BUG gives us an unique array of possibilities to control the board,
and having answers to anything that's on it, with Theros helping a lot.
We will see in this Primer what are those possibilities,
and why BUG Control is worth playing.
Key colors :
Staple | : Powerful card, you should most likely play it.
Good | : Useful card, but there's better.
Average | : Mehh card. Could be good, but not in any given situation.
Bad | : Oh god why ?
Sideboard | : Should not be in the maindeck, but could be useful depending on your match-up/metagame.
1. Planeswalker
Staple | Jace, Architect of Thought : His +1 really hurts aggro, and with the meta becoming glacial slow, it gets even better. His -2 provides really good CA, and his ult is quite powerful to bring out the fatties !
Staple | Vraska the Unseen : Remember her ? With all those new enchants and artifacts, she really pushes BUG forward, especially with her -3. Her ult is still a joke to me, and her +1 is pretty sweat against aggro, but I would not play more than 1 of her.
Good | Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver : I kinda like this guy. He basically comes on board on turn 3 with 5 loyalty counters, but he is really useful only against Control, and I don't think Aggro deck will worry too much about him. His -X can be devastating if we had a lucky +2. And his ult, mehh, we've seen better.
Sideboard | Jace, Memory Adept : With Nephalia Drownyard gone, there is no reason to run him in the 60, but he could be viable in mirror match-ups.
2. Creatures
Staple | Omenspeaker : Our new Augur of Bolas. Like his predecessor he's a 1/3 blocker, but this time, we get to Scry 2 and set up our next draws. Pretty sweet.
Staple | Aetherling : Extremely powerful, and probably the best finisher out there in Standard. "Holy sh*t batman" hard to kill, can hit for 8, can be unblockable, can be a huge 0/X wall. What more of him could we ask ?
Good | Prognostic Sphinx : He's a back-up finisher with Aetherling. Scry 3 is pretty huge, and lovable in Control. Can be protected easily by discarding, and he's flying ! Yup, it's good.
Good | Reaper of the Wilds : A very good alternative to Desecration Demon. Can protect herself, kill creature by deathtouch, and brings a scry 1 along.
Good | Desecration Demon : Could be a finisher on his own, but not a very reliable blocker. He would be probably better against aggro decks, so maybe he has his place in the 75.
Good | & Sideboard | Scavenging Ooze : He's very powerful, however, in a control shell, I would place him in the Sideboard even if the graveyard-hate will be less important in the future format.
Average | Prophet of Kruphix : Even if this card seems powerful, I don't think it belongs in a control shell, because we would most likely play her to untap our lands at each untap step, since we don't have a lot of creatures. Maybe valuable in mirror ?
Average | Prime Speaker Zegana : Does not really fit in this list, though it could work with a pumped Aetherling, but would be way too expensive.
Average | Duskmantle Seer : 4/4 flyer for a CMC of 4, with the Dark Confidant ability is very good. But not here, maybe in a midrange version.
Average | Progenitor Mimic : Can not be considered as a finisher on his own, but he can do some nasty things. He's powerful while Thragtusk is around, but I don't know how good will he be after rotation.
Average | Deathrite Shaman : Don't get me wrong, this card is huge. But in a place where fetchlands are nowhere to be found, it's less powerful. Although his other abilities are pretty good, I'd prefer to run Scavenging Ooze for graveyard-hate.
Average | Sylvan Caryatid : New farseek ? It would be a choice between her and Omenspeaker. Depends on the player's preference, ramp or CA.
Sideboard | Nightveil Specter : Could be powerful in mirror match-ups.
Sideboard | Erebos, God of the Dead : Could come in the 60 against lifegain decks, plus his draw ability, even if expensive, is pretty useful.
Sideboard | Lifebane Zombie : Doesn't have his place in the 60 because of Thoughtseize, but could be definitely in the 75.
3. Instants & Sorceries
a) Card draw :
Staple | Urban Evolution : Whereas UWR and Grixis have Steam Augury, we have this amazing card. Playing an additionnal land and drawing three cards is worth tapping out on turn 5.
Good | Quicken : Could be great in a list with lots of Sorceries worth playing at the end of the opponent's turn, like Urban Evolution, or even Mind Rot.
Good | Read the Bones : Better than Divination, even if the life loss is annoying. But Scry 2 THEN draw 2 is sweet.
Average| Pilfered Plans : I'd prefer to run this over Divination, even if it's just a bit harder to cast.
Average| Divination : It being a sorcery really hurts. As said above, prefer Read the Bones if you can afford it.
Average| Inspiration : Paying 4 to draw 2 at instant speed seems kinda mehh. You'd rather want to play Read the Bones if you can afford it.
b) Hand disruption :
Staple | Thoughtseize : Probably the best card of Theros, and a very powerful spell.
Good | Duress : No reason to run it in the 60, but could be good in mirror match-ups.
Average | Mind Rot : If you like to disrupt your opponent's hand the hard way, this is a viable option.
Bad | Reap Intellect : Very overcosted, and a not very good mana dump target.
c) Removal & Board Control :
Staple | Doom Blade : One of the best removal spell in Standard.
Staple | Devour Flesh : Use this to deal with annoying Hexproof creatures, or target yourself if you need to gain life.
Staple | Far // Away : Powerful card. Kills 2 threat, can even deal with Hexproof creatures.
Good | Cyclonic Rift : Very good bounce spell. Can be an almost auto-win condition if overloaded at the right time.
Good | Gaze of Granite : This is our wrath. It's a little expensive, but it does the job.
Good | Ultimate Price : Could most likely see play again, even if we have better solution in BUG.
Average | Warped Physique : I personally don't like this card, but it could be good since the format is going to be very slow, meaning more cards in hand.
Average | Rapid Hybridization : 1 blue mana to kill almost any creature is really good, a 3/3 afterwards is much less attractive and can be very difficult to deal with.
Average | Bramblecrush : I personally like playing this card as a 1-of, because it's very versatile. However, it's a sorcery, so not very optimal. Could be good with Quicken.
Bad | Curse of the Swin : Even if a "combo" exists with this and Ratchet Bomb, it's not worth playing. We want to erase threats for good, not create new one.
Sideboard | Fade into Antiquity : A very straight and simple answer to Gods or any other annoying artifact.
d) Counterspells :
Staple | Dissolve : It replaces Dissipate, and it's better than Cancel. Also makes us Scry 1. Good counter.
Staple | Syncopate : Probably the best counterspell available in standard, as it gets stronger throughout the game. Can even be cast as 1U.
Sideboard | Negate : Great against mirror match-ups too, play it along Gainsay.
e) Multiple choice :
Good | Golgari Charm : With the enchantment theme coming in Theros, it could shine, mainly because of his "Destroy target enchantment". Very useful too if tokens become a viable archetype.
Disclaimer: All these strategies, tips and matchups should be taken as informative only as our deck has a few variants and not everything stated here might apply to every decklist.
RDW (or Devotion Red):
This is without doubt the hardest matchup due to their explosive start and the lack of lifegain in our deck, also the fact that we dont have an efficient way to sweep the board (Ratchet Bomb & Gaze of Granite might not be fast enough). BUT we might have a fighting chance if we land Sylvan Caryatid or Frilled Oculus in early turns, if you are not running any of those creatures, well, the odds will not be in your favor.
Pre-board
30%-70%
Post-board
40%60
Devotion Black (or MBC):
This is a new rising star in the meta, a combination of heavy hand disruption, removal and CA that can either kill you with its few beaters or drain your life as plan B. Another hard matchup if you are unprepared for it, luckily for us we have access to Golgari Charm against their Connections/Whips/Lifebanes and Putrefy (which can hit also Whips and every creature they have). If we can successfully get rid of their Underworld Connections and/or counter Erebos, God of the Dead, we can turn the tide as those card are VITAL for them to win the race. This list might run both Duress and Thoughtseize MB, so it might come down to whoever casts the first disruption spell.
Pre-board
40%-60%
Post-board
50%-50%
Devotion Blue :
The deck to beat after their debut at the Pro Tour. This deck can surely get out of control quickly and it makes things worse for us because again, we don’t have an efficient sweeper. Ratchet Bomb & Gaze of Granite come again as saviors and this time they look better as their initial set up is not as devastating as RDW, we can hit Master of Waves tokens or wait one turn and blast their birds. Another card to consider might be Bow of Nylea which can shoot down birds and slowly gains us life in the long run. Counterspells are vital as we want to keep either Bident of Thassa or Thassa, God of the Sea herself out of the playing field. Sideboard wonders against this matchup might be Mistcutter Hydra and Skyslasher.
Pre-board
50%-50%
Post-board
60%-40%
Esper/UW Control:
Usually this is a favourable matchup for us, especially the UW version. Usually the BUG build has either Reaper of the Wilds, Prognostic Sphinx, Aetherling or Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, all of which are resilient to the typical removal they pack and plus, we usually have a good amount of counters for their couple of relevant wincons (Elspeth/Aetherling), as all our removal will kill any other creature they might have (Obzedat/BBV). Game too becomes much more easier because we’ll side in Thoughtseize, Duress, Mistcutter Hydra.
Pre-board
60%-40%
Post-board
70%-30%
GW Aggro:
Voice, Smiter, Lion, Militant, Advent of the Wurm, this is another matchup that can turn very ugly very soon. Our list packs a lot of removal but might not be enough if every turn your opponent keeps on casting 4/4’s, 3/3’s and 5/5’s and your hand is getting empty. Game 2 we can side in all our removal available and try to lower our curve, because as the game gets extended our odds keep on rising. Any creature we might have backed up with a Bow of Nylea can and will stall them, this matchup gets way better if you are running Frilled Oculus and Ratchet Bomb is very useful here (kills all their early drops or you can nuke Voice/Call of Conclave/Wurm tokens.
Preboard
40%-60%
Post-board
60%-40%
GR Midrange:
The most dangerous thing about this deck is their planeswalkes because they can lead to really degenerate plays, if we can successfully kill them (Hero’s Downfall) or counter them (Syncopate, Psychic Strike, Dissolve), the game is won, as we count with enough removal to survive until we land our own wincons or CA spells to keep stalling and take the game in the long run. Thoughtseize and extra counterspells are all we need, maybe an extra Hero’s Downfall if you have access to it, but its usually a good matchup for us. Watch out for Ruric Thar, the Unbowed! Some sneaky lists might run him and it hurts to receive 6 to the face just to try to kill him.
Preboard
60%-40%
Post Board
70%-30%
Please post here your ideas about the deck, your own decklists and results, so we can discuss further about BUG Control
If you have any suggestion, questions or if you saw an error, please let me know !
Thanks to Toonamiguy and his Primer on Grixis Control, it helped me a lot !
Hey Blackfall, nice to see someone beat me to a primer. That just means I have a little less work to do myself. First, some observations I made on your list, and then I'll post mine (again...hope I don't get in trouble) with some explanations on mine. I sleeved up my 75 last night so I haven't had a chance to play with friends yet. I'm gonna stop by my shop after work.
Mana: I think 26 is too high. You have 6 scry lands to help smooth out your draws. (I pt in all 8 last night, but my gut thinks 3x is correct.) I think you might get flooded when you don't want to. I think 24 would be okay. Your curve, as with most control decks, stay low. You might think you want all that mana for large Syncopates and Urban Evolution (which I'll be honest, I don't think fits in to BUG control) but you're leaving out a different "ramp" spell which I think is going to be kind of important...
Creatures: Sylvan Caryatid. My goodness this guy puts up a stop sign for all those aggressive 2/x creatures like Burning Tree and his kin. This lets you focus the rest of your removal spells on the 3/x or larger. Might want to consider Desecration Demon. With all the token generators mostly rotating, he's gone up in value significantly (both play and financial). Plus he has built in removal. Always a plus. All this removal and you put Ooze on the sideline? The shame!
Planeswalker: Ashiok should only come in from the side against control. He's one of my new favorite planeswalkers (Team: Nightmarishly good!), but he doesn't fit main board because the chance of you sitting down against a pure aggro deck come rotation are too high.
The rest: Those can shift around as usual. I'm not a fan of urban evolution personally, but you can try it. And 2 Abrupt Decays feels too light. There's going to be a lot of little critters running around! Oh, and I think you're completely wrong on Simic Charm.
This is a BUG control deck I have been toying around with following the rotation here in a few weeks. Hopefully I'll get a chance to test it here in the next couple of days. Any suggestions, of course, are greatly encouraged. Rotation means so many different things are up in the air. I'll try to go over some of my card selections for both the main deck and the sideboard.
Mana Base - 24 lands. This feels about right with our curve being as low as it is. The one thing that's tricky is the fact we're running all 12 shock lands and 8 CIPT lands. So we'll have to be careful where we shock ourselves, and how we scry. I'm not sure if both sets of Temples are correct at 4x, but I'll try them. I could see it going to 3 each and up the basic by 2.
Creature Base - 13 creatures. A little light on the creature base which is to be expected. Aetherling could be a 2 of, but I'm trying him as a 1x with a supporting cast. With tons of instants and sorcery spells, Deathrite Shaman acts as that little bit of extra life loss or life gain where needed. Sylvan Caryatid is looking like it will be a solid mana ramp and hard for those little 2/x creatures to get past. (In a brief swing by my local card shop, 3 guys there were testing rotation all playing heavy aggro.) This could be a 4x over the 3x with Deathrite Shaman shrinking by 1, but I'm not sure yet. And the last creature I've chosen is standards rags to riches story: Desecration Demon. From a dollar rare to a nearly 9 dollar card with the exit of token generators like Lingering Souls et al, this 6/6 flier will either grow while removing the few creatures left on the board, or get in for 6 pretty early.
Non-Creature Spells - 23 non-creature spells. 3 Planeswalkers to start: 2x Jace, Architect of Thought and a 1-of Vraska, The Unseen feel like a fine combination. Vraska has really never had time to shine and with Jace protecting it, plus the massive amounts of removal spells we're including, I don't feel bad trying to give her her dues. Besides, she's a Gorgon and fits right in with Theros and how good would you feel getting at least 1 win with her ultimate assassins?
The rest: 3x Abrupt Decay just mess your opponent up if he's thinking he's going the warp speed aggressive game plan. Bow of Nylea has to be my favorite card in all of Theros. It's a 3 mana artifact with 5 abilities, 4 of which are repeatable. While the deathtouch for attacking creatures will more than likely be an irrelevant ability, it's always nice to have something like that in your back pocket on the off chance you have to send your Deathrite Shaman into the red zone. Then you can start figuring out which of the repetitious abilities you want to take advantage of. You can make your shamans 2/3s which can take out Burning-Tree Emissary and his cronies by putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature of your choice. You can shock flying creatures, including any tokens you may have given your opponent by a well-timed Swan Song. You can gain 3 life a turn which can buy you plenty of time against aforementioned aggressive decks. And on the off chance games go longer than you anticipate, you can recover 4 cards to allow you to win those draw-go games that may show up from time to time. (It is just too bad that there aren't too many shuffle effects in the upcoming standard that we can take advantage of. There's only 26 cards in the upcoming standard that even have the word shuffle on them) The last little aspect of the bow, if you're going this route, is that adds 2 to your green devotion. (And since we don't care about that, just file it under "meh" knowledge). I originally had 2 in this list, but I don't know if it's going to work out that well. I may throw it back in and test that way, but we shall see.
Spot removal works wonders for builds like this and the inclusion of Doom Blade, Far // Away, and Hero's Demise should shine yet again. Mass removal is something this deck lacks, I won't lie. The loss of Mutilate hurts. I enjoy the thought of Curse of Swine, but that would require more Ratchet Bomb, Illness in the Ranks, and more Jace's for his +1. It exiles the creature, so that is a plus. It's a card to consider.
In case you forgot, and there's not a blue player out there who has, Cavern of Souls is finally going to disappear from standard! (Don't worry, it will still show up Modern/Legacy, but for now, it's gone.) This means that Remove Soul will finally...be replaced by Essence Scatter! What? That already happened? Well either way, 1U will get you a LOT farther against creatures than it used to. Opposite of Scatter, is the new, controversial Negate-lite: Swan Song. Half the mana, typically counters the spell you need, with a 2/2 flyer as a draw back. The draw can be dealt with with Ratchet Bomb, of which we included 2, the Bow, Jace's +1 (1 damage coming at you feel less threatening), Vraska's +1, a +2 life activation from Deathrite, all the spot removal you see above, etc. The thought is, much like cards like Thoughtseize you have to know when to play it. (And what black deck isn't complete without Thoughtseize! So we threw 4 into the 75.) And there's an Opportunity for a little card draw. Could be 2, not sure, but I know that 1 doesn't necessarily feel wrong.
Sideboard - 15 cards.
As with most sideboards, they'll evolve even more complexly than the main deck. It will have to take into consideration local meta, popular archetypes, etc.
Possible Cards Missing - too many to go into at this moment (but as I'm writing this, I'm thinking about Golgari Charm as protection from sweepers). A sideboard's work is never done! And with that, I will leave my fellow MTGS players to dissect my choices, suggest alternatives, engage in respectful, healthy discussion, and enjoy what BUG can bring to the table!
An actor without a director is but a mannequin.
While a director without a writer is unemployed.
But ultimately a writer without words is dead.
~R. D. Newman
"7,015 creatures in existence. They all die to removal."
Never before has a boy wanted more...zombie slaying.
I really like the idea of BUG control, but I think the major problem for control decks is going to be card advantage. They all lose Think Twice, and Auger which are two very important 2cmc cantrips. Other control decks will be a little better of handling this loss because they will be playing Sphinxs Rev, but we cant do that. I think the only way to keep up with other Control decks is playing cards like Divination, or lower cmc creatures that can also be threats, like Lifebane Zombie or Desecration Demon along side big finishers like Aetherling.
About your list that you posted I am not totally sold on Bow, we dont have enough creatures to make the Deathtouch clause good, or the +1/+1 counter good. The shooting a flyer is fine but you aren't even playing Swan Song in your list. I think the only relevant part is gain 3 life which isnt great.
I do like Ashiok, against Control a lot. If played on turn 3 it gives a looming threat that they have to deal with, or we a get a little mini Jace 2.0 by exiling their hand. I like it.
Very excited for this as I am still unsure if BUG or Grixis is the way to go, finally they both got their own primer.
Gonna sleeve this up and be testing it a bit on cockatrice.
On the topic of Sylvan Caratide and Omenspeaker you say its ramp vs. CA. Imo Scry is not CA in that sense.
I think 26 is too high. You have 6 scry lands to help smooth out your draws. (I pt in all 8 last night, but my gut thinks 3x is correct.) I think you might get flooded when you don't want to. I think 24 would be okay.
In your list, yeah, 24 lands could work, though not in mine. I have more expensive spells, I don't play Sylvan Caryatid and 26 lands is a minimum to me (even with Farseek, I played 26 lands.). And as you say, the scry lands help smoothing out my draws, but it doesn't guarantee in any way that I wont miss a land drop.
Quote from thetrueshyguy »
You might think you want all that mana for large Syncopates and Urban Evolution (which I'll be honest, I don't think fits in to BUG control)
We're actually missing some draw cards, and Urban Evolution is pretty good at it, and in my testing, I was never disappointed to draw it.
Quote from thetrueshyguy »
Sylvan Caryatid. My goodness this guy puts up a stop sign for all those aggressive 2/x creatures like Burning Tree and his kin.
So does Omenspeaker I prefer him to Syvlan Caryatid because drawing him in mid-late game is never a "bad thing", whereas drawing the Caryatid guy mid-late is utterly useless, and is pretty much a dead card. With all the removal I've got, it's like drawing a Farseek.
Quote from thetrueshyguy »
Might want to consider Desecration Demon. With all the token generators mostly rotating, he's gone up in value significantly (both play and financial). Plus he has built in removal. Always a plus. All this removal and you put Ooze on the sideline? The shame!
It really depends on your metagame. Ooze is on the sideboard because I don't run Desecration Demon in the 60 Demon is certainly strong, but not a very good blocker against aggro.
Quote from thetrueshyguy »
Ashiok should only come in from the side against control. He's one of my new favorite planeswalkers (Team: Nightmarishly good!), but he doesn't fit main board because the chance of you sitting down against a pure aggro deck come rotation are too high.
You're probably right, I just wanted to test him out. That's why he's listed above as "Good", and not "Staple"
Quote from thetrueshyguy »
And 2 Abrupt Decays feels too light. There's going to be a lot of little critters running around! Oh, and I think you're completely wrong on Simic Charm.
More than 2 Abrupt Decay seems like a waste to me. Maybe we could add 1 in the sideboard. And yeah, you're most certainly right, after the rotation, aggro will be running around. And about Simic Charm, I don't think I'm wrong. The only permanent we really wanna protect is Aetherling, and he can actually protect himself and for less than UG. The +3/+3, well... really don't fit in here, and the bounce effect, I'd prefer to run Cyclonic Rift.
Concerning your decklist, I think you're between a midrange/control version, and not a total control build. 13 Creatures is way too much imo, and the 4 Deathrite Shaman are not used at their full potential, where other cards could be. I don't see myself paying 2 life on turn 1 to put it on the board, and waiting for him to be useful 4 or 5 turns later.
Running the 8 Scry lands are too much. We're slow enough, no need to slow ourselves even more. And with Burning Earth being a thing, you should play more basic lands.
Main-deck Swan Song doesn't seems attractive, because, as you said, aggro will be running around a lot after rotation
Same for Ratchet Bomb maindeck, with tokens rotating, I don't think it's necessary.
@TakeYourShoesOff :
Thanks !
Yeah losing TT and Augur really hurts, though Omenspeaker is a pretty fine successor.
About the Bow, I just wanted to test it out, and I felt it was very powerful.
@barcafan95 :
On the topic of Sylvan Caratide and Omenspeaker you say its ramp vs. CA. Imo Scry is not CA in that sense.
What I meant was that Omen was doing at least a bit of CA when Sylvan doesn't. And in a pure Control build, I prefer doing CA, even if it's not very relevant.
Ramp and card draw.. Urban evolution? Haha
I like the poster's deck, list very flexible. Only lacking in card advantage.
As for the one with lotleth troll... Idk, regeneration is fantastic.. Maybe with nylea's ordeal? =)
Solves mana issues.
I think read the bones is definitely a must... Until further blocks get released? =p
Ramp and card draw.. Urban evolution? I think read the bones is definitely a must... Until further blocks get released?
Im going to agree with this, as cool as tapping out turn 5 or 6 to get an extra land is, id much rather tap 3 on turn 5 or 6 while keeping mana open for an extra spell. Imo Read the Bones > Urban Evolution pure for mana cost, but I suppose we will see how the format develops.
All this discussion over read the bones..has anyone thought of just playing Divination? Sure it doesnt scry 2, but you dont lose two life. Still nets you cards, and ensures you hit your land drops.
Since we're going down that path, what about Quicken ? Quickening a divination would be like "2UU : Discard two card, then draw three cards." at instant speed.
Or Quickening a Bones : "2UB : Discard two cards. Draw a card, Scry 2 then draw 2 cards. You lose 2 life."
Since we're going down that path, what about Quicken ? Quickening a divination would be like "2UU : Discard two card, then draw three cards." at instant speed.
Or Quickening a Bones : "2UB : Discard two cards. Draw a card, Scry 2 then draw 2 cards. You lose 2 life."
Im not a huge fan of Quicken, mostly because there is nothing else we would want to use it for besides Divination or Read the Bones. I could see playing like 1 copy of it though, no more unfortunately.
We could quicken into... Gaze of granite.. Lololol,
Anyway.... Even with our deck being built around quicken..
Another problem would arise... US being too dependent on quicken...
We can only have 4 quickens.. Lol.. This would pretty cause us to tap out pretty often..
Hence bringing us to use removals instead of counters, which isn't exactly a bad thing since we have more 1for 1 hard removals than other colours.. But idk=/
We could quicken into... Gaze of granite.. Lololol,
Anyway.... Even with our deck being built around quicken..
Another problem would arise... US being too dependent on quicken...
We can only have 4 quickens.. Lol.. This would pretty cause us to tap out pretty often..
Hence bringing us to use removals instead of counters, which isn't exactly a bad thing since we have more 1for 1 hard removals than other colours.. But idk=/
I would never play more than one quicken. I just dont like that card. its too narrow. that slot could be utilized a lot better.
OP, I don't think you quite hit the nail on the head about the interaction between Aetherling and Whip of Erebos. If I'm reading this correctly, Aetherling can be revived, attack, exile by its own effect, and then return at the end of turn. This interaction does in fact work with Obzedat and his exile effect. So I don't see why it wouldn't work. I'd say the interaction is actually better than Obzedat since Aetherling can protect him self from other removal once back on the field
AEtherling and Desecration Demon These two are going to be my main win-cons and both can pull a lot of weight. As a side note, just want to add that I really like the demon in a removal heavy build over some of the other choices but I do plan to test out the new gorgon once I can grab a couple.
Scavenging Ooze I think ooze just outclasses Deathrite Shaman here, with the ability to heal the turn it enters the field and for more then once a turn and if left alone can pull in it's share of wins.
Sylvan Caryatid Before it got spoiled and knowing Farseek was going out this is what I was hoping to get the most and boy did Theros pull through. Does pretty much everything we wanted for this spot. Slows aggro, speeds us up, mana fixing, hard to remove, allows T3 Demon. I'm thinking 4 might be too many so going to start with 3.
Progenitor Mimic Ok, I know this is the oddball but it's a fun card to play. Played on any heavy hitter it can get real out of hand fast. Just going to throw this out there too, In a test game I hit Vraska for her -7 then the same turn played the mimic on one of the assassin tokens... needless to say that was a fun game
As for the non-creatures I wanted to try and stay removal heavy then use sideboard to change out what was needed for games 2 and 3. Also, I know my lands are alittle off because I just did a rough switch out of the guilddates I was testing with. Any thoughts and anything are more then welcomed.
Just corrected tags. You dont need to do [card] when you are typing with in the [deck] area. Just put the number of each card infront of without the X for the tag to work. That was a lot of additional tagging...
BUG gives us an unique array of possibilities to control the board,
and having answers to anything that's on it, with Theros helping a lot.
We will see in this Primer what are those possibilities,
and why BUG Control is worth playing.
Staple | : Powerful card, you should most likely play it.
Good | : Useful card, but there's better.
Average | : Mehh card. Could be good, but not in any given situation.
Bad | : Oh god why ?
Sideboard | : Should not be in the maindeck, but could be useful depending on your match-up/metagame.
1. Planeswalker
Staple | Jace, Architect of Thought : His +1 really hurts aggro, and with the meta becoming glacial slow, it gets even better. His -2 provides really good CA, and his ult is quite powerful to bring out the fatties !
Staple | Vraska the Unseen : Remember her ? With all those new enchants and artifacts, she really pushes BUG forward, especially with her -3. Her ult is still a joke to me, and her +1 is pretty sweat against aggro, but I would not play more than 1 of her.
Good | Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver : I kinda like this guy. He basically comes on board on turn 3 with 5 loyalty counters, but he is really useful only against Control, and I don't think Aggro deck will worry too much about him. His -X can be devastating if we had a lucky +2. And his ult, mehh, we've seen better.
Bad | Garruk, Caller of Beasts : Go home Garruk, you're drunk !
Sideboard | Jace, Memory Adept : With Nephalia Drownyard gone, there is no reason to run him in the 60, but he could be viable in mirror match-ups.
2. Creatures
Staple | Omenspeaker : Our new Augur of Bolas. Like his predecessor he's a 1/3 blocker, but this time, we get to Scry 2 and set up our next draws. Pretty sweet.
Staple | Aetherling : Extremely powerful, and probably the best finisher out there in Standard. "Holy sh*t batman" hard to kill, can hit for 8, can be unblockable, can be a huge 0/X wall. What more of him could we ask ?
Good | Prognostic Sphinx : He's a back-up finisher with Aetherling. Scry 3 is pretty huge, and lovable in Control. Can be protected easily by discarding, and he's flying ! Yup, it's good.
Good | Reaper of the Wilds : A very good alternative to Desecration Demon. Can protect herself, kill creature by deathtouch, and brings a scry 1 along.
Good | Desecration Demon : Could be a finisher on his own, but not a very reliable blocker. He would be probably better against aggro decks, so maybe he has his place in the 75.
Good | & Sideboard | Scavenging Ooze : He's very powerful, however, in a control shell, I would place him in the Sideboard even if the graveyard-hate will be less important in the future format.
Average | Prophet of Kruphix : Even if this card seems powerful, I don't think it belongs in a control shell, because we would most likely play her to untap our lands at each untap step, since we don't have a lot of creatures. Maybe valuable in mirror ?
Average | Prime Speaker Zegana : Does not really fit in this list, though it could work with a pumped Aetherling, but would be way too expensive.
Average | Duskmantle Seer : 4/4 flyer for a CMC of 4, with the Dark Confidant ability is very good. But not here, maybe in a midrange version.
Average | Progenitor Mimic : Can not be considered as a finisher on his own, but he can do some nasty things. He's powerful while Thragtusk is around, but I don't know how good will he be after rotation.
Average | Deathrite Shaman : Don't get me wrong, this card is huge. But in a place where fetchlands are nowhere to be found, it's less powerful. Although his other abilities are pretty good, I'd prefer to run Scavenging Ooze for graveyard-hate.
Average | Sylvan Caryatid : New farseek ? It would be a choice between her and Omenspeaker. Depends on the player's preference, ramp or CA.
Bad | Polukranos, World Eater : Unless we run 20 Plasm Capture, this card is really bad in this build. Plus, we already have Aetherling as our primary mana-dump.
Sideboard | Notion Thief : Who said anti-Sphinx's Revelation card ? I personally prefer to counter a Sphinx's Revelation, but he's an alternative.
Sideboard | Nightveil Specter : Could be powerful in mirror match-ups.
Sideboard | Erebos, God of the Dead : Could come in the 60 against lifegain decks, plus his draw ability, even if expensive, is pretty useful.
Sideboard | Lifebane Zombie : Doesn't have his place in the 60 because of Thoughtseize, but could be definitely in the 75.
3. Instants & Sorceries
a) Card draw :
Staple | Urban Evolution : Whereas UWR and Grixis have Steam Augury, we have this amazing card. Playing an additionnal land and drawing three cards is worth tapping out on turn 5.
Staple | Opportunity : The closest card to Sphinx's Revelation we have. Play this in parrallel with Urban Evolution.
Good | Quicken : Could be great in a list with lots of Sorceries worth playing at the end of the opponent's turn, like Urban Evolution, or even Mind Rot.
Good | Read the Bones : Better than Divination, even if the life loss is annoying. But Scry 2 THEN draw 2 is sweet.
Average| Pilfered Plans : I'd prefer to run this over Divination, even if it's just a bit harder to cast.
Average| Divination : It being a sorcery really hurts. As said above, prefer Read the Bones if you can afford it.
Average| Inspiration : Paying 4 to draw 2 at instant speed seems kinda mehh. You'd rather want to play Read the Bones if you can afford it.
b) Hand disruption :
Staple | Thoughtseize : Probably the best card of Theros, and a very powerful spell.
Good | Duress : No reason to run it in the 60, but could be good in mirror match-ups.
Average | Mind Rot : If you like to disrupt your opponent's hand the hard way, this is a viable option.
Bad | Reap Intellect : Very overcosted, and a not very good mana dump target.
c) Removal & Board Control :
Staple | Doom Blade : One of the best removal spell in Standard.
Staple | Abrupt Decay : Uncouterable spell, killing maybe 90% of what can be considered as really annoying : Boros Reckoner, Xathrid Necromancer, Sphere of Detention, Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, Bow of Nylea, Domri Rade and it goes on and on... One of the reason to play BUG.
Staple | Putrefy : Before Hero's Downfall, it was probably the best creature/artifact removal available in Standard. It's still powerful though.
Staple | Hero's Downfall : An instant Dreadbore in a single color mana cost.
Staple | Devour Flesh : Use this to deal with annoying Hexproof creatures, or target yourself if you need to gain life.
Staple | Far // Away : Powerful card. Kills 2 threat, can even deal with Hexproof creatures.
Good | Cyclonic Rift : Very good bounce spell. Can be an almost auto-win condition if overloaded at the right time.
Good | Gaze of Granite : This is our wrath. It's a little expensive, but it does the job.
Good | Ultimate Price : Could most likely see play again, even if we have better solution in BUG.
Average | Warped Physique : I personally don't like this card, but it could be good since the format is going to be very slow, meaning more cards in hand.
Average | Rapid Hybridization : 1 blue mana to kill almost any creature is really good, a 3/3 afterwards is much less attractive and can be very difficult to deal with.
Average | Bramblecrush : I personally like playing this card as a 1-of, because it's very versatile. However, it's a sorcery, so not very optimal. Could be good with Quicken.
Bad | Curse of the Swin : Even if a "combo" exists with this and Ratchet Bomb, it's not worth playing. We want to erase threats for good, not create new one.
Sideboard | Fade into Antiquity : A very straight and simple answer to Gods or any other annoying artifact.
d) Counterspells :
Staple | Dissolve : It replaces Dissipate, and it's better than Cancel. Also makes us Scry 1. Good counter.
Staple | Syncopate : Probably the best counterspell available in standard, as it gets stronger throughout the game. Can even be cast as 1U.
Staple | Essence Scatter : With Cavern of Souls rotating (who said finally ?), it becomes much more powerful.
Good | Plasm Capture : Powerful counterspell, though a bit expensive. Plasm Capture into Aetherling or even Prognostic Sphinx and here you are in a very, very good position.
Good | Psychic Strike : Easier to cast than Dissolve, it's really up to you to decide which one to run, though i personally prefer Dissolve.
Average | Mystic Genesis : A bit overcosted, Plasm Capture should be better most of the time.
Bad | Stymied Hopes : No reason to play this over Syncopate.
Sideboard | Dispel : Useful against UWR, especially to counter Sphinx's Revelation or even Warleader's Helix.
Sideboard | Swan Song : Better than Dispel or not ? It really shines when you have to counter God cards, but otherwise, Dispel might be better.
Sideboard | Annul : Comes between Dispel and Swan Song. Don't know if it's very viable.
Sideboard | Gainsay : Good in mirror match-ups.
Sideboard | Negate : Great against mirror match-ups too, play it along Gainsay.
e) Multiple choice :
Good | Golgari Charm : With the enchantment theme coming in Theros, it could shine, mainly because of his "Destroy target enchantment". Very useful too if tokens become a viable archetype.
Average | Dimir Charm : Nice with Duskmantle Seer. Otherwise, no reason to run it.
Bad | Simic Charm : Simply dont fit in here.
4. Artifacts & Enchantments
Staple | Bow of Nylea : This card is simply awesome. We can boost our creatures, or gain the life we loss due to Thoughtseize or Underworld Connections. Also deals with the token left with Swan Song.
Good | Underworld Connections : Good card draw engine, but can be tricky against Aggro decks. Use with caution.
Good | Whip of Erebos : Needs some testing, but bringing back an Aetherling or a Prognostic Sphinx for the final blow seems fun. Lifelink is also a sweet treat.
Sideboard | Pithing Needle : Blocks a Planeswalker, or any card with activated abilities.
Sideboard | Ratchet Bomb : Excels at killing tokens, and can help deal with permanents or hexproof thingy. A slower and less powerful Gaze of Granite.
Sideboard | Elixir of Immortality : Helps us against mill deck.
5. Lands
Staple | Island, Swamp, Forest : With the Innistrad and M13 dual lands leaving, and the presence of Burning Earth, we need to run those.
Staple | Breeding Pool : Play 4, no questions asked.
Staple | Overgrown Tomb : Play 4, no questions asked.
Staple | Watery Grave : Play 4, no questions asked.
Staple | Temple of Deceit : A full playset would be too much, I recommend to run at max 3.
Staple | Temple of Mystery : A full playset would be too much, I recommend to run at max 3.
Average | Mutavault : Maybe in a specific build, but not here.
Bad | Dimir Guildgate, Simic Guildgate, Golgari Guildgate : Scry lands are better.
4 Watery Grave
4 Breeding Pool
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Temple of Deceit
3 Temple of Mystery
3 Island
2 Swamp
3 Forest
Planeswalker : 5
3 Jace, Architect of Thought
1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1 Vraska the Unseen
Creatures : 6
2 AEtherling
1 Prognostic Sphinx
3 Omenspeaker
2 Dissolve
2 Syncopate
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Far // Away
2 Putrefy
1 Doom Blade
1 Opportunity
2 Essence Scatter
Sorceries : 6
3 Thoughtseize
2 Urban Evolution
1 Gaze of Granite
Artifacts : 1
1 Bow of Nylea
2 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1 Negate
2 Dispel
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
2 Lifebane Zombie
3 Scavenging Ooze
1 Pithing Needle
4 Frilled Oculus
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Bane Alley Broker
1 Desecration Demon
4 Reaper of the Wilds
3 Prophet of Kruphix
1 AEtherling
Spells:19
1 Syncopate
1 Abrupt Decay
3 Doom Blade
2 Golgari Charm
4 Far // Away
3 Psychic Strike
2 Putrefy
2 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Vraska the Unseen
3 Breeding Pool
2 Forest
2 Golgari Guildgate
2 Island
3 Overgrown Tomb
3 Swamp
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Mystery
1 Watery Grave
3 Duress
2 Fade Into Antiquity
2 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Dissolve
1 Psychic Strike
2 Putrefy
1 Underworld Connections
1 AEtherling
4 Breeding Pool
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Watery Grave
3 Swamp
3 Forest
2 Island
3 Temple of Deceit
3 Temple of Mystery
Creatures : 14
2 Desecration Demon
4 Reaper of the Wilds
2 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
4 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Prophet of Kruphix
3 Jace, Architect of Thought
Spells : 15
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Far // Away
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Putrefy
3 Syncopate
1 Cyclonic Rift
2 Doom Blade
Artifacts / Enchantments : 2
2 Primeval Bounty
2 Golgari Charm
3 Mistcutter Hydra
3 Thoughtseize
2 Negate
1 Vraska the Unseen
2 Lifebane Zombie
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Jace, Architect of Thought
Creatures 12
4 Sylvan Caryatid
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Reaper of the Wilds
2 Aetherling
Spells 19
2 Hero's Downfall
3 Far // Away
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Putrefy
2 Psychic Strike
3 Syncopate
2 Golgari Charm
3 Thoughtseize
2 Opportunity
2 Forest
2 Island
2 Swamp
3 Temple of Deceit
3 Temple of Mystery
4 Watery Grave
4 Breeding Pool
4 Overgrown Tomb
3 Duress
3 Negate
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Bow of Nylea
2 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Gaze of Granite
2 Essence Scatter
Disclaimer: All these strategies, tips and matchups should be taken as informative only as our deck has a few variants and not everything stated here might apply to every decklist.
RDW (or Devotion Red):
Pre-board
30%-70%
Post-board
40%60
Devotion Black (or MBC):
Pre-board
40%-60%
Post-board
50%-50%
Devotion Blue :
Pre-board
50%-50%
Post-board
60%-40%
Esper/UW Control:
Pre-board
60%-40%
Post-board
70%-30%
GW Aggro:
Preboard
40%-60%
Post-board
60%-40%
GR Midrange:
Preboard
60%-40%
Post Board
70%-30%
Please post here your ideas about the deck, your own decklists and results, so we can discuss further about BUG Control
If you have any suggestion, questions or if you saw an error, please let me know !
Thanks to Toonamiguy and his Primer on Grixis Control, it helped me a lot !
Mana: I think 26 is too high. You have 6 scry lands to help smooth out your draws. (I pt in all 8 last night, but my gut thinks 3x is correct.) I think you might get flooded when you don't want to. I think 24 would be okay. Your curve, as with most control decks, stay low. You might think you want all that mana for large Syncopates and Urban Evolution (which I'll be honest, I don't think fits in to BUG control) but you're leaving out a different "ramp" spell which I think is going to be kind of important...
Creatures: Sylvan Caryatid. My goodness this guy puts up a stop sign for all those aggressive 2/x creatures like Burning Tree and his kin. This lets you focus the rest of your removal spells on the 3/x or larger. Might want to consider Desecration Demon. With all the token generators mostly rotating, he's gone up in value significantly (both play and financial). Plus he has built in removal. Always a plus. All this removal and you put Ooze on the sideline? The shame!
Planeswalker: Ashiok should only come in from the side against control. He's one of my new favorite planeswalkers (Team: Nightmarishly good!), but he doesn't fit main board because the chance of you sitting down against a pure aggro deck come rotation are too high.
The rest: Those can shift around as usual. I'm not a fan of urban evolution personally, but you can try it. And 2 Abrupt Decays feels too light. There's going to be a lot of little critters running around! Oh, and I think you're completely wrong on Simic Charm.
Now...here's what I posted earlier last night.
4x Breeding Pool
1x Island
2x Mutavault
4x Overgrown Tomb
1x Swamp
4x Temple of Deceit
4x Temple of Mystery
4x Watery Grave
Creatures [13]
1x Aetherling
4x Deathrite Shaman
2x Desecration Demon
3x Scavenging Ooze
3x Sylvan Caryatid
3x Abrupt Decay
1x Bow of Nylea
1x Doom Blade
2x Esence Scatter
3x Far // Away
2x Jace, Architect of Thought
2x Hero's Downfall
1x Opportunity
2x Ratchet Bomb
2x Swan Song
3x Thoughtseize
1x Vraska, The Unseen
1x Abrupt Decay
2x Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1x Cyclonic Rift
2x Desecration Demon
1x Doom Blade
2x Lifebane Zombie
2x Negate
1x Sylvan Caryatid
2x Simic Charm
1x Thoughtseize
This is a BUG control deck I have been toying around with following the rotation here in a few weeks. Hopefully I'll get a chance to test it here in the next couple of days. Any suggestions, of course, are greatly encouraged. Rotation means so many different things are up in the air. I'll try to go over some of my card selections for both the main deck and the sideboard.
Mana Base - 24 lands. This feels about right with our curve being as low as it is. The one thing that's tricky is the fact we're running all 12 shock lands and 8 CIPT lands. So we'll have to be careful where we shock ourselves, and how we scry. I'm not sure if both sets of Temples are correct at 4x, but I'll try them. I could see it going to 3 each and up the basic by 2.
Creature Base - 13 creatures. A little light on the creature base which is to be expected. Aetherling could be a 2 of, but I'm trying him as a 1x with a supporting cast. With tons of instants and sorcery spells, Deathrite Shaman acts as that little bit of extra life loss or life gain where needed. Sylvan Caryatid is looking like it will be a solid mana ramp and hard for those little 2/x creatures to get past. (In a brief swing by my local card shop, 3 guys there were testing rotation all playing heavy aggro.) This could be a 4x over the 3x with Deathrite Shaman shrinking by 1, but I'm not sure yet. And the last creature I've chosen is standards rags to riches story: Desecration Demon. From a dollar rare to a nearly 9 dollar card with the exit of token generators like Lingering Souls et al, this 6/6 flier will either grow while removing the few creatures left on the board, or get in for 6 pretty early.
Non-Creature Spells - 23 non-creature spells. 3 Planeswalkers to start: 2x Jace, Architect of Thought and a 1-of Vraska, The Unseen feel like a fine combination. Vraska has really never had time to shine and with Jace protecting it, plus the massive amounts of removal spells we're including, I don't feel bad trying to give her her dues. Besides, she's a Gorgon and fits right in with Theros and how good would you feel getting at least 1 win with her ultimate assassins?
The rest: 3x Abrupt Decay just mess your opponent up if he's thinking he's going the warp speed aggressive game plan. Bow of Nylea has to be my favorite card in all of Theros. It's a 3 mana artifact with 5 abilities, 4 of which are repeatable. While the deathtouch for attacking creatures will more than likely be an irrelevant ability, it's always nice to have something like that in your back pocket on the off chance you have to send your Deathrite Shaman into the red zone. Then you can start figuring out which of the repetitious abilities you want to take advantage of. You can make your shamans 2/3s which can take out Burning-Tree Emissary and his cronies by putting a +1/+1 counter on a creature of your choice. You can shock flying creatures, including any tokens you may have given your opponent by a well-timed Swan Song. You can gain 3 life a turn which can buy you plenty of time against aforementioned aggressive decks. And on the off chance games go longer than you anticipate, you can recover 4 cards to allow you to win those draw-go games that may show up from time to time. (It is just too bad that there aren't too many shuffle effects in the upcoming standard that we can take advantage of. There's only 26 cards in the upcoming standard that even have the word shuffle on them) The last little aspect of the bow, if you're going this route, is that adds 2 to your green devotion. (And since we don't care about that, just file it under "meh" knowledge). I originally had 2 in this list, but I don't know if it's going to work out that well. I may throw it back in and test that way, but we shall see.
Spot removal works wonders for builds like this and the inclusion of Doom Blade, Far // Away, and Hero's Demise should shine yet again. Mass removal is something this deck lacks, I won't lie. The loss of Mutilate hurts. I enjoy the thought of Curse of Swine, but that would require more Ratchet Bomb, Illness in the Ranks, and more Jace's for his +1. It exiles the creature, so that is a plus. It's a card to consider.
In case you forgot, and there's not a blue player out there who has, Cavern of Souls is finally going to disappear from standard! (Don't worry, it will still show up Modern/Legacy, but for now, it's gone.) This means that Remove Soul will finally...be replaced by Essence Scatter! What? That already happened? Well either way, 1U will get you a LOT farther against creatures than it used to. Opposite of Scatter, is the new, controversial Negate-lite: Swan Song. Half the mana, typically counters the spell you need, with a 2/2 flyer as a draw back. The draw can be dealt with with Ratchet Bomb, of which we included 2, the Bow, Jace's +1 (1 damage coming at you feel less threatening), Vraska's +1, a +2 life activation from Deathrite, all the spot removal you see above, etc. The thought is, much like cards like Thoughtseize you have to know when to play it. (And what black deck isn't complete without Thoughtseize! So we threw 4 into the 75.) And there's an Opportunity for a little card draw. Could be 2, not sure, but I know that 1 doesn't necessarily feel wrong.
Sideboard - 15 cards.
As with most sideboards, they'll evolve even more complexly than the main deck. It will have to take into consideration local meta, popular archetypes, etc.
Possible Cards Missing - too many to go into at this moment (but as I'm writing this, I'm thinking about Golgari Charm as protection from sweepers). A sideboard's work is never done! And with that, I will leave my fellow MTGS players to dissect my choices, suggest alternatives, engage in respectful, healthy discussion, and enjoy what BUG can bring to the table!
An actor without a director is but a mannequin.
While a director without a writer is unemployed.
But ultimately a writer without words is dead.
~R. D. Newman
"7,015 creatures in existence. They all die to removal."
Never before has a boy wanted more...zombie slaying.
GP Vegas: It was once in a lifetime!
On Vault of the Archangel
I really like the idea of BUG control, but I think the major problem for control decks is going to be card advantage. They all lose Think Twice, and Auger which are two very important 2cmc cantrips. Other control decks will be a little better of handling this loss because they will be playing Sphinxs Rev, but we cant do that. I think the only way to keep up with other Control decks is playing cards like Divination, or lower cmc creatures that can also be threats, like Lifebane Zombie or Desecration Demon along side big finishers like Aetherling.
About your list that you posted I am not totally sold on Bow, we dont have enough creatures to make the Deathtouch clause good, or the +1/+1 counter good. The shooting a flyer is fine but you aren't even playing Swan Song in your list. I think the only relevant part is gain 3 life which isnt great.
I do like Ashiok, against Control a lot. If played on turn 3 it gives a looming threat that they have to deal with, or we a get a little mini Jace 2.0 by exiling their hand. I like it.
Gonna sleeve this up and be testing it a bit on cockatrice.
On the topic of Sylvan Caratide and Omenspeaker you say its ramp vs. CA. Imo Scry is not CA in that sense.
In your list, yeah, 24 lands could work, though not in mine. I have more expensive spells, I don't play Sylvan Caryatid and 26 lands is a minimum to me (even with Farseek, I played 26 lands.). And as you say, the scry lands help smoothing out my draws, but it doesn't guarantee in any way that I wont miss a land drop.
We're actually missing some draw cards, and Urban Evolution is pretty good at it, and in my testing, I was never disappointed to draw it.
So does Omenspeaker I prefer him to Syvlan Caryatid because drawing him in mid-late game is never a "bad thing", whereas drawing the Caryatid guy mid-late is utterly useless, and is pretty much a dead card. With all the removal I've got, it's like drawing a Farseek.
It really depends on your metagame. Ooze is on the sideboard because I don't run Desecration Demon in the 60 Demon is certainly strong, but not a very good blocker against aggro.
You're probably right, I just wanted to test him out. That's why he's listed above as "Good", and not "Staple"
More than 2 Abrupt Decay seems like a waste to me. Maybe we could add 1 in the sideboard. And yeah, you're most certainly right, after the rotation, aggro will be running around. And about Simic Charm, I don't think I'm wrong. The only permanent we really wanna protect is Aetherling, and he can actually protect himself and for less than UG. The +3/+3, well... really don't fit in here, and the bounce effect, I'd prefer to run Cyclonic Rift.
Concerning your decklist, I think you're between a midrange/control version, and not a total control build. 13 Creatures is way too much imo, and the 4 Deathrite Shaman are not used at their full potential, where other cards could be. I don't see myself paying 2 life on turn 1 to put it on the board, and waiting for him to be useful 4 or 5 turns later.
Running the 8 Scry lands are too much. We're slow enough, no need to slow ourselves even more. And with Burning Earth being a thing, you should play more basic lands.
Hero's Demise is probably Hero's Downfall, be careful if you sleeve it up
Main-deck Swan Song doesn't seems attractive, because, as you said, aggro will be running around a lot after rotation
Same for Ratchet Bomb maindeck, with tokens rotating, I don't think it's necessary.
@TakeYourShoesOff :
Thanks !
Yeah losing TT and Augur really hurts, though Omenspeaker is a pretty fine successor.
About the Bow, I just wanted to test it out, and I felt it was very powerful.
@barcafan95 :
What I meant was that Omen was doing at least a bit of CA when Sylvan doesn't. And in a pure Control build, I prefer doing CA, even if it's not very relevant.
"Fade into Antiquity
2G
Sorcery
Exile target artifact or enchantment. "
They're the best answer for Gods and enchantments (like burning earth) all in one.
Thx, forgot about this one, added in the Primer
I like the poster's deck, list very flexible. Only lacking in card advantage.
As for the one with lotleth troll... Idk, regeneration is fantastic.. Maybe with nylea's ordeal? =)
Solves mana issues.
I think read the bones is definitely a must... Until further blocks get released? =p
Im going to agree with this, as cool as tapping out turn 5 or 6 to get an extra land is, id much rather tap 3 on turn 5 or 6 while keeping mana open for an extra spell. Imo Read the Bones > Urban Evolution pure for mana cost, but I suppose we will see how the format develops.
Or Quickening a Bones : "2UB : Discard two cards. Draw a card, Scry 2 then draw 2 cards. You lose 2 life."
Im not a huge fan of Quicken, mostly because there is nothing else we would want to use it for besides Divination or Read the Bones. I could see playing like 1 copy of it though, no more unfortunately.
Man, thanks for opening everyone's eyes! It all seems so clear to me now..
Green offers Putrefy, Scavenging Ooze, Vraska, Abrupt Decay, Golgari Charm (which seems okay going into an enchantment heavy set just me though), Primeval Bounty....
But thanks for all of your support and wisdom.
Anyway.... Even with our deck being built around quicken..
Another problem would arise... US being too dependent on quicken...
We can only have 4 quickens.. Lol.. This would pretty cause us to tap out pretty often..
Hence bringing us to use removals instead of counters, which isn't exactly a bad thing since we have more 1for 1 hard removals than other colours.. But idk=/
I would never play more than one quicken. I just dont like that card. its too narrow. that slot could be utilized a lot better.
I feel like 4 Divinations would suffice for CA
Warned for spam. -Sasky
Reminds me of this:
C Kozilek C
GB Gitrog GB
G Titania G
WU Brago WU
GB MerenGB
Duel Commander Decks
UR Keranos UR
BRG Jund BRG
GR Tron GR GW Tron GW
C Eldrazi Tron (SB) C
BG Lantern Control BG
UW Control (SB) UW
Doing a quick run down on my creature choices.
AEtherling and Desecration Demon These two are going to be my main win-cons and both can pull a lot of weight. As a side note, just want to add that I really like the demon in a removal heavy build over some of the other choices but I do plan to test out the new gorgon once I can grab a couple.
Scavenging Ooze I think ooze just outclasses Deathrite Shaman here, with the ability to heal the turn it enters the field and for more then once a turn and if left alone can pull in it's share of wins.
Sylvan Caryatid Before it got spoiled and knowing Farseek was going out this is what I was hoping to get the most and boy did Theros pull through. Does pretty much everything we wanted for this spot. Slows aggro, speeds us up, mana fixing, hard to remove, allows T3 Demon. I'm thinking 4 might be too many so going to start with 3.
Progenitor Mimic Ok, I know this is the oddball but it's a fun card to play. Played on any heavy hitter it can get real out of hand fast. Just going to throw this out there too, In a test game I hit Vraska for her -7 then the same turn played the mimic on one of the assassin tokens... needless to say that was a fun game
As for the non-creatures I wanted to try and stay removal heavy then use sideboard to change out what was needed for games 2 and 3. Also, I know my lands are alittle off because I just did a rough switch out of the guilddates I was testing with. Any thoughts and anything are more then welcomed.
Just corrected tags. You dont need to do [card] when you are typing with in the [deck] area. Just put the number of each card infront of without the X for the tag to work. That was a lot of additional tagging...
Plus... Ur deck is kinda bad in many many ways unfortunately=/