In the world of MTG, there are a multitude of different archetype styles players can specialize in. Some players enjoy aggressive, proactive decks while others like to take their time playing control decks. Luckily, most MTG formats feature a good mix of decks that offer different play patterns that can appeal to a wide range of players.
That being said, some formats in particular definitely lend themselves to specific playstyles more than others. For instance, if you’re a fan of playing a variety of combo decks on MTG Arena, there’s likely no better place to do so than Timeless. From
Natural Order
Natural Order
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a green creature.
Search your library for a green creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
to
Underworld Breach
Underworld Breach
Each nonland card in your graveyard has escape. The escape cost is equal to the card's mana cost plus exile three other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast cards from your graveyard for their escape cost.)
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this enchantment.
shells, the recently implemented Timeless format is dominated by various combo strategies.
In a recent Timeless tournament on Arena, one underexplored combo deck emerged victorious. Highlighting the power of a Special Guests card from Murders at Karlov Manor, this deck is capable of winning the game as early as turn two! With a surprisingly consistent gameplan, this archetype definitely looks like the real deal.
An Omni-Tell Gameplan
The main goal when playing this deck is to find and cast a copy of Show and Tell and put in a game-breaking bomb. The two big cards you will typically cheat into play are
Omniscience
Omniscience
You may cast spells from your hand without paying their mana costs.
and
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Atraxa, Grand Unifier
Flying, vigilance, deathtouch, lifelink
When Atraxa enters, reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each card type, you may put a card of that type from among the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.)
. In some matchups, putting Atraxa into play may be good enough to win the game. However, because Show and Tell also lets your opponent cheat something huge into play, this isnt always the most reliable plan.
This is where Omniscience comes into play. It is quite common to win the game the same turn that you cast Show and Tell putting Omniscience onto the battlefield. Even if you don’t have Atraxa in hand to follow up Omniscience, this deck plays a high volume of cantrips to help you dig. Additionally, this deck makes great use of Assemble the Team. While this card isn’t quite
Demonic Tutor
Demonic Tutor
Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle.
, it digs deep for your requisite combo cards.
With Omniscience in play, once you are able to find a copy of
Fae of Wishes
Fae of Wishes
Flying
{1}{U}, Discard two cards: Return this creature to its owner's hand.
, winning the game becomes trivial by executing the following steps:
- Use the Adventure portion of Fae of Wishes to tutor for
Shared Summons
Shared Summons
Search your library for up to two creature cards with different names, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle.
- Cast Shared Summons, tutoring for both Atraxa and a second copy of Fae of Wishes
- Cast the Adventure portion of Fae of Wishes once again, this time searching for
Approach of the Second Sun
Approach of the Second Sun
If this spell was cast from your hand and you've cast another spell named Approach of the Second Sun this game, you win the game. Otherwise, put Approach of the Second Sun into its owner's library seventh from the top and you gain 7 life.
- Cast Approach of the Second Sun, putting it back into your library seventh from the top
- Cast Atraxa, and make sure to select Approach as your Sorcery of choice
- Cast Approach a second time, winning you the game
This line of play is not difficult to achieve once you have access to Show and Tell and Omniscience.
Dark Ritual
Dark Ritual
Add {B}{B}{B}.
even helps you execute your combo a full turn early. The key is finding your combo cards and making sure they resolve.
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Digging and Interacting
Almost every other card in the deck either digs for your combo cards or protects your combo once you’ve assembled the pieces. For those who have played Legacy, you know just how powerful
Brainstorm
Brainstorm
Draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.
is in conjunction with Fetchlands. Unlike most other cantrips that offer card selection, Brainstorm gives you the opportunity to shuffle away two cards from your hand that aren’t useful in a given matchup or situation.
As such, the presence of Brainstorm allows you to put somewhat narrow cards in your deck, since you can often ship them away if they’re weak. For instance, this deck plays two copies of
Veil of Summer
Veil of Summer
Draw a card if an opponent has cast a blue or black spell this turn. Spells you control can't be countered this turn. You and permanents you control gain hexproof from blue and from black until end of turn. (You and they can't be the targets of blue or black spells or abilities your opponents control.)
in the maindeck. This isn’t unreasonable given how prevalent
Thoughtseize
Thoughtseize
Target player reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. You lose 2 life.
decks are in the format, and Brainstorm can help lessen the potential downside of drawing the card against decks where the card does nothing.
Speaking of Thoughtseize, this deck makes great use of the elite Sorcery. Not only does Thoughtseize help against opposing combo decks, but it also helps take counter magic or other forms of interaction away from your opponent. Thoughtseize is a double-edged sword, and one of the best cards in the format period.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
As things currently stand, this Show and Tell deck doesn’t actually have a ton of weaknesses. As a combo deck that doesn’t play out of the graveyard, this deck isn’t vulnerable to cards like
Leyline of the Void
Leyline of the Void
If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
If a card would be put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
out of mono-black. Many other combo decks in the format, including Natural Order shells, are a bit slower on average then this deck.
Obviously, Thoughtseize and counter magic can be a bit of a pain for a deck that is heavily reliant on Show and Tell to win. That being said, playing your own copies of Thoughtseize along with Veil of Summer and
Leyline of Sanctity
Leyline of Sanctity
If this card is in your opening hand, you may begin the game with it on the battlefield.
You have hexproof. (You can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
out of the sideboard helps a lot in this regard. The reality is, if you’re not prepared, this archetype can be pretty problematic for you.
Fortunately, there are some tools available at your disposal. As a one-dimensional combo deck, dedicated hate cards can be very effective. This archetype is certainly weak to
Necromentia
Necromentia
Choose a card name other than a basic land card name. Search target opponent's graveyard, hand, and library for any number of cards with that name and exile them. That player shuffles, then creates a 2/2 black Zombie creature token for each card exiled from their hand this way.
effects, as winning without Show and Tell is extremely difficult.
Roiling Vortex
Roiling Vortex
At the beginning of each player's upkeep, this enchantment deals 1 damage to them.
Whenever a player casts a spell, if no mana was spent to cast that spell, this enchantment deals 5 damage to that player.
{R}: Your opponents can't gain life this turn.
out of aggressive red decks can be problematic as well, making Omniscience unreliable. Even
Ashiok, Dream Render
Ashiok, Dream Render
Spells and abilities your opponents control can't cause their controller to search their library.
−1: Target player mills four cards. Then exile each opponent's graveyard.
can be a pain, rendering all of your tutor effects moot.
It’ll be interesting to see how players adjust in the coming weeks. This is yet another deck in the long line of combo strategies that dominate the Timeless format. Don’t be fooled by the fact that Timeless is an Arena-only format, there are tons of incredibly strong decks to play.
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