Of all the design choices featured in MTG Avatar, the one that received the most controversy was undoubtedly the return of Lessons. Despite this spell subtype making a triumphant return, the Learn mechanic that players expected to see alongside it wasn’t featured in the set at all.
With this in mind, some players, including me, were skeptical that Lessons would make much of an impact in Standard. Well, not only have some Lessons proved efficient enough to see Standard play even without any extra synergies present, but we’re also seeing a cool deck emerge that’s entirely centered around the mechanic!
Lesson Payoffs
For a Lesson-themed deck like this one to be competitively viable, there needs to be some powerful payoffs in the mix. Otherwise, playing a large number of Lessons holds little to no value. Fortunately, Accumulate Wisdom heavily rewards you for going down this route.
With playsets of five different Lessons in this deck, it doesn’t take long before Accumulate Wisdom becomes an elite card advantage spell. Because this card is a Lesson itself, you can always cast it early as a pseudo-Anticipate to fuel any future copies. Having a decent floor and an absurdly high ceiling makes the card an incredible build-around.
In a similar vein, Combustion Technique is a totally serviceable removal spell early in the game that scales as the game goes on. Obviously, given how popular Simic Aggro is, you need cheap ways to kill creatures. Yet, in this deck, Combustion Technique has the upside of being able to tag big threats like Quantum Riddler in the late game, something most two-mana damage-based removal spells can’t do.
As you continue fueling your graveyard with Lessons, Dragonfly Swarm becomes a massive threat. This card unsurprisingly excels against Simic Aggro and other creature decks that lack efficient removal. In some games, pairing Dragonfly Swarm with Wild Ride will let you end games out of nowhere. Thanks to its death trigger, however, even against decks like Dimir Midrange that feature a bunch of removal spells, it’s hard not to end up ahead on resources in the exchange.
As strong as these payoffs are, though, they all still require you to have access to enough efficient Lessons to make them work. The quicker you can enable Accumulate Wisdom, fuel Combustion Technique, and grow Dragonfly Swarm, the better. Luckily, this deck delivers on this point, too.
Cheap Spells
One of the notable benefits of not having the Learn mechanic in Standard at the same time as Lessons is that Wizards of the Coast was free to print stronger, more efficient options. The reality is, some of the Lessons in this deck are decent inclusions on power level alone, which makes the deck much more appealing.
No card showcases this more than Boomerang Basics. Its versatility is off the charts for a one-mana spell. Bouncing your own copies of Stormchaser’s Talent or Astrologian’s Planisphere to generate extra value is awesome in attrition battles. Alternatively, returning Leyline of Resonance to your Gruul Aggro opponent’s hand can halt their early pressure considerably.
Similarly, Abandon Attachments is a strictly better Tormenting Voice, which is a reasonable option on rate. Of course, your Lesson synergies put this card over the top, especially since you’re able to discard other Lessons to it and fuel Accumulated Wisdom and Combustion Technique ahead of schedule.
The last Lesson, Firebending Lesson, may be a little below the bar, but it still lets you kill opposing creatures at a low price. Keeping Llanowar Elves in check is essential in the current metagame, so any one-mana removal Lesson option is a worthy addition.
Versatile Gameplan
As a whole, what makes this deck so powerful is its versatility. Just like traditional Izzet Prowess builds, this deck is fully capable of closing games in a flash. If your tokens from Stormchaser’s Talent or Astrologian’s Planisphere don’t get dealt with on sight, your wealth of cheap removal options and cantrips will make it easy to out-tempo your opponents.
On the flip side, however, against decks like Orzhov Self-Bounce that come prepared with ample removal spells, Accumulate Wisdom threatens to drown your opponent in card advantage. In grindy games, rebuying Accumulate Wisdom with Stormchaser’s Talent is a great way to pull ahead and ensure you hit your land drops so you can get the Class to Level 3 and take over the game.
This flexible approach goes a long way in letting you navigate aggro, midrange, control, and combo decks alike. The Izzet Lessons deck is no joke, and there’s plenty of room to explore within the archetype and tweak things as the Standard metagame continues to evolve.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew!