When I first started playing Magic in 7th/8th grade, it was during Onslaught. Astral Slide was one of those cards I loved to death - I begged my best friend to give me his copies since he would never use them, and I built a janky combo deck with Spirit Cairn. Fast forward 8 years later, and it's still my favorite deck to play - I've completely foiled it out with Foil Full Art Zendikar Lands, Judge Foils, Signed Fluctuator etc. That current list looks like this:
Basically abuse Evoke + Astral Slide...Mulldrifter gets ridiculous and Aethersnipe is just a beating. Nevermaker soft-lock is good too.
Anyway, I posted all of that because I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT want this new decklist to resemble the old decklist besides the necessary Cycling Lands/Astral Slide/Fluctuator.
For some reason, Blue/White Slide is just not as popular as Green/White or Red/White. I don't see why, since Blue has some really amazing abilities to abuse. Most popular combo with Astral Slide is probably with Eternal Witness, reusing stuff like Orim's Chant or Wrath of God. With this Blue/White version, I'm simply bringing back the Soft-Lock back to its original colors. It's undoubtedly more rough around the edges, but I have a fondness for these decks, especially since it stars the completely ignored Saprazzan Bailiff.
Card Explanations:
Saprazzan Bailiff - without a doubt, the centerpiece of the deck. When you have either Astral Slide or Aether Spellbomb out, play the Bailiff, let the "enter the battlefield" trigger go on the stack, then cycle a card, removing the Bailiff and return all your enchantments/artifacts from the grave.
Wall of Omens - I wasn't too keen on including this since it is cliched, but it's just too good to not. The deck desperately needed early 2 mana defense.
-Amulet of Vigor - Since the deck runs so many non-cycling cards, all of the cycling had to be deferred to the lands. I normally run about 12 cycling lands, but this time, I had to up that to 15. It actually worked out with Amulet of Vigor since their abilities stack, and it provides a mana boost that the deck desperately needs. Also works great with Azorius Chancery - and this card allows us to bounce a cycling land to be cycled late game.
Fluctuator - no brainer. Deck requires too much mana to spend mana cycling lands.
Decree of Justice - The deck really needs a strong finisher, and this could be it.
Deck Fixes/Suggestions:
I briefly toyed with Elixir of Immortality since it is fetchable, but I felt like the idea of shuffling the graveyard back was anti-synergetic with Saprazzan Bailiff. Still viable as a 1-of for the early game perhaps?
I suppose Enlightened Tutor may have a place in here, but those are just woefully expensive.
Other Sideboard cards were just some I considered putting in, but had to cut.
Edit: Sorry, forgot to put in what needs to be worked on. Astral Slide decks of course, always have trouble in the early game - I'm not sure if Wall of Omens/Meekstone is enough. Potentially Elixir of Immortality recurrence with Astral Slided Trinket Mage can be a game saver. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the Elixir in particular, since it is good enough to include, but is anti-synergetic with Saprazzan Bailiff, unless of course, the timing is absolutely perfect.
Don't you love how my posts are just dreadfully long? I do apologize (again) for not making this ADD friendly, but I do like my audience well informed. Again, please keep in mind when you're making suggestions, that I don't want this list to look like the Blue/White Slide deck I've posted in the beginning. I'd like the focus of the deck to be on Saprazzan Bailiff
I'll have to test it, but it seems good in theory as a 1-of for Trinket Mage. I've noticed that sometimes the deck runs out of cycling cards a little too fast, and if Astral Slide + Wall of Omens isn't in play, there's no way to recover the hand. But with Sensei's Divining Top, I can smooth out the draw for the next cycler, or use its 2nd ability to get a surprise cycler from the top of the library, even with an empty hand. I think it will be a good addition. Normally I avoid expensive cards like this, but I do have one laying around.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Anyone else? I'd really appreciate some feedback, or heck, any sort of comments/thoughts in general.
4 Plains
8 Island
2 Secluded Steppe
2 Lonely Sandbar
4 Drifting Meadow
4 Remote Isle
Creatures 22
4 Mulldrifter
4 Aethersnipe
3 Nevermaker
4 Cloud of Faeries
2 Reveillark
2 Aven Riftwatcher
2 Eternal Dragon
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
4 Miscalculation
1 Decree of Justice
1 Renewed Faith
Artifacts/Enchantments 7
4 Astral Slide
4 Fluctuator
4 Complicate
2 Renewed Faith
2 Aven Riftwatcher
2 Rescind
1 Voidstone Gargoyle
1 Gather Specimens
2 Riftwing Cloudskate
1 Body Double
2 Plains
5 Island
2 Azorius Chancery
3 Secluded Steppe
4 Lonely Sandbar
4 Drifting Meadow
4 Remote Isle
Creatures 15
3 Saprazzan Bailiff
4 Sanctum Plowbeast
4 Trinket Mage
4 Wall of Omens
4 Fluctuator
3 Aether Spellbomb
4 Amulet of Vigor
1 Meekstone
Enchantments 7
4 Astral Slide
3 Decree of Silence
Spells 2
2 Decree of Justice
1 Ancient Den
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Mishra's Bauble
1 Urza's Bauble
1 Artificer's Intuition
1 Ixidron
2 Epochrasite
2 Sunblast Angel
2 Miscalculation
2 Nevermaker
Card Explanations:
- Saprazzan Bailiff - without a doubt, the centerpiece of the deck. When you have either Astral Slide or Aether Spellbomb out, play the Bailiff, let the "enter the battlefield" trigger go on the stack, then cycle a card, removing the Bailiff and return all your enchantments/artifacts from the grave.
Together with Sanctum Plowbeast, Decree of Silence and Aether Spellbomb, they feature a soft-lock. Thankfully, the Plowbeast is an artifact creatureDeck Fixes/Suggestions:
I also had 1 copies each of Seat of the Synod/Ancient Den to be fetched with Trinket Mage, but I needed more Plains/Islands for Sanctum Plowbeast.
I suppose Enlightened Tutor may have a place in here, but those are just woefully expensive.
Other Sideboard cards were just some I considered putting in, but had to cut.
Edit: Sorry, forgot to put in what needs to be worked on. Astral Slide decks of course, always have trouble in the early game - I'm not sure if Wall of Omens/Meekstone is enough. Potentially Elixir of Immortality recurrence with Astral Slided Trinket Mage can be a game saver. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the Elixir in particular, since it is good enough to include, but is anti-synergetic with Saprazzan Bailiff, unless of course, the timing is absolutely perfect.
Don't you love how my posts are just dreadfully long? I do apologize (again) for not making this ADD friendly, but I do like my audience well informed. Again, please keep in mind when you're making suggestions, that I don't want this list to look like the Blue/White Slide deck I've posted in the beginning. I'd like the focus of the deck to be on Saprazzan Bailiff
Thanks for reading!
R: Copypasta Sauce {Browbeat}
UR: Mana Cache , One Spell to Bind them All {Magnetic Theft}
UG: Epic Struggle , All-In-Poison {Metamorphosis}
UW: Planar Overlay , Decree of the Bailiff {Saprazzan Bailiff}
BG: Thought Gorger , Dark Chroma {Umbra Stalker}
UBR: Dwarven Shrine
WUBRG: Dissipation Field , Maelstrom Nexus
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"STAY CLEAR OF WHITE POWDER"
311 "Who's Got the Herb"
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I'll have to test it, but it seems good in theory as a 1-of for Trinket Mage. I've noticed that sometimes the deck runs out of cycling cards a little too fast, and if Astral Slide + Wall of Omens isn't in play, there's no way to recover the hand. But with Sensei's Divining Top, I can smooth out the draw for the next cycler, or use its 2nd ability to get a surprise cycler from the top of the library, even with an empty hand. I think it will be a good addition. Normally I avoid expensive cards like this, but I do have one laying around.
Thanks for the suggestion.
Anyone else? I'd really appreciate some feedback, or heck, any sort of comments/thoughts in general.
R: Copypasta Sauce {Browbeat}
UR: Mana Cache , One Spell to Bind them All {Magnetic Theft}
UG: Epic Struggle , All-In-Poison {Metamorphosis}
UW: Planar Overlay , Decree of the Bailiff {Saprazzan Bailiff}
BG: Thought Gorger , Dark Chroma {Umbra Stalker}
UBR: Dwarven Shrine
WUBRG: Dissipation Field , Maelstrom Nexus