Untapped Shockland for Counterspells
Modern forum
Posted on June 25, 2014, 7:25 a.m. by SteelNinja
Okay, so here's a scenario I'm sure we've all run into before in some variation, on either side of the table.
You have a Forest
and an Island
on the board, and the following cards in hand:
A Breeding Pool
,
A Training Grounds
, and
A Spell Pierce
Obviously, you want to make the most of your turn, so you are going to want to play the Training Grounds , but you also want to be able to counter whatever your opponent is playing next turn with Spell Pierce . The problem is, in order to do this, you are going to have to shock yourself with the Breeding Pool , and leaving it untapped at the end of your turn clearly signifies to the opponent that you have some kind of response card in your hand.
What is the proper course of action here from a competitive standpoint? Do you just play the Breeding Pool tapped and put out the Training Grounds , hoping the opponent doesn't play anything worth countering; play the Breeding Pool tapped and forgo the Training Grounds in favor of a surprise counterspell; or follow the course of action outlined in the paragraph above?
fluffybunnypants says... #3
Depends on the deck you're playing against. If they tap out and cast Lili but your Breeding Pool is tapped and you have no blue mana up, you're screwed.
June 25, 2014 7:33 a.m.
SteelNinja says... #4
Okay, I think Gidgetimer has some good insights on this. I think it probably boils down to something like: "Is the threat of a counterspell worth 2 life at this moment?"
Those are some very good questions that I will be asking myself from now on whenever I run into that situation. Thank you. :-)
June 25, 2014 7:38 a.m.
Yeah original response nailed it.
Considering Training Grounds only costs 1, you might be able to play it just before you need it instead of opening with it and letting it Abrupt Decay 'ed. Keeping that extra card in your hand and not playing anything will look like you have multiple counterspells.
June 25, 2014 8:42 a.m.
smash10101 says... #6
A better question: you have training ground and breeding pool and, say, some random non-counterspell in hand, do you shock to fake a counterspell?
June 25, 2014 9:08 a.m.
mathimus55 says... #7
Most of this just goes to the original reply. It depends on the matchup, your opponent, what you've seen from their deck so far and how well you know your own deck. Repitition against all sorts of matchups will help this. It even matters what game of the match it is. You'll find your answers on how you want to play by lots and lots of practice.
June 25, 2014 10:16 a.m.
I'd say shock yourself if nothing else to put it in your opponents head that you may have a counter spell. It either forces them to hold off or forces their hand to try and call your bluff. Though like others say matchup and the board state really determine the right call
June 25, 2014 10:49 a.m.
I'd typically say shock yourself, but this would probably change with the matchup. If you're playing against aggro then mind your life total, otherwise it's probably right to advance your board.
June 25, 2014 11:29 a.m.
I've found shocking yourself and passing the turn to represent a counterspell is a very effective tactic, especially if you used a bounce spell to return one of their permanents to their hand the turn prior. It doesn't work every time, but it does work a lot more frequently than I initially expected it to.
Gidgetimer says... #2
Depends entirely on the other cards on your board or in your hand as well as the curve of the deck. Do you have an activated ability that would benefit enough from the training grounds to justify shocking yourself? Are you on the draw or play (countering a 4 mana spell is a lot more enticing than a 3 mana spell) do you have a definite 4 and 5 mana play that would benefit from training grounds? How aggressive is your opponent's deck, is that 2 life a necessary buffer?
June 25, 2014 7:33 a.m.