Attn: Everyone

I was drafting along, minding my own business when all of the sudden I got passed Bahamut p2p2. I wasn’t in white but said, “let’s do it”. I wound up in “3 color good stuff” and it worked. I was 6-1 and then in game 8 was RNG away from the win.

This is your fault!

Here’s the deal, there is a ton of fixing in this set. The power you get from going to three colors is bonkers. You get multiple bombs. So let’s talk about fixing.

Here are the bombs I played

And here is the late game gas I never had trouble casting

FWIW: I consider a White Dragon a bomb and if you drop a Purple Worm on turn 5 (which I did twice) it is a bomb too. I should also mention that Volo doubling any of those feels real good.

Part I: Fixing

First of all, please ignore all the comments you have heard about this set being not a good set for splashing because there is no color fixing. Those were early reports and they did not realize that every card that says ‘treasure’ or ‘venture’ is a color fixer. See this post.

Secondly, there are two lands that help with fixing and the dragon land is a doozy. In this set if you want dragons you get dragons so it is on point.

You have to get some of these for this plan to work.

Oh, and there is one more thing about lands. Play 18 lands. I’ll say it again. Play 18 lands. Your 23rd card is not as good as having that clutch 3rd color producing land. And the power you get from being able to play more bombs is all you need.

Finally, the real reason this whole thing can fly. The mana smoothing algorithm in best of one matches on arena. Did you know that when arena presents you a hand at the start of the game it is actually the more color balanced of two random draws from your deck? Well if you didn’t I’m here to tell you that Wizards has your back and they give you two cracks at getting the color apple. In a three color deck this means you are gonna hit two of your colors in the first draw and then you just have to work your plan to get the third.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention my ramp all star

Mage Hand FTW!

Results: 6-3

I started 6-1 was an RNG away from winning (they drew their dragon and I drew land, it could have gone the other way). I had no chance in the last game, it was the only game of the nine where I had color problems. It was all blue hand and no Islands.

Screenshots:

This is the power of the mana smoothing algorithm. Is there luck here? Absolutely, but it is not as lucky as you think.
I just had to share this board state. The board is mostly GW, especially when you see the White Dragon in the yard. But don’t forget to look at that Blue Dragon in the hand that is castable.

Decklist:

Deck


1 Minimus Containment (AFR) 24
1 Intrepid Outlander (AFR) 191
1 Purple Worm (AFR) 201
1 Gretchen Titchwillow (AFR) 223
1 Prosperous Innkeeper (AFR) 200
1 Shortcut Seeker (AFR) 73
1 Volo, Guide to Monsters (AFR) 238
1 Grand Master of Flowers (AFR) 17
1 Charmed Sleep (AFR) 50
3 Clever Conjurer (AFR) 51
1 Blue Dragon (AFR) 49
1 Rimeshield Frost Giant (AFR) 69
1 Loyal Warhound (AFR) 23
1 Drizzt Do’Urden (AFR) 220
1 Underdark Basilisk (AFR) 208
1 Half-Elf Monk (AFR) 19
1 White Dragon (AFR) 41
1 Temple of the Dragon Queen (AFR) 260
1 Secret Door (AFR) 71
1 Portable Hole (AFR) 33
1 Contact Other Plane (AFR) 52
6 Forest (AFR) 281
5 Island (AFR) 269
6 Plains (AFR) 265

Sideboard
1 Dragon’s Fire (AFR) 139
1 Leather Armor (AFR) 248
2 Circle of the Moon Druid (AFR) 177
1 You Meet in a Tavern (AFR) 215
1 Inspiring Bard (AFR) 189
2 Ranger’s Longbow (AFR) 203
1 Sylvan Shepherd (AFR) 206
1 Soulknife Spy (AFR) 75
2 Iron Golem (AFR) 247
1 Ranger’s Hawk (AFR) 37
1 You Find the Villains’ Lair (AFR) 84
1 Air-Cult Elemental (AFR) 45
1 Shocking Grasp (AFR) 72
1 Mimic (AFR) 249
1 Silver Raven (AFR) 74
1 Compelled Duel (AFR) 178

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