UR's Options against Abzan (Aggro, Rally, Demonic)
Standard Deck Help forum
Posted on July 31, 2015, 2:48 p.m. by ducttapedeckbox
It seems like everyone at my LGS is turning to some form of Abzan list. I'm expecting at least half the meta to be either aggro, rally, control, or demonic Abzan.
I'm still going to be playing my mediocre UR Counterburn since I'll only be attending one more FNM after this week until the winter. How can I combat all of the Abzan? Should I mainboard Negate over Disdainful Stroke to more easily counter Demonic Pact and Rally the Ancestors? Mainboard a second Perilous Vault? Do I keep Keranos in with all of the Dromoka's Commands that'll I'll likely see?
It's going to be rough regardless of the changes I make, but hopefully I can improve a little.
kengiczar says... #2
If you're playing that deck just have some Day's Undoing in the sideboard along with some Dissipate in the main, and more counter in the side.
The idea is you may only fire off burn spells way less often but with Anger and Dissipate you slowly chip away at their available cards so that each time you use Day's Undoing they less of a chance of drawing things like Siege Rhino and Rally the Ancestors, and with Anger of the Gods exiling Raptors, Nantuko Husk, Liliana, Heretical Healer Flip and more they won't have much by the end of things.
Also it's a little late if you don't already have the duals but there is a superbly amazing card that just craps all over Rally the Ancestors and that cards name is Hallowed Moonlight.
Note that Hallowed Moonlight is a replacement effect and NOT a triggered ability. This is important because ill-informed players my try to argue that they can sacrifice things to Nantuko Husk after Hallowed Moonlight resolves to have them avoid Moonlight's exile effect. That's a big "nope" to them.
Rally is a cool deck but it's an upgrade over the Purphoros, God of the Forge + Return to the Ranks decks. As such the same strategies still beat it: Attrition/control the hell out of it or play "fair" until they try to cast Rally the Ancestors and stymie their key play.
August 8, 2015 2:44 a.m.