This is a fertile land ... we shall call this land ... This Land.
This deck isn't actually meant to be played 1 vs 1, mainly because it folds to almost any deck. I won't, however, be removing this description even though it conveys 1 vs 1 modern matches, descriptions take a long time to build yo. But what this deck IS really fun for, is goldfishing. Probably the ONLY deck you'll have a lot of fun goldfishing. Sort of like eggs in that matter. I mean, sure you can like ... play multiplayer with this ... but ... goldfishing!
This deck relies on the interaction between Azusa, Lost but Seeking and Crucible of Worlds to take advantage of some of the more powerful cards with expensive draw-backs and the landfall functions of numerous cards.
Realms Uncharted basically counts as a 4 land searcher when I have Crucible of Worlds on the field, and with Azusa, Lost but Seeking, that becomes a 3 land entering the battlefield card, also allowing me to proc the abilities of all my landfall cards. Even if I can't bring them back from my graveyard, Knight of the Reliquary just got +2/+2.
Knight of the Reliquary becomes insanely powerful in this deck. With all of the methods that lands go to and from the graveyard, you'll find it is very easy to make this girl a 7/7. She helps with the landfall, as it can give me another land to use whenever I want, allowing me to proc the ability of Lotus Cobra for more mana or when I need a draw function.
This deck is probably the only deck that allows me to leave
Cosmic Larva
on the field, working as a powerful creature. It comes out very quickly and stays on the field long due to all of the land tutoring, ramping and playing I get from this deck. Between this and Knight of the Reliquary, your opponent will be frantically hoping for an answer. As an added bonus, it helps proc landfall abilities when I have Crucible of Worlds on the field.
Ghost Quarter can be used either against your opponent, or on yourself. It's normally a really good mana control card against decks that contain a lot of colours, but I can use it for the land sac and landfall on my own creatures as well. Imagine tapping Knight of the Reliquary to search for Ghost Quarter, I can then tap Ghost Quarter to destroy another one of my lands and with Crucible of the Worlds on the field I don't really have to worry about anything. It's basically tapping Knight of the Reliquary to give my lady knight +3/+3 permanently.
Seer's Sundial
helps with the draw-card in this deck. Because of all the mana I end up racking up, something to use that mana on is useful. Especially when I have Lotus Cobra on the field, I can easily generate a good 4-6 mana a turn from just playing lands.
Grazing Gladehart is here for the life gain. Because most of my lands are shock-lands, its very important that I keep my health up in some way.
Nature's Spiral
is here in case they decide to Shattering Spree something or Doom Blade something or Lightning Bolt something. Or hey, it can be used for more ramp if you sac'd Arid Mesa.
Congregation at Dawn is really important as a tutor, because it can help me get everything I want with just one card. The best thing about it is, is that it is an instant. This means I can play it on my opponent's turn so I can draw the first card. I can also play a land and then cast Congregation at Dawn for the creature tutor, and then pay two for
Seer's Sundial
landfall draw ability to draw what I just tutor'd. A very useful combo, and the mana is no issue either.
The last two,
Soulblast
and
Stoneshaker Shaman
may be some of the more "iffy" choices to some, but they have their purposes.
Soulblast
can basically be used to insta-kill the opponent when they have some how stalled my creatures from doing anything. Generally best used with Knight of the Reliquary as I can buff them up by sac'ing my land and searching for a fetchland to promptly sac again. A possible turn 6 finish, though definitely not to be used against control.
Stoneshaker Shaman
is here not for the land sacrifice on me, but on the opponent. Especially control decks, even more especially on mono-blue control decks. Because the opponent is required to leave some land untapped to be able to cast spells on my turn,
Stoneshaker Shaman
forces the opponent to leave one more mana untapped. As turns pass by, the opponent will eventually be forced to tap all his/her lands at the end of the turn lest they all get destroyed. It also acts as a regulator, as the opponent has to choose whether or not to cast a spell in the beginning and then not have enough for counter-spells, or leave the lands untapped and be forced to sacrifice the land in hopes to counter something. It gets even better when you choose to play nothing, and they just wasted a land.
The side board there is for the swap on to a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle deck. Just in case they throw something in their sideboard that kills the original idea of this deck entirely.
We also have Leyline of Sanctity to use against mill, discard and burn decks, and Ranger's Guile to use against creature control decks.
The original deck idea (or at least where I took it from) is done by MindAblaze in his deck Valakut Rock, the Crucible of the Reliquary. At the time I just didn't know how to "base a deck" off of someone else's deck by copying it. I felt it just wasn't fair for me to get all the spotlight without sharing some of it with him.
