Greatest Hypothetical Top-Deck Scenario
General forum
Posted on Dec. 30, 2015, 7:15 a.m. by jcris25
The setting is the world championship MTG tournament. You are playing the final championship match and you are about to lose. It is your opponents turn and on your next turn you have to win or you lose. When it's your turn you realize you are not going to win. Suddenly you top deck your ass off. What would be the worlds greatest card to top-deck? Mine would be Warrior's Oath and if you were only running 1 in the deck. This would be such a glorious moment. What would yours be?
mathimus55 says... #3
I was thinking about the Lightning Helix top deck while reading this. That's pretty much the tip top.
December 30, 2015 7:54 a.m.
Archive Trap is assuming the player has few cards left.
December 30, 2015 8:31 a.m.
I don't know which, but I think top decking a card with miracle in this situation would be pretty fitting.
December 30, 2015 9:46 a.m.
This is like super specific for the situation and the deck you're playing. Usually, I'd say that a Cantrip would be the best card to draw as you'll get a lot of options with just a single mana spent. Once the cantrip is played, you can go on to find whatever it is you need to play to win. ((Ps. I play Ascendancy Storm in modern, so my idea of how mana works might be a little scewed.))
December 30, 2015 10:11 a.m.
As a mean person, I can't help thinking Orim's Chant with Isochron Scepter in hand.
December 30, 2015 10:28 a.m.
I just had an intense counter war with a buddy in EDH yesterday. The stack is toppling over at this point. I've got no untapped sources of mana. He wheels down a Dispel. At this point, I'm feeling pretty terrible. I tap my Sensei's Divining Top in response, revealing Force of Will.
Anything that involves a large stack and windmill slams, really. Magic's not a game that generates a lot of hype.
December 30, 2015 11:07 a.m. Edited.
EpicFreddi says... #11
Dang, if I could just find the video. I've seen a stream on scg where two abzan players were playing. Time ran out, they were in extra turns. On the 4th turn one player attacked for lethal. He himself only had 3 life left. His opponent, lucky as hell, drew a Winds of Qal Sisma to prevent all the incoming damage, then topdecked a siegerhino to drain for the win.
December 30, 2015 11:24 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #12
You're playing against Jund in the finals of the WMC. You've been on storm, and the tournament has been a long one. You're playing against LSV who has been tearing your hand to shreds since turn one, but also with two Goyfs and a Huntmaster of the Fells swinging in providing lethal next turn. You're at five life, 1 card in hand (Thought Scour). You've been drawing lands the whole game, using your spells to just dig for anything. Top deck Pyromancer Ascension. Play that crap. You have 3 lands left untapped. Play Thought Scour. Flip up a Pyretic Ritual and Faithless Looting, Counter on the ascension from your turn one Scour. The Draw? Gitaxian Probe. Play the probe, counter on ascension from your turn two probe. Top deck Manamorphose. Play Manamorphose, add 
, Top deck Pyretic Ritual Island. Play the island, play the ritual, flashback Faithless Looting. Mountain, Mountain, Steam Vents, Past in flames are the draws, discard all of them, flashback Past in Flames, play your graveyard out, but you're still not drawing well. You have a near infinite amount of mana from all of your rituals being copied, you were even lucky enough to splice two Desperate Rituals together. You have one card left in the yard and no blue mana to cast it: Gitaxian Probe. "I'll go to one" you say as you flip the top card of your deck. Shivan Reef. You take a breath, reach for the next card. This is it. This play makes or breaks your weekend, neigh, your Magic career. The topdeck? Empty the Warrens, for like 30 dudes. You jump in your chair a bit as you windmill slam the card onto the table, your opponent agape with disbelief. 'I did it mom!' You think to yourself as you motion toward the man at the other end of the table. Pass turn.
LSV untaps, draws, and looks at his one card hand for a second, eyebrow cocked, smile inverted. "Well, this is awkward." He breathes as he reaches for an Overgrown Tomb and a Raging Ravine.
"Pyroclasm?"
December 30, 2015 11:27 a.m.
EpicFreddi says... #13
What Jund List plays Pyroclasm? And this was so intense to read, good job.
December 30, 2015 11:55 a.m.
DERPLINGSUPREME says... #14
Wrath of God effects, preferably Decree of Pain if its creatures.
December 30, 2015 12:01 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #15
It's a one of out of the sideboard. Team CFB was expecting a lot of soul sisters at this particular WMC.
December 30, 2015 12:01 p.m.
Programmer_112 says... #16
@DevoidMage: Wait, why are you playing Faithless Looting in Storm? Also, Anger of the Gods is a lot more likely than Pyroclasm in this particular scenario. Besides that, I think you have the right idea. Storm is more likely than any other deck to give you awesome plays like these (not really, but it is pretty damn explosive), and LSV is the perfect opponent here.
December 30, 2015 12:55 p.m.
ThisIsBullshit says... #17
DevoidMage ah shit I thought the other guy was gonna win
rip storm
December 30, 2015 1:04 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #18
Faithless Looting is incredible in storm, brah.
December 30, 2015 2:07 p.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #19
I've had some pretty good topdecks before.
Game 3, Rocket Science vs faeries. We're both at 5. I have a Tasigur, the Golden Fang on the board, he has a tapped Insectile Aberration (from threads of disloyalty), Bitterblossom, and 1 Faerie Rogue token, untapped. I have 1 Bloodghast in the grave. My hand is Faithless Looting, Spell Pierce, and Gurmag Angler. My draw for turn is Polluted Delta. Knowing that my hand has nothing good in it, I cast Faithless Looting. I draw into Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Bloodghast. I discard them both, play the Polluted Delta, revive both Ghast with haste, then swing for 8. He chumps Tsaigur, then takes 4, going to 1. Bitterblossom kills him on the next turn.
As for the best possible topdeck, easily for me them at 8, me at 2, they have a tapped creature. I have 5 lands including 1 uncracked Fetch. I topdeck Faithless Looting. I cast it holding no other cards, then draw and discard 2 Bloodghast. I flashback looting, topdecking the other 2 Ghast in my deck. I crack the fetch, go to 1, then revive 4 Bloodghast with haste and swing for the win.
December 30, 2015 2:07 p.m. Edited.
mathimus55 says... #20
My personal best top deck was right when Khans came out and I was rocking some sweet sweet temur monsters action. I was playing against a guy at a PPTQ who acted like he already was on the PT playing Abzan control because it was the new hotness or whatever.
After we had slugged it out in game 3 of the first round of top 8 we both were at 5 life. He wiped the board with End Hostilities since I was starting to take over with an 8/8 Polukranos, World Eater, Stormbreath Dragon and a couple Courser of Kruphix. So I am left with a Temur Charm in hand and he has nothing after drawing and playing a land pre-board wipe, so we're both on top deck mode.
Savage Knuckleblade. Play that dude, haste him up and pump ftw. Game.
So I go into top 4 and promptly proceed to draw 3 lands in 2 games and scrub out. Whomp.
December 30, 2015 2:33 p.m.
Programmer_112 says... #21
@vampirelazarus: I've found it to be pretty weak. It's card disadvantage (vs. CA with Desperate Ravings), sorcery speed (fine when comboing, but otherwise worse than Desperate Ravings. There are also some PA tricks there), and Storm doesn't really care about random discard. The one card that you really need to use is Past in Flames, which has native flashback, so discarding it isn't really bad. The only scenario where Faithless Looting is actually better is if you keep a hand with 1 basic Mountain as your land drop, which rarely happens.
On the topic of Storm, I think I have the answer to this question (made better because I actually did it today - yay!). So, playing Storm on the draw vs. Affinity. He has the nuts, I'm dead on T3. I topdeck Desperate Ritual.
Play land, double Pyretic Ritual, Desperate Ritual splicing the second Desperate Ritual, Pyromancer Ascension, Desperate Ritual (1 counter), some Gitaxian Probes and Manamorphoses, and after a while, I'm finally able to turn Ascension on with a second Manamorphose. I can win, but only if I topdeck exactly Past in Flames.
... which I do. Tons of Rituals out of the GY, Manamorphose some to draw a ton, etc., until he's dead.
December 30, 2015 6:56 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #22
Well, with Faithless Looting, it digs, and its only one mana, thus making Manamorphose (or any ritual) net you mana. Plus it builds your storm count.
With ravings, you dont get to choose what you discard, so have fun discarding that crucial Past in Flames because of randomness!
December 30, 2015 7:23 p.m.
Programmer_112 says... #23
@vampirelazarus: ... and then flashbacking said Past in Flames? Random discard is barely a downside in Storm.
December 30, 2015 7:39 p.m.
vampirelazarus says... #24
Or for the same mana as flashingback past in flames, you could play the past in flames, and then flashback a loot.
What if you randomly discard your only Pyromancer's Ascension? Things get a little harder from there. Or a Goblin Electromancer?
Choosing what you discard is much, much better than randomly discarding. And as stated, with Manamorphose, you gain one mana. You could loot, and Serum Visions in the same turn, as opposed to drawing two cards.
December 30, 2015 8:46 p.m. Edited.
Programmer_112 says... #25
I get the feeling that you don't have much experience with Storm. You're not going to casts Ravings of you have an engine in hand (just play engine instead), and if you are using Ravings to dig, then it's T2, and you have 3-5 cards in hand. There's a 1/7-1/5 chance that you discard your engine if there's exactly one in the top 2 cards, but there's a much higher chance that you draw into an engine and proceed to win.
Looting is card disadvantage, while Ravings is card advantage, meaning that Ravings is much better while going off. If you're afraid of variance, then a) don't play Storm, but b) if you're going to play Storm, then even Tormenting Voice is better with Faithless Looting.
This is starting to clutter up the thread, so I'm going to stop here. We can continue on walls if you want.
FAMOUSWATERMELON says... #2
This happened. Just as proof that this situation is not completely hypothetical :)
Mine would either be Snapcaster Mage to flash back Cruel Ultimatum, or Archive Trap with exactly 5 lands in play.
December 30, 2015 7:27 a.m.