You do not need temples. Trade/give them to galen. But seriously, try increasing the stoke in flames count. Not too sure how good deflecting palm is in the control variant compared to the counter burn one. I know we love the starfish but might want consider something else.

I run a very similar list to this and it is super fun. The only cards I would look at replacing would be Devouring Light , Tormenting Voice , and possibly Fated Retribution . Devouring light is a touch too conditional for my tastes, tormenting voices is ok and fated retribution is pretty expensive and sucks to have langusihing in hand early and you have banishing lights to deal with planeswalkers.

I have found Treasure Cruise to be great and Swan Song depending on the matchup. I also personally enjoy Prognostic Sphinx and Magma Jet . Proggy dodges elspeth and goes toe to toe with Stormbreath Dragon who can be a big problem for this deck if resolved. Magma Jet is great for the early scry and there are still a fair amount of relevant targets for it with rabbles and his cronies running amok. If not, its 2 damage to the face which always helps.

I also like Disdainful Stroke in this deck. Most of the things that trouble this deck happen to cost 4 or more anyway. Adding another Keranos wouldn't hurt either.

Anyways, just some things to think about. These suggestions might not work out for you at all depending on your local meta, but you never know. Really do enjoy the deck and I hope this helps!

rooroothepirate, don't suppose i could see your deck list and compare?

Don't have it up currently. If I get some downtime this weekend, I'll try to post it up. Been meaning to anyway haha.

how are you finding Mindswipe ? i finding with the meta having a mindswipe early game just was distracting and not really useful, any green ramp just mean that it hard to hit, jeskai mainly but other blue deck have Gainsay and so you would need to have mana open for another counter or two.

i suggest swapping one for another Disdainful Stroke or Lightning Strike .

also Jeskai Charm could be useful burn to the face for four or bounce a courser or bomb into a deck when a fetch get sac

i've been finding Mindswipe very situational, but when i have enough mana to make it worthwhile, i then to win by casting all copies consecutively for the win. i haven't been up against a control matchup yet and so Gainsay was very dead, Negate in that slot had better effects. i do like the thought of another Disdainful Stroke or Lightning Strike but i don't know what to replace, likewise with Jeskai Charm

to do better against abzan decks, I would recommend siding into a very proactive strategy. 4 mantis riders, more burn. basically race them to the win. keep some number of conterspells to fight their important spells, but focus on resolving an early threat and protecting it to win

First off, I'd like to say that I'm a fan of the deck. But as for how to beat Abzan, your best bet may be to go with a proactive approach and pack your sideboard full of Stormbreath Dragons. They'll likely cut removal in the postboard games, and Abzan Charm/Bile Blight/Utter End/Banishing Light are likely to be the ones they leave in, which are all don't touch a Stormbreath. Also I think packing your SB with Stormbreaths is a good idea in general, UW control that was in the finals of the last SCG Open can't really touch it, and it gives you a way to kill your opponent quickly in a tournament environment when you're likely gonna be running low on time if you lose game one. I would cut the Deflecting Palms, as Deflecting Palm is probably only good if you're putting pressure on their life total and racing, and you could probably cut negate or disdainful stroke since they'll likely counter most the same things. Probably Negate.

I don't know how practical it would be considering how few targets it hits, but you could have something like Erase in the side. That could serve as removal vs Courser of Kruphix but doesn't really hit much else. It's an extremely narrow minded inclusion, but if the courser is the main issue for you in that matchup, it's an instant speed, 1 cost answer.

AEtherspouts is taking up space it shouldn't - you have End Hostilities , that's all you need for wipes. Similarly, Anger of the Gods is a bad maindeck choice unless you really see that many mono red decks - it's awful versus almost everything else. I'd try that in the side if you really feel like you need it.

Steam Augury is bad - giving your opponent a choice is not what you want to be doing in a control deck. One more Dig Through Time is all the big draw you need.

Elspeth, Sun's Champion is literally THE reason to play white control - she should be at least 2 copies I think.

Once again, unless your meta is dominated by mono red decks, Resolute Archangel would be much better as Pearl Lake Ancient . Not to mention UB Control will rape you without it (most like with their own Ancient).

If Courser of Kruphix is an issue (and let's be honest, it is), Last Breath is an option, definitely a better one than Suspension Field (you can stroke all the green fatties. Playing S.Field out of the board is asking for Reclamation Sage blowouts).

Burn spells like Lightning Strike feel wrong in a straight control deck.

The problem with Jeskai as a control archetype is you are so soft to any and all creature strategies (aka 85% of the metagame) with such narrow removal options. Annul might be a good choice to help you not be so dependent on landing End Hostilities on time. (Oh Supreme Verdict , how I miss you already).

However, I still think a more proactive midrange-type build would perform better in the metagame right now. Hopefully Fate Reforged gives us some more viable control options. Anyways I hope my comments give you some ideas, good luck on the brew and +1!!!

I disagree with basically everything @reverendvile777 said... except for the 2 Elspeths. So don't take all advice you get from everyone on this site. Also the presentation of it was really tacky.

It's fine to disagree, but seeing as how by his own admission the deck is failing against the most common matchup in the metagame, it would behoove him to try new things. No need to be a condescending prick, especially if you have no counterpoints to offer. Stormbreath Dragon is pretty bad against Abzan, because of all the removal spells they side out, the typical 4 Hero's Downfall will most certainly stay in without a doubt, and even if they never find it, you still have to outrace them, and they will be ahead of you on all fronts. Would you prefer a 7 drop that can't be killed and ends the game quickly, or one that in this matchup will buy you 4 turns at the most and die to all their otherwise dead removal spells. Would you rather Dig Through Time to pick the cards you need, or let your opponent give you the worst of 2 piles? Do you really want that Siege Rhino to get recast because it went back on top of a library? Do you want to play burn based removal that can't kill anything in your worst matchups? Do you want to play removal that will just get removed itself?

Also in case OP didn't see my post in his topic, Glare of Heresy . You will not regret using it in the sideboard.

@reverendvile777 you're using the fallacy of worst case scenario. "Do you want all your removal to not hit anything other than these cards I'm obviously ignoring?? Do you want the one creature that has an ETB effect to get put back on the top of the library and ignore all the times that instant speed wrath of god is good??? etc." Against a deck with very few walkers or creatures they'd be smart to board out downfalls, so I just straight up disagree with that. I also agree with your point on Dig Through Time, I run the full four in my Jeskai control build. If you want more counterpoints, I can give them to you, but my main point was that you don't have to take all advice you get on this site, especially if you don't think it's very good.

Also... You've obviously never played a Resolute Archangel against a creature deck. If you're concerned about UB control, then you're just doing it wrong.

Sorry for carrying on an argument in your comments OP, feel free to comment clear all of this. One thing I'd like to point out to you though is that Perilous Vault is a non-bo with Banishing Light, you may wanna pick one.

its all good guys, i enjoy people having heated debates about what should be in and what isn't a good idea. i agree with both sides of the debate that you guys are having, but as you can see from the description that i've posted, getting my hands on high value cards is a bit of a difficult task. i agree that Perilous Vault is not great when i have Banishing Light , i foolishly popped it in my Naya matchup and got absolutely demolished. i want to add Glare of Heresy to the sideboard but as you can see, i'm it is a full board and its difficult to change what i believe is good at my local meta to the cards that are posted here.

To defend the card choices i've made in the mainboard, @reverendvile777, you say that AEtherspouts is taking up room, i don't agree with that due to the large quantity of token producing units at my local meta, its great when i flush several hornet queen tokens away and the Hornet Queen itself is sent to the top. It is a situational wrath which i understand that you don't like but it works really well, because they don't see it coming. The same goes for Anger of the Gods , my local meta has a lot of players that reply on the caryatid as the ramp, as a result they play less lands than they should and subsequently without the ramp, they can't get into the game. Steam Augury is a bad card and i recognize that, but in a lot of cases, the opposing player gives me the pile of 2 which for odd reasons as either been double counter or counter wrath or wrath land. By doing this, they've fueled my Dig Through Time by 3 cards and by the time i've casted it, its the equivalent of turn 6 which i've managed to stabilize. Resolute Archangel as saved my life over and over allowing me to win games. Its served as the life restorer or the counterspell fodder. Suspension Field has had its moments, but like you said, it goes lead to Reclamation Sage blowouts and i've had it happen once. I have the burn spells in the deck for control matchups but they are rather uncommon, so i do intend to remodel accordingly.

Hopefully that clears up the "why do you have those things?"

@corythackston I agree that Stormbreath Dragon is a strong creature but as its been pointed out, the match up also contains Hero's Downfall , which is able to target it. i do want at least 1 copy but again its a card of high value which i can't possible obtain at the moment. @reverendvile777 i do like Pearl Lake Ancient but i don't see what i can replace on my sideboard or mainboard. as stated earlier, Resolute Archangel is great at my local meta and i don't see it leaving the mainboard.

The Chandra is completely not needed in this deck. Also, i would trade out the wild slashes for magma jets. The scry really helps out the deck. I also run this type of deck. I haven't updated for fate reforged yet, but i think that u should take a look at mine. Keranos in my opinion is a must have for this type of control deck. Not only does he do damage and can be a win con, he is harder to remove and also adds extra card draw. banishing light is a pretty good removal spell. Also steam augary is a really useful card. With this deck in particular, there really isnt anything that you can hit with a steam augary that will dissapoint. The deck pretty much sets itself up to give u what you want and need at the exact point when needed. Let me know how it goes man and good luck to ya!

Hi Sethmash2010,There is a wealth of cards i want to run but i can't find the right balance. I'm going to make a big list of cards that i want to run and see how it filters out. Of the cards you mentioned i like most except for Steam Augury as i found that my opponents were playing around the cards they chose for me, resulting in more losses from a winning position oddly.

Would you be able to help me filter the cards?, i plan on resetting this list to all the cards that i have and am capable of running.

Negate, Valorous Stance, Magma Jet are not necessary mainboard cards. Jeskai Charm also probably isn't necessary. you can cut one Myth Realized and one Dig Through Time to make it to 10.

Also, pain lands aren't that great in a control deck as they directly work against your goal of staying alive. They're awesome in a quick deck but in control it's just too risky

I agree about the painlands, but i'm not keen on playing anymore taplands than are necessary. I usually end up tapping them for the colourless mana, but they do randomly open up options where a basic land won't.

You don't need to play 27 lands with Anticipate. I recommend

• all painlands

+2 Flooded Strand

+1 Mountain

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon is a pretty boss inclusion to overlook imo.

You should find room for a fourth Dig Through Time..

Hi,Ugin wasn't overlooked, it was considered and dropped due to poor synergy with Banishing Light. I would get 2 more flooded strands but i'm current under a bit of budget constraints after ordering Narset Transcendent. I'll probably drop down to 26 lands and go for another End Hostilities. I should have enough red sources according to the pie chart on the right...you know just saying :)

I personally just dont like the blue seige at all. I dont think it is that needed in the deck. I would cut those, cut the evolving wilds, and add 2 dissipates and 1 resolute archangel main board. I would probably cut down to one elspheth mainboard and then the sarkhan and add 2 more myth realized. That card is redic OP. Finally i would cut both the angers from main board and also the lightning strikes. Magma jet is better in that position because of the scry. As for the anger spots, maybe add 1 more dissipate and 1 more end hostilities, 2 more end hostilities, or one end hostilities and a pearl lake ancient or a second resolute archangel. personal preference really.

i say go 25 or 26 lands. 27 is a bit much.