Use clues in blue/green control to gain card advantage. Extremely low mana curve to allow for lots of clue usage.
After not playing for a long while I pored over the set spoiler and I wanted to make a clue deck that worked. There are a lot of bad clue related cards out there trying to seduce you into playing them (especially in Blue). I've tried to combine the best investigating cards to create a mid-game beatdown deck within the Innistrad block.
=== creatures ===
Tireless Tracker - deck staple. Generate clues every turn, sacrifice them at the end of your opponent's turn to draw cards or during combat to give this guy +1/+1. If you pick these guys up after turn 3, remember to cast them before playing your land.
Altered Ego
- win condition. You can play this card to make a better version of your opponent's win condition, copy your own tracker or create a buffed Illuminator to slam your opponent with flying. You don't really want to create additional Recruiters or Moles
Duskwatch Recruiter
- search for a creature from the top 3 cards (you really want Trackers or Egos). The deck is running 4 because you want these out early, not because stacking them is good. (The ability on the flipside of this card does stack for even cheaper creatures, but this caps out at 2 for this deck.)
Erdwal Illuminator - investigate more. 1/3 flying blocker creature, great against Skulk.
Graf Mole
- mostly added because of the low creature count in this deck. 2/4 blocker, lets you tank your opponent's beatdown with your life total.
=== enchantments ===
Ulvenwald Mysteries
- this card is crazy. You don't care much for its first ability - preferably none of your guys die too often, and you have more than enough clue generation - but its second ability is amazing. Getting a 1/1 every time you use a clue is awesome, mostly because the clue's ability is at instant speed, meaning you can use this to pick up a 1/1 at any time you need it.
=== single use spells ===
Broken Concentration
- cancel with madness. Simple control spell to disrupt your opponent's midgame.
Compelling Deterrence
- get rid of a card - any card, not just creature, so this includes enchantments, artifacts and most importantly planeswalkers. This is the main reason this deck runs this card over
Just the Wind
.
Confront the Unknown
- combat trick. Since I prefer to activate my clues during my opponent's turn, this card is likely to pump for 4-5 at least regardless of when I use it. That's a lot of value for 1 mana, especially if you're getting a clue on top of it.
Rabid Bite
- creature removal at sorcery speed. Nothing too fancy but it helps you get rid of annoying passives or flyers you can't block. You're usually playing this on your Trackers or your Egos.
Second Harvest - spawns a copy of all clues and all 1/1 soldier tokens from Mysteries at instant speed. Only running 2 of them since it's pretty conditional, but nevertheless this card is pretty crazy.
=== Sideboard ===
Briarbridge Patrol - combos well with Hydra, so I'd only run this if I ran Hydra. Could replace some Recruiters with these guys if you need 4-drops and/or decent blockers.
Deny Existence
- additional counterspell, but only works for creatures. Play against decks that want to use their graveyard, or with big creatures you can't remove.
Engulf the Shore
- board clear at instant speed. Play against token or rush decks.
Pore Over the Pages - extra card draw for longer games. Sorcery speed is disappointing, though.
Root Out
- enchantment/artifact removal. Straightforward.
Ulvenwald Hydra - alternate win condition, good target for Altered Ego as well. Play against low removal decks.
Not playing Jace because he's just not very good. I'd rather use more clues than get his scry+draw/unsummon for 5 mana.
