Source: Inquest #16 (Aug 1996), pp.24-25; author: Jeff Hannes

"First things first: there are two ways to win with this deck, and both work pretty well.  You can bring down your opponent with creatures, or you can run them out of cards.  More often than not, you'll be able to nail down your opponent and finish them off with a Storm Elemental or Ivory Gargoyle, but if that doesn't happen, this deck is defensive enough to hold on until the bitter end.

With six creature-elimination cards, four artifact / enchantmentl removal spells and three Icy's, you shouldn't have too much trouble dealing with things in play.  However, sometimes the best way to handle a problem is to simply not let it become a problem.  Enter 11 counterspells... none of which are as limiting as a Power Sink or Spell Blast.

And what kind of things should you counter?  That all depends on what your status in the game is and what other cards you have in your hand.  If your opponent plays a Shambling Strider on the second turn, but you're holding an Exile, let them cast it and then toast the sucker for five life when it attacks.

On the other hand, if a big creature is about to come out and you have no defense in sight, stop it before it hits the table so you don't find yourself fumbling for a Swords to Plowshares over the next few turns.  It's also important to always try and keep two mana available for a Counterspell or Arcane Denial, even if you don't have one in your hand.  Even with the zero-cost Force of Will, nothing makes your opponent waiver more than when you go out of your way to save two mana.

And if you do have a counter in hand?  Well, it goes without saying that you should keep the mana available to use it.  You may think it's worth it to tap out to play an Icy, but you'll think twice about that after your opponent Disenchants it.

Overall, be selective about what you counter.  Never counter something you can get rid of with another spell in your hand, unless you have three or more counters at your disposal.  If you're not careful, you'll get burned.

Now that we've finished that little lesson, let's move on.  One of the most important elements of a permission deck (besides the counterspells) is card drawing.  If you don't have any cards in your hand, your opponent won't hesitate to blow you away with cheesy 15-point Fireballs.

The Elkin Bottle just doesn't cut it in a reactionary deck, so this deck comes fully equipped with Browse - a great enchantment that gives you a card for the same cost as a Jayemdae Tome *and* you get to choose from any of five cards.  The drawback is that you have to remove the other four cards from your game, but this deck is built to handle that small problem.  The larger deck size will let you use this ability enough to not have to worry about running out of cards, and the contents of the deck are so well-balanced that losing a particular card from your library won't prevent you from winning.

The Library of Lat-Nams and the Arcane Denials are also useful ways of drawing cards.  Just don't be so eager to cast the Library that you leave yourself tapped out.  (Unless, of course, you have a Force of Will handy.)  You'll find that your opponent will usually let you draw three more cards instead of letting you search your library.  Three cards for five mana... it's no Ancestral Recall, but hey, who's complaining?

If you've ever played a permission deck, then you're probably wondering why there are so many creatures in this version.  The Blinking Spirits and the Ivory Gargoyles are great defensive tools, especially if you've got a Browse out to make sure you still get to draw cards.  Even better, their special abilities don't work for your opponent if they get control of one of them.

But sometimes passive defense is a little too, well, passive.  That's why you've got the Storm Elementals.  They may be tough to cast, but they're great in the late-game.  They're Incinerate-proof and their special ability lets them shut down any opposing flyers that have eyes on blocking them.

The Zuran Spellcasters have the dual function of plinking your opponent to death and knocking off annyoing little elves, lumberjacks and Knights of Stromgald.

Another great way to get creatures is by using the Helms of Obedience, especially if your opponent's packing nasties like Balduvian Hordes and Johtull Wurms.  The Helms also have the added bonus of cutting down the size of your opponent's deck, making it that much easier to run them out of cards.

Overall this is a very tough deck, both to play against and to play with.  Having enough mana to do things with, while keeping control of the board, is crucial.  Knowing *when* to cast spells comes with experience, but patience and perserverance will pay off.  With a little bit of practice and a steady poker face, you can handle just about anything with this deck."