September 1998 - The new version: SuperCounter! Bluevand v3.0

With all the Euro/Worlds tech that emerged around this deck style, I decided to abandon it for a while and concentrate on something less obvious. Then I came back to it when the anti-blue witch-hunt had stopped.

This new version is radically different and borrows from many sources, especially from the Norwegian Draw Go, and from various experiences. It turns out to be kind of invincible when played right. Notice the absence of Golems and Allures ... That's the main change. Rainbow Efreet is the perfect kill card.

I feel that monoblue variants, with or without Golems, will remain strong in the coming months until Urza's Saga ruins it .. or brings it more weapons.

1998 European Champs - Bluevand v2.0

I used a larger counter base, with 1 Force Spike instead of a Dismiss. I had no trust in Forbid at that time even though I should have. :) The Desertion was a rather poor metagame decision, and was candidateoor metagame decision, and was candidate #1 for sideboarding.

4 Counterspell
2 Dissipates
1 Dismiss
1 Forbid
1 Force Spike
2 Power Sink
2 Memory Lapses
2 Mana Leaks
1 Desertion
1 Suq'ata Firewalker
1 Ophidian
4 Steel Golems
4 Nevinyrral's Disks
4 Legacy's Allure
4 Impulse
4 Whispers of the Muse

4 Quicksands
2 Stalking Stones
16 Islands

The sideboard here is a little different, Air elemental was here to help vs slivers, Treasure Trove was a metagame decision against the same deck types.

Match record in sanctioned play: 13-6-1 (4-2 at Eurochamps)

1998 French Nationals - Bluevand v1.0 (June/July)

This deck evolved gradually. I changed the counter base multiple times, and found out that using lots of different counterspells was confusing for any oppponent. Golems provided the beatdown, while the single ophidian/firewalker provided easy wins vs decks that simply died to them. I just had to impulse right.

4 Counterspells
4 Dissipates
2 Dismiss
2 Powersink
2 Mana Leak
2 Memory Lapse
4 Steel Golems
4 Nevinyrral's Disks
1 Ophidian
1 Suq'ata Firewalker
r> 1 Ophidian
1 Suq'ata Firewalker
4 Legacy's Allure
4 Impulse
4 Whispers of the Muse

4 Quicksands
2 Stalking Stones
16 Islands

Match Record in sanctioned play: 13-4 including 7-2 at Nationals.

Manuel Bevand