The Devoted Shepherd was losing a game of Modern with goats.
His opponent was systematically beating him down with Jund and now had his back against the wall. Thoughtsezie got rid of his Eldrazi Monument, Fatal Push blew up his Soul Sisters, Tarmogoyf and Seasoned Pyromancer dominated the battlefield and put the Devoted Shepherd on a clock.
But the Devoted Shepherd had not lost hope. He had a Journey to Nowhere, Stasis Snare and a couple of Honor of the Pure enchantments in play. He needed to draw a specific card to have a chance of fighting back.
"Please be Shepherd," the Devoted Shepherd whispered under his breath.
And to his luck, he drew a Springjack Shepherd. He created an unfathomable army of goats, powered by anthems and a Obelisk of Urd he convoked into play through goats.
The opponent was now shaking and trembling in fear as his life total dropped lower and lower. The Devoted Shepherd was thrilled that he'd swing out and win the next turn. But then, his opponent played a devastating Engineered Explosives, and the game was over.
Suddenly, the Devoted Shepherd teleported to a wasteland of unplayable modern cards piling mountains high, ranging from Draft Chaff to Cryptic Command. Cards constantly fall from the sky, burying the cards at the bottom of the pile more and more, leaving them forever forgotten.
The Devoted Sheperd looked up at the falling cards, and he saw Springjack Shepherd falling helplessly into the same fate as the rest of the cards.
"Impossible!" the Devoted Shepherd shouted. He rushed to where Springjack Shepherd landed and picked the card up.
"How could you be unplayable? We almost beat a tier-one deck with goats! Our army suddenly came out of nowhere and we almost won! Why? Why are you here?!"
"I'm 4 mana for a bunch of 0/1's you dipshit," Springjack Shepherd responded.
The Devoted Shepherd couldn't accept that. What started as a budget option to get into Modern became something much more. To swing for 0 damage; To win with something so stupid, but it somehow works, was a special feeling that the Devoted Shepherd couldn't find with any other deck. The Devoted Shepherd believed that if goats could do it, any tribal deck could do it. By creating a goat utopia, anything becomes possible in Modern.
"I will make goats playable. No, I'll make goats a staple in Modern."
"I'll pair you with Auriok Champion. I'll run you in a Yorion List. I'll consider cards never considered before and test each of them thoroughly until I create the perfect Goat Deck."
"No matter how many tries it'll take, I will succeed for you."
The Devoted Shepherd walked away with a relentless determination to fulfill his mission.
Today, the Goat Saga continues.
