From: durnik@goodguy.goodnet.com (durnik) Subject: Re: [WotC] DCI June 1 Announcement Preview Date: 1 Jul 1997 00:36:21 GMT In article , Frederick Scott wrote: >n_heller@ix.netcom.com writes: >>In any T2 deck with counterspells today, you will see 4 arcanes first, >>then 4 forces of will, and then, only then... maybe counterspell >>propper... or perhaps memory lapse. > >I agree, Memory Lapse isn't for the general counterspelling deck. If you're >Millstoning, OTOH, the Memory Lapses go in before the Arcane Denials. In the popular Black Ice and White Ice decks, 4 Memory Lapses are essentially 4 Time Walk + Counterspells. These two decks are so dominant in my area that I'm looking to build metagame decks specifically to deal with them. For those who haven't seen them yet, they are the July 1st-legal continuations of the 187/Forgotten Orb deck, which I think was originally invented by the Dickhead boys. The black version is marginally stronger due to Nekrataal and the white version is marginally faster due to Swords to Plowshares. Weatherlight has sped both up a notch. The key is using the Winter Orb. Undiscovereds give you two mana per turn at maximum speed, while your opponent has one mana at max speed. Memory Lapses are the closing cards. Black Ice version/White Ice version (single listing means good for both) 10 Swamps/10 Plains 4 Bad Rivers/4 Flood Plains 3 Undiscovered Paradise 2 Underground Rivers/2 Adarkar Wastes 2 Islands 4 Black Knights/4 White Knights 4 Knight of Stromgald/4 Order White Shield 4 Fallen Askari/4 Longbow Archers 4 Erg Raiders/2 Regal Unicorn + 2 Volunteer Reserves 4 Nekrataal/4 Swords to Plowshares 4 Man-o-War 4 Contagions/1 Mana Chains + 1 Fog Elemental + 2 Disenchant 4 Memory Lapse 3 Winter Orb 2 Choking Sands/1 Armageddon + 1 Political Trickery 2 Barrow Ghoul/1 Force of Will + 1 Wrath of God Sideboard 4 Dystopia/4 Greater Realm 4 Knights of the Mist 3 Hydroblast 4 - customize for your metagame Play either of these decks a bit and you'll be amazed at just how important the Memory Lapse is. Not only does it counter the spell, keeping your own strategy intact, but it costs your opponent his next draw (under a Winter Orb, effectively a turn) to get the same damned thing back, and chances are he ain't casting it again for a while... and you've handed over no card disadvantage (Denial won't get him closer to the lockbreakers) and it's ever so cheap to cast. It gets deadlier if his spell costs more than one mana. Plus, once you have a horde on the board, you can usually sit back and Lapse things (remember you have two mana per turn thanks to UP under the orb) while your Knights finish the job. As Truc already mentioned with the original version of these decks, the keys to winning are the creatures that have a come-into-play kill effect, and then the lapses and Orbs. - Mike Bahr - durnik@goodnet.com - http://www.goodnet.com/~durnik