Oracle Shift

[FTW]

This underplayed combo deck snuck in and won the last Legacy Showcase in Nov: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=49837&f=LE

It beat out Canadian Thresh (RUG Questing), Dimir Scam, Beans, Reanimator, Initiative, Doomsday, and all the other top decks.

Thassa's Oracle + Paradigm Shift/Thought Lash


//Spells: 26
4 Force of Will
1 Brainstorm
4 Preordain
4 Impulse
4 Paradigm Shift
2 Daze
2 Misdirection
2 Lórien Revealed
3 Step Through

//Creatures: 5
4 Thassa's Oracle
1 Spellseeker

//Enchantments: 4
4 Thought Lash

//Artifacts: 5
4 Lotus Petal
1 The One Ring

//Lands: 20
2 Otawara, Soaring City
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Cavern of Souls
10 Island

//Sideboard: 15
3 Defense Grid
2 Pithing Needle
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Force of Negation
1 Flusterstorm
2 Brazen Borrower
1 Malevolent Hermit
1 Surgical Extraction
1 The One Ring


1 Brainstorm, 0 Ponder, 4 Impulse, cycle tutors, not dependent on X/1s. Bowmaster who?

[PirateKing]

I thought this was already a known deck.
There was a regular who would play this back when it was covid lockdown webcam tournaments.

Cavern on Wizard as a juke to Magus in the side would upset me a lot if I found out in a game, that's just mean

[pettdan]

I thought this was already a known deck.
There was a regular who would play this back when it was covid lockdown webcam tournaments.

A known deck, well, I played Thought Lash combo 7-8 years ago iirc so it's a known deck, but it doesn't seem like a bad idea to start a new thread for an updated deck (which probably doesn't share much with previous Thought Lash combo). Actually, I'll see if I find that deck, just for comparison and curiosity.

When I've seen Paradigm Shift in combo decks, the last years, it's usually been with more Merfolk focus, as I recall it, always a little surprised when I see it without any creature beatdown plan (but yeah it does appear with that type of build, like you say).

Searching mtgtop8.com for Paradigm Shift and Thought Lash, there's on average about 1 result per month during the past two years.

Edit: There's also an opportunity to run Inverter of Truth but I guess a blue-black version will become quite expensive money-wise, in paper, and probably not worth it.

---

Old Thought Lash combo decks (for curious comparison):

From 2011: https://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?22130-Deck-U-x-Thought-Lash

From 2007: https://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?5979-Deck-Thoughtless-Sensei-(with-primer)

From 2014: https://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?28272-Deck-Skilled-Maniac&p=821629&viewfull=1

[FTW]

A known deck but not a common one. I just said "underplayed". Maybe a new thread wasn't needed. Is there another thread on the Thassa's Oracle version (much more recent than 2014)?

The most common Thassa build was in Merfolk. The pure combo shell with Thought Lash is a distinct enough deck. It sees much less play and makes a very rare tournament Top 8, though maybe it sees more play in some local metas.

Thought Lash combo has changed a lot since Thassa, since you can wait to exile your library in response to the trigger (less risky), you don't need a cantrip or to exile every card (Lab Man), and you can win with Paradigm Shift without needing a mechanism to eat your graveyard.

This build also makes a few big meta changes:
- 1 Brainstorm, 0 Ponder, 0 blue fetch, 4 Impulse to beat Bowmasters
- Wizardcycle into Magus without any "red" lands to telegraph that SB plan
- The One Ring draw engine, with Thought Lash's fair mode to protect your life from other damage sources

[PirateKing]

No this is great, less a commentary on you opening a new thread and more so on how was one not made already
Somehow feels less "all-in" than Doomsday while also presenting an equal variety of same turn and pass the turn wins.

[FTW]

Yeah, unlike Doomsday you don't have to exile your library until after sequencing Cavern on Wizard -> Thassa -> ETB trigger on the stack (i.e. opponent did not Dress Down in response to Thassa cast). Doomsday runs the risk of eating disruption like Dress Down after exiling your library -> game loss.

Doomsday also passes the turn after halfing your life, then needs to resolve cantrips... a risky line vs Bowmasters/Bolts (Grixis Delver, UB Shadow, RUG). While Thought Lash is a pass-the-turn line protecting your life.

Dodging manabase hate is nice too. Basic Island FTW.