Legacy: Cascade Footfalls - Deck Tech and Sideboard Guide

Greetings, friends! From July 28th to 30th, 2023, we were able to keep up with MagicCon Barcelona, and with it, a giant has returned to the spotlight. Even bigger than a giant, a true Juggernaut: Kai Budde! Many years before our dear PV entered the contest for which player was the best of all time, the fight was mainly dominated by the German player Budde and the American player Jon Finkel - and I confess I was (still am) #teamKai. Seeing him again in a Pro Tour Top 8 brought me back to the early 2000s, when I'd spend a whole weekend trying, with my bad internet connection, to keep up with the major Magic tournaments across the world, and see if this German Juggernaut would add another title to his belt - which was the case seven times!

All this introduction was just to contextualize the choice for this article's Deck Tech: Cascade Footfalls, whose Modern version was used by Kai Budde and two other players to conquer a spot into the Top 8. Unfortunately, it wasn't this time that the eighth title came for this German powerhouse, but we'll keep an eye out.

As for the Legacy version of the deck, it popped up soon after the Modern version did, and, bit by bit, stabilized as a very viable archetype, bringing up constant numbers and establishing itself as one of the many main competitors in the format.

For those who aren't familiar with the deck, your main game plan is to create 3 mana and cast some spell with the Cascade ability - Shardless Agent or Violent Outburst. As the only spells in the deck which, as a rule, cost less than 3 mana are Crashing Footfalls' copies, your ability will always result in the summoning of 2 4/4 Rhinoceros with Trample (so no lucky involved). In addition to the main game plan, it is common for the deck to have a plan B for the situations in which Rhinos can't carry the game on their own.

Due to the restrictions imposed on Cascade, it isn't possible to access the main staples such as Brainstorm and Ponder, and, as a result, the deck appeals to an enormous variety of cards with alternative costs or whose converted mana cost is higher than 2, but are playable for less, such as Split or Adventure cards, for instance.

The first big difference between the Legacy and the Modern versions is that in Legacy we have access to 8 accelerations which aren't legal in Modern: Elvish Spirit Guide and Simian Spirit Guide. That allows the deck to play the Rhinos already on turn 1 or 2. Besides that, we have access to double the amount of alternative cost counterspells when allying Force of Will to the Modern-legal Force of Negation.

Another great difference is regarding the game's plan B, in which, whereas in Modern players appeal to Murktide Regent or Questing Beast, in Legacy the preferred weapon of choice is Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes. If played before expected with the Spirit Guide's extra mana, with Force of Will as backup, this Barbarian and the Hamster are capable of carrying a game on their own.

An interesting choice in the lists is the addition of Sea Gate Restoration, as it is a blue land which comes in untapped, but which also serves as fuel to your counterspells. Fire//Ice and Brazen Borrower complete the deck as tools to deal with generic problems which don't interfere with your Rhinoceros-y (one of my own great made-up words) Cascade.

Other cards which show up once in a while in some lists are Bonecrusher Giant, Colossal Skyturtle, Laelia, the Blade Reforged, Murktide Regent, Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath, Blood Moon and Dead//Gone, besides players who bring into the main deck cards which are listed in the Sideboard.

This is a Combo deck, so we'll usually mulligan after the Combo (or Minsc & Boo with acceleration). You don't necessarily need to go after hands with Cascade and acceleration cards, but hands without action cards shouldn't be kept on if it ends up being a hand with 7 cards - it might be the case of keeping hands more dependent on drawing action cards after a few mulligans.

Hand examples:

It has Cascade, but doesn't have acceleration nor the third mana guaranteed, but it has a lot of protection and even some draw with Fire//Ice's blue half. You can keep it, specially if you're drawing first, when your odds of finding a Spirit Guide or the third land are increased. Verdict: careful Keep.

Similar to the previous hand, you're missing the guarantee of finding the fourth mana for the Planeswalker, but here you have even more live draw options, as besides lands and Guides, any card with Cascade is also worth it. Verdict: Keep.

Lots of mana, no action, no shot. Verdict: Easy Mulligan.

No protection, no guarantee of setting up Minsc, no blue card for Force of Negation. But this hand plays Rhinoceros on 1! Verdict: All in Keep!

The first card which calls our attention in this deck's sideboards is the radical change of plans: Inevitable Betrayal! Against decks that try to cheat out mana costs and place creatures in game before what would be fair, you'll be even more unfair! By exchanging the Rhinos for this Blue spell, your opponent isn't safe from being defeated by their own big boys.

This sideboard also counts on many alternative cost cards which don't interfere with our Cascade and resolve various issues - Force of Vigor to deal with things such as Chalice of the Void or Deafening Silence, Endurance to resolve graveyards, Fury to decimate rows of small creatures and Mystical Dispute, which in practice costs 1 mana against decks that want to play and try to counter your Rhinos.

Other cards which tend to appear in this archetype's sideboard are Blood Moon, Boseiju, Who Endures, Brotherhood’s End, Court of Cunning, Dead//Gone, Energy Flux, Gemstone Caverns, Maddening Hex, Mindbreak Trap and the other copies of Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes.

UR/Grixis Delver/UB Shadow

Repeat after me: "Play around Daze. Play around Daze", ad nauseam. If possible, ambush the Blue instant with some Spirit Guide. Most of their removals don't align with your 4/4, so if Crashing Footfalls is resolved, things get really complicated for them.

Besides that, Brazen Borrower is useful to deal with Murktide Regent and Fire//Ice is just right to deal with Orcish Bowmasters in Grixis versions. Minsc can be a bit slow and end up being used more as fodder for Incarnation cards (Fury, Endurance), which is why some stay post-side.

Endurance comes in more as a tool to contest the board, but, eventually, you may face a tricky list with the Troll of Khazad-dûm and Reanimate combo.

In:

Out:

Reanimator

On Game 1, Brazen Borrower can save your skin, and you'll play more Control-like. Post-side, it is time to cheat and steal their monsters with Inevitable Betrayal! Against Blue lists, you can swap 2 more copies of Fire//Ice for 2 Mystical Dispute.

In:

Out:

Stompy (Red Prison, RG, RW and W Initiative)

Here, there are many problematic things to resolve, such as Chalice of the Void, Trinisphere and Archon of Emeria. Depending on what you're facing, it is quite plausible to add a number of Furys as well, but be careful to not remove too many red cards and become unable to pay the cost of Incarnation cards. You can cut more Borrowers and maybe even a Sea Gate Restoration for space. These lists can deal with 1 Rhino, but removing 2 is way more expensive.

In:

Out:

Blue Control (UW, Bant, Jeskai, 4CC)

In:

Out:

Here we have a very complicated opponent, as they have enough removal to deal with all our Rhinos, besides Teferi, Time Raveler, which simply locks down Cascade. Minsc can be one of the paths to victory, and post-side the Endurances come in just to give you more pressure, but this is probably the toughest archetype to face.

Sneak n’ Show

In:

Out:

The situation here is very similar to the dispute against Reanimator, with the difference that Emrakul, the Aeons Torn is immune to Brazen Borrower. Ideally, you'll play more reactively, and, if possible, bring your Rhinos at the end of the turn with Violent Outburst.

Post-side, the plan changes: Cascade as soon as possible and recruit Emrakul for the victory.

With that, I finish my rhinocerontic analysis (I keep on making up words. Rhinocerontic). As I said, the deck has held its own in the meta, and it ends up being a deck which has attracted players from Modern to Legacy, usually replacing Duals for Shocklands at the beginning.

Rhinocerontic hugs to all, and see you next time!