Not satisfied with perceived clunkiness in my Taigam deck, namely the need to split deck resources between voltron and spellslinger, I've converted to a more streamlined Baral strategy. It features a few of my favorite things from a few of my favorite blue commanders, namely Baral, Talrand and Jalira. All of these were deck lists at some point. What I wanted was all of blue's "fun" control cards in a package that contained a realistic and competitive win condition, namely, polymorphing Baral into an Eldrazi Titan - in this case, Newzilek, for his thematic counter ability. EDIT: That was the case, but as it ends up, it was better off going with a couple of OG Titans. The backup win condition was Metallurgic Summonings, but now the whole deck is balls in Polymorph. It's the closest to an old school "draw go", 20+ counter spells and a bomb creature blue deck as I've ever made. It's listed under one on one, because I'm not sure a deck full of counter magic is really suitable for a pod. If you disagree, you'll please me greatly. While listed under traditional ban list 1v1, it's equally viable in a three player pod. I wouldn't take this to anything greater than four players, though -- not with the default hate that 20+ counterspell, mono-u decks get in casual circles.
Win Condition: Polymorph Baral into Kozilek or Ulamog, or Mass Polymorph Baral and a token into both.
EDIT 1: Today, I went and bought OG Kozilek. I thought it would be fun to add some chance to my Polymorph shenanigans. Also, if I have even a single token alongside Baral, I can Mass Polymorph as early as turn 4-5 for both titans. That's the stuff dreams are made of.
EDIT 2: Picked up Unwind today. I took out Swarm Intelligence -- too high of CMC. Realized I forgot to transfer Counterlash from my Taigam cards to the new Baral list, so I dropped a land.
EDIT 3: Picked up Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre and Jace, the Mind Sculptor today and swapped them in where Newzilek and Sherlock Jace were before.
EDIT 4: Lost Disappearing Act and Familiar's Ruse for Capsize and Reweave.
EDIT 5: Lost Halimar Depths, Riptide Laboratory and Terrain Generator for Sherlock Jace and two Islands.
EDIT 6: Major update -- got rid of all the artifacts and enchantments that didn't really do anything by themselves, enhancers for the most part. I never wanted to cast them. I did go ahead and buy a Force of Will, Ancestral Vision and Mox Amber. Now the deck is totally committed to the all counterspells and a fattie vision of a legendary control deck that practically never was.
EDIT 7: Lost Gitaxian Probe for Crush of Tentacles.
EDIT 8: Swapped in Git Probe losing High Tide.
EDIT 9: Saw the tricks and value with Arcane Denial and dropped down to 38 mana sources (36 lands, 1 mox, Azcanta). I think that's safe with the real curve of the list accounting Baral.
EDIT 10: Dropped Gitaxian Probe and added River's Rebuke - love my one sided board wipes.
EDIT 11: Added Field of Ruin in place of an island.
EDIT 12: Dropped Delay and added Dismiss.
EDIT 13: Lost Mox Amber and added Long-Term Plans.
EDIT: 14: Added Dream Fracture and dropped Lost in the Mist.
Win Condition: Polymorph Baral into Kozilek or Ulamog, or Mass Polymorph Baral and a token into both.
EDIT 1: Today, I went and bought OG Kozilek. I thought it would be fun to add some chance to my Polymorph shenanigans. Also, if I have even a single token alongside Baral, I can Mass Polymorph as early as turn 4-5 for both titans. That's the stuff dreams are made of.
EDIT 2: Picked up Unwind today. I took out Swarm Intelligence -- too high of CMC. Realized I forgot to transfer Counterlash from my Taigam cards to the new Baral list, so I dropped a land.
EDIT 3: Picked up Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre and Jace, the Mind Sculptor today and swapped them in where Newzilek and Sherlock Jace were before.
EDIT 4: Lost Disappearing Act and Familiar's Ruse for Capsize and Reweave.
EDIT 5: Lost Halimar Depths, Riptide Laboratory and Terrain Generator for Sherlock Jace and two Islands.
EDIT 6: Major update -- got rid of all the artifacts and enchantments that didn't really do anything by themselves, enhancers for the most part. I never wanted to cast them. I did go ahead and buy a Force of Will, Ancestral Vision and Mox Amber. Now the deck is totally committed to the all counterspells and a fattie vision of a legendary control deck that practically never was.
EDIT 7: Lost Gitaxian Probe for Crush of Tentacles.
EDIT 8: Swapped in Git Probe losing High Tide.
EDIT 9: Saw the tricks and value with Arcane Denial and dropped down to 38 mana sources (36 lands, 1 mox, Azcanta). I think that's safe with the real curve of the list accounting Baral.
EDIT 10: Dropped Gitaxian Probe and added River's Rebuke - love my one sided board wipes.
EDIT 11: Added Field of Ruin in place of an island.
EDIT 12: Dropped Delay and added Dismiss.
EDIT 13: Lost Mox Amber and added Long-Term Plans.
EDIT: 14: Added Dream Fracture and dropped Lost in the Mist.
1 Baral, Chief of Compliance
//Artifact (1)
1 Sensei's Divining Top
//Instant (45)
1 Aetherize
1 Ætherspouts
1 Arcane Denial
1 Brainstorm
1 Capsize
1 Confirm Suspicions
1 Counterlash
1 Cryptic Command
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Desertion
1 Dig Through Time
1 Dismiss
1 Dream Fracture
1 Forbid
1 Force of Will
1 Geist Snatch
1 Hinder
1 Insidious Will
1 Long-Term Plans
1 Mana Drain
1 Memory Lapse
1 Mystic Confluence
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Opt
1 Overwhelming Intellect
1 Pact of Negation
1 Polymorphist's Jest
1 Polymorphous Rush
1 Pongify
1 Rapid Hybridization
1 Reality Shift
1 Remand
1 Reweave
1 Rewind
1 Spell Burst
1 Spell Crumple
1 Spell Swindle
1 Spelljack
1 Summoner's Bane
1 Supreme Will
1 Swan Song
1 Synthetic Destiny
1 Turn to Frog
1 Unwind
1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
//Enchantment (1)
1 Search for Azcanta
//Planeswalker (1)
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
//Sorcery (14)
1 Ancestral Vision
1 Baral's Expertise
1 Crush of Tentacles
1 Curse of the Swine
1 Mass Polymorph
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Personal Tutor
1 Polymorph
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 River's Rebuke
1 Serum Visions
1 Sleight of Hand
1 Treasure Cruise
//Land (36)
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Field of Ruin
1 Ghost Quarter
30 Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Wasteland