Conspiracy is back with a vengeance. For those of you who missed it, Wizards of the Coast ran an immersive marketing campaign last week that set up our future return to Paliano in all of its backstabbing glory.

Paliano is a city of politics, double deals, and assassinations. To say that I enjoy the plane of Fiora would be an understatement. Back-alley deals? Check. Political intrigue? Check. Daggers? Check, check, check! Straight up, this is Ant’s magical Christmas land.

In honor of my favorite setting of all time, I thought I would share some gems from Magic’s past whose flavor encapsulates what it’s like to roam the streets of the high city.

If building flavorful theme decks gets your dagger wet with poison, this article is for you.

Assassination

As was made evident by Wizards’s immersive Twitter campaign, assassinations are a part of life in the high city. The following cards continue that theme with additional ways to deal death to your opponents.

Magic artist Gary Gianni brilliantly depicts a subtle yet effective method of assassination, while Heather Hudson captures a bold-faces killer. Starke of Rath is a legendary assassin best known for his . . . loyalty. Assassinate and Ultimate Price offer more conventional methods of dealing with a pesky creature. Venom plays up the trope of an assassin wielding a poisoned blade.

Every good shadowy death-dealer needs his or her Equipment, which Cloak and Dagger, Grifter's Blade, and Acidic Dagger represent. My personal favorite of these gems is Grifter's Blade. Grifters are con artists, swindlers, and tricksters. For 3 mana, an unassuming 1/1 can reveal a hidden dagger, instantly becoming a 2/2 turning a trade into a blowout.

Politics

Paliano is also a city run by politics, many of which are corrupt. While casting your vote this conspiracy season, try your hand at filibustering with Droning Bureaucrats or Azor's Elocutors. If corruption in the White House is more your speed, start swinging with a Corrupt Official.

Politicians are never without their favorite tactics. Use Political Trickery to gain control of your opponent's campaign by stealing his or her best lands, Propaganda to stall his or her agenda, or Magistrate's Veto to downright deny any attempt at political rivalry.

My personal favorite of this group has to be Political Trickery. Why blow up an opponent’s pesky land when you can take it for yourself?

Bribery, Taxes, and Shady Dealings

Sometimes, politics just aren’t enough, and you need to start greasing some palms in order to get what you want. Cards like Bribery, Illicit Auction, and Crooked Scales offer flavorful ways to not only deal with your opponent’s threats, but convince those creatures that you are the better candidate. Wheel and Deal, Bane Alley Broker, Rishadan Pawnshop, and Bargaining Table each offers a different variation on striking the perfect deal to seal your victory. Tariff and Mana Tithe are just two flavorful ways to start abusing that newfound political power through taxations on your opponent.

Bribery is my gem of choice here, as I can think of no better way to defeat my opponent than by using his or her best cards against him or her (often at a discount).

Extortion

“But, Ant, what if political savvy isn’t my style?” you might ask. Sometimes, the subtlety of politics needs to take a back seat to some good, old-fashioned Strongarm Tactics. Cards like Strongarm Tactics, Syndicate Enforcer, and Alley Grifters leave your opponent broken and bullied, knowing he or she got the raw end of the deal.

Alley Grifters has the added bonus of being a visual gem, offering a look into the tactics employed by back-alley bullies.

Betrayal

Never forget that your minions have pockets of their own. Always be on the lookout for individuals with a fierce drive and willingness to stab their “masters” the back. Taking a shot from a friend will often harm your opponent more than anything you could have delivered on your own. Betrayal, Debt of Loyalty, and Treachery each offers a flavorful ways to make use of your opponent’s threats against him or her.

Debt of Loyalty is my pick out of the betrayal bunch. It’s not often we are able to see flavor like this framed by a white border.

Deception

It is important to always keep your opponents guessing. Malicious Advice can lead your opponents into a dire situation. False Orders can cause an otherwise easy victory into a lost battle. Trade Secrets can leave your opponent believing he or she was on the better end of a crooked deal. Each is deceptive in its own right and will add panache to your deviant decklist.

False Orders is my pick for the deceptive gem. It offers a very red take on underhanded tactics that I really enjoy.

Informants

In order for you to hatch the best-laid plans, you are going to need information. Goblin Spy, Information Dealer, and Edric, Spymaster of Trest each offers a flavorful take on information-gathering, offering their expertise while you concoct a grand scheme of your own.

Goblin Spy earns my vote here, mostly due to Scott knocking it out of the park being coupled with hilarious flavor text.

Infiltration

Your opponents will not be without their defenses, and often enough, you will find yourself searching for a way to slip by unnoticed. Keymaster Rogue and Covert Operative are agents of stealth, easily able to sneak behind enemy lines. Sleeper Agent infiltrates the enemy in plain sight, poisoning the ranks of your enemies. Infiltrate, Camouflage, and Invisibility each offers a way to send some of your less inherently stealthy creatures behind those same enemy lines in order to do some real damage.

Invisibility is a favorite gem of mine due it its simple yet accurate flavor. If you were invisible, creatures couldn't see you to block you, but Walls would still prove a problem. This earns an A+.

Thievery

Your opponent usually isn't going to give you what you want. Stealer of Secrets, Fortune Thief, Scarwood Bandits, Thieves' Auction, and Ill-Gotten Gains each offers a different way to steal the advantage from your foes. When those methods would otherwise fail, Blatant Thievery will often do the trick.

Fortune Thief is an interesting gem in that it offers a different take on “stealing.” When envisioning thieves, our minds easily think of physical objects, but in a world of swords and sorcery, it makes sense that skilled individuals would be able to steal some less tangible treasures.

Puppet Master

Are you the type who prefers to work behind the scenes, pulling the strings from afar as your devious plot unfolds? Puppet Strings, Hidden Strings, and Puppet Master each offers a unique take on this flavorful trope, putting you in the position of powerful manipulator as you forge a path to victory.

I love the card Puppet Master simply because it’s art is so conceptual and moody. Magic’s art has definitely improved by leaps and bounds over the years, but one thing I would like to see more of are conceptual pieces that were much more common in sets of the past.

Street Smarts

Never forget that Paliano is a city—and that cities offer their own unique perks to those in the know. Underworld Connections will grant you access to your land’s black market. Rogue's Passage grants access to the secret passages running through your city, and Street Savvy will grant your creatures the added knowledge they require to best use their urban environment to their advantage.

Street Savvy takes the cake here. Finding green cards that easily slot into a deck or Cube flavored around political intrigue and citywide extortion is no easy feat. This card is a perfect example of how to do that while staying completely true to the color’s slice of pie.

Each of these cards can be combined in a variety of ways, creating decklists packed with Conspiracy-themed flavor. As an example, I used the cards above to create a quick decklist meant to represent a powerful and corrupt politician who works behind the scenes. Puppet Strings and Wheel and Deal represent the shady dealings, while cards like Droning Bureaucrats and Propaganda serve as political tools used as powerful stall tactics. Ultimately, Azor's Elocutors brings home the win while you protect the card with Mana Tithes and Crooked Scales.

Political Puppetmaster ? 60-Card Casual | Ant Tessitore

• Creatures (8)
• 4 Azor's Elocutors
• 4 Droning Bureaucrats

• Spells (32)
• 4 Mana Tithe
• 4 Wheel and Deal
• 4 Bribery
• 4 Political Trickery
• 4 Tariff
• 4 Propaganda
• 4 Crooked Scales
• 4 Puppet Strings

• Lands (20)
• 10 Island
• 10 Plains

Buy This Deck

I hope you enjoyed this look into the political and deceptive flavors of Magic’s past. Conspiracy: Take the Crown is fast approaching. When it arrives, make sure you use the above list to add extra spice to your flavor-filled decklists. Otherwise, you might find yourself ill-prepared for fending off poison-tipped daggers. However, make sure you also don’t become too caught up looking over your shoulders and miss what is transpiring directly in front of your face. To quote R. A. Salvatore:

Would you like to see more lists like this in the future? If so, let me know in the comments or on Twitter. Now get out there and stab your friend in the back!

Ant

(@AntTessitore)