A Magic Deck To Beat Other Show And Tell Decks

This Build Powers Through Other Player’s Combos

If you’re like me, then you enjoy the idea of Timeless on MTGA—but would rather not constantly lose. And, if you’re really like me, then you especially hate losing to Show and Tell combos.

Well, I have a solution for you. A “fight fire with fire” solution. I’ve made my own Show and Tell deck that wins with the combo and can fight through other people using the same combo. In some circumstances, you actually want your opponent to fire off a Show and Tell—it just saves you some mana and a card.

I call it “The Anti Show and Tell Show and Tell Deck.” It’s got some obvious choices and some weirder card choices, and though I am not going to break down every card option, I will take a look at some of the pivotal ones.

A warning though: this deck is extremely difficult to pilot. I’ve lost so many games to micro-mistakes and bad sequencing. Literally every decision matters, every single turn, and you can effectively lose before you even play a single card. I’ll give some tips and tricks, but I can’t even hope to include every odd interaction and timing nuance you can utilize to fight through other brutal Timeless decks. It took me likely over a hundred games to get really good with this deck.  

The Combos

This deck uses four main cards to win games. You can use these in several orders, depending on the game. Sometimes, just putting one of the creatures into play is enough to win.

Show and Tell + Omniscience

The core of the deck. If you don’t know the main combo, you play Show and Tell to cheat Omniscience into play, and then you can play every spell in your hand on turn three. The difference between most decks that use the combo and mine is what we’re trying to do once Omniscience is on the field.

Hullbreaker Horror

This is the best card in the deck. Once Hullbreaker is on the board, your opponent usually loses. If you and your opponent both have Omniscience at the same time, bounce their Omniscience first. This effectively shuts down their ability to fight you on the stack and recast things you bounce. Then just undo anything they try. And if you pull off the combo unopposed, it’s even better. This deck is designed to have a ton of cards that can find other cards, making sure you can use Hullbreaker’s ability. But you’re not just searching for searching’s sake—there’s one card in particular you want.

Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur

This card all but ensures you never run out of spells to cast for Hullbreaker Horror bounces or just for your Omniscience. There’s even a singular Nexus of Fate to totally lock people out of the game. The usual winning board state is you have Hullbreaker, Jin, and Omniscience, and your opponent has nothing but lands on their board—and then they discard their hand. And no, the odds of you decking yourself are fairly low. One or two hits with Hullbreaker and Jin will win the game.

Defense Spells

But how do you protect the combo pieces or just stop other powerful decks from getting you before turn 3/4? Well, I have a few different cards in the list for this specific purpose.

Veil of Summer

This is an absolute must in this deck. Hand attack and counterspells are the two ways most players will try to stop you. Both of them can be easily countered with one green mana. But Veil of Summer does more than that. It stops any countering, even automatic ones on creatures of artifacts, and can save you from what would be a brutal Orcish Bowmasters play in response to your Brainstorm or Jin ability. Just play four of this card.

Discovery // Dispersal

Discovery is just another nice way to dig for spells and put stuff in your graveyard. But Dispersal, especially if they have an Omniscience out, is hilarious. In almost all cases, an opposing Omniscience will be the highest-cost thing on their board, so you can undercut enemy combos. And, even in less blowout circumstances, it’s a way to prevent an attack for a precious turn.

Supreme Will

Another digging spell with upside. A lot of combos don’t leave three mana available, so you can interrupt other people’s plans.

Utility Spells

As established, this deck needs to have a very high chance of having, finding, or drawing a search card. This is for several reasons. If you get down an Omniscience and then don’t have anything to follow it up, you just lose. And if you can’t defend Hullbreaker, you just lose. And, finally, when you draw a bunch off Jin, you’ll want to ensure you can cast a bunch of spells before they have any major chances to do anything about your lock. So, the deck runs a nice variety of strong search spells. The two most important are listed below.

Once Upon a Time

Twenty lands are not a lot, but Once Upon a Time usually helps make sure we don’t miss land drops. And then, later in the game, it can help us find Jin or Hullbreaker for the combo lock. Just make sure—if it’s in your opening hand—to always use this card before casting any other spell.

Dig Through Time

This deck casually and incidentally puts a lot of cards into the graveyard. Between fetch lands, surveil lands, and cheap spells, you can get to six cards in the graveyard fast—and that’s important to keep in mind. This deck runs Deathrite Shaman (a card that seems culturally problematic, unfortunately) for quick mana and some occasional interactions, but Dig Through Time needs a stocked graveyard to quickly find a Veil of Summer to protect the combo or to actually find the combo pieces. I tried going down to three of these, but Dig Through Time really makes this deck work at maximum efficiency.

Tips and Tricks

As I said, there’s just too much to cover with this deck, but here are some quick things to think about while playing it.

• If you go second, you might get Thoughtseize-ed or Grief combo-ed before you can play any cards. Keep this in mind when you mulligan.
• Veil of Summer cannot protect your graveyard. Surgical Extraction will ruin you. Keep an eye on if your opponent might try that and be careful putting key combo pieces into the graveyard. You can exile your own cards with Deathrite to try to stop it from happening.
• When you play Show and Tell, some players will put into play something that can destroy your Omniscience. If you have the right hand, you can do a lot of things at instant speed before they have a chance. Sometimes, you can still win.
• If you have multiple copies of Omniscience in hand and get one in play, it’s usually best to put them all on the board. That way, your opponent can’t bounce/destroy it mid-combo and mess up your plans.
• Aggro decks are a real challenge. Your main hope is to pull off the combo early enough. It’s just a rough matchup.
• If your opponent is playing only double-face lands, it usually means they are trying to Goblin Charbelcher you. They can do that about as fast as you can do your combo, and you can’t stop activated abilities. Your main hope is to keep the Charbelcher off the stack entirely.
• You can search up Witch’s Cottage or Mystic Sanctuary from a fetch land to get back creatures or spells that you need to win. This is especially useful against mill decks, as you don’t have a ton of copies of key cards.

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And that’s the deck. It really does take a lot to get a handle on it, but once you do, it’s so much fun. Every turn takes so much thought, and it’s immensely satisfying to win through someone else’s winning combo. Timeless is an intense format, yes, but that’s what makes this deck one of my favorite creations I’ve ever made.  

Deck
4 Show and Tell (SPG) 21
2 Supreme Will (AKR) 83
4 Once Upon a Time (ELD) 169
4 Brainstorm (STA) 13
1 Demonic Tutor (STA) 27
1 Forest (ZNR) 280
1 Breeding Pool (RNA) 246
2 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur (MUL) 76
1 Underground Mortuary (MKM) 271
4 Veil of Summer (M20) 198
3 Discovery // Dispersal (GRN) 223
3 Polluted Delta (KTK) 239
1 Hedge Maze (MKM) 262
1 Zagoth Triome (IKO) 259
1 Undercity Sewers (MKM) 270
1 Mystic Sanctuary (ELD) 247
1 Island (ANA) 3
1 Swamp (ANA) 5
1 Watery Grave (GRN) 259
4 Omniscience (M19) 65
2 Hullbreaker Horror (VOW) 63
4 Dig Through Time (KTK) 36
1 Overgrown Tomb (GRN) 253
1 Witch’s Cottage (ELD) 249
4 Misty Rainforest (MH2) 250
1 Verdant Catacombs (MH2) 260
1 Impulse (DMU) 55
4 Deathrite Shaman (RTR) 213
1 Nexus of Fate (M19) 306

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