Hello everybody! We’re in the middle of a very Magical time period, with the World Magic Cup last weekend and the Players Championship starting a week from today. To help bridge the gap, I have two puzzles for you this week, as always. Don’t forget to submit a correct solution to be entered in a raffle for a signed card! Also, congratulations to Chris Ingersoll (“Raising the Dead? I’ll Help!”) and Dan Williams (“Counting to Ten”), our winners for this week! Check your inboxes!
Puzzle #1: Two-Turn Plan
“Delver upkeep trigger?”
“Ok.”
“Reveal Negate.”
“Oh darn, I had a response!”
“Too late.”
You slump in your chair as you glance at the two Noxious Revivals in your hand and as your opponent unsleeves his Delver of Secrets in order to flip it. You could have cast Noxious Revival on an Island in his graveyard to prevent the flip, but you didn’t realize it in time. As it is, it looks like you have three turns to live before his Insectile Aberration kills you. However, considering your knowledge of various zones, you realize a line of play that will carry you to victory.
It is currently your opponent’s upkeep. You are at 15 life, and your opponent is at 7.
You have:
- In play: Centaur Courser soulbonded with Silverblade Paladin, Brindle Boar, 2 Forest, 1 Plains, 1 Island (all untapped).
- In hand: 2 Noxious Revival, Viridian Claw.
- In graveyard: Fog, Prey Upon, Doom Blade, Gitaxian Probe, Index.
- The top 5 cards of your library are (starting with the top): Swamp, Forest, Forest, Forest, Essence Drain.
Your opponent has:
- In play: Insectile Aberration enchanted with Furor of the Bitten, 1 Swamp, 1 Mountain, 5 Island.
- In hand: Island, Wurmcoil Engine.
- In graveyard: Island, Rummaging Goblin, Duress.
- The top card of your opponent’s library is Negate.
Assuming your opponent plays optimally, formulate a line of play that will win in the next few turns!
Winner will receive a signed Noxious Revival!
Puzzle #2: Everyday I’m Shuffling…
It’s not looking good for your Thada Adel, Acquisitor Commander deck as you stare down your opponent’s 30 lands and his unblockable Scryb Ranger. Fortunately, you enchanted one of them with Spreading Seas and you have Master of the Pearl Trident in play, making most of your creatures unblockable. As you draw Cosi’s Trickster for your turn, you breathe a sigh of resignation, for your opponent is still at a healthy 21 life. You cast Cosi’s Trickster and then activate your Mindslaver targeting your opponent, hoping there is some way you can make him kill himself.
It is currently your opponent’s precombat main phase (which you control due to Mindslaver). You are at 1 life, and your opponent is at 21. Neither general has been cast yet.
You have:
- In play: 5 Islands (tapped), 1 Island (Untapped), Cosi’s Trickster (untapped), and Master of the Pearl Trident (untapped).
- In hand: Nothing.
- In graveyard: Mindslaver.
Your opponent has:
- In play: 6 Plains, 1 Bayou, 21 Forest, 1 Dryad Arbor, 1 Strip Mine (Enchanted by Spreading Seas), Lightning Greaves, Scryb Ranger, Bloodthrone Vampire, Wheel of Sun and Moon enchanting himself.
- In hand: Green Sun’s Zenith (drawn for turn), Eternal Dragon.
- In graveyard: Nothing.
- Doran, the Siege Tower has not yet been cast.
- Here is your opponent’s decklist:
Creatures (43)
- 1 Llanowar Elves
- 1 Quirion Dryad
- 1 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
- 1 Solemn Simulacrum
- 1 Priest of Titania
- 1 Wirewood Symbiote
- 1 Quirion Ranger
- 1 Wood Elves
- 1 Krosan Tusker
- 1 Fyndhorn Elves
- 1 Elvish Aberration
- 1 Skyshroud Poacher
- 1 Captain Sisay
- 1 Weathered Wayfarer
- 1 Eternal Dragon
- 1 Viridian Shaman
- 1 Elvish Piper
- 1 Elves of Deep Shadow
- 1 Fierce Empath
- 1 Wirewood Herald
- 1 Veteran Explorer
- 1 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
- 1 Quirion Trailblazer
- 1 Civic Wayfinder
- 1 Amrou Scout
- 1 Greenseeker
- 1 Scryb Ranger
- 1 Doran, the Siege Tower
- 1 Elvish Harbinger
- 1 Heritage Druid
- 1 Farhaven Elf
- 1 Elvish Visionary
- 1 Borderland Ranger
- 1 Elvish Archdruid
- 1 Arbor Elf
- 1 Pilgrim's Eye
- 1 Bloodthrone Vampire
- 1 Fauna Shaman
- 1 Sylvan Ranger
- 1 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
- 1 Viridian Emissary
- 1 Brutalizer Exarch
- 1 Rune-Scarred Demon
Lands (44)
- 30 Forest
- 6 Plains
- 6 Swamp
- 1 Bayou
- 1 Dryad Arbor
Spells (14)
Make your opponent shuffle his library eighteen times on his turn to make your Cosi’s Trickster grow to lethal proportions!
Winner will receive a signed Cosi’s Trickster!
Solutions to Last Week’s Puzzles
Puzzles: http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/24694-Mind-Twists-10.html
Well, that’s it for this week. Don’t forget, you can send any questions, comments, or puzzle ideas to [email protected]. If you are going to SCG Open Series: Denver, good luck and have a great time. I’ll see you all next Wednesday with another pair of puzzles!
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