Even if you're not bluffing countermagic you can put any land into play as a surprise - flash in a Maze of Ith when they attack you, play a Sejiri Steppe or Bojuka Bog as an instant, play Vesuva in response to them blowing up an important land, etc
However, if you build a barracks, then you can start producing marines, which can then gain you advantages in combat, worker harass, controlling the map, and so on
Kenji Egashira's article on the Wizards of the Coast homepage contains a spoiler for our next card, Deploy the Gatewatch
But Duke Ulder Ravengard
Angelic Accord acts as a creature factory in builds like this, potentially netting you up to sixteen power worth of flyers every turn cycle
Last updated on June 26, 2026 Shadowmage Infiltrator | Illustration by Tomasz Jedruszek Ever since the beginning, there was turn 1 Dark Ritual + Hypnotic Specter