[Premium Article] Breaking Temporal Mastery in Legacy -- SMIP Eternal Set Review

[Smmenen]

It's been a long while since I wrote a set review with Legacy in mind. This article is a joint Legacy and Vintage set review, although most of the cards reviewed are for Vintage, the vast majority of the key discussion is Legacy, largely, although not exclusively, on account of Temporal Mastery.

In this article I unveil the THREE Legacy Delver / Temporal Mastery decks I've designed and been testing.

I'm convinced that at least two of them are either broken or on the track to be broken. These are the most broken Legacy decks I've played since Hulk Flash (and I was one of the first to play that deck too!).

I learned alot from my initial lists, and I explain my testing results and findings within. Notice how my most broken versions abuse multiple printings from this set.

You'll also not want to miss the Legacy "Belcher" deck I designed around Reforge the Soul!

Check it out!

http://www.eternal-central.com/?p=2676

[Mr.C]

It's been a long while since I wrote a set review with Legacy in mind. This article is a joint Legacy and Vintage set review, although most of the cards reviewed are for Vintage, the vast majority of the key discussion is Legacy, largely, although not exclusively, on account of Temporal Mastery.

In this article I unveil the THREE Legacy Delver / Temporal Mastery decks I've designed and been testing.

I'm convinced that at least two of them are either broken or on the track to be broken. These are the most broken Legacy decks I've played since Hulk Flash (and I was one of the first to play that deck too!).

I learned alot from my initial lists, and I explain my testing results and findings within. Notice how my most broken versions abuse multiple printings from this set.

You'll also not want to miss the Legacy "Belcher" deck I designed around Reforge the Soul!

Check it out!

http://www.eternal-central.com/?p=2676

Most broken since Hulk Flash? That's surprising.

[lordofthepit]

Most broken since Hulk Flash? That's surprising.

Well, he did qualify that with most broken decks he's played.

[majikal]

There appears to be a mistake with your link. It says I have to pay money to see it.

[xfxf]

For only $2.99 you can also see the most broken Legacy decks since Hulk Flash, you can be broken too!

I thought advertisement was not allowed here.

[rxavage]

No offense, but your belcher deck has nothing on the combo deck I will be unleashing soon :)

[theillest]

I think this is a stupid test. Hint: if you see the more than the free excerpt, you failed. You'd be better off spending $3 on lotto tickets.

[Mr Miagi]

That's bad, m-kay

[Smmenen]

There have been alot of broken decks since Hulk Flash, but none that remotely reaches that level of absurdity (and I placed in the top 20 of Grand Prix Columbus with Hulk Flash). I am not claiming that this is in that league, but this is quite broken.

The synergies between the Delver creature arrays (including a new printing from Avacyn), and Temporal Mastery are truly devastating from a tempo perspective -- hence my builds in this article.

As for other truly broken decks, I don't even think the Survival and Reanimator decks that caused bannings were as broken as, say, Iggy Pop or Ad Nauseam in their original iterations. Remember, Wizards sent me all of the decks from GP Madrid when Ad Nauseam won.

I truly believe that the Delver decks I've published here will be tearing up SCG Open Top 8s very soon...

I know that may sound like hype, but the reality is that Delver decks are already top performers. Temporal Mastery -- at a minimum -- is a blue, cantrip Lightning Bolt with any one of these creatures in play. And these Delver decks often run Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning.

This strategy article attempts to explain why these decks are so broken, describes my findings and testing, and then reveals my suggested decklists.

[Smmenen]

No offense, but your belcher deck has nothing on the combo deck I will be unleashing soon :)

I should qualify that these "belcher" decks no longer have Belcher. Reforge the Soul means you can reliably just execute huge turn one and two Empties every game.

[Fuzzy]

Delver is close to be the next Hulk-Flash, Survival and Mystical-powered Reanimator/ANT wasn't thaaaaat good.

Yeah, makes perfect sense.

[DragoFireheart]

Delver is close to be the next Hulk-Flash, Survival and Mystical-powered Reanimator/ANT wasn't thaaaaat good.

Yeah, makes perfect sense.

Actually, Mystic powered Reanimator/ANT didn't take that many Top 8's IIRC. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Norm]

I should qualify that these "belcher" decks no longer have Belcher. Reforge the Soul means you can reliably just execute huge turn one and two Empties every game.

So it's now a combo deck that relies almost entirely upon the attack step after successfully fighting through storm hate? Where to put moneys? I must bai!

[Koby]

Actually, Mystic powered Reanimator/ANT didn't take that many Top 8's IIRC. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Just because LaPille played it in the MTGO Casual room doesn't make it a casual deck.

RE article
I didn't read the full article but just the preview long enough to see a fallacy. Your premise of Mastery being Zomg broken is based on a line of plays that is already stressing the limits of tempo. Adding a two mana, turn three tempo card isn't going to make that Line of play any better. Turn 1 delver, turn 2 flip and <Bolt/Daze/Fow/Stifle/Pierce> is more than enough to win games right now. Wasting Brainstorm to setup a Miracle is an abysmal use of the cant rip rather than using it to fix your draws and improve hand quality.

Legacy decks are attempting to streamline decks for consistency rather than cute tricks. Mastery is of the latter while at the same time reducing consistency (induce more mulligans). I don't agree with the premise that Temporal Mastery is the next coming of Hulk Flash.

[DragoFireheart]

Just because LaPille played it in the MTGO Casual room doesn't make it a casual deck.

I'm talking about actual tournament results, not what LaPille did in his free time. I'm pretty sure IBA had some data in this subject.

[Smmenen]

Delver is close to be the next Hulk-Flash, Survival and Mystical-powered Reanimator/ANT wasn't thaaaaat good.

Yeah, makes perfect sense.

The term "broken" is obviously and explicitly ambiguous. I never said Delver is the next Hulk-Flash. What I said is that it's the most broken deck I've played since.

Of course the Survival and Reanimator decks were good. I never said otherwise. Survival dominated the format as measured by Top 8 performance. What I was saying is that they weren't "broken" like Hulk Flash.

Temporal Mastery is broken because it's inherently unfair. I don't know whether Temporal Mastery decks -- or specifically the decks in my article -- will end up dominating the format long-term. But I can say, after testing, that they are broken, as I understand and use that term. They are unfair and unfun to play against.

It's more like a Vintage deck. Your opponent sits there while you play uninteractive games.

[DragoFireheart]

But I can say, after testing, that they are broken, as I understand and use that term. They are unfair and unfun to play against.

Demands for decklist/data in 3...2...1...

[Smmenen]

Just because LaPille played it in the MTGO Casual room doesn't make it a casual deck.

RE article
I didn't read the full article but just the preview long enough to see a fallacy. Your premise of Mastery being Zomg broken is based on a line of plays that is already stressing the limits of tempo. Adding a two mana, turn three tempo card isn't going to make that Line of play any better. Turn 1 delver, turn 2 flip and <Bolt/Daze/Fow/Stifle/Pierce> is more than enough to win games right now. Wasting Brainstorm to setup a Miracle is an abysmal use of the cant rip rather than using it to fix your draws and improve hand quality.

Legacy decks are attempting to streamline decks for consistency rather than cute tricks. Mastery is of the latter while at the same time reducing consistency (induce more mulligans). I don't agree with the premise that Temporal Mastery is the next coming of Hulk Flash.

Mastery does not induce more mulligans. As I said in the article, there wasn't a single game where I was upset to draw a Temporal mastery, and every time I pitched one to Force, it was reluctant.

Moreover, Temporal Mastery is a natural fit into the deck you described. It's a smooth and natural addition, according to my testing, which I describe in this article. If you run Lightning Bolt, which at least two of my Delver/Mastery decks do, Temporal Mastery is just better: it's a blue Lightning Bolt that cantrips and helps you do more Stifling, Spell Snare/Daze/Piercing, Bolting, etc. It also helps you get another land drop to use Snapcaster Mage, etc.

In other words, it fits with all the cards you cite, and supports them very well.

[Smmenen]

Demands for decklist/data in 3...2...1...

Why do you think I wrote this article? :p

[xfxf]

I don't want to be cruel but "financial gain and market manipulation" are the words which come to my mind. I listened to the set review podcast and you sounded to be skeptical about the card and halfway through changed your stance and started saying "yeah, I agree it's going to be very good..". I don't intend to claim that the card is bad but just that I don't find your claims honest and sincere.