Thread by @JasonILTG

Next up: Mascot Interception. ALSA 8.64, third least drafted uncommon (barely above Detention Vortex). Now *this* is a card I have a lot to say about, though some of what I have to say I already said on Limited Levelups last week (

https://twitter.com/Limitedlevelups/status/1389074490475393028

). 1/x

At its baseline, this is just a more expensive Act of Treason that gives a power boost. Framed that way, it might not be very exciting, as Act of Treason is a card that traditionally only plays well in decks that are either very aggressive or have steal-and-sac synergies. 2/x

But there are some factors that make Interception play better in this format. First of all, the +2 power matters. You generally want your Act of Treason effects to end the game when cast, and the power boost helps Interception do so in a wider array of situations. 3/x

And to finish the comparison with Act of Treason, the extra mana doesn't matter as much when the assertive decks in this format are already geared to want access to more mana to utilize card advantage from learn/lesson. I'm almost never running 15-16 land aggro decks in STX. 4/x

And I haven't even mentioned the cost reduction! It may look like trinket (token?) text, but with Fractals, Elementals, and Inklings as the best threats in most decks, it really isn't. It feels great to steal a large Curve or Invocation, especially if you can give it trample. 5/x

Next, let's talk a bit about how Interception is positioned strategically. Obviously, like with First Day, you probably shouldn't be playing this in a purely controlling deck that doesn't put pressure on your opponents. But I like it a lot in (again) assertive Lorehold decks. 6/x

My general gameplan for assertive white decks is to get in early damage with creatures like Eager First Year and finish with fliers. Interception lines up very well with this: early damage helps engineer board states where it's lethal, and fliers mean fewer blockers matter. 7/x

Plus, Interception plays very well with one of white's best (also underdrafted) commons: Study Break. You get to steal their best creature and tap two more, getting in a huge attack. Tools like Interception and Study Break make it very hard for opponents to truly stabilize. 8/x

Adding onto the point about fliers: even if you're on the ground, I've found that this format ends up in a lot of situations where there's really only one blocker that matters. Wide board stalls are pretty rare; many opponents will be walling with one big Fractal. 9/x

That's all I have to say about the big picture stuff; now let's get into smaller synergies. First up: trample. With so many large fractals, having sources of trample helps Interception kill. Team Pennant is pretty bad, but Enthusiastic Study is a card I really like already. 10/x

Next, copying (generally with Teach By Example or Rootha). Copying Interception is about as backbreaking as comboing it with Study Break, sometimes even more so. And if you target a token with the original, you can also steal it and a nontoken without paying extra! 11/x

Then, there's steal-and-sac. There isn't much support, since the sac outlets are mostly black, but sometimes it comes together. Tend the Pests is especially sweet, but there's also Village Rites and Plumb the Forbidden. Dina, Bayou Groff, and Deadly Brew are medium but work. 12/x

Noxious Fumes is a very reliable sac outlet, since as a lesson you can get it when you have the combo. Intro to Annihilation and Reduce to Memory are similar, but worse. I would try not to play Novice Dissector or Resculpt, but they do work, and Resculpt is even on-college! 13/x

There's also some cards that can sac with themselves if you steal them. Pillardrop Warden and Overgrown Arch draw you cards. Stealing Rootha for your own spell is sweet. Daemogoth Titan works on either side. Selfless Glyphweaver enables alphas even more. 14/x

Finally, there's Academic Dispute, which doesn't always work, but sometimes lets you use it and Interception to remove two creatures and learn. Here, the +2 power really helps; kind of like a build-your-own Blood Feud. 15/x

I would generally caution against trying to build a dedicated steal-and-sac deck. Yes, Interceptions go late, but they're still uncommon. Plus, many of the sac outlets are mediocre otherwise. You can do some sweet things, but it won't come together very often. Still fun! 16/x

As a final note: Claim the Firstborn is a similar effect that's taken slightly higher. But it's much worse than Interception: +2 power and hitting everything really matters. Again, you care more about your Act of Treason winning more often, not as much about it costing less. 17/x

In conclusion: Interception is a much better Act of Treason because it wins a wider range of games and is better positioned in a format with very few wide board stalls. Steal-and-sac is sweet, but very finnicky; use it for tempo instead. Play this, not Claim the Firstborn. 18/18

Recent trophy decks that had Mascot Interception, along with some sweet screenshots:

17lands.com/deck/fe8b7a318…
17lands.com/deck/0c506ef2e…
17lands.com/deck/4cde164d0…
17lands.com/deck/3f312bdea…

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