[Standard] UW Control

[ordith]

After reading SpikeBoyM's post about the new standard tourney coming and some of the potential deck choices, I decided to give UW Control a shot. Here is the decklist that I have so far

11 Island
9 Plains
4 Azorius Chancery

4 Mana Leak
3 Overrule
3 Thoughtbind

4 Blessed Breath
4 Consuming Vortex
4 Faith's Fetters
2 Plumes of Peace

3 Compulsive Research
1 Train of Thought

4 Shimmering Glasskite
4 Guardian of the Guildpact

Sideboard
4 Leave No Trace
1 Overrule
3 Pacifism
2 Plumes of Peace
4 Terashi's Grasp
1 Thoughtbind

The sideboard I am very unsure of at this point, it's currently just potentials(or possibly crap).

I did manage to get a few games in against my GF, first playing her UR deck, and then a black deck she made. The main thing I have noticed is that this deck is slow. It also makes for a slow game. The slowness generated a lot of frustration on my GF's end. The slowness didn't bother me so much, but then again, I was playing the deck.

I'm not sure I have the right balance of counters/removal/card draw. I did get some tips from SpikeBoyM, but the tips he gave were better geared towards a UW agro deck I think. I could be wrong, my deck building skills are not so hot.

One potential issue I see is that I don't really have enough arcane stuff for splicing efficiently. I don't think that blessed breath really belongs, because it is mostly only good for saving the glasskite. However, that leaves me with nothing to splice consuming vortex onto except itself. I am also considering upping the number of counterspells. Perhaps adding Remove Soul to the sideboard?

More on this tomorrow, gotta go get some sleep before work tomorrow. Any and all thoughts/comments/suggestions/critiques are welcome.

[ordith]

In further news, building/tuning a deck while tired is apparently not that effective.

I know for sure that unless I am going to add some targetable creatures, I need to do -4 Blessed Breath. As for what to add back in, well I think something that I can splice bounce onto would be good, maybe Eye of Nowhere? Though I am not too fond of the UU cost in a two color deck. Perhaps the 1CC instant-arcane draw card? (can't remember the name at the moment)

[SpikeBoyM]

Have you considered Soulsworn Jury? A decent blocker and a good counterspell at the same time.

[ordith]

No I had not, but I certainly will. I'm going to take some time tonight and go over the cards available to me in more detail. I was kinda rushing when I put the deck together last night (it was late and I wanted to at least get in a couple of games to get a feel for the concept). I'm hoping that I will figure out some more ideas from a closer inspection of the available cards.

[GiddyGorgon]

Just FYI, the 1cc instant arcane cantrip is Reach Through Mists.

[Silentmage]

Here is the main deck I was working on for my W/U/splash of black. I really want to splash another colour, not because I think its going to be that much better, but because it would be fun and this is a great chance for some creativity.

9 Island
9 Plains
1 Swamp
2 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Orzhov Basilica


4 Mana Leak
4 Blessed Breath
3 Overrule

4 Compulsive Research

4 Faith's Fetters
3 Plumes of Peace

4 Surveilling Sprite
4 Kami of Ancient Law
4 Soulsworn Jury
4 Guardian of the Guildpact

Now some of the sideboard options I was thinking about were Consult the Necrosages, Rend Flesh, Souless Revival, Death of a Thousand Stings, Pillory of the Sleepless. Somewhere along those lines.

I admit I havent had a chance to test it much. And after looking at it....I wonder if red might not be a better splash. But hey...that is where feed back from others come in handy.

I know some may suggest putting in the signets instead of the bouce lands but to be honest I prefer the lands. In game one I can ditch them to Compulsive Research if I dont need them.

[SpikeBoyM]

I would go with a red splash, mostly because red will give you acess to Izzet Chronarch and Glacial Ray.

[Silentmage]

I've been thinking about it and your right. I will go with the red splash. I think I may get some better options out of the sideboard.

I'm just not sure if I should make any main deck changes. Guess it will come down to some play testing to find out.

[idoru]

Yamabushi's Flame is also a good sideboard option vs. Blind Hunter. I guess you should probably be countering those anyway, but it's a nice to have a backup.

[SpikeBoyM]

If you have glasskites, then hunter isn't an auto counter against orzhov.

In fact, I can only think of one must counterspell in orzhov, and that's Castigate. Most of the time, you will have the Plumes for Guardian, or a way to handle their removal (by dodging it). However the loss from castigate can't easily be recouped.

[GiddyGorgon]

I would most definitely splash red for Glacial Ray, in any deck where you can splice it even semi-consistently it is just retardedly good.

[ordith]

Here is the current evolution of my deck. It's still very much a work in progress. I'm still not sure if the Soulsworn Jury is right. I'm also going to try the Repeals (haven't gotten a game in with this build yet) not sure how they will perform.

11 Island
9 Plains
4 Azorius Chancery

4 Mana Leak
4 Thoughtbind
3 Overrule

4 Faith's Fetters
2 Plumes of Peace
3 Repeal

3 Compulsive Research
1 Train of Thought

4 Soulsworn Jury

4 Guardian of the Guildpact
4 Shimmering Glasskite

Sideboard
4 Kami of Ancient Law
4 Minamo's Meddling
4 Azorius First-Wing
1 Overrule
2 Plumes of Peace

I played against GiddyGorgon's Ire deck last night, and he just trounced me. That was due to having a different sideboard, which didn't help me against a creatureless deck. That's why the current sideboard looks the way it does, still trying to find the right sideboard cards.

[Silentmage]

Yamabushi's Flame will be going in the sideboard against any Dredge Decks out there. I know it didnt make a big impact the last time Standard PDC was around but Im positive there is potential for break out deck there.

I think I might have to put in some Shimmering Glasskite like Ordith did. They are just to helpful to pass up.

[ordith]

So, I didn't play the UW Control. I played a janky untuned UW Aggro. I do believe I need more time and better deck building skills before I tackle this again. I do think it can work, eventually.

[rpitcher]

I'm a month late getting to this thread, but it's right up my alley so I'm goin to reply anyway.

I beleive that making UW control work in Standard PDC requires finding more ways to generate card advantage. There's some okay card drawing with Sift and Compuslive Research, but there's nothing like Wrath of God or Promise of Bunrei to help gain adantage.

Splice is one mechanic that can provide for card advantage. I'm not sure it can work in PDC Standard, but it might be worth considering. Spiritual Visit and Consuming Vortex each have splice and could work with Reach, Peer and Eye of Nowhere. Not very promising really.

Someone else mentioned Soulsworn Jury. Note that the Jury is a 3 mana-cost Spirit, meaning it interacts nicely with Moonlit Strider. I had some fun with a rarless UW control deck during Kamigawa block using Strider with Floating Dream Zubera and Kami of the Ancient Law. Add the Jury to that mix and things could even be better. The Strider is a reasonable blocker that can help counter creature removal and sometimes bring a creature back from the graveyard to your hand. That's the sort of advantage a PDC Standard UW Control deck has to find. Wow, Drift of Phantasms is a Spirit too.....hmmmm...Transmute, Soulshift....interesting!

I think your choice to play a UW aggro deck was a wise one, even if things didn't work out for you. UW aggro seems to have more "goods" for it in PDC Standard, but that's for a whole other thread.