Verdurous Counters

Standard BG (Golgari) Competitive Counters Midrange

Copperlax

Creature (26)

• 2x Drana, Liberator of Malakir
• 3x Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
• 3x Greenbelt Rampager
• 3x Longtusk Cub
• 3x Rishkar, Peema Renegade
• 4x Verdurous Gearhulk
• 4x Walking Ballista
• 4x Winding Constrictor

Land (22)

• 4x Aether Hub
• 4x Blooming Marsh
• 7x Forest
• 2x Hissing Quagmire
• 5x Swamp

Artifact (1)

• 1x Aethersphere Harvester

Instant (6)

• 2x Blossoming Defense
• 1x Fatal Push
• 3x Grasp of Darkness

Planeswalker (2)

• 2x Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

Sorcery (3)

• 3x Attune with Aether

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Sideboard

Instant (12)

• 2x Appetite for the Unnatural
• 2x Blossoming Defense
• 2x Fatal Push
• 1x Grasp of Darkness
• 2x Heroic Intervention
• 1x Murder
• 2x Natural State

Sorcery (3)

• 3x Lost Legacy

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After pulling two Walking Ballista in one booster, I decided to make a G/B counters deck. The name of the game is simple, ramp to monsters as fast as you can and then smash. It's a bit on the slow side and has had some difficulty against aggro in early testing. It hasn't left my casual group yet so has yet to run against a control deck.

Card Choice

Creatures

• Winding Constrictor - This really is the heart of the deck. It works well to ramp up all the other creatures when they interact with counters.

• Walking Ballista - A versatile creature that can grow on it's own and will always get some damage through even if you have to remove the counters. It has swung in unchecked, rampped to 7/7 during the attack, then removed the counters to deal the final 7 damage. Brutal.

• Verdurous Gearhulk - This one kind of speaks for itself. With a Winding Constrictor on the board you could be potentially entering the battlefield with 8 extra counters and a creature with trample.

• Rishkar, Peema Renegade - Similar to Gearhulk, this one just adds more counters with the option to turn those creatures into ramp to get the Gearhulk out.

• Glint-Sleeve Siphoner - Produces energy with menace is pretty solid. She starts off unassuming but with all the ways things can get counters, it can get rather big and be difficult to block at the same time.

• Drana, Liberator of Malakir - Solid addition to the deck. Flying gives her evasion to ensure that she gets the counters out. It's not uncommon to see her with 6 counters only a couple turns after she's come on the board.

• Longtusk Cub - Since energy is a sub theme, if this thing goes unblocked it will grow by at least 2 counters with a constrictor on the board. With 4 forests, I've given him 8 counters while bouncing Greenbelt Rampager in and out of play.

• Greenbelt Rampager - This is a lot more versatile card than you may think. He's a great way to ramp energy to pump other cards or simply a 3/4 for 1 mana.

Planeswalker

• Nissa, Voice of Zendikar - This Nissa is kind of ideal for the deck. +1 to get a chump blocker out there or -2 to put those beautiful counters on everything. Which of course should double from Winding Constrictor. I've had limited experience getting her out on the board, which makes me wonder her longevity in the deck.

Instant

• Grasp of Darkness - Probably one of the best removals in Black STD right now. Although Fatal Push is cheaper and has it's place. Grasp has more consistency.

• Fatal Push - Even though I said what I said above, it's just such a good card.

• Blossoming Defense - This is primarily my counter removal. The +2/+2 is just a nice bonus.

Sourcery

• Attune with Aether - Mana-fixes and gives you energy. You don't even need the constrictor out for this to be a good card. What more can I say?

Date added	7 years
Last updated	7 years
Legality	This deck is not Standard legal.
Rarity (main - side)	8 - 0 Mythic Rares 20 - 5 Rares 17 - 5 Uncommons 3 - 5 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.08
Tokens	Energy Reserve, Plant 0/1 G