Solution to 42: The Exit Polls

There’s nothing immediately wrong with choosing the ‘psychosis’ vote for Bite of the Black Rose; you lose your Trumpet Blast and Scaled Wurm, but it’s not likely that you’re going to play them anyway. The real issue is the fact that, between Takaharu’s Jetting Glasskite, Crookclaw Transmuter and Favorable Winds, he’s likely to run you into the ground on his next turn… so you do need to find a way to win right now.

Looking at Takaharu’s blockers, the only way for you to deal a lot of damage would be to get past all of them. To do that, you’ll likely need the Boldwyr Intimidator. But you won’t draw the Intimidator till your next turn, and even then you won’t have enough mana to both cast it and activate its abilities. But there is a way to get the Intimidator on the battlefield during Takaharu’s turn, and it’ll involve his Bite of the Black Rose.

  1. In response to Takaharu casting Bite of the Black Rose, sacrifice your Fires of Yavimaya to give your Enraged Revolutionary +2/+2 until end of turn. Enraged Revolutionary is now a 4/3 creature.
  2. Allow Bite of the Black Rose to resolve. Takaharu votes for the ‘sickness’ option.
  3. Choose to vote for the ‘sickness’ option as well. As a result, all creatures you control get -2/-2 until end of turn, and you lose no life to Takaharu’s Grudge Keeper.
  4. Your Cogwork Spy and Gnarlid Pack both die, while your other creatures (Enraged Revolutionary, Runed Servitor, Cinder Wall, Pitchburn Devils) survive.
  5. Tap your Cinder Wall to activate its Power of Fire Ability. Choose to have it deal 1 damage to your Pitchburn Devils. Your Pitchburn Devils is now a 1/1 creature with 1 damage on it, and dies.
  6. When Pitchburn Devils dies, its ability triggers. Choose to have it deal 3 damage to your Runed Servitor. Your Runed Servitor is now a 2/2 creature with 3 damage on it, and dies.
  7. When Runed Servitor dies, two abilities trigger: Deathrender’s ability, and Runed Servitor’s ability.
  8. Resolve your Runed Servitor’s triggered ability first. You and Takaharu each draw a card; you draw your Boldwyr Intimidator.
  9. Resolve your Deathrender’s ability. Choose to put Boldwyr Intimidator from your hand onto the battlefield, and attach Deathrender to it. Boldwyr Intimidator is now a 7/7 creature.
  10. With no untapped lands and no cards left in hand, Takaharu has no other plays this turn. Allow Takaharu’s turn to end. Your turn begins. You untap all permanents you control, and draw a card.
  11. During your first main phase, tap Cinder Wall to activate its Power of Fire ability. Choose to have it deal 1 damage to Takaharu’s Typhoid Rats, killing it.
  12. Tap four mountains and your Reflecting Pool to add RRRR to your mana pool.
  13. Spend RRRR to activate your Boldwyr Intimidator’s ability four times, changing all four of Takaharu’s untapped creatures (Grudge Keeper, Minamo Scrollkeeper, Crookclaw Transmuter, Zombie Goliath) into Cowards until end of turn.
  14. Declare the start of your combat phase, assigning your Boldwyr Intimidator (7/7) and Enraged Revolutionary (2/1) to attack.
  15. Because Takaharu has the highest life total between the two of you, Enraged Revolutionary’s Dethrone ability triggers. Put a +1/+1 counter on Enraged Revolutionary. Enraged Revolutionary is a now a 3/2 creature.
  16. Tap Reflecting Pool to add R and two forests to add GG (both used as generic mana) to your mana pool.
  17. Spend 2R to cast Trumpet Blast, giving your Intimidator and your Revolutionary +2/+0 until end of turn. Boldwyr Intimidator is now a 9/7 creature. Enraged Revolutionary is now a 5/2 creature.
  18. Since both of your attacking creatures are Warriors and all of Takaharu’s untapped creatures are Cowards, Takaharu is unable to block either of your creatures (due to Boldwyr Intimidator’s ability).
  19. Boldwyr Intimidator and Enraged Revolutionary deal a total of 14 damage to Takaharu, defeating him.