When we think of Izzet decks we usually think of spell slinging strategies or, maybe, Artifact-focussed approaches . We definitely don’t think of launching huge attacks using giant Wurms with stats in the 30s. This popular new Red/Blue deck aims to change that perception, and show that a true Izzet Wizard can utilise Wurms as well as Phoenixes.
Worldspine Wurm
Worldspine Wurm
Trample
When this creature dies, create three 5/5 green Wurm creature tokens with trample.
When Worldspine Wurm is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
was released in Return To Ravnica in 2012. This colossal 15/15 Wurm has some of the highest stats in the game, balanced out by a restrictive cost of 11 mana. The Wurm has trample and when it dies, it creates three 5/5 trampling Wurm tokens, effectively, splitting itself into three. If
Worldspine Wurm
Worldspine Wurm
Trample
When this creature dies, create three 5/5 green Wurm creature tokens with trample.
When Worldspine Wurm is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
would go to the graveyard, it instead shuffles itself back into its controller’s deck. The card has become the centerpiece of an innovative Pioneer deck known as “Izzet Creativity”.
Worldspine Wurm
Worldspine Wurm
Trample
When this creature dies, create three 5/5 green Wurm creature tokens with trample.
When Worldspine Wurm is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
is one of only two creatures in the deck, alongside Xenagos, God of Revels.
Two of the eight players in the top 8 of Pro Tour: Phyrexia, Reid Duke, and Gabriel Nassif, are running the deck and it’s certainly making an impact on the meta. But what is this deck’s strategy? What makes it so “Creative”? And why is a deck with Izzet in its name based around a powerful Green card?
The Deck List
Reid Duke is piloting the build below at Pro Tour: Phyrexia. Gabriel Nassif’s list is similar, running the same cards in the main deck, with a few cards swapped around in the sideboard.
Creatures
Xenagos, God of Revels x1
Worldspine Wurm
Worldspine Wurm
Trample
When this creature dies, create three 5/5 green Wurm creature tokens with trample.
When Worldspine Wurm is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
x1
Sorceries
Indomitable Creativity
Indomitable Creativity
Destroy X target artifacts and/or creatures. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until an artifact or creature card is revealed and exiles that card. Those players put the exiled cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
x4
Instants
Fiery Impulse
Fiery Impulse
Fiery Impulse deals 2 damage to target creature.
Spell mastery — If there are two or more instant and/or sorcery cards in your graveyard, Fiery Impulse deals 3 damage instead.
x4
Secrets of the Key x1
Spell Pierce
Spell Pierce
Counter target noncreature spell unless its controller pays {2}.
x1
Spikefield Hazard
Spikefield Hazard
Spikefield Hazard deals 1 damage to any target. If a permanent dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.
x2
Fire Prophecy x4
Impulse
Impulse
Look at the top four cards of your library. Put one of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
x4
Make Disappear
Make Disappear
Casualty 1 (As you cast this spell, you may sacrifice a creature with power 1 or greater. When you do, copy this spell and you may choose a new target for the copy.)
Counter target spell unless its controller pays {2}.
x3
Valakut Awakening x1
Big Score
Big Score
As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card.
Draw two cards and create two Treasure tokens. (They're artifacts with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")
x4
Dig Through Time
Dig Through Time
Delve (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for {1}.)
Look at the top seven cards of your library. Put two of them into your hand and the rest on the bottom of your library in any order.
x1
Enchantments
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I — Create a 2/2 red Goblin Shaman creature token with "Whenever this token attacks, create a Treasure token."
II — You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw that many cards.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
x4
Shark Typhoon
Shark Typhoon
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create an X/X blue Shark creature token with flying, where X is that spell's mana value.
Cycling {X}{1}{U} ({X}{1}{U}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, create an X/X blue Shark creature token with flying.
x1
Lands
Hall of Storm Giants
Hall of Storm Giants
If you control two or more other lands, this land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {U}.
{5}{U}: Until end of turn, this land becomes a 7/7 blue Giant creature with ward {3}. It's still a land. (Whenever it becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays {3}.)
x1
Mountain
Mountain
({T}: Add {R}.)
x2
Mutavault
Mutavault
{T}: Add {C}.
{1}: This land becomes a 2/2 creature with all creature types until end of turn. It's still a land.
x2
Otawara, Soaring City
Otawara, Soaring City
{T}: Add {U}.
Channel — {3}{U}, Discard this card: Return target artifact, creature, enchantment, or planeswalker to its owner's hand. This ability costs {1} less to activate for each legendary creature you control.
x1
Riverglide Pathway x4
Shivan Reef x2
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
{T}: Add {R}.
Channel — {3}{R}, Discard this card: Create two 1/1 colorless Spirit creature tokens. They gain haste until end of turn. This ability costs {1} less to activate for each legendary creature you control.
x2
Spirebluff Canal
Spirebluff Canal
This land enters tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands.
{T}: Add {U} or {R}.
x3
Steam Vents
Steam Vents
({T}: Add {U} or {R}.)
As this land enters, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, it enters tapped.
x4
Stormcarved Coast
Stormcarved Coast
This land enters tapped unless you control two or more other lands.
{T}: Add {U} or {R}.
x3
Sideboard
Rending Volley
Rending Volley
This spell can't be countered.
Rending Volley deals 4 damage to target white or blue creature.
x3
Aether Gust x1
Disdainful Stroke
Disdainful Stroke
Counter target spell with mana value 4 or greater.
x1
Narset’s Reversal x2
Negate x2
Mystical Dispute
Mystical Dispute
This spell costs {2} less to cast if it targets a blue spell.
Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}.
x1
Shark Typhoon
Shark Typhoon
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create an X/X blue Shark creature token with flying, where X is that spell's mana value.
Cycling {X}{1}{U} ({X}{1}{U}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, create an X/X blue Shark creature token with flying.
x3
Hullbreaker Horror
Hullbreaker Horror
Flash
This spell can't be countered.
Whenever you cast a spell, choose up to one —
• Return target spell you don't control to its owner's hand.
• Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.
x2
The Game Plan
Izzet Creativity decks derive their name from the card
Indomitable Creativity
Indomitable Creativity
Destroy X target artifacts and/or creatures. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until an artifact or creature card is revealed and exiles that card. Those players put the exiled cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
. For 3 Red and X, Indomitable Creativity destroys X artifacts or creatures, the controller of each destroyed card then reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal an artifact or creature which they bring into play without paying the cost. This is repeated until every destroyed card has been replaced with a new artifact or creature from the deck.
Izzet Creativity decks generate artifact and creature tokens using cards like
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I — Create a 2/2 red Goblin Shaman creature token with "Whenever this token attacks, create a Treasure token."
II — You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw that many cards.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
and Secrets of the Key. Once turn 5 hits, Indomitable Creativity is cast with X equal to two. The player running the deck destroys two of their own artifacts or creatures and then begins to dig through their deck. As the only legal targets in the deck are
Worldspine Wurm
Worldspine Wurm
Trample
When this creature dies, create three 5/5 green Wurm creature tokens with trample.
When Worldspine Wurm is put into a graveyard from anywhere, shuffle it into its owner's library.
and Xenagos, God of Revels those cards are fetched and brought straight into play. When the combat phase begins, Xenagos grants Worldspine Wurm +15/+15 and Haste, and the Wurm attacks, assumingly for lethal.
Shark Typhoon
Shark Typhoon
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, create an X/X blue Shark creature token with flying, where X is that spell's mana value.
Cycling {X}{1}{U} ({X}{1}{U}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, create an X/X blue Shark creature token with flying.
and Hall of the Storm Giant can also be used as backup threats in the event the Wurm fails to secure the kill.
The rest of the deck is composed largely of removal spells, draw effects and, counterspells. Cards like Fire Prophecy and Valakut Awakening are useful because they can put Xenagos and Worldspine Wurm back into the deck, where they can be retrieved, this keeps them out of the hand where they are useless.
Worldspine Wurm’s ability to shuffle itself back into the deck if it goes to the graveyard is utilized well here. In most decks, this effect would be a downside because it keeps Worldspine Wurm out of the Graveyard where it could easily be reanimated. This deck contains no means of reanimating Worldspine Wurm, but the card placing itself back in the deck, instead of going to the graveyard, is useful in several ways. The Wurm can be discarded to enable
Big Score
Big Score
As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card.
Draw two cards and create two Treasure tokens. (They're artifacts with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")
, and, most importantly, even if it is destroyed when it makes its big attack, it can still be fetched back later on with another use of
Indomitable Creativity
Indomitable Creativity
Destroy X target artifacts and/or creatures. For each permanent destroyed this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until an artifact or creature card is revealed and exiles that card. Those players put the exiled cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
for another attack.
For all of its strengths, this deck has a few weaknesses. Its lack of creatures leaves it vulnerable to aggressive decks which can build a very wide board and potentially outpace its ability to destroy attackers. Similarly, if Worldspine Wurm is destroyed by an exile effect, it doesn’t get shuffled back into the deck meaning it can’t be fetched again for another big strike.
Conclusion
The Worldspine Wurm/Xenagos, God of Revels version of this deck is not the only variant out there. Other versions of the deck instead use Indomitable Creativity to fetch Torrential Gearhulk which they then use to cast powerful like
Magma Opus
Magma Opus
Magma Opus deals 4 damage divided as you choose among any number of targets. Tap two target permanents. Create a 4/4 blue and red Elemental creature token. Draw two cards.
{U/R}{U/R}, Discard this card: Create a Treasure token.
. There’s even a Modern version of the deck which changes up its color identity and brings out Archons of Cruelty using Indomitable Creativity in order to deal an overwhelming amount of damage and close out the game.
Reid Duke was able to win Pro Tour: Phyrexia using this deck. It certainly lives up to its name and offers a creative gameplay experience, while not compromising on power.