Ah, Worldslayer. You sweet, sweet, unplayable bomb.
Excuse me, did I say unplayable? That's exactly what your opponents will think until it's too late.
This is a combo-riffic graveyard shenanigans deck powered by a dredge engine. The aim of the deck is to assemble the Worldslayer Lock as quickly as possible.
Components of the Lock
Archetype of Imagination + Swiftfoot Boots + Darksteel Plate + Worldslayer
These four unassuming cards, individually, are decent in their own right. But together, they create an unstoppable engine of destruction that will leave your opponents weeping in awe and fear.
Archetype of Imagination is the key creature because it is essentially unblockable; it literally turns off the opponent's ability to block it, regardless of what they had on the field before the Lock. It's also critical that this is an Enchantment Creature, as it is a key part of assembling the combo.
Swiftfoot Boots will give your Archetype Haste and Hexproof, preventing the opponent from any instant speed shenanigans disrupting the Lock and also speeding your envoy of death toward your opponent in an expeditious fashion.
Darksteel Plate: second in importance only to Worldslayer in establishing the Lock, this nifty armor will shield your Archetype from the Worldslayer's draconian judgment and shield your opponent from any chance at victory.
Worldslayer: the very soul of Wrath itself, its keen edge whistles the song of ultimate decimation as your Archetype thrusts it upon your hapless foe.
The Lock
Swing with the Archetype fully equipped, which can be neither blocked nor interfered with. This triggers the Worldslayer to destroy all other permanents after your Archetype inevitably hits. Your opponent puts their battlefield into their graveyard while you are left with an Indestructible Archetype of Imagination - wearing Indestructible armor - wielding the Worldslayer. Every turn you get to swing with your unblockable, unkillable, world-slaying Archetype, keeping your opponent to just One land (and Zero hope).
"Sounds great!" You might say. "But wait..." You muse a moment later. "Those equip costs...on TOP of those casting costs...and getting all four cards together before my opponent kills me? It's...it's IMPOSSIBLE!" You wail to the heavens, cursing whatever cruel god that would taunt you with such a beautiful creation only to make it unattainable.
Well, dear reader, there is a hope in the darkness; a shining beacon who will come to our aid in this time of greatest need.
Indeed, with Sigarda's Aid, this wild ambition is at our fingertips! Journey with me a while longer, and I will reveal to you my eldritch secrets...
Step One: The Dredge
The fastest way to make that equipment combo happen is to first put all of the pieces into your graveyard. And as we all know, the fastest way to fill up your graveyard is our good friend Dredge.
We run playsets of Golgari Grave-Troll and Life from the Loam as our actual Dredgers, and playsets of Faithless Looting and Cathartic Reunion as our enablers. Let me tell you, there is nothing sweeter than pitching two Golgari Grave-Trolls to a Cathartic Reunion on turn two, and then Dredging 12 as you "draw" them back from your graveyard (and an additional card off the top of your library to boot!)
In order for the combo to work, you must have at least one of each of these cards in your graveyard: Archetype of Imagination, Darksteel Plate, Swiftfoot Boots, Worldslayer, and Sigarda's Aid. With all of our looting, rummaging, and Dredge action, you'll hit those five in no time.
Step Two: Reanimate
And here we arrive at the linchpin card of the deck: Open the Vaults. Cast this card, and you get to return EVERY artifact and enchantment that's in your graveyard onto the battlefield! This is where Archetype of Imagination pulls double duty, as it serves not only as your unstoppable evasion, but also as a creature that is returned from Open the Vaults. Each of the combo pieces above "see" each other entering the battlefield, so Sigarda's Aid allows you to automatically equip the Deathly Trio to your Harbinger of Doom!
"But...but...I get all my artifacts and enchantments back too!" Whines your trembling opponent. "WHO CARES?!" You half-scream, half-laugh. "I HAVE A WORLDSLAYER!"
And you tramp out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored, once more loosing upon your foe the lightning of your terrible, swift sword.
A Little Insurance
That is, you'll have a Worldslayer Lock as long as you successfully cast Open the Vaults. In this world fraught with counterspells and the possibility of Dredging out all of your Vaults, it pays to have an ace or two up your sleeve.
For your consideration, dear reader: Boseiju, Who Shelters All and Mystic Retrieval.
Boseiju will shelter our linchpin sorcery under its sturdy branches, fending off the cold, cruel grasp of any opposing blue mage who dares to affront this gift of the gods. And Mystic Retrieval will safeguard us from that delicious lick of irony, seeing all of our Open the Vaults dredged into our graveyard. Retrieval also pulls double duty, allowing us some eleventh hour dredge power by returning Cathartic Reunion back to our hand on Turn 5, just in case you're missing that last combo piece.
Go Forth
Now that you have tasted the exhilaration of the Worldslayer Lock, dear reader, do not deny yourself the exquisite pleasure of knowing its magnificence firsthand!
Take these, my eldritch secrets - and if this dreadful power is truly what you seek, try looking in craters...
