Why is This Deck?
Timeless is an opportunity for all of us to try the highest power nonsense we can get our hands on, and this deck is absolutely that for me. I love reanimator strategies because they let us cheat gigantic monsters into play well before you’re supposed to. Normally, we have to go through the hoops of our graveyard, but Sneak Attack bypasses that and lets us drop gigantic monsters directly into play. Now that every middle-man has been cut out, let’s sneak in some fatties.
The Main Gameplan
As you might imagine, our main gameplan is getting a Sneak Attack online and dropping into play either an Atraxa, Grand Unifier or a Worldspine Wurm. If either of these threats hit the field, chances are the game is over by simply going over the top of whatever our opponent has access to.
Card selection is provided from Demonic Tutor and Assemble the Team to make sure we get our combo pieces and our mana dorks Deathrite Shaman, Delighted Halfling, and Gilded Goose are here to make sure we don’t need to wait until turn five to execute the gameplan. Additionally, opponents might be eager to spend removal answering our mana dorks (especially Deathrite Shaman) which means they’ll have fewer answers later in the game for our main threats.
Secondary Gameplans
Sneak Attack is a powerhouse card that presents a glass canon combo that can win on the spot. As a result, sideboards will be ready to deal with in games two and three. Pithing Needle is this deck’s worse enemy because it completely cuts off our primary gameplan. This is partially what the Molten Collapses are for in the sideboard, but more importantly, we have secondary win conditions that don’t require the Sneak Attack activation.
Firstly, Natural Order is simply Sneak Attack at home that lets us leverage our mana dorks for additional value by effectively transforming them into our big threats. Given that our big threats and our mana dorks are both green incidentally, it’s a natural fit.
We have another four-drop that can end the game on the spot if left unchecked in Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes. Their title is especially appropriate in this format because they are absolutely heroes in Timeless. Jund midrange decks already use this as a heavy win condition so we can take advantage if all else fails. Notably, we get to take advantage of Timeless not reflecting the Alchemy rebalances because this planeswalker comes down for only four total mana instead of five.
Threat Density
Every Magic: the Gathering card fits into one of two categories: threats or answers. Threats are the cards that progress your gameplan and put you closer to a win while answers are cards that prevent your opponent from reaching theirs. Midrange decks, like this one, contain a balance of both and the player can adjust as needed for a given matchup. This deck does best taking the assertive role and setting the clock early. As a result, it is running more threats than is strictly necessary even beyond what we discussed above.
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer might look out of place, but it’s a must-answer threat that, just like Deathrite Shaman, pulls focus in the early game. And if the monkey goes unanswered, it can help us ramp into a turn three sneak attack turn. We also run Orcish Bowmasters because it is possibly the strongest card in Timeless that’s not on the restricted list. It’s spot removal on a body that can close a game by itself if left unanswered.
Leveraging these Jund midrange threats gives us the ability to grind out a lot of matchups even if we don’t get our combo finish.
Keep it or Ship it?
Because our deck is designed to be more balanced than an all-in combo deck, we run a very significant risk of having dead cards in our hand. Unless it’s accompanied by a Sneak Attack, you rarely want an Atraxa or Wurm in your opening hand because this deck will rarely ramp to seven or higher before the opponent presents a lethal threat. You can also see any copy of Once Upon a Time in the opener as a land because it will almost always find you one for free. If you see two lands and a one-mana creature, you’ll have options which is the key. Don’t keep any hand where you can’t make game actions before turn three. This deck is more vulnerable to fall into that trap than most other decks in Timeless.
Sideboard Thoughts
You may wonder why Blood Moon is a two-of in the sideboard. It’s a double-edged sword that we need to be careful with, but against Primeval Titan decks, it’s the most powerful card in the entire 75. Given how many tutors we have access to, we’ll likely find it if we bring them both in.
Speaking of tutors, a massive threat to this deck is Ashiok, Dream Render. Don’t forget about this card’s passive because it shuts off Assemble the Team and Demonic Tutor. If you see black and/or blue on the opposite end of the field, Sheoldred’s Edict and Molten Collapse are critical includes. You may also consider Lightning Bolt since planeswalkers definitely fit under the “any target” umbrella. We also have three copies of Leyline of the Void in the sideboard to shut down Underworld Breach combo decks cleanly without even spending mana.
Attacking your opponent’s hand with cards like Thoughtseize become significantly more valuable when you’re facing off against decks that rely on counterspells. In these matchups, make sure to bring in the third Thoughtseize along with the third Orcish Bowmasters and consider The Stone Brain. The one-of Stone Brain is here to combat other combo decks or control decks with a single win con. If you’ve never stripped a deck of every Teferi, Hero of Dominaria they have, you’re missing out.
Conclusion
Like all my decks, my primary goal is to create a fun gameplay experience for you and even your opponent. I believe this deck fits in the current Timeless meta and can deliver some explosive wins if piloted carefully. As always, tweaks here and there are bound to happen as meta shifts, but I hope this 75 gives you a place to start to live your sneaky dreams.
Oh, and Show and Tell is coming to Arena with the next set, so stay tuned for Sneak and Show soon.
