TES Infernal Tutoring #69

Gavin Tomchick

Well, it may be obvious, but the only action card we can potentially grab that can save us is [[Burning Wish]] — more specifically [[Peer into the Abyss]]. I would fetch first before casting [[Peer into the Abyss]] since we are going to be on an even life total and it helps us thin especially since we need to hit one of our two copies of [[Veil of Summer]] or else we die to the [[Orcish Bowmasters]] triggers.

My thought process here is that if we go off now we are weak to [[Mindbreak Trap]]. If we wait a turn, however, we are soft to other potential hate pieces. After looking up recent lists and seeing that most of them don’t run copies of [[Mindbreak Trap]], I am more inclined to jam.

Jordan Karim

I’ve wanted to see one of these kills ever since [[Orcish Bowmasters]] was printed! Because we are restricted on our engines thanks to the [[Leyline of the Void]] in play, it may seem that [[Orcish Bowmasters]] is also restricting our play — if you count our available mana, we have 10! That would be one more than enough to [[Burning Wish]] into a [[Peer into the Abyss]], but we would draw more than enough cards to make lethal [[Orcish Bowmasters]] triggers fly towards our face. If only there was an instant that we could play for that granted us protection from these triggers! Of course, this is exactly why we make sure to keep in a couple copies of [[Veil of Summer]] — even against Death & Taxes. Our line relies on drawing one of two copies of [[Veil of Summer]] in the top half of our deck. Let’s just make sure to fetch a land with our [[Misty Rainforest]] before committing to a line, we don’t want to be caught without a fetchable mana source!

Bryant Cook

We’ll keep the [[Burning Wish]] and then cast [[Peer into the Abyss]]. You may be worried about the pair of [[Orcish Bowmasters]], but we still have two copies of [[Veil of Summer]] in our library. The [[Veil of Summer]] will make [[Orcish Bowmasters]]’s trigger unable to target us, instead they can get a very large [[Orc Army Token]]. A small note here is I would use the [[Misty Rainforest]] to shuffle my head to increase the odds that I find one of the remaining two copies of [[Veil of Summer]] — we know that the top two cards are duds, let’s fix that.

Alex McKinley

With options limited by double [[Orcish Bowmasters]] and the [[Leyline of the Void]], taking the [[Burning Wish]] seems excellent. It lets us cast [[Peer into the Abyss]] this turn. Because there is 10 mana available, we can float a green mana to cast a [[Veil of Summer]]. [[Orcish Bowmasters]] triggers don’t go on the stack until we have all of the cards, so we have the chance to cast [[Veil of Summer]] in response to those triggers and win the game. We are 75 percent to hit one of the two remaining in the deck after we fetch. That seems like great odds to me!

Alex Poling

I would shuffle here. I don’t think we have many good targets in our sideboard with a [[Leyline of the Void]] in play and two copies of [[Orcish Bowmasters]]. I think we shuffle and get our draw off [[Ponder]] plus our next draw step to try and win the game.

Oliver Everhard

We’re showing 10 mana onboard. That’s enough to [[Burning Wish]] into [[Peer into the Abyss]], casting a top-decked [[Veil of Summer]] to blank the [[Orcish Bowmasters]] triggers. Of course, we boarded out two copies. Assuming we fetch first (which because [[Peer into the Abyss]] rounds up and we’ll be going from 42 to 41 cards in deck, we should because it’s a free extra look) and none are in exile, that’s 21/41 cards looking for a two-of — a 77 percent chance of finding it.

The alternative is waiting until next turn for additional mana (i.e., fetches and copies of [[Brainstorm]]) to dig deeper after the [[Peer into the Abyss]], but there’s one unscientific heuristic I tend to follow against Death & Taxes — if you’ve got a reasonable chance to win right now and [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] and [[Deafening Silence]] aren’t already in play, just JAM.

Gavin Tomchick

A couple of things stick out to me with this hand. A key thing is that if we want to utilize the two copies of [[Beseech the Mirror]] in our hand, we cannot use the two artifacts for mana, which effectively gives us eight mana. I think I would opt for the line of: [[Bayou]], [[Rite of Flame]], [[Dark Ritual]], [[Lotus Petal]], [[Beseech the Mirror]] (Bargaining the [[Lotus Petal]]) for [[Veil of Summer]] (Storm five) at this point with floating. This would force our opponent to interact at this point in time. While still having the tools to re-fire next turn if necessary. I chose to sacrifice the [[Lotus Petal]] because in the worst-case scenario we would still have the ability to [[Burning Wish]] for [[Echo of Eons]].

In the likely world where [[Veil of Summer]] is countered, I would simply cast [[Burning Wish]] hoping either to draw more interaction or get a [[Thoughtseize]] preparing to jam the following turn. We would have all the tools we would need for an easy [[Gaea’s Will]] win from the graveyard.

Jordan Karim

As much as I would like to attempt a combo turn here with multiple “action spells” in our hand that can function as ways to play around interaction, sometimes it is best to wait (though if you want to know the lethal line, Oliver has the perfect breakdown of it!). Grabbing our sideboard [[Thoughtseize]] would allow us to play through several instances of hate on our following turn. Just make sure to play the [[Lotus Petal]] before the [[Burning Wish]], these Temur Delver players do love playing [[Spell Pierce]].

Bryant Cook

I would play [[Lotus Petal]] and then [[Burning Wish]] for [[Thoughtseize]] (casting it too while they don’t have [[Veil of Summer]] mana available).

If you count the mana, we have nine, and 10 is needed for all three action spells. Even if we had another mana, we don’t have two Bargain cards. I would rather just set up for the following turn.

Alex McKinley

This hand could probably win the game this turn. It does not need to. I’d probably cast [[Burning Wish]] for [[Thoughtseize]], play out the [[Lotus Petal]], cast the [[Thoughtseize]] and then pass the turn. On the next turn, we can cast double [[Beseech the Mirror]] for very lethal to beat several pieces of interaction.

Alex Poling

We aren’t under a super fast clock. We are guaranteed several more turns, so I would setup a win over those turns. I would start with playing the [[Lotus Petal]] and then casting both copies of [[Dark Ritual]] and the [[Rite of Flame]] and then [[Burning Wish]]. If [[Burning Wish]] resolves I would then get and play the [[Galvanic Relay]] after playing the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. If [[Burning Wish]] got countered, I would then play [[Beseech the Mirror]] for another [[Galvanic Relay]]. They only have four cards and this is enough mana to play against any soft counterspells.

Oliver Everhard

I don’t think that playing our [[Lotus Petal]] and passing the turn from this position game one is deadly. I can’t envision a line that kills us next turn (Land + triple [[Lightning Bolt]] and a swing for six still leaves us with enough life to crack our fetch and them with one card in hand), we aren’t toast to a single [[Wasteland]], they won’t be drawing into enough cards to put a third free counter effect online, and as mentioned above, they’ve had plenty of time to sculpt already, an extra turn may not matter all that much. They may well just top-deck another [[Force of Will]] (or put themselves in a position to hard cast their single main-deck copy of [[Force of Negation]]), but we’re just as likely to top-deck a [[Veil of Summer]], an extra piece of action, etc.

Temur Delver plays [[Stifle]] in its main deck. Based on the lands we’ve revealed, I think The EPIC Storm is an obvious read on what we’re playing. If they’ve had the opportunity to cast three cantrips and find it, [[Veil of Summer]] alone may not be enough — we’ll need to [[Burning Wish]] for our [[Thoughtseize]]. With this much mana available and plenty of dud draws in the deck (and a much higher likelihood of being dead in two turns), I kind of like putting them to the test now.

If we are jamming this turn, I like starting with a crack on the [[Misty Rainforest]] to bait the [[Stifle]] if they’ve got one. Assuming we get our [[Volcanic Island]], I like firing off our [[Rite of Flame]] then our copies of [[Dark Ritual]] (in that order to better play around [[Daze]]), then casting our [[Burning Wish]] with floating and the [[Taiga]] untapped. Assuming it resolves, we get [[Thoughtseize]] and check their hand. If it doesn’t, we’ve eaten the first pitch counter and they’re down to two cards, and we’ve got plenty of mana to pay for [[Daze]].

Assuming the [[Thoughtseize]] resolves and the coast is clear, we have the mana and sac fodder in [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] or [[Lotus Petal]] to go for a [[Gaea’s Will]] line that can even recast [[Thoughtseize]] to take another copy of [[Stifle]], if necessary.

If the [[Burning Wish]] didn’t resolve, after their [[Force of Will]] effect we’re at a Storm count of five. Our two artifacts make seven, and a [[Beseech the Mirror]] (castable with our floating mana) makes Storm eight, sacrificing our [[Lotus Petal]] to Bargain with floating and [[Taiga]] untapped, enough to pay for double [[Daze]].

I think a smart opponent always uses their second [[Force of Will]] effect here (or digs with [[Fire // Ice]] to find one), and I don’t think we beat that, but it bears mentioning that even if we went for double [[Beseech the Mirror]] first, we’d be just as dead to double [[Force of Will]] without the mana to cast the [[Burning Wish]] in hand. Additionally, we’d have bargained the artifacts we’d need to cast the [[Tendrils of Agony]] too. In game one (i.e., before we have to worry about [[Surgical Extraction]]), I think we go for the [[Gaea’s Will]] line to get another chance at [[Thoughtseize]] if they’re holding up [[Stifle]].

We could also bargain both of our artifacts into Storm 10 and our maindeck [[Tendrils of Agony]], beating a [[Force of Will]] effect that may have been saved for [[Gaea’s Will]], but I’m not prepared to feel as dumb as I would if my opponent’s last two cards in hand were land plus [[Stifle]].

Gavin Tomchick

Well, it’s GO TIME! That or the [[Galvanic Relay]] cards go away forever. A key thing of note for me is that the only card that makes [[Beseech the Mirror]] castable here is [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. Additionally, I don’t know if the other cards actually mattered off of the [[Brainstorm]] when solving this, but I recognize that we need initial mana and to put back [[Gaea’s Will]]. The line I want to take has two options based on what our opponent does. Both start with playing [[Taiga]] and casting [[Rite of Flame]], these are essentially free in my mind (Storm 2). The two options are based on how our opponent responds to the [[Rite of Flame]] and if they activate their [[Soul-Guide Lantern]] or not.

• OP Cracks: we have and a [[Lotus Petal]] (Storm 3). Sacrifice [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to cast [[Beseech the Mirror]] (Storm 4, Bargain the [[Chrome Mox]]). Get a [[Dark Ritual]]. Cast the other [[Beseech the Mirror]] (Storm 6, Bargain the [[Lotus Petal]]). Get the [[Gaea’s Will]]. From there, our graveyard is stacked full of a lethal combo.
• OP Doesn’t Crack: we have , a [[Lotus Petal]]. Cast the [[Echoing Truth]] with floating — I’ll assume they crack their [[Soul-Guide Lantern]] now. Next we can sac the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to cast [[Beseech the Mirror]] to get a [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and cast it. Then we can use it to cast the other [[Beseech the Mirror]] (Storm 7, Bargain the [[Chrome Mox]]). Get a [[Gaea’s Will]] and it’s easy from here.

Jordan Karim

Thankfully, even with the [[Soul-Guide Lantern]] in play, we can force our opponent into a “Use It Or Lose It” scenario that results in a stacked graveyard for a [[Gaea’s Will]] line!

To resolve this [[Brainstorm]], let’s put back [[Gaea’s Will]] and [[Brainstorm]]. Then we can play [[Taiga]] from our [[Galvanic Relay]] pile and use it to cast [[Rite of Flame]]. If our opponent is silly enough to crack their artifact now things get very easy, so let’s assume they make the correct play. The [[Lotus Petal]] can be next, and we’ll use it to cast [[Echoing Truth]] on the [[Soul-Guide Lantern]]. Here is when our opponent needs to get rid of our graveyard or lose their hate piece for the turn. Using [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and chaining [[Beseech the Mirror]] into each other (by getting [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] with the first and [[Gaea’s Will]] with the second). From there, we have a freshly stacked graveyard and a “Build Your Own [[Yawgmoth’s Will]] into a lethal Storm kill with the main-deck [[Tendrils of Agony]].

Bryant Cook

I would put back the [[Gaea’s Will]] and then [[Brainstorm]]. From there, we cast [[Rite of Flame]] off of [[Taiga]] for , play [[Lotus Petal]], and then cast [[Echoing Truth]] floating . They’ll exile our graveyard and from there we have a deterministic win using [[Beseech the Mirror]] into [[Gaea’s Will]] for exactly lethal Storm with exact mana.

Alex McKinley

Put back [[Gaea’s Will]] and [[Consign // Oblivion]]. Play [[Taiga]] and [[Lotus Petal]] from the [[Galvanic Relay]] pile and [[Rite of Flame]] from hand (while having one in the graveyard). If they pop the [[Soul-Guide Lantern]] in response to [[Rite of Flame]], that’s fine! This turn just got easier. Use [[Echoing Truth]] to bounce the [[Soul-Guide Lantern]]. They will likely pop it in response, but that is okay. We can cast [[Beseech the Mirror]] with floating, get [[Gaea’s Will]], replay a [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], replay [[Chrome Mox]], replay [[Beseech the Mirror]] and find a lethal [[Tendrils of Agony]]!

Alex Poling

I would put back [[Brainstorm]] and [[Gaea’s Will]]. I would then play the land and cast [[Rite of Flame]] and [[Lotus Petal]]. I would then sacrifice [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to cast [[Beseech the Mirror]] and sacrifice [[Lotus Petal]] to get and cast [[Galvanic Relay]] for five.

Oliver Everhard

Some preamble: With an active [[Soul-Guide Lantern]] I don’t think we’re beating their last two cards being [[Force of Vigor]] or [[Endurance]] and Green card, so I’m not playing around it.

Put back the [[Gaea’s Will]] and either remaining card besides [[Rite of Flame]] (argue in the comments about which is more optimal, I’m saving my mental energy for something more important), play your [[Taiga]] and use it to cast [[Rite of Flame]]. Notably there is another [[Rite of Flame]] in the yard already, but if our opponent is willing to blow their [[Soul-Guide Lantern]] to deny us a single mana we’re thrilled.

We’re now floating . Playing our [[Lotus Petal]] gives us a Storm count of two with a [[Brainstorm]] in hand. Crack the [[Lotus Petal]] for to [[Echoing Truth]] the [[Soul-Guide Lantern]] back to their hand — they probably crack in response, leaving us with floating, an [[Echoing Truth]] in the yard, a [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] onboard, and a Storm count of three.

Crack the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for and cast one of our [[Beseech the Mirror]], bargaining the tapped [[Chrome Mox]] — Storm four. Get our [[Gaea’s Will]] and cast it — Storm five, floating .

Cast the [[Chrome Mox]] imprinting nothing and the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] out of the yard — Storm seven, floating.

Cast the [[Beseech the Mirror]] out of the yard, NOT bargaining, and putting another [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] in hand — Storm eight, floating.

Cast the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] — Storm nine, floating.

Crack your [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for and cast the [[Beseech the Mirror]] out of exile bargaining the [[Chrome Mox]], getting [[Tendrils of Agony]] for Storm 11. Show me the [[Mindbreak Trap]]?