[SCD] Envelop

[RaNDoMxGeSTuReS]

Envelop U
Instant
Counter target sorcery spell.
"What you made will be unmade. What you learned will be unlearned. And when you're done, you will be undone."
—Ambassador Laquatus

Why isn't this card seeing more play? I know there's been talk of it in several threads (i.e. RUG Delver, Merfolk etc.), but is it just too narrow to make it into any 75?

People played Dispel for a while.

More and more, I'm hating Spell Pierce because the non-Storm decks you want it against, it just sucks.

A combination of Sol-lands or playing around it by waiting two or more turns really hampers it as a soft counter.

The main applications are against Show and Tell and Miracles decks. It hits Terminus, Entreat the Angels and Show and Tell.

Am I missing something here, or is this card not as good I want it to be?

[death]

It is quite narrow that's why most people choose to play Spell Pierce or Flusterstorm instead. But the card has applications, blue combo can fight discard with it. I briefly discussed it in Spiral Tide thread before Mental Misstep was printed. It can be good in Show and Tell decks as well, if you can find a room for it.

[Koby]

Also hits:
Green Sun's Zenith
Armageddon
Ponder
Preordain
Burning Wish (From Show & Tell)
Overmaster

Seems like a good 1-of in Blue side-decks. I doubt 2 would be good however.

[Dark Ritual]

Seems like a neat way to combat show and tell and such. Also decent against miracles for RUG, as countering a terminus/entreat seems good for just a blue. Not sure where to fit it in though in current RUG sideboards or merfolk for that matter. Most people overlook the card though as most people don't know the card exists.

[catmint]

I play 1 in my RUG sideboard against Show&Tell, other burning wish combo decks and miracles. It also gets sided in against Hymn decks and other randomness, but for a wider application I think it is too narrow. Can't bring it against Maverick for example. Spell PIerce deserves only a spot because it hits removal, Sylvan Libarary & Jitte next to GSZ.

[slave]

Dispel is nice because it's good against many threats if you're playing combo, but this I don't like. It's 100% reactive, yet very situational, and offers no protection to your own plays.

Dispel just seems way better.

[Jonathan Alexander]

The only better counterspells that are better in Threshold sideboards than Envelop right now is Red Elemental Blasts and Pyroblast. Envelop counters almost everything the deck actually cares about, and for almost everything else it's better to not fight it on the stack. I mean, would you rather hold a counter against a Knight of the Reliquary (keep in mind Cavern of Souls) or a Mind Harness? I started running Envelop over Flusterstorm a few weeks after GP Ghent, and so far I have not regretted doing so, only not drawing it more often.

[boneclub24]

There aren't many sorceries run in the format, in my experience. The main reason my Goyf stays a 3/4 for so long is the lack of a sorcery more often than not.

[Final Fortune]

I think I'd play Divert before this.

[evanmartyr]

Divert really only hits removal, disruption, and "other" counterspells...it'll help you win a counterwar, and be reasonable against decks like RUG and Zoo, but it requires you to actually have another counter in hand to deal with stuff like Show and Tell/Tendrils/IGG/Ad Nauseum/etc.

I like Envelop, and it's a great answer to a lot of the threats in the current metagame, but it may just be a bit too narrow to be maindeck-able. Also, a lot of the functionality it offers is done better by REB and Pyroblast, and *most* decks can splash for those if they want. This is Legacy after all :/

[catmint]

For Rug REB is of course a better sideboard card overall. But these days I rather have the 1st Envelop than the 3rd red-blast. UWx does soo much with white cards that are miracled in cheap, so spell pierce gets worse. Sure you have stifle as well for miracles but it does not hurt to have a hard counter for Terminus & Entreat, while envelop also beeing very strong (stronger than REB) against the major combo archetypes running burning wish, show&tell, infernal tutor, doomsday, time-spiral...even Glimpse of Nature. Dispel/Flusterstorm is not a food option imo - does not solve any problems that the deck has.

[alekill]

Envelop is my favorite counterspell in the sideboard of RUG, I play 2 along with 3 flusterstorms. My reasoning being that everything in a combo match up that will lose you the game, besides ad nauseum, is a sorcery. In the show and tell much ups it counters show and tell and that's realistically the only card that matters at all in those games. It helps a lot here since most of the time they are able to pay for your spell pierces and dazes and force of willing a overmaster is a losing proposition.

In addition to that it can counter all the tutors that combo use (burning wish, infernal tutor, merchant scroll) besides intuition.

For non combo I will admit it's not to great but against miracles which is one of rugs hardest match ups it stops all the miracles from happening. This is another play where I like it over spell pierce, I play it in addition to spell pierce, because miracles can so easily get basics and have mana to pay.

[Mr. Safety]

I've had the opposite experience...I'm loving Spell Pierce right now. I play 3 maindeck forces, 4 maindeck Pierces and 4 maindeck Daze (playing it in U/b faeries.)

[alekill]

I think that everyone is advocating envelop in addition to spell pierce.

[Hanni]

For non combo I will admit it's not to great but against miracles which is one of rugs hardest match ups it stops all the miracles from happening. This is another play where I like it over spell pierce, I play it in addition to spell pierce, because miracles can so easily get basics and have mana to pay.

You already have Stifle for Miracles, and you can slow play your aggro to prevent overcommitting. Isn't Counterbalance the more problematic card for RUG to deal with against Miracles, anyway? Envelop doesn't help fight off Counterbalance whatsoever... it won't even help you win the counterwar.

[alekill]

I agree that not being able to take a counterbalance out is a big downside for envelop. I still think that being able to hit an entreat and terminus is worth it though. This double out , in the form of stifle and envelop, against miracles allows you to actually play two threats against a miracles opponent.

I assume the card you run over it would be reb or pyroblast? Those cards have the opposite downside of not hitting terminus and entreat which means you can't put out a truly quick clock giving them plenty of time to draw more outs that your rebs can't deal with.

[Hanni]

What about... Counterspell? I know, I know, 2cc. The game is gonna go longer than 3 turns though, and RUG's threats cost 1 mana. It's pretty easy to hit 3 mana. Or you can curve out on turns 1 and 2 with Daze/FoW, and then hold open for Counterspell mana after that (and still be able to cantrip). No? The upside is that it hits both Counterbalance and Terminus.

[alekill]

I think being able to cast counterspell wouldn't be hard but being able to cast counterspell and spell pierce or counterspell and delver at the same time will be and that's why it's not really viable.