Long ago, I used to play competitive Chess. In the Chess world, we would do thousands of puzzles, making you recognize positions that were winning after long decision trees. In Magic, generally games will be different each time, and you won’t play the same deck every time or against the same deck, so puzzles are not useful for gaining knowledge. Instead, I think that they help you gain analytical skills and keep your mind open to ‘outside-the-box’ plays. Try to imagine you are within a game situation, where you don’t know that there is in fact a ‘answer’ to the question of “What do I do?” Try to picture everything and all the different options in your head, though be free to use a piece of paper for calculations, as you could during a match. This particular puzzle is taken from an actual game of mine, and while mind-tricks were involved to get to this situation, none were involved past this point. Without further ado, here is the puzzle!
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From a turn 1 [card]Thoughtseize[/card], you know your opponent’s hand. Your opponent rips a third land, plays it, and casts [card]Kira, Great Glass Spinner[/card]. You respond by activating your top, and after seeing the top 3 cards you realize you could win this game that had seemed unwinnable.
What is the play?
You
In play: [card]Island[/card] (tapped on opponent’s turn), [card]Swamp[/card], [card]Underground Sea[/card], [card]Senseis Divining Top[/card]
In hand: [card]Lions Eye Diamond[/card], [card]Infernal Tutor[/card], [card]Cabal Ritual[/card], [card]Lotus Petal[/card], [card]Underground Sea[/card]
Top 3 cards of library: [card]Polluted Delta[/card], [card]Slaughter Pact[/card], [card]Lotus Petal[/card]
Your graveyard: [card]Polluted Delta[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card]
Your life: 13
Your decklist:
[deck title=Ad Nauseam Tendrils]
[Land]
4 Polluted Delta
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Flooded Strand
1 Swamp
1 Island
4 Underground Sea
2 City of Traitors
[/Land]
[Spells]
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Echoing Truth
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Mystical Tutor
3 Infernal Tutor
4 Lions Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
2 Ad Nauseam
2 Tendrils of Agony
4 Duress
3 Thoughtseize
4 Dark Ritual
3 Cabal Ritual
2 Senseis Divining Top
4 Brainstorm
2 Ponder
[/Spells]
[/deck]
Opponent
In play: 2 [card]Tundra[/card] (tapped), 1 [card]Island[/card] (tapped), [card]Meddling Mage[/card] naming [card]Ad Nauseam[/card] (tapped), [card]Kira, Great Glass Spinner[/card] (On the Stack)
Opponent’s hand: 2 [card]Spectral Procession[/card], [card]Force of Will[/card], [card]Swords to Plowshares[/card], [card]Orims Chant[/card]
Opponent’s life: 20
Opponent’s Graveyard: [card]Ethersworn Canonist[/card]
Alexander Hayne is the 2012 Pro Tour Barcelona champion. He also finished 2nd at GP Montreal in 2011.
