Control in Standard
Standard forum
Posted on Jan. 14, 2015, 1:24 a.m. by CommanderOfBolas
I feel like control is getting better in standard with the introduction of fate reforged. Reality Shift is fantastic in any U/R/X deck that is already running Anger of the Gods, and Crux of Fate seems like it will be quite powerful, especially considering the small number of playable dragons. I think U/B, Grixis, Jeskai, and U/W control are all much stronger now, and I think they will see an increase in play.
That being said, id like to talk about the best control deck. Right now I think it is U/W. I think it is up in the air, but I like Elspeth, Sun's Champion right now, and I think Citadel Siege is the card it needed to shine. Ive always like the interaction between cards that force your opponents to commit more to the board and wrath effects.
So what do you think is best and why?
(by the way, is it wrong for me to advocate for a non-Grixis deck? It has been quite the internal conflict for me)
I was just wondering the same thing. I have been wanting to play control but still a little skeptical on which to play. U/B seems like it is starting to put up some good results but I still feel like its lacking. I've also been keeping up with Jim Davis since he plays U/W Control and he actually placed 4th in a SCG open or some major event like that with it. I think esper could be strong right now but from what I have seem its not doing too well, possibly because of how slow it is at the moment. I dont know though, hopefully in this last set something well help control out a little more because the major thing against it right now is life gain.
January 14, 2015 8:35 a.m.
notamardybum says... #4
only good thing about uw is the access to elspeth, overall ub is a better control deck that gets better with FRF
January 14, 2015 9:55 a.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #5
I don't know notamardybum, u/b gets Hero's Downfall, Drown in Sorrow, Bile Blight, and maybe Murderous Cut. it also now has Crux of Fate which is good.
u/w has Banishing Light, Devouring Light, Reality Shift, Last Breath, Citadel Siege, End Hostilities, and Elspeth, Sun's Champion. it's removal isn't as good, but because of that it can focus more heavily on counterspells, which are really good against decks that are playing one spell per turn. only time will tell for sure, but my money is on u/w to be better.
January 14, 2015 11:37 a.m.
JexInfinite says... #6
Monastery Siege is at least twice as good as Citadel.
January 14, 2015 12:28 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #7
No way. The looting is great, but not taking damage is better. With limited life gain resources, preventing creatures from attacking is key. Citadel does what Jace AoT used to do, which is force your opponent to over extend into a wrath. The monastery just improves card quality.
January 14, 2015 1:35 p.m.
Rasta_Viking29 says... #8
Citadel is a dead card against swarm aggro though. Jace AoT punished that strategy hard. I like it better than Monastery Siege though.
January 14, 2015 7:35 p.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #9
I don't think it is entirely dead, although it is bad. however, if you have nothing better to do, you can tap down something. furthermore, there is always the option to put some counters on you Nyx-Fleece Ram to build a better wall. it is definitely something that I would side out for game 2, though
January 14, 2015 8:01 p.m.
I don't think the mana is good enough to play Grixis. U/B Control is already mana intensive; throwing red into the mix without a triland just means you're going to lose a lot of games because of bad mana.
I've been enjoying UB Control over the past few weeks. Elspeth, Sun's Champion is a strong reason to go UW (it's a far stronger finisher than anything UB plays), but overall I think black adds more than white.
The only thing I'm going to immediately add to the deck are 2 copies of Crux of Fate (Perilous Vault moves down to a 3-of) and a singleton of Ugin, the Spirit Dragon.
I don't care much for Reality Shift. Perhaps in UW where there are fewer cards that can deal with resolved creatures, but it's outclassed by the black removal.
Monastery Siege may be a viable sideboard card against burn heavy decks, but I'm not sure if it does enough. Same with Silumgar, the Drifting Death.
January 15, 2015 2:48 p.m.
Kirito_swo says... #11
I think the mana is fine for grixis you have 2 diffrent fetches and the life gain lands and the temples you just need to find the right balance between them. I started playing grixis just for mindswipe, while dissolve and dissipate get less satisfying the longer the game goes mindswipe just gets better and better and you have mogis and kreanos
January 16, 2015 4 a.m.
CommanderOfBolas says... #12
I have been playing Grixis in standard for a while now and here is what I have found: Fetcehs are not good for fixing mana. sure they are better than just a basic, but they only get a basic, which isn't helpful in 3 colors. I originally played 7 fetches, but now im down to 4 with fewer bascs and more temples/lifegain lands. After making that change, I noticed a huge improvement in my games. Now it is rare to lose a game from not having the right color. I am more likely to lose from simply drawing too few or too many lands
Kirito_swo says... #2
Im playing around with grixis right now and it seems super fun and good, just gotta balance the mana out since you need to hit so many double colored mana symbols, and I think it just gets better with fate coming out it finally get a wrath effect
January 14, 2015 2:44 a.m.