The (God-Pharaoh's) Gift of Cycling | $94 Pioneer Budget Magic

[@jamesrobinson4506]

Someone already mentioned it, so I thought it must be a joke or an update or something, but this is an exact Budget Magic deck you already built, Seth. Card for card. 😅

[@LadyMapi]

That's kinda beautiful, honestly.

[@bulbasaurappreciator]

King maneuver honestly.

[@deadtreekid]

My jaw dropped at the end of that Izzet Phoenix matchup. That is why you never rage scoop. I’ve witnessed a miracle haha

[@itsallenwow]

Hey are you Trevor Rogers the pitcher on the Padres?

[@VaraNiN]

I would've conceded so long ago in that match haha. The Phoenix deck also ran really bad in that particular game

[@HurricaneGregor]

@@itsallenwow Taylor Rogers is the Padres pitcher. Tyler is his twin brother, pitcher for the Giants. Trevor Rogers pitches for the Marlins, who I doubt this commenter is 🙃

[@aliensshi6656]

@@VaraNiN he couldve top decked zenith flare to win

[@nicholasiverson9784]

Well the nice thing about discarding to hand size for Zenith Flare decks, is that's a 2 point swing attached to it - eventually.

[@AaronSentinal]

This deck seemed so familiar so I had to check, you already did this exact deck in this exact format back in 2020, I would know cuz I own it in paper after I got it off budget Magic the last time lol Did you forget or are you trying bring it back to prominence 😉

[@winssports4830]

He plays so many decks he probably forgot lol. It was also a different format back then with what was legal.

[@Ollay245]

@@winssports4830 I did the same thing almost in standard this season so I kind of understand it

[@winssports4830]

@@Ollay245 as do I lol.

[@r4g1ngph03n1x]

25:35 could you at least cycle the card in your hand and maybe draw the zenith flare that wins the game before you concede?? I love you Seth but you are way too scoop happy sometimes

[@FrankDTank16]

why would you scoop match 3 game 1 if you had a cycler in hand. You could've cycled into flare for the win.

[@timfuqua4982]

7 open mana means he even had multiple cycle redraws available. Disappointing scoop there.

[@Ollay245]

@@timfuqua4982 yeah wish Seth would cut this a bit out of his game, hopefully keep playing for the outs till the last play

[@blueredlover1060]

Match 5, knowing about the Hearse and Chandra, there could be an argument to bring in Spyglass to snipe both of them. Hearse can't be used without tapping it, and it's not a mana ability.

[@pablez94]

Why not side in Damping Sphere vs Phoenix, considering they rely entirely on casting as many spells as possible in one turn, while you usually just play one or two?

[@bofaybaykweh]

Easy swap for drannith healer imo, incremental life gain seems pretty bad vs izzet, also sunscourged seems okay since usually the match seems like it's a race

[@winssports4830]

Yeah damping sphere definitely should've came in for some reason Seth seems to hate that card lol cause it just stays in his sideboard. I've singlehandedly beaten so many decks because of that card lol. Tron, Amulet titan, Storm, any deck that casts multiple spells in a turn it's even good against bogles although not full proof.

[@liorramati265]

it feels like Seth just constantly forgets that damping sphere has a second ability and doesn't just hose sol lands

[@winssports4830]

@@liorramati265 lol yeah he undervalues taxing. Slowing down an opponent is more important than you think depending on your deck. I've lost through a damping sphere and won through one but you have to work for it.

[@pablez94]

@@liorramati265 100% agree, i feel he keeps missing on the fact that Damping Sphere isn't just a tron hate card, but also a very strong storm hate to take out of the sideboard

[@TADMOORE]

I think sometimes Seth plays too much for his opponents in certain matches in his head. Sometimes your opponent have the kill If he swings with everything and you have only lands in hand, but he do not know that and plays around something, that'll give you a small window to draw a winning card. In the match that he was cyclonic rifted he could cycled for a Zenith Flare and won if he drew it, right? It would be hard but it was possible and the thing about the cycle deck is that it cycles so much that it's more reasonable to happen than in other decks. So, you can always ponder what your opponents will think or do... But wait for them to do it before scooping. Sometimes they'll have a different line of action that will give you a chance of winning. (I always remember a video of Extra credit where James, who did the writing for the channel back then, says that he won a match with the worst hand he ever had because the opponent presumed that he would lose anyway, and conceded...)

[@malloot9224]

Yeah seth regularly assumes the opponent knows the play, it's common in smart players to do so.

[@TADMOORE]

​@@malloot9224 like 8:18 he said "dead to a removal spell" but the ledger trigger could fail (if he had a land in hand and then drawing another land), counting 11 damage at all. He could even tap some mana to fake a removal in response (I think its totally fair to fake a removal like that), and make the op more cautions to swing with everything even If the Ledger had grown. Even If Seth didn't fake a removal or the trigger failed, the op could be cautious anyway and not go for lethal. And I love Seth and all, but sometimes this undermines the whole thing he's trying to do: make wacky/fun/cheap decks be somewhat functional (or even more than that, when he brews something totally playable and competitive out of nowhere). He could probably make a series about this "Un-scoopable" situations where he scoops while still had a chance of winning. And maybe a series where he plays alongside with someone else to get a better view of the deck possibility. Maybe Crim and him make the "Two-Headed Fish" or something like that. And I think this is not ideal competitivewise but the reason is not to win tournaments, but rather fully grasp those brews possibilities for everyone who's watching and it would be ok. Seth, If you read this, know that I'm very fond of you, but, PLEASE, let your opponents win all by themselves more. Maybe they also will lose all by themselves after you thought they would win...

[@Darebearlovesbug]

The great part about this deck is that you can cut the expensive dual lands and cut like 50 - 60 bucks off the price tag

[@yoyoguy1st]

to be fair a lot of the costs for decks come from lands unfortunately

[@chester1882]

Pioneer in a nutshell.

[@yoyoguy1st]

@@chester1882 Magic in a nutshell

[@chester1882]

@@yoyoguy1st except Pauper

[@WingofTech]

The cycling support from Ikoria is unreal. I love it.

[@mikemoyer8162]

It was able to make my "Zurstral Slide" commander deck hated like a normal Zur deck again. Lol

[@cedricappleby2006]

What a great format. I love playing against Treasure Cruise every game.

[@Oceanz08]

that is adorable WOTC doesnt think they need to ban treasure cruise yet lol

[@hashbeth]

It is basically why the Izzet decks are so popular and dominant. They just have too many fun toys.

[@Oceanz08]

@@hashbeth Or its just TC is Insanely busted.

[@camael4209]

why would you concede after the cyc rift in game 2? if you would've cycled your desert cerodon and gotten a zenith flare, which is a 4 off in your deck you would've won. they had no mana open either so only free counterspells would've killed you there. Or am i missing something?

[@EZ__Chicken]

@@MrAvgD no reason to tear someone down. Even being a content creator, he is still human and is allowed to make a mistake. If he made perfect plays all the time it wouldn't be as good content either.

[@travismarshall3004]

@@EZ__Chicken it wasn’t a mistake, it was a salty scoop. It’s not like he forgot about the flares and messed up, he scooped because he was salty. Salt scooping is not a good look for content creation, it makes your audience uncomfortable. Seth is expected to play as well as possible at all times and be entertaining, that’s literally his whole job. We all love him but that doesn’t mean we can’t point out when he isn’t being entertaining.

[@a.artmaster8733]

@@EZ__Chicken try reading his comment with a honest criticism in mind. There are no swear words, no malicious intent. Sounds to me like just a regular question. I’ve read Seth respond to similarly worded responses also. Just my take

[@ftlr6267]

I think that Imposing vantasaur is a bit better than Desert Cerodon. Even if the Cerodon is 6/4 which is better than the 3/6 vantasaur in such a agressive deck, a eternalized vantasaur will be 4/4 like the cerodon, but with vigilance. Moreover, the cycling cost of vantasaur is 1 generic mana, which is better than the red one required by the cerodon, particularly with a budget manabase

[@Darebearlovesbug]

Wow .7% chance for that 2 land out of 22 card draw. Insane

[@zachgray4767]

*.07% It's even worse lol 7 times out of 10,000 games.

[@jangrokortenhaus3036]

I always speak along when u introduce yourself! it's so contagious :D Love u Seth ! :)

[@jimmybobobbingo]

Can we just decide having staple lands, like Shocks, is still considered Budget? Yes, if you don't have them, they're expensive, but I say they're the most important Magic cards and any new player (looking to play those formats) should be making those the first cards they acquire, because they facilitate everything. I'm really just tired of seeing fun decks lose games simply because of terrible mana bases.

[@poiri]

I kinda agree, but if you want to know how the deck will perform when built on a budget then it is necessary for the lands to be budget as well.

[@AutkastKain]

I think it's also good to know what the best mana base would be for those who don't have those

[@zigzag2370]

As much as I agree it's actually a good thing to see them perform on shitty mana bases so you can see if the upgrades are worth it too....pros and cons

[@jimmybobobbingo]

Guys, I think the larger point I'm making is for eternal formats, you should have shocks, etc even if you're a budget player. If you're a new player, you should be prioritizing good mana bases over any other cards. They the cards that will give you the most mileage. And since that's the case, show me budget decks AFTER a good mana base is added. Too much of budget videos is just struggling with mana. Start with a disclaimer. "Here's the cost of the deck. Here's the cost minus the mana."

[@AutkastKain]

@@jimmybobobbingo I disagree, strictly because you can't play a deck with just lands. Yes, the rest of the deck is probably the cheap part, meaning it should be the easiest to get, but starting at the cheapest part is always easier. It's better to start becoming familiar with how the deck may play and then upgrade the lands as you go. You can't play with amazing lands and no main deck, but you can at least play with the actual deck with cheap lands.

[@joeblack4849]

You could also technically play this deck in Explorer?

[@danny1111105]

yep just built it, maybe missing some sideboard stuff tho

[@AutkastKain]

Missing lands and sideboard, but totally doable. Pretty budget there too. Most of this stuff is commons and uncommons

[@tonybraumberger2175]

Historic too . . . If it matters lol

[@derrickthewhite1]

That was my first thought. About half of this deck is my cycling deck from the start of Ikoria, and the God Pharoah's gift package is probably a good pickup you can use elsewhere. The problem is that the explorer meta comes loaded for graveyard.

[@Nuclearsunburn2]

Treasure cruise lives rent free in Seth’s head. He mopes and tilts so hard when it shows up

[@Crunchatize_Me_Senpai]

“Thigh Shuffler” really got me 😂

[@losergamer7282]

I wonder why Hollow One is not playable in pioneer. Your on time to upload this video. Thanks Seth.

[@coreysierchio4650]

Keep Jegantha by replacing the upgraded "Sweltering Suns" with "Deafening Clarion." Or just add 20 more cards & companion with Yorian...Lol *Thanks for the Content* !

[@sagersmith7760]

Funnily enough, if the decklist is correct, the Match 1 Game 3 probability was even lower because Seth put in 18 lands instead of 20 for the total successes in the population, which comes out to a staggering 99.981% chance to draw 2 or more lands and a 99.796% chance to draw more than 2 lands. The real question is whether or not winning the game was more likely than the draw!

[@piralos1329]

Honestly, I half wonder if it's worth taking a nod from Penny Dreadful, and bringing in cycling lands for more velocity when flooding out? Could also be worth bringing in some amount of Irencrag Pyromancers - they don't cycle, but the ability to bolt on every second card per Irencrag is REALLY strong, and very effective at locking down creature based decks like Pheonix, or Naya Beats. Also is very threatening when brought back via Gift, since a 4/4 that can bolt every turn is extremely scary!

[@efnfen]

This was fun to watch, Seth. The Zenith Flare wins were great.

[@starmanda88]

Seth you wear the best shirts. I wish I knew you in real life lol.

[@doctor-goggles]

I just don't understand what Counterspell Seth is constantly worried about in Phoenix. Especially match 4. Phoenix SOMETIMES runs Izzet Charm, but it's at most a 2-of. Sure they have Aether Gust post-board, but when you have 5 mana vs Phoenix and want to resolve your 3-drop (Gate), you just slam it lol they literally cannot stop you.

[@moreplease394]

I have a pauper version of this where we use healer and stinger as the main focus but we use songs of the damned and big delve creatures to gain value. I think mine was inspired by Mountain Man Magic? That might be the wrong name but he's on YT

[@noobtuber10]

Seth, i know you probs wont read this but there was a very very strong standard brew at the time playing r/b cycling with god pharoahs gift mad caps experiment and cumbustable and noxious gearhulk, it havs blvery strong midrange so beat mono red and could outgrind control Miss this deck so much, cumbustable could flip and deal over 10 damage on average very busted

[@noobtuber10]

Maybe its playable in pioneer idk

[@daveSoupy]

I was building this for modern but now will pivot to pioneer

[@macmusial3644]

Just wondering, do you know what the reasoning is for running Desert Cerodon over Imposing Vantasaur? Vantasaur has a generic cycling cost and vigilance for when it gets eternalized by GPG, and it still works with Jegantha. I assume the deck hardly ever hard casts a 6 drop like that so the base stats don't seem super relevant, wouldn't it be better to run Vantasaurs over Cerodons?

[@kariiiba]

I was thinking this too! I totally agree, vantasaur seems better than cerodon.

[@abrahamgeidel5181]

Hey Seth, thanks for the awesome deck. I was wondering if there would be a good way to find some cool art you made for an against the odds video about a year ago. Hoping to get a sweet playmat for a new deck. Thanks again!! ^-^

[@LadyMapi]

I'm honestly kinda confused about why the deck runs Desert Cerodons instead of Imposing Vantasaurs. Both of them are 6 mana creatures that can cycle for 1, except the dino works WAY better with the GFG plan.

[@leonardoromero3789]

It gets better... Seth acknowledeged this at the original deck's video comments 😂

[@yoyoguy1st]

This actually seems kinda fun I've been thinking about pioneer and this seems like something I'd enjoy

[@mcd9468]

Evil Seth doesn't exist, he cannot hurt you. Evil Seth: 32:47

[@TenTailedSasuke]

What do you think about adding some of the cycling lands to help with some of the flood you were having in some late games?

[@ShiningSpear]

I wonder if it's worth going into Jeskai to play some of stuff present in the Standard build. Improbable Alliance was a good token engine, and being able to run some control elements was crucial in some matchups. Not sure if that's as much of a concern in the Pioneer meta, but it might be worth messing around with.

[@natejablonski]

I think in a non-budget version that could be worth it.

[@guilhermebasso9219]

Love cycling, great content Seth! How about mono-red "burn" wizards for next Pioneer episode. Mono red proved to be the best/dollar at modern in past, maybe it's the same for Pioneer.

[@MatheusH1N1]

Can I make a suggestion? Along with the deck improvements, it would be nice if you guys talk about some adaptations to play it in Explorer, if possible.

[@antedeguemon1194]

This deck is already explorer legal. I think just one of the dual lands seth used isn't on arena

[@ChaosForce08]

Feels like some Deafening Silences could be good for the Sideboard if Izzet is that popular. Also, Clifftop Retreat seems not great given how few lands with land types you have in the deck.

[@evancuyuch9260]

I wonder if jeskai cycling would be able to compete nowadays. Splash blue for counters in the sideboard and improbable alliance in the main alongside irencrag pyromancer like the old standard deck

[@briankuczynski6884]

About 40 minutes in you coulda lightning axed the sprite dragon discarding a land to make the adept bigger

[@brendanc9276]

I wonder if you just drop the upper end of the deck like throne of the god pharaoh and just doing fogs instead to buy a bunch of time for the zenith flares and maybe even running some sort of way to just blank most of their removal entirely you might actually be able to squeak in a bunch of wins

[@brendanc9276]

Maybe pyroclasms to just buy a bunch of time as well? with some instant/sorcery recursion and you have a nasty deck

[@Hawko1313]

cycling is too fair, but zenith is the equalizer. that card is no mask, daylight robbery and i love it

[@maxiewawa]

42:43 don't you mean to say "whaaaaaaaaaaa yeaaaaaaah Zenith Flare!"

[@Dalenthas]

Why don't you use your Zenith Flares on the Ledger Shredders?

[@mattm7798]

I think the format has reached a point where treasure cruise is just too good. You can keep dig thru time for now but the longer a format goes, the better each of those cards get.

[@cedricappleby2006]

I think they should just ban Treasure Cruise and Dig Through Time now and get it over with. They'll have to go eventually, might as well just ban them now.

[@mattm7798]

@@cedricappleby2006 I honestly can't say you're wrong. I get they want Pioneer/Explorer to have an identity, but TC and DTT are not that identity if they are broken, which TC definitely is. The thing is banning both might kill Izzet decks for a while, which I don't think they want. What would be a good powered down Treasure Cruise to keep Izzet decks good?

[@nathanmisener3328]

Can you build a archon of emeria/eidilon of retoric deck? Have it so you can use instants/channel/activated abilities and prevent the ledger shredder decks from having fun? Thanks Seth!

[@greatbeard476]

2nd game vs aura’s could you not cycle twice and block the alsied to kill it?

[@jamesrule1338]

Odd idea: Add in Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. Hollow One works with discard. You can loot away excess lands/gate to the afterlifes that you hit. And Reflection of Kiki-Jiki can copy the 4/4s created by God Pharoh's Gift. It's not perfect, but the loot effect might help streamline the games where the cycling fizzles. Just a thought.

[@mcockle23]

Maybe I'm wrong but I think in game 1 of match 3 against izzet control, you could have cycled to try and hit zenith flare to go for the win, right? I guess if they had a counter that wouldn't work though.

[@bluedog4248]

Would the deck work better if there were cards like ash barons used? Or the cycle lands for white and red

[@natejablonski]

The Amonkhet lands all cost two to cycle, enter tapped, and only provide one of the necessary colors. Those aren't worth it. A small number of triomes from Ikoria and New Capenna could be correct if budget isn't a concern, but tapped lands still aren't ideal. And the rest aren't legal in Pioneer.

[@bluedog4248]

@@natejablonski I didn't know they costed 2 to cycle that sucks. I know there is an enchantment thag gives all your mountains cycle for a red, is that card legal or no

[@natejablonski]

@@bluedog4248 it's from Modern Horizons, so not Pioneer legal

[@Chuubii]

I play a similar deck. You need to play Stinger more often

[@lepeixe22]

Maybe cut the GPGs and the Gates of the afterlife for more removal maybe, they kinda ended up being dead cards more often than not, cool deck though

[@ShinjiGetsGrounded]

I've been playing this in Explorer, 18 lands is plenty.

[@KellyUnekis]

Game 2 of match 5 you had the opportunity to turn on the Gate by cycling the Hollow One instead of casting it. Mayhaps that recursion stabilizes you. Mayhaps not.

[@cshin4219]

I see God-Pharoah’s gift. I press like.

[@bobwilson679]

Why wouldn't you board down to 18 lands consistently, like you did in the first game? Why did you board out a cycler in the last match?

[@bofaybaykweh]

At 52:18 you could've gotten both hollows free if you cycled again (:

[@Brooks0511]

What about tcg player acquiring channel fire ball and binder pos ? Think that will be a good thing

[@ExperienceJacob]

Do you think there might be too many lands in the deck? I remember having a standard list with 17 lands and even that felt like a lot

[@totalcoward]

I think the biggest sign that Treasure Cruise needs to be banned is that Izzet decks are so plentiful. There are a few different types of Izzet decks, but it really just doesn’t make sense to run decks without access to almost guaranteed Ancestral Recalls.

[@kennethritacco6959]

Does this deck play any removal?

[@lostsoul9987]

Where is Yidaro¿ Spice like this would be nice😁😎💯

[@thomasshamrock9731]

Ban treasure cruise. It's too good. Unbelievably too good.

[@AkodoNoEyes]

Wow…… dude why scoop instead of maybe seeing if you would draw the Zenith Flare????

[@Ryokamen]

I want to put some number of rip apart in the side

[@T-Royalj6]

When are we getting more scoops tokens?? I want more scoops tokens.. gimme my food scoops token!

[@CSDragon]

25:40 you had 3 chances to cycle into zenith flare

[@netanelaker4437]

Why this is not in Explorer?

[@moonlight_scribe]

"Zenith Flare is a helluva ̶d̶r̶u̶g̶ card"

[@kennethritacco6959]

I took a shot for every time you “complained” about Treasure Cruise being in the format, and I was rejected from the liver transplant list…

[@zachgray4767]

But Treasure Cruise is broken. lol

[@blackmountain1983]

Is anyone else sick of seeing Izzet Phoenix EVERYWHERE? It dominates modern, pioneer, historic and it's even powerful in legacy. We just need to ban the Arclite Phoenix already.

[@ShiningSpear]

Treasure Cruise is a way bigger problem than Phoenix.

[@SirDanyTheWarrior]

Treasure Cruise definitely needs to go.

[@convancha]

You didn't listen to us last time you played this deck. Imposing vantasaur is better than Desert Cerodon

[@forgottonpast6847]

This deck is explorer legal except for battlefield forge!

[@Alikaoz]

My thoughts on Cruise are... Pretty tame. I've seen it played, and it looks impressive, but unless the game is really dragging out, it's far less impactful than you'd think. Phoenix players often turbo their graveyard stuffing, only to die to Cavaliers or a Boros Charm to the face.

[@Tambanti]

Remember when no one played pioneer because of a few really oppressive cards that made it feel like nothing you did the whole game mattered then they banned "all" the problem cards and everything was great? Yeah they missed a few. Two blue cards that even modern is like lol no

[@andrewsigrist9981]

Just because a card is good in an older format doesn't mean it's broken in a newer format. Deathrite Shaman is banned in legacy and its not even playable in pioneer.

[@Sparky-yx9oz]

It's a cool deck. Too bad it didn't win more. It's too bad tectonic Reformation isn't legal in pioneer

[@baileynicholson251]

A reasonable port of this deck could exist for explorer. Just fyi

[@bowietsang920]

The real gift is the zenith flare we fired along the way

[@alexandrelima2766]

Come oooon Seth ! You were too salty on game 3-1 you scooped early should have cycled to see if you hit zenith flare

[@Riv_ilio]

It can play in explorer

[@winssports4830]

I wouldn't say it's too fair you just had no interaction against auras and NO deck punishes people for lack of interaction like auras. I know because I play them in every format except legacy which I've never played although I do have a deck idea for legacy bogles lol.

[@Fabregas200788]

no damping sphere vs phoenix is a crime

[@retronymph]

Pioneer really just seems like it's 90% Izzet

[@wesleyackerman8211]

Everyone else who does cycling with a companion chooses Zirda... not Seth though

[@PlayMadness]

I play izzet Prowess in pioneer and I get a surge of guilt every time I play a Treasure Cruise. If it's legal, I'm gonna play it, but it really shouldn't be legal. Just casually playing a piece of power in a format twenty years separated from the power is no good.

[@andrewsigrist9981]

This should have been an explorer deck

[@Nightwishmaster]

Can we send this video to WotC along with all the million others of how busted Ancest..err Treasure Cruise is and ask them what in the actual f is their thinking with wanting to go out of their way to try to keep the busted delve cards that are banned almost everywhere else in the format? I truly just don't understand what they're thinking with this one, in the decks that actually want to play Cruise it's ridiculously trivial to cast it for a single U, why do they think that's ok I just...I just don't get it.. They've either collectively all had strokes and forgot that Ancestral is one of, if not the single most powerful card that has ever been printed and or they're in serious denial. Not to mention even costing triple blue a 3 mana Time Walk is still powerful af too.

[@ricardoagarzajr2230]

dude this is also explorer legal i just checked

[@weirdperson5675]

I played Gates on MTGO so 25 land had to Mull to 4 to see 2 lands

[@RockStarholic]

The more annoyed Seth gets the more announce-ry his voice gets... lol.

[@Atmapalazzo]

Unfortunately the cycling support in Amonkhet is incredibly weak. I remember trying to make a cycling deck like this work, but it's not possible with only one set providing good cycling support.

[@oORoOFLOo]

$94 is a budget in an all common format? Ouch.

[@theBestInvertebrate]

Yay, pioneer.

[@jaded718]

I don't think the deck is too fair, I think it's too focused; 3-4 exile shocks would do a lot of work in the first couple matches

[@Naya_3193]

I don't follow Pioneer meta daily so this is my most recent experience with the format and I have to say, by how much people praise the format, I don't really get why. Seems miserable to play again and again against izzet decks with so much good cantrips and Treasure Cruise. Seems a stale, boring, repetitive format. It turned me off completely of giving it a chance. Cruise should've be banned not questions asked.

[@natemartin6498]

To be fair, I'm no expert, but based on goldfish data Izzet phoenix has only become predominant in the last week or two. If you look at the data for the last month it's not even top 3.

[@petershipman8391]

Treasure cruise 🤮

[@erikslimarik1526]

So many misplays. Like damn, you lost around 3 games just by playing the way you did.