MTG Salvation

The deck runs really well, and is very competitive, given that it is mostly comprised of the best blue spells, white spells and artifacts of the last 12 years. Any feedback is appreciated, as always.

30 lands is too little, especially for a control deck. If you include lots of land fetch/artifact mana, you might get by on 36 lands.

Rather than just putting together good blue, white and artifact cards, try to exploit GAAIV more. You are looking for effects that hamper - but doesn't destroy - mana development. This means it will still be too expensive for your opponents to do something significant, while you will still have mana available for your cheapened spells.

Winter Orb (and perhaps Hokori too) is a good start. Cataclysm is also a fantastic card for you to play, combined with Flagstones of Trokair, Oboro and Weathered Wayfarer to find them and other utility lands. With either of those in play when you clysm and saving a mana artifact, you still have 3 mana on the board and can cast 4-5cc spells next turn, while your opponents are lucky to cast 1cc spells next turn.

Ghostly Prison (which you play) is very synergistic, but there's absolutely no reason to not include Propaganda too. I'd also much rather play Aura of Silece instead of Oblivion Ring in this deck. If you want RFG removal, use Return to Dust instead.

As for win conditions, Mindslaver is probably a must. I'd also recommend Dovescape against opposing combo and control. Combine with Guile and you have a combo win there as well. Good luck!

I've seen Academy Rector and Decree of Silence work quite well in this.

Quote from Imolatus

I've seen Academy Rector and Decree of Silence work quite well in this.

Unfortunately, as I run very few enchantments, Rector really does nothing for me and Decree of Silence is cute, but a bit lackluster and not powerful enough. My slots are really limited and i'm having to cut powerful cards in order to make room for better cards.

Quote from urdjur

30 lands is too little, especially for a control deck. If you include lots of land fetch/artifact mana, you might get by on 36 lands.

Rather than just putting together good blue, white and artifact cards, try to exploit GAAIV more. You are looking for effects that hamper - but doesn't destroy - mana development. This means it will still be too expensive for your opponents to do something significant, while you will still have mana available for your cheapened spells.

Winter Orb (and perhaps Hokori too) is a good start. Cataclysm is also a fantastic card for you to play, combined with Flagstones of Trokair, Oboro and Weathered Wayfarer to find them and other utility lands. With either of those in play when you clysm and saving a mana artifact, you still have 3 mana on the board and can cast 4-5cc spells next turn, while your opponents are lucky to cast 1cc spells next turn.

Ghostly Prison (which you play) is very synergistic, but there's absolutely no reason to not include Propaganda too. I'd also much rather play Aura of Silece instead of Oblivion Ring in this deck. If you want RFG removal, use Return to Dust instead.

As for win conditions, Mindslaver is probably a must. I'd also recommend Dovescape against opposing combo and control. Combine with Guile and you have a combo win there as well. Good luck!

I do agree on the inclusion of Mindslaver, I honestly don't know why I don't have one in. Guile is interesting and I had thought about him. I didn't include propaganda for a few reasons. 1) I'm tight on space, and two, i'm making the entire deck foiled, and Propoganda doesn't exist as a foil. To compensate, i'd have to find a Japanese one. The nice thing about the deck is that often times I don't actually NEED Grand Arbiter and he's merely a nice play to further help me get there and play things faster and hamper my opp. I'm probably more focused on winning than I am wasting turns hampering their development ( with the exception of scepter/chant or scepter/abeyance).

Oddly enough, most games I find myself with enough mana to get by and win, partly because of the multiple cost reducing cards and mana producing artifacts and Tolarian academy. I will probably jump up to 32 lands, but cutting cards has become difficult.

I edited the decklist to reflect changes I just made.

Sakashima the Imposter, Armageddon, Yosei the Morning Star, Elspeth, Knight Errant, Cataclysm, Sunder, Sphere of Resistance and probably Painter's Servant + Washout as an Upheaval; Painter's Servant can be set to blue or white to reduce all spells you cast not of those colors to be reduced by GAAIV. I'd then go with either the tap down land cards ( Winter Orb, Hokori, Dust Drinker, Static Orb & Stasis with ways to bounce/tap them so they only affect your opponents ) or go with more mana denial ( Mana Breach, Rising Waters, Thorn of Amethyst, Copy Enchantment ). I'd move away from so many creatures and make the deck more enchantment/artifact/instant/sorcery based since that is what blue and white can tutor for the most effectively. Also would run around 38 lands with 6-7 artifact accelerants. Also would put in Mindslaver, Crucible of Worlds and Recall so you can Gifts Ungiven for a Mindslaver lock.