Miracle Control

[cschacal]

I need help with the graveyard hate configuration in my sideboard. I have 2 RIP, 1 relic of progenitus and one surgical extraction. I play with 3 snapcasters maindeck. I would like to hear your suggestions and your thoughts about particular cards. Do you remove the snapcasters when you side in the RIPs? what is your opinion of grafdiggers cage?

Thanks

[TheArchitect]

I need help with the graveyard hate configuration in my sideboard. I have 2 RIP, 1 relic of progenitus and one surgical extraction. I play with 3 snapcasters maindeck. I would like to hear your suggestions and your thoughts about particular cards. Do you remove the snapcasters when you side in the RIPs? what is your opinion of grafdiggers cage?

Thanks

I like relic better against goyf decks, but RIP better against decks with GY based engines. I don't see the point the point of cage. GSZ/NO decks are usually super easy wins, and RIP or relic do actual GY hate way better. Surgical isn't really GY hate, its combo hate.

I use two snapcasters and 3 RIP, or 2 RIP + 1 Etutor or 2 RIP + 1 Relic usually. I don't think I ever take out snapcaster. He's so good and the MU where you bring in RIP, you usually kinda win if you have RIP so its doesn't matter if snapcaster gets turned off, but when you don't have RIP out snap is still awesome.

2 RIP, 1 Relic is not a bad idea either. Against say BUG delver, relic is insane, while RIP is meh and rarely survives a turn.

My advice, in your decision making, take snapcaster out of the equation. Don't let any dis-syngery influence your SB choice, because both that GY hate AND the snapcaster are going to be amazing in the matchups you want GY hate and if you have either you're in such a good spot that it doesn't matter that the other card is weakened.

[toletole]

Hi, I'm a couple of Tundras away from playing this awesome deck, and just wanted to know your opinion on Thopter/SotM builds. Is it really worth? I think I don't truly understand how this combination make the deck better (I would appreciate your expertise with the deck!).

Thanks!

[Polish Tamales]

Just curious, if there's a meta with heavy Jund/Cascade/Storm, would you rather have Rule of Law or Ethersworn? Assuming my current SB looks like this:

EE
Pithing Needle
Grafdigger's Cage
Swan Song
Flusterstorm (1 in MB)
Pyroblast x2 (1 in MB)
Wear//Tear
RIP x2
Stoneforge x2
Ethersworn (RoL)
Blood Moon (Enlightened Tutor in MB)
Batterskull

[twndomn]

Hi, I'm a couple of Tundras away from playing this awesome deck, and just wanted to know your opinion on Thopter/SotM builds. Is it really worth? I think I don't truly understand how this combination make the deck better (I would appreciate your expertise with the deck!).

What's really worth? If you don't have Tundras, you don't have the Miracles deck. It's really not about whether Thopter combo is worthy or not, it comes down to how much do you like the popular Entreat. If you don't want to run Entreat, you have to find win condition(s) from either Stoneforge package or in this case Thopter sword. Just pick the win condition you're most comfortable with.

Just curious, if there's a meta with heavy Jund/Cascade/Storm, would you rather have Rule of Law or Ethersworn? Assuming my current SB looks like this:

Always Ethersworn. All the decks you mention have Abrupt Decay either MD or SB, hence A.D. isn't that relevant for this comparison purpose. If they're gonna spend their SB Abrupt Decay on it, that makes your CB safer.
vs. Storm: hate bear, it's your win condition. Every 2 dmg it deals is making Ad Nauseam worse.
vs. Jund: stops BBE cascade and a blocker in a pinch.

[martyrX]

I would run the Grafdiggers. It spreads out the casting costs Abit and is fantastic against elves. Also the gist of why black and discard is not good is:

1. Discard is bad late game. Even though we have a ton of late game cards, each card matters, we don't want bad late game cards. Discard does nothing against topdecked threats.

2. Discard is tempo lost compared to removal/counters. A control deck always wants removal and counters rather than discard because it's tempo parity or tempo gain. For example if you strip a T2 sfm, he can drop baleful strix or hymn instead, but you already spent mana on Thoughtseize. On the other hand if you REB a Counterbalance, Jace or True name, it's tempo gain.

thank you ivanpei, your concise answer is refreshing and much appreciated. Point 1 i think i could live with considering miracles has so much deck manipulation. Point 2 is what i was looking for - a real reason NOT to run thoughtseize in this deck.

[Dzra]

Lossett crushing the Invitational. Good luck, sir!

[Polish Tamales]

lossett crushing the invitational. Good luck, sir!

"praise the sun!"

[cschacal]

@TheArchitect: Thanks, I changed the surgical for another Relic so now I have 2 RIP and 2 Relics. I played yesterday and this split worked wonderfully (I had to play against bug control and dredge)

[ubernostrum]

Anyone have thoughts on the U/G Infect matchup? Tom Ross now has two recent top 8s with it (SCG Atlanta, and this weekend at the Invitational), so I suspect it's going to gain a bit in popularity at least for the next little while.

I have exactly one match worth of experience facing it, against (judging by username) Olle on MTGO. Lost in three games, and what I saw of it makes me think it could be a tough match. The fact that so much of their pump (exalted, Invigorate) costs zero mana leaves them with way too many resources to win counter wars; the loss to Olle in game 3 came when he had double Invigorate backed up by double Daze and Flusterstorm (which beat my StP, REB and Force). My main hope is that the deck is too inconsistent/doesn't mulligan well, and that knowing when to go for it requires more skill than most people can muster.

[Einherjer]

At GP Paris I met a very nice Infect-player from Finland. I beat him in a Trial. A friend was watching me and asked for a general guideline on how to beat Infect. My advise was:"Kill every creature you see." - it's as easy as that - no other fancy next-level tricks or whatever. Kill what they bring to the board and you should be fine. The MU isn't that hard.

Greetings

[twndomn]

Lossett crushing the Invitational. Good luck, sir!

I would not have guessed that Joe ended his run in the hands of a Storm player, in the best out of 5. Joe's correct in that Flusterstorm is underrated.

[Dzra]

I would not have guessed that Joe ended his run in the hands of a Storm player, in the best out of 5. Joe's correct in that Flusterstorm is underrated.

Yeah, I wouldn't have expected that either, but such is combo. q_q Still a great run.

[Deckerator]

Can the volcanic island exchanged with plateau?

[YamiJoey]

Nope. The Volc fetches for Blue from Arid Mesa, even when you can't grab a Tundra (ie you have 2) and Islands are way more important.

[twndomn]

Todd Anderson's modified Sneak and Show crushed a Miracle player in the Open. His version now has 2 MD Jace TMS, also Boseiju, and most likely Through the Breach in the SB. This... is going to be a problem.

[Dzra]

Can the volcanic island exchanged with plateau?

Steam Vents is the best replacement. The drawback usually shouldn't be a problem, but you'll feel it every now and again.

Todd Anderson's modified Sneak and Show crushed a Miracle player in the Open. His version now has 2 MD Jace TMS, also Boseiju, and most likely Through the Breach in the SB. This... is going to be a problem.

I never like playing Sneak and Show... They just have a whole lot of unbeatable hands. The other night I played a guy and was sitting reletively alright with REB, Venser, and Flusterstorm in hand and Balance in play. He hard casts the Sneak Attack and I just fold (revealed FoW off the CB, of course). I've been trying one BEB and I think I'm going to up it to 2. BEB is amazing against Sneak and Show.

Edit... Wow, anyone else seeing this Miracles mirror match at the Open Quarterfinals? Braverman crawled back from a ridiculous disadvantage.

[Aetherick]

Edit... Wow, anyone else seeing this Miracles mirror match at the Open Quarterfinals? Braverman crawled back from a ridiculous disadvantage.

Timely red blast lol.

I don't think his opponent should have drawn his floating top, or he should have played it if he was going to draw it so he could keep 1's locked out for zero mana.

[Dzra]

Timely red blast lol.

I don't think his opponent should have drawn his floating top, or he should have played it if he was going to draw it so he could keep 1's locked out for zero mana.

Yeah, he definitely squandered his lead there. He was tight on lands, I don't know what Relic is doing in his deck, let alone being used while he's so short on mana. He likely just wins if he does nothing but Top and draw-go the rest of the game; pretty greedy. Of course, Braverman got pretty lucky on his Jacestorm. That was really aggressive of him as well.

[twndomn]

Edit... Wow, anyone else seeing this Miracles mirror match at the Open Quarterfinals? Braverman crawled back from a ridiculous disadvantage.

And then Braverman played like <insert angry words here> in the final. Why didn't he use Clique to clear way for his Jace, instead of rushing his Jace to get it countered? Why did he feel the need to Snapcaster flashback a StP to target a Delver when he hasn't set-up CB-T? I understand it's like 1 am ET, but that was his rare opportunity, he seemed to just lose his patience.