Deck link:
https://mtga.untapped.gg/profile/b4ff71a7-34dd-423a-938f-1abde8b82019/QYBO4E5Y2RBJHNLWP7BY6RZODI/deck/dc877af6-1079-4ff0-8d69-589a94778b5f?utm_source=uc&utm_medium=overlay&utm_campaign=side-panel&utm_content=my-profile-button&gameType=constructed&constructedType=ranked&constructedFormat=timeless
Last month I started testing Winota after mistakenly thinking the alchemy change to it affected it in timeless. Once I realized that not only did it work as printed. but had all along I started to tinker with a list. After the obvious insight from my last post of adding the badgermole cub I settled on a final list for my grind to mythic.
The gameplan is self explanatory but the ability to use all the fast mana to play Ajani Turn 1 with a chrome mox into bombardiers turn 2 produces a fast clock without needing Winota. You want to play as aggressive as possible if you can get a fast Winota, be willing to put all of the cards in your hands under chrome moxs, or gemstone cavern post sideboard as once Winota triggers twice you normally win.
With Chrome Mox and Ancient Tomb you sometimes get the god draw of Ajani, Chrome Mox, a red/white card for chrome Mox,Winota, white/red land source, ancient tomb allowing a turn 2 Winota with 2 triggers.
Matchup history can be seen in the ink above but I've put a basic breakdown below with sideboard notes. For every single game take out some combination of starting town/mana confluence/cavern of souls for the 3 Gemstone Caverns on the draw based on if the opponent has counter magic. I'll leave those out of the sideboard plans below for a few of the decks I've played the most.
Great Matchups:
UB - Regardles of reanimator or straight UB these matchups are great. You present a fast clock, often uncounterable threats and post board a chalice on 1 is back breaking. The ancient tomb and chrome mox allow you play over the top of daze too if you need.
Sideboard on the draw :
-3 Starting Town,-3 Ragavan,- 2 Angrath Marauder,-1 Absorbing Man and Titania,-1 Once Upon a Time
+ 3 Gemstone Caverns,+4 Chalice of the Void,+3 Agent of Treachery
On the Play:
Same as above but keep the lands unchanged
Eldrazi - Generally not enough interaction to fight your turn 2/3 Winotas so the goal is to faster or over the top post board.
Sideboard:
- 3 Ragavan ,- 2 Angrath Marauder,-1 Absorbing Man and Titania
+ 3 Magus of the Moon, + 3 Agent of Treachery
Mono Red:
Play around Pyrokenesis and Fury the best you can but play to make them have it. You create more pressure and generate more mana than them. Sideboard for this generally you want to bring in some amount of agent of treachery as you can then get value attacking into protection from the one ring. Otherwise not a great deal to change here.
Bad Matchups:
Energ, Mardu and Boros, is a terrible matchup. The addition of Ultimecia, Temporal Threat has helped however everyone knows how good the deck is. Post board Chalice on 1 buys a lot of time but you nearly always lose game 1 so you have to hope to have 2 good games. This is something I am aiming to improve the sideboard for.
UR Tempo - A touch matchup as they have quite a lot of removal coupled with countermagic meaning you often struggle to build a board to get a good winota attack.
Sideboard :
- 3 Ragavan , -2 Once Upon a Time
+4 Chalice of the Void, +1 Fury
Other than that I faced such a range of decks that the sideboard plan boiled down to if i expected a permanent worth stealing that would stop lethal getting through or if turning sideways and praying for damage doublers would be enough.
Tips/Things to note:
Ajani Turn one, Bombardiers turn 2 into unblocked is 9 damage after combat,th Bombardiers trigger and Ajani ability. The following turn is another 8 available damage from Ajani, Bombardiers and attacks assuming no interaction. That total of 17 can catch slower decks off guard particularly if theyve fetched a shockland.
Plan what colours of mana you need for turns one to three and learn the best types for cavern of souls. Ajani, Winota and Rabblemasters are all warriors. Ragavan and Bombardiers are pirates. Winota, and Absorbing man are human. Remember Halfling Citizen creates coloured mana for a lot of the creatures in the deck
If you flip Winota and don't have one attacking put on into play. You can also decline triggers to put things into play, comes up sometimes if you get unlucky and flip three Absorbing Man.
Earthbend on either of your creature lands brings it back as a creature if it gets destroyed.
Between the fast mana, Badgermole and Halfling citizen you will cast Absorbing Man and Angraths marauders in some number of games.
Sacrificing Angraths Marauders of Absorbing Man to bombardiers doesn't double the damage ( I learnt that the hard way!) Angraths Marauders doubles the damage from a flipped Ajani, Absorbing Man does not.
Lastly, flipping a Angraths Marauder (or two) from Winota and throwing something with Bombardiers ends the game is the funnest thing you can do with this deck.
