Do some legacy storm decks use counterspells? If so, which ones?
Legacy forum
Posted on June 9, 2013, 9:25 a.m. by 203995014
I was making 12-post legacy and then I was thinking about sideboard tech against storm decks. I had 4 Flusterstorm already, and I was thinking about 3 more sideboard cards against storm.
I thought Mindbreak Trap at first, but then I remembered some people telling me to not use Mindbreak Trap because it gets countered by Force of Will and other things and to use Thalia, Guardian of Thraben instead.
It then hit me that I don't actually know whether storm decks use counters or not.
Do they?
Epochalyptik says... #3
To my knowledge, storm decks tend to not use counterspells. Then again, Legacy storm hasn't been doing well, at least in SCG events. You should probably be siding against decks that are actually threats.
June 9, 2013 10 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #4
@infinitemana: Judging by the first line of the post, he's siding against storm.
June 9, 2013 10:01 a.m.
Would I still side in Thalia, Guardian of Thraben over Mindbreak Trap against storm anyway?
(Also, storm was doing well against my 12-post deck, so pre-sideboard, I would be screwed)
June 9, 2013 10:35 a.m.
Epochalyptik says... #6
Mindbreak Trap is kind of iffy. If your opponent is running countermagic, Mindbreak Trap is useless. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben needs to land before your opponent starts going off, but she obliterates storm because storm can't work through 2-drop cantrips.
I'm not very well-versed in Legacy or any other 60-card format, though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.
June 9, 2013 10:38 a.m.
Thalia is really really good against Storm and is somewhat effective against creature-based aggressive strategies also because of first strike.
Flusterstorm is really good. I think that since most storm decks in legacy right now are not High Tide based, they don't run that many counterspells because instead they have the option of going off as early as turn 1.
Overall, I would say Mindbreak Trap because most storm decks are not running countermagic. It also can be horizontally integrated into your strategy against combo elves, because you can exile uncounterable spells like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and problem spells after they ramp up into something, such as Craterhoof Behemoth and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre .
June 9, 2013 11:02 a.m.
Stifle is 1,000 times better at beating storm than any counterspell, mainly because it's not a dead card in the sideboard, can be mainboarded to stop fetch lands and Wasteland , and isn't as conditional or use up card advantage.
The two main storm decks I can think of off the top of my head for Legacy are Ad Nauseam Tendrils (Tendrils of Agony ) and One/Two Land Goblin Charbelcher .
June 12, 2013 3:55 a.m.
June 12, 2013 3:26 p.m.
Storm is a triggered ability. They'll still get the initial spell, but not the copies. Casting Tendrils of Agony to do 2 damage and gain 2 life isn't so great all of a sudden, nor is paying four mana for two 1/1s from Empty the Warrens .
June 12, 2013 6:52 p.m.
However, Having multiple ways to deal with multiple threats is (in theory) much better than having one way to deal with multiple threats because they both have the advantage of being able to deal with multiple threats yet the drawing consistency is improved with having multiple ways to deal with threats rather than just having 4 Stifle . Not only that, but having multiple ways to deal with multiple threats opens up on more things it can deal with. Mindbreak Trap and Flusterstorm for example can be used as a general purpose counterspell (although Mindbreak Trap is more specifically towards storm and uncounterables)
Is there a flaw in this reasoning?
(Can't believe I thought Stifle only worked on permanents lol...)
June 12, 2013 7:02 p.m.
gheridarigaaz says... #12
not legacy but modern, i've heard of someone using Remand so save their spell before it gets countered by the opponent then re-casting it for a higher storm count...
infinitemana says... #2
Are you looking for options against storm decks, or do you have a storm deck that you might add counters to?
June 9, 2013 9:56 a.m.