A standard deck that falls off the grid

Many newcomers may have been looking forward to the new set during the so-called spoiler season. No wonder – after all, “Throne of Eldraine” promised a promising new engine: Adventure[1]. Even long-time players were probably amazed by this mechanic. It suggested a synergetic deck that just needed to be brewed. At the Mythic Championships in Arena format, Piotr Glogowski delivered one of the first interpretations of such a deck. He played an unspectacular 3-3 with “Golgari Adventure“, but what is more important for the community than Glogowski’s result is the confrontation with an unusual game strategy.

You can’t win a game with adventure cards alone. The deck would lack card draw and game-changing bombs . A balanced deck also needs several cards that – if necessary – can single-handedly turn the game around.

Glogowski’s “Golgari Adventure” is primarily aimed at using its centerpiece Edgewall Inkeeper[4] and adventure creatures to fill the board. With this kind of strategy, there is normally a latent danger of a board wipe – but not with this deck. Although a wide field is built up with inexpensive creatures, Edgewall Inkeeper ‘s trigger ability repeatedly helps to create so-called two-for-ones[2]. If you draw the same number of cards that you put into the game setup during a turn, a board wipe is only half as bad. After all, if there are two Edgewall Inkeepers in play, the synergies degenerate.

When it came to the bombs, Glogowski opted for the obvious candidates. Even when the Mythics were spoiled, they were the talk of the town: Questing Beast[3] and Rankle, Master of Pranks[5]. Both are exceptionally strong creatures. If Rankle flies over the often non-flying creatures, the Questing Beast causes constant combat damage due to its near-unblockability.

All-round assessment of the deck:

It is suitable for tournaments and comparatively inexpensive. The deck does not pursue a single, clear winning strategy. In fact, apart from the adventure creatures, every permanent is a must answer. The opponent will usually be overwhelmed in the first game because there are so many strategic, central cards that require an answer. The bombs are also decisive in a wide variety of matchups and are therefore firmly anchored in the current meta.

The price of the deck is around 400 francs, so it’s no bargain. However, there is a budget version, which is listed below. The synergies are comparable to the original. The focus is still on Edgewall Inkeeper – naturally represented in the full playset. There are no bombs, but the deck is centered around a specific tribal: Knights. The most expensive card in the budget deck is Once Upon a Time[6]. However, this can easily be replaced by additional copies of Incubation // Incongruity to keep the price as low as possible.

However, if you are willing to spend some money to give the deck the finishing touches, Once Upon a Time is not a bad choice. There is also another supplementary option: instead of 4 Murderous Rider, you could just as well play 3. In combination with Lucky Clover, a single Murderous Rider is often enough to gain the upper hand. If you then remove one more swamp, you could fill the remaining two slots with Assassin’s Trophy.

Click here for the individual cards

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[1] “Adventures” were first introduced in the Throne of Eldraine set released in 2019. Adventure cards consist of two different spells – a creature and a spontaneous spell/witchcraft. It has a high degree of versatility: for example, it can be cast directly as a creature, but this removes its second purpose. If you play the instant or sorcery spell first, the spell goes “on an adventure journey”. This means that it is exiled – i.e. leaves the game – and can be cast as a creature from there at any time.

[2] Two-for-one refers to all card effects that influence the game in one of the following ways, for example:

• You play a card that lets you draw two cards. (Chemister’s Insight)
• The opponent discards twice due to a card effect of yours. (Mind Red)
• You put a creature or Planeswalker into play that destroys an opponent’s creature or Planeswalker due to its effect or activated ability. (You build up your field and weaken your opponent’s at the same time) (Wicked Wolf, Dragon God)

In short: Two-for-one includes all spells that use an effect to give you a card advantage over your opponent.

[3] Image for Questing Beast [4] Edgewall Inkeeper [5] Rankle, Master of Pranks

[6] Once Upon a Time is one of the most powerful tutor spells printed in recent sets. If no spell has been cast yet, Once Upon a Time can be cast for free. The spontaneous spell allows you to keep even disappointing starting hands.