Hello guys,

Amonkhet will be on sale soon and we got the spoilers already. There is a lot of good cards. But personally, I am falling in love with one: 《As Foretold》. In this article, I will focus on this card and the possibilities you have with it in Modern.

First, let check what the card does.

So why is the card good?

Mainly because you can cast 0 mana cost spells the turn you play 《As Foretold》 even if you don’t have any time counters on it. In the past, we saw how well this works in the capacity of “Cascade” with the “Suspend” spells. But to be sure we will Cascade into these powerful spells, we couldn’t put any other spells with a low mana cost, generally under 3 into our deck.

Here, 《As Foretold》 does not has the same restrictions. You can play any spell in addition to the key ones. This card is great for both combo and control strategies. Interesting spells you can cast with it all happen to be Suspend sorceries and cost 0.

For 3 Mana draw 3 cards. What is insane is, 《Ancestral Vision》 is a great turn one card and becomes too slow pretty fast, this is why it was fair. With 《As Foretold》, it is not the case anymore. If you draw it later it will be better than a 《Ancestral Recall》 because it will cost not 1 but 0. The card is still great turn one and even if it arrives 4 turns later, sometime you will not Suspend it turn one if you have the combo. Take care against the discard decks if you do this, it’s better to Suspend your 《Ancestral Vision》 and not wait against them. Also, even if your opponent can 《Abrupt Decay》 your enchantment, you have already drawn 3 cards.

Usually, combo decks are weak against discard. Here, one of the 2 cards are 《Ancestral Vision》 which is the best card to counter discard spells. If you can resolve one, it will be enough to offset the discard cards your opponent played before. But you know what is the really insane thing? It is the fact that you will easily draw the other 《Ancestral Vision》 in your deck with 《As Foretold》 in play and chain the draw three cards. You can in the same time play a spell during your turn, full tap and still play a free spell during your opponent’s turn. Unstoppable wizard incoming.

Suspend 6 is a lot; your opponent see it coming and can prepare himself for it. Sometime so well, that it will be a disadvantage for you. You will rarely, maybe never, suspend it. You have a greater chance to hit an 《As Foretold》 before the 6 turns are over. 《As Foretold》 will transform the card into a real 《Balance》. Because it is an enchantment it works pretty well, since balance doesn’t sacrifice enchantments. Playing the enchantment will also decrease the cards in your hands before you resolve the balance.

I really don’t think this is the best way to use 《As Foretold》. It looks like the Cascade cards are still better for this. Because when you want to combo with the actual list, you need to be Cycling into a Cascade spell. If you use 《As Foretold》, you have to find it AND 《Living End》. With no other change in the list, it is not enough.

Drawing seven card for 0 mana is unfair, especially if you plan to combo and kill your opponent during the same turn. I would like to try it in a UR storm deck. 《Wheel of Fate》 works well with 《Past in Flames》 because it discards your hand but doesn’t shuffle your graveyard into your library like 《Time Spiral》 does.

But there is one thing not really good. Yes, you can have this draw seven combo and use all your mana acceleration and draw spells, but what will you draw? Sometimes another 《Wheel of Fate》, 《As Foretold》 or 《Ancestral Vision》 that you can’t play this turn, in addition to lands. Maybe there is a good combination of each for one to avoid this. But a full 4 《Wheel of Fate》, 4 《Ancestral Vision》 and 4 《As Foretold》 is for sure terrible.

But for me the best way to build an 《As Foretold》 deck is Jeskai half control and half Combo.

Jeskai Combo-Control

《As Foretold》 is great with 《Restore Balance》 which is great with 《Greater Gargadon》. With this combo, your opponent has to sacrifice all his lands and creatures. Because you have 《As Foretold》 in play, you will be able to continue to play your spells for free. For example, if you play an 《Ancestral Vision》 with it. The rest of your deck is about ways to find the combo as fast as possible with draw spells. 《Serum Visions》 is the best card for that. Also, you need spells to delay your opponent. 《Remand》 and 《Spreading Seas》 are great cards for that plan.

In a balance deck, I would play 《Gemstone Mine》 for sure. It fixes your mana base perfectly and losing a land could be good in this deck. Another thing we can see with 《As Foretold》 is, we can play a free spell during our turn AND during our opponent’s turn. Playing instant cards increases the power of this enchantment. Also, 《Path to Exile》 give an extra land to your opponent when you use it but that does not matter if you cast a 《Balance》 later….

I would like to add to the list a win condition other than 《Greater Gargadon》 and something useful for when you don’t have the combo early. For this kind of thing, I would give 《Ajani Vengeant》 and another Amonkhet card, 《Gideon of The Trials》 a try.

Examples of what the deck is capable of:

Turn 1: 《Greater Gargadon》
Turn 2: 《Remand》
Turn 3: 《As Foretold》 + 《Restore Balance》 (Free)
or
Turn 1 and 2: Stuff like 《Serum Visions》, 《Sleight of Hand》, 《Remand》 or 《Spreading Seas》.
Turn 3: 《As Foretold》 + 《Ancestral Vision》 (Free)
Turn 4: 《Ancestral Vision》 (Free) + 《Ajani Vengeant》 + 《Condemn》 (Free during your opponent’s turn)
or
Turn 4: 《Greater Gargadon》 + 《Gideon of The Trials》 + 《Restore Balance》 (Free)

I hope I gave you the desire to try out this deck when Amonkhet is released.

Thank you for reading,

Jeremy Dezani