I am making Ten Ultrabudget modern decks!
Other decks in the series:
U/R Prowess (Intro Series)
Gruul Beat-down (intro series)
the criteria given to me was this:
~ all five mono-colors must be included
~ must be $60 or less
~ diversity of strategies (they cant all be the same deck with different colors)
~ effectively "teach" the archtype without being overcomplicated (sorry, no lantern control)
~ be upgradeable into competitive modern decks
if you have a suggestion into this series, message me, and we can talk details =)
Tapped out includes basic lands in it's pricing. you can pick those up for free at any LGS. in addition, card prices fluctuate more often than i check my decks. so please bear that in mind before you comment on the price tag
U/W Control
SO, how do we build a cheap control deck? well, it's actually quite easy; most draw and counter spells have been reprinted many times. plus with twin out of the picture, these cards are at extremely low prices.
The other advantage is that the best cards out there are only slightly better than their lesser played counterparts. for instance, i know several control players who prefer Anticipate over Serum Visions. the cards are extremely similar, and when it comes down to it, for shaving $10 off the deck price, we aren't losing much value. that said, Remand is surprisingly inexpensive, and Mana Leak is just cheap. they're both staples, so no complaints there!
The obvious issue is establishing a win condition. having a few powerful drops is expensive, so instead, we need to overwhelm our opponent with boardstate. AEther Adept, Fiend Hunter, and the new Reflector Mage are effective 2 for ones against our opponent. they remove something while growing our board state, eventually allowing us to win through aggro. Venser, the Sojourner is an excellent finisher in this deck. He flickers our creatures for more bounce triggers, and can allow us to win through unblockable creatures. the ability to include Sun Titan as one of our finishers made me very happy. he can bring back any of our creatures or Banishing Light, and is just a solid choice for closing out a game with this build.
Improvements
if you want to improve your control strategy, the best two cards you can pick up are Celestial Colonnade, and Cryptic Command. most control decks run 4 colonnades and 2 - 3 cryptics. if you arent running these cards in this strategy, your deck is not as good as it could be. there's no good replacement for them, and they both can singlehandedly turn around a game in your favor.
As for cheaper cards for control, you can swap for:
Serum Visions - it's and excellent 1 mana cantrip that helps you set up your next couple draws. running 4 of these is ideal, so basically swap the numbers of this and Anticipate, and you're solid
Supreme Verdict - typically run as a 4 of, an uncounterable boardwipe will help you in just about every matchup.
Wall of Omens - 2 mana for a great blocker that replaces itself in your hand will always be relevant for control.
Path to Exile - this is the best removal spell in modern.
Detention Sphere - a subtle improvement to O-ring and banishing light, this card will give you a greater advantage against token decks for a slight increase in price
Sphinx's Revelation - this card is frequently a 1 of, and is almost a win condition all on its own. Cast this late in the game to refill your hand and put you a safer distance from death. I've seen many a player concede after a resolved sphinx's rev.
Snapcaster Mage - makes your graveyard an extension of your hand. super expensive, but super powerful.
