Played the counter list pretty close to my posted list with a UG base but I bought no sideboard and had no mainboard blue spells (basically pretty handicapped for the night. Went 4-0 and posted results against some pretty strong decks against me. I think the counters list has legs.
Game 1 was mono black zombies. G1 I won the die roll and opp blew removal early against me and I could never stabilize. I drew no hardened scales and when I did draw it I scooped to conceal info. G2 was a long slog, but steel leaf champion #3 was swinging past the team and got me over the finish line. G3 he didn't hit land 4 and I got there. He boarded in that -3/-3 to creatures of a chosen type black spell (wth is that even a thing)...still outgrew everything.
Match 2 was mono black vamps. G1 opp goes 1 drop, gifted Aether one, into sorrow minus for Kalitas. I killed sorrin, the second sorin, and lethaled while ignoring the third. Game was crazy close but that curve was insane. G2 she's on the play, I stick a hardened scales t1 and pass (can't remember hand but it was gas), she untaps and sticks
blight beetle...wtf is this... we go 3 rounds before I scoop after she sticks the second one. G3 she sticks a t2 blight beetle again and I manage to still get there off steel leaf champions and eot cocos to dig for outs. She boarded in 2x beetles and saw both g2 and 1 game 3.
Match 3 was a mono white life gain. I take it 2-0. Game one I blew him out through 3 removal spells. G2 he flounders on 1 land and rishkar let's me build an insane board by t4. He played several removal spells this game as well.
Match 4 was abs an control with blight beetle in the side. G1 after a flurry of removal I just outgrow any of his threats and start turning a 12/12 marwyn sideways and force chumps for too long and he runs out of resources. Game 2 he hits blight beetle and ritual of soot sets me back to the Stone Age and he wins. G3 I dropped like 20 power on the board eot his t4. I had llanorwar, pelt collector, hardened scales x2. I coco and hit pelt collector and rishkar (3 counters on first pelt collector from his trigger and rishkar, rishkar drops 3 counters on himself and the other collector. I untap, drop land 4, play steel leaf champion to grow the pelt collectors, tap rishkar/elf/land to drop nissa voice of zen and stick 3 counters on everything. Turn pelt collectors sideways for stupid amounts and still have a ton of power on board. Opp scoops 1 turn later.
Each opp boarded against me, I had no sideboard, a suboptimal manabase, and faced down like 4 blight beetles over the night and was still able to easily cruise through some matches. The power this deck can drop on the board is just crazy. I had a blast. I think there is a deck here, even if t2.