Bant Finale v2

This is the finalized version of my Bant deck for ELD block, as it became difficult to further optimize it with the available cards of the current standard.

What the deck does

This deck is a control-combo deck revolving around 3 cards: Teferi, Time Raveler, Wilderness Reclamation and Finale of Revelation. The default win con is Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, but with the addition of Fae of Wishes there is a variety of ways this deck can close up a game.

Core Combo

+ +

This is the OG combo, which requires 6 (untapped) lands, or 12 mana through end step manual tapping. Teferi will allow instant speed Finale, which will then allow you to untap up to 5 lands after resolution, enabling a Time Wipe, or an Absorb + Root Snare.

The above combo works with a variety of other sorceries, such as Planewide Celebration, Time Wipe, Mass Manipulation and Granted. While the setup is painstaking, the odds of winning after resolving a full Finale is extreme.

Card Choices

Card Choice - Lands

Like all 3-color decks, the colors can be difficult at times, hence we play all 12 shock lands along with 4 scry lands available to us in the standard. Additionally we play 2 Forest, 1 Island and 1 Plains in conjunction with 3 Fabled Passage. Fabled Passage allows us to both thin the deck and facilitate a turn 3/4 play while preserving health. The one of Interplanar Beacon is chosen for its relevant health gain potential as well as color fixing for our 2-color planeswalkers. 

Remark: before familiarizing with the deck, disable autotap as the majority of the cards played in this deck have high color demands.

Card Choice - Maindeck

x4

While some found this card mediocre, in a greedy deck such as this, a Growth Spiral is the ideal (and only) T2 play. It enables us to land a Wilderness Reclamation on turn 3. It is the one card I would like to see in an opening hand.

x4

As much as this card is hated, it enables our combo and gives us a fighting chance against counter heavy decks like the multitude of flash decks running amok in the current standard. Since our deck is centered around surviving the early turns, it is usually a good idea to play a Teferi on turn 3 to slow down an aggro deck while digging for a card. It is essentially a sorcery speed 3 cmc Blink of an Eye that leaves behind an enchantment that opponent has to deal with.

x2

This is the all-purpose removal in the deck, given how wanting Bant is in the removal department. Glass Casket is a potential substitute, but we need a way to deal with troublesome planeswalkers like an opposing Teferi or Narset.  Since it is not a very proactive card, we only keep 2 copies, so it is recommanded to use them on key targets whenever possible. With the legendary rule, it is possible to subdue multiple planeswalkers of the same name with one copy by bouncing and recasting P-realm.

x4

While fog is signficantly worse after Teferi, Time Raveler, Questing Beast and Bonecrusher Giant, it is still vital for our survival. 

x2

This card is an off meta deaggro tech that proved extremely versatile, an adaptive response to the existence of Teferi and Questing Beast. If we can cast Depose // Deploy in response to a Teferi, the opponent faces the option of bouncing one thopter and losng Teferi to the other, and having Teferi slowly worn down by two thopters. Against Questing Beast, we can tapped it down to protect our planeswalkers and cycle one card. The life gain also comes in handy. 

x4

The core piece and power multiplier.

x2

Combo piece. If only it doesn't exile itself.

x2

Tamiyo is great grave yard recursion tool. The deck has a total of 5 grave yard recursions in main and an additional one in the sideboard, so it is usually fine to throw Jace and Fae into the yard without fearing losing the win cons. Tamiyo also allows us to survive multiple turns by recycling Root Snare.

x2

Our choice of board wipe. With Teferi +1, we can activate this at the beginning of opponent's combat step. Also picks up Fae of Wishes.

x3

One of the greatest power of this deck is its ability to cycle through cards we don't need. Chemister's Insight can immediately be casted after resolving a Reclamation, which is an optimal play on turn 3. 

x1

When you desparately need to dig for an answer.

x1

Like Teferi, while we hate how busted Narset is, we keep one for her emblematic effect and a two turn Drawn from Dreams ability. A neat interaction with Narset allows us to disable Niv's draw and damage abilities almost completely.

x1

This is a somewhat questionable addition to the deck, a relic from the past builds, but one of those cards that make a big difference when you add a copy to your deck. It also almost always finds a use for itself, while the downside is the color requirement.

x1

Planewide is a powerful spell when you can afford it. Luckily we frequently do with the help of Wilderness Reclamation. At high land count, a Tamiyo and a Planewide can loop indefinitely, providing 12 life each turn. Given the state of the meta, this potent healing is extremely relevent.

x1

Fae is the only card from Eldraine block we added to the main deck, for good reasons. Bant has a pretty decent wishboard; and since we cycle through our deck efficiently, even one Fae plays an important role in the deck's function. 

Card Choice - Wishboard (in order of usefulness in practice)

 This is one of the most versatile and overlooked response there is. The low mana cost means it is feasible to wish it and play it immediately, and it generates a hexproof blocker while protecting our face and all permanents, for an entire turn. This means we have an excellent defense against Stomp, Swift End, Thought Erasure, Mass Manipulation, Agent of Treachery Teferi, Time Raveler, Casualties of War and even the uncounterable Thought Distortion that would otherwise completely wreck our deck. It does so much that I have comtemplated to add copies of it to main, if not for the consideration of its lack for greediness.

Enough said.

Basically in every sideboard nowadays.

For when you can't draw fog.

Good against a number of green threats, spearheaded by Questing Beast. 

An additional layer of protection against an unmanageable creature board.

A gift of the Forest, increasingly relevent in the enchantment and artifact heavy standard.

If you can't kill it, just steal it. Useful when opponent has planeswalkers or creatures that are either too hard to kill or must be kept alive. Works like a charm with mana tapping.

For ovens and cats, and when you just can't draw lands.

A last resort, usually undesirable due to our own permanents.

This is a full on meme card that can potentially obliterate your opponent. I kept it for the dream of turning a Thought Distortion or Casualties of War against my opponent.

Either for refilling your hand or combo with Narset to remove opponent's entire hand after their draw step. Since it is an instant, it doesn't require Teferi to work.

Leyline is one of the theoretically speaking very useless cards we can pull, the epitome of win-more cards, but when you want to toy with your opponent with supreme power, Leyline allows you to cast Granted multiple times a turn with enough resources on board.

Yet another relic from past builds. This is one of the nichest pseudo board wipe to be found. It allows you to not only remove all but one permanent opponent controls disregarding indestructible, but also lock out your opponent from playing things for a turn. Just be mindful that you cannot play walkers the turn after.

Theoretically speaking a good card against graveyards, but not that great in practice. I rarely find a use for him/her. 

Matchups

Favorable

This deck is favorable against most midrange decks and creature decks, except for maybe Gruul aggro. It almost never lose to BW flyers with responsible mulligans and performed well against other greedy decks like simic ramp and temur adventures. Do mind a Questing Beast here and there.

Even

It surprisingly fares better than expected against aggro matchups. Red is still a headache, and being on the draw is absolutely devastating; but against Mardu knights and Jund sacrifice, we actually stand a pretty decent chance. 

Unfavorable

It is terrible against two of the most popular laddar decks: Jeskai Fires and Simic Flash. The reason why we find such matchups difficult is our inability to remove planeswalkers and fend against counters. However, if you can somehow manage to resolve a Teferi against flash, you can turn things around very quickly and decisively (highlighting how not ok the card is).

Some Advices

Mull until you have 3 lands, or 2 lands including a scry land, or two lands and a spiral you can cast on turn 2 - it is absolutely vital to have a good start. At the end of the day, remember that this is a janky combo deck (that outperformed my expectations) that draws its strength from its greediness. It is also a deck centered around survival - one extra turn can flip the battlefield completely with the explosive power of Reclamation. Lastly, it is incredibly fun to play this deck, and games can go very differently with the choices you make, so have patience to learn and enjoy the cards you play.