<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spock, Logical Choice" href="#" target="_blank">Spock, Logical Choice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/bastienjez">Bastien Jez</a></em></p>
<p>Hello, everyone, my name's Jonathan and today's deck tech is aimed at new players. In particular, it wants to showcase the benefits of playing at instant speed.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Spock, Logical Choice"></div></div>
<p>To do so, I chose to use a new commander that also happens to be an extremely simple card. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spock, Logical Choice" href="#" target="_blank">Spock, Logical Choice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> only has two lines of text: it has vigilance and it can be tapped to draw a card.</p>
<p>Clearly, it's not a fancy card and it's not complex in the slightest. And that's exactly its appeal.</p>
<p>In fact, I think <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spock, Logical Choice" href="#" target="_blank">Spock, Logical Choice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a good option to lead a deck that wants to teach new-ish players about the importance and the positive aspects of playing during your opponents' turns.</p>
<p>This concept sprouts from the very same basic textbox I mentioned before. Vigilance allows the player to activate their commander's ability at any point. And this means starting to realize you can take actions during each player's turn, not just your own.</p>
<p>This concept may seem obvious to dedicated TCG players. But trust me when I say it isn't. So I decided to build a Bracket 2 - Core deck that fully aims at showcasing how important it is to play during everyone else's turn.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Spock&#039;s Lesson About Flash" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Spock, Logical Choice
[/Commander]
[Interaction]
*1 Aetherize
*1 Brazen Borrower
*1 Counterspell
*1 Evacuation
*1 Fear of Impostors
*1 March of Swirling Mist
*1 Mystic Confluence
*1 Negate
*1 Pongify
*1 Rapid Hybridization
*1 Reality Shift
*1 Run Away Together
*1 The Wondrous Wasp
*1 Tishana&#039;s Tidebinder
*1 Venser, Shaper Savant
[/Interaction]
[Flash Threats]
*1 Aboleth Spawn
*1 Hullbreaker Horror
*1 Portal Mage
*1 Smirking Spelljacker
*1 Torrential Gearhulk
[/Flash Threats]
[Flash Support]
*1 Academy Loremaster
*1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
*1 Brineborn Cutthroat
*1 Eluge, the Shoreless Sea
*1 Geist of Saint Thalia
*1 Geyser Drake
*1 Naiad of Hidden Coves
*1 Unwelcome Sprite
*1 Valeria Richards, Precocious
*1 Wavebreak Hippocamp
[/Flash Support]
[Finishers]
*1 Chrome Host Seedshark
*1 Docent of Perfection
*1 Hermes, Overseer of Elpis
*1 Mass Manipulation
*1 Metallurgic Summonings
*1 Murmuring Mystic
*1 Ominous Seas
*1 Rise from the Tides
*1 Talrand, Sky Summoner
[/Finishers]
[Artifact]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bender&#039;s Waterskin
*1 Commander&#039;s Sphere
*1 Midnight Clock
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Misleading Signpost
*1 Sky Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Sonic Screwdriver
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifact]
[Draw]
*1 Behold the Multiverse
*1 Dig Through Time
*1 Fact or Fiction
*1 Flow of Knowledge
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Meeting of Minds
*1 Omen of the Sea
*1 Opt
*1 Pull from Tomorrow
[/Draw]
[Flash Enablers]
*1 Final-Word Phantom
*1 Leyline of Anticipation
*1 Vedalken Orrery
[/Flash Enablers]
[Land]
*1 Agna Qel&#039;a
*1 Castle Vantress
*33 Island
*1 Lonely Sandbar
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 War Room
[/Land]"></span></div>

<hr />
<h2>The Flash Package</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Counterspell"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rapid Hybridization"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Evacuation"></div></div>
<p>So what can we do at instant speed?</p>
<p>First of all, counter our opponents' spells. We can do so via classic options, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Counterspell" href="#" target="_blank">Counterspell</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Negate" href="#" target="_blank">Negate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; but we can also use creatures, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fear of Impostors" href="#" target="_blank">Fear of Impostors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Finally, we also want some more flexible counters, for example <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystic Confluence" href="#" target="_blank">Mystic Confluence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Additionally, we can interact with other people's boards. Rapid Hybridization and Pongify are the gold standards for this role, removing creatures for as cheap as <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. But there's also <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Wondrous Wasp" href="#" target="_blank">The Wondrous Wasp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which removes abilities, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Venser, Shaper Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Venser, Shaper Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which can both interact with permanents and spells on the stack.</p>
<p>Finally, we want to be able to wipe away the whole board with one spell. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Evacuation" href="#" target="_blank">Evacuation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is perfect for this role, but <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherize" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherize</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can help as well.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Threats and Support</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hullbreaker Horror"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Portal Mage"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smirking Spelljacker"></div></div>
<p>When casting spells on our opponents' turns, we don't only want to be reactive. We also want to be a menace.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hullbreaker Horror" href="#" target="_blank">Hullbreaker Horror</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is our boogeyman. It doesn't need to do anything specific, nor to combo off with something. The moment it hits the battlefield, we simply become untouchable. Most importantly, we can cast it right before our turn and then keep on passing with all of our mana up. Also, we'd be drawing cards with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spock, Logical Choice" href="#" target="_blank">Spock, Logical Choice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Additionally, we can mess with our opponents' combat steps using something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Portal Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Portal Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, redirecting creatures left and right. Interestingly enough, even just showing this card to our opponents can be functional, as we let them know we're ready to reorganize their combat step if we don't like it.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smirking Spelljacker" href="#" target="_blank">Smirking Spelljacker</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is fragile, but it can be backbreaking if played at the right time.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Naiad of Hidden Coves"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Geist of Saint Thalia"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Academy Loremaster"></div></div>
<p>Clearly, we want something more than only spells with flash.</p>
<p>Our support package counts a number of cards that benefit us for casting cards during other people's turn.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Naiad of Hidden Coves" href="#" target="_blank">Naiad of Hidden Coves</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geyser Drake" href="#" target="_blank">Geyser Drake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> both reduce the cost of our spells, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valeria Richards, Precocious" href="#" target="_blank">Valeria Richards, Precocious</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wavebreak Hippocamp" href="#" target="_blank">Wavebreak Hippocamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us cards back, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unwelcome Sprite" href="#" target="_blank">Unwelcome Sprite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> grants us a bit of card selection.</p>
<p>Additionally, we want even more mana reduction to make sure we can always cast the spell we want when we want to. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Geist of Saint Thalia" href="#" target="_blank">Geist of Saint Thalia</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baral, Chief of Compliance" href="#" target="_blank">Baral, Chief of Compliance</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the ones in charge of granting us some cost reduction. Also, we can count on the help of our friendly neighbor Elemental Fish: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Eluge, the Shoreless Sea" href="#" target="_blank">Eluge, the Shoreless Sea</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Lastly, I wanted to highlight one card in particular: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Academy Loremaster" href="#" target="_blank">Academy Loremaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. If our plan doesn't include casting spells during our turn anyway, we might as well draw an additional card before passing the turn.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Finishers</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Murmuring Mystic"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ominous Seas"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mass Manipulation"></div></div>
<p>Our deck wants to play the long game, accumulating resources turn after turn before taking over in the late game.</p>
<p>For this reason, we want to slowly but steadily proceed towards the inevitability of our final board state. To do so, we are going to pass through some steps before properly finishing the game.</p>
<p>First, we can use creatures such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Murmuring Mystic" href="#" target="_blank">Murmuring Mystic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hermes, Overseer of Elpis" href="#" target="_blank">Hermes, Overseer of Elpis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Talrand, Sky Summoner" href="#" target="_blank">Talrand, Sky Summoner</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to pressure our opponents while we keep their spells and boards in check.</p>
<p>Then, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ominous Seas" href="#" target="_blank">Ominous Seas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can grant us some bigger creatures that we can produce at instant speed, thus functioning as a reserve of power we can unleash at will.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mass Manipulation" href="#" target="_blank">Mass Manipulation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We can't rely on many strong, hard-hitting creatures; so we'll gladly take our opponents'. Once they're sure we've run out of answers to their board, we'll simply take control of all of their creatures and seal the deal.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>I know I said it at the very beginning of this article, but I really want to say it again. This deck is meant for new players trying to learn one of the basics of the game. The commander is clearly not optimal and many cards could be replaced by stronger variants of the same effect.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, I think this list actually achieves its goal. It showcases the many spots in which casting spells not during our turn can be very powerful. Perhaps it could also help some players find their own play style and make them eager to explore this archetype more and more.</p>
<p>So, what do you think? Does this deck achieve its goal? What changes would you suggest? Is there any other commander that could help new players learn about a specific aspect of the game in an easy way? Let me know in the comments below!</p>


spock

Spock, Logical Choice | A Flash Primer for New Players