Below are the solutions to the most recent set of puzzles. Between Splice onto Arcane, flip cards, and the updated Legend rule, the Champions of Kamigawa cards clearly have a lot to offer in terms of fresh possibilities and unexplored subtleties. So before you play that next spell, ask yourself: am I getting the most of out my cards?

Puzzle 13:
Tricks:
Your opponent dies as soon as he hits 0 life or less.
You can splice multiple spells onto a single Arcane spell.

-Attack with Burr Grafter for four damage.
-After your attack, tap your lands for three red and four green mana. You are at 9 and Sen is at 5. (3R, 4G, 9/5)
-Cast Lava Spike, targeting Sen, splicing on 2 Desperate Rituals (6R, 4G, 9/2)
-Cast Glacial Ray targeting yourself, splicing on 2 Desperate Rituals. (8R, 4G, 7/2)
-Cast Desperate Ritual, splicing on the other Ritual. (12R, 4G, 7/2)
-Cast and sacrifice Hana Kami to return Desperate Ritual to your hand. (11R, 2G, 7/2)
-Cast Desperate Ritual, splicing on the other Ritual. (15R, 2G, 7/2)
-Sacrifice Burr Grafter (targeting itself) to return Hana Kami to your hand.
-Cast and sacrifice Hana Kami to return Desperate Ritual to your hand. (14R, 7/2)
-Cast Desperate Ritual, splicing on the other Ritual. (18R, 7/2)
-Cast your final Desparate Ritual (20R, 7/2)
-Cast Fireball for 19 targeting Sen. This will reduce his life to -17, and you have dealt 26 damage total.

Puzzle 14:
Tricks:
To summon The Unspeakable multiple times, you do not need to cast the entire chain of spells every time; just the final spell in the chain.

The Unspeakable changes zones six times.

With Distress on the stack...

-Tap your Islands for 11 mana.
-Cast Peer Through Depths, taking Reach Through Mists if it is available. Stack the remaining cards such that the Darksteel Colossi are is closest to the top. (9 mana left)
-Put Sift Through Sands on the stack, splicing on Psychic Puppetry, tapping an Angel. (5 mana left)
-Use Uyo's ability to put two copies of Sift Through Sands on the stack, using the splice to tap the other 2 Angels. 4 lands are returned to your hand. (1 mana left)
-Let one Sift Through Sands resolve, discarding The Unspeakable.
-Use a Conjurer's Bauble to put The Unspeakable back into your deck (on the bottom), and draw a card. If you didn't have it already, you will draw Reach Through Mists.
-Use the Stylus to put an Island into your deck.
-Cast Reach Through Mists to draw a card. (0 mana left)
-Let the second Sift Through Sands resolve, discarding Darksteel Colossus (which will get shuffled into your deck-to prevent you from getting decked), and fetching The Unspeakable to play. Due to the legend rule, both copies of The Unspeakable will go to your graveyard.
-Use the second Conjurer's Bauble to put The Unspeakable back into your deck (on the bottom), and draw a card.
-Let the final Sift Through Sands resolve, discarding Darksteel Colossus, and fetching The Unspeakable to play.

Distress resolves, and Hikaru will take your Psychic Puppetry.

The turn ends.

On your turn...

- Draw a card. You will now have at least eight cards in your hand.
- Use the Stylus to put itself into your deck.
- Equip The Unspeakable with Sparring Collar.
- Attack with Uyo, Jushi, and The Unspeakable.
- When The Unspeakable deals damage, return Psychic Puppetry to your hand.
- Cast Psychic Puppetry, untapping Jushi.
- Use Jushi's ability to draw a card and flip him.
- Deal the remaining seven damage to Hikaru.

Puzzle 15:
Tricks:
With Gifts Ungiven, you only need three cards that will win you the game, not four.

-Tap 3 Islands and Boseiju for mana to cast Gifts Ungiven.
-Choose Blessed Breath, Lava Spike, Psychic Puppetry, and Island (or any other land).
-Blessed Breath or Lava Spike will kill Yugoro by itself, as will the combination of Psychic Puppetry and Island. Therefore, no matter what your opponent chooses to give you, he will lose.

With Blessed Breath:
-Put WWWRU into your mana pool.
-Use Innocence Kami to tap Kokusho.
-Cast Glacial Ray, targeting Yugoro. This will untap Innocence Kami.
-Use Innocence Kami to tap Kami of Lunacy.
-Cast Blessed Breath to give Innocence Kami protection from Black. This will untap it also.
-Attack with all of your creatures for the win.

With Lava Spike:
-Put WWWR into your mana pool.
-Use Innocence Kami to tap Kokusho.
-Cast Lava Spike, targeting Yugoro. This will untap Innocence Kami.
-Use Innocence Kami to tap Kami of Lunacy.
-Cast Vigilance on Kabuto Moth.
-Attack with your flying creatures
-Before blockers are declared, tap Kabuto Moth to give itself +1/+2.
-Combat damage will resolve and you will win.

With Psychic Puppetry and Island:
-Put WWWRUU into your mana pool.
-Use Innocence Kami to tap Kokusho.
-Tap Kabuto Moth to give itself +1/+2
-Cast Glacial Ray targeting Yugoro, splicing on Psychic Puppetry to untap Kabuto Moth. This will untap Innocence Kami.
-Use Innocence Kami to tap Kami of Lunacy.
-Cast Vigilance on Kabuto Moth.
-Attack with your flying creatures
-Before blockers are declared, tap Kabuto Moth to give itself +1/+2.
-Combat damage will resolve and you will win.

Until next time,
Jeff Till
jefftill@hotmail.com