Dies to Removal

Echoing Truth is no joke. Is there enough upside to it vs. Vapor Snag or Repulse?

You might want to look into a more aggro version with Phantasmal Bear and less land + Gitaxian Probe (no Ninja or Faeries though, they're awful).

They're seriously awful; I just 2-0'd a Mono U Ninja's player where I landed a Turn 3 Spire Golem both games and he proceeded to play out 3-4 more creatures that couldn't rumble with it. Was sad.

Echoing Truth is no joke. Is there enough upside to it vs. Vapor Snag or Repulse?

You might want to look into a more aggro version with Phantasmal Bear and less land + Gitaxian Probe (no Ninja or Faeries though, they're awful).

They're seriously awful; I just 2-0'd a Mono U Ninja's player where I landed a Turn 3 Spire Golem both games and he proceeded to play out 3-4 more creatures that couldn't rumble with it. Was sad.

These are the games that I actually hate playing, because we both just sit on board staring at each other and the clock runs out. Hence Echoing Truth.

I like the Trespassing Souleater for the same reason.

Haha I love those games because I board out my Delvers!

2-0 vs Chris Davis in the finals of an 8 man; he was recording another burn video. The plan of bringing in 4 Hydroblast + 4 Duress for 2 Essence Scatter, 4 Exclude, 2 Repeal worked well, Piracy Charm is basically Duress.

You might want to look into a more aggro version with Phantasmal Bear and less land + Gitaxian Probe (no Ninja or Faeries though, they're awful).

Faeries are just fine if you are willing to swing full aggro/tempo/blue skies, it's when you go faerie control that you get into trouble.

Ephemeron was a bit meh in practice, probably because it's only a singleton. My strategy has been to resolve a Golem then loop Arrows with Repeal until my opponent wants to kill himself.

It could probably just be Dispel honestly.

That would give me an extra card for some of the combo decks and Burn too.

Yup, done.

Halimar Watchkeep for the mirror? Sigh.

Tresspassing Souleater / Deathcult Rogue / Rootwater Commando is probably the best you'll get. I have wracked my brains for an easy way to crush the mirror, and without a complete SB overhaul there isn't.

Deathcult Rogue is the best option. Solved!

Seems interesting.

Going to try out some other sideboard ideas. So much work to do! Main 60 is perfect though.

[deck=The_Apologist's MUC]Lands 22
19 Island
3 Quicksand

Spells 28
4 Counterspell
4 Deprive
4 Exclude
2 Miscalculation
2 Oona's Grace
4 Preordain
2 Prohibit
2 Repeal
4 Think Twice

Creatures 10
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Errant Ephemeron
4 Spire Golem

Sideboard 15
2 Annul
2 Curfew
2 Curse of the Bloody Tome
2 Dispel
3 Piracy Charm
2 Serrated Arrows
2 Spell Pierce[/deck]
Anti-MUC MUC deck

Deathcult Rogue is the real fuckin' deal. Had some nasty board stall going with a bunch of Spire Golems and Delvers vs. a Faeries deck, then Rogue came down and clocked him ezpz.

[deck=The_Apologist's MUC]Lands 22
19 Island
3 Quicksand

Spells 28
4 Counterspell
4 Deprive
4 Exclude
2 Miscalculation
2 Oona's Grace
4 Preordain
2 Prohibit
2 Repeal
4 Think Twice

Creatures 10
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Errant Ephemeron
4 Spire Golem

Sideboard 15
2 Annul
2 Curfew
2 Curse of the Bloody Tome
2 Dispel
3 Piracy Charm
2 Serrated Arrows
2 Spell Pierce[/deck]
Anti-MUC MUC deck

Yeah that will definitely do it! Curse of the Bloody Tome is so good against MBC and MUC, maybe that is the solution.

Might just go back to Curse of Chains in the board; good in the mirror for Spire Golem; if they bounce their own guy with Snap you can counter it on the way back down; and it helps vs. Affinity.

2-1 vs Hexproof
2-1 vs MBC
2-1 vs Mono Blue Ninjas

[deck]My current working list[/deck]

Things to do:

# Consider the Muddle the Mixture package, including Echoing Truth, Vedalken Aethermage, Jace's Erasure, etc.
# Remove Piracy Charm. I know James likes the card a lot, and I understand why it's in the deck, it has just not been that incredible for me. I'd probably rather just have it be Dispel or Negate. The matchups I normally board in Piracy Charm for (burn and the mirror) I could see more value in just having more countermagic than making them discard the spell of their
choice.
# Find room for Echoing Truth. Card is really good against the aggro decks. Also not bad in the faeries matchup as it can set you up for a potentially lethal swing.

Piracy Charm is also for Faeries / Stompy / Goblins. If you're not facing those then 4 Dispel will be better.

I'm going to give a lot of though to this Muddle Package, it seems gross.

What matchup(s) are vault skirts for?

What matchup(s) are vault skirts for?

I thought they'd be better in the mirror than they have been. I am probably taking them out, but every time I've landed one with a Spectral Flight I've won the game.

I've liked Piracy Charm, and I bring it in vs Faeries, MBC and Burn. It's annoying, but Piracy Charm + Quicksand on an x/3 isn't the worst. I often board Piracy Charm in for Repeal against decks with ETB creatures.

The all-star has been Serrated Arrows, it clawed me back out of a nasty mirror match board stall twice this morning.

I've liked Piracy Charm, and I bring it in vs Faeries, MBC and Burn.

The all-star has been Serrated Arrows, it clawed me back out of a nasty mirror match board stall.

I didn't buy them yet, I was going to wait until I went into the green to do so. I've been noticing that I might need them to get there, though.

Muddle the Mixture can search out Into the Roil which is worse in small creature matchups but better at resetting Spire Golems and Serrated Arrows.

Omenspeaker is a worse Sea Gate Oracle, but comes down a turn earlier and is Muddleable.

We're really going deep on this Muddle nonsense.

Also I just had an opponent scoop in response to my Think Twice on his Squadron Hawk.

Is this the real life?

Everyone knows that Think Twice always draws the counterspell.

Muddle me like one of your blue cards baby.

Everyone knows that Think Twice always draws the counterspell.

Best part was: it was only turn 2.

Maybe he suspected Daze or something.

Think Twice into Force of Will. Then scream VALUE at the monitor.

Ugh just lost to that stupid affinity deck due to mulligans to 4 in both games. Feels bad. Back into the red.

Settled on 74 of 75. Won another 8-man.

[deck]Pauper MUC[/deck]
Creatures
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Sea Gate Oracle
4 Spire Golem

Instants
4 Counterspell
4 Deprive
2 Essence Scatter
4 Exclude
2 Oona's Grace
4 Repeal
4 Think Twice

Sorceries
4 Preordain

Lands
19 Island
3 Quicksand

Sideboard
2 Curse of Chains
4 Hydroblast
4 Piracy Charm
2 Sea Gate Oracle
2 Serrated Arrows
[/deck]

1 slot left.

Matchups

Great (65%+)
- Mono Black (-4 Repeal; +2 SGO, +2 Arrows)
- UB Trinket (ibid)
- Kilnclops (-4 Delver, -2 SGO, +2 Curse of Chains, +4 Hydroblast)
- RUG Tron (-4 Repeal, +4 Hydroblast)
- any combo deck (-4 Repeal, +4 Piracy Charm, usually)

Good (55%+)
- Stompy (-4 Delver, -4 Deprive, +4 Piracy
Charm, +2 SGO, +2 Serrated Arrows)
- White Weenie (ibid)
- MUC Mirror (-4 Delver, -2 SGO; +4 Piracy Charm, +2 Serrated Arrows)

Fair
- Ninja Delver (ibid)
- Hexproof (-2 Deprive, +2 SGO)

Poor
- Affinity; still trying different ideas, mostly curse of Chains / Hydroblast.

I want to try out Curse of Chains in the mirror as well as a cheap answer to Spire Golem / Stormbound Geist.

Final slot still open for discussion; I need to go look at some of the sideboard plans from other players on mtgo.

What about annul vs affinity?

I'll be playing in the MTGO Premier Event at 6:30pm tomorrow night (7:30am EST if you're in the States). If you're interested, tune in at www.twitch.tv/zemanjaski. Usual FAQ / breakdown after the event.

Going with -1 SGO, +2 Curse of Chains in the board.

Well, if I only need the card for Affinity, maybe I just want Steel Sabotage.

Fuck I hate Affinity.

[deck]Updated sideboard[/deck]

Not worth trying to beat Affinity; so I've made every other matchup as good as possible.

Ill try to explain all the choices on stream.

Steel Sabotage isn't awful against Tron either. It's basically "U: Time Walk target bad deck."

Won an 8-man:

2-0 vs mirror
2-1 vs mirror
2-0 vs mirror

So many games going turn 24+