Jori En, Ruin Diver & Spacial Contortion

Up first – Jori En, Ruin Diver:

Jori En, Ruin Diver

Jori En, Ruin Diver has got to be one of the top cards in Oath of the Gatewatch!

Jori En, Ruin Diver will likely be played in a number of different kinds of decks:

  • It can be splashed in a Red Deck, giving card advantage fuel to a color that doesn’t often have it.
  • It can be played in bigger format Merfolk decks (e.g. Modern), giving the little blue men legitimate reason to splash for Lightning Bolt
  • It might be one of the cards that brings Grixis back to Standard in a legitimate way. Blue and red have got some good trigger cards… But one mana for Duress, Murderous Cut, or even Tasigur, the Golden Fang are all hot.

Did we say “Tasigur, the Golden Fang”? We did! Jori En, Ruin Diver can in a way be stronger on “four” mana that Bloodbraid Elf. It is similar in size but when combined with Delve, can break some rules of expectation.

Jori En, Ruin Diver’s most common play pattern will be on four mana, leaving up a mana for cards like Wild Slash or possibly Dispel to protect the Merfolk Wizard post-resolution. That means that this 2/3 can get paid off the turn it hits the battlefield (unlike a similarly-costed Scroll Thief or Ophidian). Once you’ve untapped, Jori En, Ruin Diver can net card advantage on both your turn and your opponent’s turn!

The theme of Oath of the Gatewatch almost seems like “paying players off for choosing cheap spells” … One and two mana spells tend to give players the highest returns but they really do with Jori En, Ruin Diver and the various members of the Surge squad.

Jori En, Ruin Diver doesn’t have built-in protection (no Hexproof or whatever)… But it is chock full of resilience, at least for its cost.

  • Speaking of the cost, at three mana, Jori En, Ruin Diver dives right past Disdainful Stroke. (Disdainful Stroke is likely to increase in popularity due to the power of the Eldrazi in this set and block)
  • Because it is gold, Jori En, Ruin Diver ignores Ultimate Price
  • And because it has three toughness, it is too big for a Wild Slash (or the front half of Kozilek’s Return)!

While Jori En, Ruin Diver isn’t quite Geist of the St. Traft, it is pretty tough for a tiny ‘Tome.

On deck – Spacial Contortion:

Spacial Contortion

“Spacial Contortion is basically Nameless Inversion for Eldrazi.”
-Patrick Chapin

Spacial Contortion is even better and more important than it looks!

(and it looks pretty good)

Mike thought Spacial Contortion would be mostly be a card for green decks, but everything from Mage-Ring Network to Haven of the Spirit Dragon can make it a tool for U/W!

Here’s the crazy thing: Because of Wastes being a basic land, Evolving Wilds, Explosive Vegetation, and the like can let you Thaw for your Spacial Contortion setup land! This might be a card that re-writes some of the rules of mana balance and deck design.

Jori En, Ruin Diver; Spacial Contortion; and tons more from Oath of the Gatewatch in this week’s episode!

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World Breaker is Hot; Endbringer is Not

"World Breaker"
World Breaker costs seven mana. Turns out that helps to make it pretty cool.

Let us consider two different (rumored) Eldrazi giants from the upcoming Magic: The Gathering set Oath of the Gatewatch.

One is the aforementioned World Breaker. As a seven drop, World Breaker can trigger the hot new tool Kozilek’s Return…

Kozilek's Return

… And it does all kinds of other stuff at the same time.

World Breaker generates card advantage the turn it comes into play. It is a kind of a Creeping Mold. Imagine, for instance, the advantage you would have playing the first World Breaker in an Eldrazi mirror match! Decks with an excess of lands can find World Breaker after World Breaker (and Eldrazi decks will often have an overabundance of lands in play). And the Reach even means something! Eldrazi players might find themselves beaten up by Mantis Riders or Thunderbreak Regents early on… World Breaker can help defend against those opponents.

On the other end of the spectrum is Endbringer:

Endbringer

Endbringer certainly seems awesome.

“Endbringer is of the school of Clockwork Beast.”
-Patrick

If it lives for several turns you can certainly accumulate a nice amount of card advantage.

But!

Endbringer is a card with no evasion, no inherent protection, and doesn’t generate card advantage the turn it comes into play. Certainly it can generate card advantage over time… But it asks for a lot of room before you can get there.

Worst yet, Endbringer is exactly the size to be killed by Roast 🙁

Michael and Patrick debate the finer points of World Breaker and Endbringer; love on Kozilek’s Return, and speculate generally on Oath of the Gatewatch’s rumored upcoming tools in “World Breaker is Hot; Endbringer is Not”.

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Chandra, Flamecaller Analysis

Chandra, Flamecaller
Chandra, Flamecaller is a rumored new Planeswalker from Oath of the Gatewatch.

“What scenario is this card NOT good?”
-Patrick Chapin

There is already precedent for a six mana Planeswalker with the ability to sweep the board (and stick around) in Elspeth, Sun’s Champion (Patrick even won a Pro Tour using that Planeswalker); Chandra fits that minimum bill.

Let’s look at Chandra’s abilities… Backwards:

[-x] At her absolute worst, Chandra’s [-x] ability is a “Savage Twister” for four damage at 4RR… Which combined with any amount of versatility at least gets her in the conversation. If you have four toughness creatures and can just “Slagstorm” leaving Chandra, Flamecaller on the battlefield that can help create a massive advantage on the board.

[0] Chandra’s “zero” ability is just card advantage. If you have no cards in hand, this [0] gives you a net one card… And if you have any number of cards in hand, the ability becomes extraordinarily powerful. Once you have any number of cards in hand you can start to fuel Delve spells like Murderous Cut, set up creatures like Deathmist Raptor and Den Protector, or enable completely new (or rather, rediscovered) color combinations in Standard.

[+1] Mike initially thought this was the least interesting ability, but Patrick predicts that the “attack for six with haste” ability is the money ability on Chandra, Flamecaller. We were already (probably) happy to play Chandra for her sweep and card advantage abilities… But she can quickly close out a game, too!

Patrick and Michael believe that Chandra, Flamecaller will be an exciting and highly played new Planeswalker via Oath of the Gatewatch… But take a good (and pretty entertaining and analytical) hour to get there.

The cool thing about Chandra is that she is such a powerful card that we will see her both incorporated in existing archetypes and as the centerpiece of all new decks! Find out which in “Chandra, Flamecaller Analysis”.

Top Level Podcast also jams on Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet

Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet

“This card is bananas. This card is going to rupture my heart.”
-Patrick Chapin

You might be surprised as to what cards Patrick compares this one to…

… Or what weird angle (and what abilities) Mike concentrates on with his initial analysis.

All this and many new deck-inclusion, brewing, and crafting ideas in “Chandra, Flamecaller Analysis”


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Gather the Pack is Underplayed

Gather the Pack
Find out why more decks should play more copies of Gather the Pack

Adam Yurchick won the TCGPlayer $50k Championship with a stock Abzan Aggro deck:

2 Murderous Cut

4 Abzan Charm
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
2 Dromoka’s Command
4 Siege Rhino

4 Den Protector
2 Heir of the Wilds
4 Warden of the First Tree

4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Wingmate Roc
2 Silkwrap

2 Canopy Vista
4 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Plains
4 Shambling Vent
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Sunken Hollow
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

SIDEBOARD
3 Duress
1 Painful Truths
2 Rising Miasma
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
2 Transgress the Mind
2 Ultimate Price
1 Silkwrap
1 Wingmate Roc

“Let’s talk about Abzan for a change!”
-Patrick

Michael and Patrick don’t focus on Abzan for too-too long… There are just too many sweet decks to talk about!

Here are three that Patrick (and especially Michael) really loved from the TCGPlayer Championship and the Standard Open in Denver…

U/G Ramp by Ali Aintrazi

3 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

3 Dig Through Time
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Part the Waterveil

3 Den Protector
3 Explosive Vegetation
2 Gather the Pack
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
3 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
2 Nissa’s Renewal
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
2 Winds of Qal Sisma

1 Blighted Cataract
8 Forest
6 Island
4 Lumbering Falls
3 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
3 Skyline Cascade

SIDEBOARD
2 Void Winnower
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Dispel
2 Negate
1 Pearl Lake Ancient
1 Stratus Dancer
3 Jaddi Offshoot
2 Winds of Qal Sisma

“I know for damn sure I want to click on this link.”

Ali played “an Eldrazi deck with no actual Eldrazi” … And boy is this deck sweet! The most interesting card in his deck (or at least the least intuitive) is Gather the Pack. Gather the Pack is most commonly played in decks with high concentrations of creatures; here Ali played it in a deck with only thirteen creatures.

In this deck, Gather the Pack — when it hits — will often get a powerful planeswalker like Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy or Nissa, Vastwood Seer… But even when it wiffs, it helps to set up Dig Through Time or Nissa’s Pilgrimage (due to Spell Mastery).

Esper Tokens by Vikram Kudva

4 Duress
2 Murderous Cut
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Ruinous Path
1 Ultimate Price

4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Treasure Cruise

2 Dragonlord Ojutai
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Utter End

4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Monastery Mentor
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Silkwrap

4 Caves of Koilos
4 Flooded Strand
1 Island
2 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
2 Prairie Stream
4 Shambling Vent
2 Sunken Hollow
2 Swamp

SIDEBOARD
2 Infinite Obliteration
1 Languish
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
1 Ultimate Price
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Dispel
2 Stratus Dancer
1 Mastery of the Unseen
1 Planar Outburst
2 Surge of Righteousness

There are lots of super cool deck lists in this episode, plus the return of the Transformers transformation sound; because, you know, Hasbro cross-branding.

Listen to “Gather the Pack is Underplayed” now:

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Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim & Mike’s New Naya

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim

“This is the type of thing that people are going to mention years from now.
And people will know!
You have a long history of innovative Naya decks… and this is your most recent one yet.
This is going to be… totally… you know?

“People aren’t ready for this. Who is going to have prepared for this?”

-Patrick, on Mike’s new Naya deck

What is Mike’s new deck? Here is is:

Naya Combo

3 Dragonlord Dromoka
4 Dromoka’s Command

4 Become Immense
4 Den Protector
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Scythe Leopard
4 Snapping Gnarlid
4 Warden of the First Tree

3 Temur Battle Rage

2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Valorous Stance

1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Canopy Vista
2 Cinder Glade
1 Evolving Wilds
7 Forest
1 Mountain
3 Plains
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

sideboard:
1 Dragonlord Dromoka
2 Outpost Siege
4 Rending Volley
3 Roast
1 Temur Battle Rage
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Valorous Stance

“This deck is an abomination. I would not TEST it!”

-Also Patrick, also on Mike’s new Naya deck

If you’ve ever wanted to see a complete dressing down of Mike — in this case by one of his best friends and one of the greatest deck designers of all time — tune into this episode!

In addition to a long chat about Mike’s Naya deck, our intrepid pair talks about new Legend Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim:

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
WB
Legendary Creature – Kor Cleric
Deathtouch

1, Sacrifice another creature: You gain life equal to the sacrificed creature’s toughness.

1WB, Sacrifice another creature: Exile target nonland permanent. Activate this ability only if you have at least 10 life more than your starting life total.

What does Top Level Podcast think about Ayli? find out in “Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim & Mike’s New Naya”

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Further reading:
“My Babykiller, Part 1” by Frank Karsten

“The name comes from an awkward situation where I was confined in a bus together with Brian David-Marshall and Billy Moreno. They were making some ugly jokes regarding killing babies, and since I don’t enjoy the ritual sacrifice of cute little babies, I couldn’t really appreciate those jokes. If you thought that Mike Flores built this deck, you have been misinformed. That has been an elaborate joke. Of course I made the deck myself. It’s even named after me! Okay, irony aside now, my deck is very good and if I were forced to pick a deck for a Standard tournament now, I’d go with KarstenBotBabyKiller.”
-Frank Karsten

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Heir of the Wilds and Snapping Gnarlid at the Two

Heir of the Wilds
Heir of the Wild returns as a two drop that can hit hard, and punch above weight.

Now might be a great time to be Abzan splashing red!

Red gives Abzan some amazing tools, like Crackling Doom (arguably the strongest card in Mardu colors), Kolaghan’s Command, or Radiant Flames out of the sideboard. Matt Carlson won the most recent Star City Games Standard Open with an Abzan deck touching for many strategic red cards.

Abzan Red by Matt Carlson

1 Murderous Cut

3 Abzan Charm
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
2 Crackling Doom
2 Dromoka’s Command
1 Kolaghan, the Storm’s Fury
1 Kolaghan’s Command
4 Siege Rhino
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

2 Den Protector
4 Heir of the Wilds
4 Warden of the First Tree

3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Secure the Wastes
2 Wingmate Roc

2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Canopy Vista
1 Cinder Glade
3 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
1 Plains
2 Shambling Vent
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Sunken Hollow
2 Swamp
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
1 Duress
2 Infinite Obliteration
1 Virulent Plague
1 Dromoka’s Command
2 Den Protector
2 Dragonmaster Outcast
2 Radiant Flames
2 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Silkwrap

Matt won with four copies of Heir of the Wilds… and only two copies of Den Protector (main).

The format has gotten to a point where Heir of the Wilds is a more appropriate two drop than, say, Hangarback Walker. Hangarback Walker is a great card — don’t get us wrong — but the current demands of the format can ask to hit harder than a 1/1 card advantage engine for two mana… And Heir of the Wilds is great in particular because it can trade off so effectively against opposing people’s Siege Rhinos (or other key monsters) in combat.

Another two drop that deserves consideration in green aggressive decks is Snapping Gnarlid:

snapping-gnarlid

We spoiled Snapping Gnarlid prior to Battle for Zendikar, and generally liked it. However most of our discussion has been about Snapping Gnarlid in landfall linear aggro decks. In his “Temur Black” deck, Josh McClain chose Snapping Gnarlid as his two drop, taking advantage of some thirteen fetchlands.

Temur Black by Josh McClain

3 Murderous Cut
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

3 Stubborn Denial

4 Savage Knuckleblade

4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Snapping Gnarlid
4 Woodland Wanderer

2 Crater’s Claws
3 Draconic Roar
1 Fiery Impulse
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
2 Thunderbreak Regent

4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Mountain
4 Polluted Delta
1 Shivan Reef
1 Swamp
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Cinder Glade
2 Frontier Bivouac
2 Lumbering Falls
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard
2 Duress
1 Self-Inflicted Wound
1 Virulent Plague
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Dispel
1 Exert Influence
1 Stubborn Denial
2 Fiery Impulse
2 Radiant Flames
2 Roast

It is a little ironic, we think, that the actual Temur Ferocious deck goes with Snapping Gnarlid as the Abzan deck adpots Heir of the Wilds.

In addition to Standard chats about green two drops, Patrick and Michael peruse the recent Modern results and talk a little about the math and matchups of that format.

Listen to “Heir of the Wilds and Snapping Gnarlid at the Two” now:

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Kozilek, the Great Distortion and the 6th color of Magic

Kozilek, the Great Distortion
Kozilek, the Great Distortion is the first card we’ve seen using “Wastes” mana.

“I told you, if they ever unveiled the sixth color I’d be on the first flight to New York to talk about it in person. You can’t do this kind of thing over the phone.”
-Patrick Chapin

For those of your who have been living under a rock, a new type of basic land has hit the rumor mill: Wastes.

Wastes

Most of this podcast is our heroes riffing and speculating on the interplay between these two cards — and the cards that will likely come with them.

For its part, Kozilek, the Great Distortion has two heretofore unseen mana symbols in the top-right. Patrick and Michael assume that specific mana from lands like Wastes is required to summon Kozilek.

Once on the battlefield, Kozilek, the Great Distortion allows you to “Disrupting Shoal” anything, provided you have the right casting cost of a card to discard. That is a powerful ability (to, among other things, protect Kozilek from removal)… And remember, Kozilek just drew you up to seven cards! Va va va voom!

In addition, Patrick and Michael talk about top Standard decks from the recent Grand Prix.

… And yes, Patrick really did fly to New York.

Check it all out in “Kozilek, the Great Distortion and the 6th color of Magic”

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The Painful Truths about Monastery Mentor

Painful Truths
Painful Truths

“Why would you put Shardless Agent in your deck and hope for incredible luck to hit Ancestral Visions when you can just play Painful Truths?”
-Owen Turtenwald

Patrick made a new Esper Control deck in Legacy featuring Painful Truths and four copies of Monastery Mentor!

This episode of Top Level Podcast largely focuses on Patrick’s deck and card choices:

Monastery Mentor
Monastery Mentor

Monastery Mentor is a weird sleeper card… It’s been legal for about a year, but has not yet broken out to the degree that is probably worthy. Patrick talks about the massive amounts of damage that Monastery Mentor is capable of doing in a short period of time.

“Monastery Mentor is not the same as Young Pyromancer” says Patrick. The 1/1 Monk tokens are substantially better than their Young Pyromancer cousins; when given the chance to kill a 1/1 Monk or a Deathrite Shaman, it is often correct to let the Deathrite Shaman live!

Esper Control by Patrick Chapin

2 Cabal Therapy
2 Painful Truths
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
3 Gitaxian Probe
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Ponder
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Spell Pierce

4 Deathrite Shaman

1 Council’s Judgment
4 Monastery Mentor
4 Swords to Plowshares

1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
1 Karakas
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Scrubland
1 Swamp
1 Tropical Island
2 Tundra
1 Underground Sea

Sideboard
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Painful Truths
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Flusterstorm
1 Vendilion Clique
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Misdirection
1 Notion Thief
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Zealous Persecution
1 Containment Priest
1 Council’s Judgment

For a huge discussion on this great new Legacy deck (aka basically just Patrick’s Standard Esper deck from last week) check out “The Painful Truths about Monastery Mentor”

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Mage-Ring Network Engine

Mage-Ring Network
Mage-Ring Network is a powerful innovation in Esper control decks,
facilitating Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and great flexibility

Patrick made Top 8 of Grand Prix Indianapolis with Esper Control! He played a deck that was informed by his own work for Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar + the recent excellence of Reid Duke.

(much love for Reid Duke in this podcast)

Esper Control by Patrick Chapin

2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

1 Languish
1 Murderous Cut
2 Ultimate Price

2 Anticipate
2 Clash of Wills
4 Dig Through Time
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Negate
1 Horribly Awry
1 Scatter to the Winds

1 Dragonlord Silumgar
3 Ojutai’s Command
1 Silumgar’s Command
2 Utter End

1 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Planar Outburst
1 Surge of Righteousness

1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Flooded Strand
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
3 Island
2 Mage-Ring Network
1 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
3 Prairie Stream
3 Shambling Vent
3 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
1 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
3 Duress
1 Infinite Obliteration
1 Painful Truths
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Dispel
1 Dragonlord Ojutai
1 Dragonlord Silumgar
2 Arashin Cleric
2 Monastery Mentor
1 Surge of Righteousness

“You can’t use your entire sideboard to get your match up to 25%. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”
-Patrick Chapin

Our hosts discuss various sideboard strategies for various formats… Everything from Dredge in Legacy to whether or not Arashin Cleric is any good in Mage-Ring Network Esper.

What makes a good card in Standard? What is a better way to go than “trying to look clever”?

How can you find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

When to you sideboard in Monastery Mentor?

The answers to all these questions and more in “Mage-Ring Network Engine”

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… Oh, and for everyone asking, the song we use in and out is Innovate by The Gatherin:

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The Many Homes of Jaddi Offshoot

Jaddi Offshoot
Patrick Chapin and Michael J. Flores go over three new-ish and cool Standard decks, two of which feature Battle for Zendikar uncommon Jaddi Offshoot.

Jaddi Offshoot is proving to be a powerful main deck and sideboard card; it is awesome with both fetchlands and green acceleration cards a la Explosive Vegegation.

“If I had a four year old sister I think this is the mana base that she would make.”
-Patrick Chapin

Patrick was talking about the mana base of this sweet deck:

Four-color Rally the Ancestors by Pascal Maynard

4 Grim Haruspex
4 Nantuko Husk
4 Zulaport Cutthroat

4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Sidisi’s Faithful

4 Catacomb Sifter

4 Collected Company
4 Elvish Visionary

4 Rally the Ancestors

2 Canopy Vista
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
1 Prairie Stream
2 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
4 Jaddi Offshoot
4 Murderous Cut
3 Dispel
2 Arashin Cleric
1 Fleshbag Marauder
1 Merciless Executioner

There are lots of interesting things to talk about with this deck, but the most aggressive has to be the mana base! That is right friends / neighbors / listeners… There are four Evolving Wilds and one of each of the four different basic lands in this deck!

The mechanics of this deck are a little bit different from other Rally the Ancestors decks. Unlike some of the earlier Rally decks, Maynard’s build plays the mighty Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy (arguably the single strongest card in Standard) to start setting up the Rally the Ancestors graveyard action.

Ultimately the plan is to use Nantuko Husk to get mad card advantage with Grim Haruspex and potentially grind the opponent to death with Zulaport Cutthroat.

Grim Haruspex
Every time you sacrifice a creature to Nantuko Husk, Grim Haruspex allows you to draw a card. You can get some of them back later with Rally the Ancestors (or conversely, maybe you were going to lose all of them anyway due to already coming back via Rally the Ancestors).

Zulaport Cutthroat
Zulaport Cutthroat might look like it’s carrying a chainsaw, but with Nantuko Husk sacrifices, it is more like a machine gun.

Important to note in Maynard’s sideboard: Jaddi Offshoot

Of the three awesome new-ish decks, Jake Mondello’s Eldrazi ramp may be the most exciting.

Eldrazi Ramp by Jake Mondello

4 Hangarback Walker
3 Hedron Archive
4 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
3 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

2 Dragonlord Atarka

4 Explosive Vegetation
4 Jaddi Offshoot
4 Map the Wastes
3 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
4 Sylvan Scrying

1 Blighted Woodland
14 Forest
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1 Mountain
4 Sanctum of Ugin
4 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods

sideboard:
1 Ruin Processor
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
2 Whisperwood Elemental
2 Winds of Qal Sisma
3 Rending Volley
4 Seismic Rupture

Mondello’s Eldrazi Ramp might look like a sledgehammer… But it is actually a very elegant and subtly built version.

One of the things that is most important about this deck is what is missing. There are no instants! Map the Wastes might look like the oddball, but including it as a four-of… But the fact that so many decks play Dispel means that Mondello will win some games for free because even G/W tokens plays Dispel main 🙂

Another card type that is missing is enchantment. Mondello played many four mana accelerator cards like Explosive Vegetation and Hedron Archive; but From Beyond and Frontier Siege are both comparable… But they are enchantments. Because Mondello had none, he was less vulnerable to Dromoka’s Command.

That said, Map the Wastes is actually pretty good in this deck. Adding Bolster to an acceleration card isn’t too bad when you run four copies of Jaddi Offsoot main!

And speaking of Jaddi Offshoot, it has lots of text in this deck. While Mondello had no fetchlands for double triggers, he did have tons of cards that either find or put into play multiple lands with a single card.

life

Life

LIFE!

Esper Control by Reid Duke

2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

2 Murderous Cut
1 Painful Truths
2 Ultimate Price

2 Anticipate
4 Clash of Wills
4 Dig Through Time
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
1 Negate
1 Scatter to the Winds

4 Ojutai’s Command
1 Silumgar’s Command
2 Utter End

1 Arashin Cleric
2 Planar Outburst

1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Flooded Strand
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Island
2 Mage-Ring Network
1 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
3 Prairie Stream
2 Shambling Vent
3 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
1 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
2 Duress
1 Foul-Tongue Invocation
2 Dispel
1 Negate
1 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Dragonlord Silumgar
3 Arashin Cleric
3 Surge of Righteousness

A deck strategy near and dear to Patrick’s heart (and a player near and dear to all our hearts) is Reid Duke with Esper Control. Patrick and Michael talk about the differences between Reid’s take and Patricks, and the ins and outs of Awaken and Ugin. Reid’s deck, unfortunately, does not feature Jaddi Offshoot 🙁

All these decks and more in “The Many Homes of Jaddi Offshoot”

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