Hi, everyone! Being able to search for any card you need, whether it's in your library or in your sideboard, has unsurprisingly proven to be a powerful effect. And that effect can turn a game that you're bound to lose into a game you can win easily. This week I have for you a few decks that attempt to harness the power of Mastermind's Acquisition. Let's get started.

Cute Control

The first deck I have for you is a deck you're probably most used to seeing Mastermind's Acquisition in. Let's take a look at the deck:

Cute Control | Allegiance Standard | CMDR, mtgarena.pro user

• Instants (21)
• 1 Fungal Infection
• 1 Radical Idea
• 3 Vraska's Contempt
• 4 Moment of Craving
• 4 Mortify
• 4 Opt
• 4 Revitalize

• Sorceries (7)
• 1 Cry of the Carnarium
• 3 Kaya's Wrath
• 3 Mastermind's Acquisition

• Enchantments (6)
• 1 The Mirari Conjecture
• 4 Dovin's Acuity
• 1 The Immortal Sun

• Lands (26)
• 2 Swamp
• 4 Drowned Catacomb
• 4 Glacial Fortress
• 4 Godless Shrine
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 4 Isolated Chapel
• 4 Watery Grave

• Sideboard (14)
• 2 Clear the Mind
• 1 Cleansing Nova
• 1 Cry of the Carnarium
• 1 Demystify
• 1 Ethereal Absolution
• 1 Ixalan's Binding
• 1 Lyra Dawnbringer
• 1 Mass Manipulation
• 1 Nezahal, Primal Tide
• 1 Sanguine Sacrament
• 1 Sorcerous Spyglass
• 1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
• 1 The Immortal Sun

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The three main routes to victory once you've found a Mastermind's Acquisition are Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Lyra Dawnbringer, and Nezahal, Primal Tide. With Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, as long as you have a firm control of the battlefield, you can use his +1 loyalty ability to draw additional cards for a few turns before you can get his emblem and begin exiling the lands your opponent would need to get back into the game. Lyra Dawnbringer is good to bring in if you are low on life and fear being burned out. Nezahal, Primal Tide is the finisher of choice against a control deck that could counter any creature spell you would cast.

Captivating Powers

The next deck I have for you doesn't have a sideboard, so it utilizes Mastermind's Acquisition to find specific cards in the deck that help you win. Let's take a look at it:

Captivating Powers | Allegiance Standard | IceMarker, archidekt.com user

• Creatures (2)
• 2 Rakdos, the Showstopper

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Angrath, the Flame-Chained

• Instants (17)
• 2 Spell Swindle
• 3 Cast Down
• 4 Emergency Powers
• 4 Opt
• 4 Revitalize

• Sorceries (7)
• 3 Mastermind's Acquisition
• 4 Cleansing Nova

• Enchantments (8)
• 2 Captive Audience
• 2 Dovin's Acuity
• 2 Revel in Riches
• 2 Smothering Tithe

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 Treasure Map

• Lands (24)
• 4 Island
• 6 Plains
• 6 Swamp
• 4 Meandering River
• 4 Submerged Boneyard

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In the event that you're not able to get this combo rolling, there's a couple of other ways to win. Angrath, the Flame-Chained can keep your opponent from getting things rolling by causing them to discard a card each turn while also losing two points of life. He also acts as great removal against decks that are running creatures with a converted mana cost of three or less. You also have Rakdos, the Showstopper who simultaneously acts as a big beater as well as being a form of creature removal. Rakdos doesn't generally see a lot of play, so if I were to play this deck I would have to try to win at least once by having Rakdos on the battlefield.

Anti-Red Life Zacama

The final deck I have for you this week hopes to gain enough life to outrace Red aggressive decks and finish the game off with Zacama, Primal Calamity from the sideboard. Let's take a look at it:

Anti-Red Life Zacama | Allegiance Standard | SebaFR74, mtgarena.pro user

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Knight of Autumn
• 4 Lyra Dawnbringer
• 4 Resplendent Angel

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Vraska, Golgari Queen

• Instants (12)
• 4 Healing Grace
• 4 Moment of Craving
• 4 Revitalize

• Sorceries (6)
• 2 Mastermind's Acquisition
• 4 Kaya's Wrath

• Enchantments (5)
• 1 Dawn of Hope
• 4 Gift of Paradise

• Lands (23)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Swamp
• 2 Plains
• 1 Sunpetal Grove
• 2 Evolving Wilds
• 4 Godless Shrine
• 4 Isolated Chapel
• 4 Overgrown Tomb
• 4 Woodland Cemetery

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Angel of Grace
• 1 Assassin's Trophy
• 1 Blazing Hope
• 1 Cast Down
• 1 Citywide Bust
• 1 Cleansing Nova
• 1 Consecrate // Consume
• 1 Demystify
• 1 Invoke the Divine
• 1 Mark of the Vampire
• 1 Revival // Revenge
• 1 Settle the Wreckage
• 1 The Immortal Sun
• 1 Walk the Plank
• 1 Zacama, Primal Calamity

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This deck doesn't have to go all in on getting Zacama, Primal Calamity into play though. This deck can win well enough on its own simply through Lyra Dawnbringer or Resplendent Angel. It has enough ways to gain life that it shouldn't be much of a problem drawing additional cards with Dawn of Hope, plus Dawn of Hope gives this deck a way to go wide by creating Soldier tokens. If you want to win with extra style points, try to win by dealing any amount of damage during combat while you have Vraska, Golgari Queen's emblem in play.

Wrapping Up

Mastermind's Acquisition is undoubtedly a powerful card. Whether you use it to search your library for a tool you need, or whether it gets something powerful from your sideboard, it always has the potential to break games wide open for you. If you've had success with Mastermind's Acquisition, I'd love to hear the craziest card you've gotten with it that led to you winning the game.

What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below or you can reply to me directly on Twitter (@mikelikesmtg), or email me directly at mikelikesmtg@gmail.com. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

- Mike Likes