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Card Review: Peer into the Abyss


Articles, New Cards, Spoilers, Strategy, TES, Theory
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[[Peer into the Abyss]] might surprise as a candidate for inclusion in The EPIC Storm. At seven mana, one might think that any line involving it would be prohibitively expensive and  casting [[Ad Nauseam]] to unreliable. The second point certainly is valid, and thus, it would be relegated to being a [[Burning Wish]] target, which is a nine-mana line in total. Nine mana is also the same as [[Burning Wish]] for [[Infernal Tutor]] for [[Ad Nauseam]]. Nine mana for a line, it turns out, is something The EPIC Storm has been doing for a very long time. [[Peer into the Abyss]] is certainly a strong enough effect to warrant testing.

Peer into the Abyss

[[Peer into the Abyss|]]

[[Peer into the Abyss]]SorceryTarget player draws cards equal to half the number of cards in their library and loses half their life. Round up each time.

At first glance, [[Peer into the Abyss]] might appear like it is just Commander fodder as a big expensive game ending sorcery. Casting [[Peer into the Abyss]] is just as expensive as some of the other lines in The EPIC Storm, however. At this point, it comes down to evaluating if resolving [[Peer into the Abyss]] is a good strategy (hint: it is). TES is already designed to pay almost all of its life total to draw about half of its deck. Unlike [[Ad Nauseam]], [[Peer into the Abyss]] is not actually a life total-based engine. It draws the same number of cards regardless your life total when you cast it. That number of cards is slightly random, depending on the point when [[Peer into the Abyss]] is cast, but it should draw between 20 and 25 cards. Even if this number cards does not win the game, passing the turn after casting a [[Peer into the Abyss]] means that your life total is likely higher than a failed [[Ad Nauseam]].The best part about [[Peer into the Abyss]] is that it’s an asymmetrical non-life-total-dependent engine. [[Echo of Eons]] also draws the opponent seven cards. This is important in matchups like Delver where they have significant life total pressure and drawing them cards can help them find more counter magic. This is likely one of the best uses of the card, even if it is a bit more expensive.

Drawbacks

[[Narset, Parter of Veils|]]
[[Delver of Secrets|]]
[[Leovold, Emissary of Trest|]]

Being expensive is not an upside for [[Peer into the Abyss]]. Its mana cost makes it harder to cast over multiple turns because once it is found with [[Burning Wish]], it can not be cast off of [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. [[Peer into the Abyss]] also does not make The EPIC Storm any faster. This is still the most expensive line available, but it could lead to more consistent victories.Unfortunately, [[Peer into the Abyss]] actually draws cards. This is an important distinction in a format where cards like [[Narset, Parter of Veils]] and [[Leovold, Emissary of Trest]] are common. An opponent having one of these cards would now shut off two engines instead of just [[Echo of Eons]].

Fitting Peer into the Abyss into TES

[[Peer into the Abyss|]]
[[Ad Nauseam|]]

Peer into the Abyss

  • 9 mana line
  • Life total independent
  • Sorcery
  • No deck building requirements

Ad Nauseam

  • 5-9 mana lines
  • Life total dependent
  • Instant
  • Requires low average CMC

There are two possible slots where [[Peer into the Abyss]] could fit into The EPIC Storm: over [[Ad Nauseam]] or over the sideboard [[Infernal Tutor]]. [[Peer into the Abyss]] and [[Ad Nauseam]] are very similar effects, but [[Ad Nauseam]] does have some advantages of being in the main deck. Because it is an instant, casting [[Ad Nauseam]] on an opponent’s turn to play through cards like [[Deafening Silence]] or [[Force of Negation]] are relevant interactions. Casting [[Veil of Summer]] with the appearance of cycling it, only to cast [[Ad Nauseam]] is also very powerful. The main reason that [[Ad Nauseam]] gets the nod over [[Peer into the Abyss]] in the main deck is it’s cheaper mana cost.

[[Peer into the Abyss|]]
[[Infernal Tutor|]]

Peer into the Abyss

  • 9 mana line
  • Life total independent
  • Sorcery
  • No deck building requirements

Infernal Tutor

  • 9/7 mana lines
  • Life total dependent
  • Sorcery
  • Lines lose to [[Mindbreak Trap]]
  • Requires Hellbent

[[Peer into the Abyss]] compared to the sideboard [[Infernal Tutor]] is a much more interesting conversation. The main purpose of the [[Infernal Tutor]] is to find [[Ad Nauseam]] through the nine mana-line of [[Burning Wish]] for [[Infernal Tutor]] for [[Ad Nauseam]]. Coincidentally, [[Burning Wish]] for [[Peer into the Abyss]] is the same amount of mana. [[Infernal Tutor]] does have some extra utility in that it is sometimes boarded in in non blue matchups or can be found with [[Burning Wish]] to find extra copies of cards. The other upside of [[Infernal Tutor]] is that it can break the nine-mana line over a few turns, which is much harder for [[Peer into the Abyss]] to do. [[Peer into the Abyss]] likely just wins more games than any of those options as a [[Burning Wish]] target.

IN OTHER DECKS

[[Dark Petition|]]
One interesting note about [[Peer into the Abyss]] is that it does not provide any implicit deck building restrictions. This means that one could play multiple copies of it without making the card worse. That style of deck could also include a full playset of [[Dark Petition]], which is likely a better card than [[Infernal Tutor]] when not in the context of an [[Ad Nauseam]] deck. [[Cabal Ritual]] would be an especially powerful tool for finding enough mana to cast the card. It is possible that [[Peer into the Abyss]] could be the reason that ANT finally cuts [[Ad Nauseam]].

Peering into the Future

[[Peer into the Abyss]] could be a paradigm shift for Storm decks in Legacy. Being non-life-total dependent and not having an implicit deck building restrictions, it has significant upsides to building around it instead of [[Ad Nauseam]]. For The EPIC Storm, I expect that this will become part of the staple [[Burning Wish]] package. I am excited to test with this card and see exactly how good [[Peer into the Abyss]] is.