Welcome to FNM II

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Wolfking3000

30 December 2012

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Hello all, and welcome to the second installment of Welcome to FNM. My name is Nathaniel and this is my semi-regular blog/article series about my local FNM experiences at Gaming Underground. If you didn’t get to read my last article, and you’d like to take a look at it, the link is right here.

Welcome to FNM

After my last post, I had a multitude of people tell me how bad Mindshrieker was and that I should drop him, so I did. Unfortunately, I don’t have the money to pick up any of the other suggestions I got, so I decided to add in Cackling Counterparts in its place. This is how my deck looked for last night's FNM.

Mainboard

24x Land
4x Glacial Fortress
4x Azorius Guildgate
4x Swamp
6x Plains
6x Island
13x Creatures
4x Doomed Traveler
4x Drogskol Captain
3x Dungeon Geists
2x Geist-Honored Monk
13x Instants
4x Feeling of Dread
3x Midnight Haunting
3x Azorius Charm
3x Cackling Counterpart
4x Sorceries
4x Lingering Souls
6x Enchantments
3x Favorable Winds
3x Oblivion Ring

Sideboard

3x Negate
3x Dissipate
3x Mindshrieker
3x Faith's Shield
1x Favorable Winds
1x Geist-Honored Monk
1x Detention Sphere (Borrowed from a friend)

Like I said, I’ve made a few changes, but nothing major has been done. Now we’ll move to the games.

Round One: U/W/b Spirits vs. Grixis (U/R/B) Control

Game 1: Spirits win (my life: 20 – opponents life: 8)
Game 2: Spirits win (16 – 4)
Game 3: Not played
(Life totals are before final blow)

Game One: W (20 – 8)
For some reason or another, I’m always nervous when I play my first game, and that often leads to me messing up my opening game. Last night however, my first game was not all that bad. I started the game off with a Doomed Traveler, followed up by a Drogskol Captain. I was able to get a token copy of it using a Cackling Counterpart, which gave me a pretty decent field presence. My opponent didn’t really play many cards this game. He started off late with a Forbidden Alchemy, and then played a Jace, Architect of Thought. I followed that up with a Midnight Haunting and another Drogskol Captain. He played a Curse of Death's Hold but with three captain effects on the field, I was able to hit him for game without it being much of a threat.


Game Two: W (4 – 16)
This game started off about the same way. I opened up with a Doomed Traveler, followed up by a Favorable Winds, then another Doomed Traveler before my opponent played anything. The first thing he played was a Jace, Architect of Thought, which I exiled the next turn with an Oblivion Ring. He played a couple kill spells to slow down my board a little bit, and played a Curse of Death's Hold to counteract my Favorable Winds. He followed that up with Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, which shared a similar fate with his Jace. He also played an Izzet Staticaster to shoot all of my spirit tokens, which was a pretty hefty loss for me, but I was able to put more out, get a Drogskol Captain and a Cackling Counterpart to seal the game.


Problem Cards/Noteworthy Cards

Jace, Architect of Thought
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Curse of Death's Hold
Evil Twin
Izzet Staticaster
Snapcaster Mage

Thoughts on the Round

This was not a bad round for me. All in all I did pretty well, and don’t have a whole lot to rag on myself for this go round. This first game I was able to outpace my opponent with my booster spells, and that coupled with his slow draws and lack of solid removal for hexproof creatures really bit him in the butt. I got a little worried when he played Jace, Architect of Thought, because that can be the death of my spirits, but with so many booster spells it didn’t make much of a difference. The second game was a lot longer, and much more of a game. I was able to see a lot more of his interesting cards, and he was able to do a lot more to slow down my board. His planeswalkers would have been a real issue for me if I hadn’t drawn into two of my Oblivion Rings, so that was really lucky on my part. He played a lot of this game just trying to slow me down, and I think he was going for a mill win with his Nephalia Drownyard. I won these games mostly because I could outpace what he was trying to do. His deck ran a little slow, and I got some really good hands that were able to keep him on his heels for most of the game.

Round 2: Spirits vs. R/B Aggro

Game 1: R/B Aggro Wins (6 – 8)
Game 2: Spirits Win (10 – 5)
Game 3: Spirits Win (6 – 10)

Game One: L (6 – 8)
This was not a fantastic game for me. I had to mulligan down to six, which is never a good way to start a game, especially against aggro. He started off with a Stromkirk Noble, and I played a Doomed Traveler. (For those of you who read the last Welcome to FNM, I did not use the Doomed Traveler to block the Stromkirk Noble this time around). He followed that up with an Ash Zealot, which can wreck my deck since I rely on flashback a lot. He was able to hit me with a few burn spells, and keep me from ever getting two Drogskol Captains at the same time. He finished the game off with a Thundermaw Hellkite, Guttersnipe, and a Brimstone Volley.


Game Two: W (10 – 5)
After this game, I decided I needed to do some sideboarding. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go toe to toe with him, so I took out my Cackling Counterparts for three Dissipates. He started the game off with a Vexing Devil, which I had never played before. After much deliberation, I decided to take the four rather than let it sit there, mostly because I didn’t have much of an answer for it. I played two Favorable Winds, and a Lingering Souls for some buffed up tokens, one of which ate a Mizzium Mortars. He then played a Guttersnipe which I followed up with a Drogskol Captain. I then used an Azorius Charm for lifelink on my spirit token to boost my life back up to 20. He hit me with two Searing Spears for 10, thanks to that Guttersnipe, but it wasn’t enough to put the game away.


Game Three: W (6 – 10)
The fact that I won this game was a miracle in and of itself. The game started with my opponent playing two Vexing Devils, both of which I had to take. It put me at a measly 12 by turn two. The next turn I was met with a wonderful Ash Zealot which hit me for another two life. I was able to play a Lingering Souls the next turn, but all they could do was chump block his Ash Zealot, and the other Ash Zealot he played the next turn. I played a Drogskol Captain, hoping it would help, but it took a Mizzium Mortars, and I took four damage from his Ash Zealots. At this point I thought I was done for. Fortunately, I had a Feeling of Dread in my hand, which was able to buy me a turn. I got some more tokens out, and was able to bounce one of the Ash Zealots with an Azorius Charm. I finally got to use my Dissipate that I had sided in, and countered his Ash Zealot when he tried to replay it. I played a Dungeon Geists to tap down his other Ash Zealot, and flew over his head for the game.


Problem Cards/Noteworthy Cards

Stromkirk Noble
Ash Zealot
Guttersnipe
Vexing Devil
Mizzium Mortars

Thoughts on the Round

These were some pretty tough games. During our first game, it was pretty hard for me to keep up with what he had to throw at me. He burned away a lot of my stuff, and was able to repeatedly smack me with creatures. His Ash Zealots kept me from flashing back a lot of my creature control cards like Feeling of Dread, and that really hurt me in the long run this game. The second game was a lot better for me. I was able to get out quite a few booster spells and smack my opponent around a lot more than the first game. He didn’t have much of a board presence to slow me down, which really cost him the game. The third game was interesting. I’ve read about aggro decks running out of steam late game, and this is the first time I’ve played one and had that come true. Until the very last blow, I could have sworn he was going to win. I couldn’t really play a lot of my cards, and I couldn’t flash anything back or risk losing the game. He kept the pressure on, but I got just the right draws at just the right time to help me push the game over. He played really well, but he got a little mana screwed and was forced to sit with two Hellriders in his hand, which undoubtedly would have won him the game.

Round Three: Spirits vs. American (R/W/U) Control

Game 1: American Control Wins (4 – 16)
Game 2: American Control Wins (6 – 25)
Game 3: Not Played

Game One: L (4 – 16)
Honestly, I could sum both of these games up in one sentence. I did nothing, he did everything. I started the game off with a Midnight Haunting and a Drogskol Captain, which seemed nice at the time. I was able to get him down to 12 at one point, but after that, it really didn’t matter. He used a Supreme Verdict to clear the field, then a Sphinx's Revelation to draw 2 and gain 2 life. After that I was done. He countered everything I played from then on. I’m not exaggerating. He literally countered every card I could play and then beat me over the head with an angel token from Entreat the Angels.


Game Two: L (6 – 25)
Have you ever seen a planeswalker ultimate? I have. As a matter of fact, I saw three planeswalkers ultimate in this game alone. My good buddy Jace, Architect of Thought kept my spirits from doing anything, and my opponents Cyclonic Rift and Dissipate kept be from boosting them enough to do any damage. He also decided to play a Tamiyo, the Moon Sage to keep my stuff tapped down, while slowly working his way to an ultimate Jace, Architect of Thought. He took a Geist-Honored Monk out of my deck, and a Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius out of his. He shot me three times with his Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius to draw three, and an onlooker decided to coin this as a snap, crackle, pop play. I did manage to bounce Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius with an Azorius Charm, but it was really only to stall the inevitable. He managed to ultimate his Tamiyo, the Moon Sage, which is already a game changer, although the game didn’t really need much changing. He then got out another Jace, Architect of Thought, which also got to ultimate for another Tamiyo, the Moon Sage and a Geist-Honored Monk. With Detention Spheres and planeswalkers running me ragged, he was finally able to swing for the win.


Problem Cards/Noteworthy Cards

Supreme Verdict
Jace, Architect of Thought
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Entreat the Angels
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius

Thoughts on the Round

To put this simply, I got crushed. This guy’s deck was better than mine, and he was just a much better player than I was. Looking back, I don’t think there was much I could have done to handle this deck at all. It was ridiculously well put together, and could answer anything I played. My only real hope was to play the game super aggro, but unfortunately, my deck really doesn’t have a way to do that. I’m pretty sure that at best, my deck has a turn five win, and by turn five, he had everything he needed to make sure I didn’t win. Still, I learned that I need to be able to play more aggro when necessary, and I need better answers to planeswalkers.

Round 4: Spirits vs. Jund (B/R/G) Midrange

Game 1: Jund Midrange Wins (2 – 15)
Game 2: Spirits Win (20 – 3)
Game 3: Jund Midrange Wins (2 – 9)

Game One: L (2 – 15)
This was a pretty slow game for me. I didn’t get my typical Doomed Traveler or Favorable Winds, so for the first two turns, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t really mind too much though, because I had played this guy before at a previous FNM and knew he was playing Jund Midrange so he wouldn’t be playing much of anything until turn 3 anyways. He opened up with a Rakdos Keyrune and an Olivia Voldaren. I had a few tokens out, and I knew Olivia Voldaren would become a huge issue so I played an Oblivion Ring to slow him down a bit. He was able to play a Huntsmaster of the Fells and kill a token with a Dreadbore. I was able to get a few more token, and played both of my Geist-Honored Monks before he overloaded a Mizzium Mortars to clear my side of the board and win the game.


Game Two: W (20 – 3)
I’ll be honest, this game was probably the best my deck has ever played against any one. I opened up with a Doomed Traveler, followed up by a Favorable Winds, and two Drogskol Captains before even one of his creatures hit the board. He got to play an Olivia Voldaren, but on the next turn I got to play another Favorable Winds to make two 5/5 hexproof flyers which sealed the deal.


Game Three: L (2 – 9)
I started off this game doing fairly well. I had some tokens, a Favorable Winds, and I had Oblivion Ring-ed his Olivia Voldaren. I got him down to 14, when he played a Thragtusk to pull his life back up, and then killed off a spirit with a Dreadbore. I was able to tap down his Thragtusk with a Dungeon Geists for a few turn, and even managed to get him down to 4 life before he overloaded a Mizzium Mortars to clear out my side of the board, and played another Thragtusk to put the game out of reach. He ended the game by letting his Huntsmaster of the Fells flip to deal me lethal.


Problem Cards/Noteworthy Cards

Olivia Voldaren
Thragtusk
Huntsmaster of the Fells
Mizzium Mortars
Disciple of Bolas

Thoughts on the Round

Like I said earlier, I had played this guy before, and he was one of the reasons I reworked my entire deck when I first got it. He was a really cool guy, and after getting wrecked by the American Control deck the game before, it was nice to be reminded that Magic could be fun. Throughout the games I didn’t really make any major misplays except for the last game when, for some unknown reason, I didn’t swing with my Doomed Traveler the first couple of turns, and I didn’t Negate one of his Dreadbores that killed a token I got after his overloaded Mizzium Mortars. I do believe that play cost me the third game. I think I forgot to mention that I sided in Negates after the first game, which seemed like a good idea, even though I never used them. Jund midrange is one of those games I have a hard time deciding what I want to side in. In retrospect, I do believe that Faith's Shield would have been a good call on my part.

Round 5: Spirits vs. Jund (B/R/G) Midrange

Game 1: Jund Midrange Wins (18 – 6)
Game 2: Jund Midrange Wins (25 – 6)
Game 3: Not Played

Game One: L (18 – 6)
Unfortunately, there’s not going to be a lot to talk about for either one of these games. I had to mulligan due to a one land hand which was not what I wanted at all. I was able to get out an early Favorable Winds with a Midnight Haunting for some tokens. My opponent played a Garruk Relentless  Flip which I met with an Oblivion Ring. I did manage to hit my opponent for some damage before he killed both of my spirit tokens with two Pillar of Flames. He played a Huntsmaster of the Fells which I tapped down with a Dungeon Geists, but it didn’t make much of a difference, as he was able to kill my Dungeon Geists with an Ultimate Price and win the game.


Game Two: L (25 – 9)
This is one game I wish I could forget. I again had to mulligan because of one land, and my second hand had only two lands, a Plains and a Swamp. I really didn’t want to go to five, and I was confident I’d draw into more lands. I was wrong. The only thing I did all game was flashback a Lingering Souls that I had to discard. He only had to play a Garruk Relentless  Flip, which shot a spirit, and a Thragtusk, and the game was over. I sat in my seat, and watched him beat my face to a pulp with his cards while I sat on two Lingering Souls and two Favorable Winds, which would have really helped me out.


Problem Cards/Noteworthy Cards

Garruk Relentless  Flip
Huntsmaster of the Fells
Thragtusk

Thoughts on the Round

I was disappointed in this round for a couple reasons. One, I didn’t get anything I needed, when I needed it, and that always really sucks. Two, I was not being a fun person to play against. I got in a bad mood when I couldn’t get anything I wanted, and I could tell I was making the other guy uncomfortable. I feel really bad about that, because I hate being the guy who gets pissy when he loses. With that being said, the only thing I could have done better was mulligan and shuffle. I didn’t really feel like I got to really play these games because I either drew nothing but mana, like in game one, or no mana, like in game two.

Round 6: Spirits vs. G/W Humans

Game One: Spirits Win (20 – 6)
Game Two: Spirits Win (15 – 9)
Game Three: Not Played

Game One: W (20 – 6)
This was my second game against a shop employee that night, the first being against the American Control deck. Seeing as how I got destroyed in that game, I was a little worried when the game started. With that aside, this game went by pretty quickly. She started off with a Precinct Captain and later an Avacyn's Pilgrim. I was able to get some tokens to block her Precinct Captain so she couldn’t get her tokens, and then played a Drogskol Captain to boost them. After that, she played an Ajani, Caller of the Pride and boosted her Precinct Captain, which I chump blocked again. The next turn, I used a Dungeon Giests to tap down her Precinct Captain, and with no real response to flying, I was able to hit her for game.


Game Two: W (15 – 9)
This game was another short one. She started the game the same way, with a Precinct Captain. She then got a Knight of Glory onto the field. She went to swing with her Precinct Captain, but I bounced it back on top of her deck with an Azorius Charm. After that, I played a Drogskol Captain, used a Cackling Counterpart to copy it, and played another Drogskol Captain. With the extremely boosted captains, I was able to put the game away.


Problem Cards/Noteworthy Cards

Precinct Captain
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Odric, Master Tactician
Knight of Glory
Champion of Lambholt

Thoughts on the Round

This was the last round of the night, and both of us seemed pretty tired. My opponent really wasn’t very focused on the game and was playing on auto pilot for most of it. That, coupled with that fact that my deck is very well suited to handle aggro decks with very little removal and no flyers, didn’t really do her any favors. That’s really one of the biggest problems I’ve noticed with G/W aggro. It’s pretty much a glass cannon. If it doesn’t work just right, winning isn’t really much of an option. She did manage to get a Champion of Lambholt during the second game, which would have helped out her deck a lot, but at that point, getting creatures wasn’t much of an option for her.</br

Round Record: 3 wins – 3 losses
Game Record: 7 wins – 7 losses
Favorite Deck of the Night: R/B Aggro
Place: 31 out of 50

Career Round Record: 5 wins – 6 losses – 1 draw
Career Game Record: 13 wins – 14 losses – 1 draw/no play
Best Place: 15 out of roughly 36

Final Thoughts

This FNM produced similar results to my last FNM. My record was roughly the same as the last time I played, but I feel like I played a whole better than I did the previous time. My favorite deck of the night was the R/B Aggro deck I played for only one reason, Vexing Devil. That seems like a weird thing to say, but the reason the guy played them really impressed me. They work as a pretty good burn spell, and that’s how I’ve always looked at them, but he said he uses them as a way to feel out his opponent and decide how he wants to play his hand. If they choose not to make him sac Vexing Devil, he knows they have an answer to it, and he will probably be playing some form of control. While this may seem like common sense to most people, it was very interesting for me to hear, and shed a new light on that card. It made me realize that as a player, I need to pay closer attention to how people play things so I can get a better feel for what and how they are going to play the rest of the game. Well, that’s all I have for today. Until next time, Nathaniel.

This article is a follow-up to Welcome to FNM

VampireArmy says... #1

wow, a very informative blog you have! i once played a deck similar to yours. are you running any Saving Grasp s? or maybe adding Curiosity or Sturmgeist For extra draw power?

December 30, 2012 5:43 p.m.

Wolfking3000 says... #2

Thank you. I'll look into Saving Grasp and Curiosity , though I'm not sure there's a spot for them. I have a tendency to empty my hand a little fast, so Sturmgeist may not fit to well.

December 30, 2012 6:28 p.m.

VampireArmy says... #3

That's why i suggest them. :) You can be adding to your hand just as fast as you empty it but another thing was i read somewhere in your article that you need more removal and you also have very little black cards. Perhaps a little black removal may do this deck good? I'm only an a small time player myself but it sounds like its just what you need

December 30, 2012 6:35 p.m.

LightningKing523 says... #4

Personally, I'd replace the Cackling Counterpart s with Think Twice , Thought Scour or Inspiration . It sounds like you need more draw in your deck so you don't get stuck being able to do nothing so often. Also, since you're already splashing Black for Lingering Souls flashback having some kill spells in the sideboard might not be a bad idea.

December 30, 2012 6:38 p.m.

HelixSnapHelix says... #5

Yeah I agree with LightningKing. I'd take out the guildgates and add 2 Isolated Chapel s, and 2 Drowned Catacomb s for some kill spells. You know, I bet card:Sphinx's Revelation would actually be a really good card in here for that turn when you run out of cards in hand and don't play anything. Play that, fill your hand, gain some needed life for the edge against other aggro decks that outpace yours. That'll pick up your steam enough to pump more creatures out again. Just a thought. :)

December 31, 2012 3:59 a.m.

teton798 says... #6

Have you thought about sideboarding Rootborn Defenses ? It could help you against some decks that rely on heavy burn removal and you can get another spirit out of it too.

December 31, 2012 11:03 a.m.

BuLLZ3Y3 says... #7

Unfortunately, I don't think card:Sphinx's Revelation is available to our hero, since he has a tight budget. I would suggest investing in a set of Hallowed Fountain before anything else.

Also, why are you playing Favorable Winds over Intangible Virtue ? I understand all of your tokens and creatures have flying and benefit from the winds, but vigilance is a really important keyword nowadays, with so much of the board state reliant on creatures. It doesn't help out your Drogskol Captain , but in my experience he just bites the dust as soon as he hits play anyway.

-BuLLZ3Y3

I agree with the suggestion to cut out the Cackling Counterpart in favor for Think Twice . Instant speed draw is nice to have, and will actually speed up your game. I will say that counterpart is pretty good with Geist-Honored Monk though.

December 31, 2012 7:28 p.m.

Wolfking3000 says... #8

Conveniently enough, my brother and I recently got a booster pack with a card:Sphinx's Revelation, so it may make an appearance in my next article. I'll also put in Think Twice over Cackling Counterpart to see how it does. As for black removal, I'm interested to hear you opinions on Killing Wave . I think it would be a decent sideboard card for aggro decks that are able to get more creatures out than I am. I'm not sure if it would be good, but I'd like to hear your opinions.

January 1, 2013 12:45 a.m.

LightningKing523 says... #9

Killing Wave is probably one of the better board wipes in your colors. If you get lucky opening packs thought Divine Verdict or Terminus are worlds better. You might also want to put Murder or Ultimate Price in your side board as spot removal. Also look at things like Blustersquall or Sleep for sideboarding in against B/R agrro and Zombies.

Mindshrieker isn't bad per say either but you do want to make sure that what you mill isn't a flashback card or a big fatty while playing against Frites. Use something like Unsummon to set up advantageous mills.

I do agree with BuLLZ3Y3 that Intangible Virtue would be better for this deck because pumping the tokens you make and being able to swing and block with them is amazing especially when you're playing against aggro decks. card:Sphinx's Revelation would solve your lack of draw and life gain. Also if you can try out Vault of the Archangel it can pull you from a lose to a win easily. It is a good idea to invest in shocklands like Hallowed Fountain . They will only go up in price so get them now while they're still relatively cheep.

January 1, 2013 11:45 a.m.

LightningKing523 says... #10

Sorry not Divine Verdict I meant Supreme Verdict . My bad, I didn't double check my post well enough.

January 1, 2013 11:52 a.m.

MatthiasApostle says... #11

As far as card draw Divination is by far a better choice than the suggested Inspiration

January 2, 2013 midnight

Subtle_Kay says... #12

Sorry to put this here, but how do I make my own article? Thanks.

January 2, 2013 4:48 a.m.

Epochalyptik says... #13

@Subtle_Kay: Submit it to an admin or post it in the Challenges/Articles forum and we'll look it over.

@Wolfking3000: Thank you for your contribution. A lot of the users on TappedOut are Standard players, and it's great that they now have a thought-out resource to which they can turn. This article exemplifies how a deckbuilder should approach games, design, and redesign.

January 2, 2013 6:57 a.m.

Wolfking3000 says... #14

To all who've given deck advice, I'll do my best to get as many of the suggested cards as I can. If I come into some money, Vault of the Archangel , Intangible Virtue and Hallowed Fountain will definitely happen. Until then, I'll probably run Think Twice over Cackling Counterpart at my next FNM.@ Epochalyptik: Thank you for the compliment. I really appreciate it, and I'm glad you enjoy the articles.

January 2, 2013 12:34 p.m.

epicusername says... #15

As the others said, I would agree with Intangible Virtue , it's relatively inexpensive and I highly recommend you pick up a playset of them over Favorable Winds . Bumping up your Drogskol Captain to a 3/3 still makes it susceptible to a Searing Spear or Thunderbolt , too easy to get rid of and not worth the Favorable Winds . Siding Rootborn Defenses is an excellent idea, I would actually chuck Mindshrieker in favor of it. Good luck and thanks for your informative blog, it's a pleasure to read!

January 3, 2013 5:18 p.m.

jokercrow says... #16

This is absolutely awesome. Thank you for doing this.

January 5, 2013 11:38 a.m.

Wolfking3000 says... #17

I'm glad you guys have enjoyed the blog. As for Intangible Virtue , I found out a friend of mine has like 12, some of which he said he'd give to me, so I'll have some in a few blogs. They won't be in the next one, but hopefully the one after that they will make an appearance.

January 5, 2013 9:52 p.m.

Wolfsage13 says... #18

Esper Nomage your deck reminds me a lot of this deck. Against an American control you might want to look at getting some Restoration Angel s and card:Judge's Familiars; the angels come down after the board wipe, and the familiars can save you from sooooo much.

Another fun trick to look for is to have both orings and counter spells; if you are on the play use the counter spells, and if you are on the draw use orings. When you are on the draw they have the mana to cast before you, so you'll have a harder time getting your counter spells in. Try using Syncopate instead of dissipate, it looses value late game, but it is easier to cast out of a 3 color deck.

January 6, 2013 5:09 p.m.

gheridarigaaz says... #19

I'd suggest a few more control spells, not ruling out Syncopate . it sucks that you have to pay x but it's alright early game and late game. also there are a fair few midrange threats the deck looks succeptible to... so probably mainboarding an Essence Scatter or two, seeing as the majority of noteworthy cards in almost all of your matchups were creatures, would definitely help the deck out. it's all fine running the usual removal spells but counterspells counteract etb effects which really set you back with all the Huntmaster of the Fells  Flip , Thundermaw Hellkite s and Thragtusk s you've been going up against and sure enough you should have countermeasures to boardwipes as well. as far as i know Nevermore is a perfectly fine answer to Terminus until it gets Oblivion Ring ed while i doubt opponents leave enough mana open when they cast Supreme Verdict /an overloaded Mizzium Mortars to counter a simple Rootborn Defenses .

would the fact that you're running black be a good reason to sideboard Duress against control? apart from the fact that they have to give up their most powerful control spell you also get a look at what might be coming ahead, in which case you get an edge that they don't have over you even though you won't always have answers to their answers... though saying that... the amount of black you run in the deck is marginal and probably only for the flashback on Lingering Souls so doing a turn 1 Duress is probably something you won't be able to do so often. you could always test it out though...

January 7, 2013 7:44 a.m.

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