Nice job on the 3-0 :)

I ended up sticking with the 2x Murderous Cut for FNM, and I was pretty happy about it (went 3-1). I went with 8 walkers (3 Ashiok), but I could definitely see myself cutting the 3rd Ashiok for another draw spell.

I think Reaper of the Wilds is much better than Polukranos, World Eater in non-devotion decks. They block the same things, but Reaper of the Wilds "having hexproof" is huge. The scry is also pretty useful.

Let me know how Interpret the Signs does! It seems a little sketchy to tap that much at sorcery speed, but it can easily draw 5+ in this deck.

I noticed you moved Negate to the SB in favor of Disdainful Stroke. I'd be interested to hear your reasoning behind this.

Here's my reasoning, yes I want to counter burn, but if I don't think countering Lightning Strike is what I want to be doing with Negate, Disdainful Stroke will take care of Stoke the Flames.

From experience, Negate has been good game 2 against decks that bring in their own counter spells, this way I can fight a counter war with them. So... Having Disdainful Stroke on game 1 looks more utility to me, I can still counter things that matter most to me and if ever I don't have a removal for Stormbreath Dragon, Siege Rhino or Butcher of the Horde, I can counter them. Then, game 2 it is an imperative to bring in the negates against Jeskai or Sultai.

Sure, Negate is better against U/B control, but there's only one player in my meta right now. I could go even furter in ''competitivenes'' and ask myself : At a Grand Prix, will I face more decks that don't main counter spells or that main them?

Hope that helps tclaw12!

Maybe I could cut Interpret the Signs for a Negate like Redhookdave mentionned?

There's 2 situations where I protected Kiora and Ashiok from Lightning Strike with negate so...

That makes sense. I think it just comes down to preference. There is a lot of Hordeling Outburst and Hero's Downfall in my meta right now, so I think I will stick with Negate, but Disdainful Stroke has it's upsides like you mentioned.

I like the build. Very close to what gerard was running. i like the changes you made with it. been running this deck since khans came out and only difference was i based mine off of Villainous Wealth. wasn't till lately i realized i was very weak to control match ups so i had to change main board and sideboard to fight them. its like since fabiano won everyone at my shop switched from aggro to control. so I've been looking at ppl playing my deck just minus VW.

if you would like to check it out and give me some pointers of advice feel free. Charming villains

Looks pretty good, maybe you like my list :p

Sultai Control on Steroids! (1st @ FNM)

Hey I've been running the list since I fell in love watching Gerard play it but lately have been considering running a copy of Palace Siege MB to help pull out some of those game 1 matches what are your thoughts on that and if so what to remove I was pondering between only running 1 Disdainful Stroke MB or cutting the Negate from the MB

I've been considering Palace Siege too but more as a sideboard card. I think cutting the Negate MB would be the best place to start for a spot in the deck! Taking out a Bile Blight is another possibility.

Palace Siege is a good card but it is kinda slow against burn decks just that it hits a turn too late usually. it won't come in vs control bc stroke and negate hit it along with any counter. The slot for it just isn't in the deck in my opinion. i tried it out last week and it didn't do so hot for me. i think Bow of Nylea is a better slot comes with utility. if your looking at it vs other control then id suggest running Grindclock its tough to stop from hitting the board and once its there b/u control is over with. only way they can get it off is with vault.

@syncronym
What you just said pretty much sums up why I'm no running the card. I have playtested it in other shells and the card is indeed too slow.

I have thought about Bow of Nylea vs Feed the Clan and I'm still unsure... Both spells are unlikely to be played on curve, most of the time keeping mana up for removal/counters or tapping out for a planeswalker will be #1 priority. I think Feed the Clan is better, the reason there's a spot for that kind of card in the sideboard is because at a certain point in a game you need to GAIN LIFE (not become a LIFE GAIN deck). Feed the Clan is an emergency card you search with Dig Through Time, then you can cast it right away while probably still keeping mana up for removal/counter. Bow of Nylea as an emergency life gain card is not good at all (5 mana for 3 life). It just seems like a win more card in my opinion.

I know about Grindclock... but there's only 1 U/B control player in my meta so I'm not sure spending a sideboard slot for one player is a good thing to do lol. There's a great deal of ''control hate'' where I play. People whine so much... which is why I think we are only 3 control players for 20 players...

Hey EssTea, any thoughts on the new cards so far? Silumgar's Command seems decent. I was also thinking about doing a 2/1 split of Sultai Charm/Ultimate Price. Any thoughts?

yeah i here ya it really comes down to the meta you are in with the sideboard options. my current meta is very diverse and changes from week to week. i mean 12 of my local players each have at least 3 decks they use from week to week and they are very different from aggro - midrange - control just crazy so i have to prepare my sideboard for a little of all. I've been finding my MB is great against aggro so i side for control and burn. so for me to find a slot for FTC is too hard bc it requires at least 2 slots where i can run just 1 bow. and when bow hits you can wait till opponent eot then activate so you don't lose out countering a pw or creature on their turn. just I've found if they can't deal 4dmg every turn consecutively then you will outrun their dmg. you can always test it out by dropping a FTC for a Bow bc they are for the same cause of gaining life.

Actually Ultimate Price could probably take a few Bile Blight spots as well...

why do that when you have Sultai Charm

Well recently, Sultai Charm has been used mostly for its Ultimate Price mode. Also 2 mana is way better versus aggro decks like U/W Heroic, Rabble Red, and R/W. Sultai Charm is still a great card, and I definitely still want the Naturalize effect, but Ultimate Price is just a better cost.

your right the price is better on ultimate price but to take a spot in the deck of a card that is weak against any multicolored deck it will be a dead card where charm is never dead. i guess the question is where would you fit this card in the deck and what would you take out?

Actually you are probably right about the charm. I do think some number of Bile Blight could go though, considering it is bad versus midrange but Ultimate Price hits Courser of Kruphix, Stormbreath Dragon etc. I guess we'll just have to see.

10/10 would play

I think tasigur is way better main board than sideboard

@Hills
The thing with Tasigur main board is that it would be the only ''non planeswalker'' threat and it would be instantly removed. When you're playing control, opponents stack up on removal spells and that's the advantage of playing control game 1! The strength of Tasigur Game 2 is that opponents usually remove all their ''non-planeswalker'' removal. Game 2, a lot of times I've seen Tasigur stick from turn 3 to turn 10 and had the opportunity of activating his ability multiple times. Game 1 that would never happen, which is why I don't think it's better main board.

how do you know which cards to side out for cards in your sideboard? I'm playing a variant of this and love it and i understand what should go in at what time but not so much what i should be taking out for it. like if im going up against aggro reaper and rakashaka are great but would it be wise to remove garruk and ugin for them or something else. I guess my question is how do you determine what cards to take out in game 2 for your sideboard? kind of just trying to be a better player here lol. great deck!

@Danco93 Really it depends on what kind of aggro. if its tokens then ugin stays garruk can go but i would suggest keeping him and only dropping if the game just isn't making it to the point where you can even cast him. Aggro decks in general you will usually drop Thoughtseize Disdainful Stroke and Negate. depending on what type of aggro will depend on what you need to bring in but between those cards mentioned thats 6 cards if you need to drop more for the type of aggro i would suggest dropping removal for removal after that point. considering you get enough info game 1 you should know if they have planes walkers and if they don't then dropping downfall might be an option but in the current meta walkers are running in almost all decks.

Hope that helps you out if you need more help on different match ups let me know ill be glad to help.

@Danco93

Agasint an aggro deck I assume will fall into the sideboard trap this deck is all about here is what I take out :

Against any aggro deck:
Side out:1x Dig Through Time, 1x Temple of Mystery, 2xGarruk, Apex Predator and 1x Ugin, the Spirit Dragon.
Side in : 2x Tasigur, the Golden Fang, 1x Reaper of the Wilds 1x Silumgar, the Drifting Death.
Ps: Yep, you can take out a land here no problem!

Against heavy burn decks :
Side out : 3x Thoughtseize
Side in: 2x Feed the Clan and 1x Negate.
Ps: Thoughtseize is sometimes taken out against non-burn matchups. The thing is you gotta determine if it can really hit something you'd never want to see resolve.

Against decks that run few value creatures:
Side out : 2x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
Side in : 2x Rakshasa Deathdealer

The other part of sidedecking against aggro is mostly switching spells for other spells that do the same thing but better in the matchup. Example : removing 2 Bile Blight for 2 Pharika's Cure or 2 Drown in Sorrow, or taking out a Disdainful Stroke for a Negate.

Taking out Garruk, Ugin and Ashiok sometimes feels counter-intuitive, but trust me, against an aggro deck that sided-out his Chained to the Rocks a 5 toughness creature is the best thing you can have!

PS: In some cases I keep Ugin in, he's such a good win con, the creatures kind of help turtle up and make it to 8 mana!

Hope that helps! If you got any more questions don't hesitate!

@esstea thanks so much! really appreciate the advice! makes total sense! if you're going to prerelease good luck!