American control on a budget?
Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 9, 2014, 7:36 p.m. by TheBolas
I love the idea of American control, but don't have the money to get Jace, Architect of Thought and such. I would love to make a competitive deck on a budget and then if it plays well, working on getting the more expensive cards along the way!
Thanks for suggestions!!!
I already have my hands on 1 AEtherling and 1 Assemble the Legion The budget is just nothing to crazy. Would Ral Zarek work well do you think?
January 9, 2014 7:59 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #5
It really depends on your current list. Do you have a basic deck drawn up already? or are you starting from scratch?
Ral Zarek has the potential to be pretty decent in the right build, but he definitely isn't for everyone.
January 9, 2014 8:03 p.m.
I would be starting from scratch at the moment. I definetly want AEtherling along with the Assemble the Legion and the rest is still up in the air for what is going along with the deck. Probably Supreme Verdict and Detention Sphere with Cyclonic Rift a possibility as well. Then Negate and Dissolve for some counters. Then, are there any good planeswalkers out there that would be beneficial
January 9, 2014 8:17 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #7
As a basic UW control plan, I would suggest the following:
4 Dissolve 4Supreme Verdict 4 Azorius Charm 2 Cyclonic Rift 4 Detention Sphere 3-4 Divination
Since you're splashing red, you have access to Counterflux , which I would also recommend as a 4 of.
From there, you can choose to go with a burn package with cards like Warleader's Helix , Boros Charm , or Lightning Strike ; or you could choose the more traditional control plan and add more counterspells like Essence Scatter , Negate , and Syncopate .
You'll also need finishers, which you apparently already have in AEtherling and Assemble the Legion .
Planeswalkers, while not necessary, do give a lot of added benefit to your deck. You could go with Jace, Memory Adept as a budget card draw engine / finisher. You could go with Ral Zarek if you choose the burn package, as he will help you untap your lands and put up counter / burn mana for your opponent's turn. Or you could go with Chandra, Pyromaster (Though she's a bit expensive), as a source of card draw and a potential threat.
I would also recommend some source of reusable life-gain such as, for simplicity's sake, Soulmender to replace Sphinx's Revelation .
January 9, 2014 8:29 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #8
As a basic UW control plan, I would suggest the following:
4 Dissolve 4Supreme Verdict 4 Azorius Charm 2 Cyclonic Rift 4 Detention Sphere 3-4 Divination
Since you're splashing red, you have access to Counterflux , which I would also recommend as a 4 of.
From there, you can choose to go with a burn package with cards like Warleader's Helix , Boros Charm , or Lightning Strike ; or you could choose the more traditional control plan and add more counterspells like Essence Scatter , Negate , and Syncopate .
You'll also need finishers, which you apparently already have in AEtherling and Assemble the Legion .
Planeswalkers, while not necessary, do give a lot of added benefit to your deck. You could go with Jace, Memory Adept as a budget card draw engine / finisher. You could go with Ral Zarek if you choose the burn package, as he will help you untap your lands and put up counter / burn mana for your opponent's turn. Or you could go with Chandra, Pyromaster (Though she's a bit expensive), as a source of card draw and a potential threat.
I would also recommend some source of reusable life-gain such as, for simplicity's sake, Soulmender to replace Sphinx's Revelation .
January 9, 2014 8:29 p.m.
@ThatBlueMage Thanks for all the help! I will try and post a deck list tonight sometime and would love for you to look at it!
January 9, 2014 8:37 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #10
Sure thing man.
If you're looking for a little inspiration, feel free to check out my UW control build, UW Millstone [2014 Edition]. Its what i've been running for a few weeks, and it's really quite good.
Can't wait to see what you come up with!
January 9, 2014 8:39 p.m.
corranhorn01 says... #11
Have you thought of Turn / Burn ? I feel it's one of the best removal spells that destroys creatures in standard just because it kills basically anything outside +1 counters (Gods inc.).
January 9, 2014 9:08 p.m.
corranhorn01 says... #12
Sorry for the double post (couldn't find an edit button and had an extra thought). I'd consider Magma Jet over Lightning Strike , just for the scry.
January 9, 2014 9:10 p.m.
Do you have the Shocks? That's a big part of it. If on a Budget, that's the most important part. Jace and Revelation are the other two high price staples here. That said...they draw you cards for the most part...are there budget options that do this? Yes...just not as efficiently. The big power of decks that function like the current American, Esper, and Azorius control is the ability to anser the early game stuff and then stabilize by outdrawing your opponents at an accelerated rate. Jace and Rev are the best at doing this, but as long as you can run Assemble and Aetherling effectively, the budget options can come through for you in a pinch.
January 9, 2014 9:10 p.m.
So, I have decided on just U/W control with 2x AEtherling as my creature base and then I went out and got 4x Detention Sphere and 4x Supreme Verdict as well and then I'm left with everything else pretty much lol. I don't want to run any other creatures because of Supreme Verdict and want just a lot of counters to keep the board under control and keep pesky stuff off the field. So I'm going to throw in a playset of Dissolve and probably Negate . Are there any other good cards out there to help. I really want to get 2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion in there. I feel like she would benefit the deck. What do you guys think?
January 9, 2014 11:41 p.m.
corranhorn01 says... #15
What's the list looking like now? I like teching in 1 Elixir of Immortality in control decks. You get all your cards back, gain life. I mean who doesn't want to play 6 Sphinx's Rev a game :D. Not to mention then your Opp has to deal with all your counter spells again.
I agree with Elspeth too.
January 9, 2014 11:49 p.m.
@corranhorn01 Just thought about putting in Elixir of Immortality because that would be a great card. Do you think 2 would be a good amount?
January 9, 2014 11:53 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #17
1 Elspeth is more than enough, for my build at least. You may benefit from 2 just because you aren't going to have as much draw power as I do due to the lack of Sphinx's Revelation .
So at the moment, you've got:2 AEtherling / 4 Detention Sphere / 4 Supreme Verdict / 4 Dissolve / 4 Negate / 2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Things that I would add: Cancel - just as a catch all. Strictly worse than Dissolve , but still gets the job done. Azorius Charm - The best thing that you can play for 2 mana in your archetype bounce guys, draw cards, or give your 9/1 AEtherling lifelink. Divination - Because you always want more cards. Syncopate - works well in the early game, therefore saving your dissolves and cancels for the heavy stuff. Elixir of Immortality - the best option for a mirror match. Gives you a nice surge of life, and gets you back all of your spells.
Switching to UW was probably a good move. UWR has a few good options, but since you're budget, UW is definitely the better option.
Next plan of attack would be to draw up an actual blueprint of your deck so you can get the full picture.
January 9, 2014 11:56 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #18
I personally see fortune with 1 elixir and 1 Psychic Spiral , just to give me another win con. I think 2 elixirs will work out.
January 9, 2014 11:57 p.m.
Psychic Spiral seems like it would work. How many Cyclonic Rift would you run??? Anybody have Jace, Architect of Thought or Elspeth, Sun's Champion up for trade?? lol
January 10, 2014 midnight
U/W This is what I have drawn up so far. I have 4 cards to many and am curious what to take out.
January 10, 2014 12:06 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #21
Looks pretty good so far.
If you're over, -2 Syncopate , -2 Negate , and -1 Cancel .
2 rift is plenty.
If you're running Psychic Spiral , I would suggest running something that has staying power that mills, either Codex Shredder , or Millstone . it'll help make the spiral a win condition.
January 10, 2014 12:47 a.m.
Would that take away from the deck or is having Codex Shredder or Millstone still play an important part? I would probably do like 1 or 2 Codex Shredder over Millstone
January 10, 2014 12:52 a.m.
corranhorn01 says... #23
I don't see a need for 2 Elixers tbh. That list looks pretty good. Thought about Opportunity ?
January 10, 2014 8:59 a.m.
Servo_Token says... #24
Being that I play this archetype competitively, I would have to say that 2 elixir effects is fairly important. What happens if your opponent is playing discard? Thoughtseize is a thing. You should be prepared for this.
Also, opportunity costs too much to be worth it. You're basically playing 2 divinations at the same time three turns too late.
Codex Shredder is probably the better choice for your build. The ability to bring back, say, Elspeth to your hand late game can really turn things around. It doesn't really take much away from the deck either, if you're adding another win condition.
In my prior suggestion, I made room for I believe 1 shredder / stone. Feel free to add a second though if it is your choosing.
January 10, 2014 3:17 p.m.
corranhorn01 says... #25
True. I just played it at locals. And I agree on Opportunity , just some people like it, I guess.
January 10, 2014 6:35 p.m.
@ThatBlueMage so as of now, what would you take out to put in 2x Codex Shredder or would 1 be enough
January 10, 2014 9:47 p.m.
Servo_Token says... #27
Well, tonight, one was enough for me, but you may want two.
I'd take out excess counterspells, like Cancel or syncopate for em. The recursion ability of shredder lets you grab one that youve used if you're desperate for it. (Happened to me tonight)
Servo_Token says... #2
What kind of budget are you looking at? Can you get your hands on things like AEtherling or Assemble the Legion ?
If you're in the $5-10 range, you shouldn't have too much trouble with this, and knowing your budget more accurately will help the people help you.
January 9, 2014 7:46 p.m.