*NOTE: In this primer, there are a series of references to Mike Flores' "Who's the Beatdown?" article. If you haven't read it, I'd suggest checking out that article before reading this primer.

What is "The Top Deck"?
"The Top Deck" is also known as Sensei Sensei. It's a deck based off a three-card combo: Future Sight, Helm of Awakening and Sensei's Divining Top. You draw a card off of the Top, upon which it goes on the top of your library. Future Sight lets you play the top card as if it is in your hand, and Helm of Awakening makes all spells costs one colorless mana less to play. This makes Sensei's Top cost zero mana. You play Sensei's Top, and then continue activating it to draw a card. Each time you play the Top your storm count raises by one. The kill card is Brain Freeze. The deck first made its mark with a sixth place finish at SCG Syracuse, piloted by Keith Johnson (ctthespian on TMD). Others such as Steve Houdlette (Grand Inquisitor, creator of Sensei Sensei), Ray Robillard (iamfishman), and Todd Panilaitis had played the deck that day, unfortunately not performing as well.

Why play Sensei Sensei?
Yes, Sensei is reliant on a three-card combo, but none of them are really all that bad on their own. The worst card of the three is Helm of Awakening, because it helps your opponent as well. Sensei's Top by itself is like a reusable Brainstorm that will always help you find the cards you need. Future Sight is just a bomb and should generally win you the game once you've gotten an untap step with it out, not to mention how you accidentally will flip over the other combo pieces to win the game from time to time.

A lot of people don't realize that when the deck has all three combo pieces out, it will win the game right then and there. You draw into an off-color Mox to play a second Helm for one mana, making your Cunning Wish -> Brain Freeze cost UU. So to win any game you need to have UU open. Say you've tapped all of your Blue mana producing lands and you've got all the combo pieces out. One way reach UU is to draw into Black Lotus. Say you've used your Lotus already but you haven't played a land this turn, then you can draw into Tolarian Academy. What happens if you've already played your land? You can draw into Mox Sapphire and Frantic Search to untap the necessary mana you need. What if you already tapped your Mox Sapphire or used your Frantic Search? You draw into Mox Jet and Yawgmoth's Will to replay your Black Lotus and get your UU mana to win the game.

Though this is uncommon, it does happen from time to time, and is faster than the Future Sight kill. Having a Helm of Awakening in play makes your Tops cost 0 mana. Now say you have two Divining Tops. That's an infinite storm count right there, so all you need now is the Wish to get Freeze and win the game. The biggest problem with this kill is that it rolls to one counterspell. They counter one of the Tops and you'll lose you're infinite storm count. They can counter the Wish, keeping you from getting Freeze to finish them off. This can be used to just draw a counter out of their hand to help force through your draw spells, or can be used as a last ditch effort when you're about to lose the game next turn. This is a really good tool when it's available, forcing your opponent into a "get into a worse position or lose now" kind of scenario whenever you can use it.

Alas, like every deck, Sensei does have its weaknesses. As you will soon see, the deck runs about 21 to 23 mana sources. That's not a lot considering the deck is based off a sorcery speed spell that costs 2UUU. Yes, Helm of Awakening helps the deck out greatly with its mana concerns, but having to play through a set of Stifles and Wastelands can sometimes be a difficult task. Null Rod just piles on top of this problem.

Sensei Sensei isn't the fastest combo deck on the block by far. On average the deck combos off on around turns 3 to 4. In Type I Magic, that's not all that fast. That said, any kind of a faster combo deck can be a problem for the deck.

Also, fast disruption really takes this deck out pretty hard. An opponent's first turn Duress with a second turn Mana Drain while you're on the draw could spell doom for you as the Sensei player. Also, a well-timed Meddling Mage could end your game fairly quickly. Sometimes a Chalice for one can stall you long enough so your opponent can take a quick game win (and no, having a Helm in play does not get around a Chalice for 1). Chains of Mephistopheles can also hit you hard if you're not expecting it, or don't have a Future Sight in play. Despite all this, you can still win through the hate.

Building the Deck
*Please note that I'm not going to discuss if Time Walk, Ancestral Recall, Yawgmoth's Will, Demonic Tutor, or Force of Will should be in the deck. The reasons are obvious and we already have much to go through.

I) The Mana Base
II) Combo Pieces
III) Counters and Disruption
IV) Draw Engine
V) General Utility
VI) Sideboard

I) The Mana Base
Sensei is mostly a Black and Blue deck. Later on in this primer you'll read which colors do what when splashed, but we'll just stick to Black and Blue options for now. Since Wasteland can be a big problem for the deck, you want to run at least four basic Islands, if not five. You need a lot of speed so you'll need to add in a full compliment of artifact mana. Since your deck runs Future Sight (as well as Top) you'll want as many shuffle effects as you can get your hands on, so most people run 5 fetchlands, though 4 is acceptable if you're entering a heavy Stifle/Null Rod metagame. Here's the manabase that Keith Johnston took 6^th place with at SCG: Syracuse where the deck first made its mark;

5 Island
2 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
2 Underground Sea
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt

Yes, he's only running 21 mana sources. You may think this is a low number since you're running Future Sight, but the deck is able to run smoothly on a low land count due to such a high density of draw power, and the number of cards it gets to see every game. I know a few people are testing out Lotus Petal over Mana Vault, and they seem to like the change. It's not a bad choice, but I'd still rather have the Mana Vault because it powers out a first turn draw spell better than Mana Vault does. Running a Lotus Petal would help you when you're going off by becoming a second Mox Jet and Sapphire all at once, as well as helping your tempo with a Future Sight in play. It's a perfectly viable choice to run.

II) The Combo Pieces
Future Sight, Helm of Awakening, Sensei's Diving Top

I would suggest only running three Future Sights because they have such a high casting cost. With all the draw power we'll add in, finding one by turn 3 won't be much of a problem. You don't really want more than three Helms because seeing one at the wrong time makes it a dead card and playing it then would lose you the game.

III) Counters and Disruption
Mana Drain, Force of Will, Duress, Mana Leak

Mana Drain is a great mana accelerant in the deck, and is mostly used to do just that. All of the well-known Top players are only running three, and have agreed that it's the right number. Sensei Sensei's first goal is to get ahead of your opponent. Getting a few free mana to push through a counter wall with is a great way to do so.

Duress is never a dead draw unless you're playing against something random like R/G beats or Affinity (which you should be able to beat anyway). It will always tell you how to play your cards the right way to win the game while making their cards worse. It's fairly good in the mirror match, and is great against all other forms of combo, as well as most control. A downside to Duress is how it keeps you from dropping a first turn Helm of Awakening and Top. Running more than 2 Duress would require a change in the manabase.

Mana Leak is pretty bad. Remember, you're a combo deck before you're a control deck. Your counters are to get your spells to resolve, not so much to stop your opponents spells. Having too much of a control element takes away from the power of the deck.

IV) Draw Engine
Ancestral Recall, Scroll Rack, Deep Analysis, Accumulated Knowledge, Thirst for Knowledge, Fact or Fiction, Skeletal Scrying, Brainstorm

Scroll Rack
Though I have little testing with it personally, I took the time to catch up with Keith Johnston who's been testing Scroll Racks in his build. Scroll Rack acts like a Top that digs much deeper. That said, he's been thinking of cutting it as it's really only good with a lot of shuffle effects. I personally see it as gas that folds to Null Rod. I guess a positive note about Scroll Rack is that it will practically never be countered.

Deep Analysis
At first you think of how this spell just walks into Mana Drains all day, but I'm going to tell you that it doesn't. This thing is absolutely insane under a Helm. It costs 2U the first time you cast it, then a mere U and 3 life for the flashback. Say you go turn 1 Mox (or Sol Ring /Mana Crypt), Land, Helm. Turn 2 you play another Mox (without the Sol Ring or Mana Crypt), Deep Analysis, then a land flashing back the Deep Analysis. Your opponent has only gotten one land drop if you were on the play, and you've already drawn four cards. That right there can be enough to win a game on its own, never mind how good of a position you'll be in. Do be careful with it though, because if this does get Mana Drained, you'll probably end up losing the game.

Accumulated Knowledge
These are actually fairly gassy spells for you. Casting anything after the first is pretty good, considering they will only cost you U to play under a Helm. If you have a Future Sight in play, flipping over one of these is just insane as an AK for 1 will 'draw' you two cards. It's pretty much your cheap draw spell, and the deck likes drawing cards for as much mana as possible.

Thirst for Knowledge
Not quite as good as Accumulated Knowledge, but still good enough to be in the deck. You run a fell compliment of artifact acceleration and six other artifacts. Since this is the best draw spell printed in a while, it's included in the deck. Its main purpose is to help you avoid Mana Drains while tossing some card draw at your opponent to deal with.

Fact or Fiction
As with all of your spells, they become far too good under a Helm of Awakening, and this one is no exception. You run a lot of cards that get better if they're in the graveyard, or make splitting the cards into two piles such as Accumulated Knowledges and Deep Analyses. Sometimes when you play Fact, you'll have two of the three combo pieces out, and you'll hit the third on the Fact, giving your opponent a nightmare while splitting the piles up. Fact or Fiction is good in the maindeck, but probably better in the sideboard. This card can dig you out of a lot of situations.

Skeletal Scrying
This card looks fairly mana intensive at first, but with a second look, we see just how good it really is. Under a Helm, you get to draw one free card without paying mana for it. I don't know about you, but a free card sounds pretty good. This thing gets pretty nutty with two or more Helms out. It can be put on your Sideboard for some Wish-able draw, or put in the maindeck. Either way I can't see this card being anything but good since you only use your Graveyard for Yawgmoth's Will. It looks like bad synergy in theory, but in reality it's not at all. The biggest problem I could find between Scryings and this deck is how bad it is in your opening hand. Sensei likes having cards it can use on any turn, whether it's the first turn or the fifth, and Scrying is not always one of those cards. I would also like to point out that the life loss may be enough of a reason to not play it. A lot of times against Fish you'll be at a low life total pretty quick after Forcing spells and fetching lands out, giving you some dead cards in your deck.

Brainstorm
For once, here's a blue-based deck that doesn't run Brainstorm. You're probably asking why. Sensei's Divining Top is already a Brainstorm-esque card, is already a combo piece, reusable, and it has obvious synergy with Helm of Awakening. Now I'm not saying that all Blue-based decks should trade out their Brainstorms for Tops, but I am saying this deck should.

V) General Utility
Time Walk, Yawgmoth's Will, Demonic Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Frantic Search, Merchant Scroll, Cunning Wish, Intuition, Echoing Truth, Hurkyl's Recall, Rushing River, Chain of Vapor

Mystical Tutor
This thing is nutty in Sensei Sensei. With a Future Sight out, it has just about no drawback, and it finds you such a large amount of cards that it's just a bad idea to not run it.

Vampiric Tutor
Even better than Mystical Tutor. Enough said.

Frantic Search
A lot of people have mixed feelings about this card, but I would rather cut Ancestral Recall before cutting this from the deck. As mentioned before it's a way to make the deck always combo off, and it's a great way to generate mana (under a Helm you actually get one free mana). This thing is just insane with Tolarian Academy. It's basically like a Time Walk when you have Academy out, and who wouldn't run Time Walk in a deck like this? It can also help power out a Future Sight when you have some moxes in play, but only two Blue sources.

Merchant Scroll
This is a bad Mystical Tutor. Yes, it does find you all of the draw spells that Mystical can get without the card disadvantage, however I'd much rather just have a draw spell in it's place. I know a few people who really like the card, and the only way to find out if you like it is to test it yourself. It's a perfectly fine card to run, just not something I'd personally play.

Cunning Wish
Cunning Wish is just amazing in Sensei. It's a really good answer to everything, and it can also fetch out draw spells. It allows you to play your Brain Freeze in the board, saving some room in the maindeck. You can get away with running two, but three is a much more comfortable number, and has been agreed upon as the best number.

Intuition
Since you're already running Accumulated Knowledges, why wouldn't you run a few Intuitions? The list from SCG Syracuse only ran one Intuition, and that's probably the right number if you like them. It's usually finding Force of Will to get that key Future Sight to resolve, Deep Analyses, AKs, or the remaining combo piece when two of them are already out. Intuition is never a bad card to see at any stage of the game, and becomes more than a tutor with a Helm in play.

V) Sideboard
*Note: You should run a Brain Freeze in your sideboard (if you don't have one in your maindeck), since it's your kill card.

Echoing Truth, Hurkyl's Recall, Rushing River, Chain of Vapor, Rebuild
Having a maindeck bounce spell is quite handy, but having one in to board as well isn't too bad either. I'd stay away from the Chain of Vapor because your opponent will gladly bounce your Future Sight, and you don't want that to happen. Rushing River isn't too bad since it will be about to bounce a Null Rod and a Meddling Mage, where the Echoing Truth could only hit one. If you're preparing for a lot of Stax then Hurkyl's Recall or Rebuild might be the card for you. If you choose the right bounce spell for the metagame you're preparing to enter, it will be your best friend all day.

Lim-dul's Vault
I had tested this card for a short amount of time, and wasn't too fond of it. Do remember that it has much synergy with a Future Sight in play, but like most cards when paired with Future Sight, it becomes a win more card at some points. The weird thing about Lim-dul's is that it can turn a Cunning Wish into a win. If you're expecting to see a lot of Mindslavers, then I'd probably just stick to something like Fact or Fiction or a Scrying in this slot.

Annul
Annul counters stuff in the mirror as well as counters Arcane Lab for a mere U mana. It deals with Standstill, Null Rod, as well as Curiosities. It's a really good option against Dragon as well since it stops all of their animate spells. Annul is very flexible and should be in every Sensei sideboard.

Stifle
This is the main way you deal with Gaea's Blessing against Oath. Sometimes you actually Wish for it to stop a Tendrils from killing you or to counter a Mind's Desire. It also keeps an animated Dragon from winning the game. Every now and then it'll counter a Wasteland effect from removing your Academy. Stifle is a very good Wish target, and I personally wouldn't leave home without it.

Coffin Purge
Very good with any build that runs more than one Intuition. Like most of your board options, it's Wishable, but not dead when added with other cards. It helps against Dragon, and isn't too bad against Control Slaver as well as the Gifts decks that are becoming more and more popular. Also very useful against CA hitting Squees or a possible weld/animate target. Again, a very good choice for the deck to play.

Tormod's Crypt
Just as good as Coffin Purge, but in a different way. Crypt will deal with most things that Purge would deal with, but will only work once. It saves tempo a bit by having a zero for a casting cost, and adds one more mana when you tap your Academy. Crypt is also a great way to deal with Yawgmoth's Will before they even draw it.

Now that we understand most of the card choices for the deck a lot better, we can create a strong decklist or some expected metagames...

1 Darksteel Colossus

3 Future Sight
3 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Helm of Awakening

3 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

1 Ancestral Recall
2 Deep Analysis
2 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Accumulated Knowledge

3 Cunning Wish
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Tinker
1 Time Walk
1 Frantic Search
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Echoing Truth

1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Seas
4 Polluted Delta
6 Islands
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal

If you can't tell, this decklist is fully prepared for a heavy Fish metagame. It plays no Skeletal Scryings and only 2 Deep Analysis, has a high basic land count and only 4 fetchlands to help avoid any Stifles and Wastelands, as well as a hefty 23 mana sources. It has a Lotus Petal in it to help power out a fast Future Sight. The deck has Tinker -> Colossus to help get around Null Rod and Meddling Mages as well as an Echoing Truth maindecked. The sideboard would have at least 2 Annuls to help stop their Arcane Labs, Null Rods, and Standstills.

3 Future Sight
3 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Helm of Awakening

3 Duress
3 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

1 Ancestral Recall
2 Deep Analysis
2 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Accumulated Knowledge

3 Cunning Wish
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Intuition
1 Time Walk
1 Frantic Search
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Tolarian Academy
3 Underground Seas
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
4 Islands
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault

This build has been prepared for a much more combo heavy metagame. The Tinker -> Colossus plan has been removed for three Duress main, taking care of a lot of issues you'd normally have against combo. Notice how the manabase has changed to 5 Fetchlands and 3 Underground Seas to assist us in getting the right colored mana. Notice the addition of an Intuition over a third Thirst for Knowledge, which will speed you up or find you some counterspells is necessary. The sideboard would probably have Chalice of the Void in it as well; just make sure you have a way to remove your Chalices when you're ready to win.

3 Future Sight
3 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Helm of Awakening

3 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

1 Ancestral Recall
3 Deep Analysis
1 Skeletal Scrying
3 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Accumulated Knowledge

1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
3 Cunning Wish
1 Intuition
1 Time Walk
1 Frantic Search
1 Yawgmoth's Will

1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Seas
3 Polluted Deltas
2 Flooded Strand
5 Islands
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault

This build is made for a very heavy control metagame. Notice the huge draw engine with an extra Thirst, Deep Analysis, and a Skeletal Scrying. You've taken your disruption slots against combo and basically have made them into what I like to call Draw Disruption. These are cards that you stock up on in such a large amount that you will get one to resolve, and that one that resolves finds you more, and then you have a windfall effect from there. Depending on what build it is, you may see Arcane Labs as well, so Annul is a good idea. If not, then you could bring in some Duresses over your Mana Drains to save you some tempo. Tormod's Crypt and Coffin Purge should come in against anything with a Mindslaver and Welders. Make sure you don't overboard for these matchups because it's really easy to.

Matchups
I) Aggro Control
i) Fish Variants
ii) Gro-A-Tog
iii) Cerebral Assassin
iv) Oath Variants
v) Bird Sh*t

II) Control
i) Gifts Ungiven.dec
ii) Control Slaver
iii) Mono Blue

III) Combo
i) Sensei Sensei
ii) DeathLong
iii) 2-Land Belcher
iv) Worldgorger Dragon
v) The Perfect Storm

IV) Workshops
i) Workshop Aggro
ii) Stax

V) Aggro / Aggro Combo
i) Food Chain Goblins
ii) Affinity

I) Aggro Control
i) Fish Variants
The key to winning this matchup is getting a Future Sight into play. Just about 90% of the time you get one to hit, you'll win the game. Their deck has Null Rod with a full compliment of mana denial in the form of Stifles and Wastelands. One build plays Meddling Mage as well. As you saw above, Tinker-Colossus is a fairly good option to run to help get some more wins under your belt. A lot of Fish players also sideboard Arcane Lab; another tool to keep their game ahead of yours. This is probably one of the two hardest matchups at this time, though boarding in Seasinger's will help you out greatly.

ii) Gro-A-Tog
This deck packs fast disruption and a lot of very fast threats. I like to view them as a combo deck when I'm playing Sensei, so racing them is a big part of winning the matchup. I would suggest playing against them as if they were playing TPS. If you do it this way, then it helps you forget how much pressure you're under if they get a Dryad out and growing. Speaking of which, it's a good idea to make sure you keep as many Dryads and Togs off the table as possible, as it'll make your game a lot better. Be ready to see Arcane Labs after boarding.

iii) Cerebral Assassin
Assassin can be pretty fast sometimes, but you can be faster. Take advantage of the fact that they run Bazaars and capitalize on their tempo loss. They have trouble finding cards to pitch to Force of Will, so keep that in mind at all times because it'll get your spells to resolve much easier. As always, if they have an untapped Welder, be ready for a Possessed Portal to come out. If you can avoid that card, then you should do well enough in the match. They'll probably board in Red Elemental Blasts and Rays of Revelation, so be prepared for those. Tormod's Crypt is very good in this matchup.

iv) Oath Variants
There are two versions of Oath out there right now, Salvagers and Meandeck. It's hard to tell which one you're playing against, but as long as your able to keep their Oath's off the table then this matchup isn't too hard. If they're playing the Meandeck version you have a few turns once you get a Spirit Token before they finish you off, so don't give up right away. Since Gaea's Blessing is a triggered ability, you can Stifle it allowing your Brain Freeze to work as usual after you've combo-ed off. If they're running Colossus then you get an infinite storm count and cast Freeze. What happens is that the Colossus gets shuffled back in as a replacement effect, so you continue to mill them until they have nothing but Colossus left in their library. You then proceed to cast a Deep Analysis or Ancestral Recall on them to win, or just pass the turn a few times until they run of cards in their library. Expect Arcane Labs from them as well since it does nothing to stunt them at all. Echoing Truth and Rushing River are excellent options here for boarding.

v) Bird Sh*t
As far as you're concerned, it's like Gro and Fish combined into one deck. They have Null Rods and a set of Wastelands and some Stifles to go with it. Not to mention that a lot of builds play Meddling Mage. You can race their creatures, so don't worry too much about those. Just like against Fish, the hardest part of the matchup is getting Future Sight to resolve. Resolving some spells can be difficult since they have Misdirections over Fish's Daze, acting like Force of Will numbers 5, 6 and/or 7 (depending on the build).

II) Control
i) Gifts Ungiven.dec (Shortbus and Meandeck versions)
The best way to beat this deck-type is to overpower it with draw spells. Getting a Future Sight into play will pretty much end the game either that turn or the turn after. Be VERY careful with your Helms because no other deck likes to see Helm on the table than Gifts.dec does. They'll bring in Red Elemental Blasts to stop your draw power before you can get ahead of them. Bringing in Tormod's Crypt can be useful; however Chalice for 1 is a little bit better against them, because it keeps them from getting into the game. I hate giving percentages, but the best way to describe this matchup is 50/50.

ii) Control Slaver
Ahh yes, the good old Control Slaver. It's very important to make sure you don't get Mindslaved. A very good way of doing so is Coffin Purge. Playing Helm against them can be a little scary unless you have a hand full of draw spells. Remember that you are the combo deck here, so taking out Mana Drains isn't a bad SB plan. They will probably bring in Red Elemental Blast and possibly Arcane Labs against you.

iii) Mono-Blue
They have Chalice of the Void and a lot of counterspells. Play your draw spells right and catch them off guard with something huge like a Future Sight or a Yawgmoth's Will. Think of this matchup being a much easier version of Oath. Helm's are practically one sided in your favor in this matchup, so don't be afraid to drop them early on.

III) Combo
i) Sensei Sensei
Timing is everything in this matchup. There are two positions in the match that either player can take; pure beatdown or bouncing between control and combo. You can't choose which role you're going to play before the game begins; you need to adjust to one of these roles depending on what cards you draw. With that said; the Sensei mirror is pretty random. It's pretty much based off of who can get the first big spell to resolve. Duresses are really good in this matchup. If you get Academy to tap for more than 2 mana first, then chances are high you'll win the game. Playing a Helm can be very scary in this matchup since they obviously like seeing one as much as you do.

ii) DeathLong
DeathLong is a very fast combo deck. You have to become the control deck in this matchup because you'll never outrace them. If you can get Mana Drain online chances are looking good for you. Duress is absolute gold in this matchup, as is Force of Will. Playing Helm here is just as scary as playing one in the mirror. After boarding you can bring in more Duresses and Tormod's Crypt. Why Tormod's Crypt? Because it makes them have to Death Wish for an answer then for something bomby, which will buy you plenty of time to gain control of the game.

iii) 2-Land Belcher
Chalice of the Void is really good here. Play it for 0 and 1 and proceed to win the game at your leisure. I wouldn't be too concerned about not seeing a Force of Will in your opening hand against them because when they don't win on turn 1, it takes a while for them to pick back up and recover. Duress is a nice thing to have against them, but not as good as Chalice is. You have just as many tools as all the other control decks in the format do to beat this deck. Don't forget you can outrace them from time to time with an opening Academy or Lotus.

iv) Worldgorger Dragon
Xantid Swarm is pretty good against you, so do your best to keep that off the table. Playing the beatdown in this matchup will result in a win more often than not, but always make sure you don't lose to some random Animate. Bringing in Crypts and your lone Annul, Stifle and Coffin Purge is a good idea, turning the matchup into a fairly favorable one.

v) The Perfect Storm
Sensei is the control deck in the matchup. Though, at times, the Sensei player needs to change roles and become the combo deck before the TPS player has a chance to react. Being able to change roles so quickly before your opponent is able to adjust their gameplan is more than enough to win the game. TPS is just as slow as you are, but has problems within it self, fizzling out from time to time. You can usually shrug off their Duresses, their best disruption against you, but an early Duress could spell doom for you.

IV) Workshops
i) Workshop Aggro
The key to beating Workshop Aggro is to basically keep as much fat off the table as possible and then proceed to win. Mana Draining just about anything will give you so much tempo that it'll be hard to lose to them unless they're clock is big. Fetching out basics is important since they run Wastelands. Be careful though, Shops can power out creature really fast sometimes, and they may very well be able to overwhelm you. Be sure to stay ahead of them and this matchup shouldn't be too hard. For boarding you should bring in whatever bounce spells you have in your sideboard, as well as Annuls.

ii) Stax
Getting a Helm is play against Stax is your first goal after making sure you can still play cards. Reason is that you can tap it under a Tangle Wire rather than a mana source, and for the fact that Stax is back to running Sphere of Resistance for its mana denial artifact. If you can't tell, it keeps you from comboing off with Top unless you have X Helms in play, where X is the number of Spheres they have in plus 1. Be careful of Chalice of the Void as well. If you're preparing for a lot of Stax in a metagame then running bounce such as Rebuild and Hurkyl's Recall as mentioned above is a good idea. Fetch out your Islands unless you really need the colored mana to help avoid running into Wastelands. You can deal with most of their cards fairly easily, but Smokestack can get out of hand fast so either make sure you can race it or keep it off the table.

V) Aggro/ Aggro Combo
i) Food Chain Goblins
Keeping them from comboing off is fairly important. After boards they should bring in Red Elemental Blasts, but you can play through them easily. Remember that Food Chain costs 3 mana, so it's not too hard to keep it off the table, keeping them an aggro deck. You then play against them as if they were any other aggro deck, and just race them to the finish. I'm only afraid of Lackey when it pumps out a Siege-Gang or a Goblin Goon (if they run it).

ii) Affinity
This matchups isn't too difficult as long as you can keep whatever clock they're trying to put you on (be it tever clock they'ddition of the splash, the matchup improves a wee bit more than the Wasteland player gets ir handver it. Sitheir Ravagers and Disciples, Cranial Platings, multiple Myr Enforcers) off the table since all their other stuff are basically 1/1's, 2/2's, or 0/2's. Mana Draining a Frogmite or Myr Enforcer will pretty much end the game.

I) The Green Splash
First we'll start off with a decklist, then explain the card choices afterwards...

3 Island
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
2 Tropical Island
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
5 Moxen
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt

4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
3 Cunning Wish
1 Crop Rotation

1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Time Walk
1 Frantic Search
2 Intuition

1 Ancestral Recall
2 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Future Sight
2 Deep Analysis
4 Accumulated Knowledge
3 Helm of Awakening
3 Sensei's Divining Top

Sideboard
1 Berserk
3 Psychatog/Quirion Dryad
2 Ground Seal
3 Duress
6 Wish-able/Metagame cards

Note the manabase. The addition of Green allows you to transform into 'Tog, as well as have some neat SB cards such as Oxidize, Naturalize, and Ground Seal. You have Berserk, 2 Intuitions, and 3 Duresses to fully transform into this well-known archetype. What's really good is that the transformal board only takes up 4 slots, as the Duresses (as explained before) are a good cad to board in against various other decks. You can run Dryads for a smoother conversion, since 2 mana isn't difficult for the deck to reach at all. You've also gone up to 4 Mana Drain, making the deck much more controlish, in addition to the sideboarded Duresses.

Card Options
Crop Rotation
Tolarian Academy #2. This is the biggest reason to splash Green is this card. It's a huge mistake to not run it.

Regrowth
A card I don't find to be worth running in the deck. The only things really worth Regrowth-ing are Black Lotus, AK number's 3 and 4, Ancestral, and sometimes Time Walk. It puts a small dent in whatever tempo you've built up, which is probably the biggest reason to not play it. I do know some players who have had success with it, and love the thing to death. The best way to see if Regrowth is in a sleeve at your next tournament is to test it out for yourself.

Fastbond
Another card I personally don't find to be all that great. Problem is that no matter what the game state game is, once you get all the combo pieces, you win. Therefore, being able to play extra lands wasn't as good as it seems. Even when you have a Future Sight in play with the Fastbond, all it really does it keep you from totally stalling out that turn if you hit a land. Most of time you're able to either play some draw spell to get around it, or just don't really need it in the first place. The only time Fastbond really shines is when you actually have a Future Sight in play, which means you're already in a winning position. Not to mention that all the shuffle effects make Fastbond nigh worthless under Future Sight most of the time anyway.

Naturalize
This is a fairly decent card for the mirror match, taking out anything from a Top to a Future Sight. It's fairly useful as a Wishable way to remove Null Rod for good, and comes in against Dragon and anything you'd expect to see bring in Arcane Labs. It's also not too bad against Cerebral Assassin.

Oxidize
Yet another useful Wish target. It's not as flexible as Naturalize, but useful. Personally I'd only consider running it in a metagame with a bunch of Stax since it allows you to play around their lock components easier then you can with Naturalize.

Matchups
Fish Variants and Bird Sh*t
After boarding this matchup becomes much more favorable. Any kind of bigger creature against Fish will usually run over it. I would leave out the Duresses since they're not too hot against Fish decks. Since most players aren't expecting to see a Psychatog or Dryad, they'll board in combo hate cards, taking out their removal. It's great to see the look on their face when you drop a Dryad or Psychatog and they look at a Stifle, Null Rod, and Standstill in their hand. Against Bird Sh*t you also gain a favorable edge with the creatures coming in.

Salvagers.dec
You get to run Ground Seal, which will completely shut down their win condition. Boarding these in against any kind of Salvagers-based deck will more or less win you the game because once you've dropped a Seal, you're both Mana Drain combo decks. Whatever hate cards they brought in against you aren't nearly as crippling as Ground Seal is against them.

Control Slaver/Dragon
Though these three matchups don't improve hugely, you do get an improvement. Ground Seal will stop Welders and Animate spells, limiting their plays. Dragon will still have Bazaar going for them, but it should stunt their gameplan long enough to take control of the game and ride to victory. Boarding in the Psychatogs against Control Slaver isn't too bright, but the Dryads are a great option, putting them on a fast clock.

II) The White Splash
I'm not going to post a decklist since it's not too different from the Black/Blue version. You add in 2 Tundras to the manabase, and then add Balance along with whatever else you feel is good enough to the maindeck.

Card Options
Balance
This card is just insane. It will literally win games one its own. It takes out hordes of creatures, Mind Twists their hand, and Strip Mines two lands. The holes that Balance will dig you out of are amazing. It's by far the biggest reason to run White in your Sensei deck. Balance improves all of your matchups.

Enlightened Tutor
This thing is like a second Vampiric Tutor that can't get Tolarian Academy or Yawgmoth's Will. It's not too shabby despite the -1 CA it has. It'll find you Lotus, Sight, Helm and Top. That's a pretty big portion of your deck in terms of powerful cards.

Seal of Cleansing
An answer to Future Sights in the mirror that comes down before the Sight does, saving a little bit of tempo in the future. It's also an answer to Arcane Labs, and a pretty good one too. Though a minor point, it hits Nevinyrral's Disk against Landstill, which would otherwise destroy your board position. It also has its uses against Dragon.

Disenchant
Disenchant is an instant speed Seal, making it Wishable. It's probably not as good of Seal of Cleansing, but if you're not going to run any Seals, I highly recommend one in the sideboard.

Swords to Plowshares
I'm sure you already know this is the best removal spell in the format. It's fairly useful against decks ranging from CA, Dragon, all the way through Gro-A-Tog. It's Wishable, so it's always accessible.

Decree of Justice
DoJ is a great way to deal with Arcane Labs and Standstills. It works under both, while ignoring them at the same time. It's not all that great against every deck that will board in Labs against you such as GAT; however, it works well in the Control Slaver matchup as well as Fish variants. As with Scrying (an "X" spell), DoJ gets better with more Helms out if you need to hardcast it. DoJ would be insane if you could get some free tokens under a Helm when you Cycled it; too bad it doesn't work that way.

Exalted Angel
Just as with the Green splash, you can run Exalted Angel to help to with Fish. It may be hard to find double white mana fast enough, so upping to 3 Tundras is probably a good idea if you're planning on boarding Exalteds. It adds in a surprise factor (its greatest strength) as well as a second win condition. Not too great of an option against the bigger control decks, but great against aggro-control decks.

Matchups
Dragon
You can bring in 1 Annul, 3 Swords, 2 Tormod's Crypt, 1 Stifle, as well as Seals/Disenchants. Needless to say this matchup turns into your favor after boarding. I don't recommend boarding in that much hate, but you have a lot of options to stop them dead in their tracks.

Gro-A-Tog
Though the addition of White doesn't make this matchup lopsided, it does help. You get to bring in some efficient removal for their dudes, helping you stay off the clock they're expecting to put you on. This gives you more than enough time to get control of the game.

Fish Variants
You gain the most tools in the U/W matchup, but just about all the variants require the same boarding plan. You should bring in Swords to take care of Ninjas and more importantly Meddling Mages. You get Seal/Disenchants to hit their Null Rods which isn't too bad of an option. A note about Seal is that you can remove a Standstill with a Seal without playing a spell if you get it down first.

III) The Red Splash
The last option we have to add to the deck. No decklist this time, but a card analysis in coming your way as expected.

Card Options
Wheel of Fortune
This card can be pretty good for you. The only problem is that Wheel can be just as good or even better for your opponent. I found that a lot of times I was pitching their Mindslaver or Sundering Titan or Dragon for them when I was playing this card. I feel that Wheel is a decent maindeck option, but if you use it, be sure that you win the turn you played it on, or least get into a position where you can't lose.

Rack and Ruin
It's really strong at random times. If you're going to play the red splash, then you need at least one of these in your decklist. It can go from blowing up Juggernauts, Tangle Wires all the way to blowing up a Skullclamp and a Myr Enforcer. I probably wouldn't run more than one (for Wishing) unless you're expecting a lot of artifact-based decks.hen you need at least one of these in your decklist. It can go from _

Red Elemental Blast
This is a great card for the mirror and a ton of other matchups. It has its uses against fish removing a pesky Meddling Mage or an enchanted creature, and then runs into counterspell goodness against decks like the mirror and Gifts.dec. great card for the mirror and a ton of other matchups. It has it'_n where you can' maindeck option, but if you use it, be sure that you win the turn you played it on, or least getunedeck. No decklist this time, but a card analysis in coming your way._

Lava Dart
Dart isn't too good of a card in Sensei. You can usually win rather than waste time trying to remove 1/1's from the table. Plus, the flashback costs you a land drop. The deck is light on mana sources already, so why put yourself into a position where you actually have to Wasteland yourself to remove a 1/1? The only creature that might make Lava Dart worth running is Goblin Welder; however you can just Stifle the activation and win on the next turn anyway, so why bother killing it?ana sources already, so why put yourself into a position wh

Blood Moon
This thing is a house against quite a few decks in the format. Attacking the manabase is the best way to take down any deck, and Blood Moon does just that. You're hurt very little from the Moon, but dropping a 5^th fetch for a 5^th Island isn't a bad idea.

Matchups
Dragon
Blood Moon totally shuts this deck down and makes it play slower than it needs to beat you. You also have Tormod's Crypt just in case a Moon doesn't show up in time. There's nothing more to say other than play Moon and win here.

The Mirror
Red Blasts will do a number on them, giving you a huge advantage in the matchup. ReB can remove a Future Sight, keeping them from comboing off giving you a Time Walk effect. Not to mention that it deals with their entire draw engine and all of their counters.

Gifts.dec
Blood Moon is nothing more than a crippling tool you can play against them. Since Gifts.dec usually only loses when it can't play spells, Blood Moon makes sure they don't get many more in before you win. At the very worst you draw a counterspell out of their hand.

Stax
Though this matchup doesn't really gain much from the Red splash (unless you're preparing to play against a lot of Stax), raw a counterspell out of their hand._ad idea.th tle from the Moon, but dropping a 5th t them. Since Gifts.dec usually only loses when it can'_on that it deals with all of their draw spells and coutners._ I just wanted to point something out. You should not board in Blood Moons here. By the time you get a Blood Moon in play they'll already have a Smokestack out. So rather than wasting your resources to get the Moon into play, you should just use those resources to win the game instead.

Fish Variants
Blood Moon isn't too bad of an option here. The best way to stop Fish is to keep if from playing more spells. This will keep most pressure off you until you've built up your resources to win the game. Their deck basically becomes whatever creature they got out into play before you resolved the Moon, and then however many Force of Wills they have left in their deck. A lot of people try to attack Fish with removal or Wastelands on their manlands, when the right play is to hit their manabase.

So that concludes my Sensei Sensei Primer. I'd like to give much credit to Team Hadley for working so hard on the deck, and thank Steve H for creating it and working with me on this piece. I'd like to give credit to Mike Roche (roche), and various members of my team such as Crossman Wilkins (Cross) and Justin Timoney (Outlaw) to name a few. Without these two guys, I probably wouldn't have decided to play Sensei in the first place, never mind write a primer. I'd like to also thank the countless people who have helped me test so I would be able to write this primer. I'd like to thank whoever took the time to edit this monster too since its 20 pages in Microsoft Word.

"Mixing" Mike Daniels
Team Savage New England
mixingDOTmikeATgmailDOTcom