The Mastermind

The Mastermind is a highly aggressive deck that aims to maximise adaptability by exploiting the players knowledge of their own resources while using the opponent's resources against them.

There are a number of key combinations to secure victory, ranging from highly improbable 7-card draws capable of securing a 1st round victory (e.g., Mox Sapphire + Ancient Tomb + Helm of Awakening + 2 x Sensei's DT + Brain Freeze + Leyline of the Void); through to more accessible 5-card combinations that can reliably lock down the battlefield in two to five rounds (e.g., Island + Sol Ring + Lightning Greaves + Tinker + Platinum Angel; or 3 x Land + Grinding Stone + Painter's Servant).

Since there's a low probability that high-card, winning combinations will be drawn, much of the deck is geared to provide a flexible search engine that allows the player to draw the cards they most need, given the constraints of their first draw and/or the unfolding state of play. To support this strategy, cheap defensive spells have been included (e.g., 2 Lands + Defense Grid; Will-o'-the-whisp; Mark of Eviction or Energy Field) to ensure that the player has enough time to safely execute their plans. The highly skewed mana curve also allows most, one-off trump cards to be played in the first 2-3 rounds.

Ultimately, though, the deck is intended to earn its name. Its main theme is to make full use of one's own spells while taking control of the opponent's. This can be achieved, for example, by locking them out with cards like Erayo & Arcane Lab; by forcing them to empty their library with combinations like Grindstone & Painter's Servant; or by making them discard specific, threatening cards with the Walker of Secret Ways & Cranial Extraction. There are also a few aces up the sleeve (particularly Force of Will), while the low amount of instants or sorceries means that Energy Field is unlikely to be sacrificed. Lands like Boseiju, Arcane Ruins & Mystifying Maze can also provide mana every round, while allowing a last-minute activated ability to either prevent a counter spell, return an artefact from the graveyard, or exile a powerful attacker (like Emrakul). Other relatively low-cost, helpful controls include the two Planeswalkers, Sower of Temptation and Circu, Dimir Lobotomist...

I'm yet to play test this deck, so if anyone would be kind enough to provide some advice on how best to refine it, I'd be much obliged (although I'd also appreciate it if you started with my sideboard…)