I. Overview
II. Core Deck List
III. Card Choices
IV. How to Play the Deck
V. How to Evaluate Opening Hands
VI. Sideboarding
VII. Why Play This?
IIX. Tournament Reports

I. Overview

Miracle of Science is a combo-control deck that is a hybrid of two existing decks, Miracles and Omnitell. It takes the soft-lock and consistency of Miracles but ditches the reliance on creatures. It takes the uninteractive combo of Omnitell, but ditches the bad cards. The result is a flexible, powerful deck that has tool for every matchup.

And come on, don’t you want to confuse the hell out of your opponents (and sometimes yourself)? Since this deck is a hybrid of two decks, let’s look at where the pieces of this deck came from.

Looking at Miracles first, the Counterbalance + Sensei’s Divining Top has always been a potent, proactive plan for Miracles against circa half of the field, and Terminus is a rout against the other half. However, developments in Miracles technology has driven it further towards a low-curve, combo-esque deck by decreasing reliance on slow threats, like Entreat and Jace, in favor of burst card advantage with Predict and a cheap game-ender with Monastery Mentor. This philosophy and shell can be swapped into another kill condition.

Now, Omniscience had its day in the sun when Dig Through Time (but not Treasure Cruise) was legal, largely because it got to cut combo-only cards like Enter the Infinite in favor of good cards, thus turning the deck into a “two-and-your-deck” card combo. Dig is banned now, and Omniscience has been relegated to a mediocre three-card combo. But if something could fill Dig’s size 8 shoes, Omniscience, Cunning Wish, and Emrakul combine to build a combo that’s immune from almost all splash hate.

A novel deck is spun from these disparate strands by Sensei’s Divining Top. It fronts another angle of attack with Counterbalance. It plays defense with Terminus. And, it helps find the pieces of the trimmed-down Omnitell combo. This deck forces your opponent to have all the answers to problems that don’t share a common solution.

II. Core Decklist

This is what I perceive to be the core list with the few flex slots.

2 Ancient Tomb
4 Flooded Strand
5 Island
1 Plains
1 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island

4 Brainstorm
4 Cunning Wish
4 Force of Will
2-3 Predict
0-2 Preordain
1 Split Decision

4 Ponder
4 Show and Tell
2-4 Terminus

3 Counterbalance
4 Omniscience

1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

1-2 Nahiri, the Harbinger

4 Sensei's Divining Top

// Sideboard:
1 Disenchant
1 Eladamri's Call
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Firemind's Foresight
2 Flusterstorm
2 Monastery Mentor
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Release the Ants
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Swords to Plowshares


The sideboard is largely influenced by the maindeck and your local meta, so what’s presented here is what works for me as of 2016-11-06. My current maindeck numbers are 0 Preordain, 2 Predict, 4 Terminus, 1 Nahiri.

I believe that what makes this deck unique is its use of white control cards, especially Terminus, to buy time. Counterbalance is a powerful, low-cost addition to that.

III. Card Choices

a) Cantrips and Draw

The biggest reason this deck works is a plurality of cheap and effective cantrips. The following are non-optional:
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Sensei’s Divining Top

If that’s not obvious, you should look for a different deck. Secondary options:
Predict - This card serves two needed functions. One, it fills out the Counterbalance curve a little. The two CMC is very light even with a couple of Predicts. Two, it provides card advantage to power through discard or control matchups. It serves as a (very inferior) substitute for Dig in this role.
Preordain - A good card, and very defensible inclusion if you can find the room.

Bad cards:
Jace, the Mind Sculptor - Contentious, I know. This fights for slots with Nahiri, and I can’t imagine ever playing a Jace over a Nahiri. It gets Red Blasted, doesn’t defend as well, and kills incredibly slowly. Jace can’t fit in another slot because of the CMC.
Personal Tutor - This is not a pure combo deck, so a card that gives moderate selection at the cost of a card is not even close to playable. The fact that Entreat Miracles doesn’t play this card is enough evidence.

b) Threats / Combo Pieces

Show and Tell - Should be obvious. Play 4.
Omniscience - Would you guess that playing 4 is correct?
Cunning Wish - Being in white and red gives Cunning Wish a huge amount of flexibility in addition to being part of the kill. I would think twice before registering less than 4.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - Best creature in the game when you’re not paying the mana cost. Griselbrand is in the running, but uncounterability and time walk matter more. I believe only playing 1 is correct because it’s not a great draw outside of combo scenarios.
Counterbalance - A good card, but often boarded out. It is great in combo, control, and Delver matchups, but the bad curve makes it more difficult to get value out of a blind Counterbalance.
Nahiri, the Harbinger - This card really does it all. It kills in 3 turns while helping your hand. She also helps stabilize a board or kill a pesky Counterbalance. Post-board, she is probably the best threat because she’s immune to Red Blast, Flusterstorm, Abrupt Decay, or mediocre beats. She also slices, dices, and does the laundry. Now if only she weren’t so dang angry…

And now for a list of creatures that are not in the (main)deck!

Monastery Mentor - The card is insane and gives you an incredibly low opportunity cost threat with 4 Tops. However, its home is the sideboard because the decks you want this card against have maindeck removal that you would like them to board out. It comes in for different cards in every matchup.
Vendilion Clique - A savvy player can know what to play around or through without hand information. I would play more Mentors before the first Clique unless there is a crazy amount of combo in your meta.
Snapcaster Mage - This is another big reason why Miracles is so good, and it helps the 2 CMC slot for Counterbalance. However, there really aren’t enough types of cards to flash back without playing Swords to Plowshares and Counterspell main, and even then the body tends to be irrelevant. Worse, you can’t cast the flashback spell with Omniscience. I’ve tried it and wasn’t impressed.

c) Disruption / Removal

Terminus - This card is a big reason Miracles is so good. You can buy time to find the kill by casting it off of Omniscience. It gets around Chalice on 1. I have played as few as 2 copies, but that makes the Infect and Merfolk matchups very difficult.
Swords to Plowshares - I think its home is sideboard because this deck isn’t equipped to play the 1-for-1 game with Swords very well, making Terminus the better choice main. Sometimes you need targeted removal, though, and having it to Cunning Wish for is great.
Force of Will - Turns out this card is great. Rarely cut.

d) Sideboard Options

Necessary Combo Cards:
Eladamri’s Call
Release the Ants
Firemind’s Foresight

See the combo explanation section for what these are used for.

Good options, play them:
Flusterstorm - Important tool for beating combo and decent in Miracles too. Good card to Wish for before jamming the combo.
Surgical Extraction - Excellent card, should include. Not costing extra on top of Cunning Wish makes it a silver bullet against Lands and Storm too. Play more in reanimator-heavy metas. Consider switching decks in reanimator-heavy metas.
Disenchant - Important answer to permanents. Waaaay better than Echoing Truth.
Pyroblast - This card is essential to beating Miracles! Without it, you don’t have a good way to beat Counterbalance on the stack. Also helpful as an out to Jace or opposing Show and Tells maindeck. Play REB if you have a Korean 4th copy.
Engineered Explosives - This is a card that’s good against both Chalice and creature decks, and acceptable against Miracles. I like playing two.
Monastery Mentor - discussed above with creatures.

Probably bad options:
Boseiju, Who Shelters All - Not a good card for this deck. Making Show and Tell uncounterable isn’t enough because there is only one Emrakul. Cunning Wish is just as vulnerable.
Wear // Tear - The card is good in the abstract, and great for Counterbalance, but with only two Volcanics it seems dubious. Most of the time Cunning Wish gets a Disenchant, it’s against a Wasteland matchup to kill an Artifact, so Wear // Tear does not shine. It could be better than a second Disenchant.

Junkers, never ever play them:
Blood Moon - Hurts Top significantly by shutting off fetches. Bad matchups don’t want this card, good matchups don’t need the help.
Pact of Negation - I get that you want a free counterspell to Wish for, but it is generally awful on defense. There aren’t enough sideboard slots.
Trickbind - If you could Wish for Trickbind, you should instead Wish for Firemind’s Foresight and kill them at instant speed. Trust me, those edge cases where it’s good or you can’t win aren’t worth it.
Intuition - Opens you up to Surgical Extraction, and what are you finding with it anyway? I would play another Predict first.

e) Other considerations

Color
Why red over 1. no third splash, 2. green, 3. black? One word: Pyroblast. Black gives the deck discard, which doesn't help against Miracles, and is not significantly better than the combination of Pyroblast and Flusterstorm in other matchups. Green gives Krosan Grip, which is great against Counterbalance and Chalice of the Void, but I believe Red is more flexible. Also red allows playing Nahiri, which is one of the best cards in the deck in certain matchups.


IV. How to Play the Deck

a) Execution
The basic Omniscience + Cunning Wish combo:
1. With Omniscience in play, wish for Firemind's Foresight.
2. Cast it for Brainstorm, Split Decision, Cunning Wish.
3. Cast Wish, hold priority, cast Split Decision targeting Wish.
4. When Split Decision resolves, vote for copy (their vote is irrelevant). Get Eladamri's Call and Release the Ants.
5. Call for Emrakul
6. Brainstorm it to the top of library
7. Release many Ants.

If Split Decision is discarded or exiled, get Predict with Firemind’s Foresight instead, and try to put a Terminus or Omniscience on top with Brainstorm. Typically opposing decks will not have 6+ CMC cards. If they do, they’re probably playing a bad deck.

b) Strategy
Figure out what role you want to play in the matchup - jam the combo, or grind them out? Then use that to guide keeps and cantrips.

If you’re playing against opposing Omniscience decks, don’t play Show and Tell unless you have several redundant combo pieces or Forces.

When playing against Miracles, treat it more like the Miracles mirror than you would expect. Your deck is set up to jam threats, but there is no reason to do so unless you are at risk of missing land drops or they can feasibly resolve Counterbalance with Top and mana up.

More details later.

V. How to Evaluate Opening Hands
Does it have fewer than two Termini? Does it have a blue source? Does it have a cantrip?

Keep.

The top of your deck will reward faith, or punish in a just distribution.

VI. Sideboarding

Under construction. See Tournament Reports for some examples.

VII. Tournament Reports

”The Miracle of Science” 4th at CardKingdom 1K
Miracle of Science Legacy Champs Top 64