A synthetic route to the isotwistane core of palhinine lycopodium alkaloids is described. A Morita鈥揃aylis鈥揌illman/intramolecular Diels鈥揂lder (IMDA) strategy sets the vicinal all-carbon quaternary centers present in this family of natural products. The regioselectivity of the IMDA reaction is dictated by the conditions employed for silyl enol ether formation, with one set of conditions providing the core of cardionine and alternate conditions generating the desired isotwistane core of isopalhinine.