4x Sphinx's Revelation is too much. Its too high a cost to run 4x of. 3x is max, 2x is the norm.

You may be better off running 4x Render Silent and 4x Dissolve than your current counter spell line up, it'll be more consistent. Keep 4x Essence Scatter in your side board for when you're versing a creature aggro deck.

You also have no bounce, Detention Sphere is currently your only way to deal with threats that make it to the board. I'd consider main boarding 3x Cyclonic Rift with 3x Last Breath in your side board for creature aggro decks.

Also, you'll very rarely be able to get to the late game, which is where this deck needs to be, if you're not running 3x-4x Supreme Verdict . Dropping a verdict on turn 4 is necessary in most games.

Don't know why my eyes skipped over the verdicts in your deck, ignore that last part of my comment, lol.

Saljen, Thanks for your suggestions! I have to disagree with your first statement though, 4x Sphinx's Revelation is easily fine to play, as is 3 too, but definitely not 2. I may try the 3 however.

I'll have to work around with the counterspells, but I don't know about running 8x 3 CMC counters. I will however test it out and see how the Essence Scatter work sideboard with some of the others main. It's being on the draw against a fast deck that the Essence Scatter and Syncopate really shine.

Between the 4x detention sphere, 4x supreme verdicts and all the counters I'm not worried about too many things hitting the battlefield TBH. Whereas Last Breath is good against Voice of Resurgence especially, it's not that great against many other that Celestial Flare won't help with, while having the bonus of being an edict vs. hexproof. I find Cyclonic Rift to be a near dead card sometimes, but I will try it out in testing also. I'm hoping that since you missed the 4x Verdict that's why you thought just the Sphere's weren't enough.

Thank you for your suggestions again though, I will definitely do some testing and tweaking following that, be sure to check back another time and see how it's evolved!

And no worries on skipping over them lol, I've done it myself a few times :P

Cheers!

I'm curious, what are you going to do when Magic 2013 phases out? It looks like you'll lose a fair amount of your counter muscle.

Also, I'm afraid that I don't see how AEtherling is your win con. Do you just pump him like crazy and swing? If that's the case, I'd mainboard your Dispel and add a few more so that you can make sure you always have one on hand to bounce the removals out there.

the5ervant Not to be rude, but you must not keep up with MTG to much? Both Negate and Essence Scatter were reprinted in M14 man. Also AEtherling is a win condition in a control deck, as if you haven't read him, I recommend you do. As long as I have mana up AEtherling is literally not killable. If they try to kill him, all you have to do is exile him, and he comes back at the end step. So he has synergy with Supreme Verdict in that sense also. Thanks for popping by!

And M13 is already phased out :)

Ha. Don't worry about being rude, I had it coming. That'll teach me to keep my mouth (keyboard?) shut. I just jumped back into MTG last week after taking a break when Avacyn Restored came out. :)

the5ervant lol, no worries man! Welcome back!!

jaturnerN7 thanks bro, it is definitely very Similar to yours also!! Nice deck! I'm definitely going to try out the Render Silent ! Hooked up your deck with a +1.

Saljen Did some tweaking, gonna see how the works out now!

2-3 Mutavault is very helpful. It'll stop them from swinging w/ 1 toughness creatures most of the time. Most of the reasons to run Encroaching Wastes just cycled out of Standard (is Kessig Wolf Run ect.) so you could replace those w/ the vaults for some early game protection. Not to mention, swinging for 2-4 after a Supreme Verdict lands is always nice.

You can check out my U/B control deck that I just updated for Theros if you like: Ætherling Wins.

Judge's Familiar might be useful. Ik its screwed me up when i vs it a couple of times. If for nothing else its a chump block when you really need it or a turn 1 counter

As another Azorius control player, I'd love to tell you a few cards that I've loved.

Quicken It does two things, it gives you a quick draw spell, as Sphinx's Revelation is often too slow in the early game, it also allows you to play Supreme Verdict at the perfect of times.

Council of the Absolute This lets you play Sphinx's Revelation for an extra two, or Cyclonic Rift for five. It also gets a wonderful blocker on the board.

Solemn Offering Growth These I don't know about, I would prefer running 4x Cyclonic Rift as it allows you to do all the things that those do, and more. It also delays them another turn.

Dissolve I don't like this card, personally. It's three mana, to counter a single spell, and it only nets you one card look. I prefer Render Silent Syncopate and even Negate and would up them each by one, and Cyclonic Rift by one, and just cut Dissolve completely.

For control vs control I love Dispel it catches their counters, and it works wonderfully against a lot of other decks, but keep it sideboard.

Omenspeaker New guy, works like Auger did, it lets you look at the top two cards, so you don't get caught, and you get a good blocker.

That's all I can think of as of now.

Saljen took some of the advice, including the Mutavaults. Thanks, also I checked out your deck, I like it a lot, hooked it up with a +1!

yoshiman95, thanks for the suggestion, but for this type of build it isn't really necessary, especially since most people aren't playing instants/sorceries on their first 2 turns. The familiar is actually a better card against this kind of deck then in it!

DunstilBrejik, thanks so much for all the suggestions!! You've certainly given me a lot more to think about. Be sure to check back sometime to check out the changes I make from your suggestions!! Thanks again and for the +1, cheers!

I really love this deck. I have one very similar to it. My only suggestion would be to put in 3x or 4x Omenspeaker . I've found the chump block plus the scry is really helpful considering Augur just rotated out.

RedSn0w I agree they can be nice, and they were originally in the build, but I find that without them giving me card draw, it's really just an early blocker which is sometimes great and others not necessary. I may try them out again in testing, or perhaps even sideboard them for hyper aggro matchups. Thanks for the suggestion!

Pithing Needle Doesn't work against AEtherling since both his abilities are mana abilities. Otherwise, great deck. +1 from me.

AmbiguousXup, Actually Pithing Needle does work on AEtherling "mana ability" means something that adds mana to your mana pool, so you can't Pithing Needle an Elvish Mystic . I am 100% certain on that, so whoever told you that is definitely wrong. Thanks for the +1!

Oh how embarrassing, I've lost games I shouldn't have because I've kept the needle in my sb against an AEtherling

It's all a learning curve, now you know! Next time you'll get them!

Have you considered Haunted Plate Mail ? I run in my more budget Azorius Control as a win con since I can't afford the Jace, and I had to trade Elspeth to actually build the deck. It's my version of Mutavault . +1 from me. I'll definitely be using Celestial Flare and Blind Obedience in my Azorius Control!