MTG Salvation

I played a version of Matt Higgs's Blue Oyster Bolt deck (http://www.starcitygames.com/article/33412_Brewing-With-Ratios.html) at FNM to a 3-3 finish. Not horrible for someone who hasn't played Standard in several months. Each round was win-a-pack, and I lucked into a Liliana after my last round opponent dropped.

TCGPLayer Mid currently prices this deck around $36, and that's including the lands. Take those out, and it's under $30. One of the best parts is that the deck basically survives rotation intact. Displacement Wave is the only Origins card in the deck.

My most favorite moment was watching my opponent sacrifice his board to bring out Ormendahl, Profane Prince while I had Unsubstantiate in hand. I almost felt bad for him.

It was actually quite a blast to play, and it took several people by surprise. I would have done a lot better if I hadn't misplayed several times, so the deck does have a lot of play to it. At no point did I ever feel overmatched by anything, including 4-Color Company.

I have some thoughts and suggestions regarding the deck.

• Anticipate is absolutely necessary for the deck to function. I had two since I had 4 Take Inventory, but Anticipate was better for digging for Fevered Visions.
• Must remember that Engulf the Shore is an instant and not a sorcery like Displacement Wave.
• Fevered Visions is absolutely brutal in multiples.
• Unsubstantiate was amazing since it could (temporarily) counter a spell or return a creature. If it said nonland permanent, it would be busted beyond belief.
• Resolved Planeswalkers were especially difficult to handle, so I feel that 2 Compelling Deterrence would be helpful to reset them. The instant speed would be nice as well.
• I wanted some additional damage, so I added Stormchaser Mage to the main alongside the Curious Homunculous and Halimar Tidecaller. It was very effective and won me several games. It's a good blocker and attacker because of its prowess. But you sometimes need a good blocker on the ground to stop stuff from killing you. Hence, Thermo-Alchemist. It can get damage in regardless of attacking. Absolutely gross with two on board and an active Fevered Visions.
• I added in 4 Wandering Fumarole for an additional attacker and something that dodges mass bounce effects. It was great to awaken a Fumarole and then use it as a 7/4 flying attacker with Tidecaller. It also dodges a lot of removal. Four were too many since coming in to play tapped sucked at times, so two may be correct.
• An opponent used Contingency Plan to great effect at flipping his Curious Homunculous. It would also be excellent at setting up draws from Fevered Visions. I want to try two, but three may be the correct number.
• I absolutely wanted more lands with the extra cards from Fevered Visions, so 22 lands. It may seem light, but none of the spells cost all that much, and the digging helps set up draws.

So, with that in mind, here's an updated list that I'm going to try --



Some additional cards to consider --

• Sphinx's Tutelage for the lulz with Fevered Visions draws.
• Calculated Dismissal as a counter with Scry, which would be really good with Fevered Visions and in general.
• Shorecrasher Elemental intrigues me here since it can dodge a lot of removal.
• A non-budget version could include Kozilek's Return instead of Radiant Flames. Flames is definitely the more budget-conscious choice.

Let me know what you think.

I've thought about it, and I'd really like to try it here, but I'd have to devote more resources to keeping it alive. It's kinda nice getting spells back when Tidecaller resolves.

I like this list quite a bit! One thing I would consider would be Tormenting Voice, Mad Prophet, or Reckless Scholar as a way to filter your draws a bit, probably in place of the Curious Homunculus. I also agree that Niblis of Frost would likely be better than Halimar Tidecaller. If you go this route, and have some discard, it may also be worth considering putting in some burn like Fiery Temper or Avacyn's Judgment (Then again, I am a bit of a red mage at heart, so I could just like burn.)

May I suggest a few Titan's Strength or Stormchaser Mage? Also, Incendiary Flow is nice budget burn.