In The Lab - Gatecrash
(playing with mechanics before the set is fully spoiled)
Deck Rating (at time of initial publication):
★★
"Hands of Binding is very powerful. Artifact hate and instant speed kill could leave this deck wanting."
What This Deck Does
- Ciphers Hands of Binding onto a keyrune (Dimir Keyrune or Azorius Keyrune) or onto Gideon, Champion of Justice.
- Wipes the board before activating keyrunes.
- Locks down opponent's creatures with Hands of Binding and possibly Tamiyo, the Moon Sage.
Features Worth Noting
- Aside from Lingering Souls, each creature is a creature only on your turn, making you extremely resilient to non-red kill spells and all current board wipes.
- Dimir Charm allows for slightly more consistent board wiping at the cost of a card. It will also protect you from fringe win conditions as well as heavier ramp-creatures.
Deck List
Artifact - 6
2 x Azorius Keyrune
4 x Dimir Keyrune
Instants - 8
4 x Dimir Charm
4 x Unsummon
Sorcery - 17
4 x Lingering Souls
4 x Supreme Verdict
1 x Temporal Mastery
4 x Terminus
4 x Hands of Binding
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Land - 23
4 x Glacial Fortress
4 x Godless Shrine
4 x Hallowed Fountain
3 x Island
4 x Isolated Chapel
4 x Plains
Planeswalker - 6
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What A Good Hand Might Look Like
- Land, Hands of Binding, and a Keyrune
- Land, Hands of Binding, Lingering Souls/Gideon, and an Unsummon
Decent Hands
- Land, Lingering Souls, a Planeswalker is a decent hand.
- Land, Lingering Souls, Hands of Binding is a decent hand
Bad Hands
- No way to produce a creature
Match Ups Worth Noting
Does not shine against other keyrune-based decks, however it can still Unsummon the keyrunes as well as Gideon.
Likely ineffective against burn without a good board.
Any instant-speed kill spells hurt this deck rather severely, but don't completely shut it down. Boarding against these spells will be necessary.
Typical control gets shut down fairly well. For matches you're aware will take awhile, boarding in a single Undercity Plague may prove very helpful.