A quarter of a year has passed since I started this weekly column. Over the last thirteen weeks I’ve presented you with all kinds of Magic puzzles, from the obvious to the obscure. I have only stumped you a couple times, while you have gotten the better of me at least 3 times! How, you ask? By submitting an answer to a puzzle that I did not at all expect. This week I will take the opportunity to revisit those three wayward puzzles, and attempt to set things straight.
Also, I would like to take this opportunity to ask for reader feedback about the column. What kind of puzzles are your favorites? Is there a new type of puzzle you would like to see? Are they too easy? Too hard? Do you prefer the new submission process, or using the forums to post answers? Any feedback is appreciated. Bonus points will be awarded for any insightful feedback. Hehe.
Solution to last week’s puzzle.
1) Jeff trades his Bomb Squad for Greg’s Dark Hatchling.
2) Jeff trades his new Dark Hatchling for Tricia’s Dread Reaper.
3) Jeff trades his new Dread Reaper for Christine’s Streetbreaker Wurm.
4) Jeff trades his Mistform Mutant for Greg’s Stone-Tongue Basilisk.
5) Jeff trades his new ST Basilisk for Christine’s Ancestor’s Chosen.
6) Greg trades his new Mistform Mutant for Tricia’s Sliver Overlord.
7) Greg trades his new Sliver Overlord for Christine’s Flamecore Elemental.
8) Jeff trades his Rakdos Pit Dragon for Christine’s Brass Herald.
9) Christine trades her new Rakdos Pit Dragon for Tricia’s Crosis, the Purger.
Scores for this puzzle:
foxauror – 15
Gabrosin – 15
IceOnGrass – 15
Locke_Daemonfire – 15
magnum_opera – 15
Olyander – 15
qqzm – 14
TheOneEye – 15
Rattus – 15
Vyolynce – 15
Current Scores
TheOneEye – 42
gabrosin – 39
IceOnGrass – 37
qqzm – 34
Vyolynce – 27
NotTheOne – 22
PeteBDawg – 19
RobRoy – 19
NeonBlack – 15
foxauror – 15
Locke_Daemonfire – 15
magnum_opera – 15
Olyander – 15
Rattus – 15
Lynxcat – 14
microStyles – 12
CaptainNapalm – 10
Jinx_Talaris – 9
aumdiene – 5
carrolln – 5
DougieFresh – 5
funkyninja – 5
GenericKen – 5
Gwendly – 5
Hearts_Regime – 5
kenth – 5
lord atog – 5
RidiculousHat – 5
VipExX – 5
Aiken013 – 4
hforduva – 4
Ronfar – 3
mttgicecreamman – 2
thecappen – 2
This Week’s Puzzle (15 points total)
Difficulty: 5/5
Remember: do NOT post solutions to the forums. PM me (jefftill) the answers. Solutions are due Monday at midnight.
Revisiting Week 9: Turning the Tables (5 points)
In a casual game against Phil, he is not locked in any way, though you are at 400 life and Phil only has a couple 3/3’s in play that don’t have any activated or triggered abilities. Phil has in his hand an instant, a non-equipment artifact, and Leviathan. He has 8 basic lands in play. Without drawing any other cards, Phil destroyed you this turn by attacking with one of his creatures. What happened? Note: good thing you were not at 401 life, since Phil wouldn’t have been able to kill you then! (There are also no other relevant cards in play or in either graveyard).
Revisiting Week 12: The Lost Puzzles (3 points)
Win the game on your first turn (in any format) without drawing any cards beyond your original seven, using no mana, and no rares. Assume your opponent does not make any plays to aid or hinder you.
Revisiting week 11: Two-Headed Giant (7 points)
You have entered a Two-Headed Giant competition with your partner Kevin. Things are already looking pretty good this match, since you have Teferi in play as well as an active Urborg Syphon-Mage. To top it off, Kevin drew one of the format’s great cards, Volcanic Awakening. Your opponents, “Bad Beat” Phil and his partner Jill, each have a menacing hand full of cards, though, so you do not to give them a chance to come back this game. Your mission is clear: win the game this turn. It is the beginning of your first main phase.
You (21 life)
7 Island
7 Swamp
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Vesuva (copying Plains)
Bog Serpent
Coral Trickster
Gossamer Phantasm
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Urborg Syphon-Mage
You have Corpulent Corpse, Momentary Blink, and Pit Keeper in your hand. Vesuvan Shapeshifter is in your graveyard.
Kevin:
5 Forest
6 Mountain
Bogardan Rager
Ironclaw Buzzards
Spike Tiller (3 counters)
Thallid Shell-Dweller (2 counters)
Kevin has Volcanic Awakening and Word of Seizing in hand.
Phil (16 life)
6 Forest
4 Plains
Ana Battlemage
Aven Riftwatcher
Giant Dustwasp
2 Jedit’s Dragoons
Pentarch Paladin (naming Green)
Revered Dead
Spectral Force
Jill:
7 Island
8 Mountain
2 Aether Membrane
Errant Ephemeron
Crookclaw Transmuter
Fathom Seer
Slipstream Serpent
Bonus Puzzle (2 points):
Here’s a weird draft situation that happened to me last week in a TTP draft. I kept a poor hand and played no spell for the first 12 turns of the game. Meanwhile, my opponent played a creature each turn turns 4-12, I still won. There were no complicated plays, so what is the simple explanation for what happened? Points will only be awarded to those that guess what actually happened.
Good luck.