It's an interesting concept and certainly worth exploring but it does have it's flaws. For instance one of UW's greatest strengths is it's manabase. Being able to play up to 9 utility lands and taking very little damage from your own lands adds a lot of win percentage across all matchups. I would say that would be the biggest flaw of the Glittering Wish build but a close second is the fact that you don't get to have a normal sideboard. Sideboard space is at a premium and when you have to dedicate like 8-10 slots to cards that are generally worse than thier contemporary counter-parts (such as fracturing gust vs Stony Silence, wheel of sun and moon vs rest in peace, etc) or cards that shouldn't be taking up space at all like Ojutai or Detention Sphere. Couple that with the fact that most of those are going to be single copies which means that you can't bring them in against the decks they are good against because that means you can't wish for them, essentially lowering your chances of ever drawing it. The last issue, in my mind, with the sideboard is that you're going to run into issues when you come up against decks where you have a ton of dead cards in the main deck, there just arent going to be great options for how to fill those slots because you have to leave that critical mass of gold spells in the board.
The problem with glittering wish is that you don't have time to cast a 2 mana tutor as a control deck in modern. If you could wish and cast your spell in the same turn, it would be great. But you can't do that until turns 4+. And very few of the wish targets are better than 1 for 1s, especially since your opponent can see you wish for it. Wishing for verdict isn't that great unless you do it turn 6 so your opponent doesn't see it coming. Wishing for sundering growth or detention sphere is such a tempo hit if it doesn't buy you 2-3 turns.
Part of the reason why U/W control is not terrible is that you run 8 ways to mess with your opponent's lands, which lets you buy time to take over the game. Mana screwing your opponent for 2-4 turns lets you get your gideon/azcanta/mana base going. Playing a third color has real costs.
The deck manipulation and cantrips you run in U/W (mcwinsauce's version) let you find the random main deck bullets on occasion, like runed halo, jace aot, and sphinx's rev. Instead of wishing for a bullet super slowly, you can occasionally scry/cantrip into them with U/W or naturally draw them. The jace and sphinx's rev cantrip, and runed halo is rarely dead.
Halo seems to be pretty ubiquitous these days. I haven't pulled the trigger on trying it out yet, but how are you guys finding it? Seems like it isn't really a turn 2 card. I do feel there are a few subpar cards in just about any list and halo looks like it could remedy that a bit, at least superficially.
1) cheese combos game 1 (grapeshot, valakut, and sometimes lightning storm)
2) protect yourself from lightning bolt, since the games go long that a mid range deck can draw 2-3 and kill you, and this deck has more answers to creatures than lightning bolts
3) buy you time until you can find verdict
Sometimes you get lucky and it stops 2 creatures, or the only threat your threat light opponent is playing (GDS/bogles/infect).
However items 2 and 3 don't protect your gideon of the trials, nor do they protect your colonnade from dying to creatures/bolt.
Since it doesn't protect gideon you may end up in a situation where you have to path a creature to save gideon.
It can win you the game, stall the game or be awkward card disadvantage. And those things happen in varying frequencies. The combo match ups are so unwinnable game one, that having the miser halo can be worth it.
Also what makes halo better now than in the past, is that abrupt decay is way on the decline.
Dezani wrote an article on it and ranks it vs various decks:
The rule about redirecting to planeswalkers has changed already? If not, shouldn't it protect Gideon from bolt since they can't target the player?
Correct. Until the rules change, Halo naming a targeted burn spell will protect your walkers, since they have to target you and redirect the damage to your planeswalker upon resolution.
Yea, that's what I figured. Anyone know when that rule change is happening?
This came up during my first paper event with this deck, when a Dredge player wanted to redirect Conflagarate damage. We looked it up and couldn’t find a hard date, but I seem to remember the context of an article suggesting that it would change sometime during Rivals of Ixalan.
Grixis Death's Shadow is a pretty good matchup for UW. Do your best to never get force spiked by stubborn denial, aggressively attack their mana base (they only have 2 basics and sometimes mill them with thought scour) and try to hold a land in hand to play around kologhan's command discard when possible.
I don't think I'll ever have the guts to side out path vs. E-Tron. Could you explain it to me, please? I know attacking their mana is important, but an unanswered Endbringer can run away with the game, and you have 8+ ways to punish them vs 2 basics. Pathing early is almost definitely a mistake, and even though siding some out is a hedge against Chalice, I'm not super sure it's correct. Would love to argue the point.
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I explain it twice in the comments of that twitter thread, but the general gist of it is that the games will go long and they'll always draw into chalices. If you then draw 1 drops you'll lose.
I can’t see it doing much for us since his ability can only be fired off during attacks, putting us shields down for the next turn and a half. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, Rev is only playable because it’s an Instant.
Still, I really want to somehow justify this dude.
Rev is barely playable, imo. Consecrated Sphinx is still the superior Sphinx - much more likely to draw a couple cards before getting killed, much less Mana commitment.
Rev is barely playable, imo. Consecrated Sphinx is still the superior Sphinx - much more likely to draw a couple cards before getting killed, much less Mana commitment.
I like it better than Consecrated Sphinx. This has two more power, and you can cast it without worrying about Storm or Ad Nauseum going off the next turn while you're tapped out. If you're NOT playing against combo, then using its Rev ability during your turn isn't nearly as bad, and will still probably win you the game. All said, it has versatility.
Edit: I forgot to mention other combo spells, like Living End, Scapeshift, and Through the Breach
The 2 extra power isn't super relevant. What's relevant is that the Rev ability requires it to love until your next attack step rather than until your opponent's draw step. Basically if consecrated lives as long as azor, it's going to draw you 4 cards without needing to spend an additional 7 Mana.
The 2 extra power isn't super relevant. What's relevant is that the Rev ability requires it to love until your next attack step rather than until your opponent's draw step. Basically if consecrated lives as long as azor, it's going to draw you 4 cards without needing to spend an additional 7 Mana.
I'll agree to disagree about the two extra power not being relevant, but you make a good point about being able to draw cards earlier. I just like that Azor gives you another shield vs combo, while your normal mana shields are down, so you don't lose on your opponent's next turn. Consecrated Sphinx cannot do that, but it is probably better in all other non-combo matchups.
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negate
stony silence
rest in peace
flashfreeze
disdainful stroke
timely reinforcements
blessed alliance
vendilion clique
ethersworn canonist
relic of progenitus
geist of saint traft
bribery
mindbreak trap
crucible of worlds
celestial purge
kitchen finks
elspeth, sun's champion
leyline of sanctity
disenchant
Gather Specimens
runed halo
surgical extraction
settle the wreckage
Ceremonious Rejection
Condemn
aven mindcensor
Grafdigger's Cage
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Burrenton Forge-Tender
Kor Firewalker
Ghostly Prison
pithing needle
Spell Queller
Porphyry Nodes
Thanks for the answers !
It's an interesting concept and certainly worth exploring but it does have it's flaws. For instance one of UW's greatest strengths is it's manabase. Being able to play up to 9 utility lands and taking very little damage from your own lands adds a lot of win percentage across all matchups. I would say that would be the biggest flaw of the Glittering Wish build but a close second is the fact that you don't get to have a normal sideboard. Sideboard space is at a premium and when you have to dedicate like 8-10 slots to cards that are generally worse than thier contemporary counter-parts (such as fracturing gust vs Stony Silence, wheel of sun and moon vs rest in peace, etc) or cards that shouldn't be taking up space at all like Ojutai or Detention Sphere. Couple that with the fact that most of those are going to be single copies which means that you can't bring them in against the decks they are good against because that means you can't wish for them, essentially lowering your chances of ever drawing it. The last issue, in my mind, with the sideboard is that you're going to run into issues when you come up against decks where you have a ton of dead cards in the main deck, there just arent going to be great options for how to fill those slots because you have to leave that critical mass of gold spells in the board.
Part of the reason why U/W control is not terrible is that you run 8 ways to mess with your opponent's lands, which lets you buy time to take over the game. Mana screwing your opponent for 2-4 turns lets you get your gideon/azcanta/mana base going. Playing a third color has real costs.
The deck manipulation and cantrips you run in U/W (mcwinsauce's version) let you find the random main deck bullets on occasion, like runed halo, jace aot, and sphinx's rev. Instead of wishing for a bullet super slowly, you can occasionally scry/cantrip into them with U/W or naturally draw them. The jace and sphinx's rev cantrip, and runed halo is rarely dead.
1) cheese combos game 1 (grapeshot, valakut, and sometimes lightning storm)
2) protect yourself from lightning bolt, since the games go long that a mid range deck can draw 2-3 and kill you, and this deck has more answers to creatures than lightning bolts
3) buy you time until you can find verdict
Sometimes you get lucky and it stops 2 creatures, or the only threat your threat light opponent is playing (GDS/bogles/infect).
However items 2 and 3 don't protect your gideon of the trials, nor do they protect your colonnade from dying to creatures/bolt.
Since it doesn't protect gideon you may end up in a situation where you have to path a creature to save gideon.
It can win you the game, stall the game or be awkward card disadvantage. And those things happen in varying frequencies. The combo match ups are so unwinnable game one, that having the miser halo can be worth it.
Also what makes halo better now than in the past, is that abrupt decay is way on the decline.
Dezani wrote an article on it and ranks it vs various decks:
http://www.hareruyamtg.com/article/en/category/detail/233
The rating system he used is questionable, but I think halo is above average in the current meta.
Correct. Until the rules change, Halo naming a targeted burn spell will protect your walkers, since they have to target you and redirect the damage to your planeswalker upon resolution.
UWB Esper Draw-Go Control (clicky)
UW Azorius Control (clicky)
Currently pursuing a degree in Biochemistry.
EDH: I've decided I don't like multiplayer formats.
@douloumeaux: wild report, especially the match against Tezzeret. I would have been the one complaining about family obligations, lol.
This came up during my first paper event with this deck, when a Dredge player wanted to redirect Conflagarate damage. We looked it up and couldn’t find a hard date, but I seem to remember the context of an article suggesting that it would change sometime during Rivals of Ixalan.
Grixis Death's Shadow is a pretty good matchup for UW. Do your best to never get force spiked by stubborn denial, aggressively attack their mana base (they only have 2 basics and sometimes mill them with thought scour) and try to hold a land in hand to play around kologhan's command discard when possible.
UWGBant EldraziUWGDecided I don't like Todd Stevens decks.UBRGrixis ControlUBR
UUUAnd anything that plays 4x Cryptic CommandUUU
Really putting the Sphinx in Sphinx’s Revelation!
I can’t see it doing much for us since his ability can only be fired off during attacks, putting us shields down for the next turn and a half. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, Rev is only playable because it’s an Instant.
Still, I really want to somehow justify this dude.
I like it better than Consecrated Sphinx. This has two more power, and you can cast it without worrying about Storm or Ad Nauseum going off the next turn while you're tapped out. If you're NOT playing against combo, then using its Rev ability during your turn isn't nearly as bad, and will still probably win you the game. All said, it has versatility.
Edit: I forgot to mention other combo spells, like Living End, Scapeshift, and Through the Breach
I'll agree to disagree about the two extra power not being relevant, but you make a good point about being able to draw cards earlier. I just like that Azor gives you another shield vs combo, while your normal mana shields are down, so you don't lose on your opponent's next turn. Consecrated Sphinx cannot do that, but it is probably better in all other non-combo matchups.