{"id":2062,"date":"2023-10-19T06:30:21","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T10:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/?p=2062"},"modified":"2023-12-21T19:51:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-21T23:51:27","slug":"evergreen-iyslander-stormbind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/","title":{"rendered":"Evergreen &#8211; Iyslander, Stormbind"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6 style=\"text-align: right;\">(<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> | Art by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artstation.com\/mokhman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alexander Mokhov<\/a>)<\/h6>\n<p>This is Rhys, back with another edition of <em>Evergreen<\/em>, a series focused on helping you unlock the power deep within the heroes of <em>Flesh and Blood<\/em> in the Classic Constructed format. Together we&#8217;ll look at an individual hero for each part of this series, going beyond what just appears on the text of the card and discussing how to release a hero&#8217;s full potential, a required skill as <em>Flesh and Blood<\/em> continues to grow.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Waning Moon\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Over the last few installments of <em>Evergreen<\/em>, I&#8217;ve covered a number of aggressive heroes and strategies. Let&#8217;s put that on ice for a bit, and look at one of the most challenging heroes in the game, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>. This is the hero for those who enjoy counter-attacking.<\/p>\n<p>Even with over eight hundred <a href=\"https:\/\/fabtcg.com\/resources\/rules-and-policy-center\/living-legend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Living Legend points,<\/a> the announcement of the <a href=\"https:\/\/fabtcg.com\/resources\/gameplay-formats\/living-legend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Living Legend format<\/a> means the hours you put into freezing the opposition will still be an applicable skill, even if Iyslander reaches Living Legend.<\/p>\n<h2>They Play by Your Rules Now<\/h2>\n<p>The majority of <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>&#8216;s play patterns involve non-attack actions at instant speed on your opponent&#8217;s turn with her hero ability, where mastery is achieved by finding the key points where you present the most devastating blows. While there are two main ways to build an Iyslander, Stormbind deck, today&#8217;s focus will be about an <a href=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/events\/deck\/rhea-adams-battle-hardened-cincinnati-classic-constructed\">arcane damage-focused<\/a> strategy.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Ice Bolt red\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Aether Hail red\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Icebind red\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>This build, endearingly referred to as &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/events\/deck\/joe-santianna-battle-hardened-chicago-classic-constructed\">Bull-lander,<\/a>&#8221; focuses on efficient blocking, a smaller amount of disruptive Ice cards, and a blend of high-rate attack action cards like <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Wounded Bull red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Wounded Bull<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Enlightened Strike\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Enlightened Strike<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Fyendal&#8217;s Fighting Spirit red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Fyendal&#039;s Fighting Spirit<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>As you may have guessed, this build approaches the game from a more &#8220;fundamentals&#8221; angle, aiming to present more damage than you take turn over turn. The arcane-focused strategy employs evasive damage, like pairing <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Aether Hail red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Aether Hail<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Waning Moon\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Waning Moon<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> for a two-card attack for six arcane damage. More Ice cards means fusing things like <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Icebind red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Icebind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> against <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Lexi, Livewire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Lexi, Livewire<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, offering a higher density of threats from the sideboard. The advantage Bull-lander offers is an overall lower difficulty to pilot effectively, but it also has a lower ceiling in terms of power. Both builds play at least some of the efficient attacks, as they&#8217;re used against <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Dromai, Ash Artist\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Dromai, Ash Artist<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> to trigger Phantasm on transformed <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Aether Ashwing\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Aether Ashwing<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> tokens.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Blizzard\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Frosting blue\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>As you&#8217;ll have guessed, the bulk of an <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> deck consists of blue non-attack action cards, meaning you do a lot of things on your opponent&#8217;s turn. As per the <a href=\"https:\/\/dhhim4ltzu1pj.cloudfront.net\/media\/documents\/FaB_Comprehensive_Rules_v2_5_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comprehensive rules<\/a>, &#8220;Priority is a game state concept that describes which player (if any), may play a card, activate an ability, or pass priority to the next player.&#8221; Any time you have priority, you may play instant-speed cards and effects. While daunting, it&#8217;s worth giving a look to the <a href=\"https:\/\/dhhim4ltzu1pj.cloudfront.net\/media\/documents\/FaB_Comprehensive_Rules_v2_5_0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">comprehensive rules document<\/a> on priority (Ctrl+F is your friend here).<\/p>\n<p>Turn patterns are precise on resource allocation, and it&#8217;s important to prioritize putting a blue card in your arsenal at each end step to keep the pressure on. When you play an Ice card on an opponent&#8217;s turn, they get a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Frostbite\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Frostbite<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> token, disrupting how much they can do, especially if they want to respect how much damage you can present on a return volley. An opponent must always consider playing around a well placed Frostbite, or a disruptive Ice effect, or they could lose their entire turn.<\/p>\n<p>As a general rule, play at least forty blue cards in a deck of sixty cards. More is acceptable, but ensuring you don&#8217;t go under forty is imperative, otherwise you&#8217;ll risk issues where you can&#8217;t both present reasonable damage and put a new blue card in your arsenal. Putting a non-blue card in arsenal isn&#8217;t the end of the world, and can even be used to bluff an effect, but shouldn&#8217;t be done often.<\/p>\n<h2>Surgery With an Icepick<\/h2>\n<p>Having a disruptive effect in your arsenal is where you&#8217;ll access <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>&#8216;s most devastating plays, like a fused <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Brain Freeze blue\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Brain Freeze<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> out of arsenal when a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Viserai, Rune Blood\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Viserai, Rune Blood<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is playing non-attack actions to set up a powerful attack with go again, or after <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Fai, Rising Rebellion\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Fai, Rising Rebellion<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> takes his first action, freezing them in their tracks. <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Insidious Chill\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Insidious Chill<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> makes those effects even more devastating, but the resource cost means you may not have a powerful return volley.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Brain Freeze blue\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Insidious Chill\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Aether Icevein red\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Aether Icevein red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Aether Icevein<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> has a powerful enough effect that it&#8217;s worth taking damage for, and that&#8217;s why you&#8217;ll see all nine in almost every build. It pressures a formidable amount of damage and a devastating pseudo on-hit effect, and the blue one can even be played from arsenal on your opponent&#8217;s turn! Stringing enough of these together can put you in the lead, but don&#8217;t be afraid to use them for their excellent three block as well. It&#8217;s seldom worth taking sixteen damage if you&#8217;re only going to give five back, especially if your hand can give as much back with fewer cards, and save yourself some damage. The opponent&#8217;s next turn might be hamstrung, but yours will be too, since you&#8217;ll be at such a large life disadvantage.<\/p>\n<p>Begin to think about the times you can play these effects for maximum impact. For example, if <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Katsu, the Wanderer\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Katsu, the Wanderer<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> attacks you with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Surging Strike red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Surging Strike<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, and activates Katsu&#8217;s ability on hit, you have priority during the resolution of that ability, even after your opponent has selected and banished a card. This is called the resolution step. You can end their turn on the spot if you give them a Frostbite, steal a card from their hand, or target <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Surging Strike red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Surging Strike<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Blizzard\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Blizzard<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> (yes, you can still threaten to take away go again after it hits, before that chain link is resolved). The same is true for <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Dromai, Ash Artist\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Dromai, Ash Artist<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>&#8216;s dragon allies. If an <span class=\"edhrecp__link side-by-side\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Aether Ashwing\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Aether Ashwing<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is declared as an attacker, use your priority during the layer step to destroy that dragon with something like <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Frosting blue\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Frosting<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>. The attack consumed their action point, and go again would not apply to restore it, essentially ending their turn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Polar Blast blue\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Emeritus Scolding blue\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Effects like <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Polar Blast blue\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Polar Blast<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> exist primarily as &#8220;give your opponent a Frostbite, and send <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Waning Moon\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Waning Moon<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> at your opponent if you pitched a blue and have the leftover resources.&#8221; Even if you&#8217;re playing attack action cards, it&#8217;s not worth playing this so far below rate on your own turn. Other attacks like <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Emeritus Scolding blue\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Emeritus Scolding<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> or <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Ice Bolt blue\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Ice Bolt<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> will serve you best when you have a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Fyendal&#8217;s Spring Tunic\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Fyendal&#8217;s Spring Tunic<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> resource available, so you don&#8217;t have to pitch a second card to use Waning Moon alongside them. Iyslander is all about maximizing the value of every card, in every hand, and very few things are ever too precious as to not block with them.<\/p>\n<p>Does this sound like a lot to think about? That&#8217;s because it is, but that&#8217;s part of the appeal for some. Be patient with yourself if you make mistakes, because trust me, you will. Those mistakes may cause you to lose the game on the spot, but if you learn every time, eventually you&#8217;ll become a menace.<\/p>\n<h2>When in Doubt, Spirit Bomb<\/h2>\n<p>Some decks will play a high amount of Arcane Barrier, and will be perfectly happy giving half of their hand to pay for it. (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Uzuri, Switchblade\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Uzuri, Switchblade<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> both come to mind.) While <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Ice Eternal\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Ice Eternal<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Frost Hex\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Frost Hex<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> should most often be looked at as blue cards with three block and fuse potential, these matchups are where they shine.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Ice Eternal\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Frost Hex\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Storm Striders\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Pitch stacking your <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Ice Eternal\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Ice Eternal<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>s to the bottom of your deck is key, and make sure you have as many <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Frost Hex\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Frost Hex<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> out as you can comfortably play. Presenting a pile of Frostbites that each deal three arcane damage at the end of your opponent&#8217;s turn is going to put them in a series of unwinnable scenarios, but be ready to block early and often if that&#8217;s in your mind.<\/p>\n<p>It can be disheartening if you have multiple Frost Hex deployed, and are a turn or two from your Ice Eternal when you have to start making full blocks to survive and watch your advantage dwindle away. The long setup time and massive damage output on its execution has earned it the title of Spirit Bomb (because we all want to be Goku just a little bit). If you want to dedicate a bit more of your list to this plan, especially in a tournament where you expect a lot of Arcane Barrier, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Energy Potion\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Energy Potion<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is a useful sideboard card to set up for bigger <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Ice Eternal\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Ice Eternal<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> plays.<\/p>\n<h2>Icy Roads Ahead<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Warmonger&#8217;s Diplomacy\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Warmonger&#8217;s Diplomacy<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is a rare case of a blue card you absolutely don&#8217;t want to play from arsenal if it can be helped. This is due to how the card is worded; playing it on your opponent&#8217;s turn means it won&#8217;t take effect until their <em>following<\/em> turn, meaning both that they aren&#8217;t affected now, and they have all of your turn to play for how to minimize its impact.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Channel Lake Frigid\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Warmonger&#8217;s Diplomacy\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Channel Lake Frigid\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Channel Lake Frigid<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> has a devastating effect on an opponent&#8217;s entire turn, meaning playing them as soon as possible is tempting. Think carefully before doing so, as multiples are nearly impossible to keep around. Channel ice requires putting a card on bottom of deck per counter, so keeping one around for one or two flow counters&#8217; worth of turns is better than playing two quickly and losing them both in a turn.<\/p>\n<p>Ice heroes are flexible, and are at their best when you can shift your approach to best pressure your opponent. <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is a hero you can lose a game with on the second turn because you chose to either block too much or not enough, and learning to recognize those moments will be a sign of growth. Remember that if you&#8217;re ever taking lumps and feel disheartened about the difficulty level of the deck.<\/p>\n<h2>Dress for the Occasion<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> has a nearly identical equipment suite across every deck, simply because the equipment is so optimally designed. <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Fyendal&#8217;s Spring Tunic\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Fyendal&#8217;s Spring Tunic<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> helps play a two-resource card alongside an activation of <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Waning Moon\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Waning Moon<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Coronet Peak\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Coronet Peak<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is a wonderful piece of one-card disruption that can help keep <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Channel Lake Frigid\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Channel Lake Frigid<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> around, and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Storm Striders\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Storm Striders<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is there when you&#8217;re ready to move in for the kill. It&#8217;s imperative that you don&#8217;t activate <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Storm Striders\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Storm Striders<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> until you can guarantee lethal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Coronet Peak\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Fyendal&#8217;s Spring Tunic\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Storm Striders\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>On average, a player will need to start being careful about how vulnerable they are to dying from as high as nine life if they get too aggressive. If you don&#8217;t have <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Storm Striders\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Storm Striders<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, that number goes down to around five, and the increased pressure from a more free opponent can overwhelm you.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Metacarpus Node\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Metacarpus Node<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Alluvion Constellas\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Alluvion Constellas<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> are valuable pieces of Arcane Barrier with different use cases. <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Metacarpus Node\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Metacarpus Node<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> can help take down a <span class=\"edhrecp__link side-by-side\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Invoke Dracona Optimai\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Dracona Optimai<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> in <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Dromai, Ash Artist\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Dromai, Ash Artist<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> matchups, as well as soak up damage from <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Burn Them All\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Burn Them All<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>. <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Alluvion Constellas\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Alluvion Constellas<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> can absorb <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Runechant\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Runechant<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> damage from <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Viserai, Rune Blood\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Viserai, Rune Blood<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> for free <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Waning Moon\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Waning Moon<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> activations, and both can be used together to pressure another <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> in the mirror. The Iyslander mirror is a slow, difficult matchup that tests all of your lessons tenfold, because you&#8217;re thinking about what your Iyslander can do, as well as what your opponent&#8217;s can do to you.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Metacarpus Node\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Alluvion Constellas\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Ironrot Gauntlet\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>This may come as a surprise to you, but <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Ironrot Gauntlet\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Ironrot Gauntlet<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is for blocking. Some still stick with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Ironhide Gauntlet\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Ironhide Gauntlet<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> to more easily block attacks for five, like <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Lexi, Livewire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Lexi, Livewire<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>&#8216;s <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Sedation Shot red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Sedation Shot<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, but in the end you&#8217;re giving two cards to block those anyway, so you might as well just block with two cards up front and still have an equipment to block with later.<\/p>\n<h2>Let it Go<\/h2>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Heart of Fyendal\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Heart of Fyendal\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Heart of Fyendal<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is the target of a lot of well-deserved ire for being a &#8220;needed&#8221; fable in <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Iyslander, Stormbind\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Iyslander, Stormbind<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> decks. I generally avoid discussing budget, as this series focuses on full-power strategies, but this is a special case. Simply put, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Heart of Fyendal\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Heart of Fyendal<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> is in nearly every winning list for a reason, especially when the reason it isn&#8217;t is usually due to the player not owning one. But there&#8217;s absolutely no reason to spend the money required to own one for Armory level play. Bull-lander builds can justify cutting it for a blocking blue card like <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Brothers in Arms blue\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Brothers in Arms<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, but even an arcane-focused build doesn&#8217;t &#8220;require&#8221; the <em>Welcome to Rathe<\/em> fable.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d be remiss to not give a shoutout to Rhea Adams for being a great inspiration, as well as a skilled player. You can check out her decklist <a href=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/events\/deck\/rhea-adams-battle-hardened-cincinnati-classic-constructed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>, which was used as a source for this article. And to you, the reader: I appreciate your time and attention, and I hope this is something you can come back to to re-study as you learn! As always, let me know what you think, or if there&#8217;s anything you&#8217;d like to see from me in the future. See ya next time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Grab a hot cocoa and settle in for this thorough (and thoroughly good) primer on how to play Iyslander, Stormbind in Classic Constructed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":1352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,4,8],"tags":[264,130,301,35,36,374,234],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Evergreen - Iyslander, Stormbind - FABREC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Evergreen - Iyslander, Stormbind - FABREC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Grab a hot cocoa and settle in for this thorough (and thoroughly good) primer on how to play Iyslander, Stormbind in Classic Constructed.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FABREC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-10-19T10:30:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-21T23:51:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Iyslander-8.11.23-1024x459.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"459\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rhys\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rhys\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/\",\"name\":\"Evergreen - Iyslander, Stormbind - FABREC\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-10-19T10:30:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-12-21T23:51:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/cf75a60d57e38bc06c5e332322e65ca6\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Evergreen &#8211; Iyslander, Stormbind\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/\",\"name\":\"FABREC\",\"description\":\"Articles\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/cf75a60d57e38bc06c5e332322e65ca6\",\"name\":\"Rhys\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d39b9d6733b90ed7b19474ac6e363f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d39b9d6733b90ed7b19474ac6e363f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rhys\"},\"description\":\"Rhys (she\/they) is a long-time Magic: the Gathering fan, having started in Seventh Edition. She played Legacy until around 2018, and now mostly plays EDH. She Transitioned to competitive play with Flesh and Blood at the release of Tales of Aria, where she was quickly enamored with the skill expression, seeking constant self-improvement. When not obsessing over cards, Rhys can be found consuming speedrunning content, or fawning over literature like The Witcher, or Sherlock Holmes.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/linktr.ee\/rhystheredeemed\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/author\/rhys-owen\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Evergreen - Iyslander, Stormbind - FABREC","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Evergreen - Iyslander, Stormbind - FABREC","og_description":"Grab a hot cocoa and settle in for this thorough (and thoroughly good) primer on how to play Iyslander, Stormbind in Classic Constructed.","og_url":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/","og_site_name":"FABREC","article_published_time":"2023-10-19T10:30:21+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-12-21T23:51:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":459,"url":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Iyslander-8.11.23-1024x459.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Rhys","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rhys","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/","url":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/","name":"Evergreen - Iyslander, Stormbind - FABREC","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-10-19T10:30:21+00:00","dateModified":"2023-12-21T23:51:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/cf75a60d57e38bc06c5e332322e65ca6"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/evergreen-iyslander-stormbind\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Evergreen &#8211; Iyslander, Stormbind"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/","name":"FABREC","description":"Articles","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/cf75a60d57e38bc06c5e332322e65ca6","name":"Rhys","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d39b9d6733b90ed7b19474ac6e363f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d39b9d6733b90ed7b19474ac6e363f35?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rhys"},"description":"Rhys (she\/they) is a long-time Magic: the Gathering fan, having started in Seventh Edition. 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