This deck is built to control the board using combinations of creatures that have good ETB effects, with stuff that allows you to keep gaining value from them by blinking them and returning them to your hand. These abilities also have the cool side effect of being able to basically get your creatures out of the way of any harmful effect and back to your hand, just for you to replay them next turn.
It's just starting out. I used to play a similar UB Commander back in the day, and I still have some of the remnants of that deck in this one, but none of the really good cards. There are some obvious stuff that I am missing that I am aware of, such as the good Tutors, Cryptic Command, Damnation, Vendillion Clique, Venser Shaper Savant, Draining Whelk and Damnation, as well as an actually good land base with duals and Boseiju. I'd say this is a pretty good start though. I managed to get pretty good board control against my buddy's Gisela deck earlier.
Things I am trying to get my hands on:
Venser, Shaper Savant
Draining Whelk
Leyline of Anticipation
Vedalken Orrery
Aether Vial
Hinder
Spell Crumple
Vendillion Clique
Tunnel Vision
Ghostly Flicker (I don't know why I can't find one of these)
Man-O-War
Aether Adept
Grave Titan
Faceless Butcher
Mesmeric Fiend
Jace the Mindsculptor
Jace, Architect of Thought
Jace Beleren
Tamiyo the Moon Sage
Sensei's Divining Top
Damnation
Evacuation(!!!)
Sol Ring
Solemn Simulacrum
Nevermaker
Drift of Phantasms
Perplex
Dimir Machinations
Spin into Myth
Vela the Night-Clad
Baleful Strix
Dream Stalker
Gatekeeper of Malakir
Snapcaster Mage
Spellstutter Sprite
Cryptic Command
Demonic Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
Boseiju, who Shelters All
Miren, the Moaning Well
High Market
I don't know how many of those cards I will actually use; I would have to do a lot of messing around to figure out the best things to do.
Top 8 - TCGPlayer Qualifier 7/23/11
Top 4 - Free $500 FNM 10/2/12
Top 8 - Star City Games OT 4/20/13
Top 8 - Star City Games Super IQ 5/25/13
Top 8 - TCGPlayer 1k 10/5/13
Top 16 - TCGPlayer Diamond 5k 4/5/14
It's just starting out. I used to play a similar UB Commander back in the day, and I still have some of the remnants of that deck in this one, but none of the really good cards. There are some obvious stuff that I am missing that I am aware of, such as the good Tutors, Cryptic Command, Damnation, Vendillion Clique, Venser Shaper Savant, Draining Whelk and Damnation, as well as an actually good land base with duals and Boseiju. I'd say this is a pretty good start though. I managed to get pretty good board control against my buddy's Gisela deck earlier.
1 Wydwen, the Biting Gale
//Countermagic
1 Cancel
1 Dissipate
1 Forbid
1 Stoic Rebuttal
1 Bone to Ash
1 Counterlash
1 Rewind
1 Muddle the Mixture
//Control Magic
1 Spirit Away
1 Volition Reigns
1 Soul Seizer
//Bounce Enablers
1 Faerie Imposter
1 Cavern Harpy
1 Crystal Shard
//ETB Triggers
1 Slum Reaper
1 Entomber Exarch
1 Soulsworn Spirit
1 Farbog Boneflinger
1 Gravedigger
1 Augur of Bolas
1 Slithermuse
1 Voidmage Apprentice
1 Benthicore
1 Voidwalker
1 Sphinx of Lost Truths
1 Skinrender
1 Peace Strider
1 Mind Unbound
1 Sign in Blood
1 Staff of Nin
1 Underworld Connections
1 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Jace's Ingenuity
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Amass the Components
1 Syphon Mind
1 Ponder
//Mana Rocks
1 Chromatic Lantern
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Dreamstone Hedron
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Vessel of Endless Rest
//Removal
1 Carnifex Demon
1 Tribute to Hunger
1 Geth's Verdict
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Barter in Blood
//The Tutor (Sad face)
1 Diabloic Tutor
//Other support
1 Ring of Evos Isle
1 Seer's Vision
1 Mask of Avacyn
1 Magus of the Future
1 Cackling Counterpart
1 Omniscience
1 Evil Twin
1 Pithing Needle
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 No Rest for the Wicked
13 Swamp
14 Island
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Temple of the False God
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Transguild Promenade
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Nephlia Drownyard
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Halimar Depths
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Dreadship Reef
Some neat things include:
Having only Crystal Shard in play. Play Slum Reaper, Return him to your hand in response to his trigger.
Casting Slum Reaper, sacrifice himself, play Gravedigger, get slum reaper back, return Gravedigger with Crystal Shard or Cavern Harpy
Skinrender, return him, Skinrender, return him, Skinrender....
Things I am trying to get my hands on:
Venser, Shaper Savant
Draining Whelk
Leyline of Anticipation
Vedalken Orrery
Aether Vial
Hinder
Spell Crumple
Vendillion Clique
Tunnel Vision
Ghostly Flicker (I don't know why I can't find one of these)
Man-O-War
Aether Adept
Grave Titan
Faceless Butcher
Mesmeric Fiend
Jace the Mindsculptor
Jace, Architect of Thought
Jace Beleren
Tamiyo the Moon Sage
Sensei's Divining Top
Damnation
Evacuation(!!!)
Sol Ring
Solemn Simulacrum
Nevermaker
Drift of Phantasms
Perplex
Dimir Machinations
Spin into Myth
Vela the Night-Clad
Baleful Strix
Dream Stalker
Gatekeeper of Malakir
Snapcaster Mage
Spellstutter Sprite
Cryptic Command
Demonic Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
Boseiju, who Shelters All
Miren, the Moaning Well
High Market
I don't know how many of those cards I will actually use; I would have to do a lot of messing around to figure out the best things to do.
Standard: B/x Devotion
Modern: Death & Taxes
Top 8 - TCGPlayer Qualifier 7/23/11
Top 4 - Free $500 FNM 10/2/12
Top 8 - Star City Games OT 4/20/13
Top 8 - Star City Games Super IQ 5/25/13
Top 8 - TCGPlayer 1k 10/5/13
Top 16 - TCGPlayer Diamond 5k 4/5/14