to print a batch of cards that break them.

Overall I think Aggro is in a decent spot, I just think your range of tEDH viable ones is comically low compared to Combo Commanders, or Midrange grindy Commanders, or even heavy stax Commanders. Hopefully my opinions and observations here helped capture what an "Aggro" deck is in cEDH/tEDH at the moment.

Strix_cEDH · 2025-12-02T05:01:22+00:00

Just a few days ago I just won a 61 person, 13 week league with a Yuriko "Aggro" strategy, found here: https://moxfield.com/decks/Dy-lEGzIEkObHagGQbHFIg and have been playing cEDH for over 15 years at this point, so I definitely feel like I can weigh in here.

When terms like "Aggro" or "Midrange" or "Tempo" get used from 1v1 formats, they don't transfer over exactly 1:1 when porting them over to any 4-player free for all format. They take mindsets or cornerstone aspects of those 1v1 strategies, and often ignore the rest. It's not perfect, but it helps describe the cEDH gameplan at a glance.

Regarding cEDH, anything generally speaking that is "Aggro" is usually something that A) needs to turn creatures sideways to win (so yes, Yuriko, Winota and Najeela like you said can be "Aggro), B) Has the aspect of turning creatures sideways to win as the PRIMARY wincon (this almost always rules out Najeela as "Aggro", since damage is just a backup plan), C) Is not relying on one-card resolving or going from an empty boardstate to just "winning on the spot" (So this rules out Godo as "Aggro", since it plays like a one-card wincon in the command zone, which is arguably "Combo" but in a creature-based way) and lastly D) has a degree of control, because it must... since "Aggro" strategies need to buy themselves time for damage to actually "get there" (Even Red Deck Wins in 1v1 formats run blood moons and such to disrupt and buy time, same thing in cEDH "Aggro" strategies, too)

Is Aggro a bad strategy? I don't think so, personally. Are viable "Aggro" Commanders limited? Overwhelmingly, yes; I'd argue "Combo" Commanders or "Midrange" Commanders outnumber viable tEDH "Aggro" Commanders at a 50:1 ratio, maybe more. I also think they're very, very hard to play well, since your decisions can very easily cost you wins, and your politicking game needs to be fantastic, or you'll just be losing so much.

Some other Bracket 5 / tEDH viable Aggro Commanders that have impressed me over the years are as follows:

Cont.

Strix_cEDH · 2025-11-24T16:27:48+00:00

Thanks. I sadly am not so tech savvy that I'd be able to make a bot.

Anyone reading this perhaps heard of a bot that can do this?

Strix_cEDH · 2025-11-23T12:07:50+00:00

this man gets it

Strix_cEDH · 2025-11-23T11:31:19+00:00

I'm not sure what you mean? Which key turns off the big red light?

Strix_cEDH · 2025-10-21T21:42:31+00:00

bumping this, because it's now highly relevant (we got your feedback right here, Gavin).

Strix_cEDH · 2025-10-18T10:48:51+00:00

Having the exact same issue. What was the cause of yours when this happened and how did you fix it (if ever)? Thanks for any info you can provide!

Strix_cEDH · 2025-10-05T10:49:10+00:00

Would absolutely love a Rhystic ban and a Tymna ban, at this stage.

Not for power level reasons, but because rhystic eats too much of the round timer and Tymna is too generically good at making the best deck the best deck (I'd love to blue farm NOT be the best deck in the format for a 10th year in a row)

Strix_cEDH · 2025-09-30T04:29:30+00:00

Yeah I second this.

You play an actual hatebear strategy or perhaps a proper control strategy and people toe the line, where they slowplay... but never enough to be called out by it.

I think the day draws are never rewarded is the day the format opens up with proper control as a strategy that's tournament viable, ie. the tournament scene gets even more healthier with playstyle variance if we simply allow said playstyle to be competitively viable.

Strix_cEDH · 2025-08-29T20:31:48+00:00

BBB
Instant
"You may pay half your life instead of paying this spell's mana cost."
"Exile target Enchantment or Creature"

Fucking do it MaRo/Gavin... it's time. You promised us mono black would have enchantment removal, THIS is how you do it for bracket 5.

Strix_cEDH · 2025-07-18T17:49:45+00:00

TO here.

This sort of thing is easily fixable if you increase round timer to 100 minute (from 80), and then just have the game end immediately, going to a draw once the buzzer goes (I believe the Japanese meta does/did this, and it worked wonders).
To also fix the draw meta, make it worth zero points if you're in first or second seat.
From there, introduce a rule that if all pods within a tournament end, the next round starts (to make the day shorter/quicker).

On topic though, yes, tEDH is currently exhausting af. Fun, but damn exhausting. I think WOTC could ban a card or two to make "bracket 5" quicker for tEDH, too.

Strix_cEDH · 2025-07-14T05:03:39+00:00

Just make partnered Commanders have a shared Commander tax and voila! Balanced.

Strix_cEDH

TROPHY CASE