What is our best game plan against UW Vial Spirits? They seem to basically be pre-sideboarded against us with the graveyard-exiling spirit and Mausoleum Wanderers, with the addition of Spell Queller postboard, I just don't feel good about any plan!
Has anyone had success with a particular strategy vs them; Mulligan decisions, etc? Makes me wanna jam Raking Canopy or something else that just hoses fliers.
I'm a bit confused about why you say that History is basically Lingering Souls, when one of the only things they have in common (as far as I can see) is the mana cost.
Well, given that we're playing them both t3, here's how they play out (assuming no other spells are played)
Lingering Souls:
T3: play Lingering Souls, get 2/2 worth of Flying creatures.
T4: flash back Lingering Souls, get 2/2 worth of Flying creatures for a total of 4/4; swing for 2.
T5: Swing for 4.
Total damage over 3 turns: 6
History of Benalia:
T3: play History, getting 2/2 worth of Vigilance creature.
T4: chapter 2 triggers, getting 2/2 worth of Vigilance creature for a total of 4/4; swing for 2.
T5: chapter 3 triggers, swing for 8.
Total damage over 3 turns: 10
Obviously, Flying is better than Vigilance, and more bodies is better than less bodies... Especially in a deck with Intangible Virtue. However, without Virtue, HOB does 4 more damage over those first 3 turns and after that the numbers are the same. Souls is better for sure, but they're not so different cards.
Other than that, why do you put Liliana in the side instead of the main? She is such a powerhouse and feels more like a card you'd side out against specific decks, other than the other way around.
What do you use Blessed Alliance against?
Lili is in the side because I wanted 3x Sorin and 1x Gideon as Planeswalkers and wanted the 2nd Brutality main and wanted the anguished unmaking main... I could switch that around for sure. I'd really like to have 3 Lilis among the main/sideboard, but I got this one for $60 a few months back and now she's $120 so that plan is on hold. =p
That said, BW tokens might not be the perfect shell for it, but some other BW control kind of deck. Not saying the card doesnt fit by any means, only, I feel we are pretty good already building value over time, and I would fill those slots with something more disruptive, like a Liliana, or some additional hand disruption.
My reasoning for including History over Spectral Procession is:
-History is basically Lingering Souls, except:
--it only costs 3 total
--doesn't require black
--takes 2 turns
--creates dudes with vigilance instead of flying
--ends with a BANG
Given that Spectral Procession is usually the first token maker cut, I think HoB can fill in for it pretty easily while also relaxing the requirement for WWW t3, meaning I can afford the Ghost Quarters main required to have any G1 game against Tron/Scapeshift.
Anguished Unmaking is in there to ensure I'm not just 100% cold to an enchantment/planeswalker/artifact G1.
I have 2 Zealous Persecution between main and side due to the possibility of seeing a lot of elves in my meta... Unless they go T1 dork into T2 archdruid and nothing else, ZP can usually take out 2-3 elves and then allow the single target kill spells to mop up until a Wrath can come down.
Does anyone have any specific critique for this list?
Has anyone had success with a particular strategy vs them; Mulligan decisions, etc? Makes me wanna jam Raking Canopy or something else that just hoses fliers.
Well, given that we're playing them both t3, here's how they play out (assuming no other spells are played)
Lingering Souls:
T3: play Lingering Souls, get 2/2 worth of Flying creatures.
T4: flash back Lingering Souls, get 2/2 worth of Flying creatures for a total of 4/4; swing for 2.
T5: Swing for 4.
Total damage over 3 turns: 6
History of Benalia:
T3: play History, getting 2/2 worth of Vigilance creature.
T4: chapter 2 triggers, getting 2/2 worth of Vigilance creature for a total of 4/4; swing for 2.
T5: chapter 3 triggers, swing for 8.
Total damage over 3 turns: 10
Obviously, Flying is better than Vigilance, and more bodies is better than less bodies... Especially in a deck with Intangible Virtue. However, without Virtue, HOB does 4 more damage over those first 3 turns and after that the numbers are the same. Souls is better for sure, but they're not so different cards.
Lili is in the side because I wanted 3x Sorin and 1x Gideon as Planeswalkers and wanted the 2nd Brutality main and wanted the anguished unmaking main... I could switch that around for sure. I'd really like to have 3 Lilis among the main/sideboard, but I got this one for $60 a few months back and now she's $120 so that plan is on hold. =p
Personally, I'm testing HOB using this list:
1x Start//Finish
3x History of Benalia
3x Bitterblossom
1x Legion's Landing
4x Intangible Virtue
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
3x Thoughtseize
2x Collective Brutality
4x Path to Exile
2x Fatal Push
1x Zealous Persecution
1x Anguished Unmaking
1x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3x Ghost Quarter
1x Vault of the Archangel
4x Concealed Courtyard
4x Marsh Flats
4x Windswept Heath
2x Godless Shrine
1x Fetid Heath
2x Shambling Vent
2x Plains
1x Swamp
1x Liliana of the Veil
2x Disenchant
2x Wrath of God
2x Nihil Spellbomb
2x Pithing Needle
3x Stony Silence
1x Zealous Persecution
1x Blessed Alliance
2x Auriok Champion
My reasoning for including History over Spectral Procession is:
-History is basically Lingering Souls, except:
--it only costs 3 total
--doesn't require black
--takes 2 turns
--creates dudes with vigilance instead of flying
--ends with a BANG
Given that Spectral Procession is usually the first token maker cut, I think HoB can fill in for it pretty easily while also relaxing the requirement for WWW t3, meaning I can afford the Ghost Quarters main required to have any G1 game against Tron/Scapeshift.
Anguished Unmaking is in there to ensure I'm not just 100% cold to an enchantment/planeswalker/artifact G1.
I have 2 Zealous Persecution between main and side due to the possibility of seeing a lot of elves in my meta... Unless they go T1 dork into T2 archdruid and nothing else, ZP can usually take out 2-3 elves and then allow the single target kill spells to mop up until a Wrath can come down.
Does anyone have any specific critique for this list?