<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tymna the Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Tymna the Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.winonanelson.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Winona Nelson</a></em></p>
<p>cEDH has come a long way in the past decade. From a niche extension of classic, casual Commander to the meta's booming, <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">officially-recognized highest Bracket</a>, the past ten years have been an explosive period of growth.</p>
<p>Beyond just a growth in popularity, however, the cEDH meta has also reinvented itself time and time again. Commander is slow to evolve, and even slower to ban cards, but – when the meta does change – it does so explosively. So, poreing over the history of cEDH, what have the biggest changes been?</p>
<h2>2016 - Partners Are Released</h2>
<p>It’s hard to overstate what a watershed the original partners were – and continue to be. For the first time, you could combine two legendary creatures in the command zone, breaking the previous one-commander limitation while simultaneously allowing for the creation of multicolor good-stuff piles with real consistency.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tymna the Weaver"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kraum, Ludevic&#039;s Opus"></div></div>
<p>The impact was immediate and widespread: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tymna the Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Tymna the Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kraum, Ludevic&#039;s Opus" href="#" target="_blank">Kraum, Ludevic&#039;s Opus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> became the backbone of <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-blue-farm-for-cedh-with-kraum-and-tymna" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blue Farm</a>, the de facto best deck in the meta with no real competition in the decade since, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thrasios, Triton Hero" href="#" target="_blank">Thrasios, Triton Hero</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> went on to serve as the go-to for essentially every deck that tries to win via classic infinite mana lines.</p>
<p>The <em>Commander 2016</em> partners didn’t just expand deckbuilding options; rather, they established a baseline for what was considered a playable commander throughout cEDH. Tymna, Kraum, Thrasios – all of these generate resources pretty readily, while also expanding the color identity of their constituent decks.</p>
<p>From the partner revolution onwards, now every commander needed to be reevaluated in this light: Does my commander do enough to warrant not having partner? If not, then pivot to any of the many generically good partner pairs made available in <em>Commander 2016</em>.</p>
<h2>2019 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Dockside Extortionist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Is Released</h2>
<p>If there’s a single card that warped cEDH deckbuilding more than any other, it’s Dockside Extortionist.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dockside Extortionist"></div></div>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this Goblin Pirate enters the battlefield and creates a Treasure token for each artifact and enchantment your opponents control. In a format where fast mana rocks and enchantment engines a-la <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rhystic Study" href="#" target="_blank">Rhystic Study</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystic Remora" href="#" target="_blank">Mystic Remora</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are everywhere, a resolved Dockside Extortionist was easily five or more Treasures – often much more.</p>
<p>Aside from being a broken ritual, the problem with Dockside was how it centralized the game around it. Sure, it enabled infinite loops with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temur Sabertooth" href="#" target="_blank">Temur Sabertooth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emiel the Blessed" href="#" target="_blank">Emiel the Blessed</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a dozen other cards, but the real story was how it fundamentally shifted the tempo of the format. Suddenly, deploying fast mana became a liability, since you’d just feed Dockside.</p>
<p>This left folks sitting back, waiting…and waiting, and waiting…until someone cast the first Dockside.</p>
<h2>2020 - <em>Theros: Beyond Death</em> Is Released</h2>
<p>Continuing the trend of printing broken two-drops, <em>Theros Beyond Death</em> gave cEDH two of the most format-defining cards ever printed: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, each of which revolutionized the way that cEDH <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-combos-in-cedh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ends the game</a>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thassa&#039;s Oracle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Underworld Breach"></div></div>
<p>Thassa’s Oracle pushed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Laboratory Maniac" href="#" target="_blank">Laboratory Maniac</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out of consideration, as now all it took was <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to win with an empty library. Similarly, Underworld Breach enabled deterministic combos with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brain Freeze" href="#" target="_blank">Brain Freeze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond" href="#" target="_blank">Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (as well as a whole host of other packages), making the graveyard a second hand for combo decks.</p>
<p>Ultimately, this sped up the meta significantly while homogenizing the game-ending combo packages cEDH has come to be defined by. In turn, Turbo rose in popularity, and the meta became more hostile to slow decks, more focused on free interaction, and more centralized around blue and red – all trends that remain to this day.</p>
<h2>2020 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Is Printed</h2>
<p>The third broken two-drop of 2020, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy" href="#" target="_blank">Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> debuted in <em>Ikoria: Layer of Behemoths</em> and quickly became the poster child for cheating on mana in cEDH.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy"></div></div>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, you get a 2/2 that increases the mana production from all your nonland permanents by one mana of whatever type was produced, effectively doubling the mana output of all of green's already playable <a href="https://mtg.wiki/page/List_of_Magic_slang#Mana_dork" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mana dorks</a>.</p>
<p>So, what to do with all that mana? Well, for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-5" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> you can activate Kinnan to look at the top five cards of your library and put a nonhuman creature from among them onto the battlefield, effectively making Kinnan an infinite mana combo piece (thanks to its interaction with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basalt Monolith" href="#" target="_blank">Basalt Monolith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>Since being released six years ago, Kinnan has maintained a steady presence among the <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/cedh-midrange" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top decks in cEDH</a>, cementing itself as one of the best (if not the best) non-partner decks in the meta.</p>
<h2>2020 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flash" href="#" target="_blank">Flash</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Is Banned</h2>
<p>Now we come to the first cEDH-targeted ban in Commander’s history.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flash"></div></div>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Flash is an instant that lets you put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield, then sacrifice it unless you pay its mana cost reduced by <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<p>Why was it so problematic? Well, for years it formed half of the infamous “Flash Hulk” combo – the fastest, most consistent win in cEDH. Simply cast Flash, put [ek]Protean Hulk[/el] into play, don’t pay the cost, then let Hulk die – getting instant-speed access to the death trigger, which could guarantee wins by pulling a convoluted pile of cheap creatures out of library all in one go.</p>
<p>By banning Flash, Protean Hulk was left as a “fair” combo piece that players could continue to tinker with, albeit now gatekept behind a much higher mana cost and without the instant-speed accessibility.</p>
<h2>2020 - <em>Commander Legends</em> Is Released</h2>
<p>Not since <em>Commander 2016</em> had cEDH seen an injection of so many broken cards all at once.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeweled Lotus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hullbreacher"></div></div>
<p><em>Commander Legends</em> was a shot of pure adrenaline straight into cEDH’s veins, revolutionizing the speed at which commanders could be cast thanks to the printing of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Jeweled Lotus" href="#" target="_blank">Jeweled Lotus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, creating a whole new swath of partner-powered <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-cedh-turbo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Turbo decks</a> thanks to <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (such as the notorious RogSi), and giving blue access to arguably the second most broken Treasure producer of all time, [elHullbreacher[/el].</p>
<p>Each of these three cards saw widespread play in cEDH, enabling the creation of new decks and an explosion in power for old decks. Altogether, <em>Commander Legends</em> continued 2020’s broad trend of homogenizing cEDH around efficient and blisteringly-fast combos powered by generically good resource-producing commanders.</p>
<h2>2021 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hullbreacher" href="#" target="_blank">Hullbreacher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Is Banned</h2>
<p>Hullbreacher didn’t last long in cEDH, facing a ban shortly after being printed both due to its sheer power and painful play experience, as it effectively created non-games when paired with traditionally symmetrical wheel effects early on.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hullbreacher"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wheel of Fortune"></div></div>
<p>Since Hullbreacher prevented your opponents from drawing extra cards in a turn and replaced that with you creating Treasures, the logic was pretty straightforward: cast a card like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wheel of Fortune" href="#" target="_blank">Wheel of Fortune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, hold priority, and cast Hullbreacher. If both cards resolved, then you’d get a fresh hand as well 21 Treasures, while all your opponents would wind up cardless.</p>
<p>Crucially, the game wasn’t over – you’d still have to find a way to win – but the resource imbalance was so great as to effectively end the game then and there.</p>
<h2>2024 - The Fast Mana (and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadu, Winged Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Nadu, Winged Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) Bans</h2>
<p>All in all, the meta was pretty calm in the three years between Hullbreacher’s ban and this next shake up. Niche decks came and went, the partner pairs maintained their dominance, and the seasonal wax-and-wane of midrange-vs-turbo held steady.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Jeweled Lotus"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mana Crypt"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dockside Extortionist"></div></div>
<p>Everything changed in September of 2024, however, as the ban list was hit by a meteoric shift: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nadu, Winged Wisdom" href="#" target="_blank">Nadu, Winged Wisdom</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (an emergent powerhouse leading a notoriously powerful Simic combo deck), Jeweled Lotus, Mana Crypt, and Dockside Extortionist were all banned.</p>
<p>This was the largest single blow to cEDH’s acceleration suite the format had ever seen. With Dockside gone, decks lost their most efficient mana ritual and combo enabler. Jeweled Lotus and Mana Crypt's absence forced decks to slow down, making early-game wins less common while also forcing many of the more mana-intensive commanders out of the format.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nadu, Winged Wisdom"></div></div>
<p>Nadu’s ban, while more targeted, eliminated a singularly oppressive combo engine that had taken over the meta for months. In aggregate, these bans didn’t just slow things down, they fundamentally rebalanced the arms race, constraining the field of commanders and lengthening games.</p>
<h2>2025 - <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gifts Ungiven" href="#" target="_blank">Gifts Ungiven</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Is Unbanned</h2>
<p>Most recently, and after years in exile, Gifts Ungiven finally came off the ban list. For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this card was effectively <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Intuition" href="#" target="_blank">Intuition</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> except it let you pick up to four cards instead of three (from which your opponents would choose two for you to immediately send to the graveyard).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gifts Ungiven"></div></div>
<p>While some feared a combo renaissance, the card’s actual impact has been more subtle. Gifts is powerful, certainly, but slow and telegraphed compared to the turbo-combo tools that defined the last half-decade. Instead, its return particularly empowered low-color decks, as they now had access to another compact way to easily assemble game-ending packages.</p>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p>Across cEDH’s history, the meta has been defined by critical inflection points – moments when a sudden printing or ban leaves a stark imprint on the format for years to come.</p>
<p>Whether it’s the partner mechanic opening up the command zone, Dockside Extortionist pushing the envelope on mana, or the recent bans forcing a slowdown, each of these events didn’t just change what was best in the meta, they changed how players approach the game.</p>
<p>So, if the past decade is any indication, I’d keep an eye out for the next shock. With Wizards taking a more active role in Commander’s management, you never know when the next big change might hit.</p>


The Biggest Meta Changes in the History of cEDH

<p>Turbo decks are the poster child for power in cEDH. Consistently presenting win attempts on turn two, if not turn one, these decks are the aggressive interaction checkpoints of the format.</p>
<p>Did your opponents mulligan properly so as to have opening hands that can stop you? If not, great! Odds are that you'll be the one walking away from the table victorious, while everyone else shuffles up for another attempt.</p>
<p>For this guide, we'll be showing you the ins and outs of how to play turbo in cEDH. We'll look at top commanders, best cards, and unique win conditions popular across Turbo decks.</p>


<p>Like its name implies, Turbo decks are designed with speed as the foremost value, with resiliency pushed to second place.</p>
<p>If you're piloting a Turbo deck, you're going full throttle from the very first turn, stacking ritual after ritual to accelerate your game plan, immediately tutoring up the most potent cards in the game, and aiming to play them as soon as a window presents itself...usually as soon as you have the mana to do so.</p>
<p>cEDH's other two strategies - Stax and Midrange - both plan on using the first two turns to set up the resources necessary to capitalize on a longer battle. Turbo, meanwhile, attempts to end the game just as the other strategies are setting up.</p>
<p>The cost for this speed is long-term strength; if turbo falls flat in its early-game attempts, then it has a much harder time recovering. It isn't impossible - these decks still run plenty of their own engines - but they're far from the primary plan.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh"></div></div>
<p>If each cEDH strategy were to have a mascot, then turbo's would most definitely be <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. On its own, this card does nothing. It's not an engine, it's not an outlet, it doesn't even serve a real role in combat. Despite all that, this little guy is one of cEDH's strongest commanders, and it all comes down to its synergies with other cards.</p>
<p>With Rograkh, every card in the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fierce Guardianship" href="#" target="_blank">Fierce Guardianship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cycle becomes live from turn one onwards. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Amber" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Amber</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a guaranteed <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mox Ruby" href="#" target="_blank">Mox Ruby</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Culling the Weak" href="#" target="_blank">Culling the Weak</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Diabolic Intent" href="#" target="_blank">Diabolic Intent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have guaranteed sac-fodder. The list goes on.</p>
<p>Plus, it adds red to your color identity - the color of turbo!</p>
<p>Rograkh isn't meant to be a commander that does anything specific. Rather, it's a commander that lets you do everything generically-commander oriented.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ral, Monsoon Mage"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of red, next up is another cheap red commander, although this one packs so much of a punch that the decks it helms are all-in on supporting it from the 99.</p>
<p>On the front side, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ral, Monsoon Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Ral, Monsoon Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a legendary 1/3 Human Wizard creature for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> which reduces all instant and sorcery spells you cast by <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<p>Additionally, whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell during your turn, you flip a coin. If you lose the flip, Ral deals one damage to you. If you win the flip, you may exile Ral and return him to the battlefield transformed.</p>
<p>Ral's strategy is all based around resolving Ral as soon as possible, casting as many cantrips and rituals in that same turn as you can, and only transforming Ral after the last cast (preferably once you've hit exactly six spells). Why? Because, on his back side, Ral becomes Ral, Leyline Prodigy, a blue-red planeswalker with two starting loyalty counters that enters with an additional loyalty counter for each instant and sorcery spell you cast this turn.</p>
<p>This is where the six instants/sorceries come in - Ral's final loyalty ability costs eight loyalty to use, and when it resolves will cause you to exile the top eight cards of your library. You may cast instant and sorcery spells from among them without paying their mana costs.</p>
<p>From here, you'll just keep churning, casting and recasting Ral, using his final ability time and time again.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vivi Ornitier"></div></div>
<p>Wouldn't you know it, next up on our list is another blue and red commander that tends towards centralizing the strategy of its 99.</p>
<p>At its core, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vivi Ornitier" href="#" target="_blank">Vivi Ornitier</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a combo piece that, with any of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Curiosity" href="#" target="_blank">Curiosity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ophidian Eye" href="#" target="_blank">Ophidian Eye</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tandem Lookout" href="#" target="_blank">Tandem Lookout</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, becomes a near-unbeatable value engine, drawing three cards off of every noncreature spell cast, dealing one damage to each opponent, and putting a +1/+1 counter on the base 0/3 Vivi.</p>
<p>These counters feed into Vivi's mana ability, which allow you to pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-0" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> once per turn (on your turn only) to add X mana in any combination of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and/or <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, where X is Vivi's power.</p>
<p>Vivi's mana cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> give the deck a bit more flexibility, allowing it to play both Midrange and Turbo, depending on the style the pilot is aiming for. But don't mistake this flexibility for a lack of explosivity. Turn-one Vivi isn't too terribly uncommon, and neither is landing a Curiosity on the following turn.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dihada, Binder of Wills"></div></div>
<p>Here comes another planeswalker! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dihada, Binder of Wills" href="#" target="_blank">Dihada, Binder of Wills</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a deck that's all based around the second loyalty ability, so let's dig into it.</p>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Dihada, Binder of Wills is a legendary Dihada planeswalker with five starting loyalty. Her second ability costs three loyalty to activate, and causes you to reveal the top four cards of your library. Put any number of legendary cards from among them into your hand, the rest into your graveyard, then create a number of Treasure tokens equal to the number of cards put into the graveyard this way.</p>
<p>Most of the time, Dihada's second loyalty ability functions as essentially "mill four, create four Treasures."</p>
<p>Because of this, Dihada is a combo piece with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flicker" href="#" target="_blank">Flicker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as flickering and reusing Dihada nets infinite Treasure and infinite self-mill.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lumra, Bellow of the Woods"></div></div>
<p>Last but not least, we come to the only true-green deck in the Turbo field, and that's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lumra, Bellow of the Woods" href="#" target="_blank">Lumra, Bellow of the Woods</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-g" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Lumra is a legendary Elemental Bear creature with vigilance, reach, and power and toughness each equal to the number of lands you control. Additionally, when Lumra enters, mill four cards, then return all land cards from your graveyard to the battlefield to tapped.</p>
<p>If Lumra is paired with a land-sacrifice outlet, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zuran Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Zuran Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and a land-untapper, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Amulet of Vigor" href="#" target="_blank">Amulet of Vigor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then it becomes painfully easy for Lumra to churn through an entire deck. By sacrificing all of your lands in response to casting Lumra, Lumra will die due to having zero toughness (this happens before the enters-trigger resolves), sending it right back to the command zone.</p>
<p>Assuming you mill at least two mana worth of lands as a result of Lumra's trigger, you can immediately repeat the process, as the additional lands will cover the commander tax.</p>
<p>Lumra has a terribly difficult mana cost for a Turbo deck, but thanks to the likes of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elvish Spirit Guide" href="#" target="_blank">Elvish Spirit Guide</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Vault" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Vault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> it's actually deceptively easy in the early turns.</p>
<p>However, unlike most other Turbo decks, Lumra does tend to start casting win attempts from turns three onwards. Despite this, Lumra's ability to force a win attempt consistently and early does make it classically Turbo.</p>


<p>In order for Turbo decks to consistently have the explosive turns which the strategy relies on, each deck has a core ritual package.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark Ritual"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rite of Flame"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Culling the Weak"></div></div>
<p>These cards are all pretty straightforward: Pay less mana than you get out, preferably with an upfront cost no greater than two mana. On average, these spells net about one mana each, but the best of the best can add an extra two or even three mana if their conditions are met.</p>


<p>Just like with rituals, Turbo decks similarly turn to a critical mass of tutors to increase the consistency of their opening turns.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Diabolic Intent"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Beseech the Mirror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Praetor&#039;s Grasp"></div></div>
<p>This of course means running the best-in-class. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Demonic Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Demonic Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> come to mind here, but this also means scraping the bottom of the barrel. These tutors aren't bad cards by any stretch of the imagination, but they're first on the chopping block for decks which tend to see more cards over the course of a longer game.</p>


<p>Turbo decks take a very proactive approach to interaction, attempting to prevent a stack war from breaking out rather than selectively engaging in it.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Silence"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Defense Grid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grand Abolisher"></div></div>
<p>To do so, they run a suite of best-in-class effects such as the classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Silence" href="#" target="_blank">Silence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, along with a broader suite of similar effects, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mandate of Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Mandate of Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>


<p>Beyond commander-dependent (such as Vivi-plus-Curiosity) and typical win conditions (such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Underworld Breach" href="#" target="_blank">Underworld Breach</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), Turbo decks are principally defined by the burst draw which assembles to their win packages.</p>
<p>These might not constitute a game-ender in and of themselves, but they might as well.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ad Nauseam"></div></div>
<p>A tried-and-true classic of cEDH, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ad Nauseam" href="#" target="_blank">Ad Nauseam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> asks a simple question: Can you count to five? Just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, that's all it takes. Decks built around Ad Nauseam will often pick up about 25 or so cards upon resolution, a pile that's all but guaranteed to include a Turbo deck's bevy of rituals, tutors, and silences.</p>
<p>By far the easiest burst-draw to resolve, the only difficulty with Ad Nauseam (besides fighting through the counter war) is the toll it takes on the average mana value of spells in your deck.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Necropotence"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Necropotence" href="#" target="_blank">Necropotence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a bit trickier of a mass-draw effect to resolve, as it's highly dependent on the mass of flash-enablers in your deck.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Borne Upon a Wind" href="#" target="_blank">Borne Upon a Wind</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valley Floodcaller" href="#" target="_blank">Valley Floodcaller</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="High Fae Trickster" href="#" target="_blank">High Fae Trickster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, etc. - these cards allow the end step resolution of Necropotence activations to effectively transform into the ridiculously broken "Pay one life: Draw a card."</p>
<p>Without these flash enablers, Necropotence is still a busted card, but the mass-draw it affords becomes restricted by harsh timing rules.</p>


<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Peer into the Abyss"></div></div>
<p>Last up is an option that has become a bit less popular in recent years but is nonetheless still a potent spell to resolve: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Peer into the Abyss" href="#" target="_blank">Peer into the Abyss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this sorcery causes target player to lose half their life and draw half their deck, rounded up (for each).</p>
<p>While Peer into the Abyss draws more cards (on average) than Ad Nauseam, it's brought down a peg by its sorcery-speed nature, higher mana cost, and dependence on targeting a player. This all makes it more awkward to cast, but nonetheless ludicrously effective once resolved.</p>


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EDHREC Guide to cEDH Turbo