A Casual Guide to CEDH
A Casual Guide to CEDH
How To Get Into CEDH
CEDH Beginner Guide
Author: Ben Guilfoyle
This article chronicles a casual Commander player’s deep dive into CEDH (Competitive Elder Dragon Highlander), a high-powered take on Magic’s most popular multiplayer format. Ben shares his evolving views on CEDH, initially drawn by curiosity and later compelled by the format’s intense strategy, consistency, and deck optimization. While still Commander at heart, CEDH pushes the format’s boundaries by adopting the mindset and tools of eternal competitive formats like Legacy and Vintage.
This article focuses on:
-
-
What Is CEDH? An overview of CEDH as a subset of Commander, defined by powerful cards, tight gameplay, and optimized strategies, rather than house rules or casual conventions.
-
Rules of Engagement. The foundations of a competitive format: Mana fixing, acceleration, interaction, and win conditions—are applied to Commander to define the pace and expectations of CEDH.
-
Deck Archetypes. Decks fall into three broad roles: Proactive (fast combo), reactive (control), and adaptive (midrange/combo) – each shaped by the four-player dynamic and combo-heavy nature of the format.
-
Deck Spotlights. Examples like Godo, Inalla, Curious Control, and Winota illustrate varying playstyles, from one-card combos in the command zone to grindy, interaction-heavy strategies.
-
Brewing & Resources. Advice for aspiring deckbuilders includes using the CEDH decklist database, recognizing “flex slots,” and understanding local metagames.
-
Cost & Accessibility. While some staples are expensive, many decks can be budgeted smartly. Proxies and alternate printings also help reduce barriers to entry.
-
Introduction
My Magic career sits at the bleeding edge of casual. Magic is my main hobby. I attend weekly events. Sometimes I do well. I have no qualifier or GP wins to my name. My goal is to play a fun and challenging game with friends.
Commander is my natural home. It offers variety, self-expression, and space for three friends to join in. Then I heard of CEDH. Competitive Elder Dragon Highlander, what happens when we take the casual format and take it to the edge?
Today, I want to introduce you to CEDH.
My feelings on the format have changed over time. Let’s look at this unique format, the decks, and how to get started.
What is CEDH?
The first obvious question: What are we talking about?
CEDH is Commander. It is not a separate format. CEDH is elegant. You play CEDH with no compromises in your gameplay or deck.
To use the bracket system, CEDH decks are a 5. Outside the ban-list, there is no restriction. It reminds me of Vintage. We’re here to play Magic. No, further questions.
CEDH is a competitive format. Those who have played other competitive formats, particularly eternal constructed formats such as Modern and Legacy, know what this is like. But my focus today is on the casual players.
What does it mean to be competitive?
Competitive Foundations
Formats are built on their rules of engagement. These are the walls set up by the game that define what can and can’t happen in a format. As we look at these, try to consider where Commander fits in.
Mana fixing is a good example. This sets up how consistent any one deck and its colors can be. In Standard, fixing can be inconsistent thanks to slower lands. As of this article, only five out of ten shock lands are available. This makes some decks temporarily more consistent than others. Legacy has access to original dual lands like Underground Sea, and fetchlands such as Verdant Catacombs. This makes it splashing for an extra color much easier in these formats.
The mana acceleration is another key factor.
How do you get ahead on mana?
Do you play Mox Opal, Chrome Mox, or Mox Sapphire?
Vintage gets to pick and choose; Modern only has one viable Mox. Legacy has Ancient Tomb, Vintage gets Mishra’s Workshop. Let’s not forget the one-off mana sources. Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, and Black Lotus can put a huge threat in play on turn one.
These set the pace of your format. Modern is often described as a turn-three format. No matter what happens, you usually won’t be completely dead in the water before turn three. Legacy and Vintage are faster, while Pioneer and Standard are slower.
Interaction is the third pillar. The counterplay to your opponent’s threats. Different formats need different tools. Does your format allow Lightning Bolt or Lightning Strike? Interaction is a double-edged sword. It can be used to stop your opponent’s game plan or progress your own.
Force of Will is a great example. It can be cast for zero mana. It is essential in Legacy to stop early threats. Don’t be deceived. Exiling a card to cast it is a real cost. On the other hand, you can also cast it for five mana if the game goes long. Modern is slower. A universal answer is too strong. Force of Negation is better suited. It cannot deal with creatures. But, it is easier to hard cast.
How you win the game is the final piece of the puzzle. This is a mixture of “what” you win with and “how effective” it is.
Reanimator decks are a great example. Legacy can cast Dark Ritual, Entomb, and Reanimate targeting Archon of Cruelty on turn one. Modern can mimic this power but relies on the two mana Goryo’s Vengeance, which can only target legendary spells. Pioneer relies on Greasefang, Okiba Boss to get anywhere close to this!
CEDH Rules of Engagement
I have been talking about other formats for too long. How does Commander fit in? Not very well. A Commander deck will have Sol Ring and Swords to Plowshares next to junk rares you’ve never heard of. At best, this leads to fun games where variety is king. Players get to experiment and have fun. At worst, we have lopsided games with no balance in sight.
CEDH tries to define Commander’s rules of engagement at one end of the spectrum. CEDH has the same card pool as Vintage. That is to say: everything from 1993 to the current day, except the ban-list.
Looking at our rules of engagement through this lens, we can define CEDH:
- The mana fixing is excellent. We have dual lands, triomes, fetchlands, and even rainbow lands like City of Brass.
- Acceleration is on par with Legacy, but not quite at the Vintage level. We can play powerful mana rocks and mana dorks. Sol Ring and Mana Vault are banned in Legacy, but not here.
- Interaction is on par with Vintage. We have efficient removal for any permanent, at a low cost.
How we win is the first time CEDH flinches in the face of other formats. The strategies here are powerful. However, there is a bias towards combo decks because the game is four-player. Some 1v1 strategies do not work here.
A good example is Vintage Initiative decks. Say you cast White Plume Adventurer turn one in Vintage. Very easy with a Black Lotus and Plains. Turn two, you use The Undercity//The Initiative to put two counters on the Adventurer. Swing for five damage. Next turn, The Undercity//The Initiative deals five damage to the opponent, and you attack for five more damage. That’s one opponent almost dead, all thanks to one card.
This strategy is weaker in Commander because you have three opponents, with 40 life each, and your odds of drawing Adventurer are 1/100 instead of 4/60.
We have now established the rules of engagement. For an average game of CEDH, you should expect: Excellent mana fixing/ramp, low-cost interaction, powerful threats/win-conditions with a bias towards combo.
What Does a CEDH Deck Look Like?
The rules of engagement above define our deck. We don’t just design the “best” deck. We make the best deck that respects what our opponents will be doing. In casual commander, we cannot respect everything our opponents do. The range is too big. In CEDH, we can be more considerate.
Broadly speaking, decks can be broken into three major archetypes:
- PROACTIVE
- REACTIVE
- ADAPTIVE
They are similar to aggro, control, and midrange described in other formats. However, given CEDH’s more combo-centric game plans, these new labels suit better.
PROACTIVE
The proactive deck attempts to end the game quickly. They establish threats that the opponents must answer. “Turbo” decks fit into this category. They want to threaten the table before the opponent has a chance to set up.
REACTIVE
Reactive is the opposite. Their goal is to prolong the game. Eventually, they reach a point where it is safe to deploy their own win. Card advantage is often key here. Control decks fit in this lane. These describe any number of 3+ color decks that use their interaction or lock pieces to slow down the game.
ADAPTIVE
Adaptive decks tend to sit in the middle. They can produce an early threat if the coast is clear, or they can interact if someone else needs to be stopped. These decks have a lot of tools available to help them in many different situations.
Even among these classes of decks, there are blurred lines and further subdivisions. However, this can be grounding for what you might like to play in CEDH.
One Man Band
Some decks are built entirely on the power of their commander. The commander isn’t just for synergy, it’s the entire point!
Godo, Bandit Warlord is a classic. It is a mono-red, artifact-based, combo deck.
When Godo enters the battlefield, you search for equipment and put it into play. His second ability grants you an extra combat step and untaps all your samurai the first time Godo attacks each turn.
Helm of the Host creates a hasty non-legendary copy of any creature it is attached to.
Here’s the combo:
- Cast Godo searching for Helm of the Host
- Equip Helm to Godo.
- Go to combat, make a hasty non-legendary Godo token
- Attack with the token Godo
- You get an extra combat after this one
- Go to your new combat step, Helm makes another new Godo
- Swing with the new Godo (and the original Godo token if it is still around)
- The new Godo token gives you another combat step.
- Repeat until all opponents are dead.
Consistency is the big draw to this deck. Godo is one card combo in the command zone. This deck is full of unusual mana sources like Treasonous Ogre, Lion’s Eye Diamond, and Pyretic Ritual. We just need eleven mana as soon as possible. No cost is too great.
In contrast, Magda, Brazen Outlaw is a more well-rounded mono-red deck. It doesn’t rely on the commander as heavily while still being a mono-red, artifact-focused, combo deck. Depending on your playstyle, these two decks that may sound similar on the surface are very different.
Inalla, Archmage Ritualist is another deck where the commander makes the deck. Inalla’s main ability works when she is in play or in the command zone. When a wizard enters, you can pay one mana to make a token copy with haste that is exiled at the end of the turn.
There are lots of combos possible here. The main one involves casting a Spellseeker, copying it, and tutoring for a mixture of rituals and reanimate spells. These can let you replay Spellseeker and eventually assemble a loop.
I won’t labor the entire combo. If you’re really interested, check out the primer section of the decklist:
Curious Control
Curious Control is an icon CEDH. It is a four-color midrange deck. It plays everything except white. In some ways, it is the opposite of Godo. The deck does not have a clear path to victory. You need to choose just the right moment to interact and to shoot your shot.
Curious Control plays Vial Smasher the Fierce and Thrasios, Triton Hero as commanders. This duo offers card advantage and consistent damage over time, while also giving us access to our colors.
Utility is the goal here. Abrupt Decay and Assassin’s Trophy are excellent catch-all removal spells. A suite of mana dorks provides consistent early mana. Deathrite Shaman is a particular favorite thanks to its graveyard hate.
Among the familiar faces, this deck has some unique synergy pieces for the commanders. Biomancer’s Familiar makes Thrasios’ ability cheaper. Pair this with Seedborn Muse and a couple of mana dorks for consistent card draw even during the opponent’s turn!
Curiosity and Keen Sense pair well with Vial Smasher, turning damage into card draw.
No two games with this deck will feel the same.
You always have so many options!
The main win-condition for this (and many other CEDH decks) is Thassa’s Oracle combined with Demonic Consultation (or Tainted Pact). Thassa’s Oracle wins if you have an empty deck. Demonic Consultation: Naming a card that is not in your deck will cause you to exile your entire deck. Congratulations, you win.
As a control deck, you should be cautious when firing off your combo. You are playing a longer game. The odds that an opponent has their own counterspell are going to be high. Make sure you are sufficiently protected before going for a win!
Moving to Combat
Combat can be a smaller part of CEDH. Combos are powerful, but if all you do is tutor, you’ll be left wide open. These last few decks can capitalize on that!
Winota, Joiner of Forces, is an aggressive stax commander. Whenever a non-human attacks, you can reveal the top six cards of your deck and put a human into play, tapped and attacking! Winota uses cheap creatures like Ornithopter to cheat in monsters like Slicer, Hired Muscle, and Angrath’s Marauders!
This deck can dish out huge damage in no time! On top of that, we have some classic combos like Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker with Zealous Conscript as a surprise win.
Besides the big damage, we disrupt our opponents with Spirit of the Labyrinth, Archon of Emeria, and Aven Mindcensor. The combination of stax and combat keeps our opponents under constant pressure.
Tayam, Luminous Enigma, is another great deck if you like to swing in for damage. Tayam is a combo deck first and foremost. However, thanks to all your creatures entering with a vigilance counter, there are plenty of opportunities to get in for chip damage.
Damage adds up quickly in CEDH. Fetchlands, Necropotence, and Mana Vault all add up! Tayam is an expert at pushing in a little extra damage here and there to keep opponents on the brink.
Brewing
CEDH is high power. This makes brewing decks a challenge. When brewing, you need to consider:
- What do I gain with this brew?
- What sacrifices am I making for this deck?
- How am I addressing the rules of engagement?
These points are made with the mindset of winning. If you want to build a high-power deck that is simply fun and bring it to a CEDH event, go for it. Just be sure to temper your expectations.
The CEDH decklist database is a great resource for competitive and brewers alike. The “Competitive” section features the tried and true “meta” decks. These are highly regarded decks with established results. However, many of the decks are “incomplete” in some ways.
CEDH is often played in small local pockets. This means your meta might dictate the cards you play. If your meta doesn’t have many blue mages, consider dropping that Pyroblast. Try to identify “flex slots”, cards that can be swapped out for better ones based on your local scene.
Within the “Brewer’s Corner”, you can find some decks that are works in progress.
These are submitted by community members who think a new commander has a shot at breaking into the format. A recent success story is Glarb, Calamity’s Augur. Since its release in Bloomburrow, Glarb has gone through numerous changes. It has an active Discord server, with many brewers fine-tuning the deck. It has now made it into the “Competitive” section. This is a unique deck using Doomsday as a main win condition. We did a whole article on Doomsday a couple of weeks ago.
Currently, the brewers are working on Rydia, Summoner of Mist. This dredge deck uses its commander to fill up the graveyard and win with Underworld Breach. The red enchantment is well established in other decks, but Rydia’s landfall tweak on the deck makes for a new take.
The database section holds two types of decks:
- Viable, but not impactful on a large scale.
- Historic decks, a museum of what once was.
The first category is a great place to experiment. These decks are tried and true, but they may have fallen out of favor or do not have an active community working on them. My first CEDH deck, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, can be found here. Heliod is a combo piece in the command zone. Walking Ballista can ping your opponents indefinitely once you give it lifelink! The rest of the deck is classic stax.
There are some recent commanders in this category, too. Storm, Force of Nature is a storm deck that copies spells to win the game. Underworld Breach/Brain Freeze is the go-to win, but seeing as we can give any spell storm, there are lots of ways to win. This deck might be incredibly powerful, but the commander itself is niche. After all, it was a Secret Lair exclusive. Not many people just have a copy of Storm sitting in a binder.
Lastly, the historic decks are things that have fallen out of favor due to bannings or power creep. The various Flash decks are a good example. Cast Flash, put Protean Hulk into play. Let the Hulk die. Assemble your favorite Protean Hulk win condition. Flash was banned in 2020, and good riddens. Protean Hulk is still alive and well. You just need to put in a little more work now.
Even historic decks still have some dedicated brewers maintaining them. This format is also a labor of love. It is rewarding to push a deck to its limits. While it does not make the list, I love my Trazyn the Infinite deck for its explosive combos, even if I know it’s far from the best deck out there.
The Pricey Prized Pieces
CEDH, and Commander in general, uses the Vintage card pool. This leads to inevitably expensive cards. Like in our Vintage article, I suggest buying the pieces that give you the most bang for your buck.
RogSai Deckist:https://moxfield.com/decks/yRsS18tYsE-jVgqmK7_Z0w
Let’s say you want to build Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh, and Silas Renn, Seeker Adept. A Grixis combo deck with a €3,500+ price tag. Where is the money going? Price is deceptive. With older cards, it’s important to look for good deals.
Underground Sea, Volcanic Island, and Badlands make up around €1,400. If you’re in the market for high-end lands, check out Three For One Trading.
Be sure to keep an eye on their “New Arrivals” for their latest cards!
On the other hand, for €1,400 you can buy 94 / 100 of the other cards in the deck! For the cost of three dual lands, you have almost an entire CEDH deck. The cards in the deck are not unique to this deck. There are staples in here. Rhystic Study, Vampiric Tutor, Fetchlands. If you don’t have an “optimal” CEDH deck, you will certainly have a powerful collection.
Price might also be manipulated by “editions”. Reserved list cards are incredibly expensive, especially for Alpha editions. If you don’t care about edition or language, you can reduce the price a lot!
This Rakdos sacrifice damage is almost €7,000. When I used Moxfield‘s “Update to Cheapest” feature, the deck was closer to €2,000.
Another way to reduce the price is by using a gold border, or 30th Anniversary editions. These cards are typically not tournament legal. However, some CEDH tournaments do allow them. Check your local scene and see if these are legal.
Conclusion
If you want to bring your Commander games to the next level, try CEDH. The gameplay is powerful, every decision matters, and you’ll have a blast. It is a fantastic way to play Commander! If you have any favorite brews, let us know and be sure to share your lists with us.
About the Author
Ben Guilfoyle started playing Magic in 2015. They love to research the design of Magic. Why was this card banned? Could this silver border card actually see play? Cards that push the limits of design is what excites them. You can usually find them playing cube. This ties into their second passion: numbers. With a background in physics and statistics, they love to get in the weeds when building decks. Crunching numbers is their specialty.
All Articles by Ben Guilfoyle
Forgetful Fish
Ben Guilfoyle explains how to play Forgetful Fish, a shared-deck, mono-blue mini-format from 1997 where players draw from one 80-card deck and race with ten Dandâns. Islands matter; stack battles and top-deck manipulation define play. He also goes over the Secret Lair version which tweaks lands, counters, and cantrips. Customization, variants, and upgrade tips abound.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Review
Ben Guilfoyle explores the new Avatar: The Last Airbender Magic: The Gathering set by building his very own Commander Precons! One is themed around Earthbending, another around Avatar Aang and another around Lessons. It highlights new mechanics like Bending and returns to old mechanics like Experience counters and Allies!
A Casual Guide to CEDH
Ben explores CEDH, a competitive take on Commander where high-power decks, fast combos, and efficient interaction define the format. With Vintage-level cards, CEDH demands strategic play and deckbuilding. Ben highlights archetypes, brewing tips, and budget advice, showing how this intense, rewarding format elevates gameplay while remaining rooted in Commander’s multiplayer fun.
Spider-Man Review
Ben Guilfoyle explores the new Spider-Man Magic: The Gathering set by building his very own Commander Precons! One is themed around Spider-Man heroes and another around Norman Osborn villains. It highlights new mechanics like web-slinging and mayhem, and showcases key cards and synergies.
Changing the World of Limited
Ben shares his journey through the evolving world of Limited Magic, beginning with his first draft experience during Battle for Zendikar. From nostalgic roots to modern innovations, he outlines how Limited formats like Sealed, Draft, and their experimental offshoots offer deep gameplay through constraint, creativity, and adaptation.
Unsleeved Commander
Ben writes about the joy of building low-power, budget-friendly Commander decks, specifically focusing on the concept of unsleeved decks. Inspired by nostalgia and the simplicity of his early Magic experiences, he shares insights on how to build functional, fun decks within a budget using three main principles: cheap, cute, and good.
Edge of Eternities Review
Ben Guilfoyle is giving us another quick overview on what to expect from Magic: The Gathering's latest release: Edge of Eternities! Let's go over the best designs, rules changes and what this set means for Magic as a whole.
Keeping the Game Moving in EDH
Time is a precious resource, even more so than your life pool in Commander! Ben Guilfoyle has some neat tips and tricks to play quick and fun games of EDH instead of 3 hours of board wipes and cries for help.
Final Fantasy Review
Ben Guilfoyle is giving us another quick overview on what to expect from Magic: The Gathering's latest release: FINAL FANTASY! Let's go over the best designs, rules changes and what this set means for Magic as a whole.
Value Vintage
Ben Guilfoyle is continuing his quest to play Vintage on a budget! Now he stumbled upon THE Vintage budget format: Value Vintage! A small community is gathered around this $30 Vintage format, and Ben check it out for us:
Commanders That You Missed
There are a total of 2,360 legal Commanders out right now, which makes it pretty easy to miss new cool releases! Ben Guilfoyle tried to find the most overlooked ones for each Standard set. Maybe you don't know them either?
The True Cost of Vintage
You think you can't afford a Vintage deck? Think again! Ben Guilfoyle has a lot of nifty little tips and tricks on how to get started with Vintage on a budget! Did you know there is a way to turn a Proxy Black Lotus into the real deal? Ben is here to tell you how!
Tarkir Dragonstorm Preview
Dragons are spawning all over the plane of Tarkir! Good thing for us, our author Ben Guilfoyle is well-equipped to give us a quick overview on what to expect from Magic: The Gathering's latest release, Tarkir: Dragonstorm!
The History of Doomsday
Doomsday is upon us! Or at least that's what people have been screaming since 1997! Ben Guilfoyle goes through the history, formats and the different winning Doomsday piles of this unique deck. Become part of the Doomsday cult, check out this introductory article about the iconic card!
Non-Basic Lands for Commander
We all love Basic Lands, but the true power for your Commander deck hides behind Non-Basics! Ben Guilfoyle goes over all the hidden potential of Non-Basic Lands and tells you exactly which ones you should consider for your deck!
Aetherdrift Preview
Wait! Before you start your engines, let our author Ben Guilfoyle give you a quick pep talk on what to look out for in Magic: The Gathering's newest release: Aetherdrift!
Volo Jumpstart
Ben Guilfoyle takes the fantastic idea of Jumpstart and creates something even better: Commander Jumpstart! In his latest article, he goes through all necessary steps to help you build your own modular Commander deck. Bring multiple decks to game night, all while saving space in your backpack for snacks!
Gimmick Decks
After Ben Guilfoyle taught us how to build a Commander deck, he takes it a step further and shows us how to build a deck around a gimmick! Time to break out of the current meta and jump into the flavorful and mechanical world of gimmick decks!
Gift Ideas For The Magic Player In Your Life [2024]
Stressing out about finding the best present for your MTG nerd? Let our author Ben Guilfoyle do the heavy lifting for you and show you the best Magic gifts currently available! You don't know much about Magic: The Gathering or are you on a budget? Don't worry, Ben has the right gift for everyone!
Commander Build Guide
Ben Guilfoyle is taking YOU from zero to hero with his new Commander deck build guide! Learn how to build an original Commander deck from scratch with a structured guide! Ben suggests a few useful tips and tricks to not get lost in the 99.
Partners and Companions
Ben Guilfoyle is taking a good hard look at all the options around and about Partners, Companions and everything in between! From Battleborn to Doctor Who, Ben goes through all the options, additional rules and how you can take advantage of them!
The Secret Power of Commander
A wild new author appears: Ben Guilfoyle is now writing amazing articles about Commander for us! In his debut text, Ben takes a look at the secret power of Commander and how we can harvest banned and restricted cards from other formats. Which cards are useful for EDH, and what cards just don't make any sense in the 99?