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Pioneer 5C Niv to Light - Deck and Side Guide
A Tier 0 Format?
Pioneer is currently dominated by a few strategies, with Rakdos Vampires and UR Phoenix being practically the tier0 of the format, with both being very solid choices regardless of the metagame.
Some decks like Abzan Amália, Monoblack Waste Not, and Boros Heroic are dark horses, also capable of surprising and snagging a spot in the top finishes. But one deck has been drawing attention in the latest tournaments, and it's even been my choice in one of the recent challenges: 5c Niv to Light.
Today I'm going to talk a bit about this list, with some card choices, tips and tricks, mulligan decisions, and a side guide against some of the tiers of the format.
The Deck
(6 - 3)
66% in MTGO Pioneer Challenge 32 #12623718 [99 Players] — 31-Mar-2024
$574/156.12 Tix
Maindeck (80)
| Creature [19] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker | $21.99 | |
| 2 Niv-Mizzet Reborn | $0.99 | |
| 1 Klothys, God of Destiny | $4.99 | |
| 3 Omnath, Locus of Creation | $8.99 | |
| 1 Niv-Mizzet, Supreme | $0.49 | |
| 4 Sylvan Caryatid | $6.49 | |
| 1 Valki, God of Lies | $5.99 | |
| 3 Wandering Mind | $0.35 | |
| Instant [9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cosmic Rebirth | $0.39 | |
| 1 Kolaghan's Command | $1.79 | |
| 3 Lightning Helix | $0.35 | |
| 4 Vanishing Verse | $0.49 | |
| Sorcery [9] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Analyze the Pollen | $0.49 | |
| 1 Deafening Clarion | $0.59 | |
| 1 Sunfall | $6.99 | |
| 4 Bring to Light | $0.69 | |
| 1 Unmoored Ego | $0.49 | |
| Enchantment [8] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Leyline Binding | $6.49 | |
| 4 Up the Beanstalk | $1.99 | |
| Land [35] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 Blood Crypt | $17.99 | |
| 4 Fabled Passage | $6.99 | |
| 1 Dragonskull Summit | $1.29 | |
| 1 Sunpetal Grove | $1.99 | |
| 1 Forest | $0.01 | |
| 1 Sulfur Falls | $0.69 | |
| 1 Godless Shrine | $13.99 | |
| 1 Hallowed Fountain | $10.99 | |
| 1 Hinterland Harbor | $0.69 | |
| 3 Indatha Triome | $19.99 | |
| 1 Island | $0.01 | |
| 2 Jetmir's Garden | $21.99 | |
| 2 Ketria Triome | $14.99 | |
| 1 Mana Confluence | $44.99 | |
| 1 Plains | $0.01 | |
| 1 Rootbound Crag | $2.29 | |
| 1 Swamp | $0.01 | |
| 1 Raffine's Tower | $15.99 | |
| 1 Raugrin Triome | $17.99 | |
| 1 Savai Triome | $20.99 | |
| 1 Spara's Headquarters | $16.99 | |
| 1 Steam Vents | $17.99 | |
| 1 Glacial Fortress | $1.29 | |
| 1 Drowned Catacomb | $1.49 | |
| 1 Temple Garden | $13.99 | |
| 1 Watery Grave | $15.99 | |
| 1 Ziatora's Proving Ground | $11.99 | |
| 1 Mountain | $0.01 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 Fatal Push | $2.49 | |
| 3 Dovin's Veto | $4.49 | |
| 2 Notion Thief | $1.29 | |
| 2 Kambal, Consul of Allocation | $2.49 | |
| 1 Krenko's Buzzcrusher | $0.49 | |
| 1 Quakebringer | $2.79 | |
| 1 Surrak Dragonclaw | $2.49 | |
| 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad | $0.49 | |
| 2 Rest in Peace | $0.99 | |
$156.12 Tix @cardhoarder
$3.90 / Week @cardhoarder
$515.95 @tcgplayer
$632.11 @cardkingdom
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Archetype Analysis
Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
The list was popularized by the Brazilian Claudioh, a grinderpresent in several tops of the challenges. This list is essentially the same one that the player Misplacedginger used to finish the previous day's challenge in second place, with just one change in the sideboard (Rest in Peace instead of Damping Sphere).
Card Choices
Bring to Light
The card that is the soul of the deck, its versatility, and the ability to turn games around is the crucial point of the deck's existence. You can tutor basically any card from the list, whether it's a sweeper like Sunfall, or even Unmoored Ego to remove a specific piece from a particular deck, or a Niv-Mizzet Reborn to swallow your opponents in card advantage.
But one of the best targets is Valki, God of Lies, which, thanks to its flip side, allows us to cast its other side, Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor, and have a super planeswalker at our disposal.
Fable of the Mirror Breaker
Here we go again, in this deck, it also plays a fundamental role, cycling through the enormous amount of land that this deck can draw, fixing the mana (which seems good, but sometimes isn't that great). Despite not having many targets to copy with Reflection of Kiki-Jiki, I would say it is a mandatory card in the 5C Niv lists.
Wandering Mind
It seems like a harmless creature, but it also plays a very important role in the deck. It can find cards like Up the Beanstalk to start the card advantage engine, or Leyline Binding, one of the few relevant targets that we can't cast with Bring to Light or find with Niv-Mizzet Reborn. It's also one of the few creatures we can copy with Fable of the Mirror Breaker. I used to enjoy playing with it in Standard Grixis Midrange decks and am very happy that it has also found its place in Pioneer.
Playing the Deck
The deck, in its best openings, has some kind of drop2, with Sylvan Caryatid being a card that at times seems individually weak, but it greatly helps to cast all the different colors of spells that the deck has. Up the Beanstalk is also very important, especially in matches where card advantage matters.
Example Hand #1
On the play, it's a very risky hand, maybe on the draw having another turn to draw a green and/or red source would be better, but I still don't know if I would keep it. Despite having Vanishing Verse as a possible interaction, it's a kind of risk I don't like to take, especially in a deck that recovers well from mulligans like this one, with ways to generate card advantage and the possibility of dragging the game to the late game, where it tends to shine. Mulligan.
Example Hand #2
The hand by itself doesn't do much. But we have early-game plays and a good interaction with Leyline. We can even choose not to cast Ziatora on turn 1, so we can cycle due to a potential flood. But the other lands make Leyline cost more mana, and that's not very interesting for us. I would keep it and start by playing Ziatora, boosting the Leyline, and taking a certain risk of flooding.
Example Hand #3
This hand shows the importance of Sylvan Caryatid in the list. It fixes mana and is a good blocker. Without it, with only two lands, it would probably be a mulligan. With it, it's a keep.
Tips & Tricks
Pay close attention to the lands and colors you have available. Usually, it's best to start with a Triome to have access to 3 colors. It's also important to start with Triomes with green, to maximize the chance of playing Up the Beanstalk or Caryatid on turn 2.
Remember that Bring to Light has a restriction on the type of card we can search for (creatures, instant spells, and sorceries). Enchantments and artifacts cannot be searched for, so no searching for Rest in Peace and/or Damping Sphere, for example.
Another example of how we must be attentive to the lands we play at the beginning is when we keep a hand with black-colored lands, especially if it is a Swamp. If we play it at the beginning of the game, we won't be able to cast Omnath, nor make the famous Omnath play with Fabled Passage to Bring to Light (for spells with a cost of 5) or any of the Niv-Mizzets.
Matchups & Sideboard Guide
UR Phoenix
It's a match we can win, but overall, it's quite unfavorable. The first game is very complicated because they can easily set up great turns by bringing back Arclight Phoenix from the graveyard or drawing lots of cards with Treasure Cruise. Unmoored Ego can help here; by naming Phoenix, there's not much more we need to worry about since we have removal for Ledger. Their best way to win against us in that situation is by combining extra turns with the help of Hall of the Storm Giants.
Post-sideboarding we bring in 11 cards to balance the match, and they bring in more creatures. Graveyard hate is the key to controlling some cards that can unbalance the match. We also add some cards to penalize the extra card advantage they might have.
Rakdos Vampires
It's a favorable matchup, but we can still lose depending on how the opponent handles the match or if we don't draw removal for Vein Ripper in time. Rakdos struggles to deal with decks that generate significant card advantage, as it relies on one-for-one trades with discard and removal. This is where our deck excels, overwhelming them with card advantage.
After sideboarding, we don't need anything too specific; just a few Fatal Pushes would suffice to better respond to the manlands, which can be somewhat problematic depending on the game's state.
Niv to Light
The mirror match is a true race for card advantage; the games tend to be lengthy and are often decided by the clock or by decking. Valki is the pivotal card, as it creates immediate card advantage even when it is removed right away with Leyline Binding, which is essentially the only card that can counter it.
Post-side Veto joins the key cards, along with Bring to Light and Up the Beanstalk. The secret is to prevent the opponent from drawing too many cards, by removing pieces that can make the game go out of control, but expect a very long game.
UW Control
Another matchup that's not so great; our clock is pretty slow, but some cards are really powerful and we can take advantage of the fact that the opponent usually doesn't have many ways to finish things off, with planeswalkers and manlands being the best methods. Also, watch out for large Shark Typhoon tokens, which can quickly end the game if they're not dealt with. Other games tend to be really drawn out and sluggish. The sideboard helps because certain cards like Surrak can finish the game quickly, and with more creatures, we can apply more pressure.
Monoblack Midrange
In theory, the matchup should also be favorable because we can generate significant card advantage. However, they also have a highly effective discard engine, and Waste Not turns our discarded cards into card advantage for them.
This is also true when we have a substantial card advantage with multiple Waste Nots on the field, since during our discard phase, our opponent will gain some advantage as well. Even if they're just lands, that can help them with cards like Castle Lochtwain and Geier Reach Sanitarium.
Mulliganing is exactly what the opponent will want you to do, so even with average hands, it's wise to take a chance and keep them. Post-sideboard, there isn't much of significance that can be done; however, Krenko is quite effective at removing the opponent's key lands.
Lotus Field
The absence of a clock somewhat hinders us, but the presence of Unmoored Ego makes Game 1 a bit more comfortable because we can target an important piece, such as Lotus Field itself. Without it, the opponent might simply ignore us and focus on executing the combo. However, cards like Vanishing Verse can remove both Lier and Omniscience.
Post-sideboard, we bring in many cards that make the match a bit more balanced, but I believe it is still unfavorable.
Boros Heroic
We have many good removal options against them, so in theory, it should be a better matchup for us. However, Boros Heroic is very fast, and sometimes our deck can be too clunky. They can also surprise us by protecting their creatures with cards like Loran's Escape or Sejiri Shelter. Therefore, it's wise to be cautious and respect the opponent's open mana.
After sideboarding, we have additional removal, and the opponent's game plan might be more about grinding it out, which could work in our favor. Try to keep hands that are lighter or can play Leyline Binding for less mana; we need to interact early on somehow, or we'll be in for a quick and painful defeat.
Abzan Amalia Combo
It is always dangerous to play against a deck that can combo in unexpected ways, but generally, the match is good. Many low-cost removals and an Ego for Amalia or Aetherflux Reservoir are usually a good path to victory. After sideboarding, we have more removal and Quakebringer, which is basically for this match, but in general, they can't respond because it doesn't die to the most common removals (Fatal Push and Skyclave Apparition).
Final words
Despite not being a tier1 and not necessarily having a good match against almost any deck, Niv to Light has been surprising me with its versatility, power level of the cards, and ability to have a very large card advantage over opponents. I believe it's a good option for the upcoming tournaments, and the best part is that it's very adaptable, capable of adjusting according to the expected meta.
Until next time!