"I don't know." ~ Master Oogway
NOTE: Angler Turtle IS Pioneer legal. It not being displayed that way is a website bug.
This deck embodies the turtle: enduring, big, and green (surrounded by blue). If you want a deck that can slow the game down and take some serious hits while dishing them out in the late game, this is the deck for you. It's also pretty off meta if you're into that sort of thing.
Gameplay Synopsis
BSE is a pretty straightforward deck on the surface: a Simic ramp deck with tempo elements. But what lies below the surface is what's most important. BSE takes advantage of the classic early ramp granted by Growth Spiral and the blocker + ramp granted by Quandrix Cultivator. Using this early ramp paired with a good blocker, you're going to soak up resources from your opponent easily, while building up to your biggest nuisance : Angler Turtle. Once you've transitioned to the late/mid game, it's important to use the tools this deck gives you to repel any assault they can throw at you. Kappa Tech-Wrecker is the deck's star technician, as he solves early combat, removal, and engines with ease. Ideally, you want to start with him and either his buddy Dragon Turtle to bog down combat or a Prizefight to launch clever ambushes and abuse his deathtouch counter. Fear not though; if you don't start with the Kappa, you can still go for a pure ramp plan. The Spiral and Cultivator combo will surely lead to good news for you.
The Kappa Wall and Early Game
Defending in this deck is easy. Kappa Tech-Wrecker will always eat at least one card from your opponent, and will often eat two if you have any support tools in hand. These tools being the previously mentioned Prizefight and Shore Up. Prizefight is a card that has multiple practical uses with the Kappa: using it during your main phase to take out a creature that won't kill the Kappa, so that they have to use removal or go to a risky combat, or using it during the block to take out multiple creatures with just Kappa. All while providing you mana of any color, this tactic will blunt the edge of your opponent's assault quite easily. Shore Up provides a different set of benefits, one more obvious than the other. You can pressure with the Kappa for early damage safely due to his deathtouch, and then hold the Shore Up in your hand. When they target him, you save him with the Shore Up. Not only does this waste your opponent's early tools, it also untaps the Kappa and makes him even harder to get past this turn. These tactics will allow your trusted friend to fight off the early game single-handedly.
Now, there are sometimes going to be creatures that are able to get past your Kappa. This is why we have Dragon Turtle. Anytime there's a creature large enough to win against the Kappa, you should lock it down for two turns by playing the D Turtle on your opponent's combat step before they attack. You should usually wait until the turn that the threat can attack before calling in the D Turtle. It should be noted that D Turtle himself is usually a big target, and now it's time to exploit your tools even further. If you have the mana for it, a Shore Up or even the cheekily packaged Fading Hope can be a harsh counter. Shore Up will untap D Turtle early, turning him into a 4/6 blocker and occupying a similar role to his little brother. The fade will allow you to use D Turtle again on another turn, while letting you filter the top of your deck since he's 3 CMC. At the very least, Prizefight can be used to make him retaliate hard against your opponent's board.
Fortifying Your Board
This deck is ultimately defensive, and the Kappa won't be able to handle every threat forever. You'll need to take advantage of other tools in your deck to fortify your board and advance it to the win. Assuming you didn't subscribe to the ramp plan, the most common thing to do during the mid game is play a Quandrix Cultivator (QC for short) and grab a much needed land. This land comes in untapped, and as such, is usually an island. This is because the deck's defensive tools rely on having loads of blue mana. Essentially, QC can ramp you mana and protect himself with that ramp. With a solid body to boot, he will continue your stall to the late game.
There is another, much more underappreciated tool in your deck however: that being Undercover Operative. To keep it short, he can come in as an even more resilient version of whatever you need him to. Some common targets for him is the Kappa, as a deathtouch creature with a shield counter is extremely oppressive. Furthermore, this will also essentially "refresh" your deathtouch in the event your original Kappa threw his wrench at an engine piece, since Operative will enter with deathtouch counter on him. Another target is the Cultivator, since not only will he be a big body with a shield counter, but he'll also grab yet another untapped land to protect himself with. Playing a Spiral, into a Cultivator, into an Operative is a quick and easy way to have potentially 7 lands by turn 4. In a pinch, Operative can also be used to copy D Turtle for extra control, or an opponent's creature for stolen value and/or a free block against it.
The Big Blue Shell
Time to go over this deck's win condition. Short and simply, it is to wear your opponent down so much, that their board will be unable to recover from Angler Turtle's oppressive lure effect. He forces the opponent to make bad attacks, and each time he will claim one of your opponent's precious creatures. He'll also get pesky blockers out of the way, and even counters other big creatures that will sit there and prevent you from progressing. Forcing your opponent to always attack keeps them on the offensive, which is bad against a deck that thrives on the defensive. Furthermore, this gets rid of the defensive strategy used to take out large toughness creatures, as they are essentially forced into taking one on one fights now. To top it all off, Angler Turtle has hexproof and a very fat...shell. Immune to most conventional removal, he is sure to spell trouble for a lot of decks.
Weaponizing the Angler
The last part is turning the Angler Turtle from a big nuisance to a game ender. There is one main way to do this, and it is a card near and dear to me and my playgroup: Hadana's Climb
. This card used to dominate RIX sealed and even early Merfolk matchups, by turning a creature into a single unstoppable fighter jet. Now, imagine you apply this effect to a comically large turtle that has at least 5 power and hexproof. 10/12 with flying and hexproof anyone? What's better, is that if you used Angler to flip the climb you'll be getting a 16/18 with flying and hexproof. This will usually result in a one-shot, for obvious reasons. If you manage to get the climb to stick and flip, the game is as good as over. Furthermore, you can use Undercover Operative to make another Angler, but this one is resistent to sweepers too. Even furthermore, Quandrix Command can bolster your Angler, and then either remove an obstacle or counter a threat. From here, just beat face.
Conclusion
All in all, we have a very flexible deck that can take heavy punishment. If your opponent fails to adapt to what you're doing, it's over. You get turn a horribly overlooked card into a massive, hard-shelled missile that's next to impossible to stop once it gets going. All while doing cheeky and clever tricks with turtles.
Sideboard Philosophy (WIP, Suggestions Appreciated)
Currently, Slip Out the Back is there to protect Angler from sweepers and sacs. Bounty is also here for that, by providing ramp and draw for longer games filled with enemy control.
