Hello! Welcome to a fun deck that's based on the deck made by SaffronOlive on MTGGoldfish a while back.
Illusions is a mono-blue aggro deck that focuses on playing high value creatures with low cmc. Illusions by themselves are supposed to be somewhat kept by the fact that whenever they are targeted, they are destroyed. Fortunately, that works out for the mosr part, as almost every card in modern that targets our creatues would likely kill them anyway. The only downside to this plan is that we don't get a land off Path to Exile.
When looking at this deck, you could just say "This is bad merfolk", and you'd be somewhat correct, as we aren't looking to make a bunch of unblockable beaters and kill our opponent quickly using lords, instead, we are using evasive creatures (since flying isn't used often in the format) and are just playing bigger creatures. Merfolk by themselves are 1/1s and 2/2, while we play 4/4s for about the same cmc.
The changes I made to keep this deck on budget were simple, cut the Aether Vials, as while they are what makes the control matchup winnable, this deck is budget, for
Frost Walker
, which while it is not an illusion, a 4/1 for 2 is a lot of power in the early game.
MAINBOARD
Phantasmal Bear
: A 2/2 for 1, that's zoo level value without having to shock ourselves.
Jace's Phantasm
: A 1/1 flyer for 1 doesn't seem like much, but many decks in the format just love to fill up their graveyards, allowing us to get the edge where we need it.
Krovikan Mist
: This ccreature rewards us for playing more creatures like it.
Frost Walker
: A 4/1 for 2 mana is huge against decks that want to kill on turn 4-5.
Illusionary Servant
: Our decently curved 3 drop that gets bigger with our lords.
Monastery Siege: sustainable card draw can sometimes be needed, this card allows us to filter out our hand.
Lord of the Unreal
: This lord alone is the reason that this deck is very capable, as it gives almost all of our creatures hexproof, making them far more difficult to deal with.
Phantasmal Image: Why have only 4 Lord of Illusion when you could have 8? Image allows us to copy our lords and make our creatures very powerful.
Grand Architect
: Why only have 8 lords when you could have TWELVE? Architect allows us to have super powerful creatures that are stronger, it may not be a lord of the unreal, but it can get the job done.
Vapor Snag: That Tarmogoyf can't hit you if it's in your opponent's hand! Basically gives us the abiltiy to bounce things we don't want.
Dismember: This card allows us to kill things we don't like on curve. Reality Shift also works.
Mutavault: Control is a hard matchup, as boardwipes are very good against this deck, Mutavault gives us more hits as well as being powered by our lords.
Ghost Quarter: For any troublesome lands you may face.
Island: We've got basics.
SIDEBOARD
Dispel: Counter things like Cryptic Command for a single mana!
Echoing Truth: Does ensnaring bridge have ya down? Get rid of it!
Hurkyl's Recall: Put all your opponent's un-fun stuff back in their hand.
Relic of Progenitus: Dredge isn't nice, and neither are we, play this hoser for graveyard strategies!
Spell Pierce: Great in the early game when we would like to win, but becomes far less effective as the game goes on.
Spreading Seas: Valakut, the mountain pinnacle can't hurt you if it's an island, and niether can tron achieve tron when it's tron lands are Islandss either!
Unified Will
: Hopefully we'll have more creatures then our opponent.
