Three Unique Standard Cards-Transcending Phases

Within Standard, there are three cards that hold a unique ability that I will be working into deck builds in the coming weeks.  What makes these cards unique is their ability to transcend phases.  Two cards from Rivals of Ixalan have this ability.  The first is Dead Man's Chest.

What I mean by 'transcending phases' is, when a card is exiled by this ability, it can be cast throughout the entirety of the game.  The exiled card doesn't disappear at the end of the turn.  Additionally, your opponent can do nothing to affect the disposition of the card once it is exiled.  In contrast, Hostage Taker exiles a creature or artifact from the battlefield that can be cast, but if Hostage Taker is destroyed before casting the exiled card, it is returned to the battlefield.      

If a nonland card is exiled with Dead Man's Chest, it remains exiled and untouchable until the player wants to cast it.  It also avoids board wipes.  On this note, I think one of the most underutilized board wipe dodgers in Standard today is Release the Wind.

This instant speed spell can exile anything outside of a land and keep it safe until you can cast it again for free.  As a blink spell it is limited only by the casting speed of the permanent you exiled.  For example, if you exile an enchantment, you can't flash that enchantment in the middle of combat unless the enchantment has flash as an ability. This makes Cast Out a good pairing with this card.




The final card in Standard that has this same ability is Gonti, Lord of Luxury. 

I can still remember the first time I played this in Standard.  My opponent attempted to remove their exiled card from my side of the board after Gonti died, and I had to explain that the card is mine for the duration of the game. 


Imagining a deck with these type of antics, would probably involve lots of board wipes and lots of blink spells like Unsummon. The only thing that isn't guaranteed with a deck utilizing this eternal exile strategy is the randomness that is involved.  You simply don't know what you are getting.  That's not to say that the strategy won't be effective, there will just be a lot of variability in its execution.   


If you enchanted your opponent's creature with Dead Man's Chest, then destroyed the creature, you really don't know what you would be getting.  Building a strategy around the unknown is tricky and could be unreliable.  So with that in mind, going halfway into this strategy probably wouldn't work-that's not to say that there are not benefits from having Gonti in your deck.  But if you're going to play something like Dead Man's Chest, you really need to put more eggs into the execution of that strategy to get it done.


Playing these cards to their greatest effect.
Enhancing Gonti is relatively easy, get Panharmonicon onto the field or find ways to bounce it in and out of play.  If you're going to cast Dead Man's Chest, you might think about buffing that creature before it dies (Brute Strength or Built to Last). If you're going to cast Release the Wind, do it on a creature with an enter the battlefield trigger that is formidable such as Torrential Gearhulk, Noxious Gearhulk, Ravenous Chupacabra, Wakening Sun's Avatar or Zacama, Primal Calamity.


I hope the examination of this unique ability has sparked your creativity.  I look forward to seeing your future deck creations.