Channeling Genius

Casual Casual Combo Goodstuff Jank Sacrifice

Squee_Spirit_Guide

Artifact (13)

• 1x Black Vise
• 1x Feldon's Cane
• 3x Howling Mine
• 1x Ivory Tower
• 3x Lotus Petal
• 1x Meekstone
• 1x Phyrexian Processor
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Zuran Orb

Creature (8)

• 3x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Ornithopter
• 4x Wall of Blossoms

Land (22)

• 2x City of Brass
• 9x Forest
• 6x Island
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Thalakos Lowlands
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Fastbond
• 1x Squandered Resources

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Channel
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Fireball
• 1x Planar Birth
• 1x Recall
• 1x Tinker

Instant (9)

• 4x Arcane Denial
• 2x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Simulacrum
• 1x Stroke of Genius

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Sideboard

Instant (7)

• 2x Avoid Fate
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Diabolic Edict
• 1x Evacuation
• 2x Swords to Plowshares

Land (1)

• 1x Glacial Chasm

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Circle of Protection: Red
• 1x Hanna's Custody

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Tropical Storm
• 1x Wrath of God

Artifact (2)

• 1x Crumbling Sanctuary
• 1x Ensnaring Bridge

Creature (1)

• 1x Vesuvan Doppelganger

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Maybeboard

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Dystopia
• 1x Sylvan Library

Artifact (2)

• 1x Mishra's Helix
• 1x Voltaic Key

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Summer Bloom

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This deck may look confusing at first. Don't worry, it really is as confusing to play as it looks! 80% of the time it dies a slow death but gives you constant hope. 20% of the time it takes you on a wonderful journey of staying alive right on the edge just long enough to pull off a dramatic, convoluted win.

Why?

I built the first iteration of this deck years ago with the goal of having one deck that created fun games and didn't get boring to play. There are a few things that make Magic boring to me and the biggest are winning all the time, losing all the time, and a deck that does the same thing every time. This deck is designed to be fun to play, fun to play against, and have a decent chance of winning without being overpowered. It's also designed to make your opponent wonder what the heck you're doing :)

This deck has changed a lot over the years but the win conditions have always required multiple cards or a decent amount of setup to keep things exciting. The win conditions require large amounts of mana and assembling the pieces needed to do that is half the fun. This makes it feel like I'm working towards something even if I lose. And when I pull off the win, it's usually pretty spectacular.

I use things like Howling Mine and Arcane Denial because helping your opponent draw cards makes them feel a little better about having their spell countered or having to puzzle around a Meekstone.

The Win Conditions

There are really only four main win conditions, but the real journey is in how you set them up because they're all one-ofs.

Phyrexian Processor is probably the most straightforward win condition in the deck. Ramp it out quickly or Tinker it out early for a steady supply of tokens. Playing it on turn 2 or 3 is usually enough of a head start to get over the line. I normally pay 5 life when it enters play, but ballers pay 10.

Fireball is also straightforward as a win condition, but generating the mana is more the adventure here. Channel + Fireball is one of the most iconic combos, and the mana from channel is what powers this deck's technically-possibly turn one win. Fireball can also be used to control the board in a pinch.

Stroke of Genius and Black Vise can both win the game on their own, Black Vise through attrition and damage, and Stroke of Genius by milling. However, sometimes a small Stroke of Genius at the end of your turn is all you need for Black Vise to finish off your opponent during their upkeep. Just make sure it does the job, otherwise they'll probably have what they need to win.

What does the rest of it do?

Zuran Orb/Squandered Resources + Planar Birth is one of the wildest combos in the deck. Sacrifice your basic lands for life or mana (the age old question) then bring them back and do it again. The life from Zuran Orb can then be fed into Channel for game-winning amounts of mana. It's best to only do this in desperation or as a winning move, but you'd be surprised how many times desperation turns into a winning move...

Arcane Denial is great at helping keep you alive and it gets even more fun when your opponent opts to draw the cards during their upkeep, then realises it means they'll take two extra damage to Black Vise. Of course, it has also been known to help the opponent draw into a win...

There aren't many creatures in the deck and none of them have a power greater than 0. Birds of Paradise is crucial for mana production and is one of the few ways the deck can generate {B}, {R}, and {W}. They also make great chump blockers. Wall of Blossoms keeps you alive and replaces itself when it enters the battlefield. Ornithopter is just there to block fliers and be sacrificed to Tinker.

Feldon's Cane... sometimes you need to just not deck yourself.

Ivory Tower is really there to help you not die, but every once in a while it provides just enough life for Channel to be a game winner.

Recall is very helpful when you realise Fireball is your only out and you played it on turn 3 to get rid of something that seemed like a much bigger threat at the time. It has a lot of nostalgia, but if I come across a Regrowth on my travels, I'll probably swap it out.

Thalakos Lowlands really only went in because I like the art. I don't feel like I need to justify it beyond that, this deck is all about fun :).

Top Ranked	Achieved #15 position overall 1 year ago Achieved #1 position in Casual 1 year ago
Date added	1 year
Last updated	1 month
Legality	This deck is Casual legal.
Rarity (main - side)	17 - 6 Rares 17 - 4 Uncommons 10 - 5 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	1.47
Tokens	Minion X/X B
Folders	Pre-Y2K, Legacy Decks I Did Not Make