The deck name is Cyclone Surge, and it is a Magic: the Gathering deck built around the Cycling mechanic. Cycling is a versatile ability that allows you to pay a certain cost to discard a card from your hand and draw a new card. This deck focuses on exploiting the Cycling mechanic to create a fluid and adaptive playstyle, enabling you to dig through your deck quickly, find answers to various situations, and maintain a steady flow of resources.

In the past, we had several relevant deck builds that gained an advantage from cycling and one of which was during the Onslaught set. The deck was Red-White Astral Slide and became a contender deck in that time of the Standard format.

Main Mechanics:

1. Cycling: The heart of this deck is the Cycling ability. Most cards in the deck will have Cycling, allowing you to cycle them away when they’re not immediately useful, ensuring you never get stuck with dead cards in your hand.
2. Payoffs for Cycling: Many cards in the Cyclone Surge deck will provide additional benefits when you cycle them. These could include drawing extra cards, dealing damage to opponents, gaining life, or other advantageous effects.

Key Cards:

1. Archfiend of Ifnir: This card rewards you for cycling by placing -1/-1 counters on creatures your opponents control. This can significantly weaken their board while you continue to cycle through your deck.
2. Drake Haven: This enchantment rewards you with 2/2 flying Drake creature tokens whenever you cycle a card. It helps you build a board presence while cycling through your deck.
3. Flourishing Fox: A creature that gets a +1/+1 counter whenever you cycle a card. It starts small but can quickly grow into a formidable threat.
4. Shark Typhoon: This enchantment lets you cycle cards to create a 5/5 Shark creature token with flying. It also has the added bonus of giving you a versatile spell that can be cast for its cycling cost.
5. Zenith Flare: A powerful finisher that deals X damage to any target, where X is the number of cards Cycling in your graveyard. It rewards you for cycling and can potentially close out the game.

Decklist:

Creatures (18):

• 4x Flourishing Fox
• 4x Archfiend of Ifnir
• 3x Gempalm Polluter
• 3x Vile Manifestation
• 3x Nimble Obstructionist

Spells (18):

• 4x Boon of the Wish-Giver
• 4x Censor
• 4x Zenith Flare
• 3x Startling Development
• 2x Valiant Rescuer

Enchantments (4):

• 4x Drake Haven
• 2x Shark Typhoon

Lands (20):

• 4x Irrigated Farmland
• 4x Canyon Slough
• 4x Desert of the Mindful
• 4x Sheltered Thicket
• 4x Island

Playstyle:

The Cyclone Surge deck focuses on a dynamic play style. You want to cycle aggressively to dig through your deck, find your key pieces, and gain incremental advantages. Use cards like Flourishing Fox and Archfiend of Ifnir to apply pressure while disrupting your opponent’s plans. Drake Haven and Shark Typhoon help you build a board presence and generate flying threats.

Save your Zenith Flares for the right moment, whether it’s to finish off an opponent or remove a critical threat. Keep an eye on your graveyard to maximize the damage from Zenith Flare. Additionally, utilize cards like Censor to disrupt your opponents’ plays and maintain control of the game.

Remember that adaptability is key with this deck. You have the flexibility to cycle away cards that don’t suit the current situation and draw into answers that can turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Overall, the Cyclone Surge deck is all about embracing the Cycling mechanic to its fullest, maintaining a steady stream of card advantage, and outmaneuvering your opponents with versatile plays.