Hey, I've been brewing up a Dralnu list for the last few months, testing, and changing it to the kind of deck I don't usually see. I've already got Combo-Control goodstuff decks, so I wanted to make a classic control deck, with higher than average spot removal and 1-1 answers, and no combo finish. The deck is built to stretch the game out, stop people from doing unfair things, balance on the political see-saw, and eventually pull out a burn finish. I was trying to cut the creatures out of the deck completely, but have a couple sweet ones I just couldn't bring myself to cut. If anyone could help me make this even more draw-go, without destroying the integrity of the list, I would appreciate it.
Tell me your thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms about the deck, and what you think about the concept of more spot removal and answers to keep the game going longer.
Here's the list. Numbers indicate CMC~
5 Dralnu, Lich Lord
Creatures-2
4 Bane of the Living
5 River Kelpie
Artifacts-16
0 Claws of Gix
1 Sol Ring
2 Charcoal Diamond
2 Dimir Signet
2 Fellwar Stone
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Mind Stone
2 Sky Diamond
2 Star Compass
2 Talisman of Dominance
3 Chromatic Lantern
3 Darksteel Ingot
4 Thran Dynamo
5 Gilded Lotus
6 Caged Sun
6 Staff of Nin
Enchantments-8
1 Mystic Remora
2 Animate Dead
2 Dance of Many
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Underworld Connections
4 Leyline of Anticipation
4 Soul Ransom
5 Future Sight
1 Innocent Blood
2 Black Sun's Zenith
2 Demonic Tutor
2 Exsanguinate
2 Profane Command
3 Ashes to Ashes
3 Beseech the Queen
3 Fabricate
4 Barter in Blood
4 Deep Analysis
4 Diabolic Tutor
4 Rite of Replication
4 Sever the Bloodline
4 Syphon Mind
5 Acquire
5 Diabolic Revelations
5 Increasing Ambition
5 Rise from the Grave
5 Time Warp
6 Walk the Aeons
7 Blatant Thievery
7 Wit's End
10 Time Stretch
Instants-15
1 Entomb
1 Rapid Hybridization
2 Counterspell
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Diabolic Edict
2 Go for the Throat
2 Memory Lapse
2 Muddle the Mixture
3 Capsize
3 Dissipate
3 Faerie Trickery
3 Hinder
3 Stoic Rebuttal
3 Sudden Death
5 Desertion
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
Lands-34
0 Cephalid Coliseum
0 Dimir Aqueduct
0 Drowned Catacomb
0 Evolving Wilds
0 Hall of the Bandit Lord
0 High Market
0 Reliquary Tower
0 Jwar Isle Refuge
0 River of Tears
0 Tainted River
0 Thawing Glaciers
0 Vivid Marsh
11 Islands
11 Swamps
Tell me your thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms about the deck, and what you think about the concept of more spot removal and answers to keep the game going longer.
My EDH Decks!
BUGDamia, Combo-Control QueenBUG
RGWort, the RampmotherRG
WWWKemba, Voltron ExtraordinaireWWW
UBDralnu, Pure ControlUB
URHail to the DracogeniusUR
Bane of the Living: very mana intensive and typically kills itself. Replace with better mass removal such as Damnation or Decree of Pain or All is dust. Even Kagemaro, first to suffer is better in my opinion.
Claws of Gix: I can see why having a sack outlet for your general is important, but there may be better sack outlets such as Phyrexian Tower and Miren The Moaning Well. Those give you some colorless mana too!
Staff of Nin: You are in blue/black, the BEST color combination for drawing MASSIVE amount of cards. This card is horrible here.
Soul Ransom: don't let your opponents make choices for you, that's not the spirit of true control! Treachery is WAY better, but Control Magic and Gilded Drake are great options too.
Caged Sun: At 6 mana, seems a bit inefficient in a 2 color deck.
Dance of Many: Try Phantasmal Image and/or Phyrexian Metamorph. Saves you the upkeep cost.
Rise from the Grave: Necromancy, Reanimate, Beacon of Unrest come before this...
Wit's End: I personally prefer Mind Twist but depending on your meta, this may be fine.
Go for the Throat: Replace with Pongify
Some cards that are not in the deck to consider:
As mentioned before, you're in the best colors for card draw, and you are playing 1-to-1 answers, you NEED to make sure you're generating massive card advantage.
Intuition
Forbidden Alchemy
Phyrexian Arena
Necropotence
Recurring Insight
Thirst for Knowledge
Opportunity
Stroke of Genius
Consecrated Sphinx
The bottom 4 are optional. The top 5 really really need to be in the deck.
Some powerful cards to consider:
Snapcaster Mage
Cryptic Command
Rewind
Mystical Teachings
Frantic Search
Careful Study
Yawgmoth's Will
You have no graveyard hate (outside of reanimation), consider at least running Suffer the past.
Some cards outside your current budget that would make the deck better:
Mana drain
Force of Will
Temporal Manipilation
Capture of AllYourCash
Diamond Valley
Bazaar of Baghdad
Thanks for the input, I can't immediately acquire all of these cards but there are some I can pick up and others I know I should work towards.
Phyrexian Arena is in the deck, and I can pick up Forbidden Alchemy and Rewind.
I'll also look towards immediately acquiring a second Damnation, Phyrexian Tower, Treachery, Miren the Moaning Well, and Recurring Insight. The changes may take awhile, but I agree with most of them, some of the cards in the deck are just there because I had them laying around.
My EDH Decks!
BUGDamia, Combo-Control QueenBUG
RGWort, the RampmotherRG
WWWKemba, Voltron ExtraordinaireWWW
UBDralnu, Pure ControlUB
URHail to the DracogeniusUR