Fog
Ahh, yes. The cornerstone of the deck. Fog both protects your Planeswalkers and your life total. In most situations, it is best to use Clinging Mists before Fog so that you can afford to both play a Planeswalker and protect it with the investment of a single mana.
Clinging Mists
While usually worse than Fog, Clinging Mists is what makes the Reanimator matchup so ridiculously good for you. With Obzedat, Ghost Council and Deathrite Shaman as their only ways of dealing direct damage to you, it is usually safe to allow yourself to fall to five life just for the sake of Fateful Hour turning this Time Walk into Time Stretch. It should also be noted that you can be tricky with First Strike creatures from your opponent’s side. In one of my matches in the Premier Event, I allowed Thalia to knock me from 7 to 5, then cast Clinging Mists to lock down my opponent’s entire board. He had already tapped out to play a couple haste creatures, which allowed me to cast Tamiyo and -2 her to draw six cards two turns in a row. I won that game.
Farseek
Farseek is what allows the deck to play so many 5 mana spells but still maintain its functionality. I really wish it was Explore, but certainly won’t complain.
Dissipate
While it isn’t 100% necessary for most matchups, it is very important if you want to have a chance against the other blue decks in the format.
Supreme Verdict
This card is usually worse than Fog in several matchups, as it costs four mana, leaves behind Thragtusk beasts, and can leave you vulnerable to haste creatures. Alchemist’s Refuge helps with all of those issues, while Garruk can also do a fair amount of work.
Urban Evolution
Urban Evolution is yet another source of card draw. The additional land drop comes in handy if you want to leave up fog, while also helping you accelerate to larger Sphinx’s Revelations. It is fairly miserable against the aggressive decks, but its power against midrange strategies and control make it a worthwhile inclusion.
Sphinx’s Revelation
It is rare to see a blue deck that isn’t casting this, and you would be a fool to consider cutting it. The life points granted allow you to stay out of burn range, although it is somewhat clumsy with the Fateful Hour portion of Clinging Mists.
Jace, Architect of Thought
I was initially skeptical of Jace, as his ultimate is fairly grindy while his Weakstone ability is generally not good enough in a format full of Thragtusks and Loxodon Smiters. I saw his -2 as a solid source of card advantage, but the engine he offers is certainly the best you can do for four mana. He is what puts your Farseek draws over the top. I’ll likely be playing at least two of them from now on.
Jace, Memory Adept
Big Jace is your win condition for the attrition matchups. He gets sideboarded out for the aggro games, but I like to have a second in the sideboard to ensure he arrives in time to defeat the other blue decks.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Where would a Fog deck be without Tamiyo? All of her abilities are fantastic in this deck. Her +1 forces your opponents to play into Supreme Verdict, her -2 is often double Tidings (or better!), and her ultimate allows you to fog lock your opponents out of the game! She is at her weakest against control, but she can at least keep one Nephalia Drownyard under control.
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Garruk is very weak against Esper, but is probably your best Planeswalker against the aggro decks. He forces your opponents to commit more creatures to the board, provides protection from Haste creatures post-Supreme Verdict, can contribute to the card drawing engine, and his ultimate ends the game against any deck not sporting Supreme Verdicts of its own.
Augur of Bolas
Augur has fluctuated between a 2- and 3-of in my testing. It’s very important for the aggressive matchups, but is rarely more than a cycled Renewed Faith.
Snapcaster Mage
Snapcaster has been swapping back and forth with Augur as a 2- or 3-of. He’s doing everything he’s always done, but can sometimes clog up your hand. Some opponents will board Rest In Peace in against you, so minimizing their usefulness by sideboarding Tiago out is perfectly reasonable.
Exclusions
I have tried the following cards, but haven’t cared for any of them:
*Think Twice- Think Twice is about advantages in small increments. This deck doesn’t want small when you are playing so many Fogs.
*Azorius Charm- Azorius Charm is impressive when you have an active big Jace, but this deck can’t afford to deal with individual threats- it needs blanket answers while you gain value through your Planeswalkers.
*Gideon, Champion of Justice- I’ve played with him in several events, and his usefulness ranges greatly. The fact that he doesn’t generate any actual card advantage until he can ultimate is rather frustrating. Unlike Jace, Architect of Thought, you can’t run him out on turn four against aggro for some quick value or to act as a Fog because the Blitz decks will just ignore him. You can’t safely attack with him into control decks because of Azorius Charm. His +1 ability, however, can be wildly explosive. If you can protect him, his ultimate ability will win you the game. My biggest issue with this, however, is that most Planeswalkers will win you the game if you can protect them for 3+ turns.
*Garruk Relentless- Scheel has played with Garruk and thought it was fine. I have never seen the appeal, as Garruk doesn’t actually build towards anything, and the 2/2 wolves are fairly negligible in the present format. If you can transform him, the 1/1 Deathtouch wolves will at least put up a formidable defense, but it still seems too low impact for my taste.
*Terminus- If you want to play Terminus in the sideboard, go ahead. You will lose games to Blitz when you fog for a few turns, but never draw a Supreme Verdict. Terminus helps to increase the likelihood of drawing a board wipe, but it is far too clunky at six mana, which means you need to rely on getting lucky in order for it to be good. I don’t want to need to be lucky.
*Nephalia Drownyard- Splashing for Nephalia Drownyard was suggested as a way to combat control decks, but in order to play it, you need to cut Garruk. Todd Anderson did this in his list, but I do not think it is correct. You are still going to lose the drownyard race, as most esper lists play two to three more copies than you. Garruk might be mediocre against control, but his value against the majority of the format is not to be underestimated.
*Moonmist- Huntmaster of the Fells and Mayor of Avabruck both see a reasonable amount of play at the moment. Transforming either of them while also taking damage is just asking for a bad time. None of the other Fogs protect your planeswalkers, unfortunately.
Sideboarding
I’m not a fan of sideboarding guides, as most lists fluctuate enough that you really do need to make your decisions on the fly. What is most important is to consider what your opponents are bringing to combat you- Skullcrack, Obzedat, Detention Sphere, Jace, Memory Adept, Rakdos’s Return, Slaughter Games, and Thalia are your biggest enemies.
Hey all,
I submitted an article for Turbofog to SCG, but it doesn't look like it's getting published, so here's a link to the primer I wrote for the deck. If there's a better place to post this, please let me know. Feel free to discuss the deck in this thread as well.
Thanks for posting. I've been working on a deck that is similar but plays Wolf Run, more creatures (including Misthollow Griffin, which is bonkers with Moorland Haunt and Rest In Peace out of the SB) and Fogs (but not Clinging Mists). It's a cross between Turbo Fog and the Bant Wolf Run decks. I liked having some more creatures as win-cons because I found I was running out of time with the Turbo Fog deck at my FNM and I'd get some draws in games where I would have won at the end. Also puts a bit more pressure on Esper Control. Fog is just really good right now.
Yeah, I would rather have my opponents' removal be dead in game one, as a single Jace, MA or Garruk is usually enough to end the game. Misthollow Griffin seems pretty cute with all of the Rest In Peace being played at the moment. I could see time being an issue in real life, as on magic online the clocks are usually pretty low by the time the match ends. I definitely agree about Fog being well positioned at the moment.
Been tuning my Esper for two weeks in preparation for the WMCQs.. But your article made me change my mind 24 hours before the tourney
Big sucker for fog and a legion of PWs and I actually like my matchups a lot more.
Thanks dude!
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
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The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
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I think the Anderson list is fairly optimized but I would use 3 SCM and 3 farseek. Snappy is just so valuable in this deck on multiple fronts whereas farseek is just there to make sure we hit our verdict mana asap.
The owner of my LGS was running this last night and he did pretty well. I did learn something though this deck dies to Skullcrack even with a Witchbane Orb out. In response to a fog the opponent cast skullcrack targeting himself just so damage couldn't be prevented, effectively countering the fog, and it let all his guys through.
Don't provide win-rate statistics if they're skewed the way you skewed them.
Please explain how they've been skewed. I provided them as a testament to the deck's power and success rate in certain matchups given the current meta. While it's certainly true that I haven't played against the bad matchups nearly as much as I have the good matchups, that is why the deck is a good choice right now- not many players are playing blue. If I expect a metagame full of Esper and RWU, there is no way I'm recommending this deck to anyone. However, these are my matches pulled directly from MTGO, so I believe they reflect the meta rather accurately.
@Bumbum: Glad I could convert you! The deck is a complete blast to play.
Regarding Todd's list, my biggest issues with it are the omission of Garruk, PH and Alchemist's Refuge. Since writing the article, I've moved up to two Alchemist Refuge because it really is that good. While its main use is flashing supreme verdict as fogs 9-12, that use is pretty spectacular against haste decks and thragtusk decks. It's also nice for holding up countermagic during your opponent's turn, then flashing in a planeswalker on their end step. While you miss out on an activation, being able to keep your mana open is huuge.
I don't like splashing Nephalia Drownyard because it isn't needed in most matchups, and the matchup where you really want it (Esper), they have more copies of the card and *will* out-drown you. You're screwing up the mana for almost no significant gain.
I also don't care for Think Twice. It's best use is for hitting land drops (which is very important, don't get me wrong!), but aside from a rampant growth "replacement" on turn two/three, it's a small-advantages card. It's great for grinding out opponents, but this deck can't afford to try and play like that. You are playing 8 cards that do nothing to impact the board on their own, so you need to make sure that any advantages you are gaining threaten to push the game over the edge in your favor.
I do like Blind Obedience, however. I would never cut a Farseek. It's important for more than just Verdict mana, as resolving massive Sphinx's Revelations and getting to 6 mana for Planeswalker+ Fog is incredibly important. I am in favor of adding a third Snapcaster, although my friends don't think it is necessary.
As for the control matchups- it's all about baiting your threats and hitting your land drops. The big issue with fighting Esper is that it's very difficult to find an opening if they don't stumble. If you can resolve a planeswalker early against them, go for it unless you suspect they have Jace in hand, as Jace is verry difficult to deal with outside of the legend rule. Lists running Planar Cleansing are especially difficult, as you can't really rely on hitting an ultimate. Resolving Curse or Large Jace are the quickest and most reliable routes to victory, and should be treated accordingly. Saving Dispel for Sphinx's Revelation and the counter wars that really matter (Jace, Rev of your own... that's about it) is important. I board out all of my Fog variants against Esper, but leave 2-3 Fogs in against RWU to protect myself from Aurelia. I usually leave in 3 supreme verdict against RWU as well.
I would never board in Witchbane Orb against decks playing skullcrack. I board in 2ish Dispel, but paying four mana on your turn for something with no direct impact is just too much against the aggressive decks.
@Malak. Thanks for the answers, it's always nice to understand the choiches behind something.Also Even Todd in it's article "Comment" section agreed on the usufulness of the Alchemist Refuge.
After a little bit testing i also agree onto the nephalia drownyard, it's nice but meh unless you ruan 4 of.
What did you change from your previous list(the one in the article), to add a 2nd refuge?
I think i'll be trying this list at the wmcq XD.
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From Supernatural:
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
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The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
====
I cut the basic Forest for the second Refuge. As mentioned in the article, I could see Terminus Temporal Mastery being good, but haven't tested it out yet
Has anyone else tried Turbofog ,Shane/travis/todd version , in either paper or online?
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From Supernatural:
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
====
The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
====
Big reason why I don't play more copies is that he's not very good if you're in a pinch. If you drop him with 4 fogs already in hand, yeah, you're probably going to win. That can be said for most planeswalkers, though. Jace's lack of interaction with the board is definitely significant, which makes him only truly shine against other blue decks (where I like having at least a second one in the sideboard, although I could see playing more).
Thanks, saw this after our PTQ Saturday, and nearly brought it for the WMCQ Sunday after getting a few games in the practice room, but stuck to my original choice. Should have brought this, so much more fun and effective than Bantchantments. I've been tormenting the practice rooms a bit and this is a blast, played fog in the last standard and this is just as annoying, frustrating and effective.
I'm writing this jut to let people that someone is still playing this deck................. and loving it XD.
I might lose some games, but my opponents face when they see fog is priceless.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
From Supernatural:
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
====
The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
====
I did play against this deck once with aristocrats. I won by saccing things with blood artist followed by obzedat. After sideboard I slaughter games sphinx. Do you just side in witchbane orb every game 2?
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Getting back into MTGO maybe, depending on the cost
I did play against this deck once with aristocrats. I won by saccing things with blood artist followed by obzedat. After sideboard I slaughter games sphinx. Do you just side in witchbane orb every game 2?
Against Aristocrats? Yes, you sideboard in Witchbane Orb. You don't side it in "every game 2", though, as it's only really good against Drownyard and Slaughter Games decks.
I'd be interested to know the decks fundamental problems and how comfortable you feel playing it in the current meta.
This deck's two biggest problems are its vulnerability to Skullcrack and the length it takes to actually win the game. I've set it aside for the moment, as Reanimator has started to fade away (at least in my experience, it has) while Blitz decks seem to be packing more and more copies of Boros Charm and Skullcrack. Playing more copies of Terminus should help one of these problems, though. Also, RWU has been seeing a bit of a surge in popularity, which is another matchup I'd prefer not to play against. Matt Nass's build is probably better equipped for control decks, but worse against aggro.
Here are my lists as they've move through development:
1 Terminus
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
2 Urban Evolution
2 Jace, Architect of Thought
4 Supreme Verdict
1 Dissipate
4 Clinging Mists
4 Farseek
2 Augur of Bolas
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Fog
2 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
3 Sunpetal Grove
4 Temple Garden
3 Breeding Pool
4 Hinterland Harbor
1 Alchemist’s Refuge
2 Island
2 Forest
3 Witchbane Orb
1 Centaur Healer
2 Detention Sphere
2 Thragtusk
1 Dispel
2 Negate
2 Dissipate
1 Curse of Echoes
1 Psychic Spiral
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
2 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
4 Supreme Verdict
2 Dissipate
4 Clinging Mists
3 Think Twice
4 Farseek
2 Augur of Bolas
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Fog
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
3 Sunpetal Grove
4 Temple Garden
3 Breeding Pool
4 Hinterland Harbor
1 Alchemist’s Refuge
1 Island
1 Forest
3 Witchbane Orb
2 Azorius Charm
2 Detention Sphere
2 Thragtusk
3 Dispel
2 Negate
1 Curse of Echoes
4 Temple Garden
4 Hinterland Harbor
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Breeding Pool
1 Forest
1 Island
3 Sunpetal Grove
1 Alchemist's Refuge
3 Augur of Bolas
4 Farseek
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Clinging Mists
2 Urban Evolution
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
3 Sphinx's Revelation
2 Garruk, Primal Hunter
4 Fog
2 Dissipate
2 Jace, Architect of Thought
1 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Negate
2 Detention Sphere
2 Centaur Healer
1 Curse of Echoes
2 Thragtusk
2 Witchbane Orb
3 Dispel
1 Jace, Memory Adept
Card Choices
Fog
Ahh, yes. The cornerstone of the deck. Fog both protects your Planeswalkers and your life total. In most situations, it is best to use Clinging Mists before Fog so that you can afford to both play a Planeswalker and protect it with the investment of a single mana.
Clinging Mists
While usually worse than Fog, Clinging Mists is what makes the Reanimator matchup so ridiculously good for you. With Obzedat, Ghost Council and Deathrite Shaman as their only ways of dealing direct damage to you, it is usually safe to allow yourself to fall to five life just for the sake of Fateful Hour turning this Time Walk into Time Stretch. It should also be noted that you can be tricky with First Strike creatures from your opponent’s side. In one of my matches in the Premier Event, I allowed Thalia to knock me from 7 to 5, then cast Clinging Mists to lock down my opponent’s entire board. He had already tapped out to play a couple haste creatures, which allowed me to cast Tamiyo and -2 her to draw six cards two turns in a row. I won that game.
Farseek
Farseek is what allows the deck to play so many 5 mana spells but still maintain its functionality. I really wish it was Explore, but certainly won’t complain.
Dissipate
While it isn’t 100% necessary for most matchups, it is very important if you want to have a chance against the other blue decks in the format.
Supreme Verdict
This card is usually worse than Fog in several matchups, as it costs four mana, leaves behind Thragtusk beasts, and can leave you vulnerable to haste creatures. Alchemist’s Refuge helps with all of those issues, while Garruk can also do a fair amount of work.
Urban Evolution
Urban Evolution is yet another source of card draw. The additional land drop comes in handy if you want to leave up fog, while also helping you accelerate to larger Sphinx’s Revelations. It is fairly miserable against the aggressive decks, but its power against midrange strategies and control make it a worthwhile inclusion.
Sphinx’s Revelation
It is rare to see a blue deck that isn’t casting this, and you would be a fool to consider cutting it. The life points granted allow you to stay out of burn range, although it is somewhat clumsy with the Fateful Hour portion of Clinging Mists.
Jace, Architect of Thought
I was initially skeptical of Jace, as his ultimate is fairly grindy while his Weakstone ability is generally not good enough in a format full of Thragtusks and Loxodon Smiters. I saw his -2 as a solid source of card advantage, but the engine he offers is certainly the best you can do for four mana. He is what puts your Farseek draws over the top. I’ll likely be playing at least two of them from now on.
Jace, Memory Adept
Big Jace is your win condition for the attrition matchups. He gets sideboarded out for the aggro games, but I like to have a second in the sideboard to ensure he arrives in time to defeat the other blue decks.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Where would a Fog deck be without Tamiyo? All of her abilities are fantastic in this deck. Her +1 forces your opponents to play into Supreme Verdict, her -2 is often double Tidings (or better!), and her ultimate allows you to fog lock your opponents out of the game! She is at her weakest against control, but she can at least keep one Nephalia Drownyard under control.
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Garruk is very weak against Esper, but is probably your best Planeswalker against the aggro decks. He forces your opponents to commit more creatures to the board, provides protection from Haste creatures post-Supreme Verdict, can contribute to the card drawing engine, and his ultimate ends the game against any deck not sporting Supreme Verdicts of its own.
Augur of Bolas
Augur has fluctuated between a 2- and 3-of in my testing. It’s very important for the aggressive matchups, but is rarely more than a cycled Renewed Faith.
Snapcaster Mage
Snapcaster has been swapping back and forth with Augur as a 2- or 3-of. He’s doing everything he’s always done, but can sometimes clog up your hand. Some opponents will board Rest In Peace in against you, so minimizing their usefulness by sideboarding Tiago out is perfectly reasonable.
Exclusions
I have tried the following cards, but haven’t cared for any of them:
*Think Twice- Think Twice is about advantages in small increments. This deck doesn’t want small when you are playing so many Fogs.
*Azorius Charm- Azorius Charm is impressive when you have an active big Jace, but this deck can’t afford to deal with individual threats- it needs blanket answers while you gain value through your Planeswalkers.
*Gideon, Champion of Justice- I’ve played with him in several events, and his usefulness ranges greatly. The fact that he doesn’t generate any actual card advantage until he can ultimate is rather frustrating. Unlike Jace, Architect of Thought, you can’t run him out on turn four against aggro for some quick value or to act as a Fog because the Blitz decks will just ignore him. You can’t safely attack with him into control decks because of Azorius Charm. His +1 ability, however, can be wildly explosive. If you can protect him, his ultimate ability will win you the game. My biggest issue with this, however, is that most Planeswalkers will win you the game if you can protect them for 3+ turns.
*Garruk Relentless- Scheel has played with Garruk and thought it was fine. I have never seen the appeal, as Garruk doesn’t actually build towards anything, and the 2/2 wolves are fairly negligible in the present format. If you can transform him, the 1/1 Deathtouch wolves will at least put up a formidable defense, but it still seems too low impact for my taste.
*Terminus- If you want to play Terminus in the sideboard, go ahead. You will lose games to Blitz when you fog for a few turns, but never draw a Supreme Verdict. Terminus helps to increase the likelihood of drawing a board wipe, but it is far too clunky at six mana, which means you need to rely on getting lucky in order for it to be good. I don’t want to need to be lucky.
*Nephalia Drownyard- Splashing for Nephalia Drownyard was suggested as a way to combat control decks, but in order to play it, you need to cut Garruk. Todd Anderson did this in his list, but I do not think it is correct. You are still going to lose the drownyard race, as most esper lists play two to three more copies than you. Garruk might be mediocre against control, but his value against the majority of the format is not to be underestimated.
*Moonmist- Huntmaster of the Fells and Mayor of Avabruck both see a reasonable amount of play at the moment. Transforming either of them while also taking damage is just asking for a bad time. None of the other Fogs protect your planeswalkers, unfortunately.
Experiments
I have yet to try these cards, but could see them being good:
*Temporal Mastery
*Feeling of Dread
*Amass the Components
*Cyclonic Rift
Sideboarding
I’m not a fan of sideboarding guides, as most lists fluctuate enough that you really do need to make your decisions on the fly. What is most important is to consider what your opponents are bringing to combat you- Skullcrack, Obzedat, Detention Sphere, Jace, Memory Adept, Rakdos’s Return, Slaughter Games, and Thalia are your biggest enemies.
Link to original article:
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/25972_Craterwho-Turbo-Fog-In-Standard.html
UWBG Gifts in Modern
UWBG Control in Standard
UBG Control in Legacy
Thanks for posting. I've been working on a deck that is similar but plays Wolf Run, more creatures (including Misthollow Griffin, which is bonkers with Moorland Haunt and Rest In Peace out of the SB) and Fogs (but not Clinging Mists). It's a cross between Turbo Fog and the Bant Wolf Run decks. I liked having some more creatures as win-cons because I found I was running out of time with the Turbo Fog deck at my FNM and I'd get some draws in games where I would have won at the end. Also puts a bit more pressure on Esper Control. Fog is just really good right now.
UWBG Gifts in Modern
UWBG Control in Standard
UBG Control in Legacy
Big sucker for fog and a legion of PWs and I actually like my matchups a lot more.
Thanks dude!
For those who want to see the list we are talking about
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
1 Forest
1 Island
4 Breeding Pool
4 Glacial Fortress
1 Godless Shrine
3 Hallowed Fountain
4 Hinterland Harbor
1 Nephalia Drownyard
4 Sunpetal Grove
2 Temple Garden
1 Watery Grave
2 Dissipate
4 Fog
4 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Think Twice
4 Farseek
4 Supreme Verdict
2 Urban Evolution
3 Witchbane Orb
2 Blind Obedience
3 Dispel
2 Dissipate
1 Sundering Growth
1 Urgent Exorcism
2 Terminus
1 Nephalia Drownyard
Also since this seems to be the right tread, Any tips for playing against the Control and control aggro (uwr/esper etc) decks?
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
====
The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
====
with R i'll burn you and with B youll'be maimed
Beware of skullcrack.
Please explain how they've been skewed. I provided them as a testament to the deck's power and success rate in certain matchups given the current meta. While it's certainly true that I haven't played against the bad matchups nearly as much as I have the good matchups, that is why the deck is a good choice right now- not many players are playing blue. If I expect a metagame full of Esper and RWU, there is no way I'm recommending this deck to anyone. However, these are my matches pulled directly from MTGO, so I believe they reflect the meta rather accurately.
@Bumbum: Glad I could convert you! The deck is a complete blast to play.
Regarding Todd's list, my biggest issues with it are the omission of Garruk, PH and Alchemist's Refuge. Since writing the article, I've moved up to two Alchemist Refuge because it really is that good. While its main use is flashing supreme verdict as fogs 9-12, that use is pretty spectacular against haste decks and thragtusk decks. It's also nice for holding up countermagic during your opponent's turn, then flashing in a planeswalker on their end step. While you miss out on an activation, being able to keep your mana open is huuge.
I don't like splashing Nephalia Drownyard because it isn't needed in most matchups, and the matchup where you really want it (Esper), they have more copies of the card and *will* out-drown you. You're screwing up the mana for almost no significant gain.
I also don't care for Think Twice. It's best use is for hitting land drops (which is very important, don't get me wrong!), but aside from a rampant growth "replacement" on turn two/three, it's a small-advantages card. It's great for grinding out opponents, but this deck can't afford to try and play like that. You are playing 8 cards that do nothing to impact the board on their own, so you need to make sure that any advantages you are gaining threaten to push the game over the edge in your favor.
I do like Blind Obedience, however. I would never cut a Farseek. It's important for more than just Verdict mana, as resolving massive Sphinx's Revelations and getting to 6 mana for Planeswalker+ Fog is incredibly important. I am in favor of adding a third Snapcaster, although my friends don't think it is necessary.
As for the control matchups- it's all about baiting your threats and hitting your land drops. The big issue with fighting Esper is that it's very difficult to find an opening if they don't stumble. If you can resolve a planeswalker early against them, go for it unless you suspect they have Jace in hand, as Jace is verry difficult to deal with outside of the legend rule. Lists running Planar Cleansing are especially difficult, as you can't really rely on hitting an ultimate. Resolving Curse or Large Jace are the quickest and most reliable routes to victory, and should be treated accordingly. Saving Dispel for Sphinx's Revelation and the counter wars that really matter (Jace, Rev of your own... that's about it) is important. I board out all of my Fog variants against Esper, but leave 2-3 Fogs in against RWU to protect myself from Aurelia. I usually leave in 3 supreme verdict against RWU as well.
I would never board in Witchbane Orb against decks playing skullcrack. I board in 2ish Dispel, but paying four mana on your turn for something with no direct impact is just too much against the aggressive decks.
UWBG Gifts in Modern
UWBG Control in Standard
UBG Control in Legacy
Only asking because I've been testing out the Unexpected Results deck and that card has proved amazing.
After a little bit testing i also agree onto the nephalia drownyard, it's nice but meh unless you ruan 4 of.
What did you change from your previous list(the one in the article), to add a 2nd refuge?
I think i'll be trying this list at the wmcq XD.
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
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The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
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with R i'll burn you and with B youll'be maimed
TerminusTemporal Mastery being good, but haven't tested it out yetUWBG Gifts in Modern
UWBG Control in Standard
UBG Control in Legacy
Might be relevant, maybe not as fog intensive but still looks great fun to play
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
====
The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
====
with R i'll burn you and with B youll'be maimed
That is one of the primary win conditions, yes.
UWBG Gifts in Modern
UWBG Control in Standard
UBG Control in Legacy
This deck is pretty cool, not bad in testing, Jace mill + fog is usually a 4 turn clock.
UWBG Gifts in Modern
UWBG Control in Standard
UBG Control in Legacy
Thanks
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I might lose some games, but my opponents face when they see fog is priceless.
Sam: a demon summoning spell ? why?
Lucifer: to summon a demon (auto censorship here)
====
The Wizard of Oz: A juvenile delinquent runs away from home, kills the first person she meets in a foreign land, robs her corpse, then promptly forms a gang with three complete strangers in order to kill again.
====
with R i'll burn you and with B youll'be maimed
Against Aristocrats? Yes, you sideboard in Witchbane Orb. You don't side it in "every game 2", though, as it's only really good against Drownyard and Slaughter Games decks.
This deck's two biggest problems are its vulnerability to Skullcrack and the length it takes to actually win the game. I've set it aside for the moment, as Reanimator has started to fade away (at least in my experience, it has) while Blitz decks seem to be packing more and more copies of Boros Charm and Skullcrack. Playing more copies of Terminus should help one of these problems, though. Also, RWU has been seeing a bit of a surge in popularity, which is another matchup I'd prefer not to play against. Matt Nass's build is probably better equipped for control decks, but worse against aggro.
UWBG Gifts in Modern
UWBG Control in Standard
UBG Control in Legacy