Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Decklists
3. Card Choices
4. Play
5. References
1. Introduction
I always dreamed about a consistent Rector deck in Legacy. Since 2017, a friend and I started to develop a combo deck based on the interaction between Academy Rector and an old and forgotten card: Mask of the Mimic.
Mask of the Mimic allows the Academy Rector to trigger at instant-speed, in a reactive way. Moreover, if the Mask resolves, you can put an additional Rector in play, allowing interactions between 2 or more Enchantments.
The main weakness of the deck used to be Deathrite Shaman, so now that it's banned I see additional opportunities for this deck.
2. Decklists
This is the original list that I played since 2017 up to the ban of Gitaxian Probe.
3. Card Choices
The combo is based on a couple of Academy Rector triggers. The more consistent way to achieve this is to resolve a Mask of the Mimic, however we putted 4 Cabal Therapy in the mix not only to be more consistent, but also to protect the combo.
How the deck wins? The best option to win a game is to put a Form of the Dragon in play. The enchantment is usually a win by itself against BGx decks, and it is a clear win in combination with Overwhelming Splendor against any deck requiring an attacking creature to win a game. Against creature-less decks the plot thickens. Our initial selection is a Dovescape in combination with Overwhelming Splendor, but this solution is far too slow against fast combos like storm. After lot of testing, we've come up with Decree of Silence. If putted in play in early-game can slow an opponent down enough to be backed by a Solemnity or a Hex Parasite. In order to consistently put Hex Parasite in play, we added a couple of Trinket Mage, which are good in combination with Mask of the Mimic, at the point that we moved Solemnity to the side and included Engineered Explosives and Walking Ballista to the main list in order to be more consistent against aggro deck.
Moving to the sideboard, it is basically a toolbox of artifacts and creatures that Recruiter of the Guard and Trinket Mage can find, plus the option to transform the deck in a combo-less Monastery Mentor Esper deck.
4. Play
So far, I'm really consistent with this deck. I'm more interested in deckbuilding than in organized play, however I managed to achieve 3 Top 4s in a local Legacy league in 2017 and 2018, 4 FNM wins and 3 Top 4s and even a 2nd place in a local league season finale (invitational). Overall, I missed the Top in just 2 tournaments. To be fair, the success is partially due to the surprise factor, especially post-side when my Monastery Mentor surprised an handfull of Rest in Peace.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Decklists
3. Card Choices
4. Play
5. References
1. Introduction
I always dreamed about a consistent Rector deck in Legacy. Since 2017, a friend and I started to develop a combo deck based on the interaction between Academy Rector and an old and forgotten card: Mask of the Mimic.
Mask of the Mimic allows the Academy Rector to trigger at instant-speed, in a reactive way. Moreover, if the Mask resolves, you can put an additional Rector in play, allowing interactions between 2 or more Enchantments.
The main weakness of the deck used to be Deathrite Shaman, so now that it's banned I see additional opportunities for this deck.
2. Decklists
This is the original list that I played since 2017 up to the ban of Gitaxian Probe.
1 Cavern of Souls
4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
3 Polluted Delta
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Swamp
3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
1 Hex Parasite
2 Recruiter of the Guard
2 Trinket Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Walking Ballista
4 Brainstorm
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Force of Will
2 Gitaxian Probe
3 Mask of the Mimic
3 Ponder
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Form of the Dragon
1 Overwhelming Splendor
The updated list is very close to the original one:
1 Cavern of Souls
4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
3 Polluted Delta
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Swamp
3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
1 Hex Parasite
2 Recruiter of the Guard
2 Trinket Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Walking Ballista
4 Brainstorm
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Force of Will
3 Mask of the Mimic
4 Ponder
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Form of the Dragon
1 Overwhelming Splendor
Sideboard
1 Containment Priest
2 Disenchant
1 Extirpate
1 Force Bubble
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Monastery Mentor
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Pithing Needle
1 Solemnity
2 Spell Pierce
1 Toxic Deluge
3. Card Choices
The combo is based on a couple of Academy Rector triggers. The more consistent way to achieve this is to resolve a Mask of the Mimic, however we putted 4 Cabal Therapy in the mix not only to be more consistent, but also to protect the combo.
How the deck wins? The best option to win a game is to put a Form of the Dragon in play. The enchantment is usually a win by itself against BGx decks, and it is a clear win in combination with Overwhelming Splendor against any deck requiring an attacking creature to win a game. Against creature-less decks the plot thickens. Our initial selection is a Dovescape in combination with Overwhelming Splendor, but this solution is far too slow against fast combos like storm. After lot of testing, we've come up with Decree of Silence. If putted in play in early-game can slow an opponent down enough to be backed by a Solemnity or a Hex Parasite. In order to consistently put Hex Parasite in play, we added a couple of Trinket Mage, which are good in combination with Mask of the Mimic, at the point that we moved Solemnity to the side and included Engineered Explosives and Walking Ballista to the main list in order to be more consistent against aggro deck.
We also added more creatures that are good with Mask of the Mimic: Recruiter of the Guard and Vendilion Clique. The first can tutor an Academy Rector, while the Clique is good to protect the combo or slow-down the opponent.
Moving to the sideboard, it is basically a toolbox of artifacts and creatures that Recruiter of the Guard and Trinket Mage can find, plus the option to transform the deck in a combo-less Monastery Mentor Esper deck.
4. Play
So far, I'm really consistent with this deck. I'm more interested in deckbuilding than in organized play, however I managed to achieve 3 Top 4s in a local Legacy league in 2017 and 2018, 4 FNM wins and 3 Top 4s and even a 2nd place in a local league season finale (invitational). Overall, I missed the Top in just 2 tournaments. To be fair, the success is partially due to the surprise factor, especially post-side when my Monastery Mentor surprised an handfull of Rest in Peace.
5. References