I genuinely believe that Vineyard could have been great. I failed to actually demonstrate that. Also, shout-out to Abolish playing absolutely zero role in every single match.
You blow up/force sac my Lotus Bloom before I can cast balance in the main phase.
Ack. So my original list was Plateau+Silence, which is usually way better in the context of a balance deck. But unfortunately you can cast a balance off one land in this particular format, so I panic swapped to Volcanic + one mana counter spell (which could have been a 2 mana counterspell).
2 | 0 X 1 6 3 3 0 | 11
1. 0-6, I can counter Vineyard... but unfortunately that gives you a 2/2 to beat me down with, and then you blow up the bloom before my main phase.
2. X
3. 1-4, as per your analysis.
4. 6-0, Foil and Swan trade, balance gets ya.
5. 3-3. On my play, I play my land a turn before Bloom comes in. Either you kill land and let lotus through, or you hold CS and that trades for swan song. On the draw, you can both blow up land and counter bloom.
6. 3-3. On my play: I play Garg on T1, go to 18. On your T2, I swan song the god and go to 16, you get 10 gobbos + swan. I go to 4 on the attack, crack bloom and balance, win with 1 life remaining (phew!). On draw I lose.
7. 0-6, depths OP rito pls nerf.
I'd support a depths ban. It seems like the go to two-card combo, especially in rampy formats where you get to swing on T3.
You blow up/force sac my Lotus Bloom before I can cast balance in the main phase.
2 | 0 X 1 6 3 3 0 | 11
1. 0-6, I can counter Vineyard... but unfortunately that gives you a 2/2 to beat me down with, and then you blow up the bloom before my main phase.
2. X
3. 1-4, as per your analysis.
4. 6-0, Foil and Swan trade, balance gets ya.
5. 3-3. On my play, I play my land a turn before Bloom comes in. Either you kill land and let lotus through, or you hold CS and that trades for swan song. On the draw, you can both blow up land and counter bloom.
6. 3-3. On my play: I play Garg on T1, go to 18. On your T2, I swan song the god and go to 16, you get 10 gobbos + swan. I go to 4 on the attack, crack bloom and balance, win with 1 life remaining (phew!). On draw I lose.
7. 0-6, depths OP rito pls nerf.
I'd support a depths ban. It seems like the go to two-card combo, especially in rampy formats where you get to swing on T3.