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BACKGROUND:

The usual magic rules apply here. Please be explicit in mana usage in your solution where relevant. I've tried to ensure that there are no infinite loops available, but if I somehow missed one, please inform me.

If you draw any cards, you may assume that you draw whatever cards you require that are still in your library, regardless of shuffling.

You guys asked for a hard one so here it is. This is going to be a pretty difficult one and may involve some complex interactions. Be sure to be careful with all steps and read all cards carefully. If you're fuzzy on a rule/interaction, here is the comprehensive rulebook and here is the mtg judge chat where you can ask rulings questions that you can't find on the web.

All permanents in the given setup below are owned by their controllers (recall that if a player loses the game, all permanents they own are removed from the game regardless of who controls them at the time)

Your solution may not assume that an opponent will cooperate with you in some way (e.g. choose not to block when they have legal blockers). Your solution must be able to win regardless of any potential blocks made by your opponents.

PUZZLE SETUP:

It's a game of 3-for-all! You're behind on life and on board and your opponents are trying to lock the game down.

It is your main phase 1. Given the board state given below, defeat both of your opponents this turn!

Your hand:
Pull from Eternity

Your board: (all untapped; all permanents have been in continuous control since beginning turn)
2 Birthing Pod
Kitchen Finks (with no counters)
25 Mountain
5 Swamp
1 Plains

25 life

Your graveyard:
Necropede

Your library:
23 Swamp
Glistener Elf
Hapless Researcher
Nature's Chosen
Qasali Pridemage
Dross Harvester
Kathari Bomber
Laboratory Maniac
Shade's Form
Village Bell-Ringer
Academy Rector
Arcum Dagsson
Clever Impersonator
March of the Machines
Phyrexian Metamorph
Xenograft
Cryptic Gateway
Karmic Guide
Phyrexian Delver
Sky Hussar
Auratouched Mage
Sun Titan
Angel of Serenity
Boonweaver Giant
Sepulchral Primordial
Gigantomancer
Trench Gorger

Opponent 1's hand:
Nothing

Opponent 1's board: (all untapped)
Blood Reckoning
Peacekeeper
2 Silent Arbiter

60 life

Opponent 1's graveyard:
Hamlet Captain
Rage Weaver
Voice of Resurgence
Hellrider
Phage the Untouchable

Opponent 2's hand:
Nothing

Opponent 2's board: (all untapped)
2 Ghostly Prison
Windborn Muse
Activated Jace, Architect of Thought's +1 last turn. The Jace is no longer on the field, but in the graveyard

44 life

Opponent 2's graveyard:
Lightning Mauler
Silverblade Paladin
Hero of Bladehold
Jace, Architect of Thought that activated +1 last turn

All Exiles:
Nothing

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  • $\begingroup$ Suggestion would be to sort Library by CMC again, like the last Pod puzzle. Helped a lot, and made the puzzle more fun. $\endgroup$ – Waterseas Nov 20 '15 at 15:41
  • $\begingroup$ @Waterseas thanks, definitely should have. $\endgroup$ – NeedAName Nov 20 '15 at 15:46
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    $\begingroup$ I just lost the game. $\endgroup$ – Ian MacDonald Nov 20 '15 at 16:23
  • $\begingroup$ @IanMacDonald did you get touched by Phage? $\endgroup$ – NeedAName Nov 20 '15 at 16:28
  • $\begingroup$ If we use Clever Impersonator to make our own Jace, may we assume that his -2 reveals whatever cards we want? May we subsequently assume that the opponent splits the piles however we want, or will the opponent split them to minimize our chances of success? If this is some unintended behaviour you don't want to be part of the puzzle, may I suggest replacing the opponent's Jace with a Cumber Stone? $\endgroup$ – Ninety-Three Nov 20 '15 at 16:52
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Update: Now with formatting and links!

The win condition is

Laboratory Maniac, which makes sense, since he's the oddball out in this list. Everything else is very Birthing Pod friendly.

I'll use [Pod 1 or 2] > [Thing Sacrificed] > [Thing Gotten] for shorthand. Links are used to identify the first time a specific card is drawn or acquired. Also, the Plains and Pull from Eternity were added later, so I'll be solving without their aid. (You can assume for this entire solution that I am holding Pull from Eternity in my hand and have my Plains untapped, if you wish)

Tap all your lands for mana floating - we'll be winning in this phase

---

Starting Resources: ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]], 25 life

Board: Birthing Pod 1 (P1), Birthing Pod 2 (P2), Kitchen Finks

Graveyard: Necropede

---

P1 > Kitchen Finks > Academy Rector, persist Kitchen Finks, Kitchen Finks gets -1/-1, gain 2 life
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]], 25 life

P2 > Academy Rector > Sky Hussar, exile Rector for March of the Machines, untap both Pods (thanks to March of the Machines making them creatures)
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]], 23 life

P1 > Sky Hussar > Auratouched Mage, finding and attaching Nature's Chosen
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]], 21 life

Tap Autatouched Mage to untap P1, using Nature's Chosen

P1 > Auratouched Mage > Sepulchral Primordial, grabbing Lightning Mauler and Voice of Resurgence from opponents' graveyards and putting them on the battlefield
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]], 19 life

P2 > Voice of Resurgence > Village Bell-Ringer, get an Elemental Token, untap both Pods
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]], 17 life

P1 > Village Bell-Ringer > Arcum Dagsson
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]]], 15 life

P2 > Arcum Dagsson > Karmic Guide, returning Village Bell-Ringer, untap both Pods
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]]], 13 life

P1 > Village Bell-Ringer > Clever Impersonator, copying Karmic Guide, returning Arcum Daagsson, soulbond Arcum Daagsson with Lightning Mauler, giving both Haste
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ]], 11 life

P2 > Karmic Guide > Sun Titan, returning Village Bell-Ringer, untap both Pods
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]] ], 9 life

P1 > Village Bell-Ringer > Phyrexian Metamorph, copying Kitchen Finks, gain 2 life
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]]], 9 life

P2 > Elemental Token > Hapless Researcher
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]]], 7 life

Tap Arcum Dagsson for his ability targeting Phyrexian Metamorph (Kitchen Finks), sacrifice Phyrexian Metamorph (Kitchen Finks) and replace it with Cryptic Gateway, persist Phyrexian Metamorph (Kitchen Finks), copying Sun Titan (with -1/-1), returning Village Bell-Ringer, untap both Pods and Arcum Dagsson

P1 > Phyrexian Metamorph (Sun Titan) (-1/-1) > Angel of Serenity, exiling Karmic Guide, Sky Hussar, and Phyrexian Metamorph
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]]], 5 life

P2 > Angel of Serenity > Gigantomancer, returning Karmic Guide, Sky Hussar, and Phyrexian Metamorph to my hand
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]]], 3 life

Tap Arcum Dagsson and Gigantomancer to play Sky Hussar, untap both Pods, Arcum Dagsson, and Gigantomancer

P1 > Lightning Mauler > Dross Harvester, Arcum Dagsson no longer has haste
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]], 1 life

---

Stabilization

Board: Birthing Pod 1, Birthing Pod 2, March of the Machines, Cryptic Gateway, Kitchen Finks (-1/-1), Sepulchral Primordial, Dross Harvester, Sun Titan, Humans: [Hapless Researcher, Arcum Dagsson, Gigantomancer, Village Bell-Ringer, Sky Hussar], Angels: [Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide)]

Hand: Karmic Guide, Phyrexian Metamorph

Graveyard: Necropede, Auratouched Mage, Nature's Chosen, Angel of Serenity

Exile: Academy Rector

---

Sacrifice Hapless Researcher, draw and discard Xenograft, gain 2 life
]]]]]]]]]] ]]]]]], 3 life

Play Phyrexian Metamorph for RRR, pay 2 life, copy Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide), return Hapless Researcher
]]]]]]]]]] ]]], 1 life

Sacrifice Hapless Researcher, draw and discard Glistener Elf, gain 2 life
]]]]]]]]]] ]]], 3 life

--- Beginning Loop One ---

Tap Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide), Phyrexian Metamorph (Karmic Guide) to play Karmic Guide using Cryptic Gateway, returning Angel of Serenity, exiling Karmic Guide, Village Bell-Ringer, and Hapless Researcher

P2 > Angel of Serenity > Trench Gorger (exiling all 23 Swamps in the deck), returning Karmic Guide, Village Bell-Ringer, and Hapless Researcher to my hand
]]]]]]]]]] ]], 3 life

Tap Arcum Dagsson and Gigantomancer to play Hapless Researcher using Cryptic Gateway

Tap Hapless Researcher and Sky Hussar to play Village Bell-Ringer using Cryptic Gateway, untapping both Pods, Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide), Phyrexian Metamorph (Karmic Guide), Arcum Dagsson, Gigantomancer, Hapless Researcher and Sky Hussar

Sacrifice Hapless Researcher, draw and discard Qasali Pridemage, gain 2 life
]]]]]]]]]] ]], 5 life

--- Beginning Loop Two ---

Tap Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide), Phyrexian Metamorph (Karmic Guide), to play Karmic Guide using Cryptic Gateway, return Angel of Serenity, exiling Karmic Guide, Village Bell-Ringer, and Hapless Researcher

P1 > Angel of Serenity > [Fail to Find], returning Karmic Guide, Village Bell-Ringer, and Hapless Researcher to my hand
]]]]]]]]]] ], 5 life

P2 > Sun Titan > Boonweaver Giant, finding and attaching Shade's Form
]]]]]]]]]], 5 life

Tap Arcum Dagsson and Gigantomancer to play Hapless Researcher using Cryptic Gateway

Tap Hapless Researcher and Sky Hussar to play Village Bell-Ringer using Cryptic Gateway, untapping both Pods, Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide), Phyrexian Metamorph (Karmic Guide), Arcum Dagsson, Gigantomancer, Hapless Researcher and Sky Hussar

Sacrifice Hapless Researcher, draw and discard Kathari Bomber, gain 2 life
]]]]]]]]]], 7 life

--- Beginning Loop Three ---

Tap Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide), Phyrexian Metamorph (Karmic Guide), to play Karmic Guide using Cryptic Gateway, return Angel of Serenity, exiling Karmic Guide, Village Bell-Ringer, and Hapless Researcher

P1 > Angel of Serenity > [Fail to Find], returning Karmic Guide, Village Bell-Ringer, and Hapless Researcher to my hand
]]]]]]]]], 7 life

Tap Arcum Dagsson and Gigantomancer to play Hapless Researcher using Cryptic Gateway

P2 > Arcum Dagsson > Phyrexian Delver, return Qasali Pridemage, lose 2 life
]]]]]]]], 5 life

Tap Hapless Researcher and Sky Hussar to play Village Bell-Ringer using Cryptic Gateway, untapping both Pods, Clever Impersonator (Karmic Guide), Phyrexian Metamorph (Karmic Guide), Gigantomancer, Hapless Researcher and Sky Hussar

P1 > Qasali Pridemage > Laboratory Maniac
]]]]]]], 5 life

At this point, your deck is now empty

Sacrifice Hapless Researcher with an empty deck and Laboratory Maniac in play, gain 2 life, win the game!

---

Remaining Resources: ]]]]]]], 7 life, Karmic Guide in hand, 0 cards in deck, a bunch of junk on the battlefield

---

| improve this answer | |
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  • $\begingroup$ "Sepulchral Primordial, grabbing Lightning Mauler, Voice of Resurgence, and Hero of Bladehold from opponents' and putting them on the battlefield" You appear to be rezzing three creatures, which is not how the Primordial works. $\endgroup$ – Ninety-Three Nov 21 '15 at 4:59
  • $\begingroup$ Right you are. Corrected that, I think it's all good now... though it'll take me another hour to confirm that for sure. $\endgroup$ – Zerris Nov 21 '15 at 8:32
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    $\begingroup$ Alright, on about the 10th try, I think it works (original answer was correct in spirit, incorrect in the details). I'll probably find out otherwise in the morning, but I need sleep - getting nerd sniped too hard here. $\endgroup$ – Zerris Nov 21 '15 at 11:20
  • $\begingroup$ Your solution almost works, but you're illegally casting Metamorph for RRRR. You can only pay RRRU, or RRR + 2 life. You don't have U, and if you pay 2, you won't have enough life to keep activating Pod. $\endgroup$ – Ninety-Three Nov 21 '15 at 13:00
  • $\begingroup$ Right you are. Fixed it, and found a much more efficient solution in the process, which even has a lot of resources left over! (Although, this being attempt #15 and short on sleep, I don't promise I haven't missed something...) $\endgroup$ – Zerris Nov 21 '15 at 16:51

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