Over the years, many of the most abusable blue mana accelerants have been banned in Pauper. Cloud of Faeries, for example, earned a ban back in 2016 largely because of how easy it was to generate infinite mana in Azorius Familiars shells. Now, after a brief experimental unban, High Tide was put back on the ban list due to unpopular play patterns.
Unfortunately, outside of this small Pauper stint, it’s been a while since High Tide has had a strong Constructed environment to flourish. That’s what makes it all the more intriguing that today, a Mono-Blue High Tide Combo Deck boasted a 5-0 Legacy League finish out of nowhere! This deck has a lot going on, including a Cloud of Faeries package that closely resembles old Pauper lists.
Winning the Game
Like most archetypes that incorporate the broken instant, this deck is centered around the power of High Tide. The more copies you draw, the better. Your wealth of cantrips, in addition to Thundertrap Trainer, do a great job helping you find the one-mana play.
Ultimately, while High Tide does get stronger the more Islands you have access to, you don’t actually need many lands in play to generate a surplus of mana. This is in large part because of the power of Cloud of Faeries and Snap which enable you to untap your lands post-High Tide and float extra mana. Cloud of Faeries obviously synergizes perfectly with Snap as a way to generate extra mana, but even bouncing Thundertrap Trainer has value, especially if you can find another copy of High Tide. Notably, landing Sapphire Medallion beforehand makes things even easier, since your copies of Cloud of Faeries, Snap, and Thundertrap Trainer all get discounted.
After producing some extra mana, your goal is to use your card selection spells to find a copy of Time Spiral. This insane sorcery refuels your hand and helps you build up Storm count, all while potentially netting you mana thanks to High Tide. Eventually, finding your one-of copy of Brain Freeze should win you the game by Milling out your opponent in one go.
In the event your opponent has Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in their deck, making the Mill plan unreliable, Walking Ballista can get the job done after producing enough mana. Just make sure to plan accordingly if your opponent shows signs that they’re playing a deck like Sneak and Show.
Advantages and Disadvantages in a Brutal Format
Despite Mono-Blue High Tide not being an entirely new concept, the recent addition of Thundertrap Trainer as a way to make Snap more reliable is strong. Extra sideboarded copies of Boomerang Basics and This Town Ain’t Big Enough provide more ways to recur your permanents for value. The side effect of bouncing opposing hate pieces, like Disruptor Flute, is also significant.
These little changes make the deck a bit more consistent and resilient. Once you factor in the deck’s speed, its immunity to Wasteland, and the presence of Force of Will as a disruptive element, there’s a lot to like. Playing around Daze is often a breeze, too, especially once you get High Tide to resolve.
Still, there are some weaknesses that prevent Mono-Blue High Tide from truly emerging as an elite contender. Given the deck’s reliance on drawing extra cards, Orcish Bowmasters is a nuisance to fight through. On top of that, some specific hate cards like Chalice of the Void can shut down your hopes of resolving High Tide if they come down early. All in all, High Tide and Cloud of Faeries still feel a ways away from having a major breakout in Legacy, but it’s still nice to see these exciting options puts up results in such a high-powered environment.
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