Absurd 249-Card Modern Deck Registered at Chinese Regional Championship

Last updated on March 7, 2025

Battle of Wits | Illustration by Jason Chan

Sometimes it's not about winning; It's about sending a message. And the message Li Hui sent during the recent MTG China Open S8 Regional Championship was: “Who needs lands in Magic?“

Or, well, that's probably one of many messages that Li Hui's Battle of Wits deck sends. After all, it has 249 cards in it… not counting the sideboard!

A Landless, 249-card Deck In Modern!?

Goblin Charbelcher | Illustration by Jesper Ejsing

Yeah, you read that right: A landless Modern deck, 2.5x bigger than a Commander deck!

60-card landless decks are not that strange in Modern – case in point, a Landless Belcher deck, piloted by Jingful, made Top 16 in the same China Open. Of course, “no lands” is a bit misleading, since modern versions of these decks pile on MDFC lands to get their mana, but the archetype‘s not called “Oops All Spells” on accident.

But Liu's deck takes the Goblin Charbelcher approach and adds 189 spells on top, including the titular Battle of Wits. The blue enchantment can win you the game on the spot if you play it early, but when you have the equivalent of two and a half Commander decks to mess around with, there are tons of other lines of play, including winning via Thassa's Oracle or Laboratory Maniac.

“With zero actual lands, relying instead on modal double-faced cards, rituals, and mana rocks, the deck can use Goblin Charbelcher to finish off an opponent, even if they have 200 life,” explains Frank Karsten in his recent Metagame Mentor: Aetherdrift Modern article. “Furthermore, Recross the Paths effectively lets you stack your entire deck, ensuring you win next turn. Even more devastating is the Balustrade Spy plan, which can be tutored via Bring to Light or Beseech the Mirror. Once the deck self-mills completely, Creeping Chill drains for 12, Narcomoeba brings back multiple Sword of the Meek, and Salvage Titan triggers all the Vengevines for an instant lethal swing.”

And you even have a playset of Karn, the Great Creator to bring more toys out of the sideboard! 

The deck's win percentage, it must be said, was not too spectacular: This Battle of Wits brew ended its run at 3-4. And it may have gotten a break with their matchups, as they faced Dimir Mill… twice!

(Although just imagine the face on the Mill player as they saw Li Hui's library with cards on top of cards on top of cards on top of more cards as the match began!)

But the way Li Hui's chunky, landless deck tosses away so much MTG conventional wisdom is simply awesome.

“Perhaps the greatest deck ever brewed,” tweeted Saffron Olive. “A 249-card Battle of Wits Goblin Charbelcher Oops All Spells monstrosity!”

Will Battle of Wits Impact the Modern Meta?

Battle of Wits | Illustration by Jason Chan

When rifling through Modern tournament results this week, it looks like no other player has followed Li Hui's footsteps… yet.

Will anybody dare?

“This is one of the wildest decks I've seen in a while,” Karsten says. “Maybe it's not the best choice for maximizing your win percentage, but it offers an unforgettable challenge. Hopefully, other players will be brave enough to shuffle it up at upcoming events.”