Last updated on March 22, 2026
“A winning hand” | Photographed by Jake Chavarria
Bracket 5 Commander. Competitive Elder Dragon Highlander. cEDH…tEDH? What’s the truth?
I don’t know. I’ve only ever watched YouTube content about it.
But, what I do know is this: People cannot stop talking about Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh / Ishai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker decks in the format.
Elbert Tannenbaum really said it best in his last video: “Something something midrange hell, something something turbo.” I could not agree more, Elbert.
However…
In an absolutely unprecedented turn of events…a recent and very real Magic: The Gathering tournament x Sandwich Expo called Mustard and Mana was completely obliterated by a deck that literally nobody could’ve seen coming…
Could They Have Seen it Coming?
Food Fight | Illustration by Filipe Pagliuso
Well, yes and no. Sandwich vendors from all over the county were in attendance, along with 64 eager cEDH players. Only some of them were sandwich lovers, but we don’t have official numbers on that.
The meta looked fairly standard for a cEDH tournament. A million Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh and Silas Renn, Seeker Adept, a thousand Etali, Primal Conqueror piles, 8 Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy lists, 4 Magda, Brazen Outlaw decks, a smattering of Sisay, Weatherlight Captains.
But no one’s deck shone quite as hard as the deck that combo’d off with a Ham Sandwich
How Could This Have Possibly Happened?
Gyome, Master Chef | Illustration by Steve Prescott
We caught up with Wario McSweeney, the first ever Magic player to literally combo off with a Ham Sandwich.
He came for the sandwich, and left with the crown. Despite his renown in the community as an MTG aficionado of sorts, he was in attendance purely for the Sandwich Expo..and he was dismayed when he learned about the tournament.
“I drove 30 hours for the Standard Sammie…I left Tymna/Dargo at home.”
He went to Vendor Booth #92 and got their Standard Hammie, extra onions, extra pickles.
Wario McSweeney’s Ham Sandwich | Photographed by anonymous
He procured his food…and he noticed something abnormal.
The pickles and lettuce on his sandwich…the way they were arranged…looked exactly like a legendary creature with the rules text of both Basalt Monolith and Forsaken Monument that only cost 2 mana.
Is a Ham Sandwich Tournament Legal?
Rules Lawyer | Illustration by Sean Murray
Rule 012345.lol – If a ham sandwich has the rules text of a card on it, it becomes a 5-color legendary creature with a mana cost equal to the number of extra condiments added to it beyond cheese, ham and mayonnaise, and gains the rules text of each card whose rules text is legibly written upon it.
The judge cited rule 012345.lol, McSweeney quickly proxied a cool 99 with paper towels and a pencil, and sleeved up.
Infinite mana for 2 in the Command Zone isn’t anything new for Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy players, but this combo most definitely blew all of the other competitors out of the water.
The deck ended up having a 100% winrate.
Ham Goes HAM
The Underworld Cookbook | Illustration by Joe Slucher
When asked about their matchup, Top 8 competitor Julia Plate had this to say: “I thought Walking Ballista was actually kinda mid in the current meta…until I saw it combo off with a Ham Sandwich.”
When we asked another competitor who wishes to remain anonymous their thoughts on the matchup, they had this to say: “I honestly didn’t appreciate that I got crumbs on my playmat and my cards, but it was cool to see someone do something new with Displacer Kitten.”
“You’d be surprised how often stuff like this happens,” said Magic Head Designer Mark Rosewater, who just so happened to be walking by as McSweeney’s campaign of terror ran on.
“I was literally about to Turn 1 Necro into Borne Upon the Wind into Thoracle into Demonic Consultation, but the Ham Sandwich is the best value engine I’ve ever seen.”
“That Ham Sandwich is f***ing busted they have to ban it.”
Is the Sandwich In The Room With Us?
The question remains, will they swing the Ban Hammer? This one is clearly far too strong for a meta that has struggled to recover from losing cards like Jeweled Lotus and Mana Vault
The truth is, Rule 12345.lol might need an errata. Ham sandwiches are meant to be eaten, and not combo’d off with.
It looks like WotC will legally be changing the name of the format to Elder Dragon Ham…and it’s all thanks to Wario.
This is a fictional piece of satire; the characters and situations described are not meant to be taken literally. Just have fun with it, folks!
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