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Matchup Mulligan: Bant Nadu Combo


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Final Selesnya Depths Hand Answer

Hand No. 10: (on the draw)

[[Boseiju, Who Endures|]] [[Lion’s Eye Diamond|]] [[Lotus Petal|]] [[Mox Opal|]] [[Misty Rainforest|]] [[Commercial District|]] [[Lotus Petal|]]

Keep

This hand offers a strong combination of mana sources and potential plays. With double [[Lotus Petal]] and [[Mox Opal]] providing acceleration, you can quickly cast key spells. The catch here is no payoff spells, but there are two chances to Surveil with this hand between [[Commercial District]] and [[Misty Rainforest]] into [[Undercity Sewers]]. Something to consider is the speed of Selesnya Depths; it’s not a particularly fast deck, which provides The EPIC Storm on average three to four draw steps. Additionally, having [[Boseiju, Who Endures]] provides an answer to potential hate cards such as [[Deafening Silence]]. The mana flexibility and explosive potential make this hand a keep.

The EPIC Storm vs. Bant Nadu Combo

Pre-board

Hand No. 1: (on the draw)

[[Mox Opal|]] [[Lotus Petal|]] [[Lion’s Eye Diamond|]] [[Chrome Mox|]] [[Galvanic Relay|]] [[Galvanic Relay|]] [[Misty Rainforest|]]

Keep

One of the most important aspects of this matchup is understanding the fundamental turn of the game. Against Bant Nadu Combo, with their best possible draw, they can win the game on turn three. With this hand, The EPIC Storm can cast a first turn [[Galvanic Relay]] to look at a minimum of five new cards on the second turn while leaving permanent mana sources on the table. The way the game plays out is that those cards become available on the second turn before the [[Nadu, Winged Wisdom]] can hurt you. If the Nadu Combo opponent doesn’t present a potentially lethal play in the first two turns, there’s the possibility to [[Galvanic Relay]] again.

Hand No. 2: (on the play)

[[Echo of Eons|]] [[Dark Ritual|]] [[Dark Ritual|]] [[Lion’s Eye Diamond|]] [[Beseech the Mirror|]] [[Brainstorm|]] [[Echo of Eons|]]

Mulligan

While this hand has powerful spells, it is redundant with two copies of [[Echo of Eons]] and no initial mana sources to support a fast start. Additionally, what if the opponent has [[Force of Will]]? Most [[Nadu, Winged Wisdom]] opponents aren’t playing [[Daze]] or [[Force of Negation]], which means a 40% fail-rate at drawing a new hand. That said, mulliganing to find a more balanced hand with initial mana sources that doesn’t lose to [[Force of Will]] would be advisable. The London Mulligan is a great tool to leverage.

Hand No. 3: (on the draw)

[[Bayou|]] [[Veil of Summer|]] [[Echo of Eons|]] [[Lion’s Eye Diamond|]] [[Burning Wish|]] [[Mox Opal|]] [[Ponder|]]

Keep

This hand differs from Hand No. 2 in that it has the ability to lead on [[Bayou]] into [[Veil of Summer]]. This will protect the play of [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Mox Opal]], and [[Echo of Eons]] to refuel the hand while creating an initial Storm count. There’s also the possibility of finding Metalcraft for the [[Mox Opal]] with the new seven-card hand to continue comboing.

Hand No. 4: (on the play)

[[Tendrils of Agony|]] [[Beseech the Mirror|]] [[Commercial District|]] [[Misty Rainforest|]] [[Dark Ritual|]] [[Misty Rainforest|]] [[Bloodstained Mire|]]

Mulligan

With three lands and only one piece of acceleration, this hand lacks the early mana sources and interaction needed for a fast start. Not to mention, there’s no artifact for the Bargain of [[Beseech the Mirror]]! Mulliganing to find a more explosive or interactive hand is a better strategy for this matchup.

Hand No. 5: (on the draw)

[[Dark Ritual|]] [[Dark Ritual|]] [[Beseech the Mirror|]] [[Chrome Mox|]] [[Bloodstained Mire|]] [[Echo of Eons|]] [[Song of Creation|]]

Keep

The combination of double [[Dark Ritual]] and [[Chrome Mox]] provides strong potential for a quick combo. The plan here would be to play [[Chrome Mox]] as a Bargain card for [[Beseech the Mirror]] into [[Gaea’s Will]]. As mentioned in Hand No. 2, there are only four copies of [[Force of Will]] to worry about. That said, there is still a single copy of [[Endurance]], which brings the odds back to near a coin-flip. What is nice about this hand is that [[Echo of Eons]] offers a powerful follow-up play.


Post-board

Recommended sideboarding:

IN

[[Force of Will|]] [[Force of Will|]] [[Force of Will|]] [[Force of Will|]]

OUT

[[Galvanic Relay|]] [[Galvanic Relay|]] [[Galvanic Relay|]] [[Mox Opal|]]

Hand No. 6: (on the play)

[[Force of Will|]] [[Echo of Eons|]] [[Lion’s Eye Diamond|]] [[Ponder|]] [[Volcanic Island|]] [[Burning Wish|]] [[Chrome Mox|]]

Keep

At a quick glance, this seems like an easy turn one win with [[Force of Will]] backup. But when you examine the hand further, it doesn’t quite work that way. When using [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], it’s required that you discard your hand. This means that [[Force of Will]] is in the graveyard, there’s no timing trick to get around this. The plan would be to use [[Burning Wish]] into [[Thoughtseize]] and then use [[Force of Will]] to push it through. From there, [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] + [[Echo of Eons]] to start Stormin’!

Hand No. 7: (on the draw)

[[Veil of Summer|]] [[Veil of Summer|]] [[Force of Will|]] [[Song of Creation|]] [[Misty Rainforest|]] [[Bloodstained Mire|]] [[Mox Opal|]]

Mulligan

Despite offering strong protection with double [[Veil of Summer]] and [[Force of Will]], this hand lacks early mana acceleration and combo pieces. Mulliganing to find a more balanced hand with better potential for explosive plays is recommended.

Hand No. 8: (on the play)

[[Gaea’s Will|]] [[Burning Wish|]] [[Brainstorm|]] [[Ponder|]] [[Misty Rainforest|]] [[Bloodstained Mire|]] [[Underground Sea|]]

Keep

This hand features a good mix of mana sources and card selection with [[Brainstorm]] and [[Ponder]], with the possibility of shuffling away [[Gaea’s Will]] after a [[Brainstorm]] using the [[Misty Rainforest]] or [[Bloodstained Mire]]. Players often want to immediately send back hands that contain [[Gaea’s Will]] in them and this is just a reminder that those hands can be playable. The game plan with these seven cards is likely based around [[Burning Wish]] into [[Beseech the Mirror]] but could shift depending on how the draw steps and cantrips shake out.

Hand No. 9: (on the draw)

[[Force of Will|]] [[Veil of Summer|]] [[Lion’s Eye Diamond|]] [[Echo of Eons|]] [[Mox Opal|]] [[Chrome Mox|]] [[Gaea’s Will|]]

Keep

This hand is actually really similar to Hand No. 3, except it already has Metalcraft for [[Mox Opal]] with an additional upside! If the draw spell is a blue card for [[Force of Will]], there’s an opportunity to protect the [[Veil of Summer]].

Hand No. 10: (on the play)

[[Force of Will|]] [[Force of Will|]] [[Undercity Sewers|]] [[Dark Ritual|]] [[Echo of Eons|]] [[Ponder|]] [[Song of Creation|]]

Stay tuned for the next article!

The answer will be provided in the next Matchup Mulligan.