Concept Decklist - Temporal Mastery [GRU]

EDIT: I need to learn how to read. Specifically, the exile portions on cards. Still, this can stand as an example on how easily Miracle can be broken.

Spoiler season for Avacyn Restored. I like most of what I see so far, but today my thoughts are focused on one previewed card so far; Temporal Mastery.



A marvelous plaything indeed.

Miracle has awesome flavor behind it, and must feel awesome to pull off when it happens. Shame I'm going to abuse it.

See, we've got a few things that ensure we know what our first draw is.
- Noxious Revival
- Reclaim
- Ponder

That strips away the divine sheen, doesn't it? But wait! Two out of three require a graveyarded / already cast Temporal Mastery, don't they?
- Faithless Looting

Nevermind! Actually, I'm certain anyone familiar with Standard knew that was coming. Here's where I note that Civilized Scholar and Merfolk Looter work decent without splashing a third color, but leave a gaping vulnerability to creature hate. Smallpox and Liliana of the Veil are excellent options for a heavy black splash... if one can afford a playset of Liliana. Speaking of black, Zombie Infestation can also be considered a legitimate option.

Anyways, now we've got some idea of how to abuse our timeplay. But think about it; when I'm Time Walking, my "first turns" are always going to be a miracled Temporal Mastery. Hard to explain what I'm trying to get at here, but I'm concerned about running out of land and hand quickly, which doesn't bode so well when a good amount of turns could be used merely setting up next turns. I need something to help combat that.
- Rites of Flourishing

Alright, sounds like a cool idea and all, but how am I going to win?
- Delver of Secrets

Why hello there. I dig the early game potential to be swinging even on turns I waste making more turns. Now to page through my trade bind and find a few other random win condition-makers. It's a concept deck anyway, and is bound to change after Avacyn Restored has bared a little more flesh.
- Jace, Memory Adept
- Sturmgeist
- Charmbreaker Devils
- Galvanoth

I'll admit, the last two weren't quite so random. Jace takes advantage of our multiple turngen potential and gives us more drawing if we really really needed it. Sturmgeist works decently with Rites of Flourishing. And the last two are meant to generate more absurdity, especially together. Charmbreaker Devils comes out late enough in the game to make hardcasting Temporal Mastery an easy possibility, and Galvanoth gives us card advantage through non-hand spellcasting. Combined, you could see a random chance miss the Mastery but hit a green spell to put said Mastery back on top of your deck, then the second critter casting it without breaking a sweat. Could be sweet.

And because I don't like all this early game mana-pickiness, a playset of Birds to smooth out some edges.


Timeplay
---Lands (24)---
4x Hinterland Harbor
4x Rootbound Crag
4x Sulfur Falls
7x Island
4x Forest
1x Mountain

---Creatures (11)---
4x Birds of Paradise
1x Charmbreaker Devils
4x Delver of Secrets
1x Galvanoth
1x Sturmgeist

---Noncreature Permanents (5)---
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4x Rites of Flourishing

---Instants/Sorceries (20)---
4x Faithless Looting
4x Ponder
4x Noxious Revival
4x Reclaim
4x Temporal Mastery


And yes, if I ever put this deck together, I'll do some stencil-work on a blue deckbox.

Update - MonoPod [G]

With an added Top 8 (4-2), a near miss (3-1-1), and a casual standard (3-0) under the deck's collective belt, I've decided that this time around I'll skimp on the quick recaps.

The deck hasn't changed too much. Lent out one of the Wurmcoils, so the replacement has varied between tournaments (Creeping Renaissance, Increasing Savagery, and Steel Hellkite, respectably). After obtaining a Vorapede tonight, it's in the slot. Acidic Slimes have earned their keep enough to stick around. Considering how often I've sideboarded in Karn, he's replaced one of the Pods. So far, no complaints. Lastly, I've switched out a Forest for an Island. It's nice being able to fetch it up in non-Dungrove games in which I know they'll be a Phyrexian Metamorph coming soon.

So, in summary:
-1 Forest, +1 Island
-1 Wurmcoil Engine, +1 Vorapede
-1 Birthing Pod, +1 Karn Liberated


Monopod
---Lands (23)---
2x Kessig Wolf Run
18x Forest
1x Island
2x Mountain

---Creatures (32)---
2x Acidic Slime
2x Avacyn's Pilgrim
1x Birds of Paradise
4x Dungrove Elder
4x Llanowar Elves
3x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Precursor Golem
1x Predator Ooze
1x Primevil Titan
3x Solemn Simulacrum
3x Strangleroot Geist
4x Viridian Emissary
1x Wurmcoil Engine

---Noncreatures (8)---
3x Birthing Pod
1x Garruk Relentless
1x Karn Liberated
2x Mimic Vat


---Sideboard (15)---
3x Autumn's Veil
2x Batterskull
3x Beast Within
3x Corrosive Gale
3x Surgical Extraction
1x Thrun, the Last Troll

Oh yeah, Beast Within in sideboard. Phyrexian Obliterator has been going around. It deals with him when I can't manage to copy it, in addition to having a little more control in the deck.

General Strategies
No recap, but I'll still go over a little of my local metagame/strategy.

Control: The hardest part of facing control are the variants going around. All I can really say is that tight play and timing my Autumn's Veils are key. Surgical Extractions go in if I see Dissipate or Phantasmal Image. Mana Leak's the easier play around. Dungrove Elder is key here, since Wrath-less variants have little solution to deal with him.

Zombies: Comes in two variants; Obliterator and non-Obliterator. Both I try to stay on the offensive with at all times. Metamorph gets saved for when Obliterator comes out, otherwise I try to make myself a Geralf's Messanger or big thing in general. Mimic Vat is boss here, giving some killed things chance for revenge, snatching a recurring zombie, or even catching the previously mentioned Obliterator.

French Rites: Are problematic, to say the least. Either I have to race them before Elesh Norn comes out, a hard task; or I have to catch her/it in a Mimic Vat. Post sideboard I can delay with Beast Withins and Surgical Extraction. Pods are out, given the abundance of Ancient Grudge. One of the best matchups to have a "Deus Ex Karn" in.

Red Deck Wins: Race race race. Bloodthirst is a bitch. Stormblood Berserker is hard to play against, when burn can eat my many little creatures. Dungrove is key, with Wurmcoil an objective in both stabilizing and turning the tide. Post sideboard, Beast Within cancels damage steps and Batterskull gives me a better chance of keeping my life up. If my mana dorks take hits to keep me from ramping, that's less burn for me to eat. As for Chandra's Pheonix, Surgical Extraction is too situational to deal with her, so I have to steal a red philosophy: Annoying things opponents have go away when they die.

Delver: I haven't seen it too much recently, but the goal is simple; Race, resolving a Dungrove if possible. The spirit-emphasized variants are where Corrosive Gale shines.

About all my mind can conjure up for now!