Counterlich

[k2thej]

So...this seems pretty good ya?

CounterLich

Creatures (7)
4 Phylactery Lich
2 tombstalker
1 trinket mage

Artifact Creatures (7)
4 baleful strix
3 tidehollow strix

Artifacts (5)
4 sensei's divining top
1 pithing needle

Enchantments (4)
4 counterbalance

Spells (15)
4 force of will
4 brainstorm
2 spell pierce
2 spell snare
3 inquisition of kozilek

Lands (18)
4 underground sea
4 polluted delta
4 flooded strand
4 misty rainforest
1 island
1 swamp

Artifact Lands (4)
2 seat of the synod
2 vault of whispers

[k2thej]

Possible SB:


3 E plague
1 inquisition of kozilek
3 hymn to tourach
2 devastation tide
3 surgical extraction
2 dismember
1 jace, the mind sculptor

[Greenpoe]

You want BBB and UU in the same deck, but you've also got aritfact lands which will inevitably screw up your production of these colors. The Lich gets stopped by a big Knight or Goyf and you have to build around it, plus he still gets removed by StP, other creatures fly over him or they can Pridemage his artifact. Doesn't seem worth building around.

[k2thej]

You want BBB and UU in the same deck, but you've also got aritfact lands which will inevitably screw up your production of these colors. The Lich gets stopped by a big Knight or Goyf and you have to build around it, plus he still gets removed by StP, other creatures fly over him or they can Pridemage his artifact. Doesn't seem worth building around.

I thought of him more as a nice fit to a pre-existing counterbalance build than building around him. The CB shell should take care of most of the problems you suggest. After all, swords is an auto-counter in countertop.

The other creatures you list as threats are taken care of by the strixes, which all have deathtouch (baleful strix is the TIIIITS!!!).

Lich is basically just a tombstalker-like cheap body that allows countertop to finish fast after getting the soft lock. Black just seems to work really well with the shell. The only cards that wouldn't be in there otherwise are the 4 artifact lands, and theres still 18 other normal lands.