There are many ways of making decks in the format. Some switch decks frequently to try different flavors, while others stick to their favourite to tweak & tune. In this second part, resident lands enthusiast Tuomas continues his quest.
I came to realize that several times I just played land-go and didn’t do anything. I then got inspiration from Premodern and wanted to try if Rishadan Port could work in these situations? Currency Converter is also a card I’ve always been happy with and additional Urza’s Saga targets are always great. I didn’t know what to cut and in the end decided to try how the deck feels with less discard.
– Duress
– Inquisition of Kozilek
+ Rishadan Port
+ Currency Converter
Deck: https://moxfield.com/decks/0OOhy2kWlEynYbDtRZk8Rg
30.1.2025
Match 1 vs. Rakdos Midrange Reanimator
Game 1
I win the die roll and keep a solid seven with some interaction and lands. I have Muddle the Mixture ready for turn 2, but the opponent evokes Grief and it returns with Exhume. Muddle the Mixture is taken with some other good card. I play some cantrips and the opponent continues with Detective’s Phoenix. My draws are solid and I now have Leyline Binding and Sword to Plowshares waiting.
Both Grief and Detective’s Phoenix are attacking. I have one white source and an uncracked fetchland and I’m thinking between untapped white dual and a surveil land. The opponent is already low on cards, so I decide to take a hit and remove only Grief with Leyline Binding. The opponent then casts Rix Maadi Reveler with spectacle, discards Trumpeting Carnosaur and draws three cards. I draw Enlightened Tutor, play a land, and pass.
The opponent casts Collective Brutality with modes being discard and drain. I respond with Enlightened Tutor and remove the phoenix with Swords to Plowshares. My tutor finds me an Oath of Druids. Then the opponent proceeds to reanimate the Trumpeting Carnosaur and finds yet another creature from discovery. I take my turn, cast Oath, and realize that there is actually lethal damage on board, so I concede.
Game 2
I keep Uro, Titan of Natures Wrath, Leyline Binding, Realms Uncharted, and lands. A surveil land reveals Entomb, which I keep. The opponent starts with Voldaren Epicure and, once again, pulls off the Grief scam on turn 2 with Life // Death. I cast Entomb in response, searching for Life from the Loam. Grief takes Leyline Binding and Realms Uncharted. I dredge Loam to have escape fuel, cast Uro, and pass.
The opponent plays small creatures like Falkenrath Pit Fighter and Insolent Neonate. I escape Uro. The opponent answers with The One Ring. Uro has drawn me into Enlightened Tutor and my own The One Ring. At the end of turn I tutor for an Oath of Druids, take my turn, and cast Oath and the Ring. Uro attacks into opponents Ring protection just to gain life and draw a card.
The opponent draws extra cards and plays Blood Moon. On my turn the Oath triggers and I hit Primeval Titan. I already have an Island in play, so the titan finds a Forest and Dark Depths. My draws for the turn are Mox Diamond, Oko Thief of Crowns and a land. I get to play my planeswalker and decline to attack with Uro so the opponent can’t get rid of his creatures with blocking.
The opponent keeps drawing with the Ring, sacrifices Insolent Neonate, discards Etali, Primal Conqueror, and reanimates it. The dinosaur hits Scapeshift and Dark Ritual. My opponent uses Scapeshift to get more basic swamps into play, Dark Rituals into Tainted Pact which finds Reanimate. He discards Chaos Defiler, reanimates it and Oath is destroyed.
I draw Gifts Ungiven. I search for Boseiju, Who Endures and get a concession before I have to think about three other cards. I had a known Life from the Loam in hand, two green with a Forest and the Mox. Destroying Blood Moon would also create a 20/20.
Game 3
I see lands, Oath, and Mana Drain and keep. The opponent stumbles, he plays Currency Converter on turn 1, uses it on turn 2. Turn 3 he uses Converter again and misses a land drop. I deploy Oath on turn 2 and then hold Mana Drain while hitting all my lands. Next the opponent goes for Tainted Pact, and I let it resolve. They’re happy with a Badlands off the top.
Finally, the fourth land is drawn and the opponent tries to cast The One Ring. I use my Mana Drain now. I use the extra mana to play Aftermath Analyst and sacrifice it immediately, getting Urza’s Saga and Urza’s Cave. Then the opponent plays Blood Moon. Luckily, I have drawn Get Lost and was able to hold mana up to cast it immediately. I still lose my Urza’s Saga. I use Urza’s Cave to find Dark Depths.
My next play is Splendid Reclamation. I will be able to tutor for Thespian’s Stage next turn. The opponent has seen enough at this point and concedes.
2-1 (1-0)
Match 2 vs. UR Tempo
Game 1
I win the dice roll, and we both mulligan. I keep a solid six: Mox Diamond, Thoughtseize, Brainstorm, Oko, Thief of Crowns, and two lands. I start with Thoughtseize and see Bomat Courier, Ledger Shredder, no counterspells, and Back to Basics. I take the enchantment, play Mox Diamond, and pass. The opponent starts with Bomat Courier. At the end of their turn, I Brainstorm. I see a fetchland, Sevinne’s Reclamation, and Crucible of Worlds. I have to take the land and will shuffle away either the artifact or the sorcery. I’m preparing for a tempo game, so I keep Sevinne’s Reclamation to reanimate Oko, Thief of Crowns later.
On my turn, I play Oko and create a Food. Bomat Courier attacks Oko, and Ledger Shredder enters the battlefield. I turn the Food into an Elk and attack. I then play Sevinne’s Reclamation, returning a fetchland. Cantrips are cast, but Ledger Shredder doesn’t grow. Oko is attacked.
I draw The One Ring, which draws me into Urza’s Saga. Oko makes another Food. The One Ring is bounced by Into the Flood Maw, and I get a Fish token. I turn another Food into an Elk and continue to pressure life totals. Oko keeps being attacked. I make Constructs and keep The One Ring in hand. Saga’s third chapter finds me Currency Converter.
Finally, Ledger Shredder grows enough to kill Oko, and burn spells deal with my Constructs. Some small creatures are added to the opponent’s side of the board. I discard spells to Currency Converter to make a Rogue tokens. I try to cast Sevinne’s Reclamation to return Oko and Saga, but it’s countered.
By now, the opponent’s life total is so low that Ledger Shredder and the other creatures must stay on defense. Fortunately, I draw Talon Gates of Madara, which phases out the bird. Elks, a Fish, and a Rogue are barely enough to finish the game.
Game 2
The opponent starts with a Dragon’s Rage Channeler. My first relevant spells meet counterspells, delirium is quickly achieved, and another attacker is found. I lose before I can catch up.
Game 3
I keep a hand of seven lands, including Field of the Dead, Rishadan Port, and Talon Gates of Madara. I should mulligan, but I want to test Rishadan Port.
Rishadan Port slows the game down as intended. Sprite Dragon enters the battlefield on turn 3. I draw Spell Pierce and more lands. On turn 4, I make an embarrassing mistake. I think that by activating Talon Gates of Madara, I’ll have seven lands for Field of the Dead next turn. I don’t use Rishadan Port and phase out Sprite Dragon to save 1 damage. Back to Basics is now played. I do draw Sylvan Scrying to find Boseiju, Who Endures, but the opponent has a counterspell. For the rest of the game, I only play lands. I create several Zombies, but Sprite Dragon grows, and additional fliers are added to the board. My zombie horde loses the damage race.
1-2 (1-1)
Match 3 vs. Mardu Midrange
Game 1
Opponent plays Forth Eorlingas! for 1 on turn 2 with Chrome Mox and I don’t have a removal. I play some cantrips and eventually find Enlightened Tutor for Oath of Druids, but it’s already too late—the opponent has all the gas and answers. Prismatic Ending removes Oath, and I die shortly thereafter.
Game 2
I have drawn both Dark Depths and Thespian Stage by turn 3. The opponent has kept a slow hand and has played nothing but lands. I suspect an Opposition Agent and some interaction, so I play it slow. I play Thespian’s Stage early but keep Dark Depths hidden in my hand. By turn 5, neither of us had played any spells. I draw Thoughtseize. The opponent responds with Opposition Agent. Thoughtseize reveals Solitude as their only removal spell. I take the elemental and play Dark Depths. The opponent doesn’t find an answer and dies to the 20/20.
Game 3
I have a solid hand with Mental Misstep but no removal. My opponent starts with Faithless Looting. I let it resolve, thinking I’ll save my counter for Ragavan, Ocelot Pride, or similar threats. They discard a land and Seasoned Dungeoneer. I fetch for a surveil land. The opponent continues with Emperor of Bones. I play some cantrips, find no removal, and pass. Emperor of Bones reanimates Seasoned Dungeoneer, and both creatures attack. Seasoned Dungeoneer explores and puts a +1/+1 counter on itself. I go down to 11. I transmute Muddle the Mixture into a removal spell. Forge puts two counters on Emperor of Bones, and I go down to 5. Now, I’m dead to both the Dungeon and the creature and concede.
1-2 (1-2)
Time to make changes for the weekend tournament. I wanted to add a couple more cheap removal spells. The deck could use more early interaction, and I also expect several Nadu combos to be played. Fatal Push is an easy addition, and Collective Brutality felt like a good compromise between a discard and a removal spell.
Dizzy Spell finally got the axe, as this version is not as combo oriented. The deck also has more than enough lands, so maybe one can go. Oboro, Palace in the Clouds felt the least important.
Changes:
– Dizzy Spell
– Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
+ Fatal Push
+ Collective Brutality
Deck: https://moxfield.com/decks/khkCGmfsMEOWC5BWrbterg
Magian Mestari 2.1.2025
Match 1 vs. Bant Turbo Nadu
Game 1
I’m on the draw and keep a solid hand with Enlightened Tutor for turn 2 Oath of Druids. The opponent starts with Noble Hierarch. I play a land and pass. The opponent bestows Springheart Nantuko and Wastelands my land. I take my turn, play another land, and pass. The opponent plays more creatures. At the end of their turn, I tutor for Oath, take my turn, and cast it. Prismatic Ending removes the enchantment, and more small creatures enter the board.
At this point, I’ve drawn both Sylvan Scrying and Dark Depths, so I tutor for Thespian’s Stage and play it. Eternal Witness returns the Wasteland which is played immediately. Now I can’t make a 20/20, so I play Crucible of Worlds. Wasteland destroys my Thespian’s Stage, and Renegade Rallier returns Wasteland. Now I’m so behind on lands that I die soon after to creature beats.
Game 2
I keep a hand with Trade Routes, Dark Depths, and Aftermath Analyst. On turn 2, I play Aftermath Analyst to bait removal. The opponent starts with a mana dork into Teferi, Time Raveler, which bounces my elf. On turn 3, I play Trade Routes and cycle a land. More mana dorks are played. On turn 4, I try to Crop Rotation for Thespian’s Stage, but the opponent has a Mental Misstep. The opponent then plays their own Crop Rotation, finding Urza’s Saga. Constructs start to roll out. The opponent also finds a Wasteland. I just cycle more lands with Trade Routes. Aftermath Analyst gets played again, but Prismatic Ending removes it. Constructs keep pressuring my life total. I draw Scapeshift. I’m going down fast, so I have to go for the 20/20 and Scapeshift for 4, finding Thespian’s Stage, Echoing Deeps as a Dark Depths, and two surveil lands. Opponent’s Shifting Woodland turns into a Wasteland and destroys my Thespian’s Stage. Constructs kill me soon after.
0-2 (0-1)
Match 2 vs. RW Prison
Game 1
I’m on the draw and keep seven with Daze, Oko, Thief of Crowns, The One Ring, and lands. The opponent plays a mana rock on turn 2. I let it resolve because Daze would set me too far behind, and I also want to save it for 4-drops. On turn 3, my opponent doesn’t do anything. On my turn, I cast Oko and make a Food. Seal from Existence removes Oko. I then cast The One Ring. Now the opponent goes Chrome Mox, Winter Orb, and Urza’s Saga. I draw cards with The One Ring but fail to draw answers. Construct is made and cheap artifacts played.
I draw more cards and find Demonic Tutor. I have untapped two lands and have played two more. Demonic Tutor finds Boseiju, Who Endures. I pass with Boseiju and Muddle the Mixture ready. If my opponent doesn’t play anything I must counter, I’ll destroy Winter Orb at the end of their turn and can easily stabilize. The opponent makes a new Construct and attacks with the first. Then, they play Armageddon. I have to use my counterspell. My draw step and The One Ring fail to provide anything useful, and I concede.
Game 2
I keep a hand of seven with Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath, Muddle the Mixture, Crop Rotation, and Thespian’s Stage. On turn 1, the opponent plays Currency Converter, and on turn 2, they try to cast Gamble, which I counter. On my turn 3, I cast Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath and put a land into play. I consider going for Dark Depths, but feel it’s too risky, so I change Thespian’s Stage to Wasteland with Crop Rotation and destroy my opponent’s only white source. The opponent plays Ancient Tomb but doesn’t play anything, just uses Currency Converter. I’ve used a fetchland, so I have exactly 5 cards for escaping Uro. The opponent uses Currency Converter again to try to find answers to Uro and fails. I draw Rishadan Port and Urza’s Cave. I tap Ancient Tomb, and Urza’s Cave finds Vesuva to copy Rishadan Port. I get a concession.
Game 3
I start with turn 1 Currency Converter and turn 2 suspend Profane Tutor. My opponent’s first plays are Mox Opal and Trinisphere on turn 3. They had to use Wasteland to cast the artifact, so I play around it by playing Lotus Field as my third land. I also use Currency Converter and put a land under it. On turn 4, the opponent plays Comet, Stellar Pup, rolls a six, and then shoots me twice. On my turn, I pay 3 to cast Profane Tutor and search for Primeval Titan. My land for the turn is Vesuva, copying my opponent’s indestructible artifact dual. Comet pushes out squirrels. At the end of the turn, I make a treasure. fetch a Forest, cast Primeval Titan, and search for an Island and a surveil land. My plays around Wasteland unfortunately mean nothing as the opponent rolls 3 sixes, and Comet kills me.
1-2 (0-2)
Match 3 vs. Azban Midrange
Game 1
I’m on the play and keep a hand with Oath of Druids. I play the enchantment on turn 2 and the opponent immediately destroys it with Boseiju, Who Endures. I play Life from the Loam with no lands in the graveyard. Seasoned Dungeoneer is discarded and Reanimate tries to bring it back but I have Crop Rotation, which finds Bojuka Bog. My dredging hits 3 lands. I will hit all my land drops but have nothing else going on. Grist, the Hunger Tide is played and it starts to make insects. I draw Wargate, which finds Field of the Dead and makes a zombie. Opponent has a Wasteland, but has has missed a couple land drops, so it is used for mana when Eladamri’s Call finds Emperor of Bones, which then exiles Life from the Loam.
On my upkeep, I cast Enlightened Tutor. I take The One Ring, although Leyline Binding could have been better to deal with the Emperor of Bones. I play the Ring, draw, and create another zombie. As expected, Wasteland destroys Field of the Dead, and Emperor of Bones exiles it. Lion Sash is cast but the opponent has no mana to activate immediately. Grist makes another insect. I draw Sevinne’s Reclamation and return Oath of Druids into play. Then, Grist sacrifices an insect to destroy another and Lion Sash is attached to Emperor of Bones. Suddenly, I have more creatures in play.
I attack with my zombies, then use Toxic Deluge to kill them. Emperor is left standing and Oath of Druids can’t be stopped. The opponent plays more creatures and taps out of Lion Sash activations. Oath gives me Aftermath Analyst. I have Shifting Woodland, Tolaria West (to find Zuran Orb), a bounceland, and lots of other lands in the graveyard. If I find Spelunking or Amulet of Vigor, I go infinite with Analyst. The Ring draws 4, Malevolent Rumble and Planar Genesis show 8, Waterlogged Grove draws one—no luck. I pass and die when every creature attacks.
Game 2
I keep seven with Oath of Druids and Sylvan Library. I consider playing Sylvan Library first to bait removal but ultimately decide that Oath has higher upside. Haywire Mite is played and Oath is immediately dealt with. I play the next green enchantment. Grist, Voracious Larva enters and Malevolent Rumble mills some creatures. Now I pay 8 life to draw extra cards and deploy Trade Routes. I immediately start to cycle lands. Cosmic Rebirth reanimates some creature and Grist, Voracious Larva flips into Grist, the Plague Swarm and destroys Sylvan Library. Next my Entomb finds Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath, and I’m able to escape it immediately. Grist, the Hunger Tide kills Uro, but thanks to all my drawing and land cycling, I’m able to escape it again. The opponent finds Karakas and bounces the elder giant. More creatures are played.
I draw both Fastbond and Zuran Orb but mostly lands and irrelevant cards. Thanks to my one time aggressive use of Sylvan Library and the opponent creatures my life total is starting to get low despite of life gain from Uro.
After a couple of turns, I’m at 5 life, facing lethal attackers and Orcish Bowmaster. I start cycling lands with Trade Routes. The first draw is Squandered Resources. Now I have all the mana I would need. The second draw is Realms Uncharted. Green Gifts finds me Glacial Chasm, Echoing Deeps, Talon Gates of Madara, and Cephalid Coliseum. I get Coliseum and Talon Gates. I play Fastbond and phase out the Bowmaster. Playing Coliseum puts me down to 1 life. (Zuran Orb could have also given some life if needed.) Coliseum draws me into Walk-in Closet. Now, I go infinite and kill the opponent with Coliseum looping.
Game 3
Time is called, and we don’t even start.
1-1-1 (0-2-1)
Match 4 vs Azban creature combos
Game 1
I’m on the play and once again have Oath of Druids in my opening hand. The opponent starts with Guide of Souls. I cast Oath of Druids, but the opponent has Boseiju, Who Endures to destroy it. I cast Malevolent Rumble, and my only hit is Dark Depths. Using an Eldrazi Spawn, I Sylvan Scrying for Thespian’s Stage, which I then play. Unfortunately, the opponent’s third land is Karakas. Guide of Souls attacks, and they play Barrowgoyf.
I draw Teferi, Time Traveler and bounce Barrowgoyf, which draws me into Oko, Thief of Crowns. The Guide of Souls kills Teferi. The opponent doesn’t replay the Goyf, but uses Cosmic Rebirth to return Boseiju to their hand and plays Dryad Arbor.
I play Oko, Thief of Crowns and Urza’s Saga for the turn. Dryad Arbor grows and gains flying when the opponent attacks Oko. Witch Enchanter tries to kill Urza’s Saga, but I have Crop Rotation and exchange it for Field of the Dead. On my turn, I cast Aftermath Analyst, which I immediately use to return 6 lands to my hand and create zombies. The only play my opponent makes is casting Barrowgoyf.
I draw Intuition. I have 12 lands, including Urza’s Cave in play. I spend several minutes counting and think I can tutor for the Analyst loop (with Sevinne’s Reclamation, Amulet of Vigor, Shifting Woodland from Intuition, and Lotus Field from Urza’s Cave). I start to go through the motions and in the end realize that I counted wrong. The opponent still concedes as he thinks he can’t beat both Oko and Field of the Dead.
Game 2
I keep a hand of seven with The One Ring, Planar Genesis, and lands. The opponent’s first play is Prosperous Innkeeper. I play my second land and pass. Eldritch Evolution turns the Innkeeper into Academy Rector, but fortunately, the opponent has no way to kill it immediately.
At the end of the turn, I ramp with Planar Genesis and then play The One Ring. The opponent casts Enlightened Tutor to find Haywire Mite, and immediately removes the The One Ring. The Rector remains alive. I play a land and pass, keeping Urza’s Cave activation ready.
Next Lazotep Quarry is played and the Rector is sacrificed. I tutor for Bojuka Bog to counter the trigger.
I draw both Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath and Field of the Dead. The opponent plays some small creatures but is soon overwhelmed by zombies and the elder giant.
2-0 (1-2-1)
Afterthoughts
I was quite happy with the deck, even when the results were not that great. Sometimes you can have problems drawing relevant cards as the land count is so high and there are also lots of engine pieces. But usually if you stay alive long enough you overpower or combo other decks. Lumra and Aftermath Analyst provide fun and memorable moments when they work. I still feel the deck lacks some interaction so the next step for me would probably be trying to add Force of Will and Force of Negation.
As the writing and editing process of this article took longer than expected, a few new possibilities have emerged for the deck.
Mystical Tutor for Scapeshift or Splendid Reclamation would certainly be a valuable addition to the deck. Brightglass Gearhulk is also an interesting double tutor for combo pieces, and it could be good enough to play, even with Oath of Druids still in the deck.
This deck may still remain on the sidelines for a while, as I’m planning to test Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle next. Valakut-Scapeshift decks are considered “the best deck” in some parts of the community, though they’re rarely played in Finland. Is there something we are missing or is it just a local metagame thing?
Individual Card Evaluation
Mana Drain
As broken as it has always been.
Dark Depths
Still very playable in 2025, though it’s quite matchup-dependent how aggressively you should pursue it.
Scapeshift
A powerful tutor, and definitely worth playing in lands decks, even without Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle.
Muddle the Mixture
I was surprised at how often I used it as a counterspell, and it always felt solid. It will see more play in my decks moving forward.
Talon Gates of Madara
If your deck has instant ways to tutor for lands, this is definitely worth playing. The synergy with Uro is incredibly strong, and there are plenty of neat tricks you can pull off.
Oath of Druids
A strong card that can win games on its own. However, it’s still not something the format can’t handle. As seen in the weekend tournament, my opponents came prepared, and the enchantment wasn’t an issue at all.
No Triomes
I feel that surveil lands are superior to triomes, and it’s possible to build a smooth 4-color manabase without them. I rarely had problems with my colours. I would only consider playing them in a 5-color deck or if I needed mountains for Valakut.
Thanks for reading! If there’s interest in written content, you can expect more articles when I come up with cool new ideas for Fastbond decks or when there are interesting tournaments to write about.
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