Note: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
Also thank you to Zerodown for the idea and help in creating the deck.
Fateseal Control, or Lantern Control as it is known as now, is a prison deck that works to limit an opponent's access to cards with quality in regards to the game being played. While many control decks prevent spells from being resolved (permission magic, like Counterspell) or from being played (taxing magic, like Trinisphere), this deck aims to restrict access to cards. By working this way, the opponent is no longer playing their deck – They are playing a version of his or her deck that requires that you approve of what cards they have added.
The deck makes great use of the idea of inevitability. Jeff Cunningham wrote an article about this theme, and it’s definitely something worth reading, whether you plan on piloting Lantern Control or want to ensure you are prepared to beat it. The power behind Lantern is that it is one of the most inevitable decks in the current Modern metagame. The longer the game goes, the more likely the Lantern deck will win – So long as the pilot makes correct plays. There are currently few decks, if any, that have as much inevitability as Lantern, making it extremely powerful against a large portion of the metagame.
Why Play Lantern Control?
Resiliency: The unique method by which this deck controls the opponent makes it resilient against a vast number of decks in the meta. No matter what deck is played, the pilot needs access to cards relevant to furthering their gameplan in order to, well, make progress on that gameplan.
Complexity: There are some who enjoy playing this deck because each game works out like a puzzle. Sometimes the correct line of play is to restrict the opponent from drawing lands. Sometimes, it is to force the opponent to draw nothing but lands. Decision trees for this deck are vastly different, in size and complexity, than nearly every other deck. This is, in my opinion, the most skill intensive deck that I have ever played. I can say that in the games that I have lost, the majority of them was because I made a mistake, not because I didn't have a correct line of play open to me given the resources at my disposal.
With that said, a word of warning: This is one of the most skill intensive decks to pilot, let alone adjust for metagame. Compounding this, decisions often must be made extremely quickly in order to avoid losing to the clock on MTGO and drawing during a tournament.
Personalization: Many decks in the modern meta have very little room for personal touches. This deck, however, has seen many personalized builds. The range of colors available to include, win conditions to use, and preferred answers to other decks in a meta is extraordinary. The key cards in the deck are colorless and low in converted mana cost, allowing for a wide selection of card choices that may be considered.
But Doesn't It Just Lose to (Cardname Here)?
This is a common misconception about the deck. Many people will glance at the deck and see the cards and not the mechanics of the core engine. There were a select few cards in the Modern cardpool that could deal with this deck and that can get around the control method at the core in the earlier years of development of the deck. Among these are Ancient Grudge and cards that allow an opponent to shuffle their graveyard back into their library. As the cardpool in the Modern format increased, so did the number of cards that could disrupt the way that the Lantern deck works. Even these cards cannot absolutely secure a win, however. The fault with this view that the deck is "weak to artifact hate" is that the very core of the deck runs on being able to choose what cards the opponent gets to draw. In the videos section of this primer are a large number of videos in which the opponents included cards in their decks to deal with Lantern Control - they just never got to play them. They just got discarded or were milled away, never to be drawn and played.
The positive of this is that the players who make this assumption will end up losing due to their lack of comprehension of the engine, only to be upset because they lost to a "troll deck".
The Deck
The deck doesn't restrict access to all cards in an opponent's deck. If the opponent has more threats in their deck than the Lantern pilot has “mill rocks” out, then the opponent still has inevitability. Eventually, enough threats will slip through that they’ll be able to piece together a win. This is where the long evolution of the deck comes in. Many variations have been tried in order to patch up this weakness, dealing with threats, including miracles, many forms of spot removal, and a number of other forms of threat disruption, even some very creative ones. What ended up proving to be the most effective was Ensnaring Bridge. It works perfectly with the low converted mana cost of the core combo cards, isn’t reliant on playing specific colors, and essentially plays like a Moat – but better.
This card brings us to another stage in the evolution of the deck. The realization came about that, essentially, we just need to reduce the number of active cards in an opponent’s deck to be less than or equal to the number of mill rocks available. The more threats we could simply neutralize with each single card in our deck, the less likely the opponent is going to have those cards in consecutive order in his or her deck. This brought about additions like Pithing Needle and Surgical Extraction. A single Needle resolves all issues of, say, all copies of The One Ring or Inkmoth Nexus, stealing the game away. In addition, it shuts off any attempt to struggle out of the prison with cards like Teferi, Time Raveler or Boseiju, Who Endures.
It was also found that discard spells were of great use in further impeding the speed and effectiveness of an opponent’s deck while the prison was constructed. The information gained from seeing an opponent’s hand is also a great resource in order to make the best decisions concerning cards the opponent is most reliant on in order to make progress.
The main win condition can be to simply “mill” an opponent out. It may seem slow at first, the occasional single card at a time, slowly and steadily controlling the opponent. But as the game goes on, more mill pieces are drawn, and three, then four, then five, and so on, cards are being milled for every turn the opponent takes. And remember, since the opponent is drawing nothing but dead cards, the card that they are drawing for their turn is another card "milled". In the right hands, the game progresses rather quickly after the initial lock is set.
Some decks, however, have outs to that. Some decks run cards like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. At first, one or two Pyrite Spellbomb proved to be enough to provide an alternate win condition against these decks when combined with Academy Ruins. It was often slower than the mill plan though, and more mana intensive overall. Ghirapur AEther Grid was then printed, and this proved to increase the speed of the clock with less total mana requirements, and is therefore an option that some builders and pilots prefer. Many decks run some number of Pyxis of Pandemonium which helps against cards like Ancient Grudge and possible Snapcaster Mage or Wrenn and Six targets. Casting Surgical Extraction or Extirpate with an Emrakul shuffle trigger on the stack will also resolve this problem, but it does not stop the graveyard from being shuffled one last time.
Support cards that proved efficient with this now solid plan were fleshed out. Ancient Stirrings has typically been a staple for most of the competitive lists during the deck’s history. What has probably been one of the greatest support cards for the deck is Whir of Invention, so long as the manabase is built to support it. Profane Tutor has also recently proved to be extremely useful for the deck. Even Glint-Nest Crane has provided Lantern Control a way to block creatures and act as a pseudo Ancient Stirrings, although it isn't the most popular option. Mishra's Bauble has been shown to be beneficial to the deck as well. It can be used to dig through the deck quicker for cards needed to solidify the lock. It's even useful as a virtual mana source for Whir of Invention. When combined with a Codex Shredder, Ghoulcaller's Bell, or Pyxis of Pandemonium, it can be used as a card filtering effect to dig even deeper.
Due to the nature of the core prison being colorless, someone designing their own flavor of Lantern Control has quite a few options. There are few, but some, budget options and plans, usually revolving around what mana sources can be afforded.
Sideboard cards for the deck are typically cards that simply aim to redesign the prison according to the opponent’s deck. Sometimes that means swapping in cards that are uniquely designed to neutralize an opponent’s gameplan, using cards like Cursed Totem, Grafdigger’s Cage, and Leyline of Sanctity.
Deck Lists
Most recent decklists can be found on the deck’s Discord channel
Card Choices: Maindeck
A short note on card choices for this deck: If a nonland card does not specifically contribute to constructing the prison lock, neutralizing as many cards in an opponent's deck as possible, or works to obtain one of those two types of cards, then it is likely not a good candidate for the deck. Many lackluster cards have been suggested in the years that major contributing members of the thread have been working on this deck. Some of these cards are specifically mentioned in the Recurring Suggestions section of this primer. If you feel that a suggestion is worthy, please test that suggestion yourself and provide results of games with that suggestion rather than posting it and expecting others to test it for you.
Prison Pieces
Lantern of Insight - A key piece for the deck. This is what provides the information required to know when to pull the trigger on a mill rock, ensuring that the opponent draws few, if any, cards relevant to the gamestate. The second ability is icing on the cake. Can be used with Academy Ruins as a soft-lock in a pinch. Recommend 4.
Codex Shredder - One of the available mill rocks at our disposal. Again, with a second ability that is just icing on the cake. Recommend 4.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Another useful mill rock. Has the added benefit of not targeting, and can be used to self-mill while simultaneously fatesealing an opponent.
Pyxis of Pandemonium - Much like Ghoulcaller's Bell. The exile effect may come in handy against cards like Ancient Grudge or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. The second ability may be just high enough in mana cost to not be particularly relevant. However, I have personally used it in corner cases, exiling an Ensnaring Bridge with it and then using the second ability to put the Bridge directly into play, avoiding a counter.
The specific numbers of each mill rock you decide to include into your list should largely be determined by your expected metagame. If you expect a large amount of cards like Ancient Grudge or Snapcaster Mage, Pyxis of Pandemonium might be the better choice over Ghoulcaller's Bell.
Neutralizing Options
Ensnaring Bridge - Neutralizes a majority of the creatures playing in the Modern format. Recommend 4, 3 is fine if running the Whir of Invention build.
Surgical Extraction/Extirpate - Assists in shutting off many of the graveyard based strategies that exists in Modern, in addition to reducing the overall number of live cards an opponent might have in their deck and providing information about what we need to watch out for. Recommend 0-4. The more combo decks you expect to face, the better these cards are for crippling those decks. They are also particularly good against decks that run very few threats, taking out a large percentage of those threats with a single card. Not as useful against decks with a lot of diversity of threats.
Cantrips/Search/Utility
Urza’s Saga - Urza’s Saga seems almost tailor-made for Lantern. It provides a legitimate alternate win condition for the deck in the form of construct tokens and tutors for lock pieces and silver bullet artifacts. Previously, the deck would have some difficulty with creatures like Noble Hierarch attacking under an Ensnaring Bridge, but the construct tokens have proven very useful in solving this issue. Recommend 4.
Profane Tutor - This is a more recent development in decklists. One of the key aspects of Lantern Control is that specific cards are often required depending on the situation and what the opponent is playing. Profane Tutor performs exactly this for the deck. The two-turn wait for it to come off of Suspend is often negligible, as we often run a great amount of discard and other disruption that typically buys the pilot the time required for Profane Tutor to resolve.
Ancient Stirrings - Digs for prison pieces, neutralizers, or even lands.
Whir of Invention - An excellent card for digging for the exact artifact required in a given situation, at instant speed. It does require a retooling of the manabase, and forsaking some number of utility lands that don't produce blue mana. There seem to be two variants on Lantern Control - One in which the manabase is restructured to use Whir of Invention and the more traditional GBx build. If you decide to build the Whir version, it is highly suggested to run 4.
Mishra's Bauble - As mentioned earlier, this card allows for digging through the deck for required pieces of the lock. It allows us to psuedo-simulate running a 56 card deck. It can also be combined with a Codex Shredder, Ghoulcaller's Bell, or Pyxis of Pandemonium in order to dig further, faster. In Whir builds, it can be used to "pay" for the Improvise cost of Whir of Invention, acting as a Mox Opal. Recommend 2-4.
Glint-Nest Crane - An additional option. Works as a blocker. Cranes even act as an additional win condition, being able to attack under a Bridge during our turn before we play the card we draw. Optional.
Inventors’ Fair - In addition to acting as a maindeck Sun Droplet, this card provides the deck with the ability to search up a final locking piece to secure the win. It is often difficult to find room in the deck for Fair alongside Urza’s Saga, but some pilots still prefer to have a copy.
Noxious Revival - Reclaims a discarded/destroyed/self-mill card at instant speed. May also be used to put a dead card back on top of an opponent's library in a pinch. More often used in budget lists. Fills in extra spots as necessary.
Discard Options
Inquisition of Kozilek - Grabs most cards that we care about in the early game. Slows down an opponent’s deck and provides information on what cards are safe for the opponent to draw and what cards we need to worry about. Recommend 2-4, depending on the expected metagame.
Duress - This often-overlooked discard spell works very well in removing cards that are often most problematic to the deck. Where Inquisition of Kozilek cannot pick a Leyline Binding, Karn, the Great Creator, The One Ring, or a Force of Vigor from an opponent’s hand, Duress does this, but without the life loss of Thoughtseize. Recommend 2-4, depending on the expected metagame.
Thoughtseize - Can get anything (other than lands) that Inquisition of Kozilek cannot. Does cost two life, but usually is negligible. Recommend 4.
Collective Brutality - Provides the most options among the discard spells, at the cost of an additional mana. Especially useful in matchups that rely on small creatures or burn spells. Slightly more versatile than Inquisition of Kozilek and Thoughtseize because it can be used to take out worrisome creatures that make it to the battlefield before we have a chance to draw a discard spell.
Manabase Options
A well-designed manabase will be heavily reliant on the build. Builds that are designed to use Whir of Invention will require minimal numbers of lands that produce colorless, whereas builds that are designed to use Profane Tutor will likely want to prioritize the ability to cast an early discard spell. With that in mind, most Whir builds consist of fastlands that produce blue mana combined with some number of Spire of Industry and Glimmervoid. Most Profane Tutor builds consist of fastlands that produce black, fetchlands, basic lands, and/or pathways. Profane Tutor builds are often able to make room for lands like The Mycosynth Gardens. Regardless, it is likely a very good idea to utilize the tools at MTG On Curve to ensure that the pilot is better able to have the mana necessary to cast their spells when they need to.
Spire of Industry - Excellent option for producing the colors needed. Is usually preferred over Glimmervoid since it does not sacrifice itself in case the opponent has removal for our artifacts (which would often lead to a blowout). The painlands were once used to supplement the fastlands, but this card has essentially made the painlands nearly obsolete. Recommend 4.
Glimmervoid - Has been very effective for the deck over time, but carries the increased risk of a blowout, as pointed out above. Glimmervoid is often used to supplement Spire of Industry for the extra colored mana stabilization.
Fastlands - Another favorite, provides the colored mana on the turns that are most important for this deck. The specific fastland that is wanted largely depends on whether the pilot is aiming for the traditional GBx build or the Whir build.
Pathways - These lands have assisted builds that absolutely want to play early spells (like discard spells) that require colored mana without causing the pilot too much self-inflicted damage.
The Mycosynth Gardens - An excellent option for the deck, in that it can become additional copies of Ensnaring Bridge at instant speed (in response to some removal is great), but also serves to solidify the lock by acting as additional mill rocks if we need it. It should be noted that it cannot effectively copy a Pithing Needle, as it will simply become a copy of the Needle but with no card named.
Academy Ruins - A superb utility land for recurring destroyed, discarded, sacrificed, or self-milled artifacts.
Alternate Win Conditions
Alternate win conditions are typically not necessary, so long as the pilot plays at a good pace and is familiar enough with the deck that they can make decisions in a reasonable amount of time. However, some pilots choose to include some alternate win conditions in their 75.
Ghirapur AEther Grid - Higher initial mana cost than Pyrite Spellbomb, but cheaper in the long run per point of damage. Can also provide a faster clock and can take out more creatures per turn.
Pyrite Spellbomb - Like Galvanic Blast, but can be nabbed with Ancient Stirrings. Costs less to set up the recurring engine, but deals less damage than Blast, too.
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - One of the more popular choices for an alternate win condition. He helps to dig for prison and neutralizing pieces and allows for a win via creature damage or his ultimate.
Grafdigger's Cage - Extremely useful against traditional Dredge decks, Yawgmoth decks, and other similar decks.
Leyline of Sanctity - Is great against Burn and discard-heavy decks. There is the downside that it loses a lot of usefulness if it isn't in our opener, and we would need 3-4 in order to make that happen. The mana cost could cause it to clog our hands.
The Underworld Cookbook - This card greatly helps turn the Burn matchup around. It allows us to survive a resolved Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, and lets us dump our hand to ensure that creatures cannot attack us when we have an Ensnaring Bridge in play.
Elixir of Immortality - Another card that’s useful in the Burn matchup, but is also very useful against the Mill matchup.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - Useful in the Mill matchup, with some interesting strategy involved. If the Lantern list contains sufficient discard spells and a way to consistently assemble the lock, the pilot may focus their plan on not allowing the opponent access to exile effects. When successfully accomplished, the Mill opponent will simply be unable to win so long as the Lantern pilot ensures that they do not draw Emrakul. If they do draw Emrakul for some reason, they can discard it to The Underworld Cookbook, Thoughtseize targeting themselves, or building to having eight cards in hand and discarding Emrakul.
Soul-Guide Lantern/Stone of Erech/Nihil Spellbomb - These each combat various graveyard strategies, and are their relative usefulness is often dependant on the specific situation. It should be noted that Stone of Erech has the unique ability to shut down some mechanics, like Modular, where the others do not.
Damping Sphere - Useful against the big-mana matchups, like Mono-Green Tron, Amulet Titan, and Coffers, while also being useful against combo matchups like Twiddle-Storm, Gifts Storm, and Underworld Breach.
NecromentiaThe Stone Brain - Useful against decks that heavily rely on some specific card or combination of cards.
Deck Performance Spreadsheet
I've been tracking games for quite some time on this spreadsheet. There you can view how the deck performs against various other decks in the metagame, along with how specific cards perform when they are in the opening hand. This provides information on mulligan decisions. There is quite a bit of data to go through, so feel free to take a look! If you’re curious, you can also view the previous spreadsheet that was part of the original development of the deck.
Videos
My own Youtube channel is devoted almost solely to Lantern, and can be found here.
There are a few basic rules for playing this deck that are typically true. They may not always be true, but it is up to the pilot to figure out when they apply and when they do not.
- The one gameplay nuance that is important at all times is to play at a quick pace. Some good examples of this are videos on Zac Elsik. Once the prison is set, he knows what cards are on top, and knows exactly how he's going to tap his mana to play those cards (unless it's a land) during his next turn. In paper Magic, opponents will often "tank" over plays that are irrelevant to the boardstate, looking for a way to break out of the prison. There are some opponents who will purposefully take a while to do this, hoping to push the game into a draw, and then blame the Lantern pilot. In either case, we do not want this. Quick, and precise, play requires an in-depth knowledge of an opponent's deck and what outs he or she may have. If they do not have an out, then play as normal, but at a quick pace.
- If you have a mill rock available with a Mishra’s Bauble, and don’t have a Lantern of Insight in play,, it is almost always more correct to target yourself with the Bauble. A good way to appreciate why this is true is to consider the likelihood of an opponent having a card they want on top of their library as compared to the likelihood of us having a card that we don’t want or need on top of our own library. The latter is much more likely. Therefore, it’s better to use the Bauble on ourselves, in order to dig to the card(s) we need to solidify the lock.
- It is usually correct to play a Lantern of Insight if you know it will not get countered or discarded by an opponent before playing a Codex Shredder or Ghoulcaller's Bell. There are fewer Lantern effects in the deck than there are mill rocks, so it's less painful to have a mill rock countered or discarded, as you are more likely to draw another one.
-A good Lantern pilot is intimately familiar with the metagame. This is important so that the pilot knows the best cards to name with Pithing Needle, what cards the opponent is reliant on in order for their deck to properly function, and the best cards to use Surgical Extraction on.
- You typically want to always mill at the end of the opponent's turn. This allows the opponent less interaction with the top of their library, as they will not be able to use effects to set up their top card and then use sorcery speed spells to access the top card.
- This is a math-intensive deck. It is important to be able to count how many turns it will take to mill out an opponent and compare that with whether an opponent can deal the necessary damage to win the game before that time. When calculating this, remember to calculate the likelihood of drawing more mill rocks in the process, as doing so increases the speed of this deck.
- Do not forget to use Academy Ruins at the end of an opponent's turn.
- Be aware of all outs an opponent may have in play or in their deck. A pilot must be able to correctly count them.
- When using Surgical Extraction, count the number of outs an opponent has in his or her deck, and what outs those are. You are getting precious information from this, and this information should be used when calculating when you should or should not mill. Sometimes it is safer to just let the opponent keep a dead card on top rather than mill another three cards. Also, do not forget that Surgical Extraction can be used as instant speed discard, can shuffle away a threat that is on top, and can provide information on what cards the opponent has in hand. For example, if there is a The One Ring on top of an opponent's library and another copy in their graveyard, let the opponent draw it and then use Surgical Extraction during their draw step. This not only removes the threat, but blanks their draw for the turn. We can also hold Extraction until the opponent’s draw step when we know they have a dead card on top. They will draw the dead card, and we still get to exile the targets, rather than exiling targets and risking reshuffling an opponent’s deck so that a threat is on top.
- Do not forget the second ability of Lantern of Insight. If you think the opponent has sided in Ancient Grudges, drawing extra Lanterns is extremely beneficial. These extra Lanterns will allow you to shuffle away an Ancient Grudge, giving you more time to prepare for it by laying duplicate copies of cards.
- Likewise, do not forget about the second ability of Codex Shredder. This may allow the pilot to recur cards at instant speed, like Surgical Extraction.
- Concerning Eldrazi effects that let an opponent shuffle their graveyard back into their library, remember that you do not necessarily have to mill them. Often times it is just fine to let the opponent draw them, and then they have to just hold cards in order to discard the Eldrazi and get the shuffle effect. This buys us time to mill them out, go for an alternate wincon plan, or prepare for Surgical Extraction tactics. For example, it is entirely possible to use a constant recurring of Codex Shredder to use Surgical Extraction every turn to extract cards that the opponent may be holding in their hand while they work to build up cards to discard the Eldrazi. This delays their ability to discard it, while "milling" them.
- Surgical Extraction may also be used to extract cards out of our own hand. For example, there was an instance at GP Charlotte 2015 in which one of the Lantern players had the prison set with Ensnaring Bridge in play, but had Ghost Quarter and Glimmervoid in hand and was about to draw a Surgical Extraction. The opponent was going to be able to swing with lethal with 1-power creatures. The pilot had a Glimmervoid in play, and the play that wins the game was to draw the Extraction, play Ghost Quarter, tap Glimmervoid for a black, destroy his own Glimmervoid with Ghost Quarter, then use the black mana to use Surgical Extraction on the Glimmervoid and exile the Glimmervoid in his hand. Plays like these are extremely complicated, and aren't always the easiest to see, but are important for winning what look to be unwinnable games.
- Cards that draw at sorcery speed are typically alright for the opponent to draw. For example, I have seen many, many times where a player will mill a Serum Visions on their own turn. This is incorrect. Serum Visions in this instance does nothing but force the opponent to pay a blue mana to draw another card. The scry effect does next to nothing for them when we have the prison set: If they keep cards on top, we can mill them, and if they put cards to the bottom in order to try to dig to an answer, then we can still mill those answers. If, after they’ve drawn the Visions, they have a threat on top, we simply mill in response to the Visions resolving. At best, the opponent may try to hold many copies of Serum Visions and other sorcery speed cantrips in order to chain them, but that also allows us more time to get to more mill effects, which in turn directly negates their gameplan. In addition, their use of these cards increases our clock, as they are "milling" themselves yet another card for each of these used.
- When resolving an Ancient Stirrings or Glint-Nest Crane, it can matter what order the cards are put on the bottom of your library. This is especially so for decks that run no other shuffle effects than Lantern of Insight. Ancient Stirrings and Glint-Nest Crane essentially lets the pilot stack his or her deck! Note that this isn't quite as effective in Whir builds or builds that include Urza’s Saga (which you absolutely should if you can!) due to the required shuffle afterwards.
- When we have the choice between an early Inquisition of Kozilek or an early Duress or Thoughtseize, it is almost always correct to play the IoK first. The limit on the converted mana cost that IoK can get makes this true, along with the fact that IoK can take out creatures that might put us on a clock while we try to land a Bridge.
- It's important to play the lands in the correct order. It is usually correct to play Urza’s Saga as our second land drop, not our first. This way we will be more likely to have the mana for Ensnaring Bridge when Urza’s Saga goes away (if we don’t already have the other two lands available), and we often want to get a construct token in cases where we don’t have Ensnaring Bridge.
- If we know that the opponent will have no relevant plays in the first two or three turns, we can wait to pull the trigger on playing an IoK, Thoughtseize, or Duress. With this in mind, it's also often a good idea to hold a Thoughtseize or Duress until just before we want to force through a card that's going to cripple the opponent's deck (Ensnaring Bridge, Pithing Needle, etc.).
- It's usually correct to play Spellskite or Welding Jar before Bridge, when we have that choice. We may take a little more damage, but Spellskite will help ensure that Bridge stays out, allowing us to prevent taking lethal damage. Playing the Welding Jar first ensures that the opponent cannot destroy the Bridge with before Welding Jar can be used.
- If we have a Lantern out and an Ancient Stirrings, Whir of Invention, or Glint-Nest Crane in hand and a card that we want on top (another Ancient Stirrings or Crane, a discard spell to force a card through, an Ensnaring Bridge, etc.), it's often better to just hold the Stirrings/Whir/Crane and draw that card rather than pull the trigger immediately. The exception is if we absolutely need an answer (Bridge, Pithing Needle, etc.) immediately and we have the mana to play that answer if we grab it.
- Note that Urza’s Saga and Whir of Invention puts the artifact directly into play. What this means is that if an opponent has an activated ability available that Pithing Needle should stop, and they don't activate it before the third Urza’s Saga trigger or Whir resolves, we can use them to put Needle directly into play. The opponent will then not be able to use the ability at all. They must respond to the trigger or to Whir if they want to use the effect. If they do respond, then this gives us the option to grab something other than Needle.
- If we have a Stirrings/Crane in hand and the mana to play it, but not the mana to play the card we are looking to Stirrings/Crane for, then it's sometimes better to hold off on playing the spell. Otherwise, we risk getting our card discarded and/or giving the opponent information.
- If we are in serious trouble and need to Stirrings/Crane, and we have the Lantern combo out, we can use our mill rocks to dig further down before playing the spell, giving us more depth to them.
- If we plan on playing a Surgical Extraction and no Lantern out, it's usually correct to wait until the opponent's draw phase to use it. This gives us more information, and provides the slight chance that Extraction also acts as a discard spell. The exception is in the case that the opponent is playing with lots of instants, or has some means of removing the Extraction target at instant speed at the cost of mana (Endurance). In those cases, it's often best to play the Extraction when the opponent doesn't have the mana to respond.
- Allow the opponent to make mistakes when the situation provides it. For example, another exception to the point above about Surgical Extraction, it's sometimes better to hold an Extraction and let the opponent move to declare attackers when we have a Bridge out. Then, we can instant-speed Extraction, reducing the number of cards in our hand. This may often throw off their plans and their calculations when they've "figured out" what they're going to attack with and for how much.
In addition to these, there are some nuances that are important to know that is specific to a matchup. The greatest example of this is probably best understood when analyzing the Burn matchup.
The reason why Burn was a tough matchup is because, in that matchup, they had inevitability. Even if we got the lock, they could often just draw enough burn that slipped through to deal lethal, and because the amount of burn necessary to finish us off in their deck was higher than the amount of mill effects we had, they had inevitability.
Specific Matchup Tips & Sideboard Recommendations
Update coming eventually!
Frequent Suggestions
Quite a few people have suggested trying out miracle cards and Counterbalance. Zerodown tested Terminus (shown in his list in the first few pages). It appears that he was not impressed with the results. If you would like to test further, please do, and then presenting the results of that testing to the thread would be great. The general opinion, if I'm not mistaken, is that it isn't worth it.
Another common suggestion is Artificer's Intuition. Let's think about it real quick. To get an artifact, we must first pay 1U, and then U for the ability. We must also discard an artifact. How many artifacts do we run that are dead enough that they're worth discarding to go search for another artifact? A second Mox Opal? And what artifact would we be searching for? A Lantern? Pyrite Spellbomb? One of the eight mill rocks? So, we are paying the same amount for this card to do the same effect as Trinket Mage (but paying the 1UU instead of 2U, and discarding a card instead of gaining a 2/2 body). A duplicate Intuition is absolutely dead, whereas a second Trinket Mage can fetch yet another card, plus provide another body.
Lastly, a note on "win-more" cards. There are plenty of cards and combos in existence that seem overpowered when added to this deck. For example, Bloodchief Ascension. An active Ascension is superb in a deck like this. The problem arises when we consider what must occur to ensure that the Ascension is active, rather than paying B for a card that will do nothing for us. To get Ascension active, we must deal at least six damage over the course of three turns. That is a tall order for a deck that typically only runs one or two Pyrite Spellbombs. When we plan it all out, it would take four mana sources, one of them providing U and one providing R, an Academy Ruins, a Pyrite Spellbomb, the Bloodchief Ascension, and three turns. Then, it requires that the opponent isn't killing us in the meantime, so that means that we would also require that the prison be constructed, and most likely an Ensnaring Bridge in play as well. That's seven cards, not including prison pieces and an Ensnaring Bridge, and three turns used in order to enable yet another win condition to the deck. If the prison is set up with an Ensnaring Bridge, and we have those mana sources and Ruins in play and access to a Pyrite Spellbomb, we could just as easily just continue on the tried and proven main win condition, without risking adding a weakness of a what would usually be a dead card to the construction of the deck. That precious card slot would be much better served by a card that contributes to ensuring that the main engine of the deck is assembled and running smoothly.
"There are harsher ways to learn the meaning of the word ‘no.'"
—Rashida Scalebane
(Mirage set: Disenchant)
A.K.A: Barber's Chop, Barber Deck, Trinket's Barber Shop, Trinket's Factory
(Banner by: DNC @ Heroes of the Plane Studios)
Notes: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
What is Top Control?
Top Control is a cheap artifact tool box that aims at preventing opponents from drawing threats by locking them into drawing lands or dead cards a la fateseal, turn after turn, until either you mill them, deal lethal damage or they rage quit... concede unable to break the lock.
Why play Top Control?
Some decks control by countering the opponent's threats, some decks control by making opponents discard threats, some others destroy lands to prevent them from playing threats, others use planeswalkers, some just pack a lot of hate and so on. Top control is all about draw control and it is godly fun to play with (not necessarily fun if playing against it). You want to be preventing threats from ever reaching the opponent's hand. If you are a control player at heart, there is no better feeling than having control over what your opponent can and cannot draw from their library. As a bonus, you get to control what you draw as well. You can use the combo to dig for answers out of your deck, to prevent land floods, to prevent drawing dead cards. Fixing draws is godly fun.
If you like having huge decision trees, this is the deck for you.
Why not play Top Control?
This is a late game win deck, if you like winning by turns 3-to-5, this is not the deck for you.
If you like playing decks on auto-run this deck is not for you, this deck will make you think, a lot. There is a lot of stuff that you can do with this deck like getting rid of an opponent's threat, digging through your deck, card filtering, graveyard recursion, card drawing, card fetching, etc. You must think twice about every decision you make.
If you like attacking your opponent, this is not for you as some variations don't even have creatures and the ones that do you will not be able to attack until you got a tight lock on the opponent.
A rough categorized list including sideboard cards of the most common cards being talked about through this thread:
LANDS
Glimmervoid – Due to the combo being cheap and colorless, the variety of builds is virtually infinite. The deck can support spells on all 5 colors but it is critial that you guarantee those colors on turn 1. This card allows us to play all our spells on turn 1. The downside is nearly irrelevant, very rarely will you have an opening hand with just glimmervoid as a land and no artifacts and an even rarer sight is to play a glimmervoid + artifact turn 1 and the opponent blowing that artifact on their turn 1.
Tendo Ice Bridge – Read Glimmervoid. The downside here is the lost counter which is bearable. You really should only need to guarantee colors on turn 1 or 2 to kickstart the deck. It is hardly ever a problem to live without the counter if it was put to good use and there even are games where you play Tendo and never use the counter.
Academy Ruins - Essential in any artifact deck and most lists are up in the 18-26 artifacts range. So many cheap artifacts to get back after being milled, destroyed, discarded, countered, dumped or sacrificed. Specially good on game 2 where artifact hate comes into the picture. It also keeps you from losing to mill or milling yourself while digging. New legend rule allows to run 2 with little to no issues.
Darksteel Citadel - An artifact land to increase the chances of activating Mox Opal turn 1. It's indestructible, it gives some assurance to Glimmervoid in case an artifact sweeper is played.
Due to the nature of the deck allowing up to 5 colored decks, there isn't a core manabase outside Glimmervoid and newly found Tendo Ice Bridge. This is a rough list of some of the utility lands being tested, used or at least mentioned in the thread as good picks.
Fetchlands/Shocklands – All useful, it depends on the colors you want to focus on. Buried Ruins - Get back a blown up lantern, needle, mill piece, tormod or bridge. Mikokoro, Center of The Sea – Card draw mid game. Serves as a pseudo mill piece since the drawn card for the opponent should be a dead card. Gemstone Mine – Any color turn 1. Only 3 uses. Duskmantle, House of Shadows – Added milling control. Nephalia Drownyard – Added milling speed. Control might be lost by milling unkown cards with flashback, dredge, etc. Keldon Megaliths – Deals damage. Comes in tapped. Ghost Quarter – Land control. It serves to make the opponent shuffle a threat away from the top or lose a land. Grove of The Burnwillows – Awesome in RG heavy lists. Sulfurous Springs & Friends – Generally good to replace fetchalnds/shocklands and reduce the lifeloss.
ARTIFACTS
Lantern of Insight - Main combo piece. This 1cmc card lets you look at both player's top card of their libraries at all times. Its shuffling ability is never used unless you absolutely need to. Read the next three cards to understand why looking at the top cards is awesome.
Codex Shredder - Main combo piece. Once you know what the top card of your opponent is you can then decide whether to let the opponent draw it or make them mill it. If the top card of your opponent is not a threat to you, you can use untapped codices to mill off the top of your own deck to set up good draws for yourself. As a bonus, this card has a second ability that lets you recur any card from the graveyard in the late game, so you can get back late game Ensnaring Bridge answers or wincons.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Combo piece. Same effect as Codex Shredder, but it makes both players mill off the top. That is good at times and bad some times. Because some times you tap it to get rid of an opponent's card, but you also get rid of an important card and vice versa. On the other hand, some times you do want to mill both tops to mill an opponent's card while digging through your deck. It is a very tricky card, but nothing that can't be played around. It is optimal to have both bells and codices on the field. A special advantage on codex, if your opponent plays Leyline of Sanctity this card can still make them mill off the top.
Pyxis of Pandemonium – Read Ghoulcaller's Bell. This one exiles the card. Specially good to combat recursion on certain cards, flashback, dredge, Emrakul and so many other things you simply don't want near the opponent's graveyard.
Ensnaring Bridge - The nail on the coffin. Once you lock your opponent from drawing threats, you still have to deal with the threats they had on the opening hand and the ones drawn before the lock. The deck tends to play off an empty hand pretty efficiently and beautifully. Bridge then makes sure no attacks get through and the lock makes sure the bridge doesn't get destroyed. Bridge turns most of their creatures into dead beaters so you can let them draw most creatures, which makes it easier to keep control by easing the burden on the combo.
Mox Opal - Its modern, you need some ramp and this one costs 0 mana and gives you any color mana in an artifact deck with lots of colored spells. It usually attains metalcraft on turn 2 and on turn 1 with some opening hands. Copies can be dumped to Faithless Looting or milled with the lantern combo. New legend rule allows copies to be chained as an extra ramp tool, it is possible (not likely) to play a bridge on turn 1 with certain opening hands.
Tormod's Crypt – A 0cc artifact that helps in metalcraft for mox on turn 1. Its activation is also free. This card hoses most anything that uses the graveyard, it can respond to Emrakul, responds to Living End, shuts down Loam, Snapcaster Mage and so many other things. An alternative is nihil spellbomb, though it costs 1 and has a 1 cost activation, its only benefit is the potential draw advantage. This card is easily recurrable with ruins to keep a lock on the grave, unlike Relic of Progenitus.
Mishra's Bauble - Mox's Partner in crime. This card along with another 0 or 1cc artifact allows to tap mox opal turn 1, which means its not rare to have a lock online by turn 1. That means your opponent needs to win, in theory, with their opening hand since everything they draw beyond that has to be approved by you. This card has another benefit, it acts as a pseudo-lantern, if you got codex on turn 1 but no lantern, you can still peek at the top card of your opponent with this. Also it draws a card when you crack it so its never a dead card. Finally, with 2 mana and Academy Ruins on the field, you can recur bauble from the graveyard every turn to act as a momentary lantern, giving you limited control over their draws until you find your lantern. The drawback is that your draws will be one turn late since bauble draws you a card during the next upkeep so its best used at the ooponent's EOT.
SPELLS
Digging/Fetching
Ancient Stirrings - Getting lantern out is the top priority, this is one of the most used spells to find the locking pieces, but since it is an artifact deck, it can also find moxes, bridges, needles or spellbombs when you most need them. The best thing about this card is that it will always find something in such an artifact heavy deck, worst case scenario you find a land. The other good thing about this is that if you are trying to find a lantern on turn 1 and its not in the first 5, you just dug 5 cards closer to that lantern or whatever you were trying to find (bridge, needle, spellbomb...).
Faithless Looting - Digs for your combo while filtering your hand to find the best answers for the current match. Its got flashback in case you run out of gas. Discarding is a plus here since the deck tends to recur cards from the graveyard. The flashback on this card is something that will save you many times, always keep an eye out for any lootings in your grave and plan accordingly.
Infernal Tutor – Due to the deck evolving into a no hand playstyle to feed Bridge, Infernal Tutor became a thing in some lists. Its really good at being able to find exactly what you're thinking off. With a good lock this is mainly used to tutor the preferred wincon to wrap up the game.
Trinket Mage – A body that fetches your 0 and 1cc artifact tools. Very rarely used as wincon. (Fabricate might be better, you lose the body but can fetch Ensnaring Bridge or other artifacts sided in like Torpor Orb.
Reshape - Can turn any artifact into a lantern on the spot, it can find a bridge or needle for locking purposes. You can sac useless needles, baubles or mox.
Thoughtcast - The deck attains metalcraft on turns 1 and 2 usually.
Trash for Treasure - Gets any artifact back. You can dump or mill something big and trash for it.
Glittering Wish – Plenty of multicolored cards to build a solid wishboard. Only a sorcery though.
Removal
Dispatch - Artifact decks have THE best removal spell ever printed.
Galvanic Blast – Another awesome removal spell for artifact decks, bolt on steroids. Usually hits for 4 on turn 2, though 2 damage should do the trick with most of the stuff that really bother u early on. Its benefit over dispatch is being able to hit planeswalkers and players and if for some reason you lack metalcraft it still hits for 2 while dispatch only taps the creature.
Abrupt Decay – The most commonly used removal spell can surely fit into a cheap deck that supports all 5 colors.
Beast Within – This beauty targets everything from lands to planeswalkers. The token should be of no trouble with so much removal or with a bridge out. If you got a tight lock you can use it on a permanent of your own to start attacking or if you need an emergency blocker to stop things like Geist of Saint Thraft. (Some prefer Maelstrom Pulse)
Pyroclasm - Hates out early utility creatures, weenies and creature rushes like affinity, waves of tokens and more. (Some prefer Firespout).
Pyrite Spellbomb - It pumps up Mox Opal, it can cycle itself and it can target creatures, players or planeswalkers. It is good vs affinity as it can target all their creatures including bl/inkmoth and even Etched Champion before you set up a bridge. Its also good vs flashed in creatures like Snapcaster Mage, Pestermite or vialed in creatures. It can also be recurred with Academy Ruins to have it loaded on the field in case of emergency. An all around good card. With 4 mana and Academy Ruins on the field you can recur this every turn for 2 damage a turn, thats useful in matchups like Tron where you can't mill them and its near impossible to attack through Emrakul.
Engineered Explosives - The deck can support up to 5 colors without much trouble and our permanents are mostly at 0 and 1 with the exception of bridge at 3, this shines at 2.
Oust - Works with codex/bell on pre-lantern turns.
Hand Disruption
Thougthseize - Opponents usually just have one "get out of jail free" card in their opening hand, this deals with it pretty effectively and fast. A well placed thoughtseize right before or right after the lock tends to seal the deal. Can be used as anti-counter if used to clear the way for the combo. The lifeloss is the price payed over Duress to be able to target creatures like Snapcaster Mage, Eternal witness, a combo creature or anything that can hurt you even after you lockdown.
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - The preferred pet wincon. The deck needs no alternative wincon since the lantern combo IS your wincon and you can usually recur burn spells as an alt. wincon. However, Tezz has a lot of synergy with the deck, it can dig for combo pieces, it can turn your artifacts into 5/5 creatures or it can simply deal lethal damage to the opponent through its ultimate with all the artifacts you will have lying on the field. It can be recurred from the grave with codex or you can dig for it or tutor it out of the library. The opponent needs to deal with it so it becomes a lightning rod for damage. (Some preffer Tezzeret the Seeker
Liliana of the Veil - Hand & creature control. She can survive the same way tezz does, protected by the bridge. Lightning rod for damage. It has no wincon built in, just added control.
Sunbeam SPellbomb – For your opponent, every lifegain point they can take from you matters. We usually get low on lifepoints during the first few turns until we can lock the opponent, after this the opponent either concedes or tries to grind you down with burn spells, lifeloss (Deathrite) or 0/1 exalted attacks. Sunbeam sets the opponent back a lot at this stage because it is extremely hard for them to draw into a bolt for example. If they have you at 3 life and just need to get one last bolt in, after a sunbeam suddenly the opponent needs to find 3 bolts. This card is really good at keeping you alive vs opponents that can grind out the game since you can be gaining the 5 life over and over with Academy Ruins.
Surgical Extraction - Good in any mill deck. Some people love it, others don’t.
Welding Jar - Good off the SB for protection. It also aids in metalcraft for mox.
Spellskite – Hoser vs certain decks, pretty good against a wide range of decks. Mainly good off the SB.
Elixir of Immortality - A 1cc that nets you life and protects you from losing to mill.
Leyline of Sanctity – A must on the sideboard. A singleton main couldn't hurt.
Ancient Grudge/Ray of Revelation – 2 for 1. You could dump it to Faithless Looting or mill it and play it from the graveyard.
Wear/Tear - Versatile SB card vs the usual hate. Ancient Grudge might prove more useful if the deck becomes popular and mirror matches become a problem.
Nature’s Claim – Another option to take out the usual hate, this one has the added bonus that you can target something of your own for the lifegain. The drawback is that it costs 1, and could end up being locked out with the rest of the deck by a halice of the void set at 1.
NOTE: If anyone thinks of a card that belongs here please submit the name of the card and brief notes on its pros and cons. I'd also post revised comments for cards already added. Basically just help me expand the primer.
How the deck plays:
The top priority is getting Lantern of Insight out on the field ASAP. With one of the mill pieces. The best possible play allows for a turn 1 Lantern of Insight and Codex Shredder and a turn 2 Ensnaring Bridge. If you don't have a lantern on the opening hand there are options to find it, Faithless Looting lets you dig for the lantern while filtering your hand, Ancient Stirrings lets you grab an artifact from the first 5 cards of the top of the library and if you got UU1 Reshape turns any artifact into the lantern on the spot. There are also U spells like Serum Visions or Sleight of Hand to draw into the lantern while filtering draws. Trinket Mage works as well. Mishra's Bauble has a limited lantern effect and is recurrable with Academy Ruins.
Other than getting your lantern combo out to control draws, your priority should be on keeping control via removal and discard while you seal the game with Ensnaring Bridge.
Versus combo decks you need to make them discard their combo card and prevent them from drawing it again or flashbacking it with snapcaster. You could also just needle a combo piece or destroy it.
How to use the combo:
Basically unless the opponent is trying to draw cards from their deck you should just let them play their turn and at their EOT use the combo to set up their next draw. After setting up their draw, use untapped combo pieces to set up your own draw, then untap your cards, go to your upkeep and use more combo pieces to further set up your draw if needed. That way each combo piece's usefulness is doubled, if you have 2 codex you can use them at their EOT and then again on your upkeep, giving you 4 uses out of 2 pieces.
Early game you use the combo to make them discard off the top of their deck until a land or a dead card is on top, then you let them draw that. With a bridge out you can let them draw creatures, just don't let them draw creatures with abilities like Grim Lavamancer who can deal damage without attacking, or creatures that let them draw cards, etc.
Vs decks with drawing spells, you need to play counter style, let them play their spells then respond with the combo pieces to make them mill the top card they wanted to draw.
Shuffle effects - Beware you should never tap out your combo pieces in your turn if your opponent has a way to shuffle their library. Fetchlands, the opponent can use them to shuffle their deck at your EOT changing the card you wanted them to draw. You can respond to this after they search or during their upkeep before they draw. The opponent can also use Path to Exile on a creature of their own to shuffle. If you believe the opponent can somehow shuffle their library, just don't tap out your codices or bells.
Main wincon - The main goal of the deck is to progressively mill your opponent, early game you mill them 1-3 cards a turn, late game you can make them discard up to 8 cards a turn with the full set of bells and codexes on field. You can run the deck with mill as your only wincon for absolute consistency, however some decks are more mill resistant than others so alternate wincons are welcomed.
- Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas seems to be the most commonly used planeswalker as an alt. Wincon for its synergy with the deck.
- You could also use Pyrite Spellbombs to deal damage to your opponent. Next turn recur it back with Academy Ruins for a repeat. Due to Pyrite dealing only 2 damage its clock is as good as recurring back Galvanic Blast.
- If you got a lock and your opponent has no creatures left, you can use Beast Within on a permanent of your own (mainly the bridge) to produce a 3/3 token with which to deal damage. Or create a token with Tezzeret or something else. Winning by creature damage is an extremely rare sight with this deck.
- Thopter Foundry Provides a way to gain life in the process of popping out flying 1/1s while recurring the sacced artifacts with Academy Ruins.
Once you manage to lock the opponent any wincon works, running a 1-off wincon is enough since you can dig through the deck to find it, tutor it or recur it back from the graveyard. Since almost any wincon works after you lock the opponent, alternate wincons are not limited to these few. Let your creativity decide and have fun.
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas: Best to close out games quickly, or dig for combo pieces. Also good against Affinity for turning Ornithopter or Cranial Plating in to a 5/5. Just remember you might not be able play him the turn you 'wish' for him due to a total cost of 2WUBG
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver: Good for the mill route, and can pump out blockers if needed. It's ultimate can eventually deal with any threatening cards left in their hand from before the lock.
Thopter Foundry: The minor life gain can be important, and blockers can also be useful. Academy Ruins with Darksteel Citadel (or any other cheap artifact) will let you spit out a token every turn. Draw a card, swing with tokens, then play your card.
Boros Charm: A 5th Galvanic Blast if you need to push through damage. The Indestructible can also be useful, but more so post-sideboard. Lightning Helix can also go here; can be used as removal, and some small lifegain could be important.
Board filled up with artifacts and lock established? Tezzeret if they are still at high life, Boros Charm if you've already Galvanic Blast'd a few times.
Missing a part of the lock? Tezzeret to find general pieces, Ashiok for another mill rock
Graveyard shenanigans? Ashiok
Feeling a little behind on your board state? Thopter Foundry to spit out blockers and gain life, Tezzeret to grab more artifacts (or make big blockers), Ashiok can generate blockers.
Ashiok can also really help pad your life total, climbing by 2 a turn.
Maelstrom Pulse: Destroy everything else. With a clogged board state, this will often 2-for-1, although with a Bridge out that doesn't mean much if it is destroying creatures. Can be useful for destroying multiple hate cards. Scavenging Ooze, or any number of sideboard hate cards. I find some people playing a replicate of something like Stony Silence for redundancy in case of destruction, rather than saving it.
Wheel of Sun and Moon: shuts down graveyard decks, and makes us rely on damage for a wincon. Can also be used against mill decks.
Firespout: 3 damage pyroclasm for an extra board wipe
Supreme Verdict: A real board wipe. Sometimes it feels nice to wipe the board, even with 1-2 Bridges out. Especially post-sideboard against something with green or white. Might not be able to cast it the turn you wish for it.
Wear // Tear: Already one of our sideboard cards. Yes, this is multicolored when it is not on the stack.
Hide // Seek: Might try this out in place of a Wear // Tear. Tuck an artifact or enchantment, or go remove their wincon. As a last resort, you should always be able to get at least 3-4 life. Against tron, it's a solid 7 or 15 life. Also gets you a shuffle and increases the land ratio to make your job a little easier. Too bad these old split cards didn't have fuse.
Jund – Duress to take out Abrupt Decay or Maelstrom Pulse, the concentrate on keeping Dark Confidant off the field until you play a Bridge. After Bridge you can let them play Dark Confidant and use it against them by letting it deal damage while controlling the draws.
Priority – Duress on Scapeshift and try to prevent them from drawing Snapcaster Mage. Also try to mill their Valakut before they can play scapeshift or use Beast Within on it if they play it before scapeshift.
Key cards – Duress, Beast Within
SB: Leyline of Sanctity, Surgical Extraction, Relic of Progenitus
Tron:
Priority – Duress or Pithing Needle on Oblivion Stone, the needle must be set pre-emptively or they will play it and activate it at the same time. Then fetch the second Pithing Needle for Karn if you can’t mill it either pre-emtively or after they drop it. Follow with Ensnaring Bridge to neutralize Emrakul, The Eons Thorn. Beast Within is good if you can’t needle Karn.
Priority – Just land the lantern combo to keep them off more counters and draw spells and find an Ancient Ruins for anything you lose to counters. Land an Ensnaring Bridge when its safe. Use your needles on Celestial Colonnade or other manlands. Duress on their counters.
The combo: Lantern of Insight + Codex Shredder and/or Ghoulcaller's Bell.
The idea: Basically the idea is to take out creatures fast while setting up a Lantern and some Shredders/Bells so that I can lock my opponent into drawing lands or dead cards. Every turn. Until he mills out or rage quits as it happened on the first game test against a Kiki Jiki deck, at about turn 28 of the game, having drawn a land for the past 8 turns he just took over all my cards to his side and quit. A pic of it is attached, had to rearrange my cards before taking the pic since he had taken them over.
The problem: Getting Lantern out FAST. I got a lot of drawing cards, lots of scry and many forms of removal. Yet it still a bit slow, but hey it was born yesterday, I think it has potential, at least it feels and plays like it could do great things. The other problem is loss of life through fetchlands and Gitaxians, if I could lessen that it would be much stronger.
The creatureless thing: Not only does it disable removal from the opponent, but I can LET THEM draw removal from the top deck since its a dead card.
Academy Ruins - To recur combo pieces. Keeps me from milling myself.
Phyrexia's Core - A bit of lifegain. Past mid game with a few lands out I can use shredder, sac it and redraw it with Academy. That way I can never mill myself out.
Oust - Perfect for pre-lantern turns, putting the creature second from the top allows me to let my opponent draw the first and then I can shred the creature which was second.
Gitaxian Probe - Lantern digging, plus it is extremely useful in this deck to know the contents of my opponent's hand so I can decide which cards to let him draw.
Terminus - Playing with the top revealed makes this deadly.
Lantern of Insight The main combo piece. Lets me look at my oppnent's top card to manipulate it.
Codex Shredder - Main combo piece. Lets me discard my opponent's top card. The good thing is, if I wish to let the top of my opponent stay as is, I can use this to manipulate MY top to draw into removal or more shredders/bells.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - same as shredder, but we both discard the top. Its good having one of each (shredder and bell) out because some times you want to make your opponent discard as well as you. Could also make you discard something you didn't want to, but thats why academy is there for.
Mishra's Bauble - A pseudo-lantern for early turns, it lets me look at the top of my opponents deck before I put a lantern out so I can start using my shredders/bells. And it draws me a card to boot. Ifor 0.
Mox Opal - color fix. phyrexia's target, might change it for Relic of Progenitus since I'm having problems with things abilities like Unearth.
Porphyry Nodes - The perfect removal for a creatureless deck.
What I need is ways to get the lantern out fast. Reshape and Artificer's Intuition seem slow and clunky with their cmc and I need to sac/discard an artifact.
I tried implementing counters like Condescend to slow the opponent while scrying, but counters get in the way of the combo in the first few turns which is where I need to set it up or else my opponent might draw too many nasties.
Also thought of adding a 1-off win card, but then I thought that nothing was as frustrating as watching your opponent mill out helplessly.
Anyways, this is just something I came up with yesterday, I'd like to hear opinions on it.
New OP!
Note: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
Also, thank you to Zerodown for the idea and help in creating the deck, and thank you to LordGrimpow for the banner and code for the primer's new look.
Fateseal Control is a prison deck that works to limit an opponent's access to cards with quality in regards to the game being played. While many control decks prevent spells from being resolved (permission magic, like Counterspell) or from being played (taxing magic, like Trinisphere), this deck aims to restrict access to cards. By working this way, the opponent is no longer playing their deck – They are playing a version of his or her deck that requires that you approve of what cards they have added.
The deck makes great use of the idea of inevitability. Jeff Cunningham wrote an article about this theme, and it’s definitely something worth reading, whether you plan on piloting Lantern Control or want to ensure you are prepared to beat it. The power behind Lantern is that it is one of the most inevitable decks in the current Modern metagame. The longer the game goes, the more likely the Lantern deck will win – So long as the pilot makes correct plays. There are currently few decks, if any, that have as much inevitability as Lantern, making it extremely powerful against a large portion of the metagame.
Why Play Lantern Control?
Resiliency: The unique method by which this deck controls the opponent makes it resilient against a vast number of decks in the meta. No matter what deck is played, the pilot needs access to cards relevant to furthering their gameplan in order to, well, make progress on that gameplan.
Complexity: There are some who enjoy playing this deck because each game works out like a puzzle. Sometimes the correct line of play is to restrict the opponent from drawing lands. Sometimes, it is to force the opponent to draw nothing but lands. Decision trees for this deck are vastly different, in size and complexity, than nearly every other deck. This is, in my opinion, the most skill intensive deck that I have ever played. I can say that in the games that I have lost, the majority of them was because I made a mistake, not because I didn't have a correct line of play open to me given the resources at my disposal.
With that said, a word of warning: This is one of the most skill intensive decks to pilot, let alone adjust for metagame. Compounding with that, decisions often must be made extremely quickly in order to avoid losing to the clock on MTGO and drawing during a tournament.
Personalization: Many decks in the modern meta have very little room for personal touches. This deck, however, has seen many personalized builds. The range of colors available to include, win conditions to use, and preferred answers to other decks in a meta is extraordinary. The key cards in the deck are colorless and low in converted mana cost, allowing for a wide selection of card choices that may be considered.
Budget: While some cards that are commonly used (namely, Ensnaring Bridge) have increased in price, budget builds are possible. This deck often prices out at far less than many of the top tier decks that wax and wane in the Modern metagame.
Troll factor: Lastly, some find pleasant satisfaction in making an opponent feel like they are experiencing the Magic the Gathering equivalent of water torture. Opponents may have all the "card advantage" in the world, but find it frustrating when none of those cards actually do anything for them during the game. The opponent gets to see key cards on top of their deck, and live in the hope that we as the pilot will allow them to have that one card they need to win, only to see it milled away. And this continues on through the game. I've seen opponents try to Path to Exile their own creatures in order to shuffle their library at the last second in the hopes that they draw something other than yet another land, only to see me mill it away, too.
But Doesn't It Just Lose to (Cardname Here)?
This is a common misconception about the deck. Many people will glance at the deck and see the cards and not the mechanics of the core engine. There are a select few cards in the Modern cardpool that can deal with this deck and that can get around the control method at the core. Among these are Ancient Grudge and Eldrazi creatures. Even these cards cannot absolutely secure a win, however. The fault with this view that the deck is "weak to artifact hate" is that the very core of the deck runs on being able to choose what cards the opponent gets to draw. In the videos section of this primer are a large number of videos in which the opponents included cards in their decks to deal with Lantern Control - They just never got to play them. They just got discarded or were milled away, never to be drawn and played.
The positive of this is that the players who make this assumption will end up losing due to their lack of comprehension of the engine, only to be upset because they lost to a "troll deck".
The Deck
The deck doesn't restrict access to all cards in an opponent's deck. If the opponent has more threats in their deck than the Lantern pilot has “mill rocks” out, then the opponent still has inevitability. Eventually, enough threats will slip through that they’ll be able to piece together a win. This is where the long evolution of the deck comes in. Many variations have been tried in order to patch up this weakness, dealing with threats, including miracles, many forms of spot removal, and a number of other forms of threat disruption, even some very creative ones. What ended up proving to be the most effective was Ensnaring Bridge. It works perfectly with the low converted mana cost of the core combo cards, isn’t reliant on playing specific colors, and essentially plays like a Moat – but better.
This card brings us to another stage in the evolution of the deck. The realization came about that, essentially, we just need to reduce the number of active cards in an opponent’s deck to be less than or equal to the number of mill rocks available. The more threats we could simply neutralize with each single card in our deck, the less likely the opponent is going to have those cards in consecutive order in his or her deck. This brought about additions like Pithing Needle and Sun Droplet. A single Needle resolves all issues of, say, a Grim Lavamancer or Cranial Plating (attached to an Ornithopter at instant speed to attack under a Bridge), stealing the game away. In addition, it shuts off any attempt to struggle out of the prison with cards like Liliana of the Veil or Oblivion Stone. Sun Droplet acts as a “mini” Ensnaring Bridge, slowing the pace of an opponent’s attack to a crawl, and often stopping it cold. Spellskite acts as a speedbump to an opponent’s attacks as well, and shuts down some decks’ primary gameplan (specifically, Bogles, Splinter Twin, and to a lesser degree, Infect). In other matches against cards that may have removal for prison pieces, Spellskite acts as protection to redirect that removal and keep the lock in place.
It was also found that discard spells were of great use in further impeding the speed and effectiveness of an opponent’s deck while the prison was constructed. The information gained from seeing an opponent’s hand is also a great resource in order to make the best decisions in what cards the opponent is most reliant on in order to make progress.
The main win condition can be to simply “mill” an opponent out. It may seem slow at first, the occasional single card at a time, slow and steadily controlling the opponent. But as the game goes on, more mill pieces are drawn, and three, then four, then five, and so on, cards are being milled for every turn the opponent takes. And remember, since the opponent is drawing nothing but dead cards, the card that they are drawing for their turn is another card milled. In the right hands, the game progresses rather quickly after the initial lock is set.
Some decks, however, have outs to that. RG Tron, for example, runs Eldrazi that make their deck impervious to mill plans. At first, one or two Pyrite Spellbomb proved to be enough to provide an alternate win condition against these decks (when combined with Academy Ruins). It was often slower than the mill plan, though, and more mana intensive overall. Ghirapur AEther Grid was then printed, and this proved to increase the speed of the clock with less total mana requirements.
Support cards that proved efficient with this now solid plan were fleshed out. What is probably the greatest support card for the deck is Ancient Stirrings. Others have been tried, and are also used among pilots, like Abrupt Decay, Surgical Extraction, and Infernal Tutor.
Due to the nature of the core prison being colorless, someone designing their own flavor of Lantern Control has quite a few options. There are plenty of budget options and plans, usually revolving around what mana sources can be afforded.
Sideboard cards for the deck are typically cards that simply aim to redesign the prison according to the opponent’s deck. Sometimes that means adding more speedbumps against matchups using swarms of creatures (Pyroclasm), more lifegain effects, cards that ensure that the lock stays in place when facing an opponent who has more cards than normal that could break free (Welding Jar), and cards that answer cards that an opponent may side in against us to shut down our deck (Nature’s Claim).
A short note on card choices for this deck: If a nonland card does not specifically contribute to constructing the prison lock, neutralizing as many cards in an opponent's deck as possible, or works to obtain one of those two types of cards, then it is likely not a good candidate for the deck. Many lackluster cards have been suggested in the years that major contributing members of the thread have been working on this deck. Some of these cards are specifically mentioned in the Recurring Suggestions section of this primer. If you feel that a suggestion is worthy, please test that suggestion yourself and provide results of games with that suggestion rather than posting it and expecting others to test it for you.
Prison Pieces
Lantern of Insight - A key piece for the deck. This is what provides the information required to know when to pull the trigger on a mill rock, ensuring that the opponent draws few, if any, cards relevant to the gamestate. The second ability is icing on the cake. Can be used with Academy Ruins as a soft-lock in a pinch.
Codex Shredder - One of the available mill rocks at our disposal. Again, with a second ability that is just icing on the cake.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Another useful mill rock. Has the added benefit of not targeting, and can be used to self-mill while simultaneously fatesealing an opponent.
Pyxis of Pandemonium - Much like Ghoulcaller's Bell. The exile effect may come in handy against cards like Ancient Grudge or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. The second ability may be just high enough in mana cost to not be particularly relevant.
Neutralizing Options
There are quite a few directions that members have tested, and are testing, in order to develop an optimum neutralization package. I started work on a spreadsheet (which can be viewed here) comparing the top played cards in the current Modern metagame to options available as neutralizing cards. Sideboard options are listed on the spreadsheet as well. I gave each candidate a score according to how well it worked in neutralizing the metagame card. If a single copy neutralized all copies of the metagame card, then it got a bonus. I then counted up the total points in an attempt to determine the most efficient candidates for the deck.
There are tabs at the bottom for each major archetype. I currently have my list in cells A54 to F85 on each of the archetype tabs. A copy of the sheet can be made and edited to reflect a different list. I also have my personal matchup history from MTGO (from my Youtube channel, so that they can be verified).
If there are suggestions for most cards to be evaluated, or suggestions for corrections to the scoring, please post in the thread so that we might discuss what may be the correct score and adjust accordingly.
One of the common inclusions that seems to require some of the largest amount of skill and knowledge to use correctly is Pithing Needle. The question of what to name in each matchup has come up quite often, and I've started compiling a list of cards for each matchup that should help. In this spreadsheet there is a tab named "Pithing Needle Info". I've listed matchups and cards along with those matchups that are choices for Pithing Needle in that matchup. I'll attempt to keep it updated as the meta changes, and update notes to provide pointers and general information for that matchup.
Cantrips/Search/Utility
Ancient Stirrings - Digs for prison pieces, neutralizers, or even lands. When combined with a lack of shuffle effects, it effectively allows the pilot to stack his or her deck. This is particularly the case in versions that run a large number of cantrips and/or plays in such a way that self-mill is used as a resource.
Gitaxian Probe - An outstanding source of information. This allows a pilot to be aware of what cards the opponent will need most in order to proceed on his or her gameplan. I've had many first-turns in which I would Probe an opponent's hand and follow it up with a Pithing Needle, naming a fetchland that I've seen.
Infernal Tutor - It's not uncommon for this to perform simply as a Demonic Tutor, thanks to the typical speed at which versions of this deck achieve hellbent. Great for tutoring up what the pilot needs, when the pilot needs it.
Faithless Looting - Utility dig piece, allows the pilot to rifle through their deck while simultaneously dropping their hand size to ensure an effective Ensnaring Bridge. The flashback ability is where this card shines, allowing for more dig as the game progresses for a net loss of zero card advantage.
Mishra's Bauble - Excellent for a single-use Lantern of Insight. Allows for a first-turn fateseal when combined with a single mana source and a mill rock, all without losing card advantage. Allows for a pilot to dodge discard effects as well when cracked on an opponent's turn. Can also be used as Lantern 5-8 when combined with Academy Ruins.
Trinket Mage - Has seen play in some lists as a psuedo-Infernal Tutor with legs.
Noxious Revival - Reclaims a discarded/destroyed/self-mill card at instant speed. May also be used to put a dead card back on top of an opponent's library in a pinch.
Manabase Options
Glimmervoid - Is probably the most popular choice among members. This card is great for the deck, in that it allows the builder/pilot access to every color's options.
Mox Opal - An effective card for providing mana, and may provide a speed boost for lists that find it useful. Some lists run a full playset, and pilots swear by it, while some show success without it. Full disclosure, I was a passionate critic of this card, but have come to agree that it is an excellent addition. It essentially acts as additional Glimmervoids. The mana ramp isn't always relevant, but is icing on the cake when it is.
Fastlands - Another favorite, provides the colored mana on the turns that are most important for this deck. It is unfortunate that there are currently no enemy-colored versions.
Painlands - Excellent supplements to the lands above. The enemy-colored painlands are of particular use.
Academy Ruins - A superb utility land for recurring destroyed, discarded, sacrificed, or self-milled artifacts.
Ghost Quarter - Provides manabase disruption options as well as the shuffle effect. Allows a pilot to force an opponent to choose between being Strip Mined or shuffling away a card on top that s/he may need or want. Some lists even use it alongside Darksteel Citadel as a fetch for a basic land as well.
Tendo Ice Bridge - A one-time use for colored mana, and colorless mana after that. Is probably better in lists that run many colored spells or abilities.
Darksteel Citadel - Provides metalcraft early on. As mentioned above, may be used with Ghost Quarter in order to fetch basic lands.
Gemstone Mine/Mana Confluence - Options that some members use in order to provide the colored mana they need, when they need it.
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea - Some members run this as a singleton in their lists for digging through their decks. Can act as a psuedo-mill if combined with mill rocks to fill an opponent's hand with dead cards.
Nephalia Drownyard - An option for a utility land that speeds up the mill wincon while simultaneously filling a mana requirement for the deck and acting as a mill rock.
Alternate Win Conditions
Ghirapur AEther Grid - Higher initial mana cost than Pyrite Spellbomb, but cheaper in the long run per point of damage. Can also provide a faster clock and can take out more creatures per turn.
Pyrite Spellbomb - Like Galvanic Blast, but can be nabbed with Ancient Stirrings. Costs less to set up the recurring engine, but deals less damage than Blast, too.
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - One of the more popular choices for an alternate win condition. He helps to dig for prison and neutralizing pieces and allows for a win via creature damage or his ultimate.
Galvanic Blast - A win through recurring Galvanic Blast is another option. It does have the added bonus of clearing out creature threats an opponent may have played as well.
Ashiok, the Nightmare Weaver - May act as an additional mill rock, speeding up the mill process. She can also use an opponent's creatures against him/her.
Card Choices: Sideboard
Welding Jar - Great option to defend our prison pieces, Ensnaring Bridge, Sun Droplets, etc., against Abrupt Decay, Kolaghan's Command, and any other artifact removal. Particularly useful because it costs 0, so it works great with Mox Opal and drops our hand quickly for Ensnaring Bridge.
Pyroclasm - Works great to put a large speedbump in the way of fast aggressive decks.
Sun Droplet - A "set it and remember it during every upkeep" artifact. It essentially sets our life total, and if the opponent cannot consistently deal damage, then we are likely to gain life right back. Once the lock is set, this allows us to gain life all the way back up to our total when it entered the battlefield. Is also great as a mini-Ensnaring Bridge against 2/x creatures.
Nature's Claim - Mana-efficient way to deal with cards that we expect to be sided against us, particularly Stony Silence, Leyline of Sanctity, etc. Also great against Affinity/Robots, Pyromancer's Ascension, Amulet of Vigor, and a plethora of other targets.
Seal of Primordium - An excellent supplement to Nature's Claim, as it gets around Chalice of the Void and doesn't require us to hold it until we have a good target.
Ancient Grudge - Another answer for Chalice of the Void, with the added benefit of having plenty of targets against Affinity/Robots, Tron variants, and can take out Amulet of Vigor.
Grafdigger's Cage - Neuters Snapcaster Mage and completely nullifies every copy of Chord of Calling and Collected Company an opponent has in his/her deck. Also helps us against Ancient Grudge.
Leyline of Sanctity - Is great against Burn and discard-heavy decks. There is the downside that it loses a lot of usefulness if it isn't in our opener, and we would need 3-4 in order to make that happen. The mana cost could cause it to clog our hands. Some members have had success with it, though.
Tormod's Crypt/Nihil Spellbomb - Another answer for decks that like to make use of their graveyard. Crypt is great for metalcraft and getting cards out of our hand quickly, but Spellbomb is useful in more situations being a possible cantrip.
DuressThoughtseizeInquisition of Kozilek - For when a little more discard could go a long way. Great for disrupting an opponent long enough to get the prison down and closing out the win.
Videos
Zac Elsik's deck tech from GP Charlotte can be seen here.
Gameplay videos can be found here and in KillerSOS's videos. KillerSOS also has a Twitch channel, in which he streams gameplay as well.
You can also watch videos of LSV and Ali Aintrazi playing the deck. Sam Black has videos as well, but they are under SCG Premium.
Others have also started uploading videos, and are often found when searching for "Lantern Control" videos.
Gameplay Tips
There are a few basic rules for playing this deck that are typically true. They may not always be true, but it is up to the pilot to figure out when they apply and when they do not.
- The one gameplay nuance that is important at all times is to play at a quick pace. Some good examples of this are videos on Zac Elsik. Once the prison is set, he knows what cards are on top, and knows exactly how he's going to tap his mana to play those cards (unless it's a land) during his next turn. In paper Magic, opponents will often "tank" over plays that are irrelevant to the boardstate, looking for a way to break out of the prison. There are some opponents who will purposefully take a while to do this, hoping to push the game into a draw, and then blame the Lantern pilot. In either case, we do not want this. Quick, and precise, play requires an in-depth knowledge of an opponent's deck and what outs he or she may have. If they do not have an out, then play as normal, but at a quick pace. On MTGO, I put my "stops" at only the phases of the game that matter. I typically have them at each upkeep, at my 2nd main phase, and at each end step. I will occasionally put a stop at a draw step or begin combat step if a specific play is coming up in which it is required, but otherwise, having an unnecessary stop there will cost time that is better spent thinking about what to do in complex situations.
- It is usually correct to play a Lantern of Insight if you know it will not get countered before playing a Codex Shredder or Ghoulcaller's Bell. There are fewer Lantern effects in the deck than there are Shredders and Bells, so it's less painful to have a Shredder or Bell countered, as you are more likely to draw another one.
-A good Lantern pilot is intimately familiar with the metagame. For example, I recently (as of writing this) played against an opponent who played a Blood Crypt turn one, followed by a Blackcleave Cliffs into a Night’s Whisper on turn two. You should immediately already know that this player is playing the Grishoalbrand deck. I did, and subsequently played a Pithing Needle, naming Griselbrand, which happens to have prevented me from losing the game the very next turn (in addition to virtually winning the game on the spot). The pilot should be able to confidently figure out what the opponent is playing within the first turn or two based on studying lists of decks, without needing to rely on information garnered from discard effects.
- You typically want to always mill at the end of the opponent's turn. This allows the opponent less interaction with the top of their library, as they will not be able to use effects to set up their top card and then use sorcery speed spells to access the top card.
- This is a math-intensive deck. It is important to be able to count how many turns it will take to mill out an opponent and compare that with whether an opponent can deal the necessary damage to win the game before that time. This is particularly relevant with cards like Noble Heirarch and Signal Pest that can attack under an Ensnaring Bridge. When calculating this, remember to calculate the likelihood of drawing more mill rocks in the process, as doing so increases the speed of this deck. This problem does become less of an issue when using Ghirapur AEther Grid instead of Pyrite Spellbomb.
- Do not forget to use Academy Ruins at the end of an opponent's turn. There are videos of professional players even forgetting to do this.
- Be aware of all outs an opponent may have in play or in their deck. A pilot must be able to correctly count them. For example, if you plan on using Pyrite Spellbomb to answer a Noble Heirarch that's been giving a Birds of Paradise exalted effects, pay attention to whether they have another card in their hand or in play that can save that Heirarch. Otherwise, you are wasting that mana and card to accomplish nothing, and wasting precious time on the clock.
- When using Surgical Extraction, count the number of outs an opponent has in his or her deck, and what outs those are. You are getting precious information from this, and this information should be used when calculating when you should or should not mill. Sometimes it is safer to just let the opponent keep a dead card on top rather than mill another three cards. Also, do not forget that Surgical Extraction can be used as instant speed discard, can shuffle away a threat that is on top, and can provide information on what cards the opponent has in hand. For example, if there is a Maelstrom Pulse or Noble Heirarch on top of an opponent's library and another copy in his or her graveyard, let the opponent draw it and then use Surgical Extraction during his or her draw step. This not only removes the threat, but blanks their draw for the turn. We can also hold Extraction until the opponent’s draw step when we know they have a dead card on top. They will draw the dead card, and we still get to exile the targets, rather than exiling targets and risking reshuffling an opponent’s deck so that a threat is on top.
- Do not forget the second ability of Lantern of Insight. If you think the opponent has sided in Ancient Grudges, drawing extra Lanterns is extremely beneficial. These extra Lanterns will allow you to shuffle away an Ancient Grudge, giving you more time to prepare for it by laying duplicate copies of cards.
- Likewise, do not forget about the second ability of Codex Shredder. This may allow the pilot to recur cards at instant speed, like Surgical Extraction.
- Concerning Eldrazi effects that let an opponent shuffle their graveyard back into their library, remember that you do not necessarily have to mill them. Often times it is just fine to let the opponent draw them, and then they have to just hold cards in order to discard the Eldrazi and get the shuffle effect. This buys us time to mill them out, go for the Pyrite Spellbomb plan, or prepare for Surgical Extraction tactics. For example, it is entirely possible to use a constant recurring of Codex Shredder to use Surgical Extraction every turn to extract cards that the opponent may be holding in their hand while they work to build up cards to discard the Eldrazi. This delays their ability to discard it, while "milling" them.
- Surgical Extraction may also be used to extract cards out of our own hand. For example, there was an instance at GP Charlotte in which one of the Fateseal players had the prison set with Ensnaring Bridge in play, but had Ghost Quarter and Glimmervoid in hand and was about to draw a Surgical Extraction. The opponent was going to be able to swing with lethal with 1-power creatures. The pilot had a Glimmervoid in play, and the play that would have won him the game was to draw the Extraction, play Ghost Quarter, tap Glimmervoid for a black, destroy his own Glimmervoid with Ghost Quarter, then use the black mana to use Surgical Extraction on the Glimmervoid and exile the Glimmervoid in his hand. Plays like these are extremely complicated, and aren't always the easiest to see, but are important for winning what look to be unwinnable games.
- Cards that draw at sorcery speed are typically alright for the opponent to draw. For example, I have seen many, many times where a player will mill a Serum Visions on their own turn. This is incorrect. Serum Visions in this instance does nothing but force the opponent to pay a blue mana to draw another card. The scry effect does next to nothing for them when we have the prison set: If they keep cards on top, we can mill them, and if they put cards to the bottom in order to try to dig to an answer, then that we can still mill those answers. If, after they’ve drawn the Visions, they have a threat on top, we simply mill in response to the Visions resolving. At best, the opponent may try to hold many copies of Serum Visions and Gitaxian Probes in order to chain them, but that also allows us more time to get to more mill effects, which in turn directly negates their gameplan. In addition, their use of these cards increases our clock, as they are "milling" themselves yet another card for each of these used.
- When resolving an Ancient Stirrings, it can matter what order the cards are put on the bottom of your library. This is especially so for decks that run no other shuffle effects than Lantern of Insight. Ancient Stirrings essentially lets the pilot stack his or her deck!
- When we have the choice between an early Inquisition of Kozilek or an early Duress or Thoughtseize, always play the IoK first. The limit on the converted mana cost that IoK can get makes this true, along with the fact that IoK can take out creatures that might put us on a clock while we try to land a Bridge.
- It's important to play the lands in the correct order. We want to get Academy Ruins online as soon as possible. This means that, if possible, we want to play Academy Ruins and Glimmervoid/Mox Opal within the first few turns.
- If we know that the opponent will have no relevant plays in the first two or three turns, we can wait to pull the trigger on playing an IoK or Duress. With this in mind, it's also often a good idea to hold a Duress until just before we want to force through a card that's going to cripple the opponent's deck (Ensnaring Bridge, Pithing Needle, etc.).
- It's usually correct to play Spellskite before Bridge, when we have that choice. We may take a little more damage, but Spellskite will help ensure that Bridge stays out, allowing us to prevent taking lethal damage.
- I've had the following situations come up often enough to comment on it: If I have a Lantern out and an Ancient Stirrings in hand and a card that I want on top (another Ancient Stirrings, a Duress to force a card through, an Ensnaring Bridge, etc.), it's often better to just hold the Stirrings and draw that card rather than pull the trigger on the Stirrings immediately. The exception is if we absolutely need an answer (Bridge, Pithing Needle, etc.) immediately and we have the mana to play that answer if we grab it with Stirrings.
- If we have a Stirrings in hand and the mana to play it, but not the mana to play the card we are looking to Stirrings for, then it's better to hold off on playing the Stirrings. Otherwise, we risk getting our card discarded and/or giving the opponent information.
- If we are in serious trouble and need to Stirrings, and we have the Lantern combo out, we can use our mill rocks to dig further down before playing the Stirrings, giving us more depth to the Stirrings.
- If we plan on playing a Surgical Extraction and no Lantern out, it's usually correct to wait until the opponent's draw phase to use it. This gives us more information, and provides the slight chance that Extraction also acts as a discard spell. The exception is in the case that the opponent is playing with lots of instants, or has some means of removing the Extraction target at instant speed at the cost of mana (Scavenging Ooze). In those cases, it's often best to play the Extraction when the opponent doesn't have the mana to respond.
- Allow the opponent to make mistakes when the situation provides it. For example, another exception to the point above about Surgical Extraction, it's sometimes better to hold an Extraction and let the opponent move to declare attackers when we have a Bridge out. Then, we can instant-speed Extraction, reducing the number of cards in our hand. This may often throw off their plans and their calculations when they've "figured out" what they're going to attack with and for how much, and does have the side effect of putting an opponent on tilt occasionally. A tilted opponent will not perform well against this deck.
In addition to these, there are some nuances that are important to know that is specific to a matchup. The greatest example of this is probably best understood when analyzing the Burn matchup.
The reason why Burn was (and maybe still is) a tough matchup is because, in that matchup, they had inevitability. Even if we got the lock, they could often just draw enough burn that slipped through to deal lethal, and because the amount of burn necessary to finish us off in their deck was higher than the amount of mill effects we had, they had inevitability.
I'd tried Sun Droplets quite often, and found that it did work a good amount, but I was still trying to get the lock to win it. I ended up realizing that my problem was that I was siding out many of my discard spells for my Burn matchup hate. The truth is that those discard spells start us off by diminishing the initial amount of burn we take, increasing the amount of burn the opponent needs to draw in order to finish us off. That allows Spellskite, Sun Droplet, and Ensnaring Bridge to just keep us alive after that. So, I started siding out lock pieces instead of discard, and the change in game and match results against Burn were immediate. The only hope that Burn had to try to regain inevitability is to draw and hold burn spells that can't be redirected to Spellskite.
By forcing Burn to do that, we force them into a position in which, if they don't "play fast" (use up all of their burn spells before we have a chance to discard many of them, in which case Sun Droplet absorbs a large amount of that burn), they are forced to play slow, in which case we get to a point where we can discard their burn at will and get the lock online. It becomes a lose-lose situation for them.
Frequent Suggestions
Quite a few people have suggested trying out miracle cards and Counterbalance. Zerodown tested Terminus (shown in his list in the first few pages). It appears that he was not impressed with the results. If you would like to test further, please do, and then presenting the results of that testing to the thread would be great. The general opinion, if I'm not mistaken, is that it isn't worth it. Here is a good explanation by Skeet70 concerning Counterbalance:
This seems to come up every 4 or 5 pages :D. It's been considered before, but it doesn't really work very well. The idea of the deck in the first place is to prevent/remove threats from their hand. More than that though is that the deck has an average CMC of .75-1.5, getting anything meaningful as far as casting cost goes on top of our deck is actually pretty difficult. Building around Counterbalance wouldn't really work either since the artifact core is cheap and you'd be giving up valuable digging/tutoring/hand disruption tools to try to get a more varied casting cost (as well as making it more difficult to empty your hand for Bridge.
Another common suggestion is Artificer's Intuition. Let's think about it real quick. To get an artifact, we must first pay 1U, and then U for the ability. We must also discard an artifact. How many artifacts do we run that are dead enough that they're worth discarding to go search for another artifact? A second Mox Opal? And what artifact would we be searching for? A Lantern? Pyrite Spellbomb? One of the eight mill rocks? So, we are paying the same amount for this card to do the same effect as Trinket Mage (but paying the 1UU instead of 2U, and discarding a card instead of gaining a 2/2 body). A duplicate Intuition is absolutely dead, whereas a second Trinket Mage can fetch yet another card, plus provide another body.
Lastly, a note on "win-more" cards. There are plenty of cards and combos in existence that seem overpowered when added to this deck. For example, Bloodchief Ascension. An active Ascension is superb in a deck like this. The problem arises when we consider what must occur to ensure that the Ascension is active, rather than paying B for a card that will do nothing for us. To get Ascension active, we must deal at least six damage over the course of three turns. That is a tall order for a deck that typically only runs one or two Pyrite Spellbombs. When we plan it all out, it would take four mana sources, one of them providing U and one providing R, an Academy Ruins, a Pyrite Spellbomb, the Bloodchief Ascension, and three turns. Then, it requires that the opponent isn't killing us in the meantime, so that means that we would also require that the prison be constructed, and most likely an Ensnaring Bridge in play as well. That's seven cards, not including prison pieces and an Ensnaring Bridge, and three turns used in order to enable yet another win condition to the deck. If the prison is set up with an Ensnaring Bridge, and we have those mana sources and Ruins in play and access to a Pyrite Spellbomb, we could just as easily just continue on the tried and proven main win condition, without risking adding a weakness of a what would usually be a dead card to the construction of the deck. That precious card slot would be much better served by a card that contributes to ensuring that the main engine of the deck is assembled and running smoothly.
"There are harsher ways to learn the meaning of the word ‘no.'"
—Rashida Scalebane
(Mirage set: Disenchant)
A.K.A: Barber's Chop, Barber Deck, Trinket's Barber Shop, Trinket's Factory
(Banner by: DNC @ Heroes of the Plane Studios)
Note: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
Also thank you to Zerodown for the idea and help in creating the deck.
What is Top Control?
Top Control is a Stax deck. The entire premise of victory isn't winning so much as not losing until you have won. Think Ghandi, and not the Civ 5 version. To do this, pilots of this deck are using cheap artifacts to control what cards the opponent will draw. Take away this resource, and eventually you starve them of use. The longer the game, the better the chances of winning.
Why play Top Control?
I honestly started playing because I was annoyed at players online. This deck is not fun to play against. For most players who like to win with their creatures, this deck is even worse. However, the more I played the deck, the more I found I enjoyed the intricacies of how the deck won.
Tenants of basic modern magic are to have a full hand and creatures on the board, and this deck wants neither. Instead, it controls the draw step, the step that most players take for granted.
Ever drawn 3 lands instead of that 1 bomb that could win you the game in draft? That is what this deck does to other players.
Ever be so far behind only to top deck your best out? That is what this deck does.
That feeling is addicting, and is why I continue to play this deck.
If all of that didn't get your jimmies jittering, well, nevermind and go play with your Tarmogoyf. This deck is not for you.
Glimmervoid – Due to the combo being cheap and colorless, the variety of builds is virtually infinite. The deck can support spells on all 5 colors but it is critical that you guarantee those colors on turn 1. This card allows us to play all our spells on turn 1. The downside is nearly irrelevant, very rarely will you have an opening hand with just glimmervoid as a land and no artifacts and an even rarer sight is to play a glimmervoid + artifact turn 1 and the opponent blowing that artifact on their turn 1.
Mirrodin's Core - Taps for Colorless mana the turn it drops with the ability to get colored mana of whatever you need the 2nd turn you drop it. With the deck being a 3-5 color deck, lands like this are quite useful.
Tendo Ice Bridge – The exact opposite of Mirrodin's Core, but quite useful for the same reasons. Turn 1 colored mana, with colorless mana afterwards.
Academy Ruins - Essential in any artifact deck and most lists are up in the 18-26 artifacts range. So many cheap artifacts to get back after being milled, destroyed, discarded, countered, dumped or sacrificed. Specially good on game 2 where artifact hate comes into the picture. It also keeps you from losing to mill or milling yourself while digging. New legend rule allows to run 2 with little to no issues.
Darksteel Citadel - An artifact land to increase the chances of activating Mox Opal turn 1. It's indestructible, it gives some assurance to Glimmervoid in case an artifact sweeper is played.
Ghost Quarter – Darksteel Citidel + this card makes a fetchland. Hurts Tron/Manlands.
Due to the nature of the deck allowing up to 5 colored decks, there isn't a core manabase outside of Glimmervoid and Academy Ruins. This is a rough list of some of the utility lands being tested, used or at least mentioned in the thread as good picks.
Mikokoro, Center of The Sea – Card draw mid game. Serves as a pseudo mill piece since the drawn card for the opponent should be a dead card.
Grove of The Burnwillows – Awesome in RG heavy lists. Pretty awesome otherwise as well. Only downside is that it messes with the Plan B of Burning them out or using Tezzerret's Ultimate.
Fetchlands/Shocklands/Painlands – They do give you the mana you need, and some pilots love the fetches in particular for the shuffle effect. However, other pilots feel that life loss in a deck based around the long game is too costly.
ARTIFACTS
Lantern of Insight - This 1cmc card lets you look at both player's top card of their libraries at all times. Its shuffling ability is good to have in dire times, or when you have multiples on the field, but the major job is watching the player's top of their deck.
Codex Shredder - MVP. Good lord this card does work. Sure it's first ability is the basis of the entire strategy, but the second ability then compliments the strategy by recuring what we need from our own graveyard in a pinch.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Same as Codex's first ability, but hits both players. This gets around cards like Leyline of Sanctity, but it doenst have the 2nd ability of Codex.
Pyxis of Pandemonium – Good against flashback spells and Legendary Eldrazi, as well as vs graveyard decks, though it hurts us as well as this deck tends to use its graveyard too.
Ensnaring Bridge - This card is the card that switched the deck from being funny to competitive. Most games revolve around this card, whether its on the field or off, or about to be.
Mox Opal - 4. Unless you have a reason not to want a free land drop that taps for all colored mana.
Pithing Needle - Answers a lot of weird stuff like Planeswalkers, Birthing Pod, manlands, fetchlands, Grim Lavamancer, Oblivion Stone, Mindslaver, Arcbound Ravager, Cranial Plating, Qasali Pridemage, etc.
Tormod's Crypt – Allstar 1 of main deck. Ruins graveyard strategies, which have become more prevalent with Treasure Cruise.
Sunbeam Spellbomb – For your opponent, every lifegain point they can take from you matters. We usually get low on lifepoints during the first few turns until we can lock the opponent, after this the opponent either concedes or tries to grind you down with burn spells, lifeloss, or 0/1 exalted attacks. Sunbeam sets the opponent back a lot at this stage because it is extremely hard for them to draw into a bolt for example. If they have you at 3 life and just need to get one last bolt in, after a sunbeam suddenly the opponent needs to find 3 bolts. This card is really good at keeping you alive vs opponents that can grind out the game since you can be gaining the 5 life over and over with Academy Ruins. Never leave home without it.
Mishra's Bauble - This card can be used as a 1 time lantern, but currently with most players it has fallen out of favour. Helps Metalcraft
SPELLS
Digging/Fetching
Ancient Stirrings - It either digs deeper or digs faster than the others, making it the prime choice for this deck.
Faithless Looting - Draw 2 cards, discard 2 cards you don't want. 2nd best dig spell for the deck I mainly use it for it's flashback cost when the game has stalled and I've drawn a dud.
Infernal Tutor – Demonic Tutor. With our gameplan playing Hellbent, it might as well be. Good as a 2 of, less so the more you put in.
Trinket Mage – Body that fetches our targeted hate and lock pieces.
Spellskite - Protection for our lock, from burn, and is a decent blocker. Kills fast decks like Infect, stops Twin, makes me dinner. It's nice.
Removal
Thougthseize/Inquisition of Kozilek/Duress – Again with the life loss, some pilots would rather not lose life needlessly. Inquisition hits most relevant targets so long as you aren't facing Tron.
Dispatch - Artifact decks have THE best point removal spell ever printed vs creatures. Unfortunately is sucks when you don't have metalcraft.
Galvanic Blast – Another awesome removal spell for artifact decks, bolt on steroids. Usually hits for 4 on turn 2, though 2 damage should do the trick with most of the stuff that really bothers us early on. It's benefit over dispatch is being able to hit planeswalkers and players and if for some reason you lack metalcraft it still hits for 2, which kills the small beats, while dispatch only taps the creature.
Abrupt Decay – The most commonly used removal spell can surely fit into a cheap deck that supports all 5 colors.
Beast Within – This beauty targets everything from lands to planeswalkers. The token should be of no trouble with so much removal or with a bridge out. If you got a tight lock you can use it on a permanent of your own to start attacking or if you need an emergency blocker.
Pyroclasm - Hates out early utility creatures, weenies and creature rushes like affinity, waves of tokens and more. (Some prefer Firespout).
Engineered Explosives - The deck can support up to 5 colors without much trouble and our permanents are mostly at 0 and 1 with the exception of bridge at 3, this shines at 2. However, with Mox Opal at 0, Lantern a 1, Spellskite at 2, and Bridge at 3, I personally don't think it fits.
Oust - Works with codex/bell on pre-lantern turns.
PLANESWALKERS
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - So much synergy, yet so much mana. This deck likes its cheap spells and runs with 17 ish lands. 4 mana is a tall order, and getting stuck with this card when you need a bridge vs 1/1s is not a nice feeling.
Liliana of the Veil - Hand & creature control. She can survive the same way tezz does, protected by the bridge. Lightning rod for damage. It has no wincon built in, just added control. Does every control thing this deck wants, but just doesn't ever find room on my personal list.
Graffdigger's Cage - Very good vs graveyard strategies and snapcaster mage, though it hurts our Faithless Looting, Ancient Grudge, and Ray of Revelation.
Surgical Extraction - Good in any mill deck. Some people love it, others don’t. Best serves in metas with Combo decks, and is easily main deckable as a 1 of.
Extirpation - Split Second for that surprise kill of an Ancient Grudge or Lightning Bolt. Does cost mana though, where Surgical does not.
Welding Jar - Good off the SB for protection. Would be MB if people ran mainboard artifact hate more often (AKA in BG heavy metas.)
Boros Charm - For that time that you want to protect yourself from Shatterstorm. Or Burn them. Both are useful.
Elixir of Immortality - A 1cc that nets you life and protects you from losing to mill. Quite useful for decks not based in blue, and even still can be useful.
Dragon's Claw/Sun Droplet - Consistent Lifegain against burn decks. The more red your deck is, the more Dragon's Claw > Sun Droplet
Swan Song - 1 mana Counterspell vs almost every card boarded in to hate on our deck
Slaughter Games - For the times that you just want a card gone.
Leyline of Sanctity – This card is very good at protecting our deck from the threats that would hurt us the most. It does cost 4, with WW (the least dominant color in most decklists). I leave it out for that reason.
Ancient Grudge/Ray of Revelation – 2 for 1. You could dump it to Faithless Looting or mill it and play it from the graveyard. I'd have at least 1 of each in every Sideboard.
Wear // Tear - Versatile SB card vs the usual hate.
Nature’s Claim – Another option to take out the usual hate, this one has the added bonus that you can target something of your own for the lifegain. The drawback is that it costs 1, and could end up being locked out with the rest of the deck by a Chalice of the Void set at 1.
Hide // Seek - Tucks Indestructible cards at instant speed, like Keranos, or removes problem cards from decks while Gaining life. Emrakul never tasted so sweet. Recent add in vs UR decks especially.
# 1 Goal with the lock = They are not to draw a useful card.
Spell that could break your lock(ie removal) > Burn Spell > Draw Spell
Any other card you should keep on top, at the discretion of how the game is playing out.
Step 1, Game 1: Get them locked and figure out as much about their deck as you can. We have many 1cc cards, so the order of importance from when I've played: Codex Shredder(Initial Mill to get started) > Lantern of Insight(to start keeping track of their draws > Discard Spell (To see their opening hand, figure out what deck they are playing, and strip them of their most useful card)
Note: If they have a mana dork turn 1, burn the mana dork. Ignore the above.
Step 2, Game 1: Get your lock pieces out and Protect Bridge, drink tears. Vs blue decks you should stabilize before playing bridge if possible, but if you have a free moment safe from a counter spell(or have 2 bridges in hand, drop the bridge.
Step 3, Game 1: After the lock, Take your time. It is ok to not use your Mill Rocks a turn where they have a land on top. Your win is eventual, you are the control deck, not them.
When you face a normal control deck, any control deck, remember that for all intensive purposes they are not a Control deck. They are a combo deck or a slow aggro deck.
Note for Game 2 and 3: Depends on the match up, but every color has hate cards and they are gunning for bridge. Remember what killed you in the game you lost, as that is more important in this deck then most. Board in the cards that best help against their brand of hate. Play normally, only this time the deck has even more targeted hate towards their deck.
Lantern of Insight + Codex Shredder/Ghoulcaller's Bell
The main goal of the deck is to progressively mill your opponent, early game you mill them 1-3 cards a turn, late game you can make them discard up to 8 cards a turn with the full set of bells and codexes on field. You can run the deck with mill as your only wincon for absolute consistency, however some decks are more mill resistant than others so alternate wincons are welcomed.
- Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas seems to be the most commonly used planeswalker as an alt. Wincon for its synergy with the deck.
- Galvanic Blast is recurrable with Codex Shredder and Shredder with Academy Ruins. Burn catches players off guard, and our burn spell being 4 damage is very potent. Optimal at 6 mana (4UR), as then you are dealing 4 damage every 2 turns.
Wishboard options from Dr. Leminscate
Wincons
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas: Best to close out games quickly, or dig for combo pieces. Also good against Affinity for turning Ornithopter or Cranial Plating in to a 5/5. Just remember you might not be able play him the turn you 'wish' for him due to a total cost of 2WUBG
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver: Good for the mill route, and can pump out blockers if needed. It's ultimate can eventually deal with any threatening cards left in their hand from before the lock.
Thopter Foundry: The minor life gain can be important, and blockers can also be useful. Academy Ruins with Darksteel Citadel (or any other cheap artifact) will let you spit out a token every turn. Draw a card, swing with tokens, then play your card.
Boros Charm: A 5th Galvanic Blast if you need to push through damage. The Indestructible can also be useful, but more so post-sideboard. Lightning Helix can also go here; can be used as removal, and some small lifegain could be important.
Board filled up with artifacts and lock established? Tezzeret if they are still at high life, Boros Charm if you've already Galvanic Blast'd a few times.
Missing a part of the lock? Tezzeret to find general pieces, Ashiok for another mill rock
Graveyard shenanigans? Ashiok
Feeling a little behind on your board state? Thopter Foundry to spit out blockers and gain life, Tezzeret to grab more artifacts (or make big blockers), Ashiok can generate blockers.
Ashiok can also really help pad your life total, climbing by 2 a turn.
Maelstrom Pulse: Destroy everything else. With a clogged board state, this will often 2-for-1, although with a Bridge out that doesn't mean much if it is destroying creatures. Can be useful for destroying multiple hate cards. Scavenging Ooze, or any number of sideboard hate cards. I find some people playing a replicate of something like Stony Silence for redundancy in case of destruction, rather than saving it.
Wheel of Sun and Moon: shuts down graveyard decks, and makes us rely on damage for a wincon. Can also be used against mill decks.
Firespout: 3 damage pyroclasm for an extra board wipe
Supreme Verdict: A real board wipe. Sometimes it feels nice to wipe the board, even with 1-2 Bridges out. Especially post-sideboard against something with green or white. Might not be able to cast it the turn you wish for it.
Wear // Tear: Already one of our sideboard cards. Yes, this is multicolored when it is not on the stack.
Hide // Seek: Might try this out in place of a Wear // Tear. Tuck an artifact or enchantment, or go remove their wincon. As a last resort, you should always be able to get at least 3-4 life. Against tron, it's a solid 7 or 15 life. Also gets you a shuffle and increases the land ratio to make your job a little easier. Too bad these old split cards didn't have fuse.
I've found that the hand disruption is almost always worth pushing back getting the core online by a turn, it allows you to get rid of immediate answers and has the potential for a completely blowout with Surgical Extraction. The Surgical Extractions, and Extirpates might seem weird or targeted, but I've found that they're surprisingly broad cards. They worked out great against the aggro decks I played against, and although I haven't had time to play them against a combo deck, I suspect that they'll work wonderfully in those matchups as well. I'm not very worried about Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace at the moment.
The only thing I'm very worried about at the moment is Chalice of the Void, but I don't see very many of them in my meta. It would be fairly easy to switch some or all of the Nature's Claims out if that was expected.
- Cdsboy
2 Darksteel Citadel main and 2 Ghost Quarter SB is just for testing the turn 1&2 locks with the new Lens of Clarity, don’t really think its worth it, Quarter is a lot more useful, Tron is a thing after all.
The 1off Abrupt Decay was there because I was running 2 Infernal Tutor before switching it to Lens of Clarity. Not sure if I should use something else or add a second one.
Tormod's Crypt is a nice card against all graveyard strategies (Dredge, Gifts, etc.). It's also nice to exile an Emrakul in
response to his trigger.
Illness in the Ranks this card is mainly for the twin matchup, but obviously it helps against tokens too. Sometimes you need a hate card which doesn't
get killed by artifact hate.
Duress is great against all kind of Combo matchups and matchups in which you really fear the hate (Creeping Corrosion and friends)
Pyroclasm, Firespout are great against the fast aggro decks like affinity or zoo. I play a split between this two cause sometimes the 1 turn matters and sometimes the 1 damage does.
Spellskite is mainly for the decks which can't win against a Bridge. Also nice against boggles.
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver this card is just great against all kind of controlish decks. I like to bring him in against Junk/Jund too cause you can sometimes steal a Goyf or Rhino.
Surgical Extraction is mainly against combo. You may also bring it in against decks which can't beat Bridge to exile for example Abrupt Decay.
needs more thirst for knowledge and possible trinket mage and a silver bullet package to go along with him.
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"And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."
Talked about artificers intuition in the OP. feels clunky.
What about Dizzy Spell? I can transmute for the Lantern for the same cost as Trinket, I can remain creatureless and after having a Lantern out I can use the spell to lessen attacks from the opponent.
First of all, I love the idea of the deck. Why not run trinket mage? It can search for both your combo pieces and gives you a chump to block with while you are stabilizing. It seems perfect for this deck. Also, Mindshrieker might be worth running a few of, you can get multiple uses out of it if you have the mana and could potentially end up doing some decent damage. I'm not sure I would run mox opals since you are only going to have on average a little over 2 artifacts in your starting hand and phyrexia's core doesn't seem that great... How often are you in danger of milling yourself? Oust is fantastic for this deck, and it would be amazing if you could find a way to fit plow under into the deck. What is your plan against somebody running a lot of fetches? Maybe aven mindcensor or leonin arbiter? Ghoulcallers bell could be better if you had some sort of graveyard recursion.
Yeah Trinket would be the best option, but I wanted to keep it creatureless, I'll do some tests I guess.
Silver bullet package? explain please. all the 1cmc cards you mean?
EDIT: Oh got it, a side board with trinket fetchable answers. interesting.
thin of trinket mage as a tutor that poops out a token. Like 3 mana look for an artifact with cmc less than or equal to one. then put a 2/2 wizard token into play. the fact that he is a creature matters little. He allows you to run less of each piece of your combo and to run a silver bullet package main deck with additional answers sideboard. Possible maindeck candidates are Chalice of the void, overflowing chalice, aether spellbomb/sunbeam spellbomb, tormod's crypt(et cetra) engineered explosives, pithing needle, grafdiggers cage, et cetra.
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"And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter."
Thanks guys I will abandon the creatureless idea, seems unnecesary, I will try and test all these suggestions tonight and come up with some results tomorrow.
uba mask might be an interesting option here. It sort of enables a lock after a while, as it will stop them having any more of a hand after it resolves.
Took out the Opals and 1 Ghoulcaller's Bell for the Trinket Mage.
Also added 1 Grafdigger's Cage to make sure what goes to the yard stays in the yard.
1 Pithing Needle for B.pods, Planewalkers and that sort of thing.
Updated the mana base to help on the life loss situation a bit, plus I only need 1 U source.
Took out Phyrexia's Core to help on the early mana fix. Also I had overlooked that Codex Shredder can sac itself while netting me a card for the Academy Ruins recursion in the late game just in case.
@Weltkrieg: I don't see how that locks my opponent, besides I don't mind my opponent having a hand when I can handpick their draws.
The problem with mindslaver is that it needs 13 mana each turn and the deck has only 18 of which 6 are fetchlands. Thats why I thought about Timesifter, I can keep taking extra turns by manipulating both deck's top and mill them through that.
Also drawing into mindslaver before having 13 lands could be pretty bad, I need to take control of my opponent's top and keep it locked or else they could draw a nastie while I'm trying shenanigans.
Maybe theres a way to work the mindslaver into the deck, but I'll leave that for when I get good at piloting the deck first.
I think mindslaver combo only takes 11 mana, and you plan on milling yourself out you will be able to collect the lands. And once you get the lock you win. It would suck if you have your top card lock, and have there deck low, and some how they slip out a fattie and kill you. Mindslaver can ensure the win easier.
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Note: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
Also thank you to Zerodown for the idea and help in creating the deck.
Fateseal Control, or Lantern Control as it is known as now, is a prison deck that works to limit an opponent's access to cards with quality in regards to the game being played. While many control decks prevent spells from being resolved (permission magic, like Counterspell) or from being played (taxing magic, like Trinisphere), this deck aims to restrict access to cards. By working this way, the opponent is no longer playing their deck – They are playing a version of his or her deck that requires that you approve of what cards they have added.
The deck makes great use of the idea of inevitability. Jeff Cunningham wrote an article about this theme, and it’s definitely something worth reading, whether you plan on piloting Lantern Control or want to ensure you are prepared to beat it. The power behind Lantern is that it is one of the most inevitable decks in the current Modern metagame. The longer the game goes, the more likely the Lantern deck will win – So long as the pilot makes correct plays. There are currently few decks, if any, that have as much inevitability as Lantern, making it extremely powerful against a large portion of the metagame.
Resiliency: The unique method by which this deck controls the opponent makes it resilient against a vast number of decks in the meta. No matter what deck is played, the pilot needs access to cards relevant to furthering their gameplan in order to, well, make progress on that gameplan.
Complexity: There are some who enjoy playing this deck because each game works out like a puzzle. Sometimes the correct line of play is to restrict the opponent from drawing lands. Sometimes, it is to force the opponent to draw nothing but lands. Decision trees for this deck are vastly different, in size and complexity, than nearly every other deck. This is, in my opinion, the most skill intensive deck that I have ever played. I can say that in the games that I have lost, the majority of them was because I made a mistake, not because I didn't have a correct line of play open to me given the resources at my disposal.
With that said, a word of warning: This is one of the most skill intensive decks to pilot, let alone adjust for metagame. Compounding this, decisions often must be made extremely quickly in order to avoid losing to the clock on MTGO and drawing during a tournament.
Personalization: Many decks in the modern meta have very little room for personal touches. This deck, however, has seen many personalized builds. The range of colors available to include, win conditions to use, and preferred answers to other decks in a meta is extraordinary. The key cards in the deck are colorless and low in converted mana cost, allowing for a wide selection of card choices that may be considered.
This is a common misconception about the deck. Many people will glance at the deck and see the cards and not the mechanics of the core engine. There were a select few cards in the Modern cardpool that could deal with this deck and that can get around the control method at the core in the earlier years of development of the deck. Among these are Ancient Grudge and cards that allow an opponent to shuffle their graveyard back into their library. As the cardpool in the Modern format increased, so did the number of cards that could disrupt the way that the Lantern deck works. Even these cards cannot absolutely secure a win, however. The fault with this view that the deck is "weak to artifact hate" is that the very core of the deck runs on being able to choose what cards the opponent gets to draw. In the videos section of this primer are a large number of videos in which the opponents included cards in their decks to deal with Lantern Control - they just never got to play them. They just got discarded or were milled away, never to be drawn and played.
The positive of this is that the players who make this assumption will end up losing due to their lack of comprehension of the engine, only to be upset because they lost to a "troll deck".
The deck doesn't restrict access to all cards in an opponent's deck. If the opponent has more threats in their deck than the Lantern pilot has “mill rocks” out, then the opponent still has inevitability. Eventually, enough threats will slip through that they’ll be able to piece together a win. This is where the long evolution of the deck comes in. Many variations have been tried in order to patch up this weakness, dealing with threats, including miracles, many forms of spot removal, and a number of other forms of threat disruption, even some very creative ones. What ended up proving to be the most effective was Ensnaring Bridge. It works perfectly with the low converted mana cost of the core combo cards, isn’t reliant on playing specific colors, and essentially plays like a Moat – but better.
This card brings us to another stage in the evolution of the deck. The realization came about that, essentially, we just need to reduce the number of active cards in an opponent’s deck to be less than or equal to the number of mill rocks available. The more threats we could simply neutralize with each single card in our deck, the less likely the opponent is going to have those cards in consecutive order in his or her deck. This brought about additions like Pithing Needle and Surgical Extraction. A single Needle resolves all issues of, say, all copies of The One Ring or Inkmoth Nexus, stealing the game away. In addition, it shuts off any attempt to struggle out of the prison with cards like Teferi, Time Raveler or Boseiju, Who Endures.
It was also found that discard spells were of great use in further impeding the speed and effectiveness of an opponent’s deck while the prison was constructed. The information gained from seeing an opponent’s hand is also a great resource in order to make the best decisions concerning cards the opponent is most reliant on in order to make progress.
The main win condition can be to simply “mill” an opponent out. It may seem slow at first, the occasional single card at a time, slowly and steadily controlling the opponent. But as the game goes on, more mill pieces are drawn, and three, then four, then five, and so on, cards are being milled for every turn the opponent takes. And remember, since the opponent is drawing nothing but dead cards, the card that they are drawing for their turn is another card "milled". In the right hands, the game progresses rather quickly after the initial lock is set.
Some decks, however, have outs to that. Some decks run cards like Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. At first, one or two Pyrite Spellbomb proved to be enough to provide an alternate win condition against these decks when combined with Academy Ruins. It was often slower than the mill plan though, and more mana intensive overall. Ghirapur AEther Grid was then printed, and this proved to increase the speed of the clock with less total mana requirements, and is therefore an option that some builders and pilots prefer. Many decks run some number of Pyxis of Pandemonium which helps against cards like Ancient Grudge and possible Snapcaster Mage or Wrenn and Six targets. Casting Surgical Extraction or Extirpate with an Emrakul shuffle trigger on the stack will also resolve this problem, but it does not stop the graveyard from being shuffled one last time.
Support cards that proved efficient with this now solid plan were fleshed out. Ancient Stirrings has typically been a staple for most of the competitive lists during the deck’s history. What has probably been one of the greatest support cards for the deck is Whir of Invention, so long as the manabase is built to support it. Profane Tutor has also recently proved to be extremely useful for the deck. Even Glint-Nest Crane has provided Lantern Control a way to block creatures and act as a pseudo Ancient Stirrings, although it isn't the most popular option. Mishra's Bauble has been shown to be beneficial to the deck as well. It can be used to dig through the deck quicker for cards needed to solidify the lock. It's even useful as a virtual mana source for Whir of Invention. When combined with a Codex Shredder, Ghoulcaller's Bell, or Pyxis of Pandemonium, it can be used as a card filtering effect to dig even deeper.
Due to the nature of the core prison being colorless, someone designing their own flavor of Lantern Control has quite a few options. There are few, but some, budget options and plans, usually revolving around what mana sources can be afforded.
Sideboard cards for the deck are typically cards that simply aim to redesign the prison according to the opponent’s deck. Sometimes that means swapping in cards that are uniquely designed to neutralize an opponent’s gameplan, using cards like Cursed Totem, Grafdigger’s Cage, and Leyline of Sanctity.
Most recent decklists can be found on the deck’s Discord channel
A short note on card choices for this deck: If a nonland card does not specifically contribute to constructing the prison lock, neutralizing as many cards in an opponent's deck as possible, or works to obtain one of those two types of cards, then it is likely not a good candidate for the deck. Many lackluster cards have been suggested in the years that major contributing members of the thread have been working on this deck. Some of these cards are specifically mentioned in the Recurring Suggestions section of this primer. If you feel that a suggestion is worthy, please test that suggestion yourself and provide results of games with that suggestion rather than posting it and expecting others to test it for you.
Lantern of Insight - A key piece for the deck. This is what provides the information required to know when to pull the trigger on a mill rock, ensuring that the opponent draws few, if any, cards relevant to the gamestate. The second ability is icing on the cake. Can be used with Academy Ruins as a soft-lock in a pinch. Recommend 4.
Codex Shredder - One of the available mill rocks at our disposal. Again, with a second ability that is just icing on the cake. Recommend 4.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Another useful mill rock. Has the added benefit of not targeting, and can be used to self-mill while simultaneously fatesealing an opponent.
Pyxis of Pandemonium - Much like Ghoulcaller's Bell. The exile effect may come in handy against cards like Ancient Grudge or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. The second ability may be just high enough in mana cost to not be particularly relevant. However, I have personally used it in corner cases, exiling an Ensnaring Bridge with it and then using the second ability to put the Bridge directly into play, avoiding a counter.
The specific numbers of each mill rock you decide to include into your list should largely be determined by your expected metagame. If you expect a large amount of cards like Ancient Grudge or Snapcaster Mage, Pyxis of Pandemonium might be the better choice over Ghoulcaller's Bell.
Ensnaring Bridge - Neutralizes a majority of the creatures playing in the Modern format. Recommend 4, 3 is fine if running the Whir of Invention build.
Pithing Needle - Excellent at taking care of a variety of threats an opponent might have, such as The One Ring, Engineered Explosives, Teferi, Time Raveler, Griselbrand, Inkmoth Nexus, and so on. This card is one of the reasons why the deck requires a deep knowledge of the metagame to play correctly. Recommend 2-4.
Surgical Extraction/Extirpate - Assists in shutting off many of the graveyard based strategies that exists in Modern, in addition to reducing the overall number of live cards an opponent might have in their deck and providing information about what we need to watch out for. Recommend 0-4. The more combo decks you expect to face, the better these cards are for crippling those decks. They are also particularly good against decks that run very few threats, taking out a large percentage of those threats with a single card. Not as useful against decks with a lot of diversity of threats.
Urza’s Saga - Urza’s Saga seems almost tailor-made for Lantern. It provides a legitimate alternate win condition for the deck in the form of construct tokens and tutors for lock pieces and silver bullet artifacts. Previously, the deck would have some difficulty with creatures like Noble Hierarch attacking under an Ensnaring Bridge, but the construct tokens have proven very useful in solving this issue. Recommend 4.
Profane Tutor - This is a more recent development in decklists. One of the key aspects of Lantern Control is that specific cards are often required depending on the situation and what the opponent is playing. Profane Tutor performs exactly this for the deck. The two-turn wait for it to come off of Suspend is often negligible, as we often run a great amount of discard and other disruption that typically buys the pilot the time required for Profane Tutor to resolve.
Ancient Stirrings - Digs for prison pieces, neutralizers, or even lands.
Whir of Invention - An excellent card for digging for the exact artifact required in a given situation, at instant speed. It does require a retooling of the manabase, and forsaking some number of utility lands that don't produce blue mana. There seem to be two variants on Lantern Control - One in which the manabase is restructured to use Whir of Invention and the more traditional GBx build. If you decide to build the Whir version, it is highly suggested to run 4.
Mishra's Bauble - As mentioned earlier, this card allows for digging through the deck for required pieces of the lock. It allows us to psuedo-simulate running a 56 card deck. It can also be combined with a Codex Shredder, Ghoulcaller's Bell, or Pyxis of Pandemonium in order to dig further, faster. In Whir builds, it can be used to "pay" for the Improvise cost of Whir of Invention, acting as a Mox Opal. Recommend 2-4.
Glint-Nest Crane - An additional option. Works as a blocker. Cranes even act as an additional win condition, being able to attack under a Bridge during our turn before we play the card we draw. Optional.
Inventors’ Fair - In addition to acting as a maindeck Sun Droplet, this card provides the deck with the ability to search up a final locking piece to secure the win. It is often difficult to find room in the deck for Fair alongside Urza’s Saga, but some pilots still prefer to have a copy.
Noxious Revival - Reclaims a discarded/destroyed/self-mill card at instant speed. May also be used to put a dead card back on top of an opponent's library in a pinch. More often used in budget lists. Fills in extra spots as necessary.
Inquisition of Kozilek - Grabs most cards that we care about in the early game. Slows down an opponent’s deck and provides information on what cards are safe for the opponent to draw and what cards we need to worry about. Recommend 2-4, depending on the expected metagame.
Duress - This often-overlooked discard spell works very well in removing cards that are often most problematic to the deck. Where Inquisition of Kozilek cannot pick a Leyline Binding, Karn, the Great Creator, The One Ring, or a Force of Vigor from an opponent’s hand, Duress does this, but without the life loss of Thoughtseize. Recommend 2-4, depending on the expected metagame.
Thoughtseize - Can get anything (other than lands) that Inquisition of Kozilek cannot. Does cost two life, but usually is negligible. Recommend 4.
Collective Brutality - Provides the most options among the discard spells, at the cost of an additional mana. Especially useful in matchups that rely on small creatures or burn spells. Slightly more versatile than Inquisition of Kozilek and Thoughtseize because it can be used to take out worrisome creatures that make it to the battlefield before we have a chance to draw a discard spell.
A well-designed manabase will be heavily reliant on the build. Builds that are designed to use Whir of Invention will require minimal numbers of lands that produce colorless, whereas builds that are designed to use Profane Tutor will likely want to prioritize the ability to cast an early discard spell. With that in mind, most Whir builds consist of fastlands that produce blue mana combined with some number of Spire of Industry and Glimmervoid. Most Profane Tutor builds consist of fastlands that produce black, fetchlands, basic lands, and/or pathways. Profane Tutor builds are often able to make room for lands like The Mycosynth Gardens. Regardless, it is likely a very good idea to utilize the tools at MTG On Curve to ensure that the pilot is better able to have the mana necessary to cast their spells when they need to.
Spire of Industry - Excellent option for producing the colors needed. Is usually preferred over Glimmervoid since it does not sacrifice itself in case the opponent has removal for our artifacts (which would often lead to a blowout). The painlands were once used to supplement the fastlands, but this card has essentially made the painlands nearly obsolete. Recommend 4.
Glimmervoid - Has been very effective for the deck over time, but carries the increased risk of a blowout, as pointed out above. Glimmervoid is often used to supplement Spire of Industry for the extra colored mana stabilization.
Fastlands - Another favorite, provides the colored mana on the turns that are most important for this deck. The specific fastland that is wanted largely depends on whether the pilot is aiming for the traditional GBx build or the Whir build.
Pathways - These lands have assisted builds that absolutely want to play early spells (like discard spells) that require colored mana without causing the pilot too much self-inflicted damage.
The Mycosynth Gardens - An excellent option for the deck, in that it can become additional copies of Ensnaring Bridge at instant speed (in response to some removal is great), but also serves to solidify the lock by acting as additional mill rocks if we need it. It should be noted that it cannot effectively copy a Pithing Needle, as it will simply become a copy of the Needle but with no card named.
Academy Ruins - A superb utility land for recurring destroyed, discarded, sacrificed, or self-milled artifacts.
Alternate win conditions are typically not necessary, so long as the pilot plays at a good pace and is familiar enough with the deck that they can make decisions in a reasonable amount of time. However, some pilots choose to include some alternate win conditions in their 75.
Ghirapur AEther Grid - Higher initial mana cost than Pyrite Spellbomb, but cheaper in the long run per point of damage. Can also provide a faster clock and can take out more creatures per turn.
Pyrite Spellbomb - Like Galvanic Blast, but can be nabbed with Ancient Stirrings. Costs less to set up the recurring engine, but deals less damage than Blast, too.
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - One of the more popular choices for an alternate win condition. He helps to dig for prison and neutralizing pieces and allows for a win via creature damage or his ultimate.
Cursed Totem - An excellent card for combating decks like Hardened Scales, Yawgmoth, and some Goblin combo decks. It’s also useful for shutting down Dauthi Voidwalkers and the Reflection of Kiki-Jiki side of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker.
Welding Jar - A possible option to defend our prison pieces and Ensnaring Bridges against artifact removal. Has been less useful since the printing of cards like Prismatic Ending, Leyline Binding, Haywire Mite, and Tear Asunder.
Grafdigger's Cage - Extremely useful against traditional Dredge decks, Yawgmoth decks, and other similar decks.
Leyline of Sanctity - Is great against Burn and discard-heavy decks. There is the downside that it loses a lot of usefulness if it isn't in our opener, and we would need 3-4 in order to make that happen. The mana cost could cause it to clog our hands.
The Underworld Cookbook - This card greatly helps turn the Burn matchup around. It allows us to survive a resolved Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, and lets us dump our hand to ensure that creatures cannot attack us when we have an Ensnaring Bridge in play.
Elixir of Immortality - Another card that’s useful in the Burn matchup, but is also very useful against the Mill matchup.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - Useful in the Mill matchup, with some interesting strategy involved. If the Lantern list contains sufficient discard spells and a way to consistently assemble the lock, the pilot may focus their plan on not allowing the opponent access to exile effects. When successfully accomplished, the Mill opponent will simply be unable to win so long as the Lantern pilot ensures that they do not draw Emrakul. If they do draw Emrakul for some reason, they can discard it to The Underworld Cookbook, Thoughtseize targeting themselves, or building to having eight cards in hand and discarding Emrakul.
Soul-Guide Lantern/Stone of Erech/Nihil Spellbomb - These each combat various graveyard strategies, and are their relative usefulness is often dependant on the specific situation. It should be noted that Stone of Erech has the unique ability to shut down some mechanics, like Modular, where the others do not.
Damping Sphere - Useful against the big-mana matchups, like Mono-Green Tron, Amulet Titan, and Coffers, while also being useful against combo matchups like Twiddle-Storm, Gifts Storm, and Underworld Breach.
NecromentiaThe Stone Brain - Useful against decks that heavily rely on some specific card or combination of cards.
I've been tracking games for quite some time on this spreadsheet. There you can view how the deck performs against various other decks in the metagame, along with how specific cards perform when they are in the opening hand. This provides information on mulligan decisions. There is quite a bit of data to go through, so feel free to take a look! If you’re curious, you can also view the previous spreadsheet that was part of the original development of the deck.
My own Youtube channel is devoted almost solely to Lantern, and can be found here.
Another Youtube video is Lantern Insights.
Some older content can be found below, if you’re interested in the early days of the deck:
Zac Elsik's deck tech from GP Charlotte can be seen here.
Joao De Souza's (strangemolars) Youtube channel and here (Crexalbo's Youtube channel).
There are a few basic rules for playing this deck that are typically true. They may not always be true, but it is up to the pilot to figure out when they apply and when they do not.
- The one gameplay nuance that is important at all times is to play at a quick pace. Some good examples of this are videos on Zac Elsik. Once the prison is set, he knows what cards are on top, and knows exactly how he's going to tap his mana to play those cards (unless it's a land) during his next turn. In paper Magic, opponents will often "tank" over plays that are irrelevant to the boardstate, looking for a way to break out of the prison. There are some opponents who will purposefully take a while to do this, hoping to push the game into a draw, and then blame the Lantern pilot. In either case, we do not want this. Quick, and precise, play requires an in-depth knowledge of an opponent's deck and what outs he or she may have. If they do not have an out, then play as normal, but at a quick pace.
- If you have a mill rock available with a Mishra’s Bauble, and don’t have a Lantern of Insight in play,, it is almost always more correct to target yourself with the Bauble. A good way to appreciate why this is true is to consider the likelihood of an opponent having a card they want on top of their library as compared to the likelihood of us having a card that we don’t want or need on top of our own library. The latter is much more likely. Therefore, it’s better to use the Bauble on ourselves, in order to dig to the card(s) we need to solidify the lock.
- It is usually correct to play a Lantern of Insight if you know it will not get countered or discarded by an opponent before playing a Codex Shredder or Ghoulcaller's Bell. There are fewer Lantern effects in the deck than there are mill rocks, so it's less painful to have a mill rock countered or discarded, as you are more likely to draw another one.
-A good Lantern pilot is intimately familiar with the metagame. This is important so that the pilot knows the best cards to name with Pithing Needle, what cards the opponent is reliant on in order for their deck to properly function, and the best cards to use Surgical Extraction on.
- You typically want to always mill at the end of the opponent's turn. This allows the opponent less interaction with the top of their library, as they will not be able to use effects to set up their top card and then use sorcery speed spells to access the top card.
- This is a math-intensive deck. It is important to be able to count how many turns it will take to mill out an opponent and compare that with whether an opponent can deal the necessary damage to win the game before that time. When calculating this, remember to calculate the likelihood of drawing more mill rocks in the process, as doing so increases the speed of this deck.
- Do not forget to use Academy Ruins at the end of an opponent's turn.
- Be aware of all outs an opponent may have in play or in their deck. A pilot must be able to correctly count them.
- When using Surgical Extraction, count the number of outs an opponent has in his or her deck, and what outs those are. You are getting precious information from this, and this information should be used when calculating when you should or should not mill. Sometimes it is safer to just let the opponent keep a dead card on top rather than mill another three cards. Also, do not forget that Surgical Extraction can be used as instant speed discard, can shuffle away a threat that is on top, and can provide information on what cards the opponent has in hand. For example, if there is a The One Ring on top of an opponent's library and another copy in their graveyard, let the opponent draw it and then use Surgical Extraction during their draw step. This not only removes the threat, but blanks their draw for the turn. We can also hold Extraction until the opponent’s draw step when we know they have a dead card on top. They will draw the dead card, and we still get to exile the targets, rather than exiling targets and risking reshuffling an opponent’s deck so that a threat is on top.
- Do not forget the second ability of Lantern of Insight. If you think the opponent has sided in Ancient Grudges, drawing extra Lanterns is extremely beneficial. These extra Lanterns will allow you to shuffle away an Ancient Grudge, giving you more time to prepare for it by laying duplicate copies of cards.
- Likewise, do not forget about the second ability of Codex Shredder. This may allow the pilot to recur cards at instant speed, like Surgical Extraction.
- Concerning Eldrazi effects that let an opponent shuffle their graveyard back into their library, remember that you do not necessarily have to mill them. Often times it is just fine to let the opponent draw them, and then they have to just hold cards in order to discard the Eldrazi and get the shuffle effect. This buys us time to mill them out, go for an alternate wincon plan, or prepare for Surgical Extraction tactics. For example, it is entirely possible to use a constant recurring of Codex Shredder to use Surgical Extraction every turn to extract cards that the opponent may be holding in their hand while they work to build up cards to discard the Eldrazi. This delays their ability to discard it, while "milling" them.
- Surgical Extraction may also be used to extract cards out of our own hand. For example, there was an instance at GP Charlotte 2015 in which one of the Lantern players had the prison set with Ensnaring Bridge in play, but had Ghost Quarter and Glimmervoid in hand and was about to draw a Surgical Extraction. The opponent was going to be able to swing with lethal with 1-power creatures. The pilot had a Glimmervoid in play, and the play that wins the game was to draw the Extraction, play Ghost Quarter, tap Glimmervoid for a black, destroy his own Glimmervoid with Ghost Quarter, then use the black mana to use Surgical Extraction on the Glimmervoid and exile the Glimmervoid in his hand. Plays like these are extremely complicated, and aren't always the easiest to see, but are important for winning what look to be unwinnable games.
- Cards that draw at sorcery speed are typically alright for the opponent to draw. For example, I have seen many, many times where a player will mill a Serum Visions on their own turn. This is incorrect. Serum Visions in this instance does nothing but force the opponent to pay a blue mana to draw another card. The scry effect does next to nothing for them when we have the prison set: If they keep cards on top, we can mill them, and if they put cards to the bottom in order to try to dig to an answer, then we can still mill those answers. If, after they’ve drawn the Visions, they have a threat on top, we simply mill in response to the Visions resolving. At best, the opponent may try to hold many copies of Serum Visions and other sorcery speed cantrips in order to chain them, but that also allows us more time to get to more mill effects, which in turn directly negates their gameplan. In addition, their use of these cards increases our clock, as they are "milling" themselves yet another card for each of these used.
- When resolving an Ancient Stirrings or Glint-Nest Crane, it can matter what order the cards are put on the bottom of your library. This is especially so for decks that run no other shuffle effects than Lantern of Insight. Ancient Stirrings and Glint-Nest Crane essentially lets the pilot stack his or her deck! Note that this isn't quite as effective in Whir builds or builds that include Urza’s Saga (which you absolutely should if you can!) due to the required shuffle afterwards.
- When we have the choice between an early Inquisition of Kozilek or an early Duress or Thoughtseize, it is almost always correct to play the IoK first. The limit on the converted mana cost that IoK can get makes this true, along with the fact that IoK can take out creatures that might put us on a clock while we try to land a Bridge.
- It's important to play the lands in the correct order. It is usually correct to play Urza’s Saga as our second land drop, not our first. This way we will be more likely to have the mana for Ensnaring Bridge when Urza’s Saga goes away (if we don’t already have the other two lands available), and we often want to get a construct token in cases where we don’t have Ensnaring Bridge.
- If we know that the opponent will have no relevant plays in the first two or three turns, we can wait to pull the trigger on playing an IoK, Thoughtseize, or Duress. With this in mind, it's also often a good idea to hold a Thoughtseize or Duress until just before we want to force through a card that's going to cripple the opponent's deck (Ensnaring Bridge, Pithing Needle, etc.).
- It's usually correct to play Spellskite or Welding Jar before Bridge, when we have that choice. We may take a little more damage, but Spellskite will help ensure that Bridge stays out, allowing us to prevent taking lethal damage. Playing the Welding Jar first ensures that the opponent cannot destroy the Bridge with before Welding Jar can be used.
- If we have a Lantern out and an Ancient Stirrings, Whir of Invention, or Glint-Nest Crane in hand and a card that we want on top (another Ancient Stirrings or Crane, a discard spell to force a card through, an Ensnaring Bridge, etc.), it's often better to just hold the Stirrings/Whir/Crane and draw that card rather than pull the trigger immediately. The exception is if we absolutely need an answer (Bridge, Pithing Needle, etc.) immediately and we have the mana to play that answer if we grab it.
- Note that Urza’s Saga and Whir of Invention puts the artifact directly into play. What this means is that if an opponent has an activated ability available that Pithing Needle should stop, and they don't activate it before the third Urza’s Saga trigger or Whir resolves, we can use them to put Needle directly into play. The opponent will then not be able to use the ability at all. They must respond to the trigger or to Whir if they want to use the effect. If they do respond, then this gives us the option to grab something other than Needle.
- If we have a Stirrings/Crane in hand and the mana to play it, but not the mana to play the card we are looking to Stirrings/Crane for, then it's sometimes better to hold off on playing the spell. Otherwise, we risk getting our card discarded and/or giving the opponent information.
- If we are in serious trouble and need to Stirrings/Crane, and we have the Lantern combo out, we can use our mill rocks to dig further down before playing the spell, giving us more depth to them.
- If we plan on playing a Surgical Extraction and no Lantern out, it's usually correct to wait until the opponent's draw phase to use it. This gives us more information, and provides the slight chance that Extraction also acts as a discard spell. The exception is in the case that the opponent is playing with lots of instants, or has some means of removing the Extraction target at instant speed at the cost of mana (Endurance). In those cases, it's often best to play the Extraction when the opponent doesn't have the mana to respond.
- Allow the opponent to make mistakes when the situation provides it. For example, another exception to the point above about Surgical Extraction, it's sometimes better to hold an Extraction and let the opponent move to declare attackers when we have a Bridge out. Then, we can instant-speed Extraction, reducing the number of cards in our hand. This may often throw off their plans and their calculations when they've "figured out" what they're going to attack with and for how much.
In addition to these, there are some nuances that are important to know that is specific to a matchup. The greatest example of this is probably best understood when analyzing the Burn matchup.
The reason why Burn was a tough matchup is because, in that matchup, they had inevitability. Even if we got the lock, they could often just draw enough burn that slipped through to deal lethal, and because the amount of burn necessary to finish us off in their deck was higher than the amount of mill effects we had, they had inevitability.
Quite a few people have suggested trying out miracle cards and Counterbalance. Zerodown tested Terminus (shown in his list in the first few pages). It appears that he was not impressed with the results. If you would like to test further, please do, and then presenting the results of that testing to the thread would be great. The general opinion, if I'm not mistaken, is that it isn't worth it.
Another common suggestion is Artificer's Intuition. Let's think about it real quick. To get an artifact, we must first pay 1U, and then U for the ability. We must also discard an artifact. How many artifacts do we run that are dead enough that they're worth discarding to go search for another artifact? A second Mox Opal? And what artifact would we be searching for? A Lantern? Pyrite Spellbomb? One of the eight mill rocks? So, we are paying the same amount for this card to do the same effect as Trinket Mage (but paying the 1UU instead of 2U, and discarding a card instead of gaining a 2/2 body). A duplicate Intuition is absolutely dead, whereas a second Trinket Mage can fetch yet another card, plus provide another body.
Lastly, a note on "win-more" cards. There are plenty of cards and combos in existence that seem overpowered when added to this deck. For example, Bloodchief Ascension. An active Ascension is superb in a deck like this. The problem arises when we consider what must occur to ensure that the Ascension is active, rather than paying B for a card that will do nothing for us. To get Ascension active, we must deal at least six damage over the course of three turns. That is a tall order for a deck that typically only runs one or two Pyrite Spellbombs. When we plan it all out, it would take four mana sources, one of them providing U and one providing R, an Academy Ruins, a Pyrite Spellbomb, the Bloodchief Ascension, and three turns. Then, it requires that the opponent isn't killing us in the meantime, so that means that we would also require that the prison be constructed, and most likely an Ensnaring Bridge in play as well. That's seven cards, not including prison pieces and an Ensnaring Bridge, and three turns used in order to enable yet another win condition to the deck. If the prison is set up with an Ensnaring Bridge, and we have those mana sources and Ruins in play and access to a Pyrite Spellbomb, we could just as easily just continue on the tried and proven main win condition, without risking adding a weakness of a what would usually be a dead card to the construction of the deck. That precious card slot would be much better served by a card that contributes to ensuring that the main engine of the deck is assembled and running smoothly.
http://modernnexus.com/primers-lantern-control/
Lantern Control
(with videos)
Uc Tron
Netdecking explained
Netdecking explained, Part 2
On speculators and counterfeits
On Interaction
Every single competitive deck in existence is designed to limit the opponent's ability to interact in a meaningful way.
Record number of exclamation points on SCG homepage: 71 (6 January, 2018)
"I don't want to believe, I want to know."
-Carl Sagan
—Rashida Scalebane
A.K.A: Barber's Chop, Barber Deck, Trinket's Barber Shop, Trinket's Factory
(Banner by: DNC @ Heroes of the Plane Studios)
Notes: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
What is Top Control?
Top Control is a cheap artifact tool box that aims at preventing opponents from drawing threats by locking them into drawing lands or dead cards a la fateseal, turn after turn, until either you mill them, deal lethal damage or they
rage quit... concede unable to break the lock.Why play Top Control?
Some decks control by countering the opponent's threats, some decks control by making opponents discard threats, some others destroy lands to prevent them from playing threats, others use planeswalkers, some just pack a lot of hate and so on. Top control is all about draw control and it is godly fun to play with (not necessarily fun if playing against it). You want to be preventing threats from ever reaching the opponent's hand. If you are a control player at heart, there is no better feeling than having control over what your opponent can and cannot draw from their library. As a bonus, you get to control what you draw as well. You can use the combo to dig for answers out of your deck, to prevent land floods, to prevent drawing dead cards. Fixing draws is godly fun.
If you like having huge decision trees, this is the deck for you.
Why not play Top Control?
This is a late game win deck, if you like winning by turns 3-to-5, this is not the deck for you.
If you like playing decks on auto-run this deck is not for you, this deck will make you think, a lot. There is a lot of stuff that you can do with this deck like getting rid of an opponent's threat, digging through your deck, card filtering, graveyard recursion, card drawing, card fetching, etc. You must think twice about every decision you make.
If you like attacking your opponent, this is not for you as some variations don't even have creatures and the ones that do you will not be able to attack until you got a tight lock on the opponent.
A rough categorized list including sideboard cards of the most common cards being talked about through this thread:
LANDS
Glimmervoid – Due to the combo being cheap and colorless, the variety of builds is virtually infinite. The deck can support spells on all 5 colors but it is critial that you guarantee those colors on turn 1. This card allows us to play all our spells on turn 1. The downside is nearly irrelevant, very rarely will you have an opening hand with just glimmervoid as a land and no artifacts and an even rarer sight is to play a glimmervoid + artifact turn 1 and the opponent blowing that artifact on their turn 1.
Tendo Ice Bridge – Read Glimmervoid. The downside here is the lost counter which is bearable. You really should only need to guarantee colors on turn 1 or 2 to kickstart the deck. It is hardly ever a problem to live without the counter if it was put to good use and there even are games where you play Tendo and never use the counter.
Academy Ruins - Essential in any artifact deck and most lists are up in the 18-26 artifacts range. So many cheap artifacts to get back after being milled, destroyed, discarded, countered, dumped or sacrificed. Specially good on game 2 where artifact hate comes into the picture. It also keeps you from losing to mill or milling yourself while digging. New legend rule allows to run 2 with little to no issues.
Darksteel Citadel - An artifact land to increase the chances of activating Mox Opal turn 1. It's indestructible, it gives some assurance to Glimmervoid in case an artifact sweeper is played.
Due to the nature of the deck allowing up to 5 colored decks, there isn't a core manabase outside Glimmervoid and newly found Tendo Ice Bridge. This is a rough list of some of the utility lands being tested, used or at least mentioned in the thread as good picks.
Fetchlands/Shocklands – All useful, it depends on the colors you want to focus on.
Buried Ruins - Get back a blown up lantern, needle, mill piece, tormod or bridge.
Mikokoro, Center of The Sea – Card draw mid game. Serves as a pseudo mill piece since the drawn card for the opponent should be a dead card.
Gemstone Mine – Any color turn 1. Only 3 uses.
Duskmantle, House of Shadows – Added milling control.
Nephalia Drownyard – Added milling speed. Control might be lost by milling unkown cards with flashback, dredge, etc.
Keldon Megaliths – Deals damage. Comes in tapped.
Ghost Quarter – Land control. It serves to make the opponent shuffle a threat away from the top or lose a land.
Grove of The Burnwillows – Awesome in RG heavy lists.
Sulfurous Springs & Friends – Generally good to replace fetchalnds/shocklands and reduce the lifeloss.
ARTIFACTS
Lantern of Insight - Main combo piece. This 1cmc card lets you look at both player's top card of their libraries at all times. Its shuffling ability is never used unless you absolutely need to. Read the next three cards to understand why looking at the top cards is awesome.
Codex Shredder - Main combo piece. Once you know what the top card of your opponent is you can then decide whether to let the opponent draw it or make them mill it. If the top card of your opponent is not a threat to you, you can use untapped codices to mill off the top of your own deck to set up good draws for yourself. As a bonus, this card has a second ability that lets you recur any card from the graveyard in the late game, so you can get back late game Ensnaring Bridge answers or wincons.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Combo piece. Same effect as Codex Shredder, but it makes both players mill off the top. That is good at times and bad some times. Because some times you tap it to get rid of an opponent's card, but you also get rid of an important card and vice versa. On the other hand, some times you do want to mill both tops to mill an opponent's card while digging through your deck. It is a very tricky card, but nothing that can't be played around. It is optimal to have both bells and codices on the field. A special advantage on codex, if your opponent plays Leyline of Sanctity this card can still make them mill off the top.
Pyxis of Pandemonium – Read Ghoulcaller's Bell. This one exiles the card. Specially good to combat recursion on certain cards, flashback, dredge, Emrakul and so many other things you simply don't want near the opponent's graveyard.
Ensnaring Bridge - The nail on the coffin. Once you lock your opponent from drawing threats, you still have to deal with the threats they had on the opening hand and the ones drawn before the lock. The deck tends to play off an empty hand pretty efficiently and beautifully. Bridge then makes sure no attacks get through and the lock makes sure the bridge doesn't get destroyed. Bridge turns most of their creatures into dead beaters so you can let them draw most creatures, which makes it easier to keep control by easing the burden on the combo.
Mox Opal - Its modern, you need some ramp and this one costs 0 mana and gives you any color mana in an artifact deck with lots of colored spells. It usually attains metalcraft on turn 2 and on turn 1 with some opening hands. Copies can be dumped to Faithless Looting or milled with the lantern combo. New legend rule allows copies to be chained as an extra ramp tool, it is possible (not likely) to play a bridge on turn 1 with certain opening hands.
Pithing Needle - Answers a lot of weird stuff like Planeswalkers, Birthing Pod, manlands, fetchlands
Deathrite Shaman, Grim Lavamancer, Oblivion Stone, Mindslaver, Arcbound Ravager, Cranial Plating, the Swords of "A" and "B" and a lot more. It also pumps Mox Opal in a pinch. If not needed it can be dumped to Faihless Looting, or it can be recurred with Ancient Ruins if it was discarded, destroyed, milled, etc.Tormod's Crypt – A 0cc artifact that helps in metalcraft for mox on turn 1. Its activation is also free. This card hoses most anything that uses the graveyard, it can respond to Emrakul, responds to Living End, shuts down Loam, Snapcaster Mage and so many other things. An alternative is nihil spellbomb, though it costs 1 and has a 1 cost activation, its only benefit is the potential draw advantage. This card is easily recurrable with ruins to keep a lock on the grave, unlike Relic of Progenitus.
Mishra's Bauble - Mox's Partner in crime. This card along with another 0 or 1cc artifact allows to tap mox opal turn 1, which means its not rare to have a lock online by turn 1. That means your opponent needs to win, in theory, with their opening hand since everything they draw beyond that has to be approved by you. This card has another benefit, it acts as a pseudo-lantern, if you got codex on turn 1 but no lantern, you can still peek at the top card of your opponent with this. Also it draws a card when you crack it so its never a dead card. Finally, with 2 mana and Academy Ruins on the field, you can recur bauble from the graveyard every turn to act as a momentary lantern, giving you limited control over their draws until you find your lantern. The drawback is that your draws will be one turn late since bauble draws you a card during the next upkeep so its best used at the ooponent's EOT.
SPELLS
Digging/Fetching
Ancient Stirrings - Getting lantern out is the top priority, this is one of the most used spells to find the locking pieces, but since it is an artifact deck, it can also find moxes, bridges, needles or spellbombs when you most need them. The best thing about this card is that it will always find something in such an artifact heavy deck, worst case scenario you find a land. The other good thing about this is that if you are trying to find a lantern on turn 1 and its not in the first 5, you just dug 5 cards closer to that lantern or whatever you were trying to find (bridge, needle, spellbomb...).
Faithless Looting - Digs for your combo while filtering your hand to find the best answers for the current match. Its got flashback in case you run out of gas. Discarding is a plus here since the deck tends to recur cards from the graveyard. The flashback on this card is something that will save you many times, always keep an eye out for any lootings in your grave and plan accordingly.
Infernal Tutor – Due to the deck evolving into a no hand playstyle to feed Bridge, Infernal Tutor became a thing in some lists. Its really good at being able to find exactly what you're thinking off. With a good lock this is mainly used to tutor the preferred wincon to wrap up the game.
Trinket Mage – A body that fetches your 0 and 1cc artifact tools. Very rarely used as wincon. (Fabricate might be better, you lose the body but can fetch Ensnaring Bridge or other artifacts sided in like Torpor Orb.
Reshape - Can turn any artifact into a lantern on the spot, it can find a bridge or needle for locking purposes. You can sac useless needles, baubles or mox.
Thoughtcast - The deck attains metalcraft on turns 1 and 2 usually.
Serum Visions/Sleight of Hand - One draws then fixes, the other fixes then draws.
Trash for Treasure - Gets any artifact back. You can dump or mill something big and trash for it.
Glittering Wish – Plenty of multicolored cards to build a solid wishboard. Only a sorcery though.
Removal
Dispatch - Artifact decks have THE best removal spell ever printed.
Galvanic Blast – Another awesome removal spell for artifact decks, bolt on steroids. Usually hits for 4 on turn 2, though 2 damage should do the trick with most of the stuff that really bother u early on. Its benefit over dispatch is being able to hit planeswalkers and players and if for some reason you lack metalcraft it still hits for 2 while dispatch only taps the creature.
Abrupt Decay – The most commonly used removal spell can surely fit into a cheap deck that supports all 5 colors.
Beast Within – This beauty targets everything from lands to planeswalkers. The token should be of no trouble with so much removal or with a bridge out. If you got a tight lock you can use it on a permanent of your own to start attacking or if you need an emergency blocker to stop things like Geist of Saint Thraft. (Some prefer Maelstrom Pulse)
Pyroclasm - Hates out early utility creatures, weenies and creature rushes like affinity, waves of tokens and more. (Some prefer Firespout).
Pyrite Spellbomb - It pumps up Mox Opal, it can cycle itself and it can target creatures, players or planeswalkers. It is good vs affinity as it can target all their creatures including bl/inkmoth and even Etched Champion before you set up a bridge. Its also good vs flashed in creatures like Snapcaster Mage, Pestermite or vialed in creatures. It can also be recurred with Academy Ruins to have it loaded on the field in case of emergency. An all around good card. With 4 mana and Academy Ruins on the field you can recur this every turn for 2 damage a turn, thats useful in matchups like Tron where you can't mill them and its near impossible to attack through Emrakul.
Engineered Explosives - The deck can support up to 5 colors without much trouble and our permanents are mostly at 0 and 1 with the exception of bridge at 3, this shines at 2.
Oust - Works with codex/bell on pre-lantern turns.
Hand Disruption
Thougthseize - Opponents usually just have one "get out of jail free" card in their opening hand, this deals with it pretty effectively and fast. A well placed thoughtseize right before or right after the lock tends to seal the deal. Can be used as anti-counter if used to clear the way for the combo. The lifeloss is the price payed over Duress to be able to target creatures like Snapcaster Mage, Eternal witness, a combo creature or anything that can hurt you even after you lockdown.
Inquisition of Kozilek/Duress – A complement to Thoughtseize.
PLANESWALKERS
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - The preferred pet wincon. The deck needs no alternative wincon since the lantern combo IS your wincon and you can usually recur burn spells as an alt. wincon. However, Tezz has a lot of synergy with the deck, it can dig for combo pieces, it can turn your artifacts into 5/5 creatures or it can simply deal lethal damage to the opponent through its ultimate with all the artifacts you will have lying on the field. It can be recurred from the grave with codex or you can dig for it or tutor it out of the library. The opponent needs to deal with it so it becomes a lightning rod for damage. (Some preffer Tezzeret the Seeker
Liliana of the Veil - Hand & creature control. She can survive the same way tezz does, protected by the bridge. Lightning rod for damage. It has no wincon built in, just added control.
Ashiok, Nightmare WeaverJace Beleren – Added milling control.
SIDEBOARD
Graffdigger's Cage - Your best defense vs Ancient Grudge and Snapcaster Mage's flashbacked spells. Those are the 2 cards that most threaten the locks. Cage also nullifies Birthing Pod.
Sunbeam SPellbomb – For your opponent, every lifegain point they can take from you matters. We usually get low on lifepoints during the first few turns until we can lock the opponent, after this the opponent either concedes or tries to grind you down with burn spells, lifeloss (Deathrite) or 0/1 exalted attacks. Sunbeam sets the opponent back a lot at this stage because it is extremely hard for them to draw into a bolt for example. If they have you at 3 life and just need to get one last bolt in, after a sunbeam suddenly the opponent needs to find 3 bolts. This card is really good at keeping you alive vs opponents that can grind out the game since you can be gaining the 5 life over and over with Academy Ruins.
Surgical Extraction - Good in any mill deck. Some people love it, others don’t.
Welding Jar - Good off the SB for protection. It also aids in metalcraft for mox.
Spellskite – Hoser vs certain decks, pretty good against a wide range of decks. Mainly good off the SB.
Torpor Orb – Good vs certain decks.
Elixir of Immortality - A 1cc that nets you life and protects you from losing to mill.
Leyline of Sanctity – A must on the sideboard. A singleton main couldn't hurt.
Ancient Grudge/Ray of Revelation – 2 for 1. You could dump it to Faithless Looting or mill it and play it from the graveyard.
Wear/Tear - Versatile SB card vs the usual hate. Ancient Grudge might prove more useful if the deck becomes popular and mirror matches become a problem.
Nature’s Claim – Another option to take out the usual hate, this one has the added bonus that you can target something of your own for the lifegain. The drawback is that it costs 1, and could end up being locked out with the rest of the deck by a halice of the void set at 1.
NOTE: If anyone thinks of a card that belongs here please submit the name of the card and brief notes on its pros and cons. I'd also post revised comments for cards already added. Basically just help me expand the primer.
How the deck plays:
The top priority is getting Lantern of Insight out on the field ASAP. With one of the mill pieces. The best possible play allows for a turn 1 Lantern of Insight and Codex Shredder and a turn 2 Ensnaring Bridge. If you don't have a lantern on the opening hand there are options to find it, Faithless Looting lets you dig for the lantern while filtering your hand, Ancient Stirrings lets you grab an artifact from the first 5 cards of the top of the library and if you got UU1 Reshape turns any artifact into the lantern on the spot. There are also U spells like Serum Visions or Sleight of Hand to draw into the lantern while filtering draws. Trinket Mage works as well. Mishra's Bauble has a limited lantern effect and is recurrable with Academy Ruins.
Other than getting your lantern combo out to control draws, your priority should be on keeping control via removal and discard while you seal the game with Ensnaring Bridge.
Versus combo decks you need to make them discard their combo card and prevent them from drawing it again or flashbacking it with snapcaster. You could also just needle a combo piece or destroy it.
How to use the combo:
Basically unless the opponent is trying to draw cards from their deck you should just let them play their turn and at their EOT use the combo to set up their next draw. After setting up their draw, use untapped combo pieces to set up your own draw, then untap your cards, go to your upkeep and use more combo pieces to further set up your draw if needed. That way each combo piece's usefulness is doubled, if you have 2 codex you can use them at their EOT and then again on your upkeep, giving you 4 uses out of 2 pieces.
Early game you use the combo to make them discard off the top of their deck until a land or a dead card is on top, then you let them draw that. With a bridge out you can let them draw creatures, just don't let them draw creatures with abilities like Grim Lavamancer who can deal damage without attacking, or creatures that let them draw cards, etc.
Vs decks with drawing spells, you need to play counter style, let them play their spells then respond with the combo pieces to make them mill the top card they wanted to draw.
Shuffle effects - Beware you should never tap out your combo pieces in your turn if your opponent has a way to shuffle their library. Fetchlands, the opponent can use them to shuffle their deck at your EOT changing the card you wanted them to draw. You can respond to this after they search or during their upkeep before they draw. The opponent can also use Path to Exile on a creature of their own to shuffle. If you believe the opponent can somehow shuffle their library, just don't tap out your codices or bells.
Main wincon - The main goal of the deck is to progressively mill your opponent, early game you mill them 1-3 cards a turn, late game you can make them discard up to 8 cards a turn with the full set of bells and codexes on field. You can run the deck with mill as your only wincon for absolute consistency, however some decks are more mill resistant than others so alternate wincons are welcomed.
- Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas seems to be the most commonly used planeswalker as an alt. Wincon for its synergy with the deck.
- Galvanic Blast is recurrable with Codex Shredder and Shredder with Academy Ruins.
- You could also use Pyrite Spellbombs to deal damage to your opponent. Next turn recur it back with Academy Ruins for a repeat. Due to Pyrite dealing only 2 damage its clock is as good as recurring back Galvanic Blast.
- If you got a lock and your opponent has no creatures left, you can use Beast Within on a permanent of your own (mainly the bridge) to produce a 3/3 token with which to deal damage. Or create a token with Tezzeret or something else. Winning by creature damage is an extremely rare sight with this deck.
- Thopter Foundry Provides a way to gain life in the process of popping out flying 1/1s while recurring the sacced artifacts with Academy Ruins.
Once you manage to lock the opponent any wincon works, running a 1-off wincon is enough since you can dig through the deck to find it, tutor it or recur it back from the graveyard. Since almost any wincon works after you lock the opponent, alternate wincons are not limited to these few. Let your creativity decide and have fun.
Glittering Wish
Wincons
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas: Best to close out games quickly, or dig for combo pieces. Also good against Affinity for turning Ornithopter or Cranial Plating in to a 5/5. Just remember you might not be able play him the turn you 'wish' for him due to a total cost of 2WUBG
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver: Good for the mill route, and can pump out blockers if needed. It's ultimate can eventually deal with any threatening cards left in their hand from before the lock.
Thopter Foundry: The minor life gain can be important, and blockers can also be useful. Academy Ruins with Darksteel Citadel (or any other cheap artifact) will let you spit out a token every turn. Draw a card, swing with tokens, then play your card.
Boros Charm: A 5th Galvanic Blast if you need to push through damage. The Indestructible can also be useful, but more so post-sideboard. Lightning Helix can also go here; can be used as removal, and some small lifegain could be important.
Board filled up with artifacts and lock established? Tezzeret if they are still at high life, Boros Charm if you've already Galvanic Blast'd a few times.
Missing a part of the lock? Tezzeret to find general pieces, Ashiok for another mill rock
Graveyard shenanigans? Ashiok
Feeling a little behind on your board state? Thopter Foundry to spit out blockers and gain life, Tezzeret to grab more artifacts (or make big blockers), Ashiok can generate blockers.
Ashiok can also really help pad your life total, climbing by 2 a turn.
Utility
Abrupt Decay: Destroy most things in Modern.
Maelstrom Pulse: Destroy everything else. With a clogged board state, this will often 2-for-1, although with a Bridge out that doesn't mean much if it is destroying creatures. Can be useful for destroying multiple hate cards. Scavenging Ooze, or any number of sideboard hate cards. I find some people playing a replicate of something like Stony Silence for redundancy in case of destruction, rather than saving it.
Wheel of Sun and Moon: shuts down graveyard decks, and makes us rely on damage for a wincon. Can also be used against mill decks.
Firespout: 3 damage pyroclasm for an extra board wipe
Supreme Verdict: A real board wipe. Sometimes it feels nice to wipe the board, even with 1-2 Bridges out. Especially post-sideboard against something with green or white. Might not be able to cast it the turn you wish for it.
Wear // Tear: Already one of our sideboard cards. Yes, this is multicolored when it is not on the stack.
Rakdos Charm: Artifact hate, Graveyard hate, Splinter Twin combo hate.
Hide // Seek: Might try this out in place of a Wear // Tear. Tuck an artifact or enchantment, or go remove their wincon. As a last resort, you should always be able to get at least 3-4 life. Against tron, it's a solid 7 or 15 life. Also gets you a shuffle and increases the land ratio to make your job a little easier. Too bad these old split cards didn't have fuse.
Castigate: An extra thoughtseize that exiles.
Dreadbore: Not to great, as the only walkers that see some level of play are really just Liliana and Ajani.
Current decklist updated: 4/20/14
4 Tendo Ice Bridge
2 Grove of The Burnwillows
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Academy Ruins
2 Sulfurous Springs
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Mox Opal
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Codex Shredder
3 Pithing Needle
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
2 Tormod's Crypt
4 Faithless Looting
4 Thoughtseize
4 Galvanic Blast
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Duress
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Torpor Orb
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
Affinity:
Priority – Dispatch, Pyroclasm, Pyrite Spellbomb until you can play Ensnaring Bridge
Key cards - Pithing Needle, Pyroclasm, Ensnaring Bridge, Abrupt Decay, Beast Within, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb.
SB: Abrupt Decay, Pithing Needle
Birthing Pod:
Priority – Landing Pithing Needle on B.Pod followed by Ensnaring Bridge
Key cards - Ensnaring Bridge, Beast Within, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pithing Needle, Pyroclasm, Thoughtseize, Tormod's Crypt, Abrupt Decay.
SB: Abrupt Decay, Pithing Needle
Infect:
Priority – Dispatch, Pyroclasm, Thoughtseize until you can play Ensnaring Bridge
Key cards - Ensnaring Bridge, Beast Within, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pyroclasm.
SB: Abrupt Decay, Pithing Needle
Jund – Duress to take out Abrupt Decay or Maelstrom Pulse, the concentrate on keeping Dark Confidant off the field until you play a Bridge. After Bridge you can let them play Dark Confidant and use it against them by letting it deal damage while controlling the draws.
Key cards - Ensnaring Bridge, Duress, Beast Within, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pyroclasm, Pithing Needle.
SB: Abrupt Decay, Pyroclasm, Surgical Extraction (Ancient Grudge)
RDW:
Priority – Gas them out by using Duress on their burn spells then lock them out of more burn spells followed by Ensnaring Bridge.
Key Cards - Ensnaring Bridge, Duress, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pyroclasm.
SB: Abrupt Decay, Leyline of Sanctity
Scapeshift:
Priority – Duress on Scapeshift and try to prevent them from drawing Snapcaster Mage. Also try to mill their Valakut before they can play scapeshift or use Beast Within on it if they play it before scapeshift.
Key cards – Duress, Beast Within
SB: Leyline of Sanctity, Surgical Extraction, Relic of Progenitus
Tron:
Priority – Duress or Pithing Needle on Oblivion Stone, the needle must be set pre-emptively or they will play it and activate it at the same time. Then fetch the second Pithing Needle for Karn if you can’t mill it either pre-emtively or after they drop it. Follow with Ensnaring Bridge to neutralize Emrakul, The Eons Thorn. Beast Within is good if you can’t needle Karn.
Key Cards – Duress, Pithing Needle, Ensnaring Bridge, Beast Within,
SB: Abrupt Decay, Surgical Extraction, Pithing Needle
Twin:
Priority – Duress on Twin if you can, play Ensnaring Bridge. For safety always keep W mana open and a Dispatch on hand for when they try to go off.
Key Cards - Ensnaring Bridge, Duress, Dispatch, Beast Within, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pithing Needle
SB: Abrupt Decay, Pithing Needle, Surgical Extraction
Ux Tempo:
Priority – Just land the lantern combo to keep them off more counters and draw spells and find an Ancient Ruins for anything you lose to counters. Land an Ensnaring Bridge when its safe. Use your needles on Celestial Colonnade or other manlands. Duress on their counters.
Key cards – Duress, Ancient Ruins, Ensnaring Bridge, Beast Within, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pithing Needle,
SB: Abrupt Decay, Surgical Extraction
Uxx Control:
Priority – Read Ux Tempo
Key cards – read Ux Tempo
White Lifegain/Death&Taxes:
Priority – Ensnaring Bridge should do all the work, find one and play it ASAP.
Ensnaring Bridge, Beast Within, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pyroclasm, Duress
SB: Abrupt Decay
Wx Token:
Priority – Read White lifegain.
Ensnaring Bridge, Duress, Beast Within, Dispatch, Pyrite Spellbomb, Pyroclasm.
SB: Abrupt Decay
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Mishra's Bauble
4 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Pithing Needle
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Necrogen Spellbomb
4 Pyroclasm
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Lingering Souls
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Faithless Looting
3 Mox Opal
2 Academy Ruins
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Duskmantle, House of Shadow
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Marsh Flats
1 Swamp
1 Watery Grave
1 Godless Shrine
1 Blood Crypt
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Ray of Revelation
2 galvanic Blast
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
2 Spellskite
1 Stomping Ground
1 Overgrown Tomb
4 Glimmervoid
3 Darksteel Citadel
2 Academy Ruins
1 Temple Garden
1 Breeding Pool
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Forest
1 Island
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Codex Shredder
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Mox Opal
3 Ancient Stirrings
3 Duress
4 Mishra's Bauble
2 Faithless Looting
Alternate Win Con
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Main Board Hate Cards
2 Beast Within
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
2 Infernal Tutor
4 Pyroclasm
2 Beast Within
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
1 Leyline of the Void
3 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Welding Jar
2 Blind Obedience
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Spells
3 Duress
4 Dispatch
4 Ancient Stirring
Artifacts
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Mox Opal
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Pithing Needle
4 Glimmervoid
2 Academy Ruins
2 Darksteel Citadel
4 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Godless Shrine
1 Watery Grave
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Swamp
1 Plains
3 Oust
3 Pyroclasm
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
3 Trinket Mage
Artifacts:
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
1 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Lantern of Insight
3 Mishra's Bauble
3 Mox Opal
1 Necrogen Spellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
Sorceries:
4 Duress
3 Pyroclasm
3 Gitaxian Probe
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Lands:
1 Academy Ruins
1 Blood Crypt
3 Darksteel Citadel
4 Glimmervoid
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
4 Marsh Flats
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Tolaria West
1 Watery Grave
1x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1x Booby Trap
4x Ensnaring Bridge
4x Lantern of Insight
4x Codex Shredder
3x Ghoulcaller's Bell
2x Pithing Needle
1x Crucible of Worlds
1x Elixir of Immortality
1x Mox Opal
1x Welding Jar
2x Banishing Stroke
2x Vanishment
2x Bonfire of the Damned
1x Temporal Mastery
4x Faithless Looting
2x Pyroclasm
1x Infernal Tutor
1x Noxious Revival
4x Gemstone Mine
4x Glimmervoid
2x Academy Ruins
2x Ghost Quarter
2x Tectonic Edge
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Steam Vents
1x Tendo Ice Bridge
1x Snow-Covered Mountain
1x Snow-Covered Plains
4 Mox Opal
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
Discard Package:
2 Duress
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Raven's Crime
2 Smallpox
1 Haunting Echoes
Dig:
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Infernal Tutor
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Pithing Needle
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Academy Ruins
1 Forest
4 Glimmervoid
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Overgrown Tomb
3 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Watery Grave
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Sun Droplet
1 Torpor Orb
3 Beast Within
4 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
3 Mox Opal
1 Elixer of Immortality
2 Pithing Needle
1 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Duress
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Infest
3 Ancient Stirring
1 Infernal Tutor
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Watery Grave
1 Breeding Pool
1 Forest
4 Swamp
4 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
4 Surgical Extraction
4 Appetite for Brains
3 Smallpox
4 Trinket Mage
Spells
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Dispatch
4 Pyroclasm
2 Wrath of God
2 Thirst for Knowledge
Artifacts
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Mox Opal
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Pyrite spellbomb
2 Academy Ruins
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Arid Mesa
1 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Glimmervoid
4 Gemstone mine
1 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
1 Temple Garden
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Academy Ruins
Artifacts
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Mox Opal
4 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Mishra's Bauble
1 Tormod's Crypt
3 Welding Jar
4 Duress
4 Dispatch
3 Pyroclasm
2 Beast Within
1 Infernal Tutor
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
3 Pithing Needle
3 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Pyroclasm
1 Trinket Mage
1 Beast Withn
3 Surgical Extraction
Event Results: http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10437579&postcount=470
4 Brushland
4 Ghost Quarter
3 Forest
1 Plains
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Codex Shredder
Creature Control:
4 Dispatch
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Elixir of Immortality
4 Mishra's Bauble
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Edge of Autumn
3 Noxious Revival
4 Surgical Extraction
3 Elixir of Immortality
2 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
event reports:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10560945&postcount=530
4x Codex Shredder
4x Ensnaring Bridge
4x Ghoulcaller's Bell
4x Lantern of Insight
4x Mishra's Bauble
1x Pithing Needle
3x Fabricate
4x Thoughtcast
2x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Duress
4x Surgical Extraction
2x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1x Academy Ruins
1x Buried Ruin
2x Island
3x Nephalia Drownyard
3x Swamp
2x Tendo Ice Bridge
4x Underground River
4x Waterveil Cavern
1 Artificer's Intuition
4 Codex Shredder
4 Duress
1 Elixir of Immortality
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Mishra's Bauble
1 Pithing Needle
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
3 Pyroclasm
4 Serum Powder
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
4 Thoughtcast
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 City of Brass
4 Darkslick Shores
2 Darksteel Citadel
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Pithing Needle
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Sunbeam Spellbomb
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Tormod's Crypt
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Thoughtseize
3 Trinket Mage
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Beast Within
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Glimmervoid
2 Academy Ruins
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
1 Watery Grave
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Darksteel Citadel
3 Nature's Claim
3 Torpor Orb
3 Galvanic Blast
2 Spellskite
1 Surgical Extraction
Event Reports:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10591556&postcount=552
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10696337&postcount=617
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Faithless Looting
3 Beast Within
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Codex Shredder
4 Lantern of Insight
2 Mishra's Bauble
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Blood Moon
8 Forest
8 Mountain
4 Copperline Gourge
1 Beast Within
1 Elixir of Immortality
3 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Naturalize
1 Pithing Needle
4 Pyroclasm
3 Welding Jar
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Mishra's Bauble
4 Faithless Looting
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Dispatch
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Pyroclasm
3 Galvanic Blast
1 Beast Within
2 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Sunbeam Spellbomb
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Glimmervoid
4 Arid Mesa
1 Stomping Ground
1 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Mox Opal
1 Pithing Needle
3 Wear // Tear
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Welding Jar
2 Spellskite
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Mox Opal
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Glimmervoid
2 Academy Ruins
1 Stomping Ground
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Pithing Needle
4 Faithless Looting
2 Beast Within
3 Mishra's Bauble
3 Pyroclasm
1 Duskmantle, House of Shadow
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Blood Crypt
1 Infernal Tutor
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Galvanic Blast
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Pithing Needle
3 Welding Jar
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Nature's Claim
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2x Dispatch
4x Path to Exile
3x Beast Within
1x Abrupt Decay
2x Simic Charm
3x Reshape
3x Ancient Stirrings
1x Mox Opal
1x Tormod's Crypt
4x Codex Shredder
1x Elixir of immortality
3x Ghoulcaller's Bell
1x Grafdigger's Cage
4x Lantern of Insight
2x Pithing Needle
1x Crucible of Worlds
4x Ensnaring Bridge
1x Misty Rainforest
2x Academy Ruins
1x Duskmantle, House of Shadow
4x Ghost Quarter
2x Glimmervoid
1x Tendo Ice Bridge
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Watery Grave
1x Temple Garden
1x Plains
1x Island
1x Swamp
1x Forest
2x Leave No Trace
4x Pulse of the Fields
3x Surgical Extraction
2x Spellskite
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
1 Ghoulcaller's Bell
3 Mox Opal
1 Pithing Needle
1 Expedition Map
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Scroll of Avacyn
1 Scroll of Griselbrand
1 Relic of Progenitus
4 Dispatch
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Terminus
1 Wrath of God
2 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Seachrome Coast
1 Academy Ruins
1 Island
1 Plains
4 Darksteel Citadel
1 Tolaria West
2 Mutavault
1 Watery Grave
2 Darkslick Shores
2 Marsh Flats
1 Swamp
1 Glimmervoid
2 Rest in Peace
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Silence
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Wear // Tear
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
3 Inquistion of Kozeliek
3 Dispatch
3 Mox Opal
4 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Pyroclasm
3 Faithless Looting
1 Grafdigger Cage
1 Infernal Tutor
4 Ancient Stirring
2 Pithing Needle
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Necrogen Spellbomb
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Mirokoro
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Mountain
1 Island
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Breeding Pool
1 Watery Grave
1 Stomping Grounds
1 Godless Shrine
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Academy Ruins
4 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Duress
2 Spellskite
2 Nature's Claim
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Beast Within
event reports:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10512598&postcount=509
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Academy Ruins
1 Temple Garden
1 Stomping Ground
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Blood Crypt
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Watery Grave
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
3 Mox Opal
4 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod's Crypt
3 Faithless Looting
3 Dispatch
3 Pyroclasm
3 Duress
2 Beast Within
2 Infernal Tutor
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
2 Thoughtseize
1 Pithing Needle
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Nature's Claim
3 Surgical Extraction
Original Idea & Primer
That is the aim of:
3 Arid Mesa
3 Marsh Flats
3 Hallowed Fountain
2 Academy Ruins
2 Phyrexia's Core
2 Plains
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
4 Oust
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Terminus
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Mox Opal
3 Porphyry Nodes
The combo: Lantern of Insight + Codex Shredder and/or Ghoulcaller's Bell.
The idea: Basically the idea is to take out creatures fast while setting up a Lantern and some Shredders/Bells so that I can lock my opponent into drawing lands or dead cards. Every turn. Until he mills out or rage quits as it happened on the first game test against a Kiki Jiki deck, at about turn 28 of the game, having drawn a land for the past 8 turns he just took over all my cards to his side and quit. A pic of it is attached, had to rearrange my cards before taking the pic since he had taken them over.
The problem: Getting Lantern out FAST. I got a lot of drawing cards, lots of scry and many forms of removal. Yet it still a bit slow, but hey it was born yesterday, I think it has potential, at least it feels and plays like it could do great things. The other problem is loss of life through fetchlands and Gitaxians, if I could lessen that it would be much stronger.
The creatureless thing: Not only does it disable removal from the opponent, but I can LET THEM draw removal from the top deck since its a dead card.
The cards:
Glacial Fortress - Color fix
Arid Mesa - Deck thining. Makes sure glacial never enters untapped.
Marsh Flats - Same.
Hallowed Fountain - Color fix
Academy Ruins - To recur combo pieces. Keeps me from milling myself.
Phyrexia's Core - A bit of lifegain. Past mid game with a few lands out I can use shredder, sac it and redraw it with Academy. That way I can never mill myself out.
Plains - Obvious
Path to Exile - Early removal is essential.
Serum Visions - Lantern digging.
Oust - Perfect for pre-lantern turns, putting the creature second from the top allows me to let my opponent draw the first and then I can shred the creature which was second.
Gitaxian Probe - Lantern digging, plus it is extremely useful in this deck to know the contents of my opponent's hand so I can decide which cards to let him draw.
Terminus - Playing with the top revealed makes this deadly.
Lantern of Insight The main combo piece. Lets me look at my oppnent's top card to manipulate it.
Codex Shredder - Main combo piece. Lets me discard my opponent's top card. The good thing is, if I wish to let the top of my opponent stay as is, I can use this to manipulate MY top to draw into removal or more shredders/bells.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - same as shredder, but we both discard the top. Its good having one of each (shredder and bell) out because some times you want to make your opponent discard as well as you. Could also make you discard something you didn't want to, but thats why academy is there for.
Mishra's Bauble - A pseudo-lantern for early turns, it lets me look at the top of my opponents deck before I put a lantern out so I can start using my shredders/bells. And it draws me a card to boot. Ifor 0.
Mox Opal - color fix. phyrexia's target, might change it for Relic of Progenitus since I'm having problems with things abilities like Unearth.
Porphyry Nodes - The perfect removal for a creatureless deck.
What I need is ways to get the lantern out fast. Reshape and Artificer's Intuition seem slow and clunky with their cmc and I need to sac/discard an artifact.
I tried implementing counters like Condescend to slow the opponent while scrying, but counters get in the way of the combo in the first few turns which is where I need to set it up or else my opponent might draw too many nasties.
Also thought of adding a 1-off win card, but then I thought that nothing was as frustrating as watching your opponent mill out helplessly.
Anyways, this is just something I came up with yesterday, I'd like to hear opinions on it.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
Note: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
Also, thank you to Zerodown for the idea and help in creating the deck, and thank you to LordGrimpow for the banner and code for the primer's new look.
Fateseal Control is a prison deck that works to limit an opponent's access to cards with quality in regards to the game being played. While many control decks prevent spells from being resolved (permission magic, like Counterspell) or from being played (taxing magic, like Trinisphere), this deck aims to restrict access to cards. By working this way, the opponent is no longer playing their deck – They are playing a version of his or her deck that requires that you approve of what cards they have added.
The deck makes great use of the idea of inevitability. Jeff Cunningham wrote an article about this theme, and it’s definitely something worth reading, whether you plan on piloting Lantern Control or want to ensure you are prepared to beat it. The power behind Lantern is that it is one of the most inevitable decks in the current Modern metagame. The longer the game goes, the more likely the Lantern deck will win – So long as the pilot makes correct plays. There are currently few decks, if any, that have as much inevitability as Lantern, making it extremely powerful against a large portion of the metagame.
—Rashida Scalebane
A.K.A: Barber's Chop, Barber Deck, Trinket's Barber Shop, Trinket's Factory
(Banner by: DNC @ Heroes of the Plane Studios)
Note: First time readers are recommended to start reading from page 7, that is when the deck took a competitive twist. For a full comprehension of the variety of decks evolution take your time and read it all.
Also thank you to Zerodown for the idea and help in creating the deck.
What is Top Control?
Top Control is a Stax deck. The entire premise of victory isn't winning so much as not losing until you have won. Think Ghandi, and not the Civ 5 version. To do this, pilots of this deck are using cheap artifacts to control what cards the opponent will draw. Take away this resource, and eventually you starve them of use. The longer the game, the better the chances of winning.
Why play Top Control?
I honestly started playing because I was annoyed at players online. This deck is not fun to play against. For most players who like to win with their creatures, this deck is even worse. However, the more I played the deck, the more I found I enjoyed the intricacies of how the deck won.
Tenants of basic modern magic are to have a full hand and creatures on the board, and this deck wants neither. Instead, it controls the draw step, the step that most players take for granted.
Ever drawn 3 lands instead of that 1 bomb that could win you the game in draft? That is what this deck does to other players.
Ever be so far behind only to top deck your best out? That is what this deck does.
That feeling is addicting, and is why I continue to play this deck.
If all of that didn't get your jimmies jittering, well, nevermind and go play with your Tarmogoyf. This deck is not for you.
Current Decklist
4 Mox Opal
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
1 Sunbeam Spellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod's Crypt
Creatures
3 Spellskite
3 Trinket Mage
Dig Spells
3 Ancient Stirrings
2 Faithless Looting
2 Infernal Tutor
1 Abrupt Decay
3 Galvanic Blast
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Pyroclasm
Lands
2 Academy Ruins
4 Glimmervoid
3 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Mirrodin's Core
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Mikokoro, Center of The Sea
1 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Boros Charm
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Ray of Revelation
1 Spellskite
1 Dragon's Claw
1 Extirpate
1 Hide // Seek
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Slaughter Games
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Welding Jar
1 Pyroclasm
1 Pithing Needle
1 Swan Song
1 Abrupt Decay
Glimmervoid – Due to the combo being cheap and colorless, the variety of builds is virtually infinite. The deck can support spells on all 5 colors but it is critical that you guarantee those colors on turn 1. This card allows us to play all our spells on turn 1. The downside is nearly irrelevant, very rarely will you have an opening hand with just glimmervoid as a land and no artifacts and an even rarer sight is to play a glimmervoid + artifact turn 1 and the opponent blowing that artifact on their turn 1.
Mirrodin's Core - Taps for Colorless mana the turn it drops with the ability to get colored mana of whatever you need the 2nd turn you drop it. With the deck being a 3-5 color deck, lands like this are quite useful.
Tendo Ice Bridge – The exact opposite of Mirrodin's Core, but quite useful for the same reasons. Turn 1 colored mana, with colorless mana afterwards.
Academy Ruins - Essential in any artifact deck and most lists are up in the 18-26 artifacts range. So many cheap artifacts to get back after being milled, destroyed, discarded, countered, dumped or sacrificed. Specially good on game 2 where artifact hate comes into the picture. It also keeps you from losing to mill or milling yourself while digging. New legend rule allows to run 2 with little to no issues.
Darksteel Citadel - An artifact land to increase the chances of activating Mox Opal turn 1. It's indestructible, it gives some assurance to Glimmervoid in case an artifact sweeper is played.
Ghost Quarter – Darksteel Citidel + this card makes a fetchland. Hurts Tron/Manlands.
Due to the nature of the deck allowing up to 5 colored decks, there isn't a core manabase outside of Glimmervoid and Academy Ruins. This is a rough list of some of the utility lands being tested, used or at least mentioned in the thread as good picks.
Mikokoro, Center of The Sea – Card draw mid game. Serves as a pseudo mill piece since the drawn card for the opponent should be a dead card.
Duskmantle, House of Shadows and Nephalia Drownyard – Land Mill. Useful to speed the game along.
Buried Ruins - Get back a blown up lantern, needle, mill piece, tormod or bridge.
Gemstone Mine – Any color turn 1. Only 3 uses.
Grove of The Burnwillows – Awesome in RG heavy lists. Pretty awesome otherwise as well. Only downside is that it messes with the Plan B of Burning them out or using Tezzerret's Ultimate.
Fetchlands/Shocklands/Painlands – They do give you the mana you need, and some pilots love the fetches in particular for the shuffle effect. However, other pilots feel that life loss in a deck based around the long game is too costly.
ARTIFACTS
Lantern of Insight - This 1cmc card lets you look at both player's top card of their libraries at all times. Its shuffling ability is good to have in dire times, or when you have multiples on the field, but the major job is watching the player's top of their deck.
Codex Shredder - MVP. Good lord this card does work. Sure it's first ability is the basis of the entire strategy, but the second ability then compliments the strategy by recuring what we need from our own graveyard in a pinch.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Same as Codex's first ability, but hits both players. This gets around cards like Leyline of Sanctity, but it doenst have the 2nd ability of Codex.
Pyxis of Pandemonium – Good against flashback spells and Legendary Eldrazi, as well as vs graveyard decks, though it hurts us as well as this deck tends to use its graveyard too.
Ensnaring Bridge - This card is the card that switched the deck from being funny to competitive. Most games revolve around this card, whether its on the field or off, or about to be.
Mox Opal - 4. Unless you have a reason not to want a free land drop that taps for all colored mana.
Pithing Needle - Answers a lot of weird stuff like Planeswalkers, Birthing Pod, manlands, fetchlands, Grim Lavamancer, Oblivion Stone, Mindslaver, Arcbound Ravager, Cranial Plating, Qasali Pridemage, etc.
Tormod's Crypt – Allstar 1 of main deck. Ruins graveyard strategies, which have become more prevalent with Treasure Cruise.
Sunbeam Spellbomb – For your opponent, every lifegain point they can take from you matters. We usually get low on lifepoints during the first few turns until we can lock the opponent, after this the opponent either concedes or tries to grind you down with burn spells, lifeloss, or 0/1 exalted attacks. Sunbeam sets the opponent back a lot at this stage because it is extremely hard for them to draw into a bolt for example. If they have you at 3 life and just need to get one last bolt in, after a sunbeam suddenly the opponent needs to find 3 bolts. This card is really good at keeping you alive vs opponents that can grind out the game since you can be gaining the 5 life over and over with Academy Ruins. Never leave home without it.
Mishra's Bauble - This card can be used as a 1 time lantern, but currently with most players it has fallen out of favour. Helps Metalcraft
SPELLS
Digging/Fetching
Ancient Stirrings - It either digs deeper or digs faster than the others, making it the prime choice for this deck.
Faithless Looting - Draw 2 cards, discard 2 cards you don't want. 2nd best dig spell for the deck I mainly use it for it's flashback cost when the game has stalled and I've drawn a dud.
Infernal Tutor – Demonic Tutor. With our gameplan playing Hellbent, it might as well be. Good as a 2 of, less so the more you put in.
Trinket Mage – Body that fetches our targeted hate and lock pieces.
Spellskite - Protection for our lock, from burn, and is a decent blocker. Kills fast decks like Infect, stops Twin, makes me dinner. It's nice.
Removal
Thougthseize/Inquisition of Kozilek/Duress – Again with the life loss, some pilots would rather not lose life needlessly. Inquisition hits most relevant targets so long as you aren't facing Tron.
Dispatch - Artifact decks have THE best point removal spell ever printed vs creatures. Unfortunately is sucks when you don't have metalcraft.
Galvanic Blast – Another awesome removal spell for artifact decks, bolt on steroids. Usually hits for 4 on turn 2, though 2 damage should do the trick with most of the stuff that really bothers us early on. It's benefit over dispatch is being able to hit planeswalkers and players and if for some reason you lack metalcraft it still hits for 2, which kills the small beats, while dispatch only taps the creature.
Abrupt Decay – The most commonly used removal spell can surely fit into a cheap deck that supports all 5 colors.
Beast Within – This beauty targets everything from lands to planeswalkers. The token should be of no trouble with so much removal or with a bridge out. If you got a tight lock you can use it on a permanent of your own to start attacking or if you need an emergency blocker.
Pyroclasm - Hates out early utility creatures, weenies and creature rushes like affinity, waves of tokens and more. (Some prefer Firespout).
Pyrite Spellbomb - It can kill Etched Champion, otherwise Galvanic Blast is just better.
Engineered Explosives - The deck can support up to 5 colors without much trouble and our permanents are mostly at 0 and 1 with the exception of bridge at 3, this shines at 2. However, with Mox Opal at 0, Lantern a 1, Spellskite at 2, and Bridge at 3, I personally don't think it fits.
Oust - Works with codex/bell on pre-lantern turns.
PLANESWALKERS
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas - So much synergy, yet so much mana. This deck likes its cheap spells and runs with 17 ish lands. 4 mana is a tall order, and getting stuck with this card when you need a bridge vs 1/1s is not a nice feeling.
Liliana of the Veil - Hand & creature control. She can survive the same way tezz does, protected by the bridge. Lightning rod for damage. It has no wincon built in, just added control. Does every control thing this deck wants, but just doesn't ever find room on my personal list.
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver - The exile is nice, but I'd rather run Liliana.
Graffdigger's Cage - Very good vs graveyard strategies and snapcaster mage, though it hurts our Faithless Looting, Ancient Grudge, and Ray of Revelation.
Surgical Extraction - Good in any mill deck. Some people love it, others don’t. Best serves in metas with Combo decks, and is easily main deckable as a 1 of.
Extirpation - Split Second for that surprise kill of an Ancient Grudge or Lightning Bolt. Does cost mana though, where Surgical does not.
Welding Jar - Good off the SB for protection. Would be MB if people ran mainboard artifact hate more often (AKA in BG heavy metas.)
Torpor Orb – Good vs certain decks.
Boros Charm - For that time that you want to protect yourself from Shatterstorm. Or Burn them. Both are useful.
Elixir of Immortality - A 1cc that nets you life and protects you from losing to mill. Quite useful for decks not based in blue, and even still can be useful.
Dragon's Claw/Sun Droplet - Consistent Lifegain against burn decks. The more red your deck is, the more Dragon's Claw > Sun Droplet
Swan Song - 1 mana Counterspell vs almost every card boarded in to hate on our deck
Slaughter Games - For the times that you just want a card gone.
Leyline of Sanctity – This card is very good at protecting our deck from the threats that would hurt us the most. It does cost 4, with WW (the least dominant color in most decklists). I leave it out for that reason.
Ancient Grudge/Ray of Revelation – 2 for 1. You could dump it to Faithless Looting or mill it and play it from the graveyard. I'd have at least 1 of each in every Sideboard.
Wear // Tear - Versatile SB card vs the usual hate.
Nature’s Claim – Another option to take out the usual hate, this one has the added bonus that you can target something of your own for the lifegain. The drawback is that it costs 1, and could end up being locked out with the rest of the deck by a Chalice of the Void set at 1.
Hide // Seek - Tucks Indestructible cards at instant speed, like Keranos, or removes problem cards from decks while Gaining life. Emrakul never tasted so sweet. Recent add in vs UR decks especially.
# 1 Goal with the lock = They are not to draw a useful card.
Spell that could break your lock(ie removal) > Burn Spell > Draw Spell
Any other card you should keep on top, at the discretion of how the game is playing out.
Step 1, Game 1: Get them locked and figure out as much about their deck as you can. We have many 1cc cards, so the order of importance from when I've played:
Codex Shredder(Initial Mill to get started) > Lantern of Insight(to start keeping track of their draws > Discard Spell (To see their opening hand, figure out what deck they are playing, and strip them of their most useful card)
Note: If they have a mana dork turn 1, burn the mana dork. Ignore the above.
Step 2, Game 1: Get your lock pieces out and Protect Bridge, drink tears. Vs blue decks you should stabilize before playing bridge if possible, but if you have a free moment safe from a counter spell(or have 2 bridges in hand, drop the bridge.
Step 3, Game 1: After the lock, Take your time. It is ok to not use your Mill Rocks a turn where they have a land on top. Your win is eventual, you are the control deck, not them.
When you face a normal control deck, any control deck, remember that for all intensive purposes they are not a Control deck. They are a combo deck or a slow aggro deck.
Note for Game 2 and 3: Depends on the match up, but every color has hate cards and they are gunning for bridge. Remember what killed you in the game you lost, as that is more important in this deck then most. Board in the cards that best help against their brand of hate. Play normally, only this time the deck has even more targeted hate towards their deck.
Lantern of Insight + Codex Shredder/Ghoulcaller's Bell
The main goal of the deck is to progressively mill your opponent, early game you mill them 1-3 cards a turn, late game you can make them discard up to 8 cards a turn with the full set of bells and codexes on field. You can run the deck with mill as your only wincon for absolute consistency, however some decks are more mill resistant than others so alternate wincons are welcomed.
- Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas seems to be the most commonly used planeswalker as an alt. Wincon for its synergy with the deck.
- Galvanic Blast is recurrable with Codex Shredder and Shredder with Academy Ruins. Burn catches players off guard, and our burn spell being 4 damage is very potent. Optimal at 6 mana (4UR), as then you are dealing 4 damage every 2 turns.
Wishboard options from Dr. Leminscate
Wincons
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas: Best to close out games quickly, or dig for combo pieces. Also good against Affinity for turning Ornithopter or Cranial Plating in to a 5/5. Just remember you might not be able play him the turn you 'wish' for him due to a total cost of 2WUBG
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver: Good for the mill route, and can pump out blockers if needed. It's ultimate can eventually deal with any threatening cards left in their hand from before the lock.
Thopter Foundry: The minor life gain can be important, and blockers can also be useful. Academy Ruins with Darksteel Citadel (or any other cheap artifact) will let you spit out a token every turn. Draw a card, swing with tokens, then play your card.
Boros Charm: A 5th Galvanic Blast if you need to push through damage. The Indestructible can also be useful, but more so post-sideboard. Lightning Helix can also go here; can be used as removal, and some small lifegain could be important.
Board filled up with artifacts and lock established? Tezzeret if they are still at high life, Boros Charm if you've already Galvanic Blast'd a few times.
Missing a part of the lock? Tezzeret to find general pieces, Ashiok for another mill rock
Graveyard shenanigans? Ashiok
Feeling a little behind on your board state? Thopter Foundry to spit out blockers and gain life, Tezzeret to grab more artifacts (or make big blockers), Ashiok can generate blockers.
Ashiok can also really help pad your life total, climbing by 2 a turn.
Utility
Abrupt Decay: Destroy most things in Modern.
Maelstrom Pulse: Destroy everything else. With a clogged board state, this will often 2-for-1, although with a Bridge out that doesn't mean much if it is destroying creatures. Can be useful for destroying multiple hate cards. Scavenging Ooze, or any number of sideboard hate cards. I find some people playing a replicate of something like Stony Silence for redundancy in case of destruction, rather than saving it.
Wheel of Sun and Moon: shuts down graveyard decks, and makes us rely on damage for a wincon. Can also be used against mill decks.
Firespout: 3 damage pyroclasm for an extra board wipe
Supreme Verdict: A real board wipe. Sometimes it feels nice to wipe the board, even with 1-2 Bridges out. Especially post-sideboard against something with green or white. Might not be able to cast it the turn you wish for it.
Wear // Tear: Already one of our sideboard cards. Yes, this is multicolored when it is not on the stack.
Rakdos Charm: Artifact hate, Graveyard hate, Splinter Twin combo hate.
Hide // Seek: Might try this out in place of a Wear // Tear. Tuck an artifact or enchantment, or go remove their wincon. As a last resort, you should always be able to get at least 3-4 life. Against tron, it's a solid 7 or 15 life. Also gets you a shuffle and increases the land ratio to make your job a little easier. Too bad these old split cards didn't have fuse.
Castigate: An extra thoughtseize that exiles.
Dreadbore: Not too great, as the only walkers that see some level of play are really just Liliana and Ajani.
4 Glimmervoid
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Ghost Quarter
2 Academy Ruins
1 Forest
Spells:
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Pithing Needle
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Noxious Revival
3 Surgical Extraction
4 Sun Droplet
1 Surgical Extraction
4 Nature's Claim
4 Codex Shredder
1 Elixir of Immortality
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Mox Opal
Dig
3 Ancient Stirrings
4 Faithless Looting
Disruption
4 Galvanic Blast
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize
2 Academy Ruins
2 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Glimmervoid
2 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Swamp
2 Tendo Ice Bridge
3 Elixir of Immortality
4 Extirpate
4 Nature's Claim
4 Pithing Needle
I've found that the hand disruption is almost always worth pushing back getting the core online by a turn, it allows you to get rid of immediate answers and has the potential for a completely blowout with Surgical Extraction. The Surgical Extractions, and Extirpates might seem weird or targeted, but I've found that they're surprisingly broad cards. They worked out great against the aggro decks I played against, and although I haven't had time to play them against a combo deck, I suspect that they'll work wonderfully in those matchups as well. I'm not very worried about Leyline of the Void or Rest in Peace at the moment.
The only thing I'm very worried about at the moment is Chalice of the Void, but I don't see very many of them in my meta. It would be fairly easy to switch some or all of the Nature's Claims out if that was expected.
- Cdsboy
4x Lantern of Insight
4x Galvanic Blast
4x Ancient Stirrings
4x Ensnaring Bridge
4x Mox Opal
3x Pithing Needle
3x Abrupt Decay
3x Ghoulcaller's Bell
2x Faithless Looting
2x Surgical Extraction
3x Thoughtseize
1x Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1x Infernal Tutor
1x Sunbeam Spellbomb
1x Pyrite Spellbomb
2x Academy Ruins
3x Tendo Ice bridge
2x Copperline Gorge
2x Blackcleave Cliffs
1x Swamp
1x Forest
1x Nephalia Drownyard
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
Dig - 11 Cards
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Faithless Looting
3 Infernal Tutor
Other Control - 18 Cards
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Duress
3 Thoughtseize
4 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Nihil Spellbomb
4 Glimmervoid
4 Tendo Ice Bridge
4 Mox Opal
2 Reflecting Pool
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Academy Ruins
1 Nephalia Drownyard
3 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Scrib Nibblers
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Ray of Revelation
2 Volcanic Fallout
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Surgical Extraction
4x Glimmervoid
4x Tendo Ice Bridge
2x Llanowar wastes
Mikokoro center of the sea
2x City of Brass
1x Gemstone mine
Artifacts
3x Mox Opal
4x Lantern of Insight
4x Codex Shredder
3x Ghoulcaller's bell
2x Pyxis of Pandemonium
2x Pithing Needle
4x Ensnaring Bridge
2x Galvanic Blast
2x Abrupt decay
4x Ancient Stirrings
4x Faithless Looting
4x Thoughtseize
2x Duress
3x Surgical Extraction
Side
3x Pyroclasm
2x Nature's Claim
2x grafdigger's cage
3x Welding Jar
2 Academy Ruins
1 Darksteel Citadel
4 Glimmervoid
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
2 Reflecting Pool
1 Sulfurous Springs
4 Tendo Ice Bridge
Artifact:
4 Mox Opal
4 Codex Shredder
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Lantern of Insight
2 Pithing Needle
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Galvanic Blast
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Faithless Looting
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
2 Infernal Tutor
3 Pyroclasm
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Duress
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
4 Surgical Extraction
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Spellskite
1 Torpor Orb
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
4 Ensnaring Bridge
Search
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Faithless Looting
2 Infernal Tutor
Artifact Support
1 Welding Jar
1 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Sunbeam Spellbomb
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Spellskite
4 Duress
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Lands
3 Glimmervoid
2 Reflecting Pool
3 City of Brass
4 Mirrodin's Core
3 Tendo Ice Bridge
1 Shimmering Grotto
1 Unknown Shores
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Academy Ruins
1 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
4 Pyroclasm
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Ray of Revelation
1 Sun Droplet
1 Back to Nature
1 Torpor Orb
4 lantern of insight
4 4 altar of the brood
4 codex shredder
4 ghoulcaller's bell
3 mishra's bauble
4 mox opal
4 ensnaring bridge
2 spellskite
3 abrupt decay
4 thoughseize
2 Inquisition of kozilek
4 liliana of the veil
Dig spell.
3 ancient stirrings
3 back to nature
2 nature's claim
3 dispatch
1 spellskite
3 leyline of sanctuary
2 inquisition of kozilek
1 abrupt decay
3 Tendo Ice Bridge
3 Sulfurous Springs
2 Grove of The Burnwillows
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Academy Ruins
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Mox Opal
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
2 Lens of Clarity
2 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pyxis of Pandemonium
4 Faithless Looting
4 Thoughtseize
3 Galvanic Blast
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Spellskite
2 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
1 Ray of Revelation
2 Darksteel Citadel main and 2 Ghost Quarter SB is just for testing the turn 1&2 locks with the new Lens of Clarity, don’t really think its worth it, Quarter is a lot more useful, Tron is a thing after all.
The 1off Abrupt Decay was there because I was running 2 Infernal Tutor before switching it to Lens of Clarity. Not sure if I should use something else or add a second one.
4 Thoughtseize
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Duress
//Lock
4 Liliana of the Veil
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Drown in Sorrow
//Win condition
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Haunting Echoes
//Tutor
3 Infernal Tutor
//Lands
3 Scrying Sheets
19 Snow-Covered Swamp
4 Fulminator Mage
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
3 Grafdigger's Cage
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Lantern of Insight
2 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Pithing Needle
1 Pyxis of Pandemonium
3 Sun Droplet
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
3 Ancient Stirrings
2 Damnation
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
2 Academy Ruins
3 City of Brass
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Glimmervoid
2 Island
2 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Mana Confluence
4 Codex Shredder
4 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Ghoulcaller's Bell
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Mox Opal
3 Pithing Needle
2 Pyxis of Pandemonium
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Torpor Orb
Instants
4 Galvanic Blast
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Faithless Looting
3 Thoughtseize
Lands
1 Academy Ruins
2 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Copperline Gorge
2 Darksteel Citadel
4 Glimmervoid
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
4 Tendo Ice Bride
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Illness in the Ranks
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Duress
1 Pyroclasm
1 Firespout
3 Spellskite
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1 Surgical Extraction
response to his trigger.
Illness in the Ranks this card is mainly for the twin matchup, but obviously it helps against tokens too. Sometimes you need a hate card which doesn't
get killed by artifact hate.
Ancient Grudge is nuts against affinity. I can also help you against Chalice of the Void on 1 and other annoying artifacts like Damping Matrix.
Duress is great against all kind of Combo matchups and matchups in which you really fear the hate (Creeping Corrosion and friends)
Pyroclasm, Firespout are great against the fast aggro decks like affinity or zoo. I play a split between this two cause sometimes the 1 turn matters and sometimes the 1 damage does.
Spellskite is mainly for the decks which can't win against a Bridge. Also nice against boggles.
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver this card is just great against all kind of controlish decks. I like to bring him in against Junk/Jund too cause you can sometimes steal a Goyf or Rhino.
Surgical Extraction is mainly against combo. You may also bring it in against decks which can't beat Bridge to exile for example Abrupt Decay.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson's letter to John Adams, April 11 1823
Nath'd
Silver bullet package? explain please. all the 1cmc cards you mean?
EDIT: Oh got it, a side board with trinket fetchable answers. interesting.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
I'm on a phone can't use tags properly
Edit
Oh you mentioned it already. Seems really good though. Go run some of the spellbombs for cantrips or discarding. Aether has a nice effect.
What about Dizzy Spell? I can transmute for the Lantern for the same cost as Trinket, I can remain creatureless and after having a Lantern out I can use the spell to lessen attacks from the opponent.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
thin of trinket mage as a tutor that poops out a token. Like 3 mana look for an artifact with cmc less than or equal to one. then put a 2/2 wizard token into play. the fact that he is a creature matters little. He allows you to run less of each piece of your combo and to run a silver bullet package main deck with additional answers sideboard. Possible maindeck candidates are Chalice of the void, overflowing chalice, aether spellbomb/sunbeam spellbomb, tormod's crypt(et cetra) engineered explosives, pithing needle, grafdiggers cage, et cetra.
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson's letter to John Adams, April 11 1823
Thanks guys I will abandon the creatureless idea, seems unnecesary, I will try and test all these suggestions tonight and come up with some results tomorrow.
Great ideas.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
Doesn't die to p.nodes either.
Credit to DolZero for this awesome sig!
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Arid Mesa
3 Marsh Flats
2 Academy Ruins
1 Hallowed Fountain
4 Trinket Mage
4 Serum Visions
4 Oust
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Path to Exile
3 Terminus
4 Codex Shredder
4 Mishra's Bauble
3 Ghoulcaller's Bell
1 Pithing Needle
1 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Porphyry Nodes
Took out the Opals and 1 Ghoulcaller's Bell for the Trinket Mage.
Also added 1 Grafdigger's Cage to make sure what goes to the yard stays in the yard.
1 Pithing Needle for B.pods, Planewalkers and that sort of thing.
Updated the mana base to help on the life loss situation a bit, plus I only need 1 U source.
Took out Phyrexia's Core to help on the early mana fix. Also I had overlooked that Codex Shredder can sac itself while netting me a card for the Academy Ruins recursion in the late game just in case.
@Weltkrieg: I don't see how that locks my opponent, besides I don't mind my opponent having a hand when I can handpick their draws.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
Run one of mindslaver. It has a infinite combo with ruins.
I second this idea. Also, you could play more mill spells, or cards like rites of flourishing or howling mine to help deck themselves faster.
Modern Junk Primer
Legacy ANT Primer
L1 Judge
Also drawing into mindslaver before having 13 lands could be pretty bad, I need to take control of my opponent's top and keep it locked or else they could draw a nastie while I'm trying shenanigans.
Maybe theres a way to work the mindslaver into the deck, but I'll leave that for when I get good at piloting the deck first.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"
The problem with those is that I could lose control of what my opponent draws.
"When you get your opponent down to 0 sanity, you win the game!"