9  4 Opt

9  3 Impulse

9  3 Force Spike

9  2 Miscalculation

9  4 Boomerang

9  4 Aether Burst

9  3 Hoodwink

9  3 Vision Charm

9  4 Isochron Scepter

9  1 Temporal Fissure

9  2 Fade Away

9  1 Sol Ring

9  4 Lotus Petal

9  22 Island

This version includes both the Sol Ring and the Petals in an attempt to assist with a first turn Scepter. This is actually a critical draw to the deck since it suffers the same fate as most other Blue decks in PEZ if it allows the early game to get out of control.  As soon as possible, the intent of the deck is to bounce lands back to the opponent=s hand and stall their mana generation. Alternately, Vision Charm can be just as effective against the majority of the field which is comprised of mostly mono-color decks. By switching all the opponents lands to an alternate type before the main phase you can restrict them to relying on Instants alone.

For this version, Miscalculation is preferred to Counterspell because of the ability to cycle into bounce which helps streamline the theme of the deck. Dream=s Grip is a possibility for the deck but only if we can avoid dropping the more productive bounce from the deck. This means it would trade off with the card drawing instants which are critical early stabilization or with the counters and this would weaken the deck against other threats. A trade off with Aether Burst, however, may prove to be marginally beneficial in some match-ups. 

The deck is supported by 2 copies of Fade Away and a single Temporal Fissure. These cards provide the closest thing to a reset button available in PEZ.

There are multiple problems with this deck in PEZ. First, many decks in the field run well on only 2 or 3 mana. This means that the intended soft lock must come early and that many decks will not be stopped just slowed by this method of control. Being able to lay an early counter on the second Scepter is helpful. If Instant burn becomes a problem, the deck can sideboard Tanglebloom which is moderately helpful as are some of the White Instants - Pay No Heed and Soothing Balm. Second, as with many Scepter decks, early mana will be tied up in necessary use of the Scepter. This means that even if the Scepter comes out turn 1, it will likely be turn 4 before you are playing any cards from your hand. For all intents and purposes this is like a self imposed Acrane Laboratory which is a bad deal when it only affects you. The reset cards and Lotus Petals help out to some degree. Lastly, while the power and importance of Vision Charm as a win mechanism cannot be understated it is a poor clock often taking 10 or more turns to solidify the win. Using a creature like Wayward Soul can create a slightly quicker clock the gain is minimal and interferes with the other components of the deck.

Iso-Advantage

One of the strengths of Isochron Scepter isn=t the combo potential but simply its potential for card advantage. Obviously when paired with powerful card drawing effects you can run through your Library at an astonishing pace. But any spell Imprinted on the Scepter is moved from a 1:1 equation to something much more positive. More experience players are going to look for a way to abuse this. PEZ makes that quest more difficult but perhaps there is something suggestive in this deck.

 

9  4 Opt

9  4 Accumulated Knowledge

9  3 Impulse

9  2 Merchant Scroll

9  2 Disrupt

9  4 Prohibit

9  4 Counterspell

9  4 Aether Burst

9  2 Boomerang

9  1 Temporal Fissure

9  2 Wayward Soul

9  4 Isochron Scepter

9  1 Forbid

9  2 Lonely Sandbar

9  21 Island

This deck is much looser than the version relying on Bounce. It has a stronger control component and can set itself up for a recurring Forbid with little difficulty. Because of these advantages, the deck has a stronger mid-game presence but it is just as critical to maintain stability with this deck as it is with its bounce heavy cousin.

Other Options

While both of the Blue decks above, and similar decks, are a little weak, they are both playable and new sets may introduce additional cards to make them more attractive. Tweaking each of them may also help a little. Black can be added for more solid removal potential and either White or Green are attractive for either life gain or the fog effects.

Having made mention of the power of fog effects, I believe that this is where Isochron Scepter has the best potential to make a major change in the dynamics of PEZ.

Iso - White

 

9  4 Life Burst

9  4 Soothing Balm

9  3 Festival

9  4 Holy Day

9  4 Moment of Silence

9  4 Pay No Heed

9  2 Prismatic Strands

9  3 Vision Charm

9  1 Galvanic Key

9  1 Gilded Light

9  4 Isochron Scepter

9  4 Lotus Petal

9  2 Abandoned Outpost

9  20 Plains

From the first, this deck bears no resemblance to other Isochron Scepter decks that have been popping up here and there. In fact it is much more reminiscent of Fog Machine and is, as suggested by the testing, much more stable and resilient. The point of the deck is basically to do nothing. The deck is very efficient at avoiding damage and gaining life and works best when confined to this role. The win mechanism is intended to be played late game when you are able to Mill your opponent to death with the Vision Charm on a stick.

While Fog Machine faired poorly against direct damage, this deck is much stronger. The possibility of gaining 4-16 life per turn is a great answer to burn as is the Pay No Heed, Prismatic Strands, and Gilded Light. Although the Fog component of the deck is weaker than Fog Machine, 13 prevention sources generally is sufficient especially when backed with the life gain. This makes the deck very strong against the majority of the field.

The deck is far from perfect, however. The deck provides no answer to Tides based decks, except for Vision Charm, and, in it=s current state, would have a weak SB counter component at best. It is also vulnerable to even limited Artifact removal. Vision Charm is of limited utility and there are few other commons that would be helpful: Welding Jar, Disempower, Drafna=s Restoration, Reality Ripple, Reconstruction, and Razor Barrier which is probably the best bet perhaps deserving preference over Galvanic Key. Lastly, discard and/or Land Destruction can hurt the deck though not critically. Reworking the deck as a UW build helps to lessen these vulnerabilities but seems, so far, to have an inverse relationship with the other positive aspects of the deck. This style of dedicated Scepter deck is, IMO, most likely to have an impact on PEZ.

The Real Impact on PEZ