Miracle Control

I did play 2 Pyroclasm with the intention of running the third. Then Nemesis came along. Now I am playing this:

4 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
5 Island
2 Plains
4 Flooded Strand
2 Arid Mesa
3 Counterbalance
1 Counterspell
3 Spell Pierce
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
3 Terminus
1 Supreme Verdict
3 Entreat the Angels
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Snapcaster Mage
1 Ponder
1 Karakas
3 Scalding Tarn
SB: 3 Rest in Peace
SB: 2 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 2 Wear // Tear
SB: 2 Flusterstorm
SB: 1 Vendilion Clique
SB: 2 Supreme Verdict
SB: 1 Mountain


I could be wrong about Deluge as I did not test it enough. But all the other things are just plain inferior. I do not have to tell you what Discard sucks in our deck, do I? Play Esperblade - that's where you want to be with stuff like Thoughtseize and stuff like that.

For the upcoming Legacy-Events I will be tuning two decks, one being Miracles, the other being Esperblade (where I cannot reveal the decklist) - but keep in mind that Nemesis is a real thing now --> I expect it to be pretty prevelant at GP DC - as everybody has their copies for now.

Greetings

Yeah TNN will be prevelant but i wouldn't preprare much for it with Miracle. He's just a worse Vendilion Clique, Vendilion Clique is a superior threat against us in almost every way. The only upside of TNN is that it has protection from everything and Pyroclasm is useless against it.

Without equipment he's just a cute clock that kills us not very quickly, so we have time to find Terminus etc. I don't see myself cutting my single Pyroclasm because DNT is still a good and well positioned deck. There are also at least some people (~5%) who will never give up playing Maverick, no matter what.

Elves and Jund are also still big players so as i said Pyroclasm is still very useful and good. TNN is a a powerful card but not extremely powerful and dominating, so that i would play 4 Pyroblasts and tune my complete deck against it.



Where do i get this? I had some testgames against Esperblade on Magic Online with TNN (we said the Cliques are TNN; what the hell was Wotc thinking about MODO Commander Release Date?? 20th december is a complete joke) and i must say that the matchup went from slightly negative to favorable because of the absence of Lingering Souls. TNN is not a big threat against us. Every other fair deck has to prepare for it, but we don't have to. I'm just glad that people stop playing stuff like a nasty 1-of Clique in UWR Tempo etc.

Pretty close to settling on my 76 for GP DC. I played this tonight at our local and chopped top4:


1 Engineered Explosives
4 Sensei's Divining Top
4 Brainstorm
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Spell Pierce
1 Ponder
2 Enlightened Tutor
2 Counterbalance
3 Rest in Peace
1 Energy Field
1 Counterspell
2 Entreat the Angels
1 Vendilion Clique
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Helm of Obedience
4 Force of Will
3 Terminus
4 Island
2 Plains
1 Mountain
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
2 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
1 Mystic Gate
1 Karakas

sideboard:
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroclasm
1 Sulfur Elemental
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Ethersworn Cannonist
1 Pithing Needle
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Flusterstorm
1 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Entreat the Angels
1 Wear // Tear
3 Meddling Mage


The 3rd Meddling Mage should have been a second sideboard Clique but I couldn't find one right before the event.

I beat Threshold, BUG control (TNN not Shardless), and UB Contamination combo (?), but lost a close match to Death and Taxes.

I've been leaving explosives at home for a while, but it felt amazing today to deal with Nemesis, Liliana, and functioned as a wrath vs DnT's board multiple times. Finally cut Blood Moon and never wanted it all night, so I think it will be on the sidelines for the GP as well.

yup, Blood Moon is much weaker now than in the past. Reb and Pyroclasm are the only red splash worth to be considered

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Adryan

Yeah TNN will be prevelant but i wouldn't preprare much for it with Miracle. He's just a worse Vendilion Clique, Vendilion Clique is a superior threat against us in almost every way. The only upside of TNN is that it has protection from everything and Pyroclasm is useless against it.

Without equipment he's just a cute clock that kills us not very quickly, so we have time to find Terminus etc.

---

TNN is a better version Geist. As seen in the DC GP, multiple TNN on the board from a player is funny to look at, that's impossible for Geist. TNN can block all day, which is also superior than Geist.

Interesting note, more and more decks are running at least 3 TNN, which is about $120 dollars and going up. You can buy 1 Moat for the price of 3~4 TNN at some point, roughly. I'll take Moat any day.

So Thassa, apparently.

Qualifier #5 - Lewis Laskin - Counterbalance

// 22 Lands
2 Plains
6 Island
2 Karakas
4 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Tundra

// 16 Spells
4 Brainstorm
2 Enlightened Tutor
4 Force of Will
3 Swords to Plowshares
3 Terminus

// 22 Permanents
4 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Counterbalance
1 Energy Field
2 Rest in Peace
1 Back to Basics
2 Detention Sphere
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Vendilion Clique
1 Helm of Obedience
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Venser, Shaper Savant

// Sideboard
1 Aura of Silence
1 Counterbalance
1 Detention Sphere
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Entreat the Angels
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Flusterstorm
1 Humility
3 Meddling Mage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Rest in Peace
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Terminus

I don't like this build all that much, and the result isn't exactly outstanding, but it shows something. Devotion to Blue was definitely not what I was expecting to see in the pro's column of Back to Basics. She seems sweet, though. Spin Top -> untap put a card away -> (spin again?) -> Draw. Seems like a neat way of basically drawing a card every turn, and if she ever gets online she can be a bit of a pain, taking some of the StP flack away from Clique and Venser, though I expect a Clique to be out at that point. Early CB lock into Thassa, into EoT Clique, hit you for 8 seems like quite the change in pace, and can really hit people hard. It's not like they can really react to it with Top Lock online, either. You blank all of their relevant Spells incredibly easily.

Just some food. She's also a Tutorable 3-drop, which is not irrelevant.

I find the power to deal with non creature permanents at instant speed of "unexpectedly absent" to be more useful than Thassa in this deck but in a pure U/W snapcaster shell.

that lewis laskin list is feces. :eyebrow:

After an absurdly disappointing performance in the main event at GP DC I have decided to do something rash and cut the red from the deck. I had already weened myself off of Engineered Explosives in the board and was down to just 2x Wear//Tear, 1xRed Elemental Blast, 1xPyroblast and 1xPyroclasm. I figure that just 5 sideboard cards aren't worth the weaker mana base, although I haven't necessarily made it stronger I gave myself more utility. I switched my list to this on the fly before doing some 8 mans to get revenge for my 4-4 record (With 2 byes zzz):
Main(61 special)
Lands:
4xFlooded Strand
1xPolluted Delta
1xMisty Rainforest
1xScalding Tarn
1xArid Mesa
4xIsland
3xPlains
2xTundra
1xMystic Gate
1xKarakas
3xMishra's Factory

Planeswalker:
3xJace, the Mind Sculptor

Instant:
2xFact or Fiction
4xBrainstorm
4xSwords to Plowshares
1xCounterspell
1xFlusterstorm
2xSpell Pierce
3xForce of Will
1xMisdirection

Sorcery:
2xEntreat the Angels
3xTerminus
1xSupreme Verdict

Artifact:
4xSensei's Divining Top

Enchantment:
4xCounterbalance

Creatures:
2xSnapcaster Mage
2xVendilion Clique

Sideboard
2xRest in Peace
2xDisenchant
2xEthersworn Canonist
2xMeddling Mage
1xForce of Will
1xMisdirection
1xVendilion Clique
1xSupreme Verdict
1xPath to Exile
1xEntreat the Angels
1xVenser, Shaper Savant

The mana base was thrown together the moment the first 8 man fired so it isn't ideal, but it worked out and I managed to win the 2 events I joined.

I was super impressed with my new sideboard cards. Ethersworn Canonist was a new edition before I cut the red entirely and she was insane all day. Having a threat that was almost as good as Counterbalance against most combo decks was incredible, not to mention it has game against elves as a great blocker and makes them have to either overextend into a terminus or rely on a one shot Natural Order that I can leave up Force of Will to stop. Meddling Mage was pretty great as well, he single handedly caused me to win against Omnitell stuck on two lands. Disenchant is basically just as good as Wear//Tear minus the whole sweet Counterbalance interaction, plus I get to play the beta version which is always a plus. I am currently thinking about replacing the second Misdirection with a Leyline of Sanctity, I played against Alphastryk in Philly and I was surprised how good it was in the mirror. Mainly I want it for Shardless Bug and Jund to help with those matches.

As for the maindeck, the decision to play Mishra's Factory was between it and Wasteland. I had Factories so I tried them first, they are awesome. They really help against opposing planeswalkers like Lilly and Jace, I managed to beat the mirror game 1 simply because I had a factory and an ambush viper to take down my opponents Jace. Going forward I will probably cut the Factories to two since I ended up having more Factories in play than I wanted at times. I also want to get a second Karakas eventually because that card is the stone cold nut, I'll probably move the Venser back to the main when I do that (yolo fuck it 62 special) and really move in on the man plan. I also want to fit a second Counterspell in the main somehow, it's probably going replace the Flusterstorm (which may or may not make it to the sideboard, the card is real sweet but with the Canonists and Mages in the board now I am less worried about combo match ups). Fact or Fiction is still awesome and never disappointed me all weekend, the amount of 4-1 piles I got was surprising (spoiler I took the 4 everytime, dat CA hnng). Having it be a "threat" that I could run out end of my opponents turn was awesome and I was never concerned with it getting countered since then they didn't have a counter anymore. It also allows me to freely sideout Jace against most combo decks so I don't have to worry about trying to tap out or use most of my mana for Jace to try and dig for more counters and then die the next turn. Plus I won't lie, I love the reactions from people around me who love seeing Fact or Fiction still get cast. I also tried to run 4 Terminus and 3 Swords in the main event, but I don't think I'll ever do that again. Props to Joe for pushing the limits of Miracles and playing 2 Swords, but I just can't get behind that. Format is going to have to get real degenerate for me to shave on Swords moving on. 4 Terminus is also just too clunky if you have those Brainstormless draws, I wish I had marked the Terminus I had exchanged with Swords so I could go on tilt when I saw it sitting in my hand getting beat down by a Delver or something.

My brother and I had a good time laughing at the fact that the way I want to move forward with Miracles is starting to look like some UW control deck from the 90s with 4 Wraths, Counterspell, Fact or Fiction etc. However, currently the list I want to start testing in the future will be:
Main(62 yolo fuck it till I make up my mind to cut things)
Lands:
4xFlooded Strand
1xPolluted Delta
1xMisty Rainforest
1xScalding Tarn
1xArid Mesa
4xIsland
2xPlains
3xTundra
1xMystic Gate
2xKarakas
2xMishra's Factory

Planeswalker:
3xJace, the Mind Sculptor

Instant:
2xFact or Fiction
4xBrainstorm
4xSwords to Plowshares
2xCounterspell
2xSpell Pierce
3xForce of Will
1xMisdirection

Sorcery:
2xEntreat the Angels
3xTerminus
1xSupreme Verdict

Artifact:
4xSensei's Divining Top

Enchantment:
4xCounterbalance

Creatures:
2xSnapcaster Mage
2xVendilion Clique
1xVenser, Shaper Savant

Sideboard
2xRest in Peace
2xDisenchant
2xEthersworn Canonist
2xMeddling Mage
1xForce of Will
1xMisdirection
1xVendilion Clique
1xSupreme Verdict
1xPath to Exile
1xEntreat the Angels
1xLeyline of Sanctity

Really disappointed with the lack of good Miracles finishes lately, the deck seems so good now (although it always seems good to me, just a very nice consistent deck) from the decks I keep seeing in the top 8. Apparently we need to get our shit together and start taking down these tournies.

Quick summary of GPDC, I'll try to get a better report up later.

Ended up audible-ing to a non-RiP / Helm list for the GP:


4 Brainstorm
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Ponder
1 Portent
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Spell Pierce
3 Counterbalance
2 Counterspell
3 Vendilion Clique
3 Entreat the Angels
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Force of Will
4 Terminus
4 Island
2 Plains
1 Karakas
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
1 Mystic Gate
2 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island

Sideboard:
2 Meddling Mage
2 Rest in Peace
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Enlightened Tutor
1 Moat
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Flusterstorm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Wear // Tear
1 Ethersworn Cannonist

The list felt really solid, I just played awful on Saturday. I was talking to phazonmutant afterwards and I think there's something to not normally playing magic in the morning being an issue for me, since I always seem to do great at large side events on day 2.

Ran the list back in the miserable payout 'Legacy Plus' event on Sunday (150 players cut to top4 for packs, ended up being swiss-1 and slightly increased payout after 149 people entered). While the setup of that event was just awful (how do you not expect a turnout of less than 10% of the GP count?), it worked out for me. I went 6-1 and snuck into top4 as the 4 seed, along with Thresh, BUG Delver (my 1 loss in the swiss), and Mono-U Omnitell. Unfortunately i lost a close match to Thresh and left with just 39 Theros packs, but I proved that I can play better and that this list is good.

I'm going to stick with this build for a while, since it worked pretty well.

Huh, I wonder if I saw anyone there. There were several Miracle players around me during the day, but I was feeling pretty miserable with my record and didn't feel much like socializing... a bad habit of mine, I know. If anyone saw me, I was the long haired guy with the pimped out Miracles lurking in the x-2 and x-3 bracket. Oh well. Ended up going a disappointing 6-3 with 2 buys, beating TES, Omnitell, Death and Taxes, and Burn and losing to UWR Delver, Fish, and Death and Taxes. As per usual, unfortunate draws were magnified by weak keeps and greedy plays.

Here was my list, and aside from not seeing any board wipes during my Fish and DNT losses, it ran very well.

//Land 23
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
2 Arid Mesa
2 Tundra
4 Island
2 Plains
2 Volcanic Island
2 Karakas
1 Mystic Gate

//Creatures 6
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Venser, Shaper Savant

//Other Spells 31
4 Brainstorm
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
1 Counterspell
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Terminus
1 Supreme Verdict
4 Counterbalance
4 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Entreat the Angels

//Sideboard
SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Pyroclasm
SB: 2 Rest in Peace
SB: 1 Enlightened Tutor
SB: 1 Entreat the Angels
SB: 1 Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 1 Force of Will
SB: 1 Moat
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 Venser, Shaper Savant
SB: 1 Wear // Tear

Hi All!

As I read here it was not the weekend of the Miracles. It was definitely not for me! We had our monthly national Legacy event. As I wrote earlier I was thinking and testing a lot. There were 4-5 flexible slots. Finally I decided to run the following list:

//Land 22
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
3 Tundra
5 Island
2 Plains
1 Volcanic Island
1 Karakas
1 Mystic Gate

//Creatures 4
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Snapcaster Mage

//Other Spells 34
4 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Unexpectedly Absent
3 Terminus
1 Supreme Verdict
4 Counterbalance
4 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Entreat the Angels

//Sideboard
SB: 1 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 2 Rest in Peace
SB: 1 Sulfur Elemental
SB: 1 Engineered Explosives
SB: 1 Ethersworn Canonist
SB: 1 Supreme Verdict
SB: 2 Flusterstorm
SB: 1 Mountain
SB: 1 Venser, Shaper Savant
SB: 1 Wear // Tear
SB: 1 Detention Sphere

The last change that I made was to play the 2nd Snapcaster over the 3rd Entreat. As it turned out it was a huge mistake!
My first opponent was a Jund player, how beat me last time and become the winner of the event.
He rolled higher, I mulled to 6, he had first turn TS. After 15 minutes he won the first game. He scooped in the second after 20 minutes. Than we did not have time to finish the third game so 1-1.
The second opponent was not a big player. He was with UR Delver-Pyromancer. We run out of time again. 1-1
Third opponent is a Pro Tour player with Esper. Also 1-1.
The last opponent was a Bant player. In the first game he cast a 2nd turn Gaddock Teeg and had a Karakas in the 3rd turn so did not have much chance. Than I was tired and confused so I made a mistake of bouncing a creature instead of brainstorming with Jace to be able to see one more card with my Top. When the 50 minutes were over he just killed me. So 2-0 instead of the 1-1.
That is frustrating because last time I was 2nd, before that I was 3rd. So I was hoping for a first place or at least being top4.

I need the 3rd Entreat and maybe the 3rd Clique to be able to win faster. Or I might try the RIP-Helm list which I don’t really like because of the Decay-discard heavy meta.

Unexpectedly Absent was fine. It is good to have a MD to be able to deal with permanents. MD Verdict was also fine.

Thanks for reading!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UB Control

That is frustrating because last time I was 2nd, before that I was 3rd. So I was hoping for a first place or at least being top4.

---

Try to sit on the side that faces the clock and just don't let up off the gas. Most people are used to playing decks and playing against decks that kill a lot faster than Miracles, so they aren't used to watching the clock. You have to watch the clock for them and constantly remind them how much time is left and to play faster. If you can't do that or think it is too rude then you can't be playing this deck in a tournament setting.

Ironically, the closest I got to time over the weekend was against TES. It got to the point where all I had time for was adjusting the top 3 at his EoT, untapping, drawing, and attacking. My turn look about 5-10 seconds then he'd draw and spend a minute trying to think of a line to get him out of Counterbalance, and this is with me encouraging him to play faster and against one of the fastest decks in the format. If you play against the mirror, UB Tezz, midranged-whatever or some other potentially grindy deck, you both have to go as blazing fast as you can (and if they don't want to, you have to make them).

I played UWr Miracles at GP DC with a very disappointing 3-2-1 finish especially since I won 2 byes at a local trial.

Round 1 - Bye

Round 2 - Bye

Round 3 - Jund 1-1-1
Dude was a standard player and had no idea what he was doing. He lucksacked 1 game where I mulled to oblivion and then he proceeded to side out his lilys and bloodbriads (I kid you not) for Ebridges, toxic deluge and extirpates and then proceeded to slow play me with his constant banter about scg articles he read, took literally 2 minutes to cut (shuffle) my deck each time I shuffled and calling the judge like 5 times because he doesnt now how any cards in legacy work. Yes, your extirpate gets counter by CB if 1 is on top of my deck, and yes I can crack a fetch in response to entreat without "shuffling away the miracle card". I had game 3 looked up thanks to him keeping his hand below 3 cards so his own ebrige prevented his 6/7 goyf from attacking my slowly ticking up Jace but we went to time. This round pissed me off. My first round and draw to an idiot.

Round 4 - LED Dredge 1-2
Game 1 dredge does its thing. G2 I have a god hand and he loses to RIP and stps on his hardcast thugs/narcs. G3 I keep a cantrip heavy 7 and get punished for it. My mistake there.

Round 5 - Dark Mav 2-0
Both pretty close games, but I had all the right answers to his stuff.

Round 6 - D&T 1-2
I actually win game 1 thanks to venser and CB. G2 I mull to 5 and dont get to play magic. G3 he does what D&T does while I draw fairly poorly and lose after a long, but not close, grind.

3-2-1 Drop Bleh

I played a win a box and crushed pox, aggro loam and then ID'd with shardless for 20 packs so that was good.

My list felt fine, it was similar to the one posted a few pages back but with no snaps, and with venser and a 3rd entreat MD and needles in the SB. I want a MD moat though I think.

Just came back from GP DC with a record of 7-2 for day1 and 2-3-1 in day2. here is my list (my list is inspired by Raphael Levy's list) :

LANDS
5 Island
4 Flooded Strand
3 Tundra
2 Plains
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
1 Karakas
2 Polluted Delta

CREATURES
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique

INSTANTS and SORCERIES
4 Terminus
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Ponder
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
1 Counterspell
3 Entreat the Angels
2 Spell Pierce


OTHER SPELLS
4 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Counterbalance

SIDEBOARD
1 Runed Halo
1 Disenchant
1 Counterbalance
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Humility
3 Rest in Peace
1 Envelop
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Pithing Needle
1 Ensnaring Bridge

Match ups:
Day 1
2-0 Junk
2-0 RUG
2-1 BW small pox
1-2 Jund
2-0 Slivers
2-0 ANT
2-1 Elves
2-1 Big Red Sneak Attack
1-2 Esper Blade

Day 2
2-0 Reanimator
2-0 Junk
1-1 Death and Tax ( Brian Kibler )
0-2 Omnishow
0-2 Miracles
1-2 RUG

- I loved the consistency of having for Brainstorm, Ponder and top.
- 20 lands was the right number.
- If I had to change something in my 75 it would be :
MAIN DECK:
+ 1 Vendilion Clique (main deck)
+ 2 Engineered Explosives (main deck)
- 1 Terminus (main deck)
- 2 Counterbalance (main deck)

SIDEBOARD :
+2 Meddling Mage
+1 Venser, Shaper Savant
+1 Counterbalance
+1 Terminus
-1 Enlightened Tutor
-1 Helm of Obedience
-2 Engineered Explosives
-1 Pithing Needle

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaslan

1-2 Jund
1-2 Esper Blade

---

See that? Some people believe RiP will carry the MU against Jund, but it's not that simple. Did that Esper use TNN? How's your experience against TNN?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TheArchitect

Round 6 - D&T 1-2
I actually win game 1 thanks to venser and CB. G2 I mull to 5 and dont get to play magic. G3 he does what D&T does while I draw fairly poorly and lose after a long, but not close, grind.

---

This is definitely disappointing, in theory, Miracle is favored and would outclass DnT.

[QUOTE=twndomn;767173]See that? Some people believe RiP will carry the MU against Jund, but it's not that simple. Did that Esper use TNN? How's your experience against TNN?


- RIP is very good vs Jund but it's not our best card vs Jund, Entreat the Angles is!

- Vs Jund I lost game one because be went blood bread in to punishing fire on my Jace after I had Wrathed the board and +2ed Jace

- TNN is not a problem in a deck with 4 terminus, 4 ponders, 4 brainstorms and 4 tops specially in Esper, Bant or UWR that do's not have stifles.
It's a bit more problematic in tempo decks.

- The esper player did kill me with TNN In game 2, but it's because I got mana screwed (only game in the tournament mana was a problem) not because I could not deal with his creatures

A good death and taxes player can do well against miracles. Thalia + Karakas is a big beating as we can't effectively get rid of her. Combined with ports and wastelands, it's painful. Also if Vial lands, it's basically game over for the miracle player. If the dnt player is careful not to over extend and ports instead of flooding the board with creatures, they have a good chance. Mangara Karakas lock is also a major pain. Vial makes Jace much worse in general.

My general strategy is to go for the entreat win if the dnt player has Vial out. Jace win against a Vial is very difficult due to eot flash.beatsticks.

An interesting scenario came up in Joe's Miracle stream tonite.

It's Game 3 versus The EPIC Storm. We made a misplay by letting Xantid Swarm resolve, then decided to jump in front of it with Clique and hopefully disrupt on the combo player's Turn 3. He has not made a land drop, and Storm is 1 (Clique).

http://i.imgur.com/uB7AGN2.png

What do you take, and why?
Assume that the Sideboard for BWish has no limit, and any Sorcery could be used.
We don't know what card is on top of the deck.

Show your work :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Koby

An interesting scenario came up in Joe's Miracle stream tonite.

It's Game 3 versus The EPIC Storm. We made a misplay by letting Xantid Swarm resolve, then decided to jump in front of it with Clique and hopefully disrupt on the combo player's Turn 3. He has not made a land drop, and Storm is 1 (Clique).

http://i.imgur.com/uB7AGN2.png

What do you take, and why?
Assume that the Sideboard for BWish has no limit, and any Sorcery could be used.
We don't know what card is on top of the deck.

Show your work :)

---

Ooh, I like this one, although I should note that I don't like playing the clique here. I'd prefer to lay out explosives and kill the swarm on our turn before passing to keep our force live.

Given, the current situation though, does our opponent know the top card of their library? I see a Ponder in the graveyard, maybe they hid their best card?.

We have to assume our top card is a blank and plan that way, anything else is upside for us. I think the legitimate options here are to take nothing and to take a wish, and I prefer to take a wish. They are most likely to wish for Empty to try to get through a potential force, or Past in Flames which requires the second tutor. If we leave them both wishes, we possibly lose if they can Empty and wish for a discard spell to take our explosives (which, thinking about it, we should have played out for 0 if we weren't going to kill the swarm to make multiple LEDs dead cards) One tutor limits the options that our TES opponent has, and I think we can beat any single wish target with this hand. Our worst case scenario is that another tutor was hidden, in which case our Clique did nothing, and we still could win, but it is unlikely given the BW -> PiF -> Tendrils line our opponent has. Actually, I take that back - worst case scenario is a hidden Ad Nauseum, which our hand likely can't beat. I like our odds though since it looks like our opponent was planning to win this turn.