One of the last cards we explored from Magic 2021 was See the Truth. 1U: Draw 3 cards would be an astounding rate, so David set about searching for the right shell. Snapcaster Mage is the obvious choice for unlocking the full “draw 3,” but David suspected that Modern was somewhat too unforgiving for setting up a card draw sequence like that. Instead, he turned to Pioneer, and the forgotten creature Goblin Dark-Dwellers. 3RR for a 4/4 that also draws 3 cards is the kind of power play that could hopefully anchor an Izzet midrange strategy.
We took that shell into the Pioneer leagues with mixed results. Damon, ever a lover of Blue Moon, managed a pair of 3-2 results while toying around with various planeswalkers like Chandra, Torch of Defiance and Ral, Izzet Viceroy. David had a rougher go of it, notching a 1-4 league and finding himself troubled at the narrow skill set of 2 damage red spells. He especially disliked casting See the Truth for its “normal” draw-1 mode, preferring instead to loot it into the graveyard for Dark-Dwellers to find.
Today’s sketch is an update of that Izzet See the Truth deck, utilizing two new toys from Zendikar Rising. First is Magmatic Channeler, which sits at the same spot on the curve as Jace, Vryn”s Prodigy, but has an all-important third toughness. This means that Channeler will survive Wild Slash and Bonecrusher Giant, while also being an effective blocker against 2/1 black creatures in a pinch.
Next, some new options in the manabase, thanks to Zendikar’s modal double-face cards (MDFCs). Spikefield Hazard // Spikefield Cave seems to be particularly well positioned in Pioneer as a defensive tool, allowing slower red decks to have a density of early interaction while also making plenty of land drops in matchups where removal is not needed. Blue-Red was also lucky enough to receive a Pathway land, shoring up an already excellent mana base with even smoother always-untapped options.
Channel the Truth
1cmc (7)
2cmc (15)
3cmc (11)
5+cmc (5)
Lands (22)
Here is what David had to say about his newest proposed version:
Magmatic Channeler and Spikefield Hazard answer a lot of issues the deck had before. Shock didn’t really kill any reasonable threat, but we were forced to play it to try to stop early mana elf draws (maybe more relevant with my predicted rise of Naya Winota). Exile effect is also not totally irrelevant against Uro or Mono-Black’s 1-2 drops. Channeler gives us an efficient way to rummage See the Truths we draw to the graveyard, and its ability triggers the Ancestral Recall mode on See the Truth. Both cards help us hit land drops on our way to Goblin Dark-Dwellers.
David Robertson
Is David on the right track with taking the deck in this direction? Does Izzet midrange truly exist in Pioneer, and if so does Magmatic Channeler have a place in it? Let us know what you think!
