Sometimes there isn’t a long drawn out story associated to an idea for a deck. Sometimes it is just a stroke of genius, or in my case stupidity. And then there are times where an idea is forced because I need to derail a dumb conversation between friends.

Me: Warren, turn 0 put Leyline of Anticipation into play.

Warren: I’m listening.

Me: Turn 1, Tropical Island, cast Phyrexian Dreadnought. Trigger on the stack, exile two Elvish Spirit Guides, cast Ghalta, Primal Hunger.

Warren’s eyes widen.

Me: Trigger resolves, sacrifice Ghalta, Primal Hunger.

Warren frowning with sad puppy dog eyes: We’re sacrificing Dinosaurs?

Me: Stick with me. Turn 2, play Tropical Island, cast the other Ghalta, Primal Hunger in hand.

Warren is back on board and a silly deck idea was born. Here’s the list.

GhaltaNought: Legacy

Creatures: 12

4 Phyrexian Dreadnought

4 Ghalta, Primal Hunger

4 Elvish Spirit Guide Spells: 29

1 Sylvan Library

4 Leyline of Anticipation

4 Stifle

2 Berserk

4 Brainstorm

4 Ponder

4 Force of Will

2 Daze

4 Lotus Petal Lands: 19

4 Tropical Island

4 Wasteland

4 Misty Rainforest

2 Island

1 Forest

3 Polluted Delta

1 Verdant Catacombs

Brewing in Legacy is difficult because a lot of times you come up with a deck and have to ask “Why aren’t we just doing so and so.” This deck has overlaps with strategies like Infect and RUG Delver, and the prospect of playing an early 12/12 that dies to Fatal Push doesn’t sound as exciting when there are decks built around making a 20/20 as soon as possible. Phyrexian Dreadnought may be the worst of these options but it does avoid Lightning Bolt and Wasteland. It is a different way to attack the format and the prospect of a cheap Ghalta, Primal Hunger was enough to tickle my curiosity.

Of course, if we’re being honest, the Leyline of Anticipation plan is trying to be too cute. I do think there is potential for a deck with the traditional strategy of Stifling the Phyrexian Dreadnought trigger and following up with a Ghalta. I plan to one day eventually try a build with this strategy but as the issue with Legacy that frequently comes up, cost is an issue. Let’s go over some card choices.

Stifle is the original combo with Phyrexian Dreadnought (well, not counting Illusionary Mask, anyways). It is the most efficient and reliable way to keep a Phyrexian Dreadnought on the table. Stifle also has the reliable plan B of countering a fetch-land trigger. Combined with Wasteland the deck has a reasonable shot at denying an opponent’s resources for potentially easy wins.

Berserking a 12/12 seems like a clear path to victory. Obviously there is a lot of risk if your opponent has a removal spell, but if you’re swinging with both a Dreadnought and a Ghalta then Berserk becomes insurance if your opponent only has one removal spell.

The rest of the deck is filled with the usual Legacy blue deck suspects. Force of Wills, cantrips, as well as some fast mana to accelerate out the fatties. It is a little disappointing that any blue deck in Legacy basically needs that subset of cards to be successful (with rare exceptions), but it does at least give a jumping off point for trying different strategies. As long as your plan is efficient and powerful, combining it with the staple package gives you a chance to try something new in Legacy.