HFEB Guide

Puzzles

Puzzle 1

Opponent is at 24 life with a nice board and a Worship. You are at 3 in your upkeep. Tog was STP’d a couple turns ago and this is G1 so you don’t have any Monk Realist or Ray of Revelation from the SB.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution #1
  1. Activate Hermit Druid using Reflecting Pool.
  2. Put Karmic Guide > Devourer on top of the graveyard.
  3. Flashback Krosan Reclamation using Treva’s Ruin and Coast targeting two Unearth.
  4. Cast Unearth targeting Shapeshifter using Llanowar Wastes (down to 2 life).
  5. Shifter enters as Guide, which brings back Guide, and brings back Scrounger (graveyard is now Uneart, Devourer).
  6. Activate Scrounger and put Palinchron, Akroma and ESG back in the library.
  7. Sacrifice Karmic Guide to Cabal Therapy.
  8. Cast Unearth targeting Shapeshifter using Llanowar Wastes (down to 1 life).
  9. Shifter enters as Guide, which brings back Guide, and brings back Triskelion.
  10. Sacrifice Karmic Guide to Cabal Therapy.
  11. Sacrifice Scrounger to Cabal Therapy.
  12. Use both Shifter/Scroungers to put back Hermit Druid, 2 Unearths, Squee, Karmic Guide and Scrounger in the library.
  13. Reveal Phyrexian Devourer on top of the graveyard.
  14. Activate Shifter/Devourer to put 36 counters on it.
  15. In response to the sacrifice trigger, use Triskelion to ping itself once, resolve, then ping opponent twice (down to 22).
  16. Use 6 counter to kill Angel and Mom. Use 21 counters to ping opponent (opponent down to 1, counters down to 9).
  17. Ping Baloth one ping at a time, opponent will sac Baloth in response to last ping (5 left) and we can ping opponent in response to the sac trigger with 4 more pings to spare.
Show solution #2
  1. Activate Hermit Druid using Reflecting Pool.
  2. Order Guide > Devourer > Triskelion on top of the graveyard.
  3. Cast Unearth targeting Shapeshifter using Llanowar Wastes (down to 2 life).
  4. Shifter enters as Guide, which brings back Scrounger.
  5. Activate Scrounger and put Akroma, Uneath and Guide in the library.
  6. Sac scrounger to therapy.
  7. Activate Shifter/Scrounger to put Palinchron, Squee, ESG in the library.
  8. Pass the turn.
  9. On opponent’s upkeep activate Shifter/Scrounger again to put 2nd Shifter and 2x Hermit in the library.
  10. Activate Shifter/Devourer letting each trigger resolve and responding to the sac trigger. (after 9 exiles at 34 counters)
  11. Flashback Krosan Reclamation to put Devourer in the library.
  12. Reveal Triskelion on top of the graveyard.
  13. Ping them down to 1 life (shift-dev at 11 counters).
  14. Ping Mom and Angel (down to 5 counters).
  15. Ping baloth one at a time, if they try to sac we can ping them the last dmg.

Puzzle 2

The opponent is at 33 with an imposing board. They have sworded Psychatog and Hermit on previous turns and disenchanted Survival. You have flashbacked 2 Therapy already and you know he has a Daze in hand from the last therapy. Last turn he topdecked an Ivory Mask! You are in your upkeep.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution

Always leave one Wastes untapped to play around Daze

  1. Upkeep Activate Hermit Druid using Treva’s Ruin.
  2. Put Karmic Guide > Devourer on top of the graveyard.
  3. Flashback Krosan Reclamation using City of Brass and Llanowar Wastes targeting Unearth (down to 3 life).
  4. Draw Unearth. You have 2 of those in hand.
  5. Cast Unearth targeting Shapeshifter using Reflecting Pool.
  6. Shifter enters as Guide, which brings back Scrounger (graveyard is now Unearth, Guide, Devourer).
  7. Activate Scrounger to put back in the library: Unearth, Palinchron and Triskelion (14 CMC).
  8. Graveyard is now Guide and Devourer.
  9. Cast Unearth targeting Shapeshifter #2 using City of Brass (down to 2 life).
  10. Shifter #2 enters as Guide, which brings back Akroma (graveyard is now Uneart, Guide, Devourer).
  11. Sacrifice Scrounger with Cabal Therapy.
  12. Activate Shifter/Scrounger #1 to put back in the library: Unearth, Guide and Squee (9 CMC).
  13. Activate Shifter/Scrounger #2 to put back in the library: Scrounger, WoR and ESG (10 CMC).
  14. Let pump from Shifter/Scrounger #2 resolve and it become a 4/4 Shifter/Devourer.
  15. Stack 8 devourer activations for Shifter #1.
  16. In response, activate Shifter #2 to exile the last card in the library (ESG).
  17. Let that resolve, Shifter #2 becomes 7/7 and the Devourer sacrifice trigger goes to the stack.
  18. Let the sacrifice trigger resolve.
  19. Shifter #2 dies and it covers Devourer.
  20. Shifter #1 is now a plain Shifter. Let the 30 counters resolve, which means a total of +33/+33.
  21. Sacrifice Akroma with Cabal Therapy.
  22. Attack with a 39/39 Shifter/Akroma for lethal.

Puzzle 3

It’s opponents EOT and they have you at 1 and just dropped a Crypt and a Sulfuric Vortex. Your WoR has 1 counter and hasn’t been used yet this turn.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution

This is the puzzle created by Biel that gave birth to the Crypt-proof line.

You should be able to figure out the solution on your own 😎.

Puzzle 4

We are in opponent’s EOT and he has Ensnaring Bridge in play and 0 cards in hand, can you win on your turn? Bonus: maximize damage you inflict.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. EOT Activate Hermit Druid
  2. Cast Krosan Reclamation tageting Animate Dead.
  3. Order graveyard as Devourer > Trike.
  4. Untap and draw Animate Dead.
  5. Cast Animate Dead on Guide.
  6. Shifter#1 enters as Guide and targets Shifter#2
  7. Shifter#2 enters as Guide and targets Psychatog.
  8. Discard Scrounger with Pyschatog.
  9. Activate both Shifter/Scrounger to put 6 cards in the library: Pali, Guide, AD, Squee, ESG, Scrounger (Scrounger last).
  10. Reveal Devourer on top of graveyard.
  11. Activate Shifter#1/Devourer 5 times (20 CMC).
  12. Activate Hermit #1, milling Scrounger.
  13. Activate both Shifter/Scrounger to put 6 cards in the library: 4 Survivals, WoR, Scrounger (Scrounger last).
  14. Reveal Devourer on top of graveyard.
  15. Activate Shifter#1/Devourer 5 times (+10 CMC).
  16. Discard Akroma with Pyschatog. One Shifter dies to SBA.
  17. Activate Hermit #2, milling Scrounger.
  18. Activate Shifter/Scrounger to put in the library: Akroma, Shifter and Scrounger.
  19. Reveal Devourer on top of graveyard.
  20. Activate Shifter#1/Devourer 3 times (+16 CMC).
  21. Reveal Trike with Tog and shoot the opponent.

Total: 13 cards fed to Devourer including all the fatties = 46 damage.

Puzzle 5

It’s opponents EOT, we are fully tapped and they just milled our entire library in the worst possible order (with brain freeze). They have a Seal of removal in play, and no more interaction. Assume the most adversarial gy order.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution

Turn 1:

  1. Cast Krosan Reclamation targeting a land producing and Animate Dead.
  2. Play land and pass.

Turn 2:

  1. Return Squee in hand.
  2. Play land.
  3. Cast Animate Dead targeting Guide.
  4. Guide enters and targets Shifter.
  • Bounce 1 — they Seal Guide with AD trigger on stack:
    5. Discard Guide with Survival, get Akroma.
    6. Shifter enters as Guide and brings back Tog.
    7. Sac Tog to Therapy.
    8. Pump Shifter/Tog.
    9. Discard Akroma and win.
  • No bounce:
    5. Shifter#1 enters as Guide and targets Shifter#2.
    6. Shifter#2 enters as Guide and targets Scrounger.
  1. Activate Scrounger to put back WoR, Tog, Akroma.
  • Bounce 2 — they Seal Scrounger here:
    8. Seal resolve.
    9. Discard Scrounger with Survival, get Tog.
    10. Discard Tog with Survival, get Akroma.
    11. Pump Shifter/Tog.
    12. Discard Akroma and win.
  • No bounce:
    8. Sac Scrounger to Therapy.
    9. Activate both Shifter/Scrounger to put 6 cards in the library: Scrounger, Devourer, Trike, Pali, Guide, AD.
  1. Discard Squee to Survival.
  • Bounce 3 — they Seal one Shifter:
    11. Seal resolve.
    12. Get Tog.
    13. Discard Tog with Survival, get Akroma.
    14. Pump Shifter/Tog.
    15. Discard Akroma and win. get Akroma and win.
  • No bounce:
    11. Get WoR.
    12. Discard WoR with Survival: Combo can no longer be interrupted.
  1. Add from both Shifter/WoR.
  2. Get Phyrexian Devourer.
  3. Discard Devourer with Survival, get Trike.
  4. Activate Shifter/Devourer.
  5. Discard Trike with Survival.
  6. Shoot the opponent and win.

Puzzle 6

Last turn opponent sworded your hermit, so you activated in response. Feel free to alter the graveyard order to the one you would’ve used. This turn you flashbacked K-Rec using Birds and WoR and put 2 Unearths back. Can you win this turn?

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution #1
  1. Cast Unearth on Shifter.
  2. Shifter enters as Guide and targets Scrounger.
  3. Sac Wall of Roots to Therapy targeting yourself to discard Tog.
  4. Tog exiles Unearth and discards Pali. Scrounge Pali, Guide, Akroma for 20 CMC.
  5. Shifter becomes Tog again, discard Devourer.
  6. Graveyard is now: Devourer, Tog, Wall, Trike.
  7. Pass turn.
  8. On their upkeep, activate Shifter/Devourer
  9. Activate Scrounger to shuffle back Devourer.
  10. Reveal Triskelion on top of the graveyard and shoot for lethal.
Show solution #2
  1. Put WoR between Trike and Scrounger in the graveyard order.
  2. Cast Unearth on Shifter.
  3. Shifter enters as Guide and targets Guide.
  4. Guide enters and targets Scrounger
  5. Sac Guide to Therapy to discard Pali.
  6. Activer Scrounger for 20 CMC.
  7. Graveyard is now: Unearth, WoR, Trike.
  8. Sac Scrounger to Therapy targeting opponent.
  9. Activate Shifter/Scrounger to put back in the library: Scrounger, Unearth and X.
  10. Reveal WoR on top of the Greveyard
  11. Activate Shifter/WoR to add .
  12. Sac WoR to Therapy targeting yourself.
  13. In response, activate Shifter/WoR to add .
  14. Resolve Therapy discarding Devourer.
  15. With in pool, activate Shifter/Devourer for 20
  16. Use Shifter’s ability to discard Tog.
  17. Anctivate Shifter/Tog and reveal Triskelion on top of the graveyard.
  18. Shoot for lethal.

Puzzle 7

We are in opponent’s EOT. Can you win on your turn?

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. End of turn activate Hermit Druid, ordering the graveyard as Scrounger > Tog > Trike.
  2. Opponent activates Crypt after Hermit resolved:
    3. Activate Shifter/Scrounger and put Palinchron, Akroma, Scrounger on top of the library.
    4. Discard Devourer to Tog.
    5. Put three Devourer activations on the stack.
    6. Flashback Krosan Reclamation targeting Triskelion and Devourer.
    7. After everything resolves: graveyard is exiled, Trike and Devourer are in the library, Shifter has 20 counters.
    8. On upkeep activate Hermit Druid and put Triskelion on top of the graveyard.
    9. Ping for lethal with Shifter/Triskelion.
  3. Opponent doesn’t Crypt and pass back priority:
    3. Activate Shifter/Scrounger and put Palinchron, Akroma, Scrounger on top of the library.
    4. Attempt to pass to our turn.
    5. If opponent Crypts now, proceed as before and win.
    5. You get to your upkeep.
    6. Holding priority: discard Devourer with Tog, exile Palinchron with Shifter/Devourer, and in response activate Hermit Druid. Then pass priority.
    7. If the entire stack resolves: Shifter has 7 counters.
    8. Graveyard is Scrounger > Akroma > Devourer > Tog > Trike.
    9. Activate Shifter/Scrounger and put Akroma, Scrounger and Guide on top of the library.
    10. Reveal Tog on top of the graveyard.
    11. Activate Shifter/Tog 20 times and then exile Tog to reveal Triskelion.
    12. Shoot all blockers and attack for lethal.

Opponent must interact somewhere. Two options:

Option A: Opponent Crypts in response to Hermit.

  1. Hold priority and activate Devourer two more times.
  2. Flashback Krosan Reclamation on Devourer and Triskelion.
  3. Shifter gets 13 counters.
  4. Let the stack resolves and the graveyard is exiled.
  5. Library is milled with the Hermit activation (put Trike on top) and then the 7 leftover counters are added to the Shifter.
  6. Activate Shifter/Triskelion to shoot for lethal.

Option B: Opponent allows Hermit to resolve but Crypts before the Palinchron counters resolve.

  1. Order the graveyard as Scrounger > Akroma, followed by Devourer > Tog > Trike that were already there.
  2. Activate Shifter/Scrounger in response to Crypt to put back in the library: Akroma, Scrounger and Devourer.
  3. Shifter is now a Shifter/Tog.
  4. Pump a lot, then let Crypt resolve.
  5. On draw step, you draw Akroma.
  6. Discard Akroma with Shifter and attack for lethal.

Puzzle 8

It’s opponent EoT. You are at 4 life. The opponent has some goblins, all lands tapped and a Mogg Fanatic ready to explode.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. Untap and draw.
  2. Discard Pali with Survival, get Shifter.
  3. Discard Shifter with Survival, get Psychatog.
  4. Cast Unearth targeting Shifter.
  5. Palinchron untap trigger goes on the stack.
  6. Opponent activate Mogg Fanatic targeting Shifter
  7. with ESG. Discard Psychatog with Survival, get Devourer.
  8. Activate Shifter/Tog for a +1/+1 pump.
  9. Palinchron untap trigger resolves.
  10. Discard Devourer with Survival, get Triskelion.
  11. Activate Shifter/Devourer
  12. Discard Triskelion with Survival.
  13. Activate Shifter/Triskelion to shoot the opponent and win.

Puzzle 9

As simply as it can be.. find the maximum amount of damage possible!

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. Upkeep activate Hermit Druid.
  2. Order graveyard as: Guide, Scrounger, Devourer, Akroma, Trike.
  3. Flashback Krosan Reclamation targeting two Uearth.
  4. Draw one Unearth.
  5. Cast Unearth targeting Shifter.
  6. Shifter enters as Guide, which brings back Guide, and brings back Tog.
  7. Tog exiles the Unearth on top. Reveal Scrounger on top of the graveyard.
  8. Activate Shifter/Scrounger to put in the library: Pali, ESG and Squee (13 CMC + Unearth = 14 total).
  9. Sacrifice Shifter to Cabal Therapy #1.
  10. Sacrifice Guide to Cabal Therapy #2.
  11. Cast Unearth targeting Shifter,
  12. Shifter enters as Guide and targets second Shifter.
  13. Before Shifter/Guide trigger resolves, Tog exiles Unearth from the top of graveyard.
  14. Shifter #2 enters as Guide and targets Guide.
  15. Guide enters and targets Scrounger on top of the gy.
  16. Before Guide trigger resolves, activate both Shifter/Scrounger to put in the library: 4 Survivals and 2 Hermits (26 total and +3/+3 pump).
  17. Guide trigger resolves and Scrounger enters.
  18. Sacrifice Guide to Cabal Therapy #3.
  19. Activate Scrounger to put in the library: Guide, Hermit and WoR (35 total).
  20. Sacrifice Scrounger to Cabal Therapy #4.
  21. Activate both Shifter/Scrounger to put in the library: Animate Dead, 3 Wall of Roots, 1 Bird of Paradise and Scrounger (49 total).
  22. With the two +3+/3 pump on the stack, Devourer is revealed on top of the graveyard.
  23. Shifter #1 puts all activations on the stack and in response you exile Devourer with Psychatog.
  24. Akroma is revealed on top of the graveyard and you sacrifice Shifter #2 to the legend rule.
  25. Exile the top Shifter with Psychatog.
  26. Shifter/Akroma is a 61/61 (base 6 + 2 Scrounger pumps + 49 counters).
  27. Attack with Shifter/Akroma (61 dmg) and then use Psychatog to reveal Triskelion on top of the graveyard.
  28. Use Shifter/Trike to shoot 49 times for a total of 110 damage.

Puzzle 10

You had Krosan Reclamation in hand, so your graveyard is now a mess. You used a Cabal Therapy to peek at your opponent’s hand and the coast is clear. How do you win form this spot?

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. Cast Unearth on Psychatog.
  2. Flashback Krosan Reclamation targeting Akroma and Palinchron (15 cmc).
  3. Activate Tog to clean the top of the graveyard.
  4. Reveal Devourer on top of the graveyard.
  5. Activate Shifter/Devourer*
  6. Activate Psycatog to reveal Triskelion on top of the graveyard.
  7. Shoot the opponent with Shifter/Trike.

And thank him for their sylvan activations.

You can work around Naturalize. Put Devourer activations on the stack and exile Devourer with Tog: Shifter becomes Triskelion. If they naturalize before the activations resolve, discard Squee to make Naturalize fizzles, and then activate Tog again.

Puzzle 11

You are in your upkeep and you have 3 life left. Opponent is at 16 life and 0 cards in hand. Last turn they had Memory Lapse for your Shapeshifter, so that’s your draw for turn. Both Psychatog and Akroma has been previously exiled and you only have 2 Cabal Therapy left.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. Draw the Shifter.
  2. Sacrifice Monk with Cabal Therapy targeting yourself, discard Shifter.
  3. Cast Animate Dead to bring back into play 2 Shifter and Scrounger.
  4. Activate Scrounger to put back into the library 3 cards.
  5. Hold pririty and sacrifice Scrounger with Cabal Therapy targeting yourself.
  6. Activate both Shifter/Scrounger to put back into the library 6 cards. Make sure that Triskelion will be the last card on the bottom
  7. Let Cabal Therapy resolve and discard Devourer.
  8. Activate Shifter/Devourer #1 eight times.
  9. Activate Hermit Druid and mill Triskelion on top of the graveyard.
  10. Shoot the opponent with Shifter/Triskelion and win the game.

Puzzle 12

You are playing against Goblins and facing a Crypt and a Fanatic, can you win this turn?

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. Exile the top two cards of the graveyard with Tog.
  2. Reveal Hermit on top of the graveyard.
  3. Activate Shifter/Hermit.

If opponent pings in response to stop the Hermit activation:
4. Activate Survival twice in response and fetch Devourer and Trike. Crypt is irrelevant.
5. Discard Devourer and Trike for free with Tog.
6. Activate Shifter/Devourer and then Shifter/Trike and win.

Assume opponent doesn’t ping, so Hermit resolves:
4. Put Scrounger on top of the graveyard.
5. Activate Shifter/Scrounger to put Trike, Guide and Akroma back on the library.
6. Attempt to resolve the +3/+3 pump. Two sub-scenarios:

Sub-scenario A — Pump resolves cleanly or ping with Fanatic:
7. Discard Hermit to Survival to get Trike.
8. Use Psychatog in play to manipulate the top of the graveyard to reveal Devourer and activate Shifter/Devourer to exile Akroma and Guide (13 CMC). With Tog in play you can make sure that Crypt wont cover any activation of Shifter/Devourer
9. Discard Trike and shoot the opponent with Shifter/Trike.

Sub-scenario B — Opponent Crypts:
7. Discard Palinchron to Survival to get Trike.
8. Use Psychatog in play to manipulate the top of the graveyard to reveal Devourer and activate Shifter/Devourer to exile Akroma and Guide (13 CMC). With Tog in play you can make sure that Mogg Fanatic wont cover any activation of Shifter/Devourer since you can exile cards down to a creature with toughness >1.
9. Discard Trike and shoot the opponent with Shifter/Trike.

Puzzle 13

It’s your turn and you have an active Shapeshifer in play against two open mana for Withered Wretch. Can you win this turn?

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. Discard Hermit with Survival.

If they don’t exile Hermit:
2. Get Triskelion.
3. Do the Crypt-proof line.

If they exile Hermit:
2. Get Devourer.
3. Discard Devourer with Survival.

If they exile Devourer:
4. Activate Shifter/Devourer holding priority and cover it with Gemstone Mine adding .
5. Let Withered Wretch exile Devourer.
6. Survival search resolve and you can get whatever (Trike or Akroma if still in the deck).
7. Attack with a huge Shapeshifter.

If they don’t exile Devourer:
4. Get Triskelion.
5. Activate Shifter/Devourer.
6. Discard Triskelion with Survival.
7. Shoot the opponent and win.

Puzzle 14

You are in you main phase. Find a winning line assuming no Vision Charm or Counterspell in hand.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution
  1. Discard Birds with Survival to get Palinchron.
  2. Discard Palinchron with Survival to get ESG.
  3. Cast Guide with ESG.
  4. Guide enters and brings back Shifter as Palinchron.
  5. Shifter/Pali triggers goes on the stack and you untap 7 lands.
  6. Return Shifter/Pali to hand.
  7. Sacrifice Guide with Cabal Therapy.
  8. Cast Shifter.
  9. Shifter enters as Guide, which brings back Guide itself.
  10. Guide enters and brings back Palinchron.
  11. Palinchron triggers goes on the stack and you untap 7 lands.
  12. Return Pali to hand. You have 3 mana.
  13. Discard Palinchron with Survival to get Psychatog.
  14. Discard Psychatog with Survival to get Triskelion.
  15. Activate Shifter/Tog to exile cards from the graveyard until Devourer is on top.
  16. Activate Shifter/Devourer enough time to add lethal counters.
  17. Discard Triskelion with Survival and shoot the opponent.

If needed, add a WoR between Pali and Tog for an extra mana. You can also go Tog → Akroma and deal lethal with how big the gy is.

Puzzle 15

We are playing against Iggy Pop and opponent has an untapped Cephalid Coliseum and threshold, and no other interaction. Can you win this turn?

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution #1
  1. Play Shifter naked. Pay to activate Hermit — order: Scrounger, double WoR.
  2. Activate Scrounger, put back WoR, Akroma, Scrounger (3 cards). Get G from top WoR.
  3. Pitch Tog for Scrounger.
    • If they Coliseum: Put Scrounger on top, back to library, and combat kill.
  4. Get Scrounger.
    • If they Coliseum now (2 cards left, danger of decking): Pitch Scrounger and scrounge Scrounger, WoR and ESG. Inflate as Tog and either put Akroma on top if drawn, or get it with Survival from a Scrounger pitch, then discard to Tog for lethal.
  5. If no Coliseum: pitch Scrounger and scrounge Scrounger, WoR, ESG. Library is: WoR, Akroma, WoR, Scrounger, ESG.
  6. Get WoR. Grow Tog, become second Wall we hermitted and generate G. Use it to pitch WoR to Survival. We get Akroma and use the current top Wall to pitch Akroma and fail to find.

Library is exactly 3 cards, we have threshold and Scrounger is among those 3 — we are invulnerable to Coliseum. Attack for lethal.

Show solution #2
  1. Play Undiscovered Paradise, cast Volrath’s Shapeshifter (leaves 2 Wastes untapped).
  2. Activate Hermit (1 Wastes untapped) — stack: Scrounger → K-Rec → WoR.
  3. Scrounge the Scrounger, K-Rec, and WoR.
  4. Cabal Therapy yourself, sacrificing Hermit, naming Tog.
  5. Tog pump all the way down to Akroma. Attempt to go to attackers.
    • If no Coliseum: Win.
    • If Coliseum: Stack WoR → Scrounger → K-Rec. Use the untapped Wastes + make a G with VS/WoR to flashback K-Rec targeting Scrounger and WoR — leaving Akroma on top again.

Puzzle 16

On our main phase, we have a hermit in play without summoning sickness, 4 lands available with 3 counters on the Mine and 2 Shifters in hand. Opponent has an untapped land and an untapped Furnace. Can you win this turn?

Board state
*What's the play?*
Show solution

Setup: Activate Hermit — order graveyard as: Guide, Tog, Scrounger, WoR, WoR, Devourer, Trike, Akroma. Once Hermit resolves and the stack is empty, we cast Shifter. Our goal is to bring back Guide with Shifter, and Guide will bring back Tog. Two scenarios open up: either opponent interacts with this process at some point (A) or opponent doesn’t interact or interacts with some other piece in the graveyard and we end up with Shifter, Guide and Tog in play (B). Let’s review each:

A — They interacted with Furnace:

  • A1 — They exiled Guide before it could enter: Shifter is a Tog. Pump, become Akroma, kill.
  • A2 — They exiled Tog after Guide entered: Shifter is a Tog. Pump, become Akroma, kill.
  • A3 — They exiled Tog before Guide enters: Guide enters and brings back Triskelion. Shifter is a Scrounger — scrounge double WoR and Pali. On upkeep, scrounge Scrounger, Akroma and ESG. Shifter is a Devourer, add all the counters and suicide Trike for the kill.

B — Guide and Tog are both in play:

  • B1 — They exiled Akroma at some point: Shifter is Scrounger — scrounge Scrounger, Pali and ESG (15 CMC). Resolve the 3/3 pump. Get G from WoR, exile WoR, get G from second WoR, exile WoR. Cast K-Rec to put back Squee and WoR. (If needed: sac Guide to Therapy and K-Rec Squee + Guide instead for 3 more CMC.) Shifter is Dev, we add the counters and exile Dev to become Trike and win.
  • B2 — They exiled something non-Akroma: Sac Tog to Therapy and combat kill.
  • B3 — They haven’t exiled anything yet: Shifter is Scrounger — scrounge Pali, Scrounger and ESG. Resolve pump, generate GG mana and K-Rec Squee + WoR (20 CMC). Now as Devourer:
    • If they have only exiled non-Akroma so far: kill with Akroma.
    • If they have exiled Akroma: add counters to Devourer and kill.
    • If they haven’t used Furnace yet: add 20 counters to the stack and exile Devourer to resolve counters as Trike. If they exile Trike, attack with 26/26 Akroma. If they exile Akroma, add counters to Devourer and kill.

Puzzle 17

You are in your main phase one, there are two lines that start in two different ways, find them both!

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution #1
  1. Discard Shifter with Survival to get Psychatog.
  2. Cast Unearth targeting Shapeshifter.
  3. Palinchron untap goes on the stack.
  4. Discard Psychatog with Survival to get Devourer.
  5. Hold priority and activate Shifter/Tog to exile 2 cards for a +1/+1 pump.
  6. Activate Shifter/Tog to discard Scrounger for a +1/+1 pump.

Opponent have no window to ping with our shields down: Shifter is Scrounger until resolving pumps. 7. Once we untap, combo.

Show solution #2
  1. Cast Shifter for the untap.
  2. Discard Scrounger with Survival to get Devourer.
  3. If opponent has pinged shifter before the Survival ability resolves, wait to combo on opponent’s upkeep.
  4. If opponent has not pinged shifter, then combo after the untap resolves with Devourer and Trike in hand.

Puzzle 18

You are in opponent’s end step and he has been abusing his Library :D With his life total at 6, can you find a line to win this turn? What if he had been at 10? And what if he was at 14? Assume opponent will try to port you on your upkeep.

Board state

What’s the play?

Show solution — 13 damage line

EOT: Discard Hermit with Survival to get Psychatog.

In your upkeep, opponent uses Rishadan Port.

  1. Discard Uktabi with Survival to get second ESG.
  2. Play Shifter as Uktabi with two lands and one ESG.
  3. Destroy Cursed Totem.
  4. Use second ESG to discard Tog with Survival to get Akroma.
  5. Discard Scrounger with Shifter/Tog for a +1/+1 pump.
  6. With 8 cards in graveyard, activate Shifter/Scrounger to shuffle Scrounger and two bottom cards for a +3/+3 pump.
  7. With 5 cards in graveyard, activate Shifter/Tog to remove the bottom 4 cards for a +2/+2 pump.
  8. Discard Akroma with Shifter/Tog Tog for a total of +7/+7 pump.
  9. Attack with Shifter/Akroma for a total of 13 damages.
Show solution — 14 damage line

EOT: Discard Hermit with Survival to get second ESG.

In your upkeep, opponent uses Rishadan Port.

  1. Discard Uktabi with Survival to get WoR.
  2. Play Shifter as Uktabi with two lands and one ESG.
  3. Destroy Cursed Totem.
  4. Use second ESG to discard WoR with Survival to get Tog.
  5. Activate Shifter/WoR to add
  6. Discard Tog with Survival to get WoR#2.
  7. Shifter/Tog is a 1/1.
  8. Discard WoR#2 to Tog. Shifter/WoR enters as 0/4, then gets +1/+1 to 1/5.
  9. Activate Shifter/WoR to add
  10. Discard Scrounger with Survival to get Akroma.
  11. We have 10 cards in graveyard (4 originals + Hermit, Monkey, WoR, Tog, WoR #2, Scrounger).
  12. Activate Shifter/Scrounger and shuffle Scrounger, WoR #2 and Hermit. Top card is Tog.
  13. Scrounger pump resolves for a total of +4/+2 pump.
  14. With 7 cards in graveyard, activate Shifter/Tog to remove bottom 6 for a +3/+3 pump.
  15. Discard Akroma to Tog for a 8/6 pump and attack for 14.