If you are playing all islands then Mitotic Manipulation is likely to hit an island and ramp you. That's the only straight blue card i can think of that can do traditional colored mana ramp.
Go broader with the mechanic. I think either the gods themselves or an enchantment in the block will have a "When this criteria is met play [god card] from outside the game". The god cards themselves will be uncastable from inside a deck, they have to be in the sideboard and put into play that way.
Could the rules support, or be changed to support, a card that says "While this card is in your sideboard you may do 'x', if you do, play this card from outside the game"
This is something that I really don't understand. I get trying to push something, but c'mon, he's already pushed with all of his abilities. Slapping on an additional toughness really does reduce a lot of options for killing utility creatures like himself (that are 1/1). If he was a 1/1, he'd be way easier to handle imo.
They gave him 2 toughness so that Golgari Charm didn't kill him. He was one of the flagship golgari cards and didn't want that bad interaction in limited.
Would Portent be a good middle ground for a reprint in 2014? It let's control set up their draws and still get the card before the other player's main phase but isn't as useful for storm.
It's pretty much a ponder for control but not nearly as useful in the tempo games that other decks like delver were using it for in standard, so it should be safe there.
I started using cockatrice for testing but it either warps luck or has the worst shuffling engine I have ever seen. I get the wackiest draws ever with Cockatrice.
Towards the end of the Alara/Zen Standard in the brief period when Mono White control was good it was fairly common to O-ring a Jace then bounce the ring with Skyfishers to kill the new one they cast. In my circle we called that play the Time Cop.
I took this build to the PTQ in San Antonio last Saturday. Made the top 8 and lost out to a bant aggro. If I could rebuild it and go again I would definately change the sideboard to make a bigger transition into a normal RUG build. I anticipated the enchantment hate post-board but I did not realize how much trouble I would have with the enchantment hate + Red removal hate and that's what got me. Changing out the pyro package for a RUG build would have given me much better game post-board against any deck with white in it.
Valakut was definitely the hardest matchup, pre-board I was around 40%. Boarding out the Fallouts, Bolts and Jace to bring in the trap package brings the matchup up to a good 70% in my favor.
Faeries was the second hardest matchup in testing but I dodged it in the PTQ.
UQ Mystic and Bant was a blowout game 1 in every match, game 2 with bant was difficult but UW had nothing for me post board.
The biggest thing the green splash does it give me a very consistent turn 4-5 win with the added cantrip and ramp from Explore. It's much easier to go off on the combo when the extra lands I draw go into play instead of into the graveyard or back into the library, I can't stress enough how much the explores make the deck work in the current environment.
Edit: I almost forgot, the 1 off Red Sun was a lifesaver. It won the game multiple times when I had to use my bolts/fallouts to stabilize and the exile/shuffle clauses are amazing in this deck. On two different occasions I used it for removal and won the game with it the next turn when I dug it back out with cantrips and once it exiled a Vengevine to buy me an extra turn to win. Also the 1 Ravenous trap kept me from losing a game 3 vs Valakut when he pulled Kozilek in from the board, respond to the Koz trigger with Trapmaker's Snare to dig it out and victory.
Did the UG Val die out already? I haven't seen it in PTQ reports and I saw none of them at the Fort Worth PTQ. Is RG just better/faster in every situation?
Like everyone has said it's really the number of abilities. In control you usually want to do a few things, Tempo control, draw fixing and a reliable finisher.
The +2 is a great tempo control but only once control has been established.
The +0 brainstorm takes care of draw fixing especially with fetches providing the a shuffle effect.
The -1 is also a great tempo control that helps establish the board position, coupled with the fact that it's on a walker, which is inherent card advantage means Jace can single-handedly come down, provide card advantage and reverse the board position.
The finisher is one of the few finishers that is almost an auto win but is all around balanced with the high loyalty cost, it's real benefit is that getting to the finisher is super easy since the +2 is an amazing control effect, it lets you control the opponents draws while you build up answers for any surprises.
Of those abilities the one that hurts the most is definitely the bounce. Walkers are already amazing tools for for card advantage and being able to manipulate the board position/tempo of the game with inherent card advantage on a four drop is pretty staggering. Then having the drop stay around to do it again next turn is just over the top.
It's almost like having a Cryptic Command that says "Use any one of Cryptic commands abilities again each turn during your upkeep unless the opponent can do 3 damage to you but chooses not to instead."
Cloud Key was arguably better and I don't think it really saw any play. The return on the anvil isn't good enough for the card disadvantage and no change in the board position.
If you're playing straight UB, run tech edge to hit Eye of Ugin. Memoricide is good, but missing the in-hand clause from Thought Hemorrhage makes me doubt whether it's worth running. When you take 3 out of their deck while they still have 1 in hand and it's a card that a single one hitting the table can end your game....yeah not good.
Not sure what the UB deck is trying to do but don't forget Cosi's Trickster. She can put a lot of early pressure on especially with all the tap fetch's they run.
On that note, by RAW can you combine card effects into a single shuffle? Example, if you have two fetchlands in play can you trigger them both and use a single shuffle, or do you have to search one land, shuffle, then search another land giving Cosi's two counters?
It looks like your trying to copy the control aspect of Super Friends over with different colors. I say change it up and go with a more aggro oriented version, without Jace you really won't be able to compete with the control variant if your playing the same game as him.
Since your running manlands I would drop both walls and use Trace of Abundance for ramp and land protection. Makes your manlands immune to Spreading Seas and Tectonic Edge with the added effect if increasing the ramp from Garruks untap ability. Throw out the creature control in favor of your own creatures.
Could the rules support, or be changed to support, a card that says "While this card is in your sideboard you may do 'x', if you do, play this card from outside the game"
They gave him 2 toughness so that Golgari Charm didn't kill him. He was one of the flagship golgari cards and didn't want that bad interaction in limited.
It's pretty much a ponder for control but not nearly as useful in the tempo games that other decks like delver were using it for in standard, so it should be safe there.
3 Cascade Bluffs
2 Flooded Grove
1 Forest
4 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
Instant:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Mana Leak
2 Volcanic Fallout
4 Manamorphose
4 Cryptic Command
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
1 Red Sun's Zenith
4 Explore
2 Time Warp
Other:
4 Pyromancer Ascension
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Nature's Claim
3 Trapmaker's Snare
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Ravenous Trap
4 Archive Trap
1 Time Warp
2 Inferno Titan
I took this build to the PTQ in San Antonio last Saturday. Made the top 8 and lost out to a bant aggro. If I could rebuild it and go again I would definately change the sideboard to make a bigger transition into a normal RUG build. I anticipated the enchantment hate post-board but I did not realize how much trouble I would have with the enchantment hate + Red removal hate and that's what got me. Changing out the pyro package for a RUG build would have given me much better game post-board against any deck with white in it.
Valakut was definitely the hardest matchup, pre-board I was around 40%. Boarding out the Fallouts, Bolts and Jace to bring in the trap package brings the matchup up to a good 70% in my favor.
Faeries was the second hardest matchup in testing but I dodged it in the PTQ.
UQ Mystic and Bant was a blowout game 1 in every match, game 2 with bant was difficult but UW had nothing for me post board.
The biggest thing the green splash does it give me a very consistent turn 4-5 win with the added cantrip and ramp from Explore. It's much easier to go off on the combo when the extra lands I draw go into play instead of into the graveyard or back into the library, I can't stress enough how much the explores make the deck work in the current environment.
Edit: I almost forgot, the 1 off Red Sun was a lifesaver. It won the game multiple times when I had to use my bolts/fallouts to stabilize and the exile/shuffle clauses are amazing in this deck. On two different occasions I used it for removal and won the game with it the next turn when I dug it back out with cantrips and once it exiled a Vengevine to buy me an extra turn to win. Also the 1 Ravenous trap kept me from losing a game 3 vs Valakut when he pulled Kozilek in from the board, respond to the Koz trigger with Trapmaker's Snare to dig it out and victory.
The +2 is a great tempo control but only once control has been established.
The +0 brainstorm takes care of draw fixing especially with fetches providing the a shuffle effect.
The -1 is also a great tempo control that helps establish the board position, coupled with the fact that it's on a walker, which is inherent card advantage means Jace can single-handedly come down, provide card advantage and reverse the board position.
The finisher is one of the few finishers that is almost an auto win but is all around balanced with the high loyalty cost, it's real benefit is that getting to the finisher is super easy since the +2 is an amazing control effect, it lets you control the opponents draws while you build up answers for any surprises.
Of those abilities the one that hurts the most is definitely the bounce. Walkers are already amazing tools for for card advantage and being able to manipulate the board position/tempo of the game with inherent card advantage on a four drop is pretty staggering. Then having the drop stay around to do it again next turn is just over the top.
It's almost like having a Cryptic Command that says "Use any one of Cryptic commands abilities again each turn during your upkeep unless the opponent can do 3 damage to you but chooses not to instead."
Memoricide hits the hand.
On that note, by RAW can you combine card effects into a single shuffle? Example, if you have two fetchlands in play can you trigger them both and use a single shuffle, or do you have to search one land, shuffle, then search another land giving Cosi's two counters?
Since your running manlands I would drop both walls and use Trace of Abundance for ramp and land protection. Makes your manlands immune to Spreading Seas and Tectonic Edge with the added effect if increasing the ramp from Garruks untap ability. Throw out the creature control in favor of your own creatures.
You have pretty good options for creatures in these colors, Naya Hushblade Woolly Thoctar and Marisi's Twinclaws are all great. You have the option of running token creatures from Nest Invader Kozilek's Predator and Awakening Zone with Overrun or Titanic Ultimatum as well.