{"ops":[{"insert":"A decent bracket 2 deck, though it might rub some playgroups the wrong way with its tendency to have a Big Turn that involves a lot of card draw and often just ends the game in a way that's difficult to interact with outside of instant-speed removal or counterspells.\n\nYour gameplan is pretty simple:\nGenerate a lot of mana"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Depending on what you draw, move toward a combo finish (Elvish Raft / Coralhelm + Pupu / Walking Archive) or just resolve Gandalf w/ protection"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Don't be afraid to just jam a Gandalf if you have no clear path forward! He's worth 7 mana! He draws you cards and puts a clock on your opponents and blocks!"},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nKeep this in mind while playing:\nBlue doesn't have a strong tutor package for the variety of spell types you want to assemble. Drift of Phantasms is generally your best tutor in the deck as a result, and that is _not_ a compliment."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"So, instead of trying to get a flawless finish, dig, dig, dig dig digdigdig. You should aggressively filter through cards as fast as possible without sacrificing your ability to impact the board in meaningful ways."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"If you aren't assembling combo pieces fast enough, just go for big mana and resolve a Gandalf. Seriously, he draws a _ton_ of cards and gives you board presence."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nSome card-specific notes:\nGhost Town is better than it looks. It kickstarts all your engines (Elvish Raft / Coralhelm + Pupu / Walking Archive) and combos with Patron of the Moonfolk to mimic those engines."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Dark Depths combo (Vesuva/Thespian's Stage) isn't well-supported here, but it is here. There are times where you'll just accidentally have a Marit Lage on turn 2 or 3 and that can do a lot to bully the table; it also gives you some late-game options when your primary combo pieces are stripped out. I wouldn't bet on it as your primary win-con, but don't forget about it, either."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"Don't resolve Arid Archway or Guildless Commons unless you have to for mana. But, also, don't hold onto them hoping for a combo finish, either, when Gandalf could just get you some significant incremental value. These aren't whirlwind-slam land-drop guarantees."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"\nMake it your own:\nI made some choices in this deck that will probably not jive with the average player. There are no fetchlands / Wasteland / Crucible packages, for example, partly because I didn't think it was necessary to grind out wins off of double landfall; it felt like overkill when what I really needed was more ways to dig through the deck."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"This deck really wants a lot of the fast-mana options in the game-changers category, but I didn't want to push into bracket 3."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I kind of loathe the \"double your triggers!\" abilities because they just make Gandalf better. "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"He's already really good."},{"insert":" I wouldn't add those to this deck unless you find another way to really load up on the triggered abilities."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"I once had an Omniscience / Show and Tell package in this deck. I think that's probably a really interesting path to go down if you're more interested in a bombastic big-mana approach."},{"attributes":{"list":"ordered"},"insert":"\n"}]}