Miracles CounterTop - Un mazo en evolución by Jaime Cano @ Maná Infinito [Archive]

klaus

06-26-2012, 11:40 AM

Here's what Google translator makes of it (better than nothing):
(also: I'm glad he ended up with the red splash, though Sulfur Elementals seem questionable, since the archetypes already fists Thalia/Mother.dec)
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If one of the letters Avacyn Restored sight of her struck me was the Terminus. Nothing seemed to read it without a doubt the most powerful of miracles in Legacy and had to take advantage. At a time when the GW Zenith seemed the deck to beat, and where in Madrid decks as well dominated and Reanimator Show and Tell, a massive removal by a sad mana seemed very powerful.
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The first list

The way to mount the first list was almost automatic. It was clear they needed to play four Brainstorm, a high number of Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Senseis Divining Top, and, if fit, Ponders. I never liked too the Sensei's Divining Top on cards not bearing the Counterbalance, so it seemed more logical to add the charm of Coldsnap. We had to take three basic Terminus, and the room bench. And thus was born the list 1.0.
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CounterTop Miracles - First list by Jaime Cano
Lands (23)
1 Karakas
1 Plains
2 Underground Sea
4 Tundra
7 Island
4 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Marsh Flats
Creatures (2)
2 Snapcaster Mage
Artifacts (4)
4 Senseis Divining Top
Enchantments (4)
4 Counterbalance
Instants (17)
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
4 Brainstorm
4 Swords to Plowshares
Sorceries (6)
3 Terminus
3 Lingering Souls
Planeswalkers (4)
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Initially there were problems with cost 3. I did not like Vendilion Click on that version, and we came to put Lingering Souls, also because we had to kill something, and rely solely on Jaces seemed risky.
The choice of counterspells also had his one, but it was initially very upset that the planeswalkers deck, like the Green Suns Zenith, and that there were creatures cost 2 them appear so dangerous to have to play by Spell Snare Pierce Spell above. The couple of counterspells are there to prevent the advanced party to rival the mess with us any protected powerful spell Force of Will.
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Logical evolution

Without even get to play the deck in tournaments and begin to see the power that could potentially have the Entreat the Angels, and a priori seemed infinitely more definitive than the four tokens of the spirit of the Lingering Souls. With the Angels Entreat, previous were obsolete, but needed a 3 with the cost to close the game with Counterbalance against Show and Tell mainly, but also against Knight of the Reliquary. The first option was the Oblivion Ring, which at first seemed pretty good but a bit of testing I did discard. It also could have been attempted in this hole a couple of Vindicate, although it would have to get some more black earth, and Cunning seemed best. Also here I was a little scared as would be the metagame of the letters LML Avacyn Restored, if there was a lot of Burn and others, so it seemed logical to put the Cunning Wish as cost three to have recourse against the unexpected.
Recent changes before LML were removed since the fourth Jace did not provide much control, so do not have to play Jaces war, and remove the soil number 23 by Ponder, and replace two by two for fear Wasteland the new Cavern of Souls:
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Lingering Souls -3
-1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
-2 Island
-1 Tundra
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+1 Entreat the Angels
+3 Cunning Wish
+1 Ponder
+2 Wasteland
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With the theme of Cunning Wish is also facilitated the setting of the bench, since a large number of holes "you eat them" with the typical responses of blue desires: Trap Mindbreak Flusterstorm and against control, combo, and sometimes against cards like or Emrakul Thrun, Path to Exile and Diabolic Edict as additional matabichos; Rest for the Weary against direct damage than with Snapcaster Mage and playing much basic land, are usually final against Burn / Burn UR; Dismantling Blow was the choice as Disenchant effect , although the actual Disenchant and Return to Dust were serious candidates, but the Dismantling Blow also doubles as card advantage if you wish next one and you want to ciclarlo with some added value, Surgical Extraction, and Ravenous Trap extirpate against cemetery , one for which there is variety, and finally Noxious Revival is the best way to recover a miracle to where you are is more optimal. Zealous Persecution was an afterthought to prevent minicombo Mother of Runes with Teeg Gaddock we ruin the plan against GW. As for a couple of undesirable Nihil Spellbombs so I would not win Joaquin (Solis) and the fourth against bicherío Terminus.
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CounterTop Miracles - Second list by Jaime Cano
Lands (22)
1 Karakas
1 Plains
2 Underground Sea
3 Tundra
5 Island
4 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Marsh Flats
2 Wasteland
Creatures (2)
2 Snapcaster Mage
Artifacts (4)
4 Senseis Divining Top
Enchantments (4)
4 Counterbalance
Instants (20)
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
4 Brainstorm
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Cunning Wish
Sorceries (5)
3 Terminus
1 Entreat the Angels
1 Ponder
Planeswalkers (3)
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Sideboard (15)
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Zealous Persecution
2 Flusterstorm
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Path to Exile
Rest for the Weary 1
1 Dismantling Blow
1 Terminus
1 Surgical Extraction
1 extirpate
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Noxious Revival

In a Canadian won the league twice a Show and Tell, Reanimator, Ichorid and Bug Control, and lost twice against Canadian, and the truth is I think the pairing was not so complicated.
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The current list
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And that brings us to the current situation, just before the tournament in June of LML (although the tournament will be over when you read this). Countertop Miracles is a deck of fashion, and there is much less GW combo decks and other creatures. The goal is more settled so it seems that is not the time to continue playing Cunning Wish. And I decide to replace them, but there are 4 candidates for three openings: the second Entreat the Angels, two Vendilion Click and fourth Jace. I left the pack on standby a few weeks and I go back to resume it clear to me the change to make: remove also the Snapcaster Mage, one for the fourth hole and the other for a second Ponder. The Vendilion now I am convinced by the boom of combo and control, the fourth Jace therefore, and a second Entreat not have to save both the first and more to play without recursion of Noxious and Snapcaster Revival.
First of all we see are many versions of mirror copies of Elspeth, Knight-Errant of base and / or Lingering Souls, so the solution we see for this metagame, besides playing for Red Elemental Blast Red, Elemental Sulfur is to get that Countertop is great for their skills against Split Second and Flash. Also still useful against GW and even sideo when I need to have a clock or urges me by the time round. The new version, today, I've played in 12 rounds of tournament, which won 11 (three tournaments of store), and rounds of 40 minutes, for those who say that the deck is slow (I never I tied, maybe slow you are!) playing with S'n'Tell twice, Bug Control, three Goblins, GW, Ichorid and some random deck, coming defeat of the Goblin. The new red bench with not much special except Sufur Elementary:
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Relic of Progenitus 3
2 Grafdiggers Cage
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Flusterstorm
1 Terminus
3 Sulfur Elemental
2 Red Elemental Blast
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The complete change anticementerio the first game because they no longer black and second by the absence of Snapcaster. Without them the Surgical Extraction become meaningless, leaving only discern whether Relic of Progenitus or play Tormods Crypt. In the end I decided on the Relic, but are slower because against Ichorid and Reanimator are more applications to be useful against control decks as BUG, leading Snapcasters and Life from the Loam and even Tarmogoyfs or against Canadian. They are also better against Aggro Loam. If Ichorid Reanimator and I worry even more, would change the Tormod's Crypt again. The Grafdigger's Cage I like to close the game, because in a deck so slow it's easy to escape the player Ichorid above, and against Reanimator is very fast, and from there you just have to defend the Show and Tell and a bouncers pair.
Explosives are very versatile, both against decks based on non-creature permanent, like Enchantress or Mud, as well as against road decks or decks with creatures in general.
Flusterstorm against control, discard and combo. It is a fairly typical letter by now. It is also very good against tempo, especially to defend the Stifles.
The fourth Terminus against bicherío, especially GW, but also against Goblins, and even against Canadian Merfolks.
And finally the Red Elemental Blast complement the Flusters against combo and control, losing some profits from Flusterstorm, but gaining others against Jace, Delver, Vendilion or Snapcaster. For clarity, the list is:
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Miracles UWR CounterTop by Jaime Cano
Lands (22)
2 Wasteland
1 Karakas
1 Plains
2 Volcanic Island
3 Tundra
5 Island
4 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn
Creatures (2)
2 Click Vendilion
Artifacts (4)
4 Senseis Divining Top
Enchantments (4)
4 Counterbalance
Instants (17)
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
4 Brainstorm
4 Swords to Plowshares
Sorceries (7)
3 Terminus
2 Entreat the Angels
2 Ponder
Planeswalkers (4)
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Sideboard (15)
Relic of Progenitus 3
2 Grafdiggers Cage
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Flusterstorm
1 Terminus
3 Sulfur Elemental
2 Red Elemental Blast

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Letters that do not play
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- Snapcaster Mage: This is a letter that I love, but has no synergy with the Countertop. Both tops Snapcaster as overused manna and finished hindering each other.
- Vedalken Shackles: A letter that has always played Countertop, but I think right now is out of time. A few years ago the offensive power of the Most decks creatures was the Tarmogoyf, and a shackle contenías only two of these to have a few islands. The issue is that now the power of attack cards as GW is good of his creatures with Exalted, either letters did not arrive with Shackles, as the Knights of the Reliquary or Thrun. Against tribal decks not cool too, because they tend to base their attack on a critical mass of creatures, and can earn a single attack.
- Elspeth, Knight-Errant: Play more than four letters of the cost is too much, and up to Four Jaces are better. Bench looks interesting, but I think Elemental Sulfur are superior.
- Banishing Stroke / Temporary Mastery: Taking too many miracles Sensei makes you dependent and weakens the Counterbalance. I do not like these versions as they are much less robust.
- Stone Blade: Honestly the many minicombos put on the deck I find it less stable. What I like is that you take more costs to counterbalance two, but that forces you to play more creatures Snapcasters and I think it makes the deck much less robust.
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Looking to the future
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I guess that proves the following incarnations of the deck will already have Land Tax, at least try, and I have all summer, then go to the GP or Ghent, or any other tournament I'll play for another two months. Be seen as evolving the goal, then, at least here in Madrid, become the tribal force, both Merfolks as Goblins, and may be mounted in the deck without Counterbalance, little as I like to play the tops without it.