Conflux - Nicol Bolas

[juzamjedi]

If you have been playing Magic for a while you probably know that Sneak Attack + Nicol Bolas = lots of 4 letter words coming from the mouth of your opponent. Well it looks like the Conflux design team has decided to take a new twist on this old favorite. If you haven't seen this article yet you might like to take a look because he looks really awesome. I know that I am already dreaming up ways to put him in play on turn 3...

Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

[staggerwingjtstw]

I'm curious as to what ideas you've got. Off the top of my head I can think of one way (two if you make an assumption) because he's not a creature. First is to mana ramp into Eureka. The second is to play a Retraced Image, which then kills both Nicol Bolas, Planeswalkers because of the Planeswalker rule. (I wonder if I played against someone else named Jeff if we'd be sent to our respective graveyards.)

[juzamjedi]

The first ideas that I was playing around with were the cycle of Hideaway lands. Now that you mention it Eureka is actually a better engine card. Here are a few cards to get this idea rolling:

Mosswort Bridge
Windbrisk Heights
Eureka (your suggestion and I don't mind using it!)
Sylvan Scrying (to get the Hideaway Lands)
Sage Owl
Ponder
Telling Time
Cream of the Crop (if you decide to go Mosswort Bridge)
Various mana elves

[staggerwingjtstw]

I like Mosswort Bridge. It's easy to get up to 10 power (Nova Chaser anyone?). Do a red/green deck, with Smokebraider and elves.

[Kl3p_co.]

Its very bad to do a RW deck (sorry but Mosswort Bridge is just bad) with the only way with casting bolas through a hideaway land..When you draw bolas late-game or you wont find bolas in the top 4 cards,you just got served...The best way to play bolas is just to play grixis or 5c control,where he has synergies and is a kill condition..Even when youre talking about casual,there are better ways to put him into play..

[juzamjedi]

Sure I know that Hideaway isn't reliable even with one of the ones that is easier to trigger. But it doesn't change the fact that I think it is just plain cool to find a way to put this planeswalker into play on turn 3. Plus the fact that you would call Mosswort Bridge a terrible card makes me want to get it to work even more. I am definitely a "Johnny" and if you know the name Mark Rosewater then you should catch my meaning.

I think blue would be the best main color to make it work because it has scrying and boomerang effects for the Hideaway land if you don't get the perfect initial setup. I cannot see a way to get Shelldock Isle to combo quickly so I am trying out the others to see which one I like the best.

[Kl3p_co.]

As I said,I would play Grixis(if u want U your main color),which gives you other 2 hideaway lands(though I wouldnt play more than 4,maybe3+1?),and I would it include just like a tech,cuz a good grixis aggro is doable(sedraxis specter,drifter,that new black conflux fatty for 1BB etc),although the manabase would be veeery instable(youre fixing a 3-color deck + you want to play hideaway lands),BUT I rly think this has a future(or a better future than with some offcolor mosswort bridges or windbrisk heights)

[Nyth]

Here's another idea I came up with a few weeks ago...

Given that Nicol's -9 is practically "Target player loses the game", then I'd make a deck to bring him out extra early with Windbrisk Heights, using the Gilder Bairn in the process to immediately double his counters and use his ultimate on turn 5 or so... Now that would be a fun deck.

Imagine an opening hand such as this: Ornithopter x 3, Windbrisk Heights, Ponder, Island, Gilder Bairn.
Turn 1: Island, Ornithopter x 3, Ponder and place Plains top card and Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker second card down and Negate/Plains for third card, draw the Plains.
Turn 2: Windbrisk Heights with Nicol underneath.
Turn 3: Plains, Attack with Ornithopters - Activate Windbrisk Heights, Play Nicol, Use +3 ability.
Turn 4: Island, Use Nicol's +3 ability
Turn 5: Island, Use Nicol's -9 to win the game.

Ah... In an ideal world. And cross your fingers that a Boomerang, Oblivion Ring or the new Celestial Purge doesn't spoil the play. Just sit back for turn 4 and 5 with Negates in your hand. Like I said... Fun deck, ideal world.

Alternatively, if you want to pull off Nicol's ability a second time around in a multiplayer game (this works with any planeswalker).
Turn 4: Island, Gilder Bairn, Use Nicol's +3 ability
Turn 5: Island, Banishing Knack on Gilder Bairn, Tap Gilder Bairn and send something back [or just attack with Gilder Bairn], Untap and double Nicol's loyalty counters to 22. Use Nicol's -9 to take out one opponent.
Turn 6: Use Nicol's -9 to take out another opponent.

Johnnytastic... Now if I could only make a legal deck with 20 cards in it, it would be perfect...

[Kl3p_co.]

you summed it up in the last sentence,with that combo,the chances of going off liek that are about 10%, and thats an highly optimistic number..The 1st Idea is nice but its freakin offcolor(I know its Johnnyish,but anyway..),and doable only in a 5c control(5c aggro is a rly bad idea )..And actually,his ability sais "you win the game" only in midle or late game,cuz in the 2nd turn the opponent isnt set up so,that his ability will have a crushing influence on the game(Ok he loses 7 life,but has still 13,and hasnt got 7 permaments to sacrifice,but he discards 7 cards,that means his whole hand,which is the best part in turn 1-2)

[staggerwingjtstw]

I think the best part of that situation is that in two or three turns when the opponent is just starting to recover and BAM! -9 again!

[juzamjedi]

Nyth, I love it. I had not thought of Ornithopter nor had I thought of Gilder Bairn. The mere possibility of doubling Bolas' counters is pretty cool. But look again: a *turn 2* Nicol Bolas Planeswalker is possible with 3 x Ornithopter and 1 x Windbrisk Heights on turn 1

I think blue/green makes the most sense for this deck. Green gets you land tutors to get the Windbrisk Heights into play. Plus there is another twist I thought about earlier this week that would be another nice hideaway target: Brilliant Ultimatum.

Essentially this deck is all about casting some ridiculous spell early by triggering Windbrisk Heights. I think this deck would be fun and with its tutoring and scrying it should go off more often than 10%. Here's a first draft of what I think this combo deck could be:

Lands [20]:
4 x Windbrisk Heights
4 x Vivid Grove
4 x Vivid Creek
4 x Vivid Meadow
4 x Yavimaya Coast

Creatures [18]:
4 x Ornithopter
4 x Skyshroud Ranger (drop on turn 1 would allow 3 creatures plus the Heights on turn 2, activate on turn 3!)
2 x Slippery Bogle
4 x Cursecatcher (doubles as a counterspell)
3 x Sage Owl
1 x Gilder Bairn

Other [22]:
4 x Sylvan Scrying (land tutor to get Windbrisk Heights)
3 x Recross the Paths (another nonbasic land tutor, clash synergy)
4 x Ponder
2 x Negate
4 x Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
3 x Brilliant Ultimatum
2 x Worldpurge (in case you don't combo into Nicol, or if he is stuck in your hand, then you can slip him back into your deck)

[Nyth]

I like the preliminary deck build... I know the Ornithopters and the Windbrisk Heights could bring out Nicol on turn 2, but I was trying to see other options.

Not sure about the Vivid lands... It would slow it down far too much... It wouldn't allow for turn two activation of the heights since one wouldn't have white mana to do so. Come into play tapped, remember?

But otherwise quite nice... Not sure if Worldpurge is needed unless it ends up under the heights instead of Nicol...

I might just build this deck with proxies just to try it out...

[juzamjedi]

Doh! I actually did not notice the tapped part. Looks like more pain lands instead of the Vivid lands.

Yes that is exactly the idea behind Worldpurge. It lets you reset the board in case you didn't get to hideaway Nicol in the top 4 and let you try to combo again.

[staggerwingjtstw]

For replacing the Vivids, instead of the painlands, you could do the Ravnica duals. It would in theory let you get more mana for less pain depending on how many times you need colored mana. On the other hand, if you're trying to stay Standard, that's not possible. And if you don't mind being out side standard, you could use the Alpha duals instead

[Kl3p_co.]

this week that would be another nice hideaway target: Brilliant Ultimatum.

Brilliant Ultimatum?Wtf?Man that card is horrible in limited,how could it be playable in constructed?

When I just ignore that you are going really offcolor (which logically means that you get a lot of dead draws,if you try to utilize the hideaway tech) and outside standart,why do you still use hideaway lands?I mean,there are things named mana rituals and Invasion lands,so I would probably go with them,not with ornithopters and hideaway lands(I doubt that you draw a Windbrisk Heights and 3 ornithopthers in at least 80% of all games in the first 2 turns)..Plus,you can use tutors,such as the blue and black ones,which are pretty useful These were only some thoughts on this thing,which are imo the way to go when you try to cast bolas quickly(imho a turn 3 bolas is still as crushing as a turn a 2 Bolas).
edit:yea,and I would think about how to protect your combo,cards like orims chant and xantid swarm are really good at it