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Sequencing Mastery with an Ongoing Scheme

Magic is often framed as a battle of resources, tempo, and careful planning. When you add a pocketful of enigmatic schemes to the mix, the puzzle becomes even juicier. This particular card—an Ongoing Scheme from the Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Schemes lineup—asks you to think in terms of flow, pacing, and who gets to press the button first. No mana to speak of, no colors to lean on, just a subtle nudge: Spells you cast cost 1 less to cast. And because it’s an ongoing scheme, it sits in front of you, face up, until your opponents overwhelm it with spell volume and it’s abandoned at the start of their end step. 🧙‍♂️🔥💎

At first glance, the card’s simplicity—zero mana, no color, a single line of text—belies a surprisingly rich space for advanced sequencing. In a world where most of your interactions are shaped by the colors you play and the mana you generate, an ongoing scheme that discounts your spells invites you to reimagine the tempo of your turns. The law of the land becomes: plan ahead not just for this turn, but for the next several turns, because every spell you cast is trimmed by one mana. That tiny nudge can unlock a cascade of plays that would be awkward or impossible otherwise. ⚔️

How the cost reduction reshapes your turn planning

The essence of sequencing with Because I Have Willed It is not simply "cast more stuff." It’s about turning each turn into a mini-puzzle where you maximize value by layering cheap spells, recurring draw or filtering effects, and selective removal to keep pressure on the board. With a consistent discount, you can squeeze in extra cantrips, value engines, or recursive combos that would demand more colored mana or a stricter mana curve without the scheme. Think of the discount as allowing you to push an additional spell into the same turn, or to cast two cheaper spells in the window where your opponents expect you to slow down. 🧙‍♂️🎲

In practice, you’ll want to build toward turns where you chain together a sequence of low-cost spells to accumulate advantage before the scheme could be abandoned. Because the trigger happens at the beginning of your opponents’ end step and checks if they’ve cast four or more spells that turn, you’re effectively racing a clock. If your opponents crank out a flurry of spells, the scheme may flip away from you just as you’re about to push into a decisive line. That tension is where the craft shines: you learn to tempo your own contributions so that you stay ahead of the curve without giving your adversaries the satisfaction of ending the scheme on their terms. 🧙‍♂️💥

Turn-by-turn thinking: a sample flow

• Turn n: You start with a cheap spell or two that benefit from the cost reduction. You stack cantrips that draw, filter, or ramp your next moves. The aim is to maintain momentum while leaving room to respond to disruption. You might add a spell that creates a lasting value engine, knowing its cost has just become friendlier thanks to the scheme. 🔥
• Turn n+1: Depending on opponents’ actions, you either keep building the same way or pivot to a higher-impact line that leverages the now-more-affordable stack of spells. The key is not to overcommit—if you flood the board too early, you risk feeding the opponent’s plan to push four spells in a single turn and retire the scheme when you’d rather keep it alive. 🎨
• Turn n+2 and beyond: You look for a moment to slip in a robust, efficient spell that tilts the board. With the cost discount, you can often cast it as your second or third spell in a single turn, preserving card draw or tutoring options for the next round. The discipline is in recognizing when to press for value and when to give yourself a breath to reconfigure your sequence. 🧙‍♂️

In multiplayer or more chaotic formats, the sourcing of four spells from opponents can swing quickly. Here the art of sequencing becomes even more vital: you’ll want to monitor the pace of the game and select lines that keep you productive while avoiding tipping the scale toward an abandonment that defeats your plan. The scheme’s edge lies in your ability to extract advantage from every discounted cast while staying mindful of the clock—your own, and the one racing toward four spells on the other side of the table. ⚔️

Design, flavor, and the broader arc

Because I Have Willed It comes from a distinctive era of MTG design—an era that experimented with themes of manipulation, grand strategies, and bold, cinematic moments. The card’s identity as an Ongoing Scheme fits neatly with the Archenemy: Nicol Bolas Schemes set, a crossover concept that invites players to lean into “boss-level” anomalies rather than straight-up competitive speed. The artwork by Adrian Majkrzak adds a sense of menacing calm: a scheme sitting in the open, inviting both players to calculate and to fear the moment when it might abandon you to your fate. The card’s rarity is common, printed as a nonfoil in the OE01 arc, which makes it accessible for players curious about the mechanical flavor without breaking the bank. And yes, the star-marked collector number 1★ hints at its special status within the scheme subset. 🎨💎

From a gameplay-design perspective, the card offers a clean demonstration of how a simple mechanic—cost reduction—can be woven into a broader tempo framework. It rewards thoughtful sequencing, precise timing, and an appetite for risk—perfect ingredients for fans who savor the long-game narrative of MTG. The ability to influence a sequence not only with raw power but with the cadence of your turns is a subtle, deeply satisfying kind of mastery. 🧙‍♂️

Collectors and players alike can appreciate the value of tracking cards like Because I Have Willed It, which sit at the crossroads of flavor, function, and story. The common rarity level keeps it within reach, while the long-term appeal lies in how it can anchor an ongoing strategic thread in a more casual or experimental deck. If you’re chasing a clue to sequencing excellence, this scheme offers a compelling map. 🔥

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