I played against UWR Control this weekend, and yeah it's a pretty interesting match up.
We played 2 extra games after the tournament and I told him to pretend my GoST was Blade Splicers, and it wasn't any better. It was quite worse, actually. GoST is still awesome.
I sided in 2x Rest in Peace, 2x Counterflux, Batterskull, and 2x Surgical Extraction.
I took out 4x Snapcaster, 2x Path to Exile, 1x Lightning Bolt
It was actually pretty awesome after board, I just misplayed and forgot Gideon could become a creature lol. I don't think I'm going to be too worried about control decks with UWR Geist. It's a fair match up. It was a lot of fun.
I second that. It will be hard to find a place for it but you should try.
For starters, I'd cut a land, and a Cryptic Command (maybe even two) for Remands.
edit: you wrote your post in the same time as I did. So if you deliberatly chose CC over Remands I guess the discussion over Remand is over
What land would you cut? I run 3 Tec Edges because Tron has a strong showing at my store. I can't see myself cutting anything other than a Tec Edge, and I don't want to run 2 Tec Edges.
I might try 3 Cryptic Commands and 1 Remand. I might be putting Cryptic Command on too high of a pedestal.
Is there any reason you don't want to run Remand? It's like one of the best cards this deck can run.
I chose to up Cryptic to 4 instead of Remands. It might not be the best idea, because Remand is fast and cantrips... but Cryptic is the best card in Blue if you ask me.
4 Cryptics becomes deadly when you're also running 4 Snapcasters.
So that's the list I have now. I'm really happy with the main deck, although I'd love to be running 4 Tec Edges. I just can't seem to find a way to make 4 work.
The Batterskull and Leyline in the sideboard are the other 2 cards I'm unsure about. I haven't tested Batterskull yet, and I'm not sure that he'd be any better than something like Sword of Fire and Ice to grant me card advantage, while doing a little damage. Pro blue/red is pretty nice in mirror matches as well. Maybe both Fire and Ice, and Batterskull are bad, and I should use a 3rd option. I'm not sure what that third option would be, though.
UWR Midrange doesn't run as many counters as UWR Control seems to run, so I think that Leyline will save me from losing to Burn.
I was thinking of running two Surgical Extractions, but that seemed crazy. Surgical Extraction annihilates Melira Pod. I really like it.
The cards that I'm really not sure about are Sowing Salt, and Celestial Purge, but I can't seem to find anything to replace them with.
Sowing Salt doesn't seem needed because I can just run 2 Surgical Extraction, and with Tec Edge it does the same thing, really. Just way more versatile.
We played 2 extra games after the tournament and I told him to pretend my GoST was Blade Splicers, and it wasn't any better. It was quite worse, actually. GoST is still awesome.
I sided in 2x Rest in Peace, 2x Counterflux, Batterskull, and 2x Surgical Extraction.
I took out 4x Snapcaster, 2x Path to Exile, 1x Lightning Bolt
It was actually pretty awesome after board, I just misplayed and forgot Gideon could become a creature lol. I don't think I'm going to be too worried about control decks with UWR Geist. It's a fair match up. It was a lot of fun.
2x Celestial Purge
2x Counterflux
2x Engineered Explosives
1x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Rest in Peace
2x Stony Silence
2x Surgical Extraction
2x Threads of Disloyalty
Hmm, well if I change Relic of Progenitus for Rest in Peace, I don't really need Threads of Disloyalty, do I?
Should I put in two Wrath of God?
My plan against Jund was to just steal/kill Goyf and then get in with GoST. So I wasn't planning on siding them out.
also just so I don't have to make another post: not completely sold on Surgical Extraction, but I don't know what else to put in the sideboard.
What land would you cut? I run 3 Tec Edges because Tron has a strong showing at my store. I can't see myself cutting anything other than a Tec Edge, and I don't want to run 2 Tec Edges.
I might try 3 Cryptic Commands and 1 Remand. I might be putting Cryptic Command on too high of a pedestal.
edit:
4x Arid Mesa
4x Celestial Colonnade
1x Eiganjo Castle
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
4x Scalding Tarn
3x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
3x Tectonic Edge
4x Geist of Saint Traft
3x Restoration Angel
4x Snapcaster Mage
2x Vendilion Clique
Spells
3x Cryptic Command
3x Electrolyze
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Lightning Helix
2x Remand
2x Mana Leak
2x Path to Exile
2x Spell Snare
1x Batterskull
1x Celestial Purge
2x Counterflux
2x Engineered Explosives
1x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Relic of Progenitus
2x Stony Silence
2x Surgical Extraction
2x Threads of Disloyalty
I chose to up Cryptic to 4 instead of Remands. It might not be the best idea, because Remand is fast and cantrips... but Cryptic is the best card in Blue if you ask me.
4 Cryptics becomes deadly when you're also running 4 Snapcasters.
4x Arid Mesa
4x Celestial Colonnade
1x Eiganjo Castle
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
4x Scalding Tarn
3x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
3x Tectonic Edge
4x Geist of Saint Traft
3x Restoration Angel
4x Snapcaster Mage
2x Vendilion Clique
Spells
4x Cryptic Command
3x Electrolyze
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Lightning Helix
3x Mana Leak
3x Path to Exile
2x Spell Snare
1x Batterskull
1x Celestial Purge
2x Counterflux
2x Engineered Explosives
1x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Relic of Progenitus
2x Stony Silence
2x Surgical Extraction
2x Threads of Disloyalty
So that's the list I have now. I'm really happy with the main deck, although I'd love to be running 4 Tec Edges. I just can't seem to find a way to make 4 work.
The Batterskull and Leyline in the sideboard are the other 2 cards I'm unsure about. I haven't tested Batterskull yet, and I'm not sure that he'd be any better than something like Sword of Fire and Ice to grant me card advantage, while doing a little damage. Pro blue/red is pretty nice in mirror matches as well. Maybe both Fire and Ice, and Batterskull are bad, and I should use a 3rd option. I'm not sure what that third option would be, though.
UWR Midrange doesn't run as many counters as UWR Control seems to run, so I think that Leyline will save me from losing to Burn.
Anyone have any suggestions?
The cards that I'm really not sure about are Sowing Salt, and Celestial Purge, but I can't seem to find anything to replace them with.
Sowing Salt doesn't seem needed because I can just run 2 Surgical Extraction, and with Tec Edge it does the same thing, really. Just way more versatile.
edit: Threads of Disloyalty?
3x Restoration Angel
4x Snapcaster Mage
2x Vendilion Clique
4x Cryptic Command
3x Electrolyze
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Lightning Helix
3x Mana Leak
3x Path to Exile
2x Spell Snare
3x Celestial Colonnade
1x Eiganjo Castle
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
4x Scalding Tarn
3x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
4x Tectonic Edge
2x Counterflux
2x Engineered Explosives
2x Sowing Salt
2x Stony Silence
1x Batterskull
1x Celestial Purge
1x Leyline of Sanctity
2x relic of progenitus
1x Surgical Extraction
1x Wear // Tear
This is the deck I have decided to play. Any suggestions on the sideboard?