Creatures (5)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (15)
Spells (36)
- 4 Brainstorm
- 4 Force of Will
- 4 Accumulated Knowledge
- 1 Mountain
- 2 Island
- 4 Intuition
- 4 Lotus Petal
- 4 Gitaxian Probe
- 4 Izzet Charm
- 1 Enter the Infinite
- 4 Possibility Storm
Sideboard
As you saw, the number of lands in the maindeck is simply too low. Our opponent had a very slow start, but our own mana issues prevented us from capitalizing. Instead, we were forced to play into a telegraphed Stifle, and our opponent won anyway. Since we have important cards that cost three, four, and even five mana, eighteen lands is simply too few.
Creatures (5)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (17)
Spells (34)
- 4 Brainstorm
- 4 Force of Will
- 4 Accumulated Knowledge
- 1 Mountain
- 2 Island
- 3 Intuition
- 4 Lotus Petal
- 4 Gitaxian Probe
- 3 Izzet Charm
- 1 Enter the Infinite
- 4 Possibility Storm
Sideboard
This is a very rudimentary sideboard transform. I wanted Young Pyromancer, Tarmogoyf, and Spellheart Chimera over Delver of Secrets or more controlling elements because these three threats are capable of taking over a game in a way that Delver of Secrets is not. Delver requires sustained pressure and interaction, which is something this deck can never summon. We don’t have Lightning Bolt or Daze, nor do we want either. We want to play a threat and need as few combat steps as possible. Delver of Secrets without support is a poor threat. It is the disruption suite that accompanies it that makes Insectile Aberration so potent.
Here we see the raw power of the sideboarded threats, the versatility of Izzet Charm, and the incredible ability of Jace, the Mind Sculptor to swing from grindy and controlling to tempo-focused in a single turn. Game 3 is also a textbook case of retransforming once it becomes clear that our opponents’ dead cards are not combo-hate cards but rather their overabundance of removal spells.
This match highlights the sheer joy of getting your chips in behind and winning anyway. Game 3 is a great example of the creature plan blanking a control deck’s Spell Pierces and Surgical Extractions.
A sour note to end things on, but it is clear that Possibility Storm[/author]“][author name="Possibility Storm"]Possibility Storm[/author] is quite a bit softer against other combo decks than we would like to think. It’s very possible that we’re supposed to cut the combo, keep Lotus Petals, cut Intuitions and a Jace for Ponders, and play a very low-to-the-ground aggro-control deck with Izzet Charm as an overcosted Spell Pierce.
On a side note, I’d like to emphasize that these videos are not meant to be an exhibition of perfect play. The objective is to showcase the mechanics and gameplay of an entertaining or fringe strategy. I am confident that I make mistakes in every game, but I find little value in comments pointing out those instances. It is far more valuable to discuss the broader strategic outlines of a given situation.
For instance, it is very likely that I was supposed to cast Accumulated Knowledge in response to Xantid Swarm’s trigger against Storm in match five. Is that useful to point out? Not really. I would rather discuss whether it was correct to Intuition for Accumulated Knowledges in game 1 or whether it made sense to take a more conservative line and Intuition for Force of Wills.
As always, I welcome your feedback, suggestions, critiques, and requests.
Until next week,
Drew Levin
@drewlevin on Twitter