MTG TMNT has officially been out for nearly a month, and for the most part, the small set hasn’t made much noise in the competitive scene. While some strategies like Pauper Mono-White Weenies and Modern Affinity did receive some upgrades, there haven’t exactly been many breakout archetypes emerging thanks to MTG TMNT.
The good news, however, is that some players haven’t given up hope and are continuing to tinker with the set’s goodies. In fact, one brewer just put up a strong performance in Pioneer with a sweet graveyard-focused deck built to maximize an MTG TMNT Class. It’s too early to say whether this deck will be poised for a breakout, but there’s certainly a lot to like.
Does Machines and Abhorrent Oculus Unite
At its core, this deck’s primary game plan is to get Abhorrent Oculus into play and ride it to victory. This powerful mythic Eye has long been a Modern staple in Dimir Midrange, and needs no introduction. In Pioneer, however, it hasn’t been a major factor for quite some time. Without Fetch Lands to use, it can be quite difficult to cast Oculus early enough for it to matter. Thanks to this, even with solid Unearth replacements like No One Left Behind, Oculus decks have lacked consistency.
Thankfully, Does Machines from MTG TMNT helps solve this exact problem. To this end, much of the Class’s value comes from the first level alone. By letting you loot away two cards and mill two cards, you should get to Oculus’ six-card threshold rather quickly.
Of course, if you have No One Left Behind rolled up, you can always discard Oculus itself and reanimate it instead. Between Does Machines, Tainted Indulgence, Bitter Triumph, and Likeness Looter, who can also copy a fallen Oculus, you have no shortage of ways to get your win condition in the bin.
From there, things start to get even more interesting with the inclusion of a playset of Monument to Endurance. This card synergizes nicely with all of your discard outlets, acting as a card advantage engine, mana producer, and a win condition at once. Does Machines does work here, too, resurrecting fallen Monuments with its Level 2 ability. These synergies make Dimir Oculus much stronger at grinding.
The Importance of Speed and Resiliency
Ultimately, Dimir Oculus’ versatility is what makes the archetype an interesting choice in the Pioneer metagame. Against the assertive Prowess decks that continue to dominate the format, getting Oculus into play quickly will usually be a death sentence for the opponent. After all, it hits hard, floods the board with blockers, and even outsizes Reckless Rage.
At the same time, though, Dimir Oculus is well-suited to win long games against Golgari and Rakdos Midrange shells. Monument to Endurance particularly thrives when you aren’t under immense pressure. Plus, with Thoughtseize and Stubborn Denial as backup, it isn’t too difficult to protect Abhorrent Oculus from opposing removal spells.
Where Dimir Oculus can run into issues, however, is against graveyard hate. While Abzan Greasefang shells have cards like Witherbloom Command to answer a resolved Rest in Peace, Dimir Oculus is cold to it. Your best workaround is to lean on Monument to Endurance and sideboard win conditions like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, but in some matchups, this is extremely difficult. For example, Azorius Control has plenty of disruption to ensure that Monument and Sheoldred don’t stick around long-term.
All in all, Dimir Oculus is an intriguing archetype, but it does have its limitations. Nonetheless, it’s cool to see Abhorrent Oculus, Does Machines, and Monument to Endurance all working in tandem. There’s plenty of room for exploration with this core following this Pioneer Challenge top eight performance, so don’t be shocked if Oculus strikes again in the coming weeks.
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