So Many Pioneer Deck Lists!

With not one but two Pro Players Tours on deck this week, MichaelJ and Patrick pore over a ton of the sweet new Pioneer deck lists enabled by Theros Beyond Death.

… And there sure are a lot of them!

With, and Against, Heliod, Sun Crowned

One half of an infinite combo in Pioneer

There is perhaps no more important addition to the pantheon of Pioneer deck lists than Heliod, Sun Crowned and Walking Ballista.

The basic combination is simple: With two or more +1/+1 counters on Walking Ballista, you can give it lifelink with Heliod, then remove a counter to shoot the opponent for one. They will take one, the lifelink will return one life to you, triggering Heliod… Who will in turn put a +1/+1 counter on the Walking Ballista. Two cards, infinite damage potential and infinite life!

But what is the best shell to play this powerful pair? In this episode we discuss…

  • Multiple White Weenie variants… Both a Devotion-based one, and a more “Soul Sisters” flavored take on life gain
  • Splashing green for Collected Company. If you’ve got Benalish Marshall, you can even Collected Company for a 0/0 Walking Ballista… That will live! Worst case, if you make it to your next turn, you can start putting +1/+1 counters on it the hard way.
  • A defensive enchantments style with Leyline of Sanctity to power out Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx.

How do you fight against this combo? We discuss…

  • Fragmentize – Which might be better against the artifacts of Izzet Ensoul, if not an instant for fighting Heliod
  • Erase – Equally one mana, but much better against the indestructible half of this dangerous duo
  • Deicide – Two mana… But strategically relevant in the new world

Pioneer Deck Lists with Chronic Flooding and Lotus Field

Thassa’s Oracle

If you can whittle your library down to nothing, a solo Thassa’s Oracle will win the game on the spot. With Underworld Breach, you can even Mill your Thassa’s Oracle and get it back for the win, later!

This combo is potentially quite fast… But also susceptible to many angles of defense. Learn all about them in this week’s episode!

Inverter of Truth for Thassa’s Oracle

One of the most exciting new strategies is a Dimir Control deck that wins with Inverter of Truth into Thassa’s Oracle.

Inverter of Truth is just a 6/6 for four mana… So it’s kind of already awesome. The fact that it can instantaneously give you a tiny library for the Merfolk Wizard setup creates tons of cross-strategy incentive. Dig Through Time can make your library even smaller, while setting up offense or defense.

This one’s an archetype to watch!

Plus all the Red Decks, Bring to Light, and sideboard strategies you’ve come to expect. What are you waiting for? Check out “So Many Pioneer Deck Lists!” immediately:

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