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Main » Articles » This Town May, In Fact, Be Big Enough

This Town May, In Fact, Be Big Enough

Michael Flores
Posted on December 31, 2024
 Reddit

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut is one of my favorite books of all time; in fact, I often say it's one of my three favorite books. But I've been saying that for thirty years and have read some pretty good books over that time period.

"Don't truth me, Unk," if you grok.

The Sirens of Titan comes up in my mind quite often because of a passage that Vonnegut might not have been able to get away with in 2025. It's a little pointy, but hopefully you'll understand why I think about it when first seeing certain Magic decks.

"But Beatrice did have a face - and an interesting one. It could be said that she looked like a buck-toothed Indian brave. But anyone who said that would have to add quickly that she looked marvelous. Her face, like the face of Malachi Constant, was a one-of-a-kind, a surprising variation on a familiar theme - a variation that made observers think, Yes - that would be another very nice way for people to look."

Yes - that would be another very nice way [to make a deck] is what I thought when I first saw this 5-0 masterpiece by DB_DYKMAN:

Cryptic Izzet | FDN Standard | DB_Dykman, 5-0 MTGO Standard League 12/31/2024

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It's not like most of the decks we see in Standard.

It's the same colors as one of the most popular strategies - and three or so cousin decks - but really isn't like any of them. It plays different cards than most decks in the format. But as soon as you look at one of them, say Cryptic Coat... You kind of have to say that's a very nice card against many opponents. And anyone who's been on the wrong side of a Dissection Tools in Constructed would probably have to admit that when the card is good... It's legitimately marvelous.

The secret, of course, is that DB_DYKMAN went to the well to play a familiar theme... Or something that was kind of a familiar theme years ago. This is a kind of two-for-one deck, no different than the Flametongue Kavu + Thornscape Battlemage decks of Invasion Block.

Flametongue Kavu
Thornscape Battlemage
Cryptic Coat
Thundertrap Trainer

Only it is a surprising variation on the two-for-one deck because it's a Black and Blue permanents deck rather than a Red and Green creature deck.

Cryptic Coat - When you cast this card you put two permanents into play (one from the top of your deck). If a game is going slowly enough, Cryptic Coat - without ever flipping over a creature card (and there aren't that many creature cards in this deck) can act as a kind of grinding card drawing.

Dissection Tools - This also puts two permanents into play; but you are pretty reliant on the Manifest Dread permanent. But beyond that? You're kinda sorta swinging with and defending with a deadlier Batterskull.

Thundertrap Trainer - The Trainer itself is a two-for-one. You can go as many as four-for-one if you have six mana lying around!

Stormchaser's Talent is a card we've discussed recently, and Nowhere to Run has a special place in this list. Because of course all of the deck is held together by a very special card from Outlaws of Thunder Junction:

This Town Ain't Big Enough

DB_DYKMAN played the full four Go for the Throat, and the full four Cut Down, and two Disfigure... And still found room for four Nowhere to Run! Nowhere to Run is a card that is actually replacing Go for the Throat in many decks because it's more effective against Heartfire Hero (reducing it to zero power instead of teeing up its "death" trigger) AND because of the popularity of Boros Auras. Nowhere to Run doesn't care about your Shardmage's Rescue, nor the Ward from your Sheltered by Ghosts.

And of course, if you're going to build your deck around This Town Ain't Big Enough, resetting Trainers and Talents... Well getting back your Nowhere to Run (while also bouncing their incoming attacker I'd guess) is a great synergy if you're worried about creature decks.

And in terms of surprising variations on a familiar theme?

What about this theme... and this same player?

Cryptic Izzet | FDN Standard | DB_Dykman, 10th Place MTGO Standard Challenge 12/30/2024

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When I saw this deck I had to do a double take. Didn't I just scribble down a DB_DYKMAN deck? I was surprised to see this was a different deck playing some of the same unique pieces. Here This Town Ain't Big Enough can reset your Roaring Furnace.

Much, much worse if your opponent is playing bigger creatures (say 6/6 Demons)... But kind of faster the rest of the time. And you have to admit, unless you're specifically up against a quick Red Aggro deck, Ral, Crackling Wit is probably an upgrade over Disfigure (especially in a deck with 100 other creature kill spells).

This Town Ain't Big Enough is apparently holding together a wide band of relatively different decks (some of which share colors) on Magic Online. I was initially pretty surprised because you don't see a lot of these decks on Arena, which is where I get most of my reps.

Esper | FDN Standard | Cabezadebolo, 5th Place MTGO standard Challenge 12/30/2024

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The big hook on CABEZADEBOLO's build versus some other Esper takes is Entity Tracker.

Basically, the deck plays almost one-third enchantments (with more in the sideboard) and ways to re-play them. Hence, Entity Tracker will get a lot of trigger opportunities. Profit!

As I said, these Esper decks have become quite popular in the last few weeks, so the pure card draw of Entity Tracker (especially where an opponent's first line of defense might be a temporary solution like Sheltered by Ghosts) might be a way to avalanche a similar deck in card advantage.

Fear of Isolation
Nurturing Pixie

Two cards that will generally appear as four-ofs in Esper are Fear of Isolation and Nurturing Pixie. These creature cards, like This Town Ain't Big Enough, let you pick up and re-use your permanents that either put additional permanents in play or kill something. Hopeless Nightmare and Nowhere to Run are the most obvious two-for-one enchantments. This is kind of a unique feature of CABEZADEBOLO's build, so it bears mentioning: How funny is it to bounce Bottomless Pool with a two-mana spell just so you can one-mana Unsummon again?

I looked at a lot of similar decks, but like CABEZADEBOLO's sideboard the best, I think. Bandit's Talent in the sideboard, as a second Class? But not just that... a quasi-Hymn to Tourach that you can reset with This Town Ain't Big Enough? The Witch's Vanity is like a second set of Nowhere to Run for fast decks... And the fact that you get a little Food with it is a huge bonus against the color Red. Not for nothing, but in producing multiple permanents, The Witch's Vanity can actually trigger the signature Entity Tracker multiple times.

Esper | FDN Standard | Breca, 9th Place MTGO Standard Challenge 12/30/2024

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Entity Tracker does not seem to be in the most popular builds. But to be fair, BRECA's isn't the most representative, either. I just wanted to highlight the inclusion of Tithing Blade here... Very classic synergy with Nurturing Pixie. I think that many of the Esper "bounce" decks you'll see will be more aggressive.

Spiteful Hexmage is a 3/2 for one mana. You can either put its Cursed Role somewhere where it doesn't matter, pay for a Fear of Isolation with it, or even profit from an Optimistic Scavenger trigger.

Esper | FDN Standard | gummaz, 5-0 MTGO Standard League

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If I were going to experiment with this archetype, I think I'd go with this GUMMAZ version first.

It's just the "cleanest" I've found. All four-ofs but two Sheltered by Ghosts (with two more in the sideboard). That's all well and good, of course, but this version also leans into another set of synergies.

Nurturing Pixie flies.

Fear of Isolation flies.

That makes them hard to block, especially earlier on in the game.

What does that tell you?

Kaito, Bane of Nightmares

It means that Kaito's Ninjutsu can be on display, especially when the opponent isn't expecting a Ninjutsu- Planeswalker. And why would they?

Esper | FDN Standard | Edel, 5-0 MTGO Standard League

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The Pro Tour Champion version of this strategy seemingly trades Kaito for Spyglass Siren (which, admittedly, is more cheap flying)... But the point is, EDEL's Kaitos are in the sideboard... and there are only two of them.

Anyway, in addition to being notoriously hard to deal with once he gets going, Kaito resets your creatures whose job it is to reset your other 187 permanents. What's worse than dealing with the same Hopeless Nightmare twice? How about three times?!?

This Town Ain't Big Enough is apparently wide and inclusive enough to help prop up several different decks... Straight Dimir... its Izzet cousin... and any number of Esper creature decks, with and without Tithing Blade; with and without Ninja Planeswalkers.

But I knew this card was really something different and defining when I saw this recent variation on a deck we've discussed several times recently:

Sultai Beans | FDN Standard | Putput, 5-0 MTGO Standard League

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Black splash?

Cool.

Swamp in the main, even!

Rona's Vortex has some value; but I'm still scratching my head that you would bend your mana for kicker, but not even max out your basic Unsummon.

We'd previously seen Sheltered by Ghosts as the two-of splash in the main, but PUTPUT seems to have a little more discipline. Instead? Nowhere to Run! There's nowhere to run from the ubiquity of Nowhere to Run, apparently.

Here it's a kill card that can tip the scales against Heartfire Hero... And one that can be cast again and again if you draw enough This Town Ain't Big Enough. Unlike the one Go for the Throat in PUTPUT's sideboard, this duo can show up via Cache Grab and Seed of Hope.

It almost makes you want to play more than six sources of Black!

LOVE

MIKE

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TAGS articles, standard, constructed, analysis, decklist, discussion, michael flores, fdn standard, 12312024, this town ain't big enough

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