Standard is currently dominated by decks full of really good, hyperefficient creatures interacting with other really good, hyperefficent creatures. In such a format, I feel that the best way to succeed is to play a deck that approaches the game from an entirely different angle.
White-Black Providence Control is a tap-out control deck that relies on a mix of sweepers, pinpoint removal, and card draw. It wins by dealing with every threat our opponents cast, and grinding out to the late game. The deck runs very few non-land permanents, which minimizes any opportunity for our opponent to interact with us or disrupt our plan.
Here are my thoughts on whats in the deck. Well start by discussing the sweepers.
Languish is efficient and highly effective at wiping out the flocks of indestructible faer- er, spirits flitting about, so we're going with the full four.
Descend upon the Sinful
's exile effect is relevant, so we're running it, despite almost never getting delirium. The specter of GW Tokens demands we include at least one
Declaration in Stone
as a pseudo-sweeper.
Now, the glut of instant-speed creatures means that we need to play as many instant-speed answers as we can, so instead of Ruinous Path we're opting for a mixture of Murder and Anguished Unmaking. We're also heavy enough into black that we can play a set
Grasp of Darkness
, so we're definitely doing that. Upon suggestion, I've gone and added Ultimate Price to round out our suite of removal, giving us a cheap way to trade for
Sylvan Advocate
without losing value.
We can't rely on just reactive removal, however, which is why also we're running three copies of Transgress the Mind. Thanks to the fact that cheap aggro decks are in short supply, Transgress the Mind almost never misses, functioning as a virtual Thoughtseize. Honestly, it's such a powerful card that running four instead of three might be the right call here.
For our finishers, we need cards that hit hard and can close out the game within a turn or two, which is why we're going with Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger and Emrakul, the Promised End. Secure the Wastes also works well in a pinch, giving us blockers, fueling a Westvale Abbey, or even just swinging for damage.
As for planeswalkers...
Sorin, Grim Nemesis
, and Ob Nixilis Reignited are a natural fit for our deck, giving us additional flexibility and long-term staying power.
For our less-expensive card draw effects, we're playing both
Read the Bones
and Succumb to Temptation. Cheap, Divination-style draw spells are the cement that holds tap-out control decks together, providing much-needed consistency and allowing us to draw our one-ofs.
Providence
is the decks namesake, and for good reason: its the card that makes our whole deck tick. Without Providence, running so much black card draw would require us to play fragile creatures or complicated Seasons Past/Dark Petition/Nissa's Renewal engines, and those are very vulnerable to disruption. Basically, Providence allows us to have our cake and eat it too.
We're white/black, so Shambling Vent is mandatory. Since we're only two colors, we can include a Mage-Ring Network as ramp and two Westvale Abbey
s as a finishers and still have a rock-solid mana base, with most of our lands coming into play untapped.
When building a sideboard, remember our deck is stronger against midrange and tempo decks, and a little bit weaker against aggro and control. Fortunately, being white and black means we have access to an incredibly wide variety of tools. Personally, I suggest starting with Duress and going from there.
Thank you for reading, and I wish you all good luck!
