This deck was suggested to a streamer friend of mine (by the name of Pile of Cards if you wanna check him out) and when I saw the decklist I thought it'd be kinda okay but not any good. And then it went on a 15-game winstreak, much of which was in Plat ranked. I even decided to challenge it and I lost in a close game, continuing the streak. It's the kind of deck that really shouldn't work, but does.
So here it is, Orzhov Control!
Hidden value cards:
Crawling Barrens
: Often a win-con of the deck, this is one of the few ways to actually finish a game for our side along with
Tergrid's Lantern
.
Field of Ruin
: Despite how much removal is in the deck, this is one of the only ways to get rid of
Faceless Haven
, which is played in mono-red and mono-white aggro decks. Faceless Haven is a tough card because if you don't draw a Field of Ruin, your only hopes are Tergrid and your own Crawling Barrens.
Elspeth's Nightmare
: This isn't exactly hidden value, but just know that against control this is best played as a delayed
Duress
. Don't hold on to it counting on killing Sultai Control's one-of Valki.
Tergrid, God of Fright
+
Doom Foretold
: Again, not exactly hidden, but maybe some people don't realize that when Doom Foretold makes your opponent sacrifice their things, you gain control of them and can sacrifice them yourself! Doom Foretold isn't often long on the battlefield like in Yorion Doom decks, you'll often lose the sacrifice war and sac your own Doom, but by then it's likely gotten value.
Elderfang Disciple
+
Acquisitions Expert
: If you have both cards in hand and are wondering which to play first (or if it matters), play Elderfang Disciple first as it's a Cleric and so you get to choose between two cards with Acquisitions Expert.
This is a deck that has a high ceiling for pilots. You can spend a good while playing this deck and still not play the optimal lines, it just has a lot of decisions, many of which are not obvious and have lasting implications. Do you plop down a Doom Foretold with just a Mazemind Tome on the battlefield? Do you scry or draw with Tome? Do you play Tergrid or Tergrid's Lantern? Is it worth using
Shadows' Verdict
just to kill one or two problematic creatures or should you wait for
Vanishing Verse
? Etc.
Here's the YT video that Pile of Cards did on the deck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oodDPXMNgto
