1 Caller of the Claw
1 Viridian Shaman
2 Wirewood Herald
3 Spectral Force
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Coiling Oracle
4 Wood Elves
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Opposition
3 Static Orb
3 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Beacon of Creation
4 Windswept Heath
4 Breeding Pool
12 Forest
Sideboard:
4 Annul
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Plow Under
3 Krosan Grip
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Caller of the Claw |
  UG
Opposition 2007.
Description of deck by Mike Flores @
www.wizards.com (quoted):
Adam Case's Top 8 deck is fairly
representative of the archetype as you will likely see it in the current
PTQs. This macro archetype is templated from a second-place deck earlier
in the season, and contains a number of absurd card combinations and
subtle synergies. The obvious top-down combination is Beacon of Creation
plus Opposition (possibly plus Static Orb) to lock down the opponent's
mana and development. Beacon of Creation gives you theoretically enough
Icy Manipulators to handle every land on the other side, and your
earlier creatures (Birds of Paradise and other developers) can hold down
the threats. When Opposition is combined with Static Orb, the Opposition
deck can produce a full lock with three creatures. You need two
creatures to tap whatever two permanents the opponent untaps, and one to
tap the Static Orb so that you can continue to develop your board.
(Static Orbis a highly symmetrical card.)
The first of the secondary synergies in this deck is
Wirewood Symbiote plus an Elf, preferably one of the 187 Elves (Coiling
Oracle or Wood Elves). With even Llanowar Elves, Wirewood Symbiote can
drag down a Phantom Centaur with no loss of card advantage (damage on the
stack, pick up the Llanowar Elves); when combined with Coiling Oracle or
Wood Elves, the same synergy becomes a kind of card drawing engine;
Coiling Oracle here becomes significantly better than, say, Dark
Confidant.
The ostensibly primary purpose of the Symbiote, to untap
a creature, of course represents a considerable synergy with Opposition
itself (tap an extra permanent without drawing an additional creature),
knocking off the "every other turn" downside on Spectral Force (the deck's
primary finisher), and as a generic mana accelerator.
Vaisberg's (qualifying) deck list included Trygon
Predator, which he called the best card (kills Pithing Needle and other
problem utility permanents), and Scryb Ranger (additional synergy and
redundancy, similar to Wirewood Symbiote), and though Elias did play
Static Orb, he said it was terrible and he sided it out in every matchup.
"Static Orb is a 'win-more' card. It doesn't do anything without
Opposition, and even hurts decks that play permanents to the board… Once
you've got Opposition online you win quickly anyway."
The main incentive to playing U/G Opposition is that it
beats Aggo Loam, one of the leaders in the current metagame, because all
of that deck's key spells are sorceries (they can't break out of
Opposition), and it absolutely crushes Boros Deck Wins and most creature
decks in general. The tough matchup for U/G Opposition is TEPS… You really
have to hit a third turn Opposition and hope the opponent doesn't hit his
fundamental turn. If you can untap with Opposition in play you will
generally win, but even when you have a plan - this plan - a lot of things
have to roll your way. Note that the deck only has four Breeding Pools and
four Birds of Paradise and has to hit an enchantment that costs fairly
early. Do the math. |
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