Um, can't they just sac Codex Shredder to get back the first decay? I agree that a Lil' Gid into Jura could easily do it, but even then they can just wait until they've exiled a Colonnade with Pyxis of Pandemonium (assuming they play it) and sac it to start beating down Jura and end the game that way.
They could, but it's Mana intensive and since we run so much LD they can't keep it up forever. They also have to find the abrupt decay, and be able to cast it and shred it back and cast it again in a timely manner in order to beat any 2 card combo of what I mentioned. It's a tall task.
Um, can't they just sac Codex Shredder to get back the first decay? I agree that a Lil' Gid into Jura could easily do it, but even then they can just wait until they've exiled a Colonnade with Pyxis of Pandemonium (assuming they play it) and sac it to start beating down Jura and end the game that way.
Pyxis of Pandemoneum doesn’t work the way you seem to think it does. Each player puts all permanents exiled with Pyxis of Pandemoneum that they own into the battlefield, so if they’ve exiled a colonnade and then sac Pyxis, YOU get the colonnade, plus any other permanents youowned that err exiled by the Pyxis.
Oh wow. That's really very important haha. Well, now I know!
Also, a couple questions for you guys -- what would you cut in this list for 2 Search for Azcanta or maybe even 3? Is it worth it to bring back a Think Twice to supplement them?
Logic knot and a Sphinx Rev. I think blessed alliance is I'm a good spot right now, but I like condemn in that spot slightly better due to the pinpoint ability to hit key threats out of humans.
If you wanted a 3rd (which I'm currently working with) and I highly recommend due to a lack of Jace, aot in your list, I would recommend cutting a verdict for it and switching to serum over opt. Serum makes you just as likely to find the the verdict in time as having another copy, and the instant speed from opt is worth very little in a spreading seas, triple planeswalkers, supreme verdict deck. With 24 lands, you're going to want the added selection. I've been on 25 lands 3 Azcanta for awhile and I'm strongly considering going back to 26. Normally Azcanta is only good at finding cards you need, rather helping to avoid cards you don't. However if your deck consists of somewhere between 40 and 50% of cards you don't need, that is the rare case where it can do so.
Logic knot and a Sphinx Rev. I think blessed alliance is I'm a good spot right now, but I like condemn in that spot slightly better due to the pinpoint ability to hit key threats out of humans.
If you wanted a 3rd (which I'm currently working with) and I highly recommend due to a lack of Jace, aot in your list, I would recommend cutting a verdict for it and switching to serum over opt. Serum makes you just as likely to find the the verdict in time as having another copy, and the instant speed from opt is worth very little in a spreading seas, triple planeswalkers, supreme verdict deck. With 24 lands, you're going to want the added selection. I've been on 25 lands 3 Azcanta for awhile and I'm strongly considering going back to 26. Normally Azcanta is only good at finding cards you need, rather helping to avoid cards you don't. However if your deck consists of somewhere between 40 and 50% of cards you don't need, that is the rare case where it can do so.
It's funny you say that, as I've already been considering going back to Serum, actually, and figured the 2nd Rev is a no-brainer first cut. I've been looking at Serum again really for no particular reason other than that Opt feels like it doesn't do anything (thought that's obviously not true, as I do actually like the card in practice). I like Opt at least in theory since I tend to play a higher number of 2 mana counters, but I'm wondering after having played it out a bit whether the difference will even be noticable with Serum instead. Speaking of that, would you elaborate on why you would cut Knot? I've been liking the 2 mana counters.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Edit: Also, as for Alliance vs. Condemn: I like Alliance, since it gets around Smasher discards, hexproof/protection/etc. (ie Bogles and Etched Champ), and shores up the Burn matchup G1 -- I've had them singlehandedly turn around a poor looking G1 against Burn, which is obviously great. Condemn is a card I've liked for a long time, but it'd take a lot for me to take it off the shelf when we have Alliance.
Logic knot isn't a 2 Mana counter in UW, at least not in the sense that it is good on turn 2. Half the time you won't have UU and the other half time you won't have a graveyard. It's fine as a late game counter, but the deck is well suited for the late game as is. Where we struggle is with falling behind on turns 2-4. It also just makes the deck slightly more vulnerable to gravehate, which is more important than people give credit for. 100% of the time someone casts a Relic of Progenitus, Grafdiggers cage, leyline of the void or a rest in peace against me I'm estatic that they decided to build thier deck in such a way as to allow for more frequent mulligans. The truth is, gravehate is horrid against us, but opponents either don't care, dont know, or don't have enough stuff to put in after cuts because these cards are cast against me in astounding numbers. In either case, I want to keep using that to my advantage.
The main difference with Serum vs opt is that serum is slightly more awkward with both sides of Azcanta, but the extra consistency provided in the early game is worth the slight awkwardness there. It rarely interferes with the counters unless you are desperate to find lands,which is why I recommend increasing your land count as well. 25 minimum, 26 is justifiable as well.
Hey guys, kinda been on and off this control shell for a while but the printing of azcanta has convinced me to settle on UW for the foreseeable future. Just played the deck with azcanta for the first time last night and I was amazed at how good it felt! I'm hoping to streamline the last few cards in the maindeck and probably overhaul the SB (as I did throw that together last minute because I didn't think I'd get to go last night due to a prior commitment). Ended up going 3-1 with this list:
Here's my inital thoughts after just 4 rounds of playing: MB 3 logic knots seemed way clunky so I'm probably going to shave one. Also the one ghost quarter will most likely become the 4th field of ruin, the field overperformed even though I didn't face any matchups that it was stellar in. Also 4 glacial fortress seems over the top, so I'd like to get another basic in place of it. Not sure about secure the wastes but I'm weary of it, I drew the card twice all night and both times it was on the last turn of the game, and neither time was it that card ending it. A few cards I'd like to fit in the MB are the 3rd azcanta and the 25th land, so after consideration the following changes will most likely take place: - 1 logic knot, -1 secure the wastes, -1 glacial fortress, +2 island (maybe 1 island, 1 plains), +1 search for azcanta.
SB: This was really thrown together and I'm not really well versed on the sideboarding that this deck currently does, but I'm most likely cutting RIP and adding surgical as well as a couple other touchups.
I appreciate any and all help with the deck!
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Catch me playing control in every format I can!
Modern: UW, Jeskai, Grixis, Blue moon, Esper, Sultai, UB, UWish
Legacy: Miracles
I took a break from this deck to try out Jeskai and UR Breach, but I ended up coming back to UW a couple nights ago. I did really well the first couple leagues with it, but now I'm doing horrible again. I don't know if the deck needs to evolve or it's just my bad luck. I played a couple 3 game matches against creature decks where I didn't draw a single board wipe. I'm starting to think about going up to 4 in the main and a 5th in the side. I'm sticking pretty close to Bennyhillz last posted lists and having better luck in tough matchups like storm and lantern, but doing worse against the decks I should easily beat. I don't feel like I can give any advice at the moment since I've been off the deck for a couple months, maybe I could use some though.
@tweedls Play more basics. The benefit of field of ruin is you should always be able to get a basic land after killing one of your opponents. I'm personally on 6 islands / 3 plains.
I never liked logic knot in this deck too much, but I think 1 is fine with all the field of ruins, but it's usually a later game counterspell than mana leak. I'm having some better luck now in the past few matches. I just updated my decklist in my signature link, took out wall of omens again since there is just so much combo and flying creatures running around lately.
kanister_mtg: but actually lately UW control decks have started becoming reasonably good against Lantern postboard
kanister_mtg: while they were overall terrible against it for half a year
OK guys, what's the secret sideboard plan against Lantern? I need to know.
I don't think much has changed in the board other than the 1-of ceremonious rejection and the surgical extraction becoming more ubiquitous. I haven't played much lantern lately, so I'm not sure that surgical is good there but it probably comes in simply because of how many bad cards we have in the main. If UW has gotten better against lantern recently it's probably because of some of the new tools UW got for the main and the recent switch on Lanterns part to attempt to play a Mana base that requires UUU for whir of Invention.
It is my understanding that Kanister is one of the champions of lantern, but it sounds like he is suffering from base rate fallacy. As in, it's still likely that UW is a dog game 1, but much less of a dog than we have been previously. Given that more than half of all games are sideboard games, it's easier to attribute the losses as coming from there (which they mostly will be).
It's nothing inherent about the sideboard though. It's that we have more troublesome permanents than ever (Gideon 3 and Search as the newest additions) and they moved away from running multiple Decay/Maelstrom effects in the main in order to play whir of Invention. Look at the most recent lists - they run like 1 decay main and often no pulse. That means that if you ever resolve 2 gideon3's or 1 gideon3 and a gideon5 or 1 Gideon3 and 1 Search they can't win unless the UW pilot can't deal with or forgets to address academy ruins. Post board gets even better because you can start including Stony Silence, Runed Halo and additional counter-magic there.
kanister has a massive database of games played with Lantern, so I doubt he falling into the fallacy trap. A good part of it is likely what Awesomesauce mentioned, Search for Azcanta. Any effect that lets you search for cards below the top card makes things difficult for Lantern.
Has been awhile since I have posted on MTG Salvation.
This deck is what I usually play in terms of going UW Control and I always feel that it works smoothly but no list is perfect so I'm looking for advice/pointing at something that I'm missing.
Also I'm interested in knowing how good Search for Azcanta really is against various match ups as I wonder if its just the flavor of the day or because of it's good utility vs Lantern Control as an example.
kanister_mtg: but actually lately UW control decks have started becoming reasonably good against Lantern postboard
kanister_mtg: while they were overall terrible against it for half a year
OK guys, what's the secret sideboard plan against Lantern? I need to know.
I don't think much has changed in the board other than the 1-of ceremonious rejection and the surgical extraction becoming more ubiquitous. I haven't played much lantern lately, so I'm not sure that surgical is good there but it probably comes in simply because of how many bad cards we have in the main. If UW has gotten better against lantern recently it's probably because of some of the new tools UW got for the main and the recent switch on Lanterns part to attempt to play a Mana base that requires UUU for whir of Invention.
It is my understanding that Kanister is one of the champions of lantern, but it sounds like he is suffering from base rate fallacy. As in, it's still likely that UW is a dog game 1, but much less of a dog than we have been previously. Given that more than half of all games are sideboard games, it's easier to attribute the losses as coming from there (which they mostly will be).
It's nothing inherent about the sideboard though. It's that we have more troublesome permanents than ever (Gideon 3 and Search as the newest additions) and they moved away from running multiple Decay/Maelstrom effects in the main in order to play whir of Invention. Look at the most recent lists - they run like 1 decay main and often no pulse. That means that if you ever resolve 2 gideon3's or 1 gideon3 and a gideon5 or 1 Gideon3 and 1 Search they can't win unless the UW pilot can't deal with or forgets to address academy ruins. Post board gets even better because you can start including Stony Silence, Runed Halo and additional counter-magic there.
kanister has a massive database of games played with Lantern, so I doubt he falling into the fallacy trap. A good part of it is likely what Awesomesauce mentioned, Search for Azcanta. Any effect that lets you search for cards below the top card makes things difficult for Lantern.
I agreed that it's search for Azcanta and the new cards we've gotten in the past 6 months. But even if your data set was perfect, it would indicate that win rate has gone up disproportionately for sideboarded games because of the simple fact that more than half of all games are post board. So, my point still stands, it's nothing inherent about the sideboard strategy. If Kanister is noticing an increase in losses vs UW in postboard games, it's correlative, not causal. So yes, if he thinks it's a new sideboard plan that is causing the change in win % then he is suffering from bad heuristics. It's an easy mistake to make...data says we are losing more games postboard, therefore something changed postboard....failing to take into account that most games are post board.
Hearing about Kanister losing brings me great joy. and uh, I played a mirror match last night where my opponent was running at least 2 spells snares and deprives mainboard and they were very effective against me in the long game. I may give deprive a shot, but I could see it being pretty terrible against fast decks, where in our case we both had 15 lands so returning 1 didn't matter 1 bit.
Hearing about Kanister losing brings me great joy. and uh, I played a mirror match last night where my opponent was running at least 2 spells snares and deprives mainboard and they were very effective against me in the long game. I may give deprive a shot, but I could see it being pretty terrible against fast decks, where in our case we both had 15 lands so returning 1 didn't matter 1 bit.
Deprive always sounds good in theory, but it suffers from the same rate as tec edge and ghost quarter. We are a deck that needs to hit 6+ Mana in order to stabilize fully, and deprive just doesn't work there. Mana leak is still unfortunately a necessary evil.
Does anyone have any luck with Myth Realized and/or Monastery Mentor? Would love to see these cool cards shine, but there always just seems to be better cards for the spots.
I've played a bit of myth realized in modern, but in a delver shell, not a control shell. I feel that it belongs best there.
For mentor, some people have played esper mentor (there's a recent-ish list floating around, I think there was one in one of the challenge results or something recently), but its not really a control deck, more of a midrange deck.
The 61-card hype train rolls on! After going 4-0 on my paper debut a few weeks ago, I decided to run the exact same list back (2x Jace, and one-ofs on Search, Rev, and Crucible as my card advantage slots, plus a maindeck Blessed Alliance—otherwise a stock 25-land list).
Round 1 vs GB Elves:
G1 my opponent won the die roll and proceeded to vomit out his hand. By the end of his T4 he had me at two life with one card in hand. I hit the Verdict and passed; he untapped and played a Lead the Stampede, finding Ezuri, Elvish Archdruid, and a pair of mana dorks. Not good! I untapped and topdecked the land I needed to stay in it. Slammed a Gideon OTT, Mana Leaked his next turn’s play, and then the game was on. I needed almost every trick in the book—both Walls, Rev, Snapcaster, multiple Paths, Jace—but finally I weathered the Elf storm, and found Gideon Jura for the lock.
G2 I brought in Settle the Wreckage, Flashfreeze, and Grafdigger’s Cage. Once more he nearly emptied his hand to bring me to 3 life before my T4 Verdict cleaned things up. Opponent played a land and mana dork to put himself into topdeck mode and passed. I play Colonnade and send it back; he swings, no blocks, and plays the CoCo he topdecked; I Cryptic to counter and draw, going down to two. On my turn I made my sixth land drop, slam a Jace, roll him up, and pass. Opponent topdecks another CoCo and main phases it, but my Mana Leak answers it and he scoops.
Round 2 vs GR Ponza:
Game 1 I seem to have things well in hand, until he drops a T6 Thrun, with regen mana open. Suddenly the Verdict and pair of Paths in my hand don’t look so hot, but the Blessed Alliance in my hand will bail me out, especially since he has no other creatures and is topdecking. Aaaand next turn he pulls a Stormbreath Dragon. Oh well. I take the 8, Verdict away the Drag, and pass with Alliance mana open. Opponent topdecks another Dragon! GG.
For G2 I’ve brought in Flashfreeze, Disdainful Stroke, Settle the Wreckage, Runed Halo, and Vendilion Clique. I keep a fantastic two-lander with Leak, Stroke, Flashfreeze, and 2x Serum Visions. I hit my land drops with help from Visions and counter his early action. I lay down Crucible on T5, holding up Flashfreeze mana, then do the same with Jura on T7, prompting the scoop.
G3 can only be described as the nuts. Opponent played T1 Arbor Elf into T2 Utopia Sprawl and Magus of the Moon. So far I’m not too worried; I play an Island, and then Seas my own Colonnade with two Plains in hand. But then he tosses out a T3 Dragon I can’t answer and swings. T4 Monstrous activation pretty much seals the deal. Ponza’s best progressions seem just about as good as anything in the format.
Round 3 vs Izzet Pyromancer: Not much to say here, it was a casual 2-0 with my opponent mulling to 6 on the draw and then 5 on the play and still not really mustering much of a resistance to my smooth progressions. I was able to use my mana efficiently every turn and hit all of my land drops. When you’re doing that in UW, the wincons will follow.
Round 4 vs Lantern: I wasn’t thrilled about this matchup for obvious reasons, and the deck is piloted by the person I’d consider the top player at the store, but with the discussion from this thread about the shift to a blue splash for Whir of Invention in the back of my mind, I was heartened to see his T1 Botanical Sanctum. He did his thing well enough early on, but the turning point came when I D-Sphered his pair of Codex Shredders, leaving him with only Lanterns on board in terms of lock pieces. I only got in with Colonnade once before he found a Pithing Needle with Stirrings and shut off my manlands. But then Serum Visions found me Jace, who ticked down and found me Gideon OTT, and from there my advantage was too much.
G2, with eight cards dead in the main, I brought in all kinds of stuff: Negate, Ceremonious Rejection, Disenchant, Rest In Peace (more of a nonbo for me than a necessity but still less dead than Path/Verdict/Alliance), Runed Halo, Stony Silence x2, and Clique. My side action did plenty of work—all kinds of counterspell action in the mid game—but what really won me the game was Field of Ruin. My opponent kept a one-lander, and with only one basic in his deck, my T3 Field activation (while holding up Ceremonious) punished him hard. Played more Fields T4 and T5, and instantly shot them off at his next two land drops. His only lock piece was a Pyxis—besides that, he had a hand full of interaction that he couldn’t use for a long time, and by the time he could I was on seven or so lands with a full hand and a Search for Azcanta down. He Decayed the Search, so I laid down a Gideon OTT and made the emblem. His second (and possibly final) Decay took care of Gids, but I followed up with another, then a Rev, which found 2x Stony Silence and 2x Detention Sphere, which I knew would be quite safe. Opponent topdecked a Thoughtseize and scooped after some deliberation.
7-2 in games, 3-1 in matches for the night. 7-1 in overall competitive matches so far. This deck feels like a perfect fit for me, and despite the hundreds of minor decisions that went into the Lantern match at the end of some long rounds, the mental strain didn’t feel as taxing as it did on my debut week.
Thanks for reading, and thanks again to everybody for all the discussion here.
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They could, but it's Mana intensive and since we run so much LD they can't keep it up forever. They also have to find the abrupt decay, and be able to cast it and shred it back and cast it again in a timely manner in order to beat any 2 card combo of what I mentioned. It's a tall task.
Oh wow. That's really very important haha. Well, now I know!
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.
The list:
4x Celestial Colonnade
4x Field of Ruin
4x Flooded Strand
2x Glacial Fortress
2x Hallowed Fountain
5x Island
2x Plains
1x Scalding Tarn
Removal (12)
2x Blessed Alliance
2x Detention Sphere
4x Path to Exile
4x Supreme Verdict
4x Opt
2x Snapcaster Mage
2x Sphinx's Revelation
4x Spreading Seas
Counters (8)
3x Cryptic Command
1x Logic Knot
3x Mana Leak
1x Negate
Wincons (4)
1x Gideon Jura
2x Gideon of the Trials
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Blessed Alliance
1x Celestial Purge
1x Ceremonious Rejection
1x Disdainful Stroke
2x Dispel
1x Negate
2x Runed Halo
3x Spell Queller
3x Surgical Extraction
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.
If you wanted a 3rd (which I'm currently working with) and I highly recommend due to a lack of Jace, aot in your list, I would recommend cutting a verdict for it and switching to serum over opt. Serum makes you just as likely to find the the verdict in time as having another copy, and the instant speed from opt is worth very little in a spreading seas, triple planeswalkers, supreme verdict deck. With 24 lands, you're going to want the added selection. I've been on 25 lands 3 Azcanta for awhile and I'm strongly considering going back to 26. Normally Azcanta is only good at finding cards you need, rather helping to avoid cards you don't. However if your deck consists of somewhere between 40 and 50% of cards you don't need, that is the rare case where it can do so.
It's funny you say that, as I've already been considering going back to Serum, actually, and figured the 2nd Rev is a no-brainer first cut. I've been looking at Serum again really for no particular reason other than that Opt feels like it doesn't do anything (thought that's obviously not true, as I do actually like the card in practice). I like Opt at least in theory since I tend to play a higher number of 2 mana counters, but I'm wondering after having played it out a bit whether the difference will even be noticable with Serum instead. Speaking of that, would you elaborate on why you would cut Knot? I've been liking the 2 mana counters.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Edit: Also, as for Alliance vs. Condemn: I like Alliance, since it gets around Smasher discards, hexproof/protection/etc. (ie Bogles and Etched Champ), and shores up the Burn matchup G1 -- I've had them singlehandedly turn around a poor looking G1 against Burn, which is obviously great. Condemn is a card I've liked for a long time, but it'd take a lot for me to take it off the shelf when we have Alliance.
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.
The main difference with Serum vs opt is that serum is slightly more awkward with both sides of Azcanta, but the extra consistency provided in the early game is worth the slight awkwardness there. It rarely interferes with the counters unless you are desperate to find lands,which is why I recommend increasing your land count as well. 25 minimum, 26 is justifiable as well.
2 gideon of the trials
1 gideon jura
1 Jace, architect of thought
4 spreading seas
2 search for azcanta
3 supreme verdict
4 path to exile
4 serum visions
4 cryptic command
3 logic knot
2 spell snare
1 mana leak
1 sphinx's revelation
1 secure the wastes
4 flooded strand
4 glacial fortress
4 celestial colonnade
2 hallowed fountain
1 irrigated farmland
3 field of ruin
1 ghost quarter
3 island
2 plains
SB:
2 negate
1 rest in peace
1 celestial purge
2 stony silence
1 blessed alliance
1 timely reinforcements
1 vendillion clique
2 geist of saint traft
1 supreme verdict
1 elspeth, sun's champion
Here's my inital thoughts after just 4 rounds of playing: MB 3 logic knots seemed way clunky so I'm probably going to shave one. Also the one ghost quarter will most likely become the 4th field of ruin, the field overperformed even though I didn't face any matchups that it was stellar in. Also 4 glacial fortress seems over the top, so I'd like to get another basic in place of it. Not sure about secure the wastes but I'm weary of it, I drew the card twice all night and both times it was on the last turn of the game, and neither time was it that card ending it. A few cards I'd like to fit in the MB are the 3rd azcanta and the 25th land, so after consideration the following changes will most likely take place: - 1 logic knot, -1 secure the wastes, -1 glacial fortress, +2 island (maybe 1 island, 1 plains), +1 search for azcanta.
SB: This was really thrown together and I'm not really well versed on the sideboarding that this deck currently does, but I'm most likely cutting RIP and adding surgical as well as a couple other touchups.
I appreciate any and all help with the deck!
Modern: UW, Jeskai, Grixis, Blue moon, Esper, Sultai, UB, UWish
Legacy: Miracles
kanister has a massive database of games played with Lantern, so I doubt he falling into the fallacy trap. A good part of it is likely what Awesomesauce mentioned, Search for Azcanta. Any effect that lets you search for cards below the top card makes things difficult for Lantern.
Has been awhile since I have posted on MTG Salvation.
This deck is what I usually play in terms of going UW Control and I always feel that it works smoothly but no list is perfect so I'm looking for advice/pointing at something that I'm missing.
Also I'm interested in knowing how good Search for Azcanta really is against various match ups as I wonder if its just the flavor of the day or because of it's good utility vs Lantern Control as an example.
2 Restoration Angel
3 Snapcaster Mage
//Enchantment (2)
2 Detention Sphere
//Instant (23)
1 Blessed Alliance
3 Cryptic Command
2 Disallow
3 Mana Leak
4 Path to Exile
2 Remand
2 Spell Snare
2 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Think Twice
2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
//Sorcery (2)
2 Supreme Verdict
//Land (26)
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
3 Ghost Quarter
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
6 Island
2 Mystic Gate
3 Plains
2 Baneslayer Angel
1 Disenchant
1 Dispel
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Negate
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Timely Reinforcements
2 Vendilion Clique
RBUGrixis ControlUBR
GUSimic MerfolkUG
WUUW ControlUW
RBUGrixis ControlUBR
BUUB MillUB
Colorless Eldrazi Tron
WRBurnRW
GUSimic MerfolkUG
UMono U TurnsU
WGGenesis Wave EnchantressGW
I agreed that it's search for Azcanta and the new cards we've gotten in the past 6 months. But even if your data set was perfect, it would indicate that win rate has gone up disproportionately for sideboarded games because of the simple fact that more than half of all games are post board. So, my point still stands, it's nothing inherent about the sideboard strategy. If Kanister is noticing an increase in losses vs UW in postboard games, it's correlative, not causal. So yes, if he thinks it's a new sideboard plan that is causing the change in win % then he is suffering from bad heuristics. It's an easy mistake to make...data says we are losing more games postboard, therefore something changed postboard....failing to take into account that most games are post board.
Deprive always sounds good in theory, but it suffers from the same rate as tec edge and ghost quarter. We are a deck that needs to hit 6+ Mana in order to stabilize fully, and deprive just doesn't work there. Mana leak is still unfortunately a necessary evil.
Glad to see you back on UW slowgod!
For mentor, some people have played esper mentor (there's a recent-ish list floating around, I think there was one in one of the challenge results or something recently), but its not really a control deck, more of a midrange deck.
Round 1 vs GB Elves:
G1 my opponent won the die roll and proceeded to vomit out his hand. By the end of his T4 he had me at two life with one card in hand. I hit the Verdict and passed; he untapped and played a Lead the Stampede, finding Ezuri, Elvish Archdruid, and a pair of mana dorks. Not good! I untapped and topdecked the land I needed to stay in it. Slammed a Gideon OTT, Mana Leaked his next turn’s play, and then the game was on. I needed almost every trick in the book—both Walls, Rev, Snapcaster, multiple Paths, Jace—but finally I weathered the Elf storm, and found Gideon Jura for the lock.
G2 I brought in Settle the Wreckage, Flashfreeze, and Grafdigger’s Cage. Once more he nearly emptied his hand to bring me to 3 life before my T4 Verdict cleaned things up. Opponent played a land and mana dork to put himself into topdeck mode and passed. I play Colonnade and send it back; he swings, no blocks, and plays the CoCo he topdecked; I Cryptic to counter and draw, going down to two. On my turn I made my sixth land drop, slam a Jace, roll him up, and pass. Opponent topdecks another CoCo and main phases it, but my Mana Leak answers it and he scoops.
Round 2 vs GR Ponza:
Game 1 I seem to have things well in hand, until he drops a T6 Thrun, with regen mana open. Suddenly the Verdict and pair of Paths in my hand don’t look so hot, but the Blessed Alliance in my hand will bail me out, especially since he has no other creatures and is topdecking. Aaaand next turn he pulls a Stormbreath Dragon. Oh well. I take the 8, Verdict away the Drag, and pass with Alliance mana open. Opponent topdecks another Dragon! GG.
For G2 I’ve brought in Flashfreeze, Disdainful Stroke, Settle the Wreckage, Runed Halo, and Vendilion Clique. I keep a fantastic two-lander with Leak, Stroke, Flashfreeze, and 2x Serum Visions. I hit my land drops with help from Visions and counter his early action. I lay down Crucible on T5, holding up Flashfreeze mana, then do the same with Jura on T7, prompting the scoop.
G3 can only be described as the nuts. Opponent played T1 Arbor Elf into T2 Utopia Sprawl and Magus of the Moon. So far I’m not too worried; I play an Island, and then Seas my own Colonnade with two Plains in hand. But then he tosses out a T3 Dragon I can’t answer and swings. T4 Monstrous activation pretty much seals the deal. Ponza’s best progressions seem just about as good as anything in the format.
Round 3 vs Izzet Pyromancer: Not much to say here, it was a casual 2-0 with my opponent mulling to 6 on the draw and then 5 on the play and still not really mustering much of a resistance to my smooth progressions. I was able to use my mana efficiently every turn and hit all of my land drops. When you’re doing that in UW, the wincons will follow.
Round 4 vs Lantern: I wasn’t thrilled about this matchup for obvious reasons, and the deck is piloted by the person I’d consider the top player at the store, but with the discussion from this thread about the shift to a blue splash for Whir of Invention in the back of my mind, I was heartened to see his T1 Botanical Sanctum. He did his thing well enough early on, but the turning point came when I D-Sphered his pair of Codex Shredders, leaving him with only Lanterns on board in terms of lock pieces. I only got in with Colonnade once before he found a Pithing Needle with Stirrings and shut off my manlands. But then Serum Visions found me Jace, who ticked down and found me Gideon OTT, and from there my advantage was too much.
G2, with eight cards dead in the main, I brought in all kinds of stuff: Negate, Ceremonious Rejection, Disenchant, Rest In Peace (more of a nonbo for me than a necessity but still less dead than Path/Verdict/Alliance), Runed Halo, Stony Silence x2, and Clique. My side action did plenty of work—all kinds of counterspell action in the mid game—but what really won me the game was Field of Ruin. My opponent kept a one-lander, and with only one basic in his deck, my T3 Field activation (while holding up Ceremonious) punished him hard. Played more Fields T4 and T5, and instantly shot them off at his next two land drops. His only lock piece was a Pyxis—besides that, he had a hand full of interaction that he couldn’t use for a long time, and by the time he could I was on seven or so lands with a full hand and a Search for Azcanta down. He Decayed the Search, so I laid down a Gideon OTT and made the emblem. His second (and possibly final) Decay took care of Gids, but I followed up with another, then a Rev, which found 2x Stony Silence and 2x Detention Sphere, which I knew would be quite safe. Opponent topdecked a Thoughtseize and scooped after some deliberation.
7-2 in games, 3-1 in matches for the night. 7-1 in overall competitive matches so far. This deck feels like a perfect fit for me, and despite the hundreds of minor decisions that went into the Lantern match at the end of some long rounds, the mental strain didn’t feel as taxing as it did on my debut week.
Thanks for reading, and thanks again to everybody for all the discussion here.