Venser, the Sojourner has always been one of my favorite Planeswalkers. He's just so much fun. Since seeing Lavinia of the Tenth I thought she was prime to abuse with him. This is somewhat of a thrown together shell around that interaction. It's sort of all over the place right now but has some good interactions. If you guys could help shore this up it would be great! I would like to keep the heavy control aspect.
I am running this deck, i ran it at my last Modern FNM and it worked well, needs a bit of tweaking though, was great at controlling the game late game but early pressure really hurts
Yeah its fine if you don't have other choices but if so I would play the alternatives just cause not being able to cast something on turn sucks. I will post my version later. Hope to get opinions. I might stream it some day also.
Nice!!! Really looking forward to it! With the Azorius titan deck getting so much attention i think people would like to see the versions of the blink deck
Can you link me to that version? Haven't seen it I don't think.
Mine has Titan in it also. I think it might come out though.
Venser's tragic, yet noble, sacrifice gave birth to Karn. He traveled with some of the most notable mages within the multiverse and was done in by tuberculosis. * No really, look it up! Yet... he remains one of the most potent Planeswalkers available to aspiring wizards in the Modern Format.
Whether spending his time as a Shaper Savant or sojourning Venser strikes fear into the most accomplished wizard's mind. His loyalty begins rather low, but after a single activation he can put himself out of reach and with a team of well defended pals, Venser is nigh unstoppable.
Granted, the powerhouse is a little slow for the format, but if he gets rolling with the right supporting cast, there is very little that any deck can do to slow the onslaught.
The game plan is simple, maintain board control through spot removal, counter, and if needed sweepers early on in the game. Once Venser resolves, protect him and watch as your opponents cringes as his ultimate draws ever closer - an inevitability that can give "tron" a run for its money.
Why should you play Venser Control?
Truth be told, unlike Venser you are not a nice person and you like to deny, control, and dominate in nearly everything you do. For you, winning is not enough, there needs to be an element of hopelessness and futility that creeps into your opponents psyche, or a level of embarrassment so deep that they will hang their heads in shame for days or weeks to come. Or, maybe and potentially more likely, you enjoy thinking outside of the boxes established by the top tier decks and like have a lot of tools to deal with threats as they come.
Venser exploits the crap out of ETB and LTB effects.
Venser works really well with any permanent that returns cards from the graveyard.
Venser has great synergy with anything that blinks.
Venser's ultimate is one of the most punishing in the game. Every spell you cast exiles a target permanent. Oppressive.
Venser's -1 is ridiculously good at finishing opponents or taking advantage of combat damage to opponent triggers and is often overlooked.
Venser is slow and costly at 5 CMC.
Venser needs protection as he is almost certainly going to draw all the hate once he is on board. He needs friends and often lots of them.
Many cards in the Modern format mimic Venser's +1 ability and are used to augment or replace this ability:
This is not a cheap deck, nor is this a deck that you can pick up and pilot easily. You will suffer humiliating defeat at times, but when the stars align for you and not that noodle monster name removed to avoid copyright infringement a feeling of deep satisfaction will course through your veins and you will find the control freak within you is sated - at last.
You will find that the deck can stand against very fast and aggressive decks, but you will be beholden to the whim of land and hurting yourself with fetches. Sideboards are dedicated to controlling the local meta or perceived major event meta as the deck should fair well against most of the top tier decks.
Venser, the Sojourner: Being the namesake of this style of control deck it stands to reason that this would be the first card listed in the shell - right? Venser is a powerhouse that can ultimate 3 turns after resolving and if he brings along a couple of the right Planeswalkers he can get there faster or more easily. You will need to make certain that he has cover and you need to give him tools to work with there will be covered a little later in the primer, but once he gets rolling Venser is a force that can cause anyone to scoop out of sheer frustration.
Because Venser is so unique the control elements will vary from deck to deck, there are only a handful that should be standard because they are just that damn good.
Mana Leak: This is likely to be one of the only standard counterspell found alongside Venser. The early game threat removal is solid and the mid-late game surprise element will work once, okay maybe twice. You will usually see this as a 1-2 of in most Venser Control decks.
Path to Exile: Clearly the best and most consistent removal in the format. This is an automatic 3-4 of in nearly every build. The ramp could hurt you in mirror control matches, but the defense that this card offers is undeniable and absolutely necessary to Venser's survival.
Snapcaster Mage: Here's an odd thing about Snappy. He's great and we love him and most decks will run at least 2 of the Modern staple but in a WUG build you would rather see Eternal Witness over him. Still, he should find a home in every Venser build.
Restoration Angel: The reigning queen of "oh no you didn't" should always occupy 2-3 spots in the deck, and sometimes might be present at 4. She will protect your team and more importantly protect Venser. Keep her handy at all times.
This is where your experiences will likely differ from everyone else. Meta, build, or personal preference may force you to treat these as flex slots. The cards are given as suggestions. Use your judgement to determine the best substitutions when possible.
Cryptic Command: Another counter staple, I believe that this is likely a primary control element but I might forgo this if running a 3 color version of the deck as I will be taxed to always have the UUU needed to effectively utilize this powerhouse. 1-3 slots, depending.
Wrath of God and Supreme Judgment: These sweepers clear the board and allow Venser to get active. Yes, they will clear away your blockers, but you should be able to prepare for this as you ultimately have control over when you will call down the thunder. 2-3 slots in various combinations based off the local meta of regenerating creatures.
Truly devious and capable of running a host of one ofs, the Bounce variant seeks to maximize the use of ETB and LTB effects that are incredibly exploitable with Venser. Again these are mostly suggestions.
Cloudshift, [card[Momentary Blink[/card], and Ghostway: Support for the blink offensive. These cards can actually supplant Venser but, more often than not they are used to further the ETB/LTB chicanery and to secure the advantage that the deck requires.
Aether Vial: Used to bring in ETB supporting cast members. Include at a 3-4 if you are running a heavy contingent of ETB creatures.
Flickerwisp: Ridiculous off of an Aether Vial for denying an opponent something that they desperately need on their upcoming turn, this elemental then turns around and helps your ETB/LTB when paired with the big kahuna. 2-3, sometimes 4 slots depending on your devotion to the plan.
Mulldrifter: Card advantage. Card advantage. Make every turn an Ancestral Recall! 1 of in most cases.
Kitchen Finks: There is nothing like laying a Fink, blocking and then using Venser to remove that -1/-1. Fresh finks, six life and you can rinse and repeat this all day long. 1-2 in most builds, I would think.
Blade Splicer: Told you that these were suggestions. In all seriousness though, getting an army of 3/3 golems is not a bad thing, just watch our for Maelstrom Pulse it will slow you down a little.
Stonehorn Dignitary: That plan to defend Venser at all costs. This guy, right here, he does that very, very well. You should look at him.
Sun Titan: Get back a 3 CMC from the graveyard every turn? Wait 2, because of Venser. Umm...
Detention Sphere: So good. It's a Maelstrom Pulse that stays on the board. Then blink it with Venser and it happens all over again. Pairs well with the next little guy.
Oblivion Ring: Same concept as above, but it only works on a single target. Good news, it can hit a Detention Sphere a D-sphere can't do that.
Eternal Witness: If there is a card that was meant to work with Venser it is Witness. She opens the door for a number of soft locks: counter, removal, infinite turns, and anything else that loops. It means that opponents will focus on removing her. If you run Witness you are locking yourself into Bant. This combination is a good one and you should not overlooks other supporting cards from the UG spectrum (ie. Simic Charm).
Reality Acid: Slow and plodding but once it starts rolling it will consume everything that your opponent does.
Venser likes being around other powerful mages and planewalkers, just as Teferi. Having a solid core of planeswalkers around him won't hurt.
Gideon: Gideon protects Venser and is a finisher. He is everything that you want to have in a Venser deck. In a Bant deck he is the epitome of a soft lock with Eternal Witness and any secondary blink card ensuring that you get his +2 and 0 activations every turn. Love Gideon.
Ajani Steadfast: I am wondering why he is still not seeing play. At his worst he gives you a small edge in a creature fight with an advantage of lifegain. At his best he slows the beatings against you incredibly. His +1 is just good and well rounded. His -2 is pretty amazing if you are running creatures and planeswalkers (to me he should be a staple in most Zoo decks). His Ultimate is ridiculous... just ridiculous. You would need to be facing a horde with nothing in front of you to lose with this emblem on the field and since you should be running sweepers and some number of creatures, this should never happen.
Jace, Architect of Thought: He is amazing. His +1 reduces threats, his -2 provides card advantage and all but eliminates the pain of Liliana, and his ultimate ends games. What is there not to like.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage: Another card that I love, but something of a trap. Against a deck that is creature light she is a beast. Once you get into more that two opponent creatures her +1 falls a little flat. Still, her -2 when combined with Gideon Jura is amazing against the latter. Her ultimate is as punishing as they come, but her 5 cmc makes her a little less attractive.
Narset Transcendent: I want to love her. I know that she is broken in a ton of ways, but she seems so slow. Couple her with Venser and she can make a turbofog version of the deck sing... Still, the hit or miss nature of her +1 without top deck manipulation like Sensei's Divining Top make her a harder sell.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant: Like Ajani Elspeth meets the requirement of protecting and enhancing the team around Venser. Her ultimate is also a game ender when combined with our intrepid hero.
There are sure to be other pairings that make sense in UWB builds, but this covers nicely for the moment.
The Decks
You now have an idea of the many pieces that can make a Venser/blink deck work. So, how do we put one together?
This deck is one of my brews. It uses the speed of Delve to get those Hootin Mandrills on the board by turn three. Then uses Venser and the supporting cast to remedy any threats that the opponent may throw my way. It is a work in progress.
The counter and control suite in the deck should be just enough when combined with the card advantage and modest life gain that the deck possesses to have a fighting chance in game one against most midrange decks. Game 2 we can react, heavily, to whatever our opponent is one, but the big key here is that the opponent most likely will adjust their play to our control elements. We have a lot of control of the board in game one and if we can make them change their game we can afford to be a little more aggressive.
The deck does struggle against some faster decks in the format, but it holds its own against many of the staples and can surprise you with how efficiently it just plods through to an early control victory. Restoration Angel is the primary win con of this deck.
The original list on the first page ran 20 lands for a deck with 6 3-drops, 7 4-drops, and 7 5-drops.
Wut.
The main problem with blink decks is they're too cute. I've been experimenting with Bant Blink decks too, and the problem with running a list that curves out at 5-7 is that your opponent WILL NOT let you execute your game plan. Every upper-tier deck aims to end the game by turn 4 or 5, while these mana-intensive Blink decks only start revving their engines around turns 4-6. By then, heavy pounding by enemy creatures, or having the opponent combo out, leaves a very bitter taste in one's mouth.
From experience, Blink decks with high mana curves absolutely cannot go toe-to-toe with creature aggro (Zoo/Affinity/Infect/etc), control (U/W), red-based tempo (Grixis Delver/U/R Delver), and dedicated combo (Twin/Bloom Titan). It even folds to Skred, which runs a bunch of red wraths.
IMHO, blink wants to get off to a quick start and beat into the opponent via Geist of Saint Traft/Kitchen Finks/another 2-3 cmc beater, while blinking utility creatures like Coiling Oracle or Mystic Snake for value via Cloudshift or Restoration Angel. Gunning for that Venser engine already puts you way behind decks that begin their offensive turn 1.
So just the other day I was playing Holiday cube. I had a Mulldrifter and a Parallax Wave in hand. Just then, I realized the interaction between evoke and flicker spells. So I searched around the forums a bit and found this deck. I ripped the bant list and made some adjustments to it. It's now less of a heavy control deck and more of a value deck.
This list is much more focused on instant speed blinking the creatures. I'm still unsure on the exact spell composition, but I decided on 3 Cloudshift/ 2Momentary Blink/ 1 Ghostway. The main goal of this deck is to evoke a mulldrifter then blink it, drawing you 4 cards and keeping around a 2/2 flying body. If that's not value, I don't know what is. If mulldrifter remains on the table, every blink spell/resto now becomes a draw 2. Get a Venser down and you've got a card drawing engine. The same thing also applies to aethersnipe. Evoke it with a blink spell and you get to bounce two nonlands, then turn every blink spell/resto after that into a mini boomerang. Cloudthrasher is there because a 5/6 mana 7/7 with flash seems pretty good, although I'm pretty sceptical and wouldn't mind cutting it. The fact that it kills your mulldrifters and can kill your angels, not to mention slapping you in the face for 4, doesn't really help. I took out the counter package for the blink package, which may make this a weaker deck overall, but my inner Johnny told me this deck is cooler. I have no idea how to sideboard, so that's definitely something that i need help on. I did some play testing on Cockatrice, and while this deck definitely doesn't seem very strong, it fits my playstyle, and it's still super fun whenever you pull off the mulldrifter combo.
@HugoBazZ You are definitely going to find difficulty against combo and faster decks with this list. Let's break this down and see if we can keep this close to a budget conscious deck while doing so.
You have one 1 cmc card, you need to manipulate this you should be running at least 2-3 Serum Visions, with the absence of Ponder this is simply the best sorcery speed cantrip that exists. An argument can be made that Gitaxian Probe is every bit as good, but I prefer the scry on the backend to set up my next plays. You are very creature heavy, which is not a bad thing as you need to protect Venser, but those creatures are nearly all very weak on their own. I get that your objective is ti get on the Sun Titan plan, but your supporting cast could use a little work.
Here is what I would alter this to, if I were to play it:
The key to running this deck is getting to Sun Titan fast. This puts my mana closer to the distribution values that I need, provides me with a quick way to get to answers and gives me the ability to remove threats. We don't need a ton of creatures to hold the line with a deck like this, we can get by with fewer clusters of creatures that are going to be weak once I start top decking them mid-game.
Still, I think that this can use some work.
It might make sense to look for some Talisman of Progress to augment my mana base dropping to 21 lands with 2 of the talismans.
3 for a cantrip 1/3 or or 2 for a scry 3 flying 1/1 is not worth it to me. This pushes Seagate Oracle and Augury Owl out of the deck. I would rather run Court Hussar or Augur of Bolas as they both have more meat on the backend and sprint through my deck more quickly, filtering the bad and giving me the good.
Hussar is a terrible blink target, but you see more cards. I always like seeing more cards, especially when I am trying to dig for a very specific card to make my deck shine. The Maelstrom Djinn is nifty tech, but he's slow... so slow... and he's nothing more than a beater with evasion. He should really only be a one of and at that he's just a path target.
Augur of Bolas is really there if you are running more instants. Again more cards. Heck... you could even consider running a Jace-AoT in there and I would think it serves you better than the Sea Gate Oracle
I love Flickerwisp don't get me wrong, but he really only shines when paired with Æther Vial. Otherwise you cannot really take advantage of his power by denying your opponent resources when they so very badly need them. (End of turn, flash them in tricks.) Come to think of it, you could consider running a Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir to better utilize the Flickerwisps.
I like the concept and I get that you are going for the blink heavy version of this to really take advantage of evoke.
Here's my issue with evoke creatures. No matter what they are going to cost you evoke +1-+3 and consume two cards in the process. Thus, the best choice for running evoke creatures that are going to hang around are Mulldrifter as he will replace the cards that you use. Yet, there is another issue with Mulldrifter, he's such a weenie. Bolt fodder. In the format as it currently stands he'll replace the cards you use to get him to stick for his evoke cost and cost your opponent one card. Which... ultimately means you come out 1 card ahead so you have a slight advantage. However, you keep him around with a dispel and get him rolling with your back-up plan Venser and he is amazing.
Æthersnipe on the other hand is beefy, but his evoke is subpar. You are holding back a lot of mana to pull that off and while it is a surprise I would rather run a savant than the Æthersnipe because it serves two purposes and he is even more effect when blinked - imho. Yeah, he is Bolt fodder, too, but his ability to remand can be a much bigger advantage than just popping a perm back to a hand.
You need to remember that the speed of modern is four turns without some measure of disruption. You need more path to stabilize and stop combo, at 2 of you will likely be without it at key moments.
I see that you are looking for ramp too with the hierarch, but you need to ask yourself is she meets the purpose of the deck.
To me, if you want to focus on this route... keep the hierarch and consider getting some beefy morph cards that do interesting things: Akroma or Stratus Dancer for his actual morph. You should also split your mass removal between a Verdict and a Wrath. This will help against any regen creatures and against extirpate.
@Hugo Love the idea of the Phantasmal Image. Remember though, it can be anything with a -1/-1 when it comes back, say... a Restoration Angel that blinks a finks.
Using O-rings and D-spheres you can end up in an infinite loope with ETB creatures, or, if the board is free of all other perms aside from land, force a draw with the exiling of each that can happen.
Sphere, in play, play O-ring, target sphere, play O-ring target O-ring, Sphere comes back, hits O-ring, O-ring comes back hits sphere - infinite loop. If you run three O-ring the ETB version is pulled off and hilarity ensues.
Wall of Omens has junk in the trunk and gets you a card. I wish it flew. I like it better than Sea Gate Oracle because it is out of bolt range.
Teferi is great against control decks... just saying.
@gormrscryers : I really like your Venser Control version. It is unfortunate that I don't have the cards nor the financial capacity to build it (every control deck is so pricy), but it seems to me that the interaction is there. I'm not convinced about Disrupting Shoal, but other than that, the mainboard seems really nice. I wish I could play it!
I was so engrossed in evoke creatures that I totally passed over non-planeswalker Venser, but yeah, he should replace aethersnipe. This deck is already really tight on slots, so I definitely need to refine it.
Thanks. I know that you really cannot tell until you are in an actual tourney environment, but on Cockatrice this thing is faring very well. 50/50 vs. tier 1. It struggles against some of the faster combo, but can really hold its own in game 1 against anything. Game 2 depends on if I have a sideboard built against it... and if there is a game 3, see game 2.
Neat Thread, Gormscryer! Few planeswalkers are more stout and nuanced than Venser, The Sojourner and Gideon Jura...The Handsome Lads. If only a deck could run more of them.
I was reviewing the two decks that you offered up in your primer, and see a lot of synergies in the orchestra. Like Tom Courtenay, I just wonder about the choice of counterspells. In Venser Control, you are running Logic Knot, when I think Condescend might be a stronger offering. You see that card a lot in the Blue Tron decks.
In Venser Eternal, you're running 4 Hooting Mandrills. I'm a monkey man too, but I wonder if an Ojutai Exemplar might steal one spot there. Also, since you only have 4 creatures with 4 power or greater, the stubborn denial additions might be ill conceived.
What about Batterskull? He's used to death in everything, but I think that lifegain is pretty important in a Venser deck.....blinking is a neat way to get the germ token back.
Logic Knot is a straight up counter and puts to use those cards that have already lived out their purpose. The 1 cmc difference in the two spells is nearly inconsequential since I am raiding the gy to pay for knot. That said, maybe adding a one of each is not a bad idea, or perhaps replacing the shoal with condescend.
Monkey's are the finisher, and with all the conditions right I will get them because I dig for them. Denial is only in there as a 2-pack for precisely the reason that you are providing, I am only running 4 monkeys I don't want to overload on the counter relying on them. Add to this that denial is a really good surprise early in the game and I think it is okay where it sits.
Batterskull would definitely be in the sideboard or might replace a mandrills. I love Ojutai Exemplars and I am running heavier white to support the wraths, they might be worth a look. The only thing that this would hurt is the value of ripping the GY for resources.
My new approach to playing is to utilize every aspect of the game to the fullest. The less dead an area of the game is to me, the better. So I like relying on delve or other GY effects to augment the game.
2 Augury Owl
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Whitemane Lion
1 Aether Adept
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Stonecloaker
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Wistful Selkie
1 Galepowder Mage
1 Master of Waves
1 Nevermaker
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
2 Lavinia of the Tenth
2 Reveillark
3 Path to Exile
2 Mana Leak
3 Remand
2 Cryptic Command
The rest
4 Aether Vial
3 Venser, the Sojourner
Lands
2 Celestial Colonnade
4 Hallowed Fountain
3 Seachrome Coast
3 Marsh Flats
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Tectonic Edge
3 Island
1 Plains
Modern
xWBreakfast at Urza'sxW
UWGBantUWG
GWRNaya ZooRWG
I am running this deck, i ran it at my last Modern FNM and it worked well, needs a bit of tweaking though, was great at controlling the game late game but early pressure really hurts
4x Aether Vial
1x Venser, the Sojourner
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
2x Restoration Angel
2x Vendilion Clique
2x Wall of Omens
3x Eternal Witness
3x Coiling Oracle
3x Snapcaster Mage
2x Kitchen Finks
3x Familiar's Ruse
3x Path to Exile
2x Mana Leak
2x Spell Snare
3x Cryptic Command
4x Verdant Catacombs
2x Scalding Tarns
2x Misty Rainforest
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Breeding Pool
1x Temple Garden
1x Flooded Grove
2x Forest
1x Plains
4x Island
1x Horizon Canopy
1x Celestial Colonnade
1x Stirring Wildwood
Its Bant colours, not just UW but Eternal Witness is just too good to give up and if u r blinking stuff Coiling Oracle is just too good.
Now, have fun being a douche destroying your opponents lands!
I played Venser Control in Standard a couple years ago and looking at a modern version.
Can you link me to that version? Haven't seen it I don't think.
Mine has Titan in it also. I think it might come out though.
Venser's tragic, yet noble, sacrifice gave birth to Karn. He traveled with some of the most notable mages within the multiverse and was done in by tuberculosis. * No really, look it up! Yet... he remains one of the most potent Planeswalkers available to aspiring wizards in the Modern Format.
Whether spending his time as a Shaper Savant or sojourning Venser strikes fear into the most accomplished wizard's mind. His loyalty begins rather low, but after a single activation he can put himself out of reach and with a team of well defended pals, Venser is nigh unstoppable.
Granted, the powerhouse is a little slow for the format, but if he gets rolling with the right supporting cast, there is very little that any deck can do to slow the onslaught.
The game plan is simple, maintain board control through spot removal, counter, and if needed sweepers early on in the game. Once Venser resolves, protect him and watch as your opponents cringes as his ultimate draws ever closer - an inevitability that can give "tron" a run for its money.
Truth be told, unlike Venser you are not a nice person and you like to deny, control, and dominate in nearly everything you do. For you, winning is not enough, there needs to be an element of hopelessness and futility that creeps into your opponents psyche, or a level of embarrassment so deep that they will hang their heads in shame for days or weeks to come. Or, maybe and potentially more likely, you enjoy thinking outside of the boxes established by the top tier decks and like have a lot of tools to deal with threats as they come.
- Venser exploits the crap out of ETB and LTB effects.
- Venser works really well with any permanent that returns cards from the graveyard.
- Venser has great synergy with anything that blinks.
- Venser's ultimate is one of the most punishing in the game. Every spell you cast exiles a target permanent. Oppressive.
- Venser's -1 is ridiculously good at finishing opponents or taking advantage of combat damage to opponent triggers and is often overlooked.
- Venser is slow and costly at 5 CMC.
- Venser needs protection as he is almost certainly going to draw all the hate once he is on board. He needs friends and often lots of them.
Many cards in the Modern format mimic Venser's +1 ability and are used to augment or replace this ability:You will find that the deck can stand against very fast and aggressive decks, but you will be beholden to the whim of land and hurting yourself with fetches. Sideboards are dedicated to controlling the local meta or perceived major event meta as the deck should fair well against most of the top tier decks.
Venser, the Sojourner: Being the namesake of this style of control deck it stands to reason that this would be the first card listed in the shell - right? Venser is a powerhouse that can ultimate 3 turns after resolving and if he brings along a couple of the right Planeswalkers he can get there faster or more easily. You will need to make certain that he has cover and you need to give him tools to work with there will be covered a little later in the primer, but once he gets rolling Venser is a force that can cause anyone to scoop out of sheer frustration.
Because Venser is so unique the control elements will vary from deck to deck, there are only a handful that should be standard because they are just that damn good.
Mana Leak: This is likely to be one of the only standard counterspell found alongside Venser. The early game threat removal is solid and the mid-late game surprise element will work once, okay maybe twice. You will usually see this as a 1-2 of in most Venser Control decks.
Path to Exile: Clearly the best and most consistent removal in the format. This is an automatic 3-4 of in nearly every build. The ramp could hurt you in mirror control matches, but the defense that this card offers is undeniable and absolutely necessary to Venser's survival.
Snapcaster Mage: Here's an odd thing about Snappy. He's great and we love him and most decks will run at least 2 of the Modern staple but in a WUG build you would rather see Eternal Witness over him. Still, he should find a home in every Venser build.
Restoration Angel: The reigning queen of "oh no you didn't" should always occupy 2-3 spots in the deck, and sometimes might be present at 4. She will protect your team and more importantly protect Venser. Keep her handy at all times.
This is where your experiences will likely differ from everyone else. Meta, build, or personal preference may force you to treat these as flex slots. The cards are given as suggestions. Use your judgement to determine the best substitutions when possible.
Cryptic Command: Another counter staple, I believe that this is likely a primary control element but I might forgo this if running a 3 color version of the deck as I will be taxed to always have the UUU needed to effectively utilize this powerhouse. 1-3 slots, depending.
Wrath of God and Supreme Judgment: These sweepers clear the board and allow Venser to get active. Yes, they will clear away your blockers, but you should be able to prepare for this as you ultimately have control over when you will call down the thunder. 2-3 slots in various combinations based off the local meta of regenerating creatures.
Truly devious and capable of running a host of one ofs, the Bounce variant seeks to maximize the use of ETB and LTB effects that are incredibly exploitable with Venser. Again these are mostly suggestions.
Cloudshift, [card[Momentary Blink[/card], and Ghostway: Support for the blink offensive. These cards can actually supplant Venser but, more often than not they are used to further the ETB/LTB chicanery and to secure the advantage that the deck requires.
Aether Vial: Used to bring in ETB supporting cast members. Include at a 3-4 if you are running a heavy contingent of ETB creatures.
Flickerwisp: Ridiculous off of an Aether Vial for denying an opponent something that they desperately need on their upcoming turn, this elemental then turns around and helps your ETB/LTB when paired with the big kahuna. 2-3, sometimes 4 slots depending on your devotion to the plan.
Mulldrifter: Card advantage. Card advantage. Make every turn an Ancestral Recall! 1 of in most cases.
Kitchen Finks: There is nothing like laying a Fink, blocking and then using Venser to remove that -1/-1. Fresh finks, six life and you can rinse and repeat this all day long. 1-2 in most builds, I would think.
Blade Splicer: Told you that these were suggestions. In all seriousness though, getting an army of 3/3 golems is not a bad thing, just watch our for Maelstrom Pulse it will slow you down a little.
Stonehorn Dignitary: That plan to defend Venser at all costs. This guy, right here, he does that very, very well. You should look at him.
Sun Titan: Get back a 3 CMC from the graveyard every turn? Wait 2, because of Venser. Umm...
Detention Sphere: So good. It's a Maelstrom Pulse that stays on the board. Then blink it with Venser and it happens all over again. Pairs well with the next little guy.
Oblivion Ring: Same concept as above, but it only works on a single target. Good news, it can hit a Detention Sphere a D-sphere can't do that.
Journey to Nowhere: Honorable mention along the others listed here.
Eternal Witness: If there is a card that was meant to work with Venser it is Witness. She opens the door for a number of soft locks: counter, removal, infinite turns, and anything else that loops. It means that opponents will focus on removing her. If you run Witness you are locking yourself into Bant. This combination is a good one and you should not overlooks other supporting cards from the UG spectrum (ie. Simic Charm).
Reality Acid: Slow and plodding but once it starts rolling it will consume everything that your opponent does.
Venser likes being around other powerful mages and planewalkers, just as Teferi. Having a solid core of planeswalkers around him won't hurt.
Gideon: Gideon protects Venser and is a finisher. He is everything that you want to have in a Venser deck. In a Bant deck he is the epitome of a soft lock with Eternal Witness and any secondary blink card ensuring that you get his +2 and 0 activations every turn. Love Gideon.
Ajani Steadfast: I am wondering why he is still not seeing play. At his worst he gives you a small edge in a creature fight with an advantage of lifegain. At his best he slows the beatings against you incredibly. His +1 is just good and well rounded. His -2 is pretty amazing if you are running creatures and planeswalkers (to me he should be a staple in most Zoo decks). His Ultimate is ridiculous... just ridiculous. You would need to be facing a horde with nothing in front of you to lose with this emblem on the field and since you should be running sweepers and some number of creatures, this should never happen.
Jace, Architect of Thought: He is amazing. His +1 reduces threats, his -2 provides card advantage and all but eliminates the pain of Liliana, and his ultimate ends games. What is there not to like.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage: Another card that I love, but something of a trap. Against a deck that is creature light she is a beast. Once you get into more that two opponent creatures her +1 falls a little flat. Still, her -2 when combined with Gideon Jura is amazing against the latter. Her ultimate is as punishing as they come, but her 5 cmc makes her a little less attractive.
Narset Transcendent: I want to love her. I know that she is broken in a ton of ways, but she seems so slow. Couple her with Venser and she can make a turbofog version of the deck sing... Still, the hit or miss nature of her +1 without top deck manipulation like Sensei's Divining Top make her a harder sell.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant: Like Ajani Elspeth meets the requirement of protecting and enhancing the team around Venser. Her ultimate is also a game ender when combined with our intrepid hero.
There are sure to be other pairings that make sense in UWB builds, but this covers nicely for the moment.
3 Blade Splicer
4 Flickerwisp
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Knight of the White Orchid
1 Mulldrifter
3 Restoration Angel
1 Stonehorn Dignitary
1 Sun Titan
2 Venser, Shaper Savant
2 Wall of Omens
2 Venser, the Sojourner
2 Adarkar Wastes
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Marsh Flats
4 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
3 Cloudshift
1 Momentary Blink
3 Path to Exile
4 Remand
1 Dispel
1 Journey to Nowhere
2 Leonin Relic-Warder
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Negate
1 Oblivion Ring
2 Reality Acid
2 Rest in Peace
1 Stonehorn Dignitary
2x Venser, the Sojourner
1x Ajani Steadfast
1x Gideon Jura
Instants
4x Path to Exile
1x Azorius Charm
2x Hindering Light
1x Logic Knot
2x Mana Leak
1x Simic Charm
1x Sphinx's Revelation
2x Stubborn Denial
Creatures
2x Eternal Witness
3x Restoration Angel
2x Snapcaster Mage
4x Hooting Mandrills
3x Gitaxian Probe
3x Serum Visions
2x Wrath of God
Land
2x Breeding Pool
3x Flooded Strand
2x Forest
1x Glacial Fortress
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Hinterland Harbor
3x Island
3x Misty Rainforest
2x Plains
2x Temple Garden
3x Windswept Heath
This deck is one of my brews. It uses the speed of Delve to get those Hootin Mandrills on the board by turn three. Then uses Venser and the supporting cast to remedy any threats that the opponent may throw my way. It is a work in progress.
2 Logic Knot
2 Remand
2 Cryptic Command
1 Mana Leak
1 Disrupting Shoal
Control
1 Supreme Verdict
4 Path to Exile
2 Wrath of God
Creatures
2 Kitchen Finks
3 Wall of Omens
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Restoration Angel
1 Dragonlord Ojutai - or - Ojutai Exemplars
3 Serum Visions
2 Sphinx's Revelation
Planeswalkers/Super Friends
1 Gideon Jura
2 Venser, the Sojourner
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
Land
4 Celestial Colonnade
2 Plains
3 Island
4 Flooded Strand
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Hallowed Fountain
2 Seachrome Coast
2 Negate
3 Spellskite
1 Disenchant
2 Dispel
1 Baneslayer Angel
2 Stony Silence
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Spell Snare
1 Supreme Verdict
This brew is much farther along in development.
The counter and control suite in the deck should be just enough when combined with the card advantage and modest life gain that the deck possesses to have a fighting chance in game one against most midrange decks. Game 2 we can react, heavily, to whatever our opponent is one, but the big key here is that the opponent most likely will adjust their play to our control elements. We have a lot of control of the board in game one and if we can make them change their game we can afford to be a little more aggressive.
The deck does struggle against some faster decks in the format, but it holds its own against many of the staples and can surprise you with how efficiently it just plods through to an early control victory. Restoration Angel is the primary win con of this deck.
Version 1 complete, let's have at it!
Wut.
The main problem with blink decks is they're too cute. I've been experimenting with Bant Blink decks too, and the problem with running a list that curves out at 5-7 is that your opponent WILL NOT let you execute your game plan. Every upper-tier deck aims to end the game by turn 4 or 5, while these mana-intensive Blink decks only start revving their engines around turns 4-6. By then, heavy pounding by enemy creatures, or having the opponent combo out, leaves a very bitter taste in one's mouth.
From experience, Blink decks with high mana curves absolutely cannot go toe-to-toe with creature aggro (Zoo/Affinity/Infect/etc), control (U/W), red-based tempo (Grixis Delver/U/R Delver), and dedicated combo (Twin/Bloom Titan). It even folds to Skred, which runs a bunch of red wraths.
IMHO, blink wants to get off to a quick start and beat into the opponent via Geist of Saint Traft/Kitchen Finks/another 2-3 cmc beater, while blinking utility creatures like Coiling Oracle or Mystic Snake for value via Cloudshift or Restoration Angel. Gunning for that Venser engine already puts you way behind decks that begin their offensive turn 1.
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Eternal Witness
3 Restoration Angel
2 AEthersnipe
1 Cloudthresher
1 Stonehorn Dignitary
2 Gitaxian Probe
3 Serum Visions
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Path to Exile
2 Detention Sphere
3 Cloudshift
2 Momentary Blink
1 Ghostway
1 Cryptic Command
2 Venser, the Sojourner
3 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Hinterland Harbor
3 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Plains
2 Temple Garden
3 Windswept Heath
This list is much more focused on instant speed blinking the creatures. I'm still unsure on the exact spell composition, but I decided on 3 Cloudshift/ 2Momentary Blink/ 1 Ghostway. The main goal of this deck is to evoke a mulldrifter then blink it, drawing you 4 cards and keeping around a 2/2 flying body. If that's not value, I don't know what is. If mulldrifter remains on the table, every blink spell/resto now becomes a draw 2. Get a Venser down and you've got a card drawing engine. The same thing also applies to aethersnipe. Evoke it with a blink spell and you get to bounce two nonlands, then turn every blink spell/resto after that into a mini boomerang. Cloudthrasher is there because a 5/6 mana 7/7 with flash seems pretty good, although I'm pretty sceptical and wouldn't mind cutting it. The fact that it kills your mulldrifters and can kill your angels, not to mention slapping you in the face for 4, doesn't really help. I took out the counter package for the blink package, which may make this a weaker deck overall, but my inner Johnny told me this deck is cooler. I have no idea how to sideboard, so that's definitely something that i need help on. I did some play testing on Cockatrice, and while this deck definitely doesn't seem very strong, it fits my playstyle, and it's still super fun whenever you pull off the mulldrifter combo.
You have one 1 cmc card, you need to manipulate this you should be running at least 2-3 Serum Visions, with the absence of Ponder this is simply the best sorcery speed cantrip that exists. An argument can be made that Gitaxian Probe is every bit as good, but I prefer the scry on the backend to set up my next plays. You are very creature heavy, which is not a bad thing as you need to protect Venser, but those creatures are nearly all very weak on their own. I get that your objective is ti get on the Sun Titan plan, but your supporting cast could use a little work.
Here is what I would alter this to, if I were to play it:
2 Flickerwisp
3 Blade Splicer
3 Augur of Bolas
1 Stonehorn Dignitary
2 Aven Riftwatcher
2 Sun Titan
1 Mulldrifter
Instants
3 Rune Snag
1 Logic Knot
3 Momentary Blink
2 Anticipate
3 Path to Exile
2 Detention Sphere
2 Oblivion Ring
Planeswalkers
2 Venser, the Sojourner
Sorceries
1 Wrath of God
1 Supreme Verdict
3 Serum Visions
Land
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Seachrome Coast
2 Glacial Fortress
5 Island
2 Faerie Conclave
9 Plains
The key to running this deck is getting to Sun Titan fast. This puts my mana closer to the distribution values that I need, provides me with a quick way to get to answers and gives me the ability to remove threats. We don't need a ton of creatures to hold the line with a deck like this, we can get by with fewer clusters of creatures that are going to be weak once I start top decking them mid-game.
Still, I think that this can use some work.
It might make sense to look for some Talisman of Progress to augment my mana base dropping to 21 lands with 2 of the talismans.
3 for a cantrip 1/3 or or 2 for a scry 3 flying 1/1 is not worth it to me. This pushes Seagate Oracle and Augury Owl out of the deck. I would rather run Court Hussar or Augur of Bolas as they both have more meat on the backend and sprint through my deck more quickly, filtering the bad and giving me the good.
3 Restoration Angel
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Mulldrifter
2 AEthersnipe
2 Path to Exile
2 Gitaxian Probe
3 Serum Visions
2 Detention Sphere
3 Cloudshift
2 Momentary Blink
2 Ghostway
1 Cryptic Command
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Venser, the Sojourner
3 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Hinterland Harbor
3 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Plains
1 Temple Garden
3 Windswept Heath
2 Spellskite
2 Nature's Claim
3 Aven Riftwatcher
1 Supreme Verdict
1 AEthersnipe
2 Dispel
2 Stonehorn Dignitary
2 Engineered Explosives
Like I said previously, this deck is less reliant on Venser and instead tries to gain value by instant speed blinking evoked creatures. Thoughts?
Hussar is a terrible blink target, but you see more cards. I always like seeing more cards, especially when I am trying to dig for a very specific card to make my deck shine. The Maelstrom Djinn is nifty tech, but he's slow... so slow... and he's nothing more than a beater with evasion. He should really only be a one of and at that he's just a path target.
Augur of Bolas is really there if you are running more instants. Again more cards. Heck... you could even consider running a Jace-AoT in there and I would think it serves you better than the Sea Gate Oracle
I love Flickerwisp don't get me wrong, but he really only shines when paired with Æther Vial. Otherwise you cannot really take advantage of his power by denying your opponent resources when they so very badly need them. (End of turn, flash them in tricks.) Come to think of it, you could consider running a Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir to better utilize the Flickerwisps.
I like the idea behind the deck a lot.
I like the concept and I get that you are going for the blink heavy version of this to really take advantage of evoke.
Here's my issue with evoke creatures. No matter what they are going to cost you evoke +1-+3 and consume two cards in the process. Thus, the best choice for running evoke creatures that are going to hang around are Mulldrifter as he will replace the cards that you use. Yet, there is another issue with Mulldrifter, he's such a weenie. Bolt fodder. In the format as it currently stands he'll replace the cards you use to get him to stick for his evoke cost and cost your opponent one card. Which... ultimately means you come out 1 card ahead so you have a slight advantage. However, you keep him around with a dispel and get him rolling with your back-up plan Venser and he is amazing.
Æthersnipe on the other hand is beefy, but his evoke is subpar. You are holding back a lot of mana to pull that off and while it is a surprise I would rather run a savant than the Æthersnipe because it serves two purposes and he is even more effect when blinked - imho. Yeah, he is Bolt fodder, too, but his ability to remand can be a much bigger advantage than just popping a perm back to a hand.
You need to remember that the speed of modern is four turns without some measure of disruption. You need more path to stabilize and stop combo, at 2 of you will likely be without it at key moments.
I see that you are looking for ramp too with the hierarch, but you need to ask yourself is she meets the purpose of the deck.
To me, if you want to focus on this route... keep the hierarch and consider getting some beefy morph cards that do interesting things: Akroma or Stratus Dancer for his actual morph. You should also split your mass removal between a Verdict and a Wrath. This will help against any regen creatures and against extirpate.
Using O-rings and D-spheres you can end up in an infinite loope with ETB creatures, or, if the board is free of all other perms aside from land, force a draw with the exiling of each that can happen.
Sphere, in play, play O-ring, target sphere, play O-ring target O-ring, Sphere comes back, hits O-ring, O-ring comes back hits sphere - infinite loop. If you run three O-ring the ETB version is pulled off and hilarity ensues.
Wall of Omens has junk in the trunk and gets you a card. I wish it flew. I like it better than Sea Gate Oracle because it is out of bolt range.
Teferi is great against control decks... just saying.
Aggro: Naya Burn RWG
Combo: Scapeshift RG
Control: Jeskai Control UWR
Legacy
Control: Miracles UW
Aggro: Burn R
I was so engrossed in evoke creatures that I totally passed over non-planeswalker Venser, but yeah, he should replace aethersnipe. This deck is already really tight on slots, so I definitely need to refine it.
Thanks. I know that you really cannot tell until you are in an actual tourney environment, but on Cockatrice this thing is faring very well. 50/50 vs. tier 1. It struggles against some of the faster combo, but can really hold its own in game 1 against anything. Game 2 depends on if I have a sideboard built against it... and if there is a game 3, see game 2.
Check your PM.
I was reviewing the two decks that you offered up in your primer, and see a lot of synergies in the orchestra. Like Tom Courtenay, I just wonder about the choice of counterspells. In Venser Control, you are running Logic Knot, when I think Condescend might be a stronger offering. You see that card a lot in the Blue Tron decks.
In Venser Eternal, you're running 4 Hooting Mandrills. I'm a monkey man too, but I wonder if an Ojutai Exemplar might steal one spot there. Also, since you only have 4 creatures with 4 power or greater, the stubborn denial additions might be ill conceived.
What about Batterskull? He's used to death in everything, but I think that lifegain is pretty important in a Venser deck.....blinking is a neat way to get the germ token back.
Logic Knot is a straight up counter and puts to use those cards that have already lived out their purpose. The 1 cmc difference in the two spells is nearly inconsequential since I am raiding the gy to pay for knot. That said, maybe adding a one of each is not a bad idea, or perhaps replacing the shoal with condescend.
Monkey's are the finisher, and with all the conditions right I will get them because I dig for them. Denial is only in there as a 2-pack for precisely the reason that you are providing, I am only running 4 monkeys I don't want to overload on the counter relying on them. Add to this that denial is a really good surprise early in the game and I think it is okay where it sits.
Batterskull would definitely be in the sideboard or might replace a mandrills. I love Ojutai Exemplars and I am running heavier white to support the wraths, they might be worth a look. The only thing that this would hurt is the value of ripping the GY for resources.
My new approach to playing is to utilize every aspect of the game to the fullest. The less dead an area of the game is to me, the better. So I like relying on delve or other GY effects to augment the game.