Sphinx's Revelation #11: All Metal Everything

It's puzzle time folks, welcome! This week's article is based on one of my personal favorite sets, Mirrodin. As always, for the solution to last week's puzzle, Time Delay, scroll to the bottom.

Today your opponent is Katelynn. As a bithday present, she got you a booster box of Mirrodin. As a gracious host, you decided it would be in both your best interests to try some sealed deck practice! Katelynn is playing a colorless artifact control deck, focused on locking the game up with Damping Matrix and Chalice of the Void, and finishing you off with giants such as Bosh, Iron Golem and Clockwork Dragon. You are playing a RG ramp style deck, with Confusion in the Ranks as an engine to swap board states with Katelynn. You just started your pre-combat Main Phase. Defeat Katelynn before the end of your turn! 

The Puzzle

(click to enlarge)

Opponent: Katelynn

Katelynn is at 17 life and hellbent, with no relevant cards in other zones. On board she has:

• Needlebug
• Bosh, Iron Golem
• Clockwork Dragon with five counters
• Damping Matrix
• Chalice of the Void with one counter
• Four Cloudpost

You

You are at 11 life. On board you have:

• Glissa Sunseeker
• Viridian Joiner
• Lightning Greaves (not equipped)
• Cathodion
• Confusion in the Ranks
• Tree of Tales
• Great Furnace
• Four Mountain
• Four Forest

the following cards in hand:

• Krark-Clan Shaman
• Brown Ouphe
• Fists of the Anvil
• Electrostatic Bolt
• Atog
• Dross Scorpion
• Deconstruct

Goodluck!

Post any solutions you come up with in the comments section and be sure to check back soon for the next puzzle! Remember, you can reach Jordan via Twitter, @adjunctmagician and email, urzaspuzzlebox@gmail.com.

Sphinx's Revelation #10: Time Delay Solution

Last week's puzzle could be solved either through direct combat or with the aid of Barren Glory. Within those frameworks, the were several possible variations based on which triggers/cards/targets were used. I recommend reading through the comments to see them all, but here are two possibilities: 

Combat Solution

1. First upkeep put firemaw kavu into play from braids, Conjurer Adept trigger, targeting itself. Use its leaves the battlefield trigger to target Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir. Teferi dies. 
2. Use aura swap from Arcanum Wings (2B) to put fire whip on Deadly Grub. Tap and sacrifice to do 2 damage to braids, Conjurer Adept. Braids dies. 
3. Remove mangara of corondor targeting magus of the moat. 
4. Let shivan sand-mage ETB and remove two time counters from Aven Riftwatcher. 
5. Cast clockspinning (B)  targeting Aven Riftwatcher. Aven Riftwatcher dies. Opponent gains 2 life and goes to 19. 
6. Sacrifice augur il-vec to gain 4 life. let remaining upkeep triggers resolve —lose 1 to gibbering descent and discard stonecloaker, remove a time counter from Deadly Grub, Benalish Commander, Greater Gargadon, you get a second upkeep, pay B to keep Drifter il-Dal. you get a 1/1 soldier token from benalish commander.
7. Let second upkeep triggers resolve. lose 1 life and discard nix, arcanum wings, or momentary blink. Pay B to keep Drifter il-Dal. Remove a time counter from Deadly Grub (it dies), Benalish Commander, Greater Gargadon. Sacrifice eight lands to Greater Gargadon to cast it. You get a 1/1 soldier token from benalish commander and 6/1 token from Deadly grub.
8. Cast piracy charm (B) giving Greater Gargadon +2/-1.
9. Attack with Greater Gargadon (11), shivan sand-mage (3), Drifter il-Dal (2), cloud chaser (2), and Jhoria’s Timebug (1) for 19 damage. 

Barren Glory Solution

1. Take zero damage from the the rack.
2. braids, Conjurer Adept trigger, put firemaw kavu into play, kill deadly grub.
3. benalish commander puts out a token.
4. greater Gargadon ticks down to nine time counters.
5. Activate greater gargadon sacrificing firemaw kavu. Using the leave the battelfield trigger kill Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir.
6. shivan sand-Mage enters and puts two counters on gargadon (ten counters total)
7. Gibbering descent trigger, in response sacrifice augur il-vec to gain four, go to five life then lose one life and discard fire whip when Gibbering descent resolves. Now at four life.
8. Let drifter il-dal die. Deadly Grub ticks down.
9. Paradox haze triggers granting an extra upkeep. With the Paradox Haze trigger on the stack you are clear to win with barren glory.
10. Activate mangara of corondor to get rid of paradox haze.
11. Use momentary blink on cloudchaser kestrel, tapping a plains and a mountain. Use the enter the battlefield trigger to destroy gibbering descent.
12. Tap an island to play piracy charm to discard your stonecloaker.
13. Tap an island to cast clockspinning on greater gargadon (11 counters). 
14. Activate greater gargadon to sacrifice something, hold priority and activate again, do this until you're whole board will be eaten, (except barren glory) float one U.
15. In response to greater gargadon coming off suspend use the blue mana to nix it.
16. Move to your second upkeep with no permanents remaining and no cards in hand.
17. braids, Conjurer Adept  trigger, put nothing into play.
18. The Rack trigger, go to one.
19. Win with barren glory!!!

Thank you everyone for the fantastic contributions and helping all of us understand these puzzles better.