Young Pyromancer for a while now has been the best creature in the format. Monastery Mentor however might actually be able to steal that title from him, having a similar function but making a much more powerful token more often.with that in, this deck is simply exploring that option.
Young Pyromancer
This card has already been the main card in a very successful deck and has earned the title of Best Creature in Vintage which is nothing to look past. I hypothesize that this may no longer be the case with Mentor. Still very good and the 5-8 token generator.
Time Walk
EXTREMELY powerful. This card is great to cap off several other spells cast in the turn to basically give us a second combat step and/or haste to our guys. Great for ending the game.
Mox Pearl
+
Mox Ruby
+
Mox Sapphire
This is Vintage. Moxen are good. Moxen are cheap, fast, colored mana sources. Moxen also trigger prowess for free. Hard not to love.
Mox Emerald
+
Mox Jet
Although these cards don't match colors, they are still fast mana for free, which is huge for a deck that REALLY want to put a Mentor down ASAP. Plus, they also make monks tokens.
Black Lotus
You can literally just cast the card that wins you the game off this. Also triggers prowess. As if there wasn't already reason to play it.
Brainstorm
The queen of cantrips, second only to Recall. Staple in vintage anyways for it's interaction with fetch lands.
Ponder
See above.
Gitaxian Probe
It's a free Prowess trigger, which is very nice thing to have. Information is only an upside.
Preordain
The Closest we get to an unrestricted Brainstorm. Still a very good card.
Force of Will
Force of Will is probably one of the best cards ever printed. It's a "free" catch all to stop whatever your opponent is doing, be it good for them or harmful to you. If a deck plays blue, it should be playing FoW.
Mental Misstep
+
Steel Sabotage
To my understanding, there are two main deck types in vintage. The ones that run a bunch of tiny spells to gain advantage, like those based on Delver of Secrets. Misstep is for those.
The other is the kind that play the biggest spells they can while simultaneously making everyone else miserable with cards like Trinisphere.
Strip Mine
Masquerading as the 17th land, Strip Mine is actually just there to punish light mana hands every once in a while or eliminate really problematic ones like Urza's Tower. And it does it for $5 cough coughWastelandcough
Lightning Bolt
Gets rid a lot of things and can finish the game. Nice and straightforward.
Gods Willing
This is a creature based deck. If mentor gets removed before I can abuse it, I'm SOL. this card let's me protect it in ways that other cards can't and still let's me set up another cheap spell. It can also be used proactively, which is something very few other cards in the deck can say.
Blightsteel Colossus
+
Inkwell Leviathan
+
Tinker
This infamous combo allows us to pull off a win in a situation where all the mentors and pyromancers are dealt with, as unlikely as that is. Colossus can be swapped for Inkwell Leviathan if the meta starts packing swords. gh This gets a lot harder to recommend though if there isn't a set of moxen.
Jeskai Charm
If there is any card on this list I might get a few sideways glances for, it's this one. Charm has proven to be really powerful card in Standard. What it gives us is a way to Finish the game a little bit earlier, or live a little longer to see the gameplan through.generally, it's going to be hitting a creature or pumping your guys. Though burn to the face could become relevant after a Toxic Deluge. Plus, in a mirror match where Electrickery probably won't cut it anymore, this puts us on top. Unfortunately, the card also costs and is not the most powerful effect.
Rest in Peace
This card is ridiculous versus graveyard strategies. Play 4 in sideboard.
Grafdigger's Cage
Another great card against decks like reanimator. I'd say 2-4 split with RIP.
Ravenous Trap
Off-color (technically) option for graveyard strategies for those who are paranoid about losing to dredge turn 1. Personally, I hate the existance of dredge, so I may very well play these.
Mental Misstep
+
Steel Sabotage
A few extra sideboarded can be useful in certain metas.
Electrickery
Used to be a perfect response to a army brof elemental but now it kind of falls to a mentor strategy. Still good if Mentor isn't an issue.
Ancient Grudge
Although really wants you to have a reliable green source in the 75, that'snot that hard with fetch lands and dual lands. Easily one of the best Artifact hate cards.
Disenchant
Another great way to deal with artifacts but without the flashback option. Can also hit whatever enchantments that are relevant.
Pithing Needle
Pretty straight forward. deals with planeswalkers and other annoying abilities like Goblin Welder.
Path to Exile
+
Reality Shift
+
Swords to Plowshares
These cards give the ability to exile problematic creatures like Tarmogoyfs that bolt can't kill, opposing mentors, and Griselbrand.
