{"ops":[{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":" is a student of game theory. In the "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Prisoner's Dilemma"}},{"insert":" , the rational choice—and the Nash equilibrium—is to defect, even though cooperation produces a better outcome for everyone. Our "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"opponents know"},{"insert":" that "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"we know"},{"insert":" that "},{"attributes":{"underline":true},"insert":"they know "},{"insert":"this. And they may decide to cooperate against our life-bidding shenanigans.\n\nWhat they don't know is that the whole deck "},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"bold":true},"insert":"is rigged"},{"insert":". \n\nDeckbuilding video: https://youtu.be/uubCmau9DHA\nChannel: www.youtube.com/@SupremeVerdicts\n\nIntroduction"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Most "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":" decks rely on our opponents being tempted by powerful spells ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Omniscience"}},{"insert":") and creatures ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sphinx of the Second Sun"}},{"insert":")that we can then copy, steal, or reclaim. But this assumes that our opponents will continuously defect and fight each other for our spells. \n\nIn this open communication game, they may decide to collude: keep their life totals high, refuse to cast our spells, and eliminate the player responsible for the chaos. This deck takes a different approach. \n\nThe premise is simple: "},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000","bold":true},"insert":"there is nothing in this deck that our opponents can use against us."},{"insert":"\n\nEvery spell generates a benefit (card draw, ramp, creatures, etc.) or creates a detriment (life loss, removal, and other forms of interaction). But the benefits are often shared, and the detriments are distributed. No matter who casts our spells, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"we come out ahead."},{"insert":"\nHeads, we win. Tails, you lose.\n\nOur commander gives us an extra card at our upkeep, enabling a control gameplan. From there, the deck uses mass-bounce effects like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Evacuation"}},{"insert":" and restricted removal like"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Misleading Signpost"}},{"insert":" to keep the board under control. Wheel effects like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Windfall"}},{"insert":" keep the cards flowing, while symmetrical slug effects like"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ankh of Mishra"}},{"insert":" slowly drain everyone's life total.\nEventually, we close the game with a win condition that our opponents simply can't exploit. Welcome to the "},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"color":"#e60000","bold":true},"insert":"Slow Burn. "},{"insert":"\n\nThe Commander"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Every upkeep,"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":" gives us another card, while allowing our opponents to spend their own life to cast our spells. Unlike "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Bolas's Citadel"}},{"insert":" , however, our opponents choose how much life they're willing to pay.\n\nAt first, this creates a wonderful little game of chicken. Each opponent silently evaluates the revealed cards and performs their own mental calculus. If they start bidding against one another, someone could end up paying a painful amount of life for a spell they really wanted.\n\nBut this is "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Magic: The Gathering"},{"insert":". We play with friends. We talk. We make deals. Eventually, the table may realize that everyone can simply bid "},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"zero life "},{"insert":"and force the decision back onto us.\n\nWe've controlled for both variables that matter:\nWhat are the three cards"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":" reveals?"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"All Useless:"},{"insert":" A land that our opponents have little reason to take. "},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"All Middling:"},{"insert":" A situational removal spell."},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"All Great:"},{"insert":" Card draw, a powerful effect, or a bomb."},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"How much life are our opponents willing to bid?"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Anywhere from "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"0 to their current life total."},{"attributes":{"indent":1,"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nThe important part is that "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"we don't actually care which combination occurs. "},{"insert":"The deck was built so that for each card, other players benefit from casting it and other plays suffer from its drawbacks. Even if everyone bids zero, somebody will probably still want to cast the cards that enable our card advantage. After all, "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"who doesn't love free spells?"},{"insert":"\n\nAnd any life they choose to wager beyond that? That's just gravy. \n\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Beneficial Cards"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Who doesn't love drawing cards? Even if our opponents figure out the entire scheme, at least one of them should be interested in casting a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Winds of Change"}},{"insert":" and getting a fresh hand. In the worst case, the other two players might start bidding life simply to prevent that player from getting the "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Flux"}},{"insert":" .\nOur smaller card-draw effects follow the same philosophy. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Words of Wisdom"}},{"insert":" , for example, gives the caster cards while ensuring that the rest of the table gets something too.\n\nThe deck also contains decision-making cards that provide some benefit to the caster while being less useful—or actively worse—when cast during our upkeep, such as "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Seize the Spotlight"}},{"insert":". Others, like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ensnared by the Mara"}},{"insert":", provide a benefit to the caster while creating a cost for everyone else.\n\nThe goal is not to make our opponents "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"want"},{"insert":" every card. The goal is to make sure that "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"every card is at least tempting."},{"insert":"\n\nDetrimental Cards"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Eventually, our opponents may stop paying life for our cards. That's when we turn to our other way of making people miserable: "},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000"},"insert":"slug and burn effects. "},{"insert":"Cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Descent into Avernus"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rampaging Ferocidon"}},{"insert":", and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Razorkin Needlehead"}},{"insert":" steadily punish the table for simply playing the game.\n\nSome of these effects don't hurt the player casting them at all, creating the beautiful situation where an opponent pays life and hurts themselves to cast a spell that damages everyone else. Mutually assured destruction. \n\nAll of our removal spells are either X spells ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Curse of the Swine"}},{"insert":") or bounce spells ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Run Away Together"}},{"insert":") so that we minimize the effect to our creatures and commander while keeping the board clear. \n\nCard Advantage/Removal"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":" already gives us an extra card every upkeep, and our opponents casting our "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Snort"}},{"insert":" certainly doesn't hurt (oh wait). But the real card advantage comes from "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"how the deck is constructed."},{"insert":"\n\nWith timing restricted cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Counterspell"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Portal Mage"}},{"insert":" we can ensure that our opponents can't fully exploit many of the cards in our deck. Other spells provide their greatest value specifically when cast during their controller's turn, like"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Insurrection"}},{"insert":" .\n\nOur removal follows the same principle through the use of cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Evacuation"}},{"insert":" . There's even an added advantage to having our opponents cast our mass-bounce effects during our upkeep: "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"They clear the board, and then we get to untap first. "},{"insert":"We spend our turn deploying threats while everyone else is still rebuilding.\n"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Other Card Choices"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nWhy no "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Brainstorm"}},{"insert":" ? Because we don't need it. Every card in the deck is something we're happy to reveal with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":", and there aren't any absurdly expensive cards that we need to shuffle away. That means effects like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Scroll Rack"}},{"insert":" can be replaced with additional redundancy for our mass-bounce and wheel effects.\n\nNo stax pieces like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Defense Grid"}},{"insert":" or "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Vexing Bauble"}},{"insert":" because we "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"WANT "},{"insert":"our opponents to cast our spells. \n\nPolitical cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Khorvath's Fury"}},{"insert":" interacts with the table while reinforcing our gameplan. More importantly, they give us an opportunity to redirect blame for slug effects. We'll take credit for the wheels ;). \n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Snapcaster Mage"}},{"insert":" provides redundancy. It's an extra wheel, a removal spell, or a counterspell. It also works well with our bounce effects! \n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Paradox Haze"}},{"insert":" let us use "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":" for three mana and is a permanent that's less likely to be removed.\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Laelia, the Blade Reforged"}},{"insert":" provide clocks. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos"}},{"insert":" will always remember his owner and keeps attacking only our opponents. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Laelia, the Blade Reforged"}},{"insert":" grows fasters as cards are thrown into exile and can immediately start attacking after a bounce spell clears all the blockers.\n\nMana base is designed to minimize tapped lands, maximize color fixing, and still maintain a high proportion of basics to account for "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Price of Progress"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Sunspine Lynx"}},{"insert":" .\n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Rampaging Ferocidon"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Roiling Vortex"}},{"insert":" serve an important role against life-gain strategies. Our deck is built to constrain life as a resource. We can't afford to let one player gain enough life to ignore all of our bidding and slug effects. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Roiling Vortex"}},{"insert":" is extra fun because it punishes the winning player in each bid, making every win (even from zero) jump up to five damage. \n\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Cyclonic Rift"}},{"insert":" acts perfectly in this deck. The overload cost is an alternative cost, which means our opponents can't take advantage of the devastating overloaded effect. We can. This creates a one-sided board wipe in a deck that is already bracket three for our win out of nowhere gameplan allowing this flavorful gamechanger! \n\nNote: Bounce effects are really strong against Voltron and tokens strategies which are common ways for our opponent to overwhelm the table. The deck is weaker to flicker strategies and artifact/enchantment-heavy decks that don't rely on auras or equipment. \n\nMulligans"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The deck leans on its ramp suite of 2-mana ramp artifacts ("},{"insert":{"card-link":"Arcane Signet"}},{"insert":") to shave a land or two and still get "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Itazura, Lingering Wick"}},{"insert":" out on time. Then we allow our opponents' desire to "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reforge the Soul"}},{"insert":" and our extra card at upkeep to make sure we hit our land drops. Only keep hands with two lands and a ramp piece at a minimum. \n\nEnding the Game"},{"attributes":{"header":3},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"The deck's actual win conditions need to follow the same rule as everything else: "},{"attributes":{"color":"#e60000","bold":true},"insert":"Our opponents can't be able to use them against us."},{"insert":"\n\nAfter life loss through bidding and a "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Wheel of Misfortune"}},{"insert":" or two, a big swing should be able to end the game. This is when we cast our "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reins of Power"}},{"insert":" or other combat manipulation effect.\n\nOur plan B also has "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Crackle with Power"}},{"insert":", which is an X spell that our opponents can't use to burn us out. With eleven mana, it deals 15 damages to each of our three opponents - mor than enough to finish a softened up table. And, of course, we have effects like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Scrawling Crawler"}},{"insert":" to turn our wheel effects into lethal damage, alongside the aforementioned "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Price of Progress"}},{"insert":".\n"}]}