Jeff White

Because we are looking at on-board lethal the next turn, we can ignore additional setup lines and just think about the best way to win this turn. With one mana open, the main card to think about here is [[Pyroblast]]. Luckily, we have ten total mana between [[Dark Ritual]] and our artifacts. I would look to play [[Badlands]], [[Dark Ritual]], and [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. I would then crack [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for , use [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to find [[Veil of Summer]] and cast it, clearing the way for [[Ad Nauseam]]. It’s nice that if the opponent had [[Simian Spirit Guide]]. We would have been dead to the combo the last turn, so [[Simian Spirit Guide]] plus two copies of [[Pyroblast]] is not something we need to worry about.

Jordan Karim

The interaction that we have to play around all hinges on the fact that our opponent did not kill us last turn. They are clearly representing a [[Pyroblast]] with their untapped [[Mountain]]. My initial thought was to also play around the two other cards in hand being [[Simian Spirit Guide]] and [[Pyroblast]] number two. If they had [[Simian Spirit Guide]], however, it would have produced the necessary mana to activate [[Grindstone]] on their turn (“welding” back their land from the graveyard for the third mana source). From this, we can infer that only one piece of disruption needs to be considered. The last concern would be our opponent activating [[Goblin Welder]] on our own artifacts to take us off key tools at critical points in our combo. Thankfully, as we will see, [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] can be activated while we have no cards in hand and [[Wishclaw Talisman]] will be activated before they have an opportunity to take it off the battlefield. Thinking about these on-board “tricks” might be important in future games.

Our first step is to deploy our mana. [[Badlands]] for our land and [[Dark Ritual]] from hand gives us access to 10 total mana this turn. With the [[Ad Nauseam]] in exile from [[Galvanic Relay]], that’s my combo engine of choice Another option is [[Burning Wish]] for [[Peer into the Abyss]], but that loses to the [[Pyroblast]]. Next step is to play [[Wishclaw Talisman]] from exile. The tutor will allow us to find [[Veil of Summer]] at any point in the combo to negate the [[Pyroblast]] from our opponent. From here, we have an easy [[Ad Nauseam]] with protection from 18 life. This should allow us to easily beat the opponent.

Bryant Cook

This is just [[Ad Nauseam]] with [[Veil of Summer]] back-up (to stop the combo of [[Painter’s Servant]] + [[Pyroblast]]). [[Dark Ritual]] off the [[Swamp]], cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]], activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] for [[Veil of Summer]] (and then cast it). At this point, sacrifice [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to play [[Ad Nauseam]].

Alex Poling

My goal here is to beat one [[Pyroblast]] or [[Red Elemental Blast]]. That means I will need to cast two threatening cards to win the game, or find a [[Defense Grid]] or a [[Veil of Summer]]. I would lead off by playing the [[Badlands]] and [[Dark Ritual]] off the [[Swamp]]. I would then cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. If it gets countered, then I could [[Ad Nauseam]]. If [[Wishclaw Talisman]] resolves, I would activate it and search for [[Veil of Summer]], cast it and have six mana remaining. Whether it resolves or not, I would sacrifice [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and cast [[Ad Nauseam]].

Alex McKinley

Given the opponent has presented lethal in the form of [[Painter’s Servant]] and [[Grindstone]], winning the game this turn is required. I would play [[Badlands]], [[Dark Ritual]], [[Wishclaw Talisman]], then [[Ad Nauseam]]. Because [[Ad Nauseam]] is in exile, we can use [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to cast it, giving plenty of mana to cast [[Ad Nauseam]] with [[Veil of Summer]] back up.

Greg Sor

We have a total of ten mana available, making viable options of [[Ad Nauseam]] and [[Peer into the Abyss]]. [[Peer into the Abyss]] is not counterproof. My line would be playing [[Badlands]], then casting [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and [[Dark Ritual]], cracking the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], getting a copy of [[Veil of Summer]], and cast [[Ad Nauseam]]. The only thing we need to be aware of is playing the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] as our last card before a [[Burning Wish]] or [[Wishclaw Talisman]] because our opponent may exchange it with our [[Lotus Petal]] and trick us.

Jeff White

For starters, this is quite the turn two board state. Luckily, our opponent had to go empty-handed to do this, so our decisions are a little easier. Sometimes it can be correct to wait a turn for an extra draw step or to have more mana available. Between the two-turn clock and the on-board [[Wasteland]], I think it’s best to start doing things this turn.

If we put back [[Verdant Catacombs]] and [[Chrome Mox]], we have five total mana available to us. This is enough to [[Burning Wish]] into a [[Galvanic Relay]] for seven (make sure to tap [[Mox Opal]] before using your copies of [[Lotus Petal]]!). I think this gives us the best chance to win the next turn.

Jordan Karim

It was very nice of our opponent to discard their [[Mindbreak Trap]] so that we don’t have to take that into consideration during our combo turns. That being said, the [[Wasteland]] we are facing off against takes away the ideal play of [[Burning Wish]] for [[Peer into the Abyss]] to be cast our following turn. We have to resort to other options.

We could simply pass the turn, planning to see what our draw brings us. We are under a fast clock, even with our opponent being Hellbent. The best option is to play for a medium [[Galvanic Relay]] and hope it’s good enough to win next turn. Start by putting back the [[Verdant Catacombs]] and [[Chrome Mox]]. Fetch the [[Taiga]] and play out our hand: two copies of [[Lotus Petal]], [[Mox Opal]], and [[Rite of Flame]] (Storm 5 | ). [[Burning Wish]] will find a sideboard copy of [[Galvanic Relay]], and we cast it for seven rips off the top. The one-sided [[Echo of Eons]] should help solidify our options for the next turn.

Bryant Cook

Put back [[Verdant Catacombs]] and [[Chrome Mox]], cast [[Rite of Flame]], [[Lotus Petal]], [[Lotus Petal]], [[Mox Opal]], into [[Burning Wish]] for [[Galvanic Relay]].

Alex Poling

We don’t lose next turn, so I would put back [[Rite of Flame]] and [[Chrome Mox]], then sacrifice the [[Bloodstained Mire]] for a land. This leaves me with five mana and a [[Burning Wish]]. I would then play all of my mana and use [[Burning Wish]] to get and cast [[Galvanic Relay]] for six Storm. I would try to win with those six cards and my draw step next turn.

Alex McKinley

This situation presents two main options: put back [[Verdant Catacombs]] and [[Chrome Mox]] and cast [[Galvanic Relay]] for six or put back [[Chrome Mox]] and [[Rite of Flame]], [[Burning Wish]] for [[Peer into the Abyss]], pass the turn and hope to draw anything that makes at least one mana. Given that the opponent has a [[Wasteland]], it is actually two extra mana to cast [[Peer into the Abyss]] next turn. Because of this, I would take the [[Galvanic Relay]] for six. I would just make sure to shuffle with the [[Bloodstained Mire]] to try not to redraw the [[Chrome Mox]] and the [[Verdant Catacombs]].

Greg Sor

Resolving [[Brainstorm]], we put back [[Verdant Catacombs]] and [[Chrome Mox]]. We then play out both copies of [[Lotus Petal]], the [[Mox Opal]], and fetch a [[Swamp]]. We then cast [[Rite of Flame]] and [[Burning Wish]] to [[Galvanic Relay]] for seven. Next turn, we are taking 10 damage and probably have [[Wasteland]] used on our [[Underground Sea]]. Hopefully, our cards are enough to win anyway on our next turn.

Jeff White

This is a difficult situation for sure. In general, I like to start by thinking about how much mana we have access to because it helps define our options. In this case, we have eight if we imprint [[Veil of Summer]] under [[Chrome Mox]], and seven if we just play it out for Metalcraft. (If we wanted to wait a turn and try to peel a mana source, we could build up to a [[Burning Wish]] for [[Peer into the Abyss]], but I think that is risky and puts us dead to [[Lightning Bolt]], [[Force of Will]], or [[Daze]]).

This leaves us with using [[Burning Wish]] this turn, getting either a [[Galvanic Relay]] for eight, or an [[Echo of Eons]] to draw seven cards. It’s actually really hard to determine which is better. If you cast [[Echo of Eons]] and have to pass the turn, you are likely dead. If your [[Galvanic Relay]] whiffs, you are also dead (due to the creatures). Both lines effectively give you one turn to win the game. [[Galvanic Relay]] sees two extra cards (due to the extra draw step). Going for an [[Echo of Eons]] has a few major advantages; you get to have a [[Veil of Summer]] effect active, one mana floating, and Storm starts at nine. Even though the opponent gets seven new cards, none of them are relevant on the combo turn. Whereas with the [[Galvanic Relay]] line, they have two unknown cards that could be relevant. This biases me towards the [[Echo of Eons]] line, and so my play is as follows: [[Chrome Mox]] (no imprint), [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Mox Opal]], [[Veil of Summer]], [[Mox Opal]], [[Rite of Flame]], [[Burning Wish]] for [[Echo of Eons]], make with [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and cast [[Echo of Eons]], floating .

Jordan Karim

There are a few pieces of information here that can inform our decisions this turn. After looking at it, they turn many options into just one. An initial instinct is to go for an [[Empty the Warrens]] strategy. If we count the damage our opponent has on board, we will not be racing. The most [[Goblin Token]]s we can make is 16. Normally, this is quite sufficient against UR Delver, but they have a flipped [[Delver of Secrets]] and a [[Dragon’s Rage Channeler]] that can get Delirium through casting the known [[Meltdown]]. This clock beats ours and removes the [[Empty the Warrens]] line from consideration.

The more practical line is to attempt an [[Echo of Eons]] with [[Veil of Summer]] backup. With only one unknown from hand, this plan is likely to succeed on the front half, we just half to see what our seven will be. Start by deploying our artifact mana: [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Chrome Mox]] without Imprint, and the first copy of [[Mox Opal]]. Tap the [[Mox Opal]] for and cast the second copy. Doing it this way leaves up [[Veil of Summer]] through as much of the sequence as possible. From there, we can cast [[Rite of Flame]] into [[Burning Wish]] for our sideboard copy of [[Echo of Eons]]. If our opponent has not deployed any disruption at this time, we can proactively cast [[Veil of Summer]] before cracking the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for to Flashback [[Echo of Eons]] and hopefully find a seven that leads to victory this turn or the next. We will have no mana floating but will have a land drop to make. This should be enough to come out on top of this match.

Another tempting line is to follow the same deployment as with [[Echo of Eons]], but find a [[Galvanic Relay]] off of the [[Burning Wish]] instead (cracking the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] while holding priority to make to cast it). This has two faults though. Firstly, we would not be able to make our land drop this turn, so our mana deployment is hindered moving into our following turn. Secondly, this mana deployment is further stunted by the known [[Meltdown]] in our opponent’s hand. This would clear out any rocks we deploy, leaving us with a meager [[Swamp]] all alone to propel us to victory. This can be a difficult decision, but playing the [[Echo of Eons]] gives more options and protection for our deck compared to [[Galvanic Relay]], even with giving our opponent a fresh look at seven new cards.

Bryant Cook

I would likely go for an [[Echo of Eons]] protected by [[Veil of Summer]]. Play [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Chrome Mox]] (no imprint), [[Mox Opal]] (tap for ), [[Mox Opal]] (tap for ), [[Rite of Flame]], [[Burning Wish]], at this point if they haven’t responded [[Veil of Summer]], and then Flashback [[Echo of Eons]].

Alex Poling

I would try to combo this turn. I would do that by playing [[Chrome Mox]] (imprinting [[Rite of Flame]]) and then playing [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and [[Mox Opal]]. This will give me Metalcraft, so I could tap the [[Mox Opal]] to cast [[Veil of Summer]]. Whether this resolved or not, I would still continue to combo from here. I would then play the second [[Mox Opal]]. This leaves me with six mana to cast [[Burning Wish]] for [[Echo of Eons]] and then sacrifice [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to put it into the graveyard and cast it.

Alex McKinley

Our opponent only has two cards in hand, one of which is the [[Meltdown]]. Because of this, the opponent cannot have [[Force of Will]]. The scariest cards that the opponent could have are [[Flusterstorm]], [[Spell Pierce]], and [[Daze]]. I would start by playing [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Mox Opal]], [[Chrome Mox]], and then, with the trigger on the stack, I would cast the [[Veil of Summer]]. If the opponent interacts with this [[Veil of Summer]] at all, it generates lethal storm for [[Tendrils of Agony]]. If the opponent does not interact, I would decline the imprint trigger, play the other [[Mox Opal]], the [[Rite of Flame]], and then cast [[Echo of Eons]]. [[Galvanic Relay]] is not as profitable as one would hope due to the [[Meltdown]], and [[Empty the Warrens]] loses the race to the on board creatures.

Greg Sor

Burning all our cards to play [[Empty the Warrens]] is super appealing, but unfortunately, 16 [[Goblin Token]]s are not enough to beat the two-turn flying race our opponent is presenting us. With no way to reach storm nine (enough to win with [[Tendrils of Agony]]) and our opponent presenting us the certain fact that they will destroy all of our beloved artifacts, our best line appears to try to win in this turn

I would start with [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], one copy of [[Mox Opal]], [[Chrome Mox]] (imprinting [[Rite of Flame]]), add to play [[Veil of Summer]], and deploy the second copy of [[Mox Opal]]. Add and [[Burning Wish]] for [[Echo of Eons]], draw seven cards with [[Swamp]] open and a land drop. Hopefully, this will give us enough gas to win this turn while not caring if our opponent counters, getting rid of [[Meltdown]], and removing our opponent’s graveyard. This will give us a three-turn clock to play against instead of a guaranteed two-turn clock if we fizzle.