Sphinx's Revelation #5: Something's Fishy with this CoCo
Hey Magic fans, welcome back to this weeks installment in the Sphinx's Revelation series! Did you all enjoy watching Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad as much as I did this past weekend?
Anyways, thank you to everyone who submitted a solution to the previous puzzle. Your participation is what makes writing these articles worthwhile! If you weren't able to figure it out, a winning line can be found at the bottom of this article.
If you have any suggestions for future articles (maybe a neat interaction, etc.), or just want to say "Hi!", you can reach Jordan via Twitter: @adjunctmagician and email: urzaspuzzlebox@gmail.com.
This week we're taking a look at some more interesting Modern deck interactions.
The Puzzle
The Situation
We're playing good ol' reliable Fish and our opponent, Jane, is playing the very popular Abzan Melira Company. It's been a grindy game so far, exchanging beats and using tempo plays to our advantage. Jane was able to stabilize her board and tap out to cast Worship and Noble Hierarch, disabling our game plan it seems. With five cards in hand, it's very likely she'll combo off on her next turn and gain infinite life — something Merfolk just can't get through. It feels like it's now or never. We enter the puzzle during our first main phase, at six life with removal in hand, but is it enough to take down Jane?
Opponent
Jane is at 11 life, five cards in hand, and tapped out. On board Jane has:
- Noble Hierarch with Summoning Sickness.
- Birds of Paradise tapped.
- Kitchen Finks
- Murderous Redcap
- Worship
- 2 Forest
- 1 Plains
- 1 Godless Shrine
- 1 Overgrown Tomb
Us
We are at 6 life with the following on board:
- Silvergill Adept
- Merrow Reejerey
- Cursecatcher
- Aether Vial with two counters.
- 4 Island
- 1 Mutavault
and the following in hand:
Goodluck!
Post any solutions you come up with in the comments section and be sure to check back soon for the next puzzle!
Sphinx's Revelation #4 Solution
Here's the solution to the last puzzle:
- Declare no blockers. Cast lightning bolt targeting ourselves, going to 9 life. Cast become immense (using delve, removing everything but Lightning Bolt, goyf count is 1/2) on the Goblin Piledriver (or any of the opponents attacking creatures). Take 18 damage from combat damage and go to -9 life.
- On our turn cast Fling, sacrificing the Wild Nacatl and targeting the Tarmogoyf. Fling is an instant so goyf is still a 1/2 upon resolution. Tarmogoyf dies.
- Move to attack with both Death's Shadow (each now 22/22 thanks to being at -9 life). Hit our opponent with 44 damage for the win!