MTG Salvation

Hi all. Long time lurker, first time poster. I stumbled upon this deck and kinda like it. It looks like a decent UW control with a small twist.



However I can't understand why there are no fetchlands/shocklands? I made few changes and this is what I'd like to test now. I will be grateful if anybody could help/correct my manabase (number/type of specific lands) as I always had problems with this.

Here is my own version:

I played shape anew in standard. Cards I liked were dispel and renegade doppelganger

Inkmoth Nexus or Blinkmoth Nexus can help you consistently have a target for shape anew and are cheap enough to win on the manland + protection plan. You may also want to consider trying out remand over spell pierce

Inkmoth Nexus? It costs 5 mana to go off that way, but they don't take up slots in the deck and when you're running 2-colors I think you can afford them messing up your mana.

I'm not too sold on Master's Call. It looks expensive for what it does. I get that you can catch your opponent off guard by EOT Master's into Shape Anew, but I don't think that it's reason enough to run it. (EDIT: wait, they only cost 3. Sorry thought they cost 4 )

Which leads me to:

Why not run Polymorph into Emrakul instead? This way you can go EOT Midnight Haunting into Poly on curve. One advantage Shape has over Poly though is that you can run creatures. So in order to really take advantage of that difference I'd run more creatures in the build. Maybe even go Bant for mana dorks and beaters. This way the deck plays out like the old Natural Order Bant Legacy deck. Playing proactive is a decent strategy too, since you put pressure on your opponent, forces him to tap out and deal with the board and then you surprise him with Shape.

Quote from christhein456 »

Inkmoth Nexus or Blinkmoth Nexus

+1 to the man lands they would be more useful then colonnade.

It needs to be an Artifact, something the Giant Flying Spaghetti Monster isn't. I think the deck needs a cheaper way to get artifact tokens into play. It would be best if you could get a token on turn two, then reshape on turn three, with a Blightsteel Colossus attack turn four. You'll need someway to protect your Blightsteel, maybe with Apostle's Blessing? I do like the Renegade Doppelganger suggestion, a back up plan is always nice. I'll have to suggest Dig Through Time if you can fill your grave fast enough, it's too powerful to ignore.

Thanks for the input guys.

Re: Emrakul - Shape Anew will not fetch him out of the library. It would have to be Polymorph and using it prevents me from playing Snapcasters and Splicers which are really good in this deck. First give me access to used Paths, Leaks etc second give a solid 3/3 first strike which can be used to fuel Shape Anew.

RE: Manlands (Inkmoth/blinkmoth). They seem weak without Shape, colorless mana might also be a problem. Thing is I don't have to cast Shape to win. This is a control which resets the board via Verdicts, clears attackers/blockers with Paths, denies crucial spells via Leaks and Pierces, plays them again if needed via Snapcasters and often wins due to 4 attacking Myr Tokens or 4/4 flying Collonade. If I get to cast Shape to get Blighsteel good for me but I don't think relying on ability to win only via Shaped Colossus is the right approach towards this deck.

Maybe batterskull or even wurmcoil in the side, but you may find yourself shaping anew a bladesplicer token and getting a torpor orb. Try hushwing griffin instead if you want the effect.

I would also consider favor of the mighty, path to exile seems like it would ruin your day super quick, and you can't run spellskite.

This is an early idea I had for a UR Shaper Twin List. The addition of Thopter Engineer and the demise of Splinter Twin make this deck more viable. It is a straight UR Splinter Twin shell inspired by Brian Braun-Duin's deck with the addition of the Shape Anew package.



Combo pieces:
Thopter Engineer: Our new Deceiver Exarch. Unlike old Deceivy she's kind of underwhelming, with the ability to be bolted. She can block a few creatures like Bob and Snapcaster. On the bright side, she enables turn 4 wins against anything non-interactive when her thopter transforms into a big bad battlin' Blightsteel Colossus with haste and infect and a cherry on top. In a vacuum, her clock is twice as fast as Deceiver, but Thopters, like any vehicle that uses wings to generate lift, should not be able to fly in a vacuum.

Blinkmoth Nexus: Can also be Inkmoth Nexus, but Blinkmoth is marginally better. Consider running a mix against smartasses who are known to play a lot of Pithing Needles. This card is slower than Thopter Engineer, being unable to win until turn 6. However, it is also a manland that dodges boardwipes and blockers, allowing you to fly over and dink people on the tempo plan.

Blightsteel Colossus: The win condition. Mighty Blighty gets haste with Thopter Engineer to swing for lethal. Unlike Twin, we can win through Abzan Company's infinite life...if you can get rid of Melira.

Inkwell Leviathan: The backup win condition against Path to Exile decks. I'm not sure how good this card really is against Tron. Sure, he beats Karn, but Newlamog can chump him all day until they have a bazillion mana and Eye of Ugin creatures. They can also O-Stone him, unlike Blightsteel. Consider the Blood Moon + manual beatdown plan versus them.

I have a second variant. I call this one Team Citadel and it is RUG (or Temur to our friends at SCG)



So, how does this one work? Everyone who plays Shape Anew knows the deck has one massive problem: people love to kill your Shape Anew target while the spell is on the stack. This happens all the goddam time and can result in them winning. The solution: Darksteel Citadel. There is literally just nothing they can do about this artifact: no Nature's Claim, no Abrupt Decay, hell, even no Shatterstorm or Armageddon. Infect can't Vines of Vastwood it to give it hexproof. The only meaningful way to stop a Shape Anew targeting Darksteel Citadel is to Spellskite it (he is a big problem and Twisted Image is a card). So, why don't we just run 4 Darksteel Citadels, then? The problem is that Shape Anew can pull him out of the library. This is a loss.

Darksteel Citadel is our MVP. We have to Highlander him: there can be only one. What this means is that if they Path your Blightsteel, you are done Shaping Anew....mostly. That's why we're also a tempo deck with a viable beatdown plan centered around good ol' Tarmogoyf and Snapcaster Mage. We also run a few Jund-esque fatties like Pia and Kiran Nalaar (can you think of any fun uses for those tokens?) Sometimes, Goyf beats get there, sometimes it's bolt snap bolt, sometimes it's Blightsteel transforming in for eleven poison to the face. The fun thing about this card is that you can't deal with him at all. You can't destroy him. You can't discard him with Inquisition of Thoughtseize. You can't even Crumble to Dust him if you play properly and use him for your land drop the turn you Shape Anew. One card, though, is a limitation. How do we get him?

Sylvan Scrying: I am a Tron player and Tron players know this card is an actual house. Le balanced land Demonic Tutor comes out on turn two and can fetch up our favorite combo piece or our manlands if we're on the beatdown plan. Tutor on turn 2/3 and keep your tempo gameplan up on the other turns:

Tolaria West: Kanye West here is our 5th tutor for Darksteel Citadel. It costs one more mana than Sylvan Scrying, so we limit it to a 1-of. However, it is uncounterable, which is a nice advantage if you find yourself walking into Spell Snares. Again, you can grab a manland with it if Blightsteel is no longer an option.

This list doesn't provide you with a way to give the Blightsteel haste. I feel like you shouldn't need it: what matchup do we really need a hard turn 4 win against?

why are you guys running two blightsteels, why would you ever want a second one?

In case the second one bites a Path or other exile-based removal.

So is Dovin, Grand Arbiter what this deck finally needed?