Daniel D’Amato

I like leading on [[Carpet of Flowers]] to see if there is any fight over it. From there, I’m fine moving to second main phase and adding , then casting my copies of [[Dark Ritual]], giving us four Storm. I then would fetch for a red source and attempt to resolve [[Burning Wish]], Storm 5. If that meets with a counterspell (Storm 6), you can play [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] into the [[Chalice of the Void]] and then [[Tendrils of Agony]] for a lethal Storm eight and hope to fade [[Solitude]].

Jordan Karim

Even though our opponent is staring us down with serious hate, this turn might be an opportunity to win! Our key card here is [[Carpet of Flowers]] and we need to make sure it resolves. To make it as innocuous as possible, we can play our land and then use [[Bayou]] to cast the [[Carpet of Flowers]] (we may need to use the fetch for red mana to cast [[Galvanic Relay]] if the [[Carpet of Flowers]] does not resolve).

If the spell does resolve, then we can swiftly enter our second main phase and add red mana to our pool. Both copies of [[Dark Ritual]] can follow as well (Storm 3 | ). With this amount of mana, we can afford to spew our entire hand. [[Burning Wish]] is a good bait spell to force interaction and increase our Storm count. [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] being cast into the [[Chalice of the Void]] is easy to start, then the [[Burning Wish]] (Storm 5). If it baits countermagic that wasn’t spend on [[Carpet of Flowers]], all the better. If it does resolve, we can get another copy of [[Galvanic Relay]] or a [[Thoughtseize]] for our next turn if the game lasts that long. We should cast [[Galvanic Relay]] as insurance if the last spell, [[Tendrils of Agony]] does not resolve. Put a lethal [[Tendrils of Agony]] on the stack and see how things play out from there.

Bryant Cook

I would begin by playing the [[Verdant Catacombs]], each play you make helps sell a narrative to the opponent. By hiding or concealing the land drop, you tell them you need this spell to resolve, which means that they’re more likely to counterspell additional mana sources. I want this [[Carpet of Flowers]] to hit the table, because of this I’m selling the story that I want the opponent to believe. Tap the [[Bayou]] and then cast the green enchantment.

The decision trees break off from here based on if the opponent counterspells or not, it’s tough to map out an entire game plan when the opponent has five unknown cards and plenty of open mana. If it does resolve, we have enough mana to play every spell in our hand since the [[Carpet of Flowers]] triggers to generate plus the pair of [[Dark Ritual]] to create . Assuming that all of this happens, that’s nine mana. Cast [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Burning Wish]], [[Galvanic Relay]], and then [[Tendrils of Agony]].

If the [[Carpet of Flowers]] is countered, I’d likely look into playing the available spells into [[Galvanic Relay]].

Alex Poling

The opponent most certainly has at least one counterspell in hand, so we aren’t just trying to beat what is in play. A counterspell could stop us from comboing, but it also could give us extra Storm count for [[Galvanic Relay]] and [[Tendrils of Agony]]. I would lead off by playing the [[Verdant Catacombs]] and using the [[Bayou]] to cast [[Carpet of Flowers]]. If the opponent has a counterspell, this would be a nice target since they have seen us missing land drops and we can’t use artifact mana. If [[Carpet of Flowers]] resolves, we would have enough mana for [[Galvanic Relay]] and [[Tendrils of Agony]], and I would take that line. If it doesn’t, then I would go for [[Galvanic Relay]], because [[Tendrils of Agony]] would not be lethal and we wouldn’t have enough resources to [[Galvanic Relay]] in future turns for much Storm.

Alex McKinley

This feels like a window. The goal should be to win the game with this [[Tendrils of Agony]], but also we have a [[Galvanic Relay]] if things go wrong. I would start by playing the [[Verdant Catacombs]], then tapping the [[Bayou]] to play the [[Carpet of Flowers]]. By playing the land first, it makes the [[Carpet of Flowers]] look the most innocuous, while it is the most essential card to the plan. When the [[Carpet of Flowers]] resolves, I would switch phases, add red mana and then cast both copies of [[Dark Ritual]]. Then, I would [[Burning Wish]] for [[Thoughtseize]] to check for something like [[Solitude]]. I’d then cast [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] into the [[Chalice of the Void]], cast [[Galvanic Relay]] for seven, and a lethal [[Tendrils of Agony]] for eight.

Grant Johnson

For this situation, we have the ability to put [[Peer into the Abyss]] onto the stack if we want. [[Carpet of Flowers]] will make and then our copies of [[Dark Ritual]] will make a total of . Nine mana with a [[Burning Wish]] casts [[Peer into the Abyss]]. Due to having no mana floating, however, our [[Peer into the Abyss]] will likely fail; having no access to zero-cost mana sources. In this case, I think it is best to play the [[Carpet of Flowers]] to help cast our [[Galvanic Relay]]. With the remaining mana, we cast [[Burning Wish]] to increase Storm count and get [[Peer into the Abyss]] for the following turn. Our ideal [[Galvanic Relay]] includes more mana acceleration and a [[Veil of Summer]] to beat the [[Chalice of the Void]] or counter magic like [[Force of Will]]. Copies of [[Abrupt Decay]] would also be ideal to remove either the [[Chalice of the Void]] or the [[Stony Silence]].

Daniel D’Amato

I would put back [[Volcanic Island]] and [[Chrome Mox]]. I would fetch for a black or red dual and lead on [[Dark Ritual]]. I would then cast [[Thoughtseize]], going to to clear the way. I would cast both copies of [[Rite of Flame]] off of [[Lotus Petal]] leaving us . I would use to cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. Play [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], crack for bringing mana floating to , activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] for [[Ad Nauseam]] and hope for the best.

Jordan Karim

[[Mindbreak Trap]]? Never heard of it.

We are so close to lethal! With the [[Thoughtseize]] able to check for interaction, the turn can play cautiously around something like [[Force of Vigor]] to make it happen. Proper sequencing of our spells is so important, it should get to be second nature. That sequencing will be planned in the future. For now, we can put back [[Volcanic Island]] and the [[Chrome Mox]]. We need black mana, so [[Bloodstained Mire]] is a priority. We also don’t the ability to exile a card underneath [[Chrome Mox]], so it’s utility of enabling Metalcraft is nonessential here. Of note, we could use the [[Lotus Petal]] to cast the [[Dark Ritual]], but that play looks more desperate and could prompt an early [[Mindbreak Trap]] to stifle our mana development.

Once the [[Brainstorm]] has resolved, we can play our fetchland and find [[Bayou]] ([[Abrupt Decay]] mana) or [[Underground Sea]] ([[Brainstorm]] mana). [[Dark Ritual]] needs to be put on the stack, followed swiftly by [[Thoughtseize]]. A [[Mindbreak Trap]] can come at this point to hide information, but since we don’t have the ability to play around two copies, it would only serve to add to an already-lethal Storm count. Next is our copies of [[Rite of Flame]] using the [[Lotus Petal]] and the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] (Storm 14 | ). The artifact sequencing here is prioritizing our ability to activate the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] in response to interaction as we cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. Since the spell is on the stack, we cannot discard it when making mana. If we’ve gotten this far, activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to find and put a very lethal [[Tendrils of Agony]] on the stack.

Bryant Cook

At first this one seemed relatively simple, but the more I think about it the more interesting it becomes. Do you play around [[Mindbreak Trap]] on [[Dark Ritual]]? This is the big thing I keep coming to. “Who would even counter it?” is what I keep telling myself. I would put back the [[Chrome Mox]] as well as the [[Volcanic Island]].

Once again, I want to sell the idea that this [[Dark Ritual]] doesn’t matter. I would use the [[Bloodstained Mire]] to find [[Bayou]], cast the [[Dark Ritual]] and then [[Thoughtseize]]. Assuming all goes well, you can cast the pair of [[Rite of Flame]] to generate and then [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. After this, play [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. This sequencing allows you to sacrifice the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] in response to something such as a [[Force of Vigor]].

When all is said and done, put that beautiful [[Tendrils of Agony]] on the stack where it belongs.

Alex Poling

I am going for it this turn. With only a [[Thoughtseize]] and not much deck manipulation, I don’t think waiting more turns benefits us. I would put back [[Chrome Mox]] and [[Bloodstained Mire]] and go for a combo here. I would play [[Volcanic Island]], [[Rite of Flame]], [[Rite of Flame]], [[Dark Ritual]], [[Wishclaw Talisman]], and then [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. This order also beats a [[Surgical Extraction]] and [[Force of Vigor]]. I would then search for and cast [[Ad Nauseam]].

Alex McKinley

The only card that the opponent can have that really matters this turn is the [[Mindbreak Trap]]. [[Force of Vigor]] is relevant in the fact that it can stop the [[Chrome Mox]] from imprinting a card, but that’s not a blow out and still likely lets us untap and win. Our current hand can only produce seven mana, which is exactly enough to cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and find [[Tendrils of Agony]]. That line does lose to a [[Mindbreak Trap]], however. I would start by activating [[Mishra’s Bauble]] targeting the opponent to see their top card. If that card is a [[Mindbreak Trap]] or a lock piece, I would jam the [[Tendrils of Agony]] this turn. If that card is a blank, I would cast [[Chrome Mox]], imprint [[Dark Ritual]] and cast [[Thoughtseize]]. There is plenty of mana to win the game next turn and this seems like the safest line.

Grant Johnson

[[Brainstorm]] throws back our two lands. From there, to play around these three pieces of action, I think we must assemble our mana first and then [[Thoughtseize]] to see if we truly do have any opposition in the matchup. I think our biggest nightmare would be seeing two pieces of interaction. Lets assume the opponent has all THREE in hand. We assemble all of our mana, we [[Thoughtseize]] and take their [[Mindbreak Trap]]. This will leave us with only having to play around [[Force of Vigor]] because I do not think [[Surgical Extraction]] stops our most optimal lines here. [[Chrome Mox]] will be imprinting a copy of [[Rite of Flame]] to open up our access to red mana. After the [[Thoughtseize]], we should have and . All that is left is a [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and a [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. The [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] should be played first because if we get hit by [[Force of Vigor]] with the [[Wishclaw Talisman]] on the stack, we can sacrifice it with no consequence to our hand leaving us with five mana floating to search out [[Tendrils of Agony]] with the [[Wishclaw Talisman]].

Daniel D’Amato

This is certainly an interesting spot. I would play the land, fetch for a [[Bayou]] and cast [[Dark Ritual]]. I would then cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and pass. I think we can be conservative here with the opponent not having much on the board currently. Finding a [[Dark Ritual]] or [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] gives us [[Peer into the Abyss]] the following turn using [[Wishclaw Talisman]] pending no hand interaction.

Jordan Karim

While this may not be the best play in the world, there is a line to a large [[Galvanic Relay]] that protects against one piece of stack interaction. The concern is that we open ourselves up to [[Surgical Extraction]] on our [[Burning Wish]] that will leave us without any way to win the game (in this scenario, [[Tendrils of Agony]] will remain in exile). These risks need to be weighed against the benefits of attempting to play underneath the known [[Hidetsugu Consumes All]].

Start by playing our land and finding the [[Bayou]] still in the deck. Since we have [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], it serves as the second route to [[Galvanic Relay]] if a ritual is countered. [[Dark Ritual]] should be next. We can use the floating mana to cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]] from the [[Galvanic Relay]] pile (Storm 2 | ). Here we can cast the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and then use the floating mana to activate [[Wishclaw Talisman]] to find another one. Cast the second [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]]. Sacrifice both copies for . Now that our tutor has served it’s purpose, we can use the floating mana to [[Abrupt Decay]] the [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. Next, hold priority and cast the second copy of [[Abrupt Decay]] on our own [[Lotus Petal]] (Storm 6 | ). While we maintain priority, sacrifice the [[Lotus Petal]] for .

We now have the required mana and Storm to justify this line, so cast the [[Galvanic Relay]] and rip seven new cards from the top rope. Our opponent is forced to either wipe our useless [[Carpet of Flowers]] from the board, or leave them in play (and potentially play [[Island]]s into them) so they can hold up interaction.

Bryant Cook

[[Ruination]]! I love it (maybe not for our Storm hero). I can’t help but wonder if [[Carpet of Flowers]] is what we actually want against Grixis Control due to [[Hidetsugu Consumes All]] — perhaps, it should just be [[Rite of Flame]].

As for the situation, you need to decide what you can and can’t afford to play around. Really, it comes down to a known [[Hidetsugu Consumes All]] looming against our only permanent mana sources or the possibility of a [[Force of Will]] effect in the opponent’s hand. If we decide to take the path of casting another [[Galvanic Relay]] this turn, we’re accepting potentially losing the game to [[Hidetsugu Consumes All]] (assuming that they have a fifth land drop). The alternative is using our [[Burning Wish]] for [[Echo of Eons]] and spinning the wheel but being cold to countermagic.

I would likely try to fish for some information first. If you think about what a living breathing person would do in a game three against The EPIC Storm, they would likely keep a hand that has either [[Force of Will]] or [[Force of Negation]]. This concerns me because the [[Dark Ritual]] being countered really weakens our plans. I would activate the [[Verdant Catacombs]] for [[Underground Sea]], cast [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to show the opponent up front that we can still play [[Galvanic Relay]] if they use their countermagic on the [[Dark Ritual]].

Sacrifice the [[Lotus Petal]], cast [[Burning Wish]], hold priority and then sacrifice the [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] for . Assuming that the [[Burning Wish]] resolves, grab [[Thoughtseize]] and then cast it floating . There’s really only one play left to do now and that’s to play [[Galvanic Relay]]. There’s some discussion to be had if [[Rite of Flame]] is better than [[Thoughtseize]] here since it generates two more Storm by allowing you to play [[Wishclaw Talisman]]. That said, I value being able to get some additional information and potentially being able to discard the [[Hidetsugu Consumes All]] to protect my actually useless copies of [[Carpet of Flowers]].

Alex Poling

I would use this turn as a setup turn to try and get some value to win on a future turn. I would lead off by playing [[Verdant Catacombs]], [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], and [[Dark Ritual]] off the land. My goal is to play the long game here, so I would use a black from [[Dark Ritual]] and the [[Lotus Petal]] to cast [[Burning Wish]] for [[Galvanic Relay]]. If [[Burning Wish]] gets countered that’s fine and adds one more Storm. If it doesn’t get countered, then [[Galvanic Relay]] is in my hand and I would cast the [[Galvanic Relay]] from exile to setup the following turn to try and win or get enough Storm to cast the [[Galvanic Relay]] from my hand and keep chaining them.

Alex McKinley

Well, this is a spot where it certainly does not get better. The [[Carpet of Flowers]] and the [[Lotus Petal]] in play are likely to be destroyed (not that the [[Carpet of Flowers]] produce mana anyway). There is a maximum of seven mana available. One thing to be aware of here is that discarding the [[Burning Wish]] to [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] leaves us very vulnerable to [[Surgical Extraction]], given the [[Tendrils of Agony]] in exile this turn. The [[Galvanic Relay]] is still the best plan. I would play the land, [[Dark Ritual]], [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], [[Burning Wish]] to find [[Echo of Eons]] (if it resolves), crack [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]], cast [[Wishclaw Talisman]] and then [[Galvanic Relay]].

Grant Johnson

This situation is tough, especially against Grixis Control. Ideally, this line involves a whole lot of luck. We start by fetching either a black or red source with the [[Verdant Catacombs]] and playing the [[Dark Ritual]]. From there, we can [[Burning Wish]] for [[Echo of Eons]] and spin the wheel with floating in the hopes that we do not get messed up by a [[Force of Will]]. The rest of our play is determined by what we wheel into.