Mastering Cabal Therapy for Winning More Games of Magic: Part 1

One of the things that sets our deck apart is the way we leverage Cabal Therapy to gain maximum advantage. Among all the decks that use this

One of the things that sets our deck apart is the way we leverage Cabal Therapy to gain maximum advantage. Among all the decks that use this card, ours is undoubtedly the one that capitalizes on this powerful spell most effectively. In this article, I'll describe the primary methods you can employ Cabal Therapy to secure more wins, as well as the main mistakes that players sometimes make.

Let's start by addressing common mistakes!

Mistake #1: Cabal Therapy is not Thoughtseize

Avoid playing it on turn 1 just to gather more information.

If you've ever cast Thoughtseize, Duress, or other discard spells, you know the strength of these spells when they resolve on turn 1. However, Cabal Therapy doesn't quite fall into the same category. Playing it on turn 1 solely to peek at your opponent's hand (and hopefully discard one of their cards) is one of the worst moves you could make while playing Dredge.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule:

- If your opponent has taken a mulligan and is searching for a specific sideboard card in games 2 and 3, and you suspect they've found it, and this card could seriously ruin your chances of winning the game, and the rest of your hand is solid with lands and spells... you can take a risk and cast a blind Cabal Therapy on turn 1. This can be particularly useful against green decks (blind targets: Crop Rotation, Elvish Reclaimer, Endurance) and blue decks (blind target: Surgical Extraction).

Mistake #2: Casting Cabal Therapy Too Early in the Game

If you don't have Bridges in your graveyard and you're not worried about anything, just hold off.

In many games, you'll find your first Narcomoeba and your first Cabal Therapy before at least one Bridge from Below. If you're not up against a combo deck and there's no specific card your opponent could play this or next turn that scares you, avoid rushing things and sacrificing two cards (Narcomoeba and Therapy) just to peek at your opponent's hand. This caution is especially crucial when facing blue control decks, which likely have removal spells against our creatures. Casting Therapy this way might actually help your opponent gain control of the game. Instead, save your Therapies for moments when you can generate at least one zombie with it, and if necessary, maybe resolve a second Cabal Therapy in the same turn.

As always, there are exceptions to this rule:

- If your opponent might have something really strong against you and they may win the game on the next turn; if they're playing a combo, and you've noticed from their play patterns that they might have this frightening card, and you have a solid plan for your next move on your next turn, then you can take the risk and "2 x 1" yourself to ensure your opponent doesn't have that card. Examples include Cephalid Breakfast with Shuko on the battlefield and two open mana (blind target: Step Through); Reanimator with a creature in their graveyard and only one land in play (blind target: Reanimate if that land was tapped to cast Looting/Entomb, or Animate Dead/Exhume if this land is untapped).

Mistake #3: Waiting Too Long to Cast Therapy against Solitude Decks/Orcish Bowmasters Decks

They can exile your Bridges at instant speed!

At times during the game, you'll have the opportunity to dredge a lot, whether it's by resolving a Brainstorm, a Careful Study, or cracking a Coliseum. If you suspect your opponent may have Solitude or Orcish Bowmasters in their hand, it's better to cast a Cabal Therapy before finishing all your dredging, even if it means you won't generate the most zombies on the battlefield. This becomes especially crucial when you can also hide information (for instance, if you still have Coliseum in your hand), forcing your opponent to make a decision earlier in the game. Experient opponents are well aware of the threat posed by both Solitude and Bowmasters against our deck, and they'll keep these cards in hand until they see several Bridge from Below in our graveyard, allowing them to exile them all at once. The best course of action is to accept that you may lose one or two bridges that have already been revealed in your graveyard, in order to save the others that will be revealed after your next dredging.

I hope you've thoroughly enjoyed these tips! The sequel to this article will be published tomorrow. Take care, and see you soon! 😊🧟‍♂️🧟‍♀️