Magic puzzles can be fun, but can they help you with your play? I think they can. These puzzles often test your analytic reasoning, and what is Magic but a game of logic? A lot of games come down to finding your one way of winning, and executing that plan perfectly. Puzzles train your mind to find the quirky interactions between cards that you might otherwise miss. With that in mind, this week’s problems all come from real game situations. The solutions may come very easily to many people, but in the context of playing a game of Magic, would you have necessarily made the right choice? But before we get to the new puzzles…
Solution to last week’s puzzle.
Scenario 1:
Timeshifted Set Only:
Cast Healing Leaves to gain three life.
Pitch Simian Spirit Guide for R.
Play Pyrohemia, and activate Pyrohemia once for the win.
Scenario 2:
A mix is required.
Pitch Elvish Spirit Guide for G.
Cast Groundbreaker.
Play Brute Force on it. (If he counters it, use Mana Tithe to counter his Muddle.)
Play Shrouded Lore, to get back the Brute Force. (If there’s a Mana Tithe in your graveyard, use another Black to reselect.)
Play Brute Force on it again. (R)
Use Piracy Charm to give it Islandwalk. (U)
Attack for twelve. (Groundbreaker has Islandwalk so he can’t be blocked.)
Play Sunlance on Sell-Sword Brute, and your opponent takes two, and dies.
Remember, he can counter any one of your spells, so have Mana Tithe ready. It’s important to cast Brute Forces first so you can be sure to get it back with Shrouded Lore.
Scenario 3:
Either set of cards will work:
Cast Piracy Charm target yourself to discard Reckless Wurm (pay its Madness cost).
Cast Healing Leaves to gain three life.
Cast Brute Strength on Reckless Wurm to make it a 7/7.
Block Darksteel Colossus with your Wurm.
Ovinize the Shivan Dragon.
You will take four trample damage after blocking Darksteel Colossus, and one from the Raging Goblin. You will be at one life.
At the end of the turn, Impatience kills your opponent.
Scenario 4:
A mix is required.
Cast Wrath of God.
Cast Melancholy on Darksteel Colossus.
Cast Groundbreaker using Elvish Spirit Guide.
Cast Brute Strength on Groundbreaker and attack for nine.
The winners this week were RidiculousHat (3 puzzles) and amajlaton.
Current Scores:
RidiculousHat — 25
Middleman — 23
moxlotus — 12
amajlaton — 10
Mystic Mage — 9
ravenight — 9
Estherandherdoll — 6
Pathian — 6
bleonhar — 5
DI419 — 3
navaja22 — 3
This Week’s Puzzle (12 points total… don’t worry, next week will be worth more points to make up the difference.)
Difficulty: 1/5
For each of the scenarios, explain what the best play(s) you can make are, given the amount of information you have.
Scenario 1: (3 points)
Your opponent “Bad Beat Phil” has you in a race, and his attacking Totem will force you to chump block this turn. You only have two cards in your hand, and they are both lands. Luckily, you still have a decent shot at winning this game, since you have several pump spells in your deck. What is your optimal play?
Phil: (6 life)
8 Forests (5 tapped)
Weatherseed Totem (animated and attacking)
No cards in hand.
You: (3 life)
4 Swamps (all tapped)
4 Forests (2 tapped)
Drudge Reavers (tapped)
Mindless Automaton (2 counters)
Skulking Knight (tapped)
Scenario 2: (3 points)
Phil’s mono-Green aggro deck has managed to bum rush you down to four life, but you have finally stabilized with Urza’s Factory and seven mana in play. The game seems well in hand, and victory is almost assured, but you can never be sure, since you do not know what is in Phil’s deck. It is your first main phase. What is your optimal play?
Phil: (13 life)
5 Forests (tapped)
Llanowar Elves
Llanowar Elves (enchanted with 2 Moldervine Cloak) (tapped)
Phil has no cards in hand.
You: (4 life)
2 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
Island
Plains
Urza’s Factory
Dimir Signet
2 Angel of Despair
Scenario 3: (4 points)
Early in the game Phil Isolated your Goblin Skycutter in order to prevent a few points of damage and keep his air force safe. Several turns later, you find your back against the wall and the Spiketail Drakeling is really limiting your options. It is your first main phase. What is your optimal play?
Phil: (18 life)
3 Islands
2 Plains
Spiketail Drakeling (tapped)
Amrou Seekers (tapped)
Looter il-Kor (tapped)
Phil has 1 card in hand.
You: (4 life)
3 Mountains
1 Swamp
2 Goblin Skycutter (each enchanted with Temporal Isolation)
Your hand:
Flamecore Elemental
Rift Bolt
Sulfurous Blast
Scenario 4: (2 points)
Although Phil’s sliver army never materialized this game, Fungus Sliver alone is enough to stop you from attacking for the win. What is your optimal play?
Phil: (4 life)
2 Forests
2 Islands
2 Plains
Fungus Sliver
You: (4 life)
2 Mountains
2 Forests
Ashcoat Bear (enchanted with Fire Whip)
Durkwood Baloth
Neither player has any cards in hand.
Remember that these puzzles are relatively simple, since they come from real examples. If you have your own scenarios that might make a good basic puzzle, feel free to PM me. Have fun, and good luck!