From: Schnookum@aol.com
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 03:23:23 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: MiViLite

thanks to david for kicking off the conversation - good start.

I'll talk about the U/W (of course).  I'll be taking this deck to the ptq in
Lubbock this sunday:

4 man-o-war
4 ophidian
4 suq'ata firewalker
4 benalish knight
4 abeyance
4 dissipate
3 memory lapse
2 power sink
2 desertion
3 undo
2 peacekeeper
2 phyrexian furnace
1 disenchant

3 quicksand
4 flood plain
1 undiscovered paradise
2 winding canyon
10 island
4 plains

     SB

4 honorable passage
4 duskrider falcon
2 parapet
2 disenchant
1 rainbow efreet
1 waterspout djinn
1 desertion


   I don't think there is anything more amusing than an instant peacekeeper
showing up just in time to stop a songs of blooded armada of zombie tokens
fresh out of the stairwell.  fortunately, that's not all the winding canyons
are good for in this deck.  Any good blue player will always want his
opponent to think he has a counter ready, even if he doesn't really have one.
 This is why most trad. U/W decks in T2 are, for the most part, creatureless,
or nearly so.  U/W critter decks don't work as well because they have to
spend some of their time casting creatures in the early game instead of
countering, which is what they are best at.  When a U/W player taps out, you
know that you can do as you please, and most are good at making it hurt a
lot.  That's why I like this deck so much (but only for this format) - with a
canyon in play, all my creatures are instants.  I don't have to tap out until
the end of their discard phase, when it's usually to late for them to do
anything of consequence. (I'm sure there are counterexamples to this, but I
think they are to few and far between to take very seriously.)  And just
being able to counter is only the first of the benefits.  How many people
will _not_ attack with their granger or shadow guildmage just because I might
have a firewalker in my hand?  Have you ever hesitated to give your opponent
the chance to block your 4/4 hidden horror with his 2/2 (first strike)
knight?  Not many people consider that a serious threat, but as far as my U/W
deck is concerned, you are now in serious danger of losing some card
advantage. (that trick is even available to me before I reach six mana)

    The other part of this deck is the controled beat down.  It usually
starts in midgame somewhere.  the undo sets you back, and the abeyance keeps
you there for a moment.  the ophidians get me ahead and keep me there,
barring bad luck.  a few well placed lapses and counters and power sinks
effectively give me many time walks, while you are stuck doing the same thing
over and over again. eventually have more than just ophidians in it, and I'm
doing damage as well as drawing extra cards.  This is hard for me to explain
(it's late and I'm tired), but if you all build the deck and take it for a
few test drives,  I think you'll see what I mean.

     I'll let everyone know how I do with it next week.
Zane