Originally Posted by
iamajellydonut
And it feels terrible when you wiff on the Infernal Tutor call and get shown a hand that still spells your utter doom. Which is, by arbitrary distinction, more often the case than hitting even a single Infernal Tutor. Even assuming "best case", the theory of calling what will immediately kill you only actually works against your standard Storm combo. Going up against something like Reanimator, what do you name? Going up against Show and Tell, what do you name? Failing to hit, failing to hit the right thing, or failing to make them react means that you will not live or whatever follow-up you have won't ever see the light of day.
Cabal Therapy is just a bad option. There's no inherent way to glean information as to what might be in your opponent's hand, and a singleton Dryad Arbor hardly counts as a sac-outlet. If you're truly looking for a budget option, Duress is the way to go. Hell, it's not even a budget option per se. I was strongly considering running Duress over Thoughtseize when I was coming up with any odd-ball way to get an edge on the Burn match-up. Seventeen year old common that's been reprinted in bulk eleven times and it still manages to be one of the go-to solutions.