Reid Duke

I’m worried about passing the turn here. Our only information is that the opponent was happy with their opening hand and happy with their Ponder. That makes me feel sufficiently nervous about dying next turn, and I’m willing to take a chance. (Note that [[Veil of Summer]] won’t stop a [[Thassa’s Oracle]] win). I start by tapping [[Mox Opal]] for [[Veil of Summer]]. It’s not likely, but if the opponent casts [[Force of Will]] — representing a second copy of [[Force of Will]] — then I play [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and pass the turn. Assuming [[Veil of Summer]] resolves, I’m protected from [[Force of Will]] for the rest of the turn. Next, I would tap [[Underground Sea]] to activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] for [[Echo of Eons]], then use [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to cast it. The end result is an [[Echo of Eons]] turn with a [[Lotus Petal]], a land drop available, and protection from [[Force of Will]] until the end of the turn. This isn’t a certain win, but I think I can win from that position more often than not. It’s bad if I have to pass the turn after giving up [[Wishclaw Talisman]], but at least I might have made them reshuffle a strong hand!

Bryant Cook

Unfortunately, we’re a single mana short of [[Veil of Summer]] into [[Ad Nauseam]]. This means we realistically have three options:

• An unprotected [[Ad Nauseam]].
• [[Veil of Summer]] into [[Echo of Eons]].
• Cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and pass, setting up a protected [[Ad Nauseam]] on the following turn.

Going all-in against a deck with both [[Daze]] and [[Force of Will]] is a 36.6% percent winning line — that is something that I am unwilling to risk.

You can find the mathematical probability of free counter magic in the opponent’s opening hand on the data page.

This leaves one of the other two options, and I believe they’re both completely reasonable. [[Veil of Summer]] into [[Echo of Eons]] is enticing because you’ll have an available mana ([[Lotus Petal]]) and even a land drop. The downside is even a [[Daze]] makes this line a little bit unnerving, granted, you would get to draw an additional card off of [[Veil of Summer]]. If you’re unable to win, you’ll most certainly be dead by giving the opposing combo deck a one mana [[Demonic Tutor]] in [[Wishclaw Talisman]].

A safer line would be the alternative, casting [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and passing with [[Veil of Summer]] backup. I say that it’s safer, because the success rate on [[Ad Nauseam]] is much higher than [[Echo of Eons]]. The risk associated with this option is the opponent can simply just win the game while you’ve done nothing, when you had the opportunity to try to do the same. Another point that concerns me is if the opponent has either [[Duress]] or [[Thoughtseize]] plus [[Force of Will]]. This would do is strip the [[Veil of Summer]] from the hand and then leave you defenseless on the following turn running into a [[Force of Will]] (a draw of [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] or land plus [[Dark Ritual]] could off set this by allowing the second [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to search for another copy of [[Veil of Summer]] if [[Force of Will]] is put on the stack).

If push came to shove and I had to choose one, I would go with the [[Echo of Eons]] line. I’d rather be the one in the driver’s seat than crossing my fingers hoping that nothing bad happens to me.

Alex Poling

I would continue with the original plan and lead off with casting the [[Veil of Summer]] off the [[Mox Opal]]. If the opponent has a [[Force of Will]] then they’re pretty obligated to cast it here. It wouldn’t matter to me if it got countered or not I would still try to combo from here. I then would sacrifice the [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and search for [[Echo of Eons]]. I then would sacrifice [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to put [[Echo of Eons]] into the graveyard and immediately flash it back with a [[Lotus Petal]] still available.

Alex McKinley

We are just one mana short of being able to cast [[Ad Nauseam]] with [[Veil of Summer]] back up. One option would be to play out the second [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and just pass the turn. It is possible, however, to cast [[Echo of Eons]] with [[Veil of Summer]] back up this turn. That [[Echo of Eons]] would have two mana floating and a land drop available, which is not a bad situation to be in. I find it likely that the opponent has a counter spell in their hand so assuming that [[Echo of Eons]] resolves, the opponent will have a chance to interact afterwards. If the [[Echo of Eons]] misses, then the opponent has a [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and is almost sure to be able to win the game. The calculation to make in this spot is P([[Echo of Eons]] win) vs P(Opponent win). In order for the opponent to win the game next turn, they must have a [[Doomsday]], another land, a [[Dark Ritual]], and a cantrip to Pile. The factor for me that pushes this decision one way or the other is the fact that the opponent kept with [[Ponder]]. This means that at least two of those cards were good for them and may mean that they have more disruption in following turns or are just able to win. I would start the turn by casting [[Veil of Summer]], find [[Echo of Eons]], and then hope to win the game.

Theo Andresier

[[Doomsday]] as a deck is amazing at coming out of nowhere and so it is not the best idea to pass the turn having let them sculpt their hand — I’d much prefer to go with an [[Echo of Eons]] that is protected with a pre-emptive [[Veil of Summer]]. Speed is of the essence in this matchup, and I love the disruptive element that an [[Echo of Eons]] can represent.

Reid Duke

Let’s start with two important questions. First, what did the opponent [[Wishclaw Talisman]] for? I think the answer is either a disruptive two-drop creature to put in via [[AEther Vial]], or a [[Mindbreak Trap]]. Second, what relevant creatures might they put in with [[AEther Vial]]? (Note that it will be extremely difficult to remove a creature due to the active [[Mother of Runes]]). If it’s [[Spirit of the Labyrinth]] or [[Ethersworn Canonist]], the opponent would have been better served to wait and respond to one of my spells. If it’s [[Phyrexian Revoker]], they probably would have put it into play with [[AEther Vial]] on their own turn and named [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. [[Leonin Arbiter]] does make sense with the timing, but is obscure and not hugely relevant since I can pay to ignore the ability. Most likely of all, it’s [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]].

I think [[Ad Nauseam]] is the best plan any way you slice it, since it’s my most powerful remaining draw engine, and is a single spell that plays well against [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]], [[Spirit of the Labyrinth]], and [[Mindbreak Trap]]. I let the [[AEther Vial]] resolve. If it’s [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] (as I predict), I search for [[Ad Nauseam]], then draw my card, then cast [[Ad Nauseam]] with the intent to stock my hand and try to overpower [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] next turn. I can finish by playing a land and using it to play [[Chrome Mox]], [[Lotus Petal]], or [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. [[Ad Nauseam]] still works in the case of [[Phyrexian Revoker]] on either [[Lotus Petal]] or [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. The worst case scenario is [[Ethersworn Canonist]], in which case I’ll search for [[Burning Wish]] and try to set up [[Pulverize]] over the course of two turns.

Bryant Cook

This is really complex! I love it, though I do not love the siding in of the [[Thoughtseize]] as it’s in the sideboard as a way to help beat [[Mindbreak Trap]]. This is important because both [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and [[Burning Wish]] then have ways to clear a path into the [[Tendrils of Agony]] — this isn’t the case now.

Let’s start off by thinking about the options the opponent could’ve searched for:

• [[Surgical Extraction]]
• [[Deafening Silence]]
• [[Spirit of the Labyrinth]]
• [[Phyrexian Revoker]]
• [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]
• [[Mindbreak Trap]]

Due to the graveyard being fairly empty post-[[Echo of Eons]] and the cards in there not being very impactful, we can eliminate [[Surgical Extraction]] or other graveyard disruption from this. [[Deafening Silence]] would’ve been cast if that was the case, so that’s out.

[[Spirit of the Labyrinth]] doesn’t make a lot of sense here, they are activating [[AEther Vial]] before we’ve even drawn for the turn — this seems like it would be a play mistake and I’d like to give the opponent more credit than that. The card coming into play could be a [[Phyrexian Revoker]], but why wouldn’t they have put it into play during their main phase? You’ve already gotten usage out of [[Wishclaw Talisman]] at this point.

Giving our opponent the benefit of the doubt of being a decent player, you can figure out that it’s likely another [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]]. If that’s the case, what do you do?

If you activate the other [[Wishclaw Talisman]] in play, you can cast [[Ad Nauseam]] with a land drop. While this seems good, there’s no way through [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] this turn. Because of that, I would let the [[AEther Vial]] resolve and then get [[Ad Nauseam]]. If [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] enters the battlefield, pass and then cast [[Ad Nauseam]] on their end step. The plan is to then use a combination of [[Chain of Vapor]], [[Abrupt Decay]], and [[Grapeshot]] to clear their creatures through [[Mother of Runes]] and hopefully win the game. Due to having [[Defense Grid]] in hand, you can most likely beat a [[Mindbreak Trap]] as well.

If it’s not [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]], you can simply [[Ad Nauseam]] them this turn through a [[Mindbreak Trap]] and then play the [[Defense Grid]] before [[Tendrils of Agony]]. It’s worth noting that [[Ad Nauseam]] doesn’t care about [[Spirit of the Labyrinth]] since you’re not actually drawing cards.

Alex Poling

I would predict my opponent searched for another [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] and would put that into play. With that prediction, I would search for [[Ad Nauseam]] and cast it for six mana. Being at 18 life, I will be able to draw many cards. My plan would be at a high enough life total to not lose on their next turn, and to try to answer the [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] and win on my following turn. With [[Mother of Runes]] in play I would need access to two removal spells.

Alex McKinley

It is a good thing that [[Wishclaw Talisman]] can be activated at instant speed! This is a game where, because all of our opponent’s top decks are so scary, I believe it is correct to just jam and not play around [[Mindbreak Trap]] at all. I would start by playing [[Polluted Delta]] and then cast [[Burning Wish]] for [[Pulverize]] using the [[Polluted Delta]] and the [[Badlands]]. I would then cast [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Mox Opal]], (tap for black) [[Mox Opal]] (tap for black). I would then cast [[Pulverize]], hold priority, crack LED for black, and activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to find [[Ad Nauseam]]. With the opponent activating their [[AEther Vial]] in our upkeep, this suggests that they are putting in a creature that has relevant text on this turn. There are only four creatures at two converted mana cost that could matter: [[Ethersworn Canonist]], [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]], [[Spirit of the Labyrinth]] and [[Phyrexian Revoker]]. [[Spirit of the Labyrinth]] could be impactful, but fortunately [[Ad Nauseam]] gets around that card so if they put that into play, that is fine. [[Ethersworn Canonist]] and [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] are effectively the same card, as both prevent us from winning the game this turn. [[Phyrexian Revoker]] would be the worst card for the opponent to put into play as it shuts down the second [[Wishclaw Talisman]] (Assuming we do not activate the second [[Wishclaw Talisman]] with the [[AEther Vial]] on the stack.) If the opponent had tutored for or had [[Phyrexian Revoker]], however, they would have played it on their turn in order to turn off [[Wishclaw Talisman]] without giving us the chance to activate it.

This suggests that the opponent has a [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] or an [[Ethersworn Canonist]], which would immediately come under the protection of [[Mother of Runes]]. This is very beatable. I would let the [[AEther Vial]] resolve and then find [[Ad Nauseam]] and pass the turn. If [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] enters play, casting [[Ad Nauseam]] on our turn does nothing because we will not have the mana to remove it twice. Casting [[Ad Nauseam]] on their end step only requires us finding one removal spell before the second can be found with our second [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. This lets us double remove the [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] through [[Mother of Runes]]. Once that happens, we already have a [[Defense Grid]] to help play around [[Mindbreak Trap]].

If the opponent puts in [[Ethersworn Canonist]], I would cast [[Ad Nauseam]] this turn and try to find a removal spell for it. On their turn, I would cast the removal spell and then untap and remove it again.

Theo Andresier

The two mana creatures that [[AEther Vial]] could put onto the battlefield are [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] or [[Phyrexian Revoker]]. Interestingly, I think we can avoid the worry about their [[AEther Vial]] activation with our second [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. I would start by fetching with [[Bloodstained Mire]] and finding any of my lands, I would use that land to activate my other [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and find my [[Ad Nauseam]] which I would then cast (still with everything on the stack) it, and attempt to get myself in a winning position with at least four life (to avoid death by combat next turn) and a removal spell in case a [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] is what is put into play off of the [[AEther Vial]]. If a [[Thalia, Guardian of Thraben]] is put into play then we are unlikely to be able to anything else this turn other than play out mana, but we should be able to keep seven cards that allow us to win the game next turn!

Reid Duke

This is a great position because I’m not expecting any surprise instants like [[Mindbreak Trap]] in game one, and because even passing the turn can still easily lead to a win. I couldn’t find a deterministic kill, since there isn’t enough mana to cast both [[Tendrils of Agony]] and [[Burning Wish]] before using [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. But here’s one that’s highly likely to result in a win:

I play my land, [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Mox Opal]] (tap), [[Mox Opal]] (tap), cast [[Burning Wish]], respond by sacrificing [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. Still in response to [[Burning Wish]], I activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to find [[Ad Nauseam]] and cast it. Remember that the [[Burning Wish]] is still on the stack, and what I get off of the [[Ad Nauseam]] can now inform my Wish choice. If I can piece together enough mana via copies of [[Lotus Petal]], [[Chrome Mox]], and [[Mox Opal]] the [[Burning Wish]] can go directly for [[Tendrils of Agony]] and win. If I find a bunch of one-mana cards, I can go for [[Pulverize]] and destroy the [[Chalice of the Void]] to unlock them. (This is good because it would also destroy the [[Wishclaw Talisman]] before it turns against me). If I find multiple [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], I still have the option to go for [[Echo of Eons]] (Although this would be the most desperate play, since it gives the opponent a whole new hand if I fizzle). Even if everything goes horribly wrong, as long as I’m not reckless with my life total, I can set up to win next turn. The card I’m thinking about from the opponent’s side is [[Fiery Confluence]]. This makes me want to stay above eight life with [[Ad Nauseam]] if I might have to pass the turn. It’s also the reason that going directly for [[Empty the Warrens]] isn’t very appealing.

Bryant Cook

This is an unintuitive line, which makes it fairly unique! You’re typically not rewarded for playing out your artifacts pre-[[Pulverize]]!

Play the [[Polluted Delta]] ([[Mountain]]), [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Mox Opal]] (tap it for ), [[Mox Opal]] (tap it for ), and then [[Burning Wish]] for [[Pulverize]]. Cast [[Pulverize]], hold priority, sacrifice [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for , and then activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] for [[Ad Nauseam]]. Now you can tap your three lands and cast [[Ad Nauseam]] with [[Pulverize]] still on the stack.

Technically, you could allow [[Pulverize]] to resolve but if for some reason the opponent had a [[Surgical Extraction]] in their [[Chalice of the Void]] deck you would get priority and could cast a [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] before a theoretical [[Surgical Extraction]]. This is super unlikely to happen, but it’s also free to do.

Alex Poling

I would play out the [[Polluted Delta]] and tap it to activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to search for [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. I would then play out both copies of [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and a [[Mox Opal]] to tap for a black mana and then play the second [[Mox Opal]] for a second black mana. Using the remaining lands, I would cast [[Burning Wish]] and sacrifice both copies of [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for six black, now with eight floating, to cast [[Peer into the Abyss]]. With one black mana floating and drawing half of my deck, I should draw enough zero mana artifacts and a [[Burning Wish]] or a [[Tendrils of Agony]] to win the game. I already have one mana and there’s four [[Lotus Petal]], one [[Mox Opal]], three [[Chrome Mox]] and two [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] remaining. If I were to draw half of those, that would be good enough to win through the [[Chalice of the Void]].

Alex McKinley

It is a good thing that [[Wishclaw Talisman]] can be activated at instant speed! This is a game where, because all of our opponent’s top decks are so scary, I believe it is correct to just jam and not play around [[Mindbreak Trap]] at all. I would start by playing [[Polluted Delta]] and then cast [[Burning Wish]] for [[Pulverize]] using the [[Polluted Delta]] and the [[Badlands]]. I would then cast [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Mox Opal]], (tap for black) [[Mox Opal]] (tap for black). I would then cast [[Pulverize]], hold priority, crack [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for black, and activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to find [[Ad Nauseam]].

Theo Andresier

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Magic: the Gathering gods for the [[Magus of the Moon]] and [[Pulverize]] synergy, but sadly I don’t think we will get to take advantage of that. I believe we are in a great position here and (excluding a [[Mindbreak Trap]]) we have a relatively easy way out. I would start by playing out the [[Polluted Delta]]/[[Mountain]], [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], and then one of the [[Mox Opal]]. I tap the first [[Mox Opal]] for mana before I play the second one and then tap that. I use one of the floating mana to activate the [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and fetch up another [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and play that. We now have access to eight mana after a [[Burning Wish]] of which we can cast [[Peer into the Abyss]] on ourselves and draw half our deck! Odds are with us that we find a way of fetching the second [[Tendrils of Agony]] from our sideboard and enough mana!