Wizard!! (Training Day+ Guildmage+ Manamorphose combo)

[IsThisACatInAHat?]

I just played a couple of games against a deck on MWS that pulled off a resilient, consistent combo abusing Training Grounds from the new Eldrazi set. The list below is a mock-up consisting of cards I saw and cards I figured I would see, but I'm sure there was more to it since I'm not much of a deckbuilder. I'm sure it's a lot worse than the actual list I played against, but I really didn't see enough cards to be familiar with it and the guy had to go in the middle of a game before I could ask him for the list. I was hoping the community might have some ideas on how to improve it.

So without further ado:

Wizard!! (inspired by the Alltel commercials):

Creatures
4 Azorius Guildmage
4 Izzet Guildmage

Spells
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Training Grounds
4 Manamorphose
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Aether Vial
3 Reset
3 Ponder

Lands
4 Tundra
4 Volcanic Island
8 blue fetchlands
2 Island

The combo is Izzet Guildmage + Training Grounds + Manamorphose. Once both are out, you can Manamorphose into your entire deck (copying manamorphose with Izzet Guildmage, netting +1 mana and +1 card each time) and then cast ~40 lightning bolts (using the mana you built up from manamorphose) for the win. The combo is extremely fast (CMC 1 for Training Grounds, 2 for the Guildmage) and the entire rest of the deck is built around finding, landing and protecting the combo. Since vial and the guildmage's abilities are instant speed, you can go off more or less any time with 2 mana, without fear of removal or counters (since you can just stick the combo on the stack for 1 mana).

The first, most obvious criticism I'll address before it's asked: 3-card combos suck. Yes, they do, but the mana investment here is miniscule and unlike many combos, the deck protects itself with a full blue counterspell suite. Even with just a Guildmage and Training Grounds, you've got powerful, extremely cheap 2-card synergy that can stall pretty reliably until you find the combo. More importantly, it doesn't actually care if you're holding removal or counterspells once Training Grounds and Izzet Guildmage are out, since it can just put another copy on the stack indefinitely.

Among cards I figure could also be in the deck are Enlightened Tutor (to find Training Grounds), countertop (though probably at the cost of some consistency) and some kind of alternate win that's better than Lightning Bolt. Anyway, I think the deck has real potential. Hopefully the guy who I was playing against will see this thread and be willing to contribute his ideas and decklist so I can delete the jank I posted and replace it with what he was actually running.

[Jeff Kruchkow]

Is there a reason for Tundra? I dont see any non-hybrid white cards. I guess to tap stuff with Azorius? I think the opening to waste isn't worth it and TBH, the stifle ability is the good one anyway

[Octopusman]

I really like this combo.

(0001)But does it work how I think? Can you use the mana from manamorphose to copy manamorphose? I wonder if this is because it's a mana ability. Because if it wasn't, wouldn't you have to let manamorphose resolve in order to receive the 2 mana and the card, and by then the spell is off the stack and can't be copied anymore? So then what if that's the case? You have to have three mana to go off instead of two because you need to play manamorphose for 2 and then have another mana to activate the guildmage, let the copy resolve, rinse, repeat?

Trouble is it's 3 cards and there's only draw and no tutors. I realize you can draw quite a bit with a lot of blue mana and both the izzet guildmage and training day out, but that seems pretty tough.

I think there is a lot of room for this deck to grow. I know this might sound crazy, but I'm not sure Aether Vial needs to be in there. I'm not even sure Azorious Guildmage needs to be in there. I know it sounds sexy to aether vial turn 1... then use it turn 3 and have some lands to go off, but that's if you have the other components and it's subject to so much hate which it's charging to 2 and it doesn't really do much aside from provide a little acceleration.

I'd wonder if fire // ice might be superior to lightning bolt here. If you run merchant scroll you can tutor for both a combo piece and your win-con. Also ice can be used to stall the opponent and draw cards. I think we should look into that. Also grabs force to ensure either izzet or training day stick.

Call me crazy, but I'm wondering if there's room for any simian spirit guide, rite of flame, wild-cantor, acceleration here.

Turn 1: land, wild-cantor
Turn 2: land, rite of flame, izzet GM, sac wild cantor, tap a land, manamorphose, ftw? Or do you also need a spirit guide here. See (0001) a perfect hand and draws would also have a force of will and a blue cards I guess on this turn as well.

Seems fragile but this really has my mind tingling. I'm not sure about reset either. I'm not sure when going off on their turn would be superior to going off right away. And if you have three lands you should really be trying to go off and reset isn't really needed.

if acceleration is run, I think we can maybe afford some serious digging tools like scroll rack.

I think three colors is too risky. It can be hard enough to maintain two colors, but at least moon effects only hurts half of what we're running and so we can make up for that with basic islands which we'll definitely have. I'm not certain that fetches could be that important. Hell, magus of the moon would probably be a great sb card for this deck.

So I think UR is the way to go, but the only real tutor I can think of right now is merchant scroll. I don't know about mystical tutor. I just wish there was a better way to reliably get izzet guildmage and training day. You'll probably all hate me for saying this but Imperial Recruiter could be a good tutor for izzet guildmage. With the right cards, it's seems like the izzt/training day/x could be better than painter/grindstone. It's slightly hard to compare because painter/grindstore wins right now. But with the right cards izzet GM/training day could cost less mana.

Also, izzet GM is more resilient against stifle if you have the mana. Another reason I like rite of flame is with training day you have infinite red. I think banefire sounds like a win, but I'd rather see something more versatile like stroke of genius. End of turn stroke of genius kill your opponent sounds great. Sounds better than drawing your whole library. In that case, you don't even need manamorphose and more redundancy (besides tutor/draw) is what this deck needs imo.

recruiter/ izzet GM
manamorphose/ rite of flame
fire // ice/ stroke of genius/ merchant scroll
?

so damn tired. Gunna ponder this one maybe put a list together. would love to test too.
I think most important problem to solve is reliably getting training day. The other two pieces have solutions. I just don't like the idea of having a $600 playset of tutors if you know what I mean... *cough* recruiter *cough*.

Maybe it's time to look into that legacy lite that's supposedly masques onward. sigh.

[Darkenslight]

You need the following hand to go off Turn 3:

Island, ISland, Mountain, Izzet GM, Manamorphose, Training grounds, ANother.

The main issue as I see it, is that you need to have a U up for the combo, AS WELL as the manamorphose; there is literally no other way to go off with the deck; ONe of the more oddball suggestions would be LED or Petal in the Vial Slot.

But that's just my $0.02.

[alderon666]

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=87925&type=card

Just trowing it out there.

Probably CB + Enlightned Tutor is a better idea.

[rufus]

Aside from Imperial Tutor UR could also play Vedalken Æthermage or Muddle the Mixture. That still leaves the deck short good ways to find Training Grounds - I'm basically thinking stuff like Ideas Unbound and Intuition are probably going to be the best choices.

[flrn]

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=236210

Here's the list by the creator of the deck. Have fun reading.

[ReAnimator]

Fire & Ice seems good in here, it's another win con, and it can stall easier than bolt since you can tap goyfs and dig deeper.

[DrJones]

I found another Izzet Guildmage infinite combo that seems to be pretty old. It uses the splice mechanic on Desperate Ritual so that everytime you copy Lava Spike and it resolves you add RRR to your mana pool (to copy it again).


(With Izzet Mage already in play and five mana available, 3 of it red)
1. Play Lava Spike w/ Desperate Ritual spliced onto it.
2. With that on the stack, play Desperate Ritual.
3. Use the 3 mana from the Ritual to activate the Guildmage and copy the Lava Spike(w/ Ritual spliced on).
4. Do it as many times as you want, dealing 3 damage and making 3 mana each run.

I paste it here just in case any person is still interested in this idea.

[Hanni]

Not to be a Debbie-downer, but I fail to see how this is better than Painter's Servant + Grindstone.

Izzet = shitty 2cc creature
Painter = shitty 2cc creature
Training Grounds = 1cc permanent that's worthless on its own
Grindstone = 1cc permanent that's worthless on its own

After both of those pieces are in play, Painter/Stone requires 3 mana to win. Izzet/Grounds, on the other hand, requires only 2 mana, but it requires Mana Morphose. I think costing 1 more mana > requiring 1 more card.

Both decks can fit in a heavy countermagic/control shell, so that's a moot point. There are stronger tutoring effects for artfiacts, whether that be Enlightened Tutor to grab both pieces, Trinket Mage to grab the Grindstone, etc. They also require colorless mana, which can be better for a number of reasons, including acceleration via Ancient Tomb, etc.

It's still a fun option to explore because it's different, but it just seems strictly worse.

[magicmoocow]

I'd throw vexing shushers and possibly also rite of flames and a banefire as well.