Thread by @JasonILTG

Today, I'm going to talk about my favorite underrated cards in STX: Reconstruct History. ALSA 7.94, taken just above Spell Satchel. This is another one that I already talked a lot about on Limited Levelups last week (), but I'm happy to say more. 1/x

First off, to explain what this card does, since it has a lot of words: it rebuys up to one each of an instant, a sorcery, an artifact, and enchantment, and a planeswalker. You don't have to have all five; most commonly this will just be two spells, and maybe an artifact. 2/x

On its surface, this looks like it's just a clunky draw spell that needs setup. And I don't generally likes clunky draw spells; I was low on Behold the Multiverse in Kaldheim, and I'm low on effects like Mentor's Guidance in Strixhaven. So why do I like Reconstruct? 3/x

Well, first of all, the setup cost is very minimal. With learn/lesson being such an important mechanic, you'll almost always at least have a sorcery, so all you need to ensure is an instant to make it a draw two. And there's plenty of good instants, especially cheap removal. 4/x

Plus, the comparison to draw spells like Behold the Multiverse isn't that accurate; with how important and powerful spells are in STX, it's honestly more akin to Soul Salvage. And likewise, its recursion is much more powerful, though less flexible, than a simple draw 2. 5/x

One of the reasons I'm relatively low on the pure draw spells in STX (like Mentor's Guidance) is because of learn/lesson. Part of the value of a Divination is casting it early. But I've found learn/lesson just fills that role much better, as they often affect the board. 6/x

So when I do cast a pure card advantage spell, it's often as the one of last cards in my hand, after I've run out of learn/lesson. Reconstruct History fits perfectly into this role: it's the best at lategame grinding, and I don't care about its early game at all. 7/x

I will note that I don't really want to pay 4 mana just to get back an Inkling and a Study Break; that can be fine sometimes but is pretty slow. So you do want to make sure that your Reconstruct can get back more impactful spells, like Rise of Extus or Elemental Masterpiece. 8/x

Now, you might be wondering why I like such a durdly Lorehold card, when I'm also a fan of assertive Lorehold decks. I do think Reconstruct is best as a splash in Prismari. But also, my assertive Lorehold decks often aren't hyperaggressive, and want tools to grind as well. 9/x

So far I've been treating Reconstruct as only recurring two spells. But the artifact clause does come up frequently. Decks that want Reconstruct might also want Biblioplex Assistant to recur bombs, or Campus Guide and Letter of Acceptance to splash. A free 2/1 isn't bad. 10/x

I have used the enchantment clause once, after my opponent killed my Sparring Regimen. I have yet to try Reconstruct with Detention Vortexes; I suspect they're still bad, but maybe there's something there. More realistically, you get Regimen in the gy with cantrips. 11/x

Conclusion: Reconstruct History is a powerful lategame grinding tool, best splashed in Prismari but good even in some assertive decks. I like it more than most draw spells because of its lategame power, and I don't care about early game flexibility when I can just learn. 12/12

Recent trophy decks with Reconstruct History in them:

17lands.com/deck/c46d1385d…
17lands.com/deck/1ca6291b5…
17lands.com/deck/fe8b7a318…