[FREE Article] The Return of The Deck!

[zeus-online]

Remember to count how good the chosen counterspell is in the other matches you expect to face...That might further tweak it, and would probably end up being my reason to run mana drain over pierce or snare in the end.

[Smmenen]

Remember to count how good the chosen counterspell is in the other matches you expect to face...That might further tweak it, and would probably end up being my reason to run mana drain over pierce or snare in the end.

Exactly, that's what I was trying to do here: 

If you run Spell Pierce, you also almost certainly want 2 Shamans.  

EDIT: that's because Shaman will help make Spell Pierce more effective.   

Also, as I said in the article:

Running down the line, here is the countermagic I would say is best in the particular matchup:

Tezzeret: 22%: Mana Drain
Fish: 11%: Spell Snare
Stax: 11%: Annul
Dredge: 9%: Spell Pierce
TPS: 8%: Spell Pierce
Oath: 8%: Annul
Steel City Vault: 6%: Spell Pierce
MUD: 5%: Annul
G/x Beats: 5%: Spell Snare
Drain Tendrils: 3%: Mana Drain
Ad Nauseam: 3%: Spell Pierce
Dragon Combo: 3%: Annul
Bob Control: 3%: Mana Drain
Painter Control 1.5%: Mana Drain
Counterbalance Control 1.5%: Mana Drain

Some of these assignments may be arguable. Each of the four options is decent in most of these matchups, with a few exceptions. As such, I had to select which I felt was best in that particular matchup. Here’s the result:

Mana Drain: 31%
Spell Snare: 16%
Annul: 19%
Spell Pierce: 26%

It was on that basis that I selected Mana Drain.  But if the metagame ratios were tweaked slightly, OR, if you held a runoff vote, then Spell Pierce might have overtaken Drain. 

For example:

Tezzeret: 22%: Mana Drain
Fish: 11%: Mana Drain
Stax: 11%: Spell Pierce
Dredge: 9%: Spell Pierce
TPS: 8%: Spell Pierce
Oath: 8%: Spell Pierce
Steel City Vault: 6%: Spell Pierce
MUD: 5%: Mana Drain (Metalworker and creatures!)
G/x Beats: 5%: Mana Drain
Drain Tendrils: 3%: Mana Drain
Ad Nauseam: 3%: Spell Pierce
Dragon Combo: 3%: Spell Pierce
Bob Control: 3%: Mana Drain
Painter Control 1.5%: Mana Drain
Counterbalance Control 1.5%: Mana Drain

Spell Pierce: 48%
Mana Drain: 49%

Mana Drain BARELY wins.   If you tweak those metagame stats even slightly, then Mana Drain or Spell Pierce could come out ahead.   

[kalisia]

Here is exposed only a "Drain versus Pierce" match.
May be the possibility of running both could be tried?
I would think about something like 4Drain/2Pierce or a symetric mix 3/3.
IMO "The Deck" should support it easily.

[Smmenen]

Here is exposed only a "Drain versus Pierce" match.
May be the possibility of running both could be tried?
I would think about something like 4Drain/2Pierce or a symetric mix 3/3.
IMO "The Deck" should support it easily.

That is something I definitely thought about when I was writing the article, but it's not something I considered too deeply.   If you want to rerun step 4, I would run it with this question in mind.   Consider Spell Pierce up against some of the other final options, for example.   Also, if you run Spell Pierce, there is no reason you have to run a full complement.   

[MaxxMatt]

That is something I definitely thought about when I was writing the article, but it's not something I considered too deeply.   If you want to rerun step 4, I would run it with this question in mind.   Consider Spell Pierce up against some of the other final options, for example.   Also, if you run Spell Pierce, there is no reason you have to run a full complement.

Bold text is one of the few among your arguments I really dislike.
When compared to ManaDrain, SPierce tend to lose in almost any game component with the exception of:
1) lowest cc available
2) strong effect when compared with its own low cc

In my mind, I started thinking about a scenario in which both of them can be resolved with ease.
Who will foolishly prefer SPierce over ManaDrain? None.

Now, project yourself into this new scenario: when will you prefer SPierce over ManaDrain?
Only when I can't resolve Drain ( often during first or second turn).
With this reasoning in mind, I will play SPierce only WHEN I need to counter things quickly and IF I can be quite sure of holding it at the right time.

I can hope to hold SPierce during first or second turn only if I choose to play the full set.
Mana Drain come out to be not a secondary choice in "value" but in "tempo". You need them later.
In the end I MUST run 4 copies of SPierce in order to optimize it while I CAN keep a lower number of Drains .

A pragmatical problem consist of early game mana managment:
I can't use mana to tutor for counterspells. I have to hold them in hand . Full set is required
During midgame or later, I can use mana to tutor for counterspell or draw into them. I can be sure to hold them in a lot of different and equally efficient ways ( draw, tutor, hold ). Ful set is not required.

If you run Spell Pierce, you also almost certainly want 2 Shamans.  
EDIT: that's because Shaman will help make Spell Pierce more effective.  

I have the same feeling: 4 SPierce, 2 ManaDrain, 2 Shaman, 4 FoW, 1 Mis-D should be insanely good, there. This is the configuration I want to propose as soon as possible. My own current tests are currently supporting this feeling, as well

This is the list.

(27) Mana
8 Accelerants
5 Strips
4 Fetch
4 Duals
4 CoB
1 Island
1 LoA

(11) Protections
4 FoW
4 SPierce
2 MDrain
1 Mi-D

(4) Winners
2 Shaman
1 STitan
1 YWill

(6) Tools
1 CoW
1 Mindtwist
1 AGrudge
1 Balance
1 Regrowth
1 F/I

(7) drawers
1 Ponder
1 Recall
1 Walk
1 Gifts
1 TFK
1 FoF
1 BS
 
(5) Tutors
1 Merchant
1 Demonic
1 Vampiric
1 Mystical
1 Tinker

(15) Same Sideboard as the previous one

Spell Pierce is definitely good in the beginning, but as the game progresses it becomes considerably worse. You're not ending the game anytime soon with this deck, which means eventually, even with your mana denial, you won't have hard counters. The anti-synergy with the colorless lands isn't that bad because we're running them in spell slots. This deck runs 6 colorless land, but also runs 5-6 more land than other drain decks. Frequently, my hands will have Waste/Strip+2 blue sources. You just have to make the decision as to which lands to play, turn 2 Drain or mana denial.

Your comments are insightful but I didn't overlook the issue you rised, simply I went to a more focused reaction after playing MDrains+Waste since forever in the past:

This is the situation came in my mind.

I hold Drain, Spells and Waste. I can optimize them all in the best possible way but in the first two/three turns I'm often brought to choose which play is going to be the best. In the past I have no chances to achieve with little mana development BOTH effects. At now, I can hope to have SPierce and Waste in hand AND play them all at once. THIS is huge. Only this little part of the reasoning is completely broken.

Since years, the VERY VERY bug Keeper had was about maximizing its first or second turns, the only ones during which the deck showed A LOT of defiances against opponents. At now, SPierce, being so strong during early game, gives Keeper a GOOD shot of being broken even during its own riskier part of the game. From the point of view one of the oldest living Keeper player, castrated since forever by opponent's broken plays turn 1 and 2, this is HUGE.
MDrains can't compete with a well timed SPierce.
Even when bad timed, SPierce can be cast since the very first turn, while MDrains while stronger, is overcosted because of its UU

During past days, I will risk not to ruin their lands soon because I have to use a full turn remaining opened and optimize MDrain: at now, I will kill their lands for sure WHILE being ready to counterspell their own threats with a single mana font. This strategic upgrade is stellar!!!

I also frequently found myself using Drain mana to fuel this deck, much, much more so than with Tezz, where Drain is often just Counterspell+sometimes look w/ top.
I can still see Spell Pierce being a viable choice, just not one I would make. Especially, Steve, as you said, it surely weakens the Tezz matchup.
Maybe a mix of Drains and Pierces is better?

Fueling brokeness through MDrain is strong but, IMHO, it is secondary when compared on being able to hard counter things during midgame. This is the only effect I could miss from ManaDrain. In the end, both the effects are so strong to not let me renunce to MDrain at all. I added two of them to my test maindeck... and yes, Titan, Shaman and Strips will let you "keep alive" SPierce such as an hardcounter really often. This is luckily true!!!


Enjoy,
MAxxMAtt

[beder]

That is something I definitely thought about when I was writing the article, but it's not something I considered too deeply.   If you want to rerun step 4, I would run it with this question in mind.   Consider Spell Pierce up against some of the other final options, for example.   Also, if you run Spell Pierce, there is no reason you have to run a full complement.

Bold text is one of the few among your arguments I really dislike.
When compared to ManaDrain, SPierce tend to lose in almost any game component with the exception of:
1) lowest cc available
2) strong effect when compared with its own low cc

In my mind, I started thinking about a scenario in which both of them can be resolved with ease.
Who will foolishly prefer SPierce over ManaDrain? None.

Now, project yourself into this new scenario: when will you prefer SPierce over ManaDrain?
Only when I can't resolve Drain ( often during first or second turn).
With this reasoning in mind, I will play SPierce only WHEN I need to counter things quickly and IF I can be quite sure of holding it at the right time.

I can hope to hold SPierce during first or second turn only if I choose to play the full set.
Mana Drain come out to be not a secondary choice in "value" but in "tempo". You need them later.
In the end I MUST run 4 copies of SPierce in order to optimize it while I CAN keep a lower number of Drains .

A pragmatical problem consist of early game mana managment:
I can't use mana to tutor for counterspells. I have to hold them in hand . Full set is required
During midgame or later, I can use mana to tutor for counterspell or draw into them. I can be sure to hold them in a lot of different and equally efficient ways ( draw, tutor, hold ). Ful set is not required.

If you run Spell Pierce, you also almost certainly want 2 Shamans.  
EDIT: that's because Shaman will help make Spell Pierce more effective.  

I have the same feeling: 4 SPierce, 2 ManaDrain, 2 Shaman, 4 FoW, 1 Mis-D should be insanely good, there. This is the configuration I want to propose as soon as possible. My own current tests are currently supporting this feeling, as well

This is the list.

(27) Mana
8 Accelerants
5 Strips
4 Fetch
4 Duals
4 CoB
1 Island
1 LoA

(11) Protections
4 FoW
4 SPierce
2 MDrain
1 Mi-D

(4) Winners
2 Shaman
1 STitan
1 YWill

(6) Tools
1 CoW
1 Mindtwist
1 AGrudge
1 Balance
1 Regrowth
1 F/I

(7) drawers
1 Ponder
1 Recall
1 Walk
1 Gifts
1 TFK
1 FoF
1 BS
 
(5) Tutors
1 Merchant
1 Demonic
1 Vampiric
1 Mystical
1 Tinker

(15) Same Sideboard as the previous one

Spell Pierce is definitely good in the beginning, but as the game progresses it becomes considerably worse. You're not ending the game anytime soon with this deck, which means eventually, even with your mana denial, you won't have hard counters. The anti-synergy with the colorless lands isn't that bad because we're running them in spell slots. This deck runs 6 colorless land, but also runs 5-6 more land than other drain decks. Frequently, my hands will have Waste/Strip+2 blue sources. You just have to make the decision as to which lands to play, turn 2 Drain or mana denial.

Your comments are insightful but I didn't overlook the issue you rised, simply I went to a more focused reaction after playing MDrains+Waste since forever in the past:

This is the situation came in my mind.

I hold Drain, Spells and Waste. I can optimize them all in the best possible way but in the first two/three turns I'm often brought to choose which play is going to be the best. In the past I have no chances to achieve with little mana development BOTH effects. At now, I can hope to have SPierce and Waste in hand AND play them all at once. THIS is huge. Only this little part of the reasoning is completely broken.

Since years, the VERY VERY bug Keeper had was about maximizing its first or second turns, the only ones during which the deck showed A LOT of defiances against opponents. At now, SPierce, being so strong during early game, gives Keeper a GOOD shot of being broken even during its own riskier part of the game. From the point of view one of the oldest living Keeper player, castrated since forever by opponent's broken plays turn 1 and 2, this is HUGE.
MDrains can't compete with a well timed SPierce.
Even when bad timed, SPierce can be cast since the very first turn, while MDrains while stronger, is overcosted because of its UU

During past days, I will risk not to ruin their lands soon because I have to use a full turn remaining opened and optimize MDrain: at now, I will kill their lands for sure WHILE being ready to counterspell their own threats with a single mana font. This strategic upgrade is stellar!!!

I also frequently found myself using Drain mana to fuel this deck, much, much more so than with Tezz, where Drain is often just Counterspell+sometimes look w/ top.
I can still see Spell Pierce being a viable choice, just not one I would make. Especially, Steve, as you said, it surely weakens the Tezz matchup.
Maybe a mix of Drains and Pierces is better?

Fueling brokeness through MDrain is strong but, IMHO, it is secondary when compared on being able to hard counter things during midgame. This is the only effect I could miss from ManaDrain. In the end, both the effects are so strong to not let me renunce to MDrain at all. I added two of them to my test maindeck... and yes, Titan, Shaman and Strips will let you "keep alive" SPierce such as an hardcounter really often. This is luckily true!!!


Enjoy,
MAxxMAtt

I 100% agree with your analysis. I don't have really any evidences, but I feel like a "4 spell pierce / 2 drains" split or perhaps a "3/3" could really mitigate the relative weakness during first turns while not really weakening mid-late games.
Given the overall strategy - controlling through resource denial - spell pierce is according to me an incredible tool that fits perfetly well both with the strategy and the tempo of "The Deck".

[credmond]

Since this deck has the ability through resource denial to always make spell pierce the optimum counter, even in the late game, there is no question that some amount of spell pierces belong in this deck, especially since it directly addresses the primary weakness of the deck - the early game. The only question is the ratio between mana drain and spell pierce which will need to be determined through playtesting and through consideration of the metagame.

Also, do keep in mind that the spell pierces in this deck act like the stifles of landstill. Once the stifle lost its early game potency they became the perfect fodder for the pitch spells of the landstill deck. Considering that this deck is sporting 5 pitches then it seems that at least 2 pierces could easily fit in any build of this deck for any metagame.

Whenever this deck can cast a spell pierce for full value it is drilling the opponent into the ground.

[Smmenen]

FYI, this is the decklist I published in the article:

http://sales.starcitygames.com/deckdatabase/displayprintdeck.php?DeckID=30533

Suggested by Stephen Menendian on 2009-12-20 as a potential deck for Vintage
As written about in http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/vintage/18454_So_Many_Insane_Plays_The_Return_of_The_Deck.html

Maindeck:

Artifacts
1 Black Lotus
1 Crucible Of Worlds
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

Artifact Creatures
1 Sundering Titan

Creatures
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Sower Of Temptation

Enchantments
1 Pernicious Deed

Instants
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Brainstorm
1 Cunning Wish
1 Fact Or Fiction
1 Fire / Ice
4 Force Of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
4 Mana Drain
1 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor

Sorceries
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind Twist
1 Ponder
1 Regrowth
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will

Basic Lands
1 Island

Lands
4 City Of Brass
1 Flooded Strand
1 Library Of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland

Sideboard:
1 Helm Of Obedience
2 Sower Of Temptation
4 Leyline Of The Void
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Extirpate
1 Krosan Grip
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Stroke Of Genius

Decklists are not always premium.   The article is all about how this particular list was built, using my 5-step method. 

[Metman]

Steve, as I have stated before I do not have premium and it is possible you addressed this question in the article.  I am curious if you and Pat had any fundamental disagreements on the direction of the deck, or if there were any specific cards that the two of you could not agree on.  From earlier in the thread I know that Balance was discussed but the inclusion of Pernicious Deed is very interesting and not necessarily conventional in past or contemporary control lists.  I would like to know what other cards of similar function were considered.  Understandably bounce spells have fallen out of flavor because of Inkwell Liaviathan's presence but it seems like access to Echoing Truth, Hurkyl's Recall, or Rebuild as a catch all solution to just about anything wouldn't be a bad idea.  Are you solely depending on Cunning Wish to find the silver bullet in the side?  I've found that in testing I wish I had access to more cards from the side, but I hate the idea of adding more Cunning Wishes to the main. 

[jester33]

I think the main reason for not including bounce is because this deck has a slow clock and its control nature makes it want to remove permanents from play (goes to the yard) and not just bouncing them to the oppoenents hand and have them replay them again.

[MirariKnight]

I played The Deck again at Blue Bell (as did a lot of other people!)
Here's my list, expecting mainly Tezz and Oath, with a few Shops/Dredge/Fish mixed in:

Mana:
3 City of Brass
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strant
1 Misty Rainforest
2 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
5 Mox
1 Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt

Spells:
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Tinker
1 Sundering Titan
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Misdirection
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Fire/Ice
2 Spell Pierce
1 Regrowth
1 Mind Twist
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Pernicious Deed

Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Helm of Obedience
2 Sower of Temptation
2 Greater Gargadon
1 Oxidize
1 Rebuild
1 Extirpate
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Pyroblast

It's similar to last time, but I moved Sphinx + Sowers to the board for Fish, put Sundering Titan main and didn't run any Gorilla Shaman because of Oath (definitely a mistake).
I went 4-1-1, missed top 8 on bad tiebreaks.
The 2 cards I wish I played were Gorilla Shaman, maybe even 2 of them (I got my only loss to Mastriano in the mirror b/c of mana denial; he ran Trygon Predator in the board) and Balance, which I think is really good for a number of reasons, especially coming back from the few times you lose control of the game.
I also played the mirror in the Sanctioned Vintage side event, and lost in a REALLY close game 3. Sanctioned Vintage is awesome, especially with a deck like this.

[sean1i0]

Well, first of all, even though you didn't Top 8 (this time), congratulations on the results!  Coming off a recent Top 8 with this deck, I find them to be impressive! 

As far as your comments on the deck go, I will definitely say that I agree 100% with Balance.  Now, life has been crazy this last week and a half-two weeks with Christmas, New Years, and getting engaged I haven't had a ton of time to test, but I will definitely say that any and all results have supported Balance as one of the all stars of the deck.  In my mind, it has a Yawgmoth's Will-level power in this deck.  Like you said, Mirari, it wins games that *do* get out of control, but I have also won lots of games by just planning the entire thing around Balance.  For example, against Beats, I will find a way to find and/or play Balance and then just spend as many turns as I can afford letting them develop their board/gameplan and then cast Balance.  From there, if done right, there should be no way for them to win, since you have also had prior knowledge of Balance and were able to set up your post-Balance hand/board.  There really is no amount of praise that I could give this card that I would feel would be too much.

As far as Gorilla Shamans go, I feel that I would love 2 at times as well, but I have never been able to find a spot that I could realistically say would be worth cutting for the 2nd one.  Maybe I am just valuing some slots too high (and a lot of that is obviously very metagame dependent), but I have also been very happy with 1 Shaman configuration for now.

[Smmenen]

Take a look at this second place list from the end of December, from a Kentucky power tournament:

Robert Graves
The Deck
 
2 Gorilla Shaman
1 Sundering Titan
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Darkblast
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
4 Spell Pierce
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Life from the Loam
1 Regrowth
1 Time Walk
2 Compulsive Research
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
4 Force of Will
2 Leyline of the Void
1 Helm of Obdience
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
4 City of Brass
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Island
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn 
 
Sideboard
 
2 Glen Elendra Archmage
2 Sower of Temptation
2 Pyroblast
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Leyline of the Void
2 Chalice of the Void

Robert's list is interesting.   Compulse Research allows you to discard some flashback or dredge or superfluous lands.  His list looks highly synergistic and powerful. 

[ilpeggiore]

i like it a lot .... except for these 3 cards :

2 Leyline of the Void
1 Helm of Obdience

i would prefer ETW + hurkills (another blue card... there are only 18) +  extirpare ( or no ETW and another anti-graveyard card).

c.research ... is it strictly better than strategic planning or night whispers? sure, it permits to have +1 CA, but it's a cc3 sorcery speed card.that extra mana could be too expensive in the main fase.
[i'm not saying they are bad, i'm sayin they aren't better than every other drawing spell]



Glen Elendra Archmage

kinda slow... sure it helps you a lot if hits the board . IF.
maybe GEA #2 should be the fourth leyline 

[MirariKnight]

Research is better than all of those cards in this list, because it draws 3 and the drawback is minimal w/ Loam+20ish lands and Flashback/Dredge cards.
I personally would want some number of Drains in that list to power out the high CMC spells (Research, Obeyline).

I don't really understand why Loam would ever be run over Crucible aside from the minor synergy with Research. There are 2 purposes to the land recursion card:
1. Play the mana denial game. This seems especially important here w/ 2 Shamans and Pierces instead of Drains.
2. Counter decks that try to play mana denial on you

It's much harder to do both of those things when you have to lose your draw step and cast a spell every time you want your land back. Crucible passively lets you do that for a one time colorless mana investment and doesn't eat your draw steps like Loam does.

Glen Elendra comes in pretty much only vs. control decks. The deck is missing Library, which is so critical in the control matchup. I would definitely either find room for Library maindeck or replace a Glen Elendra in the board with a Library. Glen Elendra isn't so hot without Drains. Library goes very nicely with Spell Pierce on the other hand.

[Doomsday]

Is it just the fact that Loam gets online whether they counter it the first time or not?  That it can be Mystical Tutored for?  Losing your draw every time you want to use this seems more significant than the benefits, but better deckbuilders than me built this thing.

[vroman]

I played a lot of variations on 5c drain decks prior to switching to Oath.
In my experience:
I do not like Cunning Wish. Building a toolbox sideboard weakens your games 2/3 more than the extra utility strengthens your game 1s.
Mindbreak Trap has proven not worth the slots vs ANT, since they tend to rely on Xantid Swarm post board. Bringing in additional counterspells does not add any marginal utility. I would rather run a Trinisphere and Sphere of Resistance in those slots.
Timetwister is really hard to use in non-combo.
Pernicious Deed is THE control card these days. Its wrath vs fish; crushing mana denial in numerous situations; board wipe vs stax; kills oath; keeps opposing Time Vaults at bay, etc. It is a rare matchup I would board it out, and usually am happy to be able to bring in 1 or more.

[Smmenen]

So, apparently this deck won two 40ish player tournaments this past weekend, one in Europe and one here in the US (with 4 Compulsive Research).   Verdict is in, and this deck has proven tournament results.   The European list is almost identical to the one I proposed in this article. 

[DuKeLiO]

Sure, the deck is solid and very fun to play. I also played it in a tournament in Alcobendas (Madrid) and I have to scoop to a friend beacuse snow start falling and I had to come back home in my motorcycle Here is my list.

[MaxxMatt]

In my experience:
 {1}I do not like Cunning Wish. Building a toolbox sideboard weakens your games 2/3 more than the extra utility strengthens your game 1s.
 {2}Mindbreak Trap has proven not worth the slots vs ANT, since they tend to rely on Xantid Swarm post board. Bringing in additional counterspells does not add any marginal utility. I would rather run a Trinisphere and Sphere of Resistance in those slots.
 {3}Timetwister is really hard to use in non-combo.
 {4}Pernicious Deed is THE control card these days. Its wrath vs fish; crushing mana denial in numerous situations; board wipe vs stax; kills oath; keeps opposing Time Vaults at bay, etc. It is a rare matchup I would board it out, and usually am happy to be able to bring in 1 or more.

I really like the summary you did:
   I cut CWish for the same reasons. When playing CWish and looking at my sideboard, I realized how it diluite sideboard impact over the game 2 & game3. Useless, especially if you can add different winning conditions to circumvent SadSac effects
   I'm saying it since the first time I saw its addition: with the time passing, no TPS or ANT player will blindly try to kill you without previously using discard effects or Swarms. If opponents play with MindbreakTrap in mind, they can't be surprised with their pants down anymore.
   Have you ever tried to always abuse of TTwister? I suspect, if you will find a key role to it during the winning process, you'll find additional value for this spell: when using Timetwister only as reset button or resource recycler, it is to foggy to be correctly evaluated.
   In my mind, Sower/Deed compete for the same slot. I really like only ONE of them, but I'm maybe deviated by my own metagame ( a lot of control decks and combo deck against which I will rarely abuse of both of them ).



  Spell Pierce has proven to be comparable to Mana Drain into this deck. It apply the needed protection against combo and control combo decks during first/second turn, while MDrain can't often be resolved quickly. Denial plan is the only real long term enhancer of thedeck winning strategy: it let you abuse of SPierce even in the mid/late game. When playing CompulsiveResearch, I find SPierce to be good ( as support and protection ), too. MDrain first and then use the mana to pay less for CResearch can be too slow. Drawing cards AND protecting yourself with a single mana, is usually better and quicker: any thing can let TheDeck winning plan to be more fluid is really welcome.

This is my list at now.

(27) Mana
8 Accelerants
5 Strips
4 Fetch
4 Duals
4 CoB
1 Island
1 LoA

(9)
4 SPierce
4 FoW
1 Mis-D

(9)
2 Shaman
1 Regrowth
1 Mindtwist
1 AGrudge
1 Balance
1 Deed
1 CoW
1 F/I

(5)
1 Merchant
1 Tinker
1 DT
1 VT
1 MT

(8)
1 Brainstorm
1 Twister
1 ARecall
1 Ponder
1 Walk
1 Gifts
1 TFK
1 FoF
 
(2)
1 STitan
1 YWill

(15) Sideboard
5 Obeyline
1 Trinisphere
1 Exirpate
8 Metagamed Tools

[Smmenen]

SCG just changed it's premium policy, and this article is now FREE. 

I know there have been alot of questions about this deck, how I built it, and my approach.

Well, for those of you without premium, the answers are now available.   This article is as relevant as when it was published a month ago, so enjoy!   

[jester3397]

For the most part Sundering Titan comes on top as the best tinker target. Great against Tezz and Noble Fish, as I've tested myself and won 2 games in a tourney by having resolved tinker and getting Titan.

With the anticipated rise of shops deck is running another tinker target in the sideboard a good choice? If so which one do you run?
I've personally used SotSW, what have you used?

[Tiki Walker]

Greetings, this question is directed to Mr. Steve.

Suppose step 1 of your deck building guide yields something along this line:

Out of the likely/perceived environment there are 2 archetypes that a lot of players like to play with, say 30% and 35%, and the rest are 10%, 10%, 10 %, and 5%, ; but those 2 archetypes that are represented the most are very different to one another (for example one is Oath variants and the other is GWU/GBU beat/disruption deck), how this will affect spell choices for the deck that we are trying to build?

Could you give a little bit insight as how to approach that situation? Is it affected by the other 35% archetypes that make up the rest of the expected environment?

Thank you.

[DuKeLiO]

Always there are common points. In your example you can go with more creature removal al usual, like Swords to plowshares and Sower of Temptation. For Example I am specting a lot of Oath, Noble Fish and MWS Aggro for my next tournament and I will run some Swords to fight it.

@jester3397
I've used with good success two tinker targets on my maindeck. I play with a Sundering Titan and a Sphinx maindeck. With 28 mana sources you can cast it in a lot of games, and you have not to worry about it pitching to fow or discarding it with Thirst for Knowledge.

[unixtreme]

@jester3397
I've used with good success two tinker targets on my maindeck. I play with a Sundering Titan and a Sphinx maindeck. With 28 mana sources you can cast it in a lot of games, and you have not to worry about it pitching to fow or discarding it with Thirst for Knowledge.

Plus deppending on the board situation you have choices to blow their boards out or protect yourself from the weenies.

[unicoerner]

I have 3 questions:
1) If we think about including Diabolic Edict somewhere in our list, why not choose Chainer`s Edict over it. With every card we seek for card advantage, Chainer`s would offer this. Of course it`s sorcery speed, but with Mind Twist we hadn`t any problems either.

2) Why are we so sold about playing our counter 4+4? We could aswell play 4+2+2 or some other configuration. By doing so we could have our opponents guessing if the game moves on. If he`s guessing he will make more mistakes...

3) We play approx. 10 shuffle effects. And noone thought ob Sensei Div Top yet. This could be a good 1 of if we find some space

[jester3397]

1. Being able to slip that edict anytime has a huge advantage over being able to reuse it. And 5BB to reuse is still hard to resolve with counter backup.

2. As been said there is no definitive list its just that most peeps are more comfortable with 4FoW + 4 Drain setup. I've used 3Drain + 2 Spell Pierce. Owen Turtenwald has been successful with 4 pierces. I believe it should be meta dependent as which it should be when approaching to build The Deck.

3. It might prove to be useful and would need testing to prove its worth. I just think it might be a glorified sylvan library in this deck.

[MirariKnight]

I played the mirror vs. Paul Mastriano at Blue Bell 1 and he had top in the deck. It can be ok in this deck but I'm not sure that it is better than anything it would replace.

[Tiki Walker]

To Mr. Stephen M:

I would be very interested to know what was Patrick's arguments regarding the proposed number of Force of Will to be put in the deck. Because of the original concept, quite a number of times during games I got the impression that perhaps less could be used since:

1.  the concept is more comfortable at establishing itself and answering threats than actively trying to stop opponent's spells from resolving to begin with.

2. there are not a lot of useful blue cards to comfortably support 4 much less 5 in this type of multicolor control deck; sufficient number of slots are needed for spells from other color that are better at answering threats other than blue, and to give those answer spells a certain amount of density to address the environment where the user plays.

[Smmenen]

To Mr. Stephen M:

I would be very interested to know what was Patrick's arguments regarding the proposed number of Force of Will to be put in the deck. Because of the original concept, quite a number of times during games I got the impression that perhaps less could be used since:

I think Patrick was comfortable with 3 Forces, but only in the occasion that you ran Misdirection, and only in particular matchups.  The Misdirection served many of the functions that Force provides, but a few that Force doesn't. 

To that I would add that if you run Spell Pierce, the pressure to include all four Force lessens.