I'm going to explain the purpose of every card in this deck. Lands- I don't feel like I need to explain why there's
Wandering Fumarole
s, Spirebluff Canals, or Aether Hubs, but we run more than 24 lands total because the deck is technically top heavy.
Creatures-
-Torrential Gearhulk - This card is the soul of the deck, it casts one of the 25 instants we've already cast. an obvious 4 copies.
Sorcery-
-Sweltering Suns - great card. The last time I played a 3 mana 3 damage sweep, it was in Kaladesh Standard, with U/R Dynavolt Tower, and Radiant Flames was frustrating to cast paying an energy to get a 3rd mana. This deck runs 4, because against control, it's an easy cycle card, so it's never useless.
Instants
Commit / Memory a good removal spell for the non-creature non-artifact targets that survive the stack wars. I'm considering putting Kefnet's Last Word in the sideboard to steal enchanments, because it's the only spell in U/R that has a good answer to enchanments, like fevered visions.-Abrade - because Sweltering Suns doesn't destroy artifacts, and this card basically scared off mardu vehicles. for that, this card is a 2 of.
-Censor - Force spiking any spell is so satisfying, this card is what you will have in the mainboard to scare your opponent into having 1 mana to spare for each spell. Scare tactics. it's a 3 so there's room for other spells, but this usually gets benched in games 2 and 3 for more relevant spells.
-Disallow - pretty good, but there's not that much stuff to stifle, maybe another cycling effect or a planeswalker ultimate? 2 of for now
-
Void Shatter
- good against zombies, and other gearhulk decks. counter a counterspell that they can't recast with TG. 2 of as well, will be replaced with 2 disallows likely in Ixalan.
-Essence Scatter - there will always be a target for this. no questions asked. 2 of
-Negate - ditto. 2 of
-Glimmer of Genius - comboes with Harnessed Lightning, the best removal spell in the deck. Even if the deck wasn't an energy deck, scrying 2 makes it better than
Hieroglyphic Illumination
. 4 of
-harnessed lighning - The best removal spell in the deck. I cut one for the addition of Abrade mainboard. 3 of.
-Magma Spray - good early game spell, the only 1 drop in the mainboard, went down from 4 to 2 of because there's 4 Sweltering Suns in the mainboard.
-
Pull from Tomorrow
- This deck needs a copy of this to survive the long game, to preventing it from gassing out. there would be 2, but this is irritating to get before turn 7. 1 of.
-Supreme Will - playtesting with this. A modal mana leak or impulse for three isn't bad. It never is useless in hand. a good 2 of.
SIDEBOARDDispel - good against control and maybe even aggro decks and their 1 cost buff spells. 2 of.
Glorybringer- an additional threat. good against midrange, where the creatures have toughness of 4 to barely escape Sweltering Suns. 2 of.
Hour of Devastation any deck that you would justify casting Sweltering Suns against, you would put this in. 2 of.
Negate - 1 of
Sphinx of the Final Word
- good for control, and decks that can't boardwipe. 2 of to gurantee drawing it,
Thing in the Ice
- most people like to sideboard out there fatal push's game 2 for alternative spells, since it's dead in game 1. this card will win you game 2, and potentially game 3, if protected.
-Kefnet the Mindful - What's wrong with a 3 mana indestructible 5/5 flier? it draws us cards, and can potentially win us the game alone if he resolves.. I would mainboard him, but after playtesting, he is bad in the mainboard. he does nothing when he comes out, unless he was the 8th card in you hand when you cast him, which won't happen on turn 3. This card is good against midrange and control, where you have the time to protect him and draw cards with him.
