The curve of CB/Top

[dahcmai]

Ok, I'll start off with saying I play almost exclusively a Counterbalance/Top style control deck. You won't find anything close to it on these forums by the way.

Anyway, I was wondering in other's experience what they found to be a good mix of casting costs in the current meta.

Here's mine

# played vs Casting cost

26 0
15 1
9 2
2 3
4 4
4 5

Of course I have problems with countering 3 mana stuff, but other than Deed and KGrip, I haven't seen much I'm worried about. Trygon Predator isn't one of them. Though I tend to keep an Aura of Silence on top since it's not a card I typically need right away against most decks.

the 4 spot seems to suck for CB, but the cards there are powerhouses so they stay unfortunately. Least I can hit a stupid Smokestack or something.

Wondering what others are running for a curve. I know people aren't likely to give away much with Chicago coming up, but this I figured was something people might share.

[3duece]

You're curve has a ton of 0s. That doesn't seem to do much against anything besides ad nauseum. This is why, while some decks with more lands like vorosh can support countertop, it's really better in a lower land count build like threshold or dreadstill. You need less 0s and alot more 1s and 2s, and maybe a couple more 3s. This is why you see most modern countertop decks running some combination of deed/grip/o-ring/shackles/vindicate/intuition/knight of the reliquary. While there aren't too many must-counter three drops in legacy, deed and grip likely both wreck you.

[scrow213]

Ok, I'll start off with saying I play almost exclusively a Counterbalance/Top style control deck. You won't find anything close to it on these forums by the way.

Anyway, I was wondering in other's experience what they found to be a good mix of casting costs in the current meta.

Here's mine

# played vs Casting cost

26 0
15 1
9 2
2 3
4 4
4 5

Of course I have problems with countering 3 mana stuff, but other than Deed and KGrip, I haven't seen much I'm worried about. Trygon Predator isn't one of them. Though I tend to keep an Aura of Silence on top since it's not a card I typically need right away against most decks.

the 4 spot seems to suck for CB, but the cards there are powerhouses so they stay unfortunately. Least I can hit a stupid Smokestack or something.

Wondering what others are running for a curve. I know people aren't likely to give away much with Chicago coming up, but this I figured was something people might share.

I guess in my Thresh build I have the following:

0 - 17
1 - 21
2 - 15
3 - 3
4 - 0
5 - 4

1cc seems to be what really matters. StP, Goblins, Aether Vials, Brainstorm, Ponder, Dark Rit, Tutors, Lightning Bolt, Stifle, Dreadnought, etc. Lots and lots to hit @1. The next is 2, cause that hits Tarmogoyf, Bob, EE@2 (for CB), Counterbalance, Life from the Loam, Goblin Piledriver, etc.

[dahcmai]

Well, the majority of those 0's are land. Luckily I have a pile of tutoring effects and Brainstorm to manipulate the top cards. I actually haven't ever been hit by a Krosan Grip oddly enough. I seem to always have one of those three drops on top. I have a random Crucible that is typically on top and only played if someone tries to start up with Waste/Loam.

Deed comes out much faster usually than a grip since the decks that play them, play 4. It's been a pain to be sure. Though at least they usually are only getting the CB only.

The 2 spot is where I hurt the most. I just can't find much to fill the spots for that one.

The only 0 spots are Engineered Explosives and Chrome Mox. The rest are land. Not much pulling those.

I'd hate to pull land in favor of search cards like Ponder or Impulse (since I already have Bstorm), but it's starting to look like a good idea.

[jazzykat]

IMO ITF has a near perfect curve. Maybe 23 land + 2 EE make too many 0's it provides a better chance vs. AdN and given that it only usually plays 2CS and 4FoW that's not necessarily bad.

The biggest problem IMO is that most CS decks have too few 3cmc's as many of the better decks are upping their 3 slots in an attempt to circumvent CB.

In some ways I think that the long standing wisdom of not putting CB/Top in Landstill is incorrect as long as you are flush on the 3 slot, and the 4cc are creating massive CA.

[emidln]

in my UB Faeries list (with 4 CB) I have:

0 - 20 (4 are chrome mox)
1 - 10
2 - 23
3 - 3
4 - 0
5 - 4

in my UGW CB Thresh with 4 CB list I have:

0 - 18
1 - 23 (3 are Mystical Tutors)
2 - 12
3 - 1
4 - 1
5 - 4
10 - 1

in my Ug Mostly Mono Blue Control list (4 CB again...theme huh?) I have:

0 - 21
1 - 17
2 - 11
3 - 6
4 - 2
5 - 4

Of these, the Ug list seems to have the best curve, although that is influenced by 3 Spell Snare + 3 Force Spike in the list making up for my lack of 2 drops for CB.