Simic Tatyova (Standard)

Take this deck. I wanted to build a Simic deck, but I already had a Merfolk deck. So, instead, I picked one of my favorite legends of the past two years—Tatyova, Benthic Druid—and set out to build a deck that would ramp and draw cards and probably deck itself.

I even included ways not to deck. Gaea's Blessing is an old favorite of mine, and Devious Coverup loops with it, albeit a bit tentatively.

From there I just started looking for cards that had "land" somewhere in the text. Growth Spiral was obvious. So was Dryad Greenseeker. Sylvan Awakening would be a cool win condition. Kamahl's Druidic Vow actually hits lands, which I learned while making this deck. The Mending of Dominaria was just sweet, and also gave me another reshuffle effect.

For other win conditions, Psychic Corrosion made sense when I was drawing so many cards, and Slinn Voda, the Rising Deep and Pelakka Wurm both protected me and gave me robust ways to win. Hydroid Krasis was another one that made all the sense in the world.

But then, like, Nexus of Fate. How could I not? It's a seven-mana spell in a ramp deck. It let me take another turn in a deck where land drops meant more cards. And it shuffled back in. I just couldn't leave it out.

So that's how I became the guy who Scapeshifts into a Reliquary Tower–fueled Nexus of Fate loop. Sorry (but not really).