Siding vs Control Matchups
Standard forum
Posted on Oct. 12, 2015, 4:24 p.m. by Arvail
Let's say you're playing a midrange strategy. Which card would you suggest to side in out the following three: Mastery of the Unseen, Monastery Siege, or Outpost Siege? As control decks no longer have access to throughseize, those card have become somewhat harder to answer. They essentially require the control player to keep up mana for a counter. If you don't like any of the above cards, which ones do you think are the best options vs. control?
RedDiomedes says... #3
I don't follow your reasoning. Control has many ways to deal with enchantments?
Additionally besides for monastery siege dragons mode none of those cards strike me as answers to control decks.
October 12, 2015 5:31 p.m.
Unanswered, these cards let you gain incremental advantage. Also, aside from counterspells, there really isn't all that many ways control decks can deal with enchantments. Since counters affect every spell as is, there's really no point building around them. At the very least, one of these enchantments will warrant an Utter End and that's not really a commonly played card. Unless you're playing vs 5c Bring to Light, they can't reliably fetch it. I'm basing this on SCG Indy lists and anecdotal evidence of decks on TO.
Mastery of the Unseen gives you a consistent way to produce 2/2 bodies without investing cards. Even 2 or 3 of those tokens is enough to warrant wiping the board. This card has a history of being sided in vs control matchups.
The Khans mode on Monastery Siege gives you filter, thereby improving the quality of your draws. More relevant draws are nice. If you've got graveyard interactions, even better.
The Khans mode on Outpost Siege is straight up card advantage. This card also has a history of being played out of the board vs control.
October 12, 2015 5:56 p.m. Edited.
I've noticed a lot of the Control decks are now siding in Duress to deal with problematic non-creature, non-land cards.
I always put either one Erase or one Fate Forgotten in my Sideboard.
My partner who plays Control, and has neither of those options, uses Disperse and then Negate for anything he has not been able to Counter.
Keeping up mana for Counters is Control's thing. That would be no big deal at all for that kind of deck.
That's not to say that any of this is in your local meta, but be careful about making blanket statements about people not being able to deal with certain eventualities.
My preference out of the options you presented would be Mastery of the Unseen. The two things Control hates is life gain and you playing Creatures.
October 13, 2015 2:40 a.m.
Despise is common main. The control player won't be aware of your side in game two. Lists aren't public, you know. If you suspect the enchant break, you can even side back out and leave then with dead cards.
October 13, 2015 12:37 p.m.
You won't be aware of your Opponent's Sideboarded cards for game 2, either.
Disperse and Negate are rarely dead cards. Neither is Utter End which some other people might side in.
I'm glad you told me that lists aren't public. Now I can stop printing mine off and handing it in at the start of all the FNM tourneys I play.
I wondered why I was the only one doing that.
October 13, 2015 1:51 p.m.
Depends on the deck. If you're already playing a megamorph deck, Mastery of the Unseen is the best choice. If you're playing a regular midrange deck, probably Outpost Siege. Never Monastery Siege, even not being in those colours there are far better cards vs control in Blue.
October 14, 2015 4:13 p.m.
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #9
Mastery is probably the best just because having the ability to end-step 2/2's is something control would have a really hard time with, and you have a chance to get it in early on before they have mana to counter.
October 16, 2015 12:49 p.m.
Control for me is just downright awful. I went to FNM a few hours ago. Can confirm, Mastery of the Unseen resolved makes the game into 50/50. That's damn good. Made top 8 after facing multiple control lists with relatively competent pilots. Lost in top 8 to control. Heyyyyyy! Went in expecting tons of red decks. Saw none. What is Surge of Righteousness?
Arvail says... #2
Oh, and when playing a more proactive strat, is negate worth considering?
October 12, 2015 4:28 p.m.