Mono blue control has long been an interest of mine. The current MUC standard is a Delver-based tempo deck that incorporates Back to Basics and True-Name Nemesis, but I'm interested in crafting a deck more along the lines of a classic MUC list. There does seem to be a bit of a fundamental problem with an already-low-tier deck eschewing Jace and Tiago...but I'd still like to try this out.
The Trinket Mage package is a bit unconventional, but I think it could prove effective. Chalice of the Void may be a viable inclusion for the maindeck in certain metagames.
Foil is pretty bad, but I have fantasies of hitting it off a Dig in a critical situation - I think it could prove effective as a 1-of.
I have a Shorecrasher Elemental lying around, but I'm sure there's something better that could go in this slot. A second win-con might be good.
We used to see Energy Field with rest in peace and helm of obedience. The idea is you could take no damage or mill them out with how helm is worded. Rest in Peace isn't bad on the surface either--it can beat graveyard based decks like reanimator or dredge by itself unless they have an out like abrupt decay. Enlightened Tutor brought the whole package together since it could find either half of either combo. The deck hasn't seen any real play in 3 years though.
That being said, I think there's too many cannot be countered cards to make old school control effective. Cavern of Souls, Abrupt Decay, and the like make it really hard to deal with all the threats thrown at you. If something like a first turn Delver resolves, your deck kinda folds to it. I mean, he's got some number of dazes and forces to fight against your dazes and forces when you try to repeal, EE or use cursed scroll (scroll seems even worse in that you might struggle emptying your hand out). Likewise, say a 4 color delver deck also is packing deathrites, that can slowly tap clock you out, since you aren't winning fast either.
You might crush people with back to basics sometimes though. There's some mono blue tempos lists that sometimes will storm a tournament that do alright, but they aren't pure control lists like you want to build. Most of the control lists used to use Vedalken Shackles.
Not sure if this is a thread-necro, but the topic fits and I didn't see a more recent budget MUC thread, so...
What I think of as "classic MUC" is colored by when I started playing in 1998. These decks packed tons of card advantage, countermagic, and effects like Treachery, Nevinyrral's Disk or Powder Keg, Arcane Laboratory, Morphling, Capsize, manlands, etc. They were disturbingly good and frustrating to oppose. I couldn't beat them. So I decided to join them. While the deck has been modernized, taken apart, and reassembled over the years, I've always had a soft spot for MUC.
A few months ago, I put this list together. Many cards are exactly the same as ever (Powder Keg, Daze, MisD, Counterspell, Brainstorm), others are clear spiritual successors (Shackles replacing Treachery, TNN replacing Morphling). The biggest change is less reliance on (and less versatile, but cheaper) countermagic, which also allows a reduction in land-count and the addition of Delvers. While the OP was not especially interested in Delver or TNN, I think they may find this in the vein of what they had in mind. The list is semi-competitive, and semi-budget.
4 Trinket Mage
1 Shorecrasher Elemental
1 Aetherling
Instants:
4 Brainstorm
1 Spell Pierce
3 Daze
4 Counterspell
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Foil
3 Dig Through Time
4 Repeal
4 Ponder
Artifacts:
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Cursed Scroll
Enchantments:
3 Back to Basics
4 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
16 Island
The Trinket Mage package is a bit unconventional, but I think it could prove effective. Chalice of the Void may be a viable inclusion for the maindeck in certain metagames.
Foil is pretty bad, but I have fantasies of hitting it off a Dig in a critical situation - I think it could prove effective as a 1-of.
I have a Shorecrasher Elemental lying around, but I'm sure there's something better that could go in this slot. A second win-con might be good.
Is Energy Field worth a look?
We used to see Energy Field with rest in peace and helm of obedience. The idea is you could take no damage or mill them out with how helm is worded. Rest in Peace isn't bad on the surface either--it can beat graveyard based decks like reanimator or dredge by itself unless they have an out like abrupt decay. Enlightened Tutor brought the whole package together since it could find either half of either combo. The deck hasn't seen any real play in 3 years though.
That being said, I think there's too many cannot be countered cards to make old school control effective. Cavern of Souls, Abrupt Decay, and the like make it really hard to deal with all the threats thrown at you. If something like a first turn Delver resolves, your deck kinda folds to it. I mean, he's got some number of dazes and forces to fight against your dazes and forces when you try to repeal, EE or use cursed scroll (scroll seems even worse in that you might struggle emptying your hand out). Likewise, say a 4 color delver deck also is packing deathrites, that can slowly tap clock you out, since you aren't winning fast either.
You might crush people with back to basics sometimes though. There's some mono blue tempos lists that sometimes will storm a tournament that do alright, but they aren't pure control lists like you want to build. Most of the control lists used to use Vedalken Shackles.
What I think of as "classic MUC" is colored by when I started playing in 1998. These decks packed tons of card advantage, countermagic, and effects like Treachery, Nevinyrral's Disk or Powder Keg, Arcane Laboratory, Morphling, Capsize, manlands, etc. They were disturbingly good and frustrating to oppose. I couldn't beat them. So I decided to join them. While the deck has been modernized, taken apart, and reassembled over the years, I've always had a soft spot for MUC.
A few months ago, I put this list together. Many cards are exactly the same as ever (Powder Keg, Daze, MisD, Counterspell, Brainstorm), others are clear spiritual successors (Shackles replacing Treachery, TNN replacing Morphling). The biggest change is less reliance on (and less versatile, but cheaper) countermagic, which also allows a reduction in land-count and the addition of Delvers. While the OP was not especially interested in Delver or TNN, I think they may find this in the vein of what they had in mind. The list is semi-competitive, and semi-budget.
15 Island
4 Polluted Delta
Creatures (6)
4 Delver of Secrets
2 True-Name Nemesis
Artifacts (7)
2 Powder Keg
2 Ratchet Bomb
3 Vedalken Shackles
4 Spell Snare
4 Daze
4 Counterspell
4 Misdirection
Card Advantage (12)
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Standstill
4 Spell Pierce
3 Back to Basics
4 Propaganda
4 Relic of Progenitus
I'd like feedback as well, if anyone has.
Modern: Merfolk UU // Green Devotion GG // SkRed Red RR
Legacy: Death & Taxes WW // Burn RR // Death's Shadow Delver UB
Commander: Brago UW // Karlov WB