kmk888

by using fetches you make it less likely for you to draw a land later when you wanted a spell. This is a common practice in professional play. It is pricey though, so if you don't want to spend that much money you should just use only islands

This is obviously a very well reasoned commentary and I like 1, 2, and 5. +1 for you. I think 3 and 4 slow down the deck more than necessary though.

I actually think you should move away from genesis chamber. Who needs 1/1s when you can just win? Then i would try and make use of both tutors with 4 putrid imps, 2 butcher ghouls, 3 diabolic intent and 3 infernal tutors. With this many tutors, you're sure to have some sort of combo off on like turn 3.

With that type of list then I would put 2 grave pact and 4 genesis chamber in the sideboard.

this list looks like a really nice compromise of your suggestions, well done. you can always side in more card drawing or more true-names.

I disagree with what the other commenters are saying about cutting a true-name. I think that this list, with only minor modifications (if any) is powerful enough. And the reason I like this so much is because although maybe it cuts a little explosive synergy out of merfolks if one of the creatures you play isn't a lord, but it's okay because instead you're playing a 3 cmc progenitus. Like the big strategy against merfolk is to run it out of lords, right? so here you're sacrificing a tiny bit of power for resilience against that kind of strategy

But if it were me I wouldn't choose between them. I would run 4 of both, and then cut the ponders for 2 spell pierce or cursecatcher. Permission is just sooo important. Pure merfolk and counterspells win a sickening amount of the time. Just take the vintage championships this year...

I also think you're running too much colorless mana from the practice draws I've taken. I don't know which one of the two nonbasics is more important to this strategy or how you might split them, so i won't try and make suggestions on that front.

carnival lets you recast gravecrawler infinitely, turning on combo options. It's pretty much essential...

cabal therapy is definitely a 4 of. But I don't agree with his analysis of putrid imp + infernal tutor, it seems like you're most often going to spit most of your hand on the table pretty fast and i think both of those cards deserve a slot for the fact that they are good for the deck even when you don't have exactly the hand you want. My suggestion is actually just to get rid of dimir machinations and dark prophecy for 4 cabal therapies and one more carnival of souls. I think that will make a really nice brew.

BTW I really admire this deck. In case anybody else hasn't seen it, it has multiple combos going on here. He has the tools to sacrifice or discard anything that slows him down (forcing a death trigger or hellbent effect), there are multiple cool repeatable effects he can use for one black mana apiece, and the blasting station/carnival of souls/gravecrawler is also to be admired. The latter reduces both players life totals infinitely, which, assuming you attacked first, means you win. If you have a sac outlet and a blood artist instead of a blasting station, you just reduce their life total infinitely. +1

Why on earth would he play dark depths when there is no synergy with anything else in the deck? He would have to add the 8 cards you guys have suggested and dilute what he already has. No, the list is tight as is.

like the rites. But the deck is going to miss griselbrand a lot.

whoooahh did not see that. You're absolutely right it's a triggered ability and you can respond to it. Of course, that means he's useless with anything other than vengeance, but it's probably consistent enough to warrant inclusion. Good call man!

...is not in the deck, and would slow down the overall strategy. He'd be better off just taking emrakul out and casting other monstrous things.

None of these things can cast Emrakul, he doesn't go into graveyards well.

I like the deck a lot now, I think the compulsive research was a good touch. Literally my only complaint is that it's hard to do things before turn 3.

it doesn't need it. Baron is played regardless of other lifegain because it's a 4/4 with lifelink and pro w/b. (the protection is what makes it). That said, he does have some lifegain. fiendslayer paladin and Soldier of the pantheon's lifegain can add up quickly in this format, especially in multiples. And of course, Baron makes its own lifegain happen

I very much like the idea of the deck. However, I do not like the mana curve that much and I think the majority of the time blessing is literally just giving the opponent a free two for one. I know that the amount of devotion it gives is ideal, however I do not feel that it is worth said possibility. I would like to point you towards blind devotion and/or imposing sovereign as possible alternatives. These both accomplish the same thing and give you a valuable amount of tempo since your early game is quite active, and they don't give your opponent an opportunity to pick up the dreaded two for one. I think imposing sovereign is a particularly good choice, as it is another 2 power creature.

I like this deck a lot. I was wondering about the lack of discard, but i pretty soon realized the cascade problem. But I guess between using breakings that you draw and using thirst for knowledge, you'll probably be okay. However, it leaves you not doing much in the early turns, which is an annoyingly difficult problem to solve. Been trying to find some spells that fix that, and it's very difficult. There's nothing really badass enough that cycles that rationalizes the cascade entering plan... If i think of something, i'll get back to you

You also seem to be taking some cues from living end decks, which is fine, but the reason that they run beast within is due to the nature of living end. I don't know if it's the right match here, especially in conjunction with the terastodons which do kind of the same thing.

i'm begging you, put one spell rupture in. It'll keep your opponent on their toes anyways

the deck is named counterstrike and it doesn't have a single counterspell WHAT IS THIS

Some more things about this deck: Not sure isochron scepter is used to it's full effect right now... If a third of your deck is burn spells i just don't know how much it's going to help to be able to play more burn spells with a scepter. Like you're going to draw more than enough. If you refine the instants and sorceries though... I think that's something you should do anyways. @Thatguy993 is right about sign in blood, I vote you add sign in blood and more flexible removal/other effects if you're determined to play scepter. Like you could play zealous persecution. or order // chaos.

I still think the deck is viable though, as all it is is spell triggers and spells. Maybe you don't have the giant combo you thought originally, but if you don't have a nephilim you can just play a heroic tribal, and if you do have a nephilim you can do lots of global effects.

I have very unfortunate news. I've spent half an hour on forums now understanding the nuances of these two abilities, and copies of spells do not trigger heroic. The mechanic says "cast a spell, and a copy is not cast." Therefore your Nephilim does not trigger all your heroic abilities. I am truly very sorry to hear this.

http://tappedout.net/mtg-questions/storm-rebound-forcast-and-cypher-for-heroic-trigger/