Locations
Challenge
Create as many copies of Essence of the Wild as you can by the end of turn five on the play. You may only use cards from Innistrad, and your deck must be exactly sixty cards.
Assumptions
You have perfect luck; for example, even after you shuffle your library, it’s ordered how you want. You may not assume anything about your opponent’s hand or library, except that he won’t do anything relevant and he’s at an arbitrarily high life total. Only Essences that are on the battlefield at the end of turn five are counted.
Difficulty Levels
Level 1 (Easy): Create at least 20 copies.
Level 2 (Moderate): Create at least 100 copies.
Level 3 (Hard): Create at least 200 copies.
Level 4 (Insane): Create at least 275 copies.
Level 5 (Gibbering Madness): Create at least 425 copies. [Editor's Note: Nathan notified us on Thursday morning that he made a mistake in reaching level 5, so we have removed it.]
Send your solutions to nex342+puzzle@gmail.com with the subject line “Puzzle – Essences Gone Wild” and I’ll include the best ones in next week’s article, along with the next puzzle!
Good luck!
Solution to Last Week’s Puzzle
Two people get credit for submitting the first solution to last week’s puzzle. Michael Simon @mechalink on Twitter) solved it when I first Tweeted it, then Steve Guillerm was the first to solve it after it was posted on the column. Their solutions were much the same, and went as follows:
| Play | Mana | Cards in Hand |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning of the game |  |
7 |
| Reveal two Chancellor of the Tangle | |
5 + 2 known |
| Reveal Chancellor of the Dross | |
4 + 3 |
| Put Gemstone Caverns onto the battlefield |  |
2 + 3 |
| Turn one |  |
3 + 3 |
| Bazaar of Baghdad | |
2 + 3 |
| Activate Bazaar, discarding two Chancellors and a Golgari Grave-Troll | |
3 + 1 |
| Cycle Street Wraith, dredging Golgari Grave-Troll and milling another Grave-Troll, four Dragon Shadows, and an Extractor Demon | |
2 + 2 |
| Cycle Street Wraith, dredging Golgari Grave-Troll and milling another Grave-Troll, four Dragon Fangs, and a Dragon Scales | |
1 + 3 |
| Cycle Street Wraith, dredging Golgari Grave-Troll and milling three Dragon Scales and three basic lands | |
0 + 4 |
| Unearth Extractor Demon, attaching all twelve Dragon auras | |
0 + 4 |
| Attack for 17 | |
0 + 4 |
Solutions to Bizarre Traders
Just before I started writing this column, Vektus Prinek sent me a solution to Puzzle 17 . . . the first correct one I’ve received. It is as follows:
- Ryker trades Moroii to Austin for Zombie Outlander.
- Ryker trades Zombie Outlander to Noah for Lurking Informant.
- Noah trades Goblin Guide to Austin for Moroii.
- Austin trades Alpha Tyrranax to Michelle for Chaos Lord.
- Austin trades Chaos Lord to Noah for Gaea’s Revenge.
- Austin trades Petalmane Baku to Ryker for Gigapede.
- Noah trades Robber Fly to Ryker for Zodiac Dragon.
- Austin trades Gigapede to Michelle for Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker.
- Austin trades Skyshroud Ridgeback to Michelle for Blightsteel Colossus.
