Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Slick Sequence Mulligan Guide: When to Keep or Pitch

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a two-mana bolt of elemental mischief and wondering whether you should keep or send it back to the bottom of your deck, you’re not alone. Slick Sequence, a nimble Instant from Outlaws of Thunder Junction, sits at the crossroads of tempo and value. With a crisp {U}{R} upfront and a spicy follow-through—2 damage to any target, plus a conditional card draw if you’ve already cast another spell this turn—this spell embodies the spirit of fast-paced, spell-slinging decks 🧙‍♂️🔥. It asks you to balance immediate reach with late-game payoff, and that tension is exactly what mulligan decisions are made of. 💎⚔️

Card snapshot and flavor in context

• Name: Slick Sequence
• Mana cost: {U}{R} (two mana)
• Colors: Red and Blue
• Type: Instant
• Rarity: Uncommon
• Set: Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ)
• Oracle text: Slick Sequence deals 2 damage to any target. If you've cast another spell this turn, draw a card.
• Flavor text: "Shooting first don't mean much if you ain't got proper follow-through."

In terms of strategy, this card rewards a player who can string together multiple spells in the same turn. The damage is a reliable tempo tool, pinging faces or removing a chump blocker, while the potential card draw rewards you for planning a two-spell turn. It’s a classic example of how MTG blends raw power with clever sequencing 🧙‍♂️🎨.

When to mulligan this card: practical guidelines

Mulligan decisions hinge on your opening hand’s ability to enable a forced two-spell turn. With London Mulligan now standard for most formats, you’ll draw seven, decide how many cards to ship to the bottom, and keep your best hopeful start. Here’s how Slick Sequence tends to fare in that framework:

• Keep with a reliable two-spell plan: If your hand includes at least one cheap spell you’re confident you can cast on turn 1 (think cantrips or fast interaction) and a blue or red source in safe reach, you’re in the sweet spot. The goal is to cast the first spell early, then land Slick Sequence as the second spell to unlock the draw. The tempo swing can snowball into a favorable late-game, especially if your deck leans on cheap cantrips and answers. 🧙‍♂️
• Keep when you can fix your mana and press urgency: A hand with two or three lands that can produce both blue and red mana quickly—but lacking that second spell in hand—can still be acceptable if you’re sure you can navigate to a two-spell turn on the play or draw into your plan. The card’s ability to threaten removal and a possible refill makes it a reasonable keep with a plan. 🔥
• Consider pitching if you’re missing the two-spell dynamic: If your opening hand is full of four-drops, dead early threats, or lands that don’t fix your two-color mana, Slick Sequence becomes a liability. In those cases you’d rather redraw into a hand with cheaper interaction and a clear line of play. In other words: don’t force the two-spell turn if you can’t reliably reach the first few turns with a meaningful patch of threats or answers. ⚔️
• Deck-building intuition matters: Two-color decks that run a suite of cheap cantrips (or low-cost accelerants) naturally pair well with Slick Sequence. If your mulligans reveal a pathway to a fast setup—say, a cantrip, a cheap spell, and a Mountain/Island or their dual equivalents—you’re probably in a good spot to keep. The card rewards you for sequencing and for giving yourself the option of a follow-up while pressuring the opponent’s life total. 💎
• Opponent’s archetype influences your choice: Against aggressive starts, you might want the earlier reach of Slick Sequence to answer a threat and still draw later. Against control, the reliability of a card draw becomes more appealing, since refueling your hand can offset tempo loss. The decision tree becomes personal-mainlined with your sideboarding plan. 🎲

In practice, you’re weighing two lines: (1) does my hand give me a credible two-spell turn that includes Slick Sequence as the second spell, and (2) do I have enough mana and disruption to weather the early game if I don’t draw into more action? The flavor text’s “follow-through” warning rings true here: sometimes the best path is to fetch a cleaner start, even if it means passing on a sweet two-spell turn in the current moment. 🧭

Playtips and memorable setups

Think of Slick Sequence as a pain point for the opponent and a potential refill for you. A few practical heuristics:

• Pair with cheap cantrips: If your deck includes inexpensive spells you can cast on turn 1, you set up a clean two-spell turn by turn 2. Imagine you resolve a cantrip on turn 1, then follow with Slick Sequence on turn 2 to meltdown an opposing threat and draw a card—net gain for tempo and card advantage. 🎲
• Target selection matters: The damage can go to a creature or a player. If you’re pressuring a withered board or racing to a life total, the right target choice can maximize your momentum while you set up your next two or three-turn plan. ⚔️
• Know your limits: If your deck relies on a longer sequence to win, you might want to mulligan less aggressively when your hand has a firm route to that plan. The card’s strength shines when you can reliably chain spells and stay ahead on card flow. 💎

For collectors and flavor enthusiasts, Slick Sequence also carries a taste of the OTJ world—where bold, improvisational decisions define the arc of a game. The art and the text align with the dynamic energy of a duel where “shooting first” can still be followed by clever repositioning and a crucial draw. 🎨

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