The golden rule to live by in the BO1 format is that if you don’t know why your opponent cast a seemingly innocuous spell, kill it with fire. Ral, Storm Conduit is one of my all-time favorite planeswalkers because he epitomizes all the reasons to live by that rule while also inducing compelling temptations to ignore it. Nine times out of ten he’ll be cast to no immediate effect on the board state (with the exception of the top card of his owner’s library). Then all of a sudden he’s turn 5 lethal.

But how consistent is he really? Answer: surprisingly so. The current meta remains awash with Rakdos sacrifice and Sultai ramp-you-to-death ft. Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath on rattling chains which makes RFG effects particularly valuable (friendly tip - Scorching Dragonfire on Uro just before your opponent is forced to sacrifice him will send it straight to exile). This deck shuts down early aggression, it generates ludicrous value in the midrange on nothing more than 4 mana by repurposing what tools it used and discarded in the early game, and wins are often easily cobbled together when only pieces of the OTK are in hand.

But there’s a simplicity to the shell of this deck that allows for straightforward customization to suit various play styles or to target shifts in the meta. If mono red becomes more prevalent, just add Shock. If flash is suddenly on the rise, Chandra, Awakened Inferno and Niv-Mizzet Parun can share the stage with Ral. If Esper control mounts an unsurprising comeback, just add Mystical Dispute and Fae of Wishes... 

Even if the meta remains stable, I could easily see adding to 2 Fae’s to the main in light of how easily Grafdigger’s Cage it answers a large swath of the most popular decks... for one mana.

Okay, okay, some of you are here for the OTK and honestly that’s why I’m here too. It comes out of nowhere most times to steal a victory from red, gnashing jaws of defeat. The UI on Arena has been much improved since Ral’s initial debut when it was an entire production involving a race against the turn clock. Full-control mode isn’t even necessary anymore (I do it out of habit; you should too... only takes a few extra clicks). If you don’t know the combo, you get Ral into play, cast an instant or sorcery (or wait for your opponent to do it), then cast Expansion // Explosion copying that spell, and before it resolves, cast Expansion // Explosion copying your first Expansion // Explosion (careful not to copy the first spell a second time or the copied version of Expansion or it’ll fizzle), then wash, rinse and repeat until your opponent is dead from Ral pings and aneurysm-induced stack confusion.