Without a doubt, practice makes perfect. While I still consider myself a below average player, I can now proudly say that I am no longer a free win on Cockatrice! Being cannon fodder was fun for a while, but I’m glad we could move on and be a bit more technical. The Infernal Tutors’ teachings are slowly building a better player, and I hope they’re having the same effect on you!

For this week, the latest version of The EPIC Storm was used. It is, of course, available on the home page.

Situation #1 – Nahiri Miracles

This scenario takes place in game two against a Nahiri, the Harbringer Miracles brew. The new planeswalker didn’t do much in the first game and was overwhelmed by Goblins, thus we begin the game with a lead.

The sideboard choices were the as the website suggests against a Miracles opponent:

+4 Abrupt Decay, +2 Thoughtseize, +1 Bayou, -3 Chrome Mox, -2 Ponder, -1 Lotus Petal, -1 Swamp

I keep my initial seven cards: Abrupt Decay, Cabal Therapy, Thoughtseize, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Lotus Petal, Burning Wish and Bloodstained Mire.

I am met with a classic, Volcanic Island into Sensei’s Divining Top on my opponent’s first turn. Drawing a Polluted Delta, I lead with Bloodstained Mire, searching for Underground Sea and play Thoughtseize to estimate the time I have ahead of me.

It reveals Counterspell, Counterspell, Counterbalance, Tundra and Nahiri, the Harbringer.

Despite the Cabal Therapy I have, which could take out the pair of Counterspell on its own, I choose to discard one with the Thoughtseize since I have Abrupt Decay in hand. In retrospective, I am unsure about this decision. As expected, my opponent plays Counterbalance on their second turn. I draw a second Lion’s Eye Diamond and pass, holding on the Abrupt Decay to play it after my opponent’s third turn. They don’t draw a land and are left with what they have, so I end up destroying the Counterbalance after getting a Bayou with Polluted Delta. My third draw is a third copy of Lion’s Eye Diamond.

Expecting an easy Cabal Therapy to take out the second Counterspell, and then leading with Lotus Petal, the triplet of Lion’s Eye Diamond to cast Dark Petition via Burning Wish, I start my third turn with a smile. Sure, the Cabal Therapy resolves, however, it also shows my opponent’s last draws: Force of Will and Vendilion Clique. Without a second discard effect, this game seems unwinnable, especially as the Sensei’s Divining Top filters all the cards passing by. It allows a third land to enter my opponent’s battlefield after a Ponder. I draw a Bloodstained Mire too, so we have both three lands in play by my fourth turn.

My opponent chooses to hold on their card and allow me to play my fifth turn, drawing a Brainstorm. I cast it from my Underground Sea and see no discard spells, but surely enough cards to open a lot of options: Rite of Flame, Gitaxian Probe and Empty the Warrens.

EDITOR’S NOTE: You may click on the images to enlarge for better viewing.

What two cards to you put on top of your library to win in the shortest term?

Situation #2 – Braids Stax

The second scenario is a nightmare that every Storm player probably faced at least once: a failed turn one Ad Nauseam against a Chalice of the Void deck. This time, the prison archetype is represented by the mono black Braids Stax deck. We are game one, on the play, and know what we are against.

The initial hand goes as follow: Infernal Tutor, Infernal Tutor, Chrome Mox, Volcanic Island, Swamp, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Dark Ritual.

Opening with Swamp (yes, Volcanic would have been better), Chrome Mox (imprint: Infernal Tutor), Lion’s Eye Diamond, Dark Ritual, Infernal Tutor, sacrifice Lion’s Eye Diamond for Ad Nauseam – we reveal the following:

How to you finish this mess? What motivates your decision?

Available options include, but are not limited to:

Situation #3: BUG Delver

To lighten the following part a bit, I’ve cut this game to its crucial point: a Cabal Therapy decision to make. This is game one against what seems to be BUG Delver. We’ve used some cantrips to sculpt a decent amount of mana while waiting for a business card, and we just drew Burning Wish. Between Gitaxian Probe, Dark Confidant and Daze – only a single card remains hidden in our opponent’s hand. We can’t really drag the game any longer as Dark Confidant has been winning on its own for a few turns already, and was just joined by Deathrite Shaman (unable to activate).

While it is possible to Storm off this turn, I wonder how to do it optimally and if I should start at all? If we should get rid of Spell Pierce or just play around it? For instance, it would be possible to play Cabal Therapy as an opening from Underground Sea, but then if it gets Spell Pierce, we don’t know about the hidden card. If we manage to pay for it by paying Cabal Therapy with Rite of Flame and Lotus Petal, we could be some mana short from a lethal hit, or lose to Force of Will. If we name Force of Will and see a Stifle instead, we lost our card momentum and most likely the game. Maybe should we play safe, pay for everything and go for an unsure win condition, or try it all in a win or lose gamble.

How would you play this Cabal Therapy, and what would you name with it?