About the deck
I suppose this is fairly standard for a Grand Arbiter Augustin IV (GAA4) list, but I like to think I put my own quirks into it, namely the heavy use of enchantments. Enchantments are probably my favorite card type, so I thought it particularly fitting that the main win-cons are variations of an enchantment combo.
The deck has been played in this iteration for about 12 months. However, I've been playing and tinkering with this deck for over about 2 years. Originally, I tried to be "nice" and not include the meanest of the mean, but that wasn't getting me anywhere. GAA4 has a reputation as one of the most control-y generals in EDH; he is supposed to be sheer agony to play against. I wanted to live up to those expectations, so I crushed all feelings of pity and remorse, and I went for the meanest control deck I could reasonably assemble.
Beginnings
The core of the deck has always been the Enchanted Evening + Cleansing Meditation combo, since I love me some enchantment shenanigans. When I first built the deck, I went waaaaay overboard with the enchantment theme. There were too many enchantments (which tend to be really slow to put out) and too many interactions that depended on playing a lot of enchantments. Cards like Celestial Ancient and Sigil of the Empty Throne need boatloads of enchantments coming into play regularly, which meant holding onto cheap but powerful enchantments to play after setting these cards on the board... and that's not an effective strategy when those cheap enchantments should be coming out before turn 5. They were a cute interaction, but they were simply too slow and inefficient, especially since much of the deck is composed of a lot of instants, too. This led to a deck that ultimately couldn't handle most basic tasks of surviving a game, let alone controlling a board of 2+ people.
Gettin' Better
I decided to de-emphasize the strategy of "enchantments for the sake of enchantments" and instead cherry-picked only the most appropriate and synergistic ones. Arcane Laboratory, AEther Barrier, and Sigil of the Empty Throne hit the curb to make way for better counters and removal. As the quality of enchantments got better, I realized that some of the creatures I had been using were doing things that the enchantments were doing, only the enchantments were doing it better, cheaper, and were harder to kill. My discovery of some handy artifacts and my resolve to make the meanest GAA4 deck made underwhelming Spelltithe Enforcer and Fatesticher in the face of Sphere of Resistance and Winter Orb.
Optimizing to Win
I started including alternative win-cons using Enchanted Evening. I'd always known about Aura Thief, but hadn't wanted to use him because he wasn't an enchantment... (Okay, I took the original theme a little too seriously..) I didn't think my opponents would have any enchantments worth stealing in the likely event that Enchanted Evening wasn't on the board. But as I faced a variety of other decks, I understood that I might not always be able to assemble the combo with Cleansing Meditation and that another way to win had to be in the deck, just in case. With addition of Aura Thief came the addition of High Market because I don't trust my opponents to be so nice as to set up my win-con for me. This made Academy Rector even more useful, though at the time, it was only toolboxing. (When Omnscience came out, I knew exactly where to put it... ;P) High Market led to a turn towards other sac-able stuff, as well.
As more amazing things went into the deck, the chaff came out and the deck tightened into a very cohesive and versatile package of control. At this point, the deck is in "maintenance mode," so I don't think there will be any drastic changes to the deck. Just putting in more optimal cards as they become introduced in later sets.
If you have any questions about why I didn't include particular cards or if I've tried particular cards, ask away and I will address your concerns to the best of my reason and recollection. Also, there are sections of "Tried and Failed" and the "Changelog" at the end of this Primer for further reference.
Who Can Replace GAA4 as General for the Deck?
The deck is specifically formulated to synergize with the Grand Arbiter's natural abilities. The use of another UW legend would ultimately prove hollow. I tried to do this when I first built GAA4 because a friend in my playgroup had just finished using him as a general. I wanted to play UW control, and I really wanted to play GAA4, but out of respect for that friend, I went with Ghost of Saint Traft, and the experience playing this deck (at least a somewhat similar version to it) without GAA4 at the helm was awful. GoST didn't do anything. I never cast him once, even when I had several opportunities to do so. My friend saw that I essentially hated my deck and gave me his blessing to use GAA4. So I did. And the the way the deck worked changed drastically. Things came into harmony with each other and the taxing and answering (counters/removal) became sustainable. I could advance my board position quickly while slowing the advancement of their positions significantly.
If you really felt the need to change the general, however, here are my suggestions:
1. Hanna, Ship's Navigator. Gets back the enchantments and artifacts that build the prison, though they only go to your hand. That's not a terrible draw-back, of course, and Hanna can be super-handy for retrieving stuff that your opponents blow up or make you discard. If you were to go with Hanna, I'd suggest tweaking the deck a little to include more artifacts (Ethersworn Canonist, Tanglewire, etc.) and more recursion for artifacts/enchantments (Open the Vaults, Argivian Find, Argivian Resoration, etc.). This will build on her theme a little more and integrate her abilities into the deck better. A full primer for Hanna can be found here.
2. Lavinia of the Tenth. If you cast her on-time, she'll be effective. As opponents begin ramping and playing bigger things, she could be underwhelming. I'm not very stoked about the "detain" ability. It's great if you've made your entire deck around it, but this decklist isn't about tapping people's stuff. If you went with Lavinia, Sunblast Angel seems like a good choice for destroying whatever creatures you've detained.
3. Isperia, Supreme Judge. Useful for drawing cards, but it's clearly meant as an attacker (higher power, lower toughness), which can prove inconvenient for a defensive deck. Paying 6 for her is a little steep, too, but in the right situation, she can net a bunch of cards.
Introduction
Why play Grand Arbiter Augustin IV?
1. Because you're a sadisti--- I mean, because you want a challenge and enjoy smart playing.
2. Because if you're going to do a control deck, do it right.
3. Because control is the best archetype (/opinion) and should be everywhere!
You will like playing GAA4 if:
You like heavy control decks
You are patient
You are a versatile/creative player who can work with what you are given
You like to explore different options and find interesting interactions
You like to watch the world burn
You will NOT like playing GAA4 if:
You don't like heavy control
You want to poop out creatures as fast as you can
You want fast games
You must combo out to feel like you won
You are "nice" and don't want to feel like you are ruining everyone's good time
Note about decklist by function:
1. Some cards have multiple functions or interact with multiple cards beyond the ones listed. Cyclonic Rift, for example, is listed under "Spot Removal", even though it can act as board sweep. Cryptic Command is another example: I typically use it as a counter, but it is versatile enough to use for different reasons as the board situation dictates. The cards under each function are guidelines; they are simply how I tend to use the cards.
2. Creatures are particularly tricky to categorize by function. The ones I've listed as "Beaters/Enforcers" are ones that I usually use to actually hit opponents or to maintain the lockdown (e.g. Frost Titan/ Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite). These creatures can certainly be used to create a soft-lock combo (Frost Titan + Venser, the Sojourner) or to defend precious, precious life points. Also, I count Mulldrifter as "draw" rather than as a strict utility creature. He's definitely both, but I don't want to split hairs about it.
Card-Choice Commentary
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV: Our glorious leader. I'm sure you can tell by now, but this entire thread is about how awesome he and his support are. He taxes opponents while making your stuff cost less. This is the core of what the deck does, but it does further in exploiting the general's asymmetry.
Lotus Petal: It's like playing a second land that turn. Plus, it can be retrieved from the graveyard with Sun Titan. Works well against effects that screw up the mana that lands produce (like Hall of Gemstone, Blood Moon, and Contamination)
Sol Ring: Because 2 mana for 1 is pretty damn good. If you have this in your opening hand with a Plains and an Island, GAA4 is coming out T2. It gets even more gravy when you have Lightning Greaves in that hand.
Land Tax: Fetches you basic lands and no one really targets it (if they do, they have really crappy threat assessment). In other words, you're pretty much guaranteed steady access to whatever color of mana you need.
Talisman of Progress: Just a good artifact/fixer to have when Winter Orb is messing up the land situation. It can produce 1 no matter what and W or U for the cost of a little life, and you don't have to pay mana to activate it!
Sensei’s Divining Top: Because this is a control deck. You need to control your deck as well as everyone else's.
Lightning Greaves: Protection for the general. Haste for the beaters.
Isochron Scepter: Complete and utter hilarity. You can put any 2-drop instant in this deck on the Stick and will be happy if not giddy with your sadis-- I mean, cleverness ;P
Sphere of Resistance: Why make their stuff only cost 1 more? They should pay 2 more!! :3
Winter Orb: Because denying opponents access to land is fun, right? Well, it's fun for this deck. Just make sure you drop it when you know your position/hand can deal with it.
Blind Obedience: Shuts down haste and combo artifacts for a turn. Buys time to find answers, if necessary. Honestly, I've never used it in this deck for its Extort ability. I suppose if I had Omniscience out, I'd Extort all day, every day. But the "ETB tapped" effect is more than worth the 1W CMC.
Propaganda: No, seriously. Don't ****ing attack me.
Detention Sphere: What do we say to clones? Not today Also useful as spot removal for a variety of permanents. Kills token armies, which gets pretty hilarious if you blink D-Sphere with Venser, PW.
Rhystic Study: Tax stuff or get cards? Why not both?-- force them to give you cards with outrageous taxes! (cue maniacal laughter)
Aven Mindcensor: Confines opponents to searching their top 4 cards. Good luck tutoring, ramping, etc. in just those 4 PLUS! You can still search your entire deck, thanks to Mindcensor's asymmetry.
Aura of Silence: You like 0-drop artifacts? Cool story, bro. "Pay 2 extra for that? Even Sol Ring doesn't look as good now, does it?" Good against a variety of decks, since most decks utilize artifacts to some extent. Oh yeah, and it's artifact/enchantment spot removal (kill the Aura Shards).
Pact of Negation: Great hard-counter for times when you tap out. Tutorable with Tolaria West (for me, it's the #2 Tolaria West transmute target, after High Market.) I usually consider this a 5-CMC card, so I don't forget that that's how much it'll cost in the end. Still, it's great as a general denial counter, or as combo protection for when you need it. Just don't forget to pay for your pact!
Orim’s Chant: Good for if you smell a combo coming (like if someone tutors something dirty to the top of their deck). Can go on the Stick-- can be kicked from the Stick.
Arcane Denial: Excellent tempo-control. It's a hard counter that only costs 1U (put it on the Isochron!), or just U with GAA4 on the field. This leaves more mana open during the round for other actions/spells. Plus, you get a card off it immediately, so it replaces itself in your hand. Yeah, your opponent gets two cards later, but you can use that to your political benefit.
Memory Lapse: A good delay counter. Plus it screws up their next draw, which -- trust me -- is REALLY frustrating. Can go on the Stick.
Remand: Again, a good delay/tempo counter. Replaces itself, is incredibly cheap, and can go on the Stick. What more can you ask for?
Counterspell: A classic. Can also go on the Stick.
Mana Drain: Counterspell on crack. Is the wet-dream of the Stick.
Dissipate: Removes the spell from the game. No library shenanigans. No graveyard tricks. Just done.
Hinder: Not so great as a general removal, but it still has its uses for countering things that you don't want to hit the graveyard, like Eldrazi titans and other such things. Also, if the card is back in their deck and they want it, they'll have to search for it again, which won't be easy if Aven Mindcensor and some prison cards are out.
Glen Elendra Archmage: Some seriously good counter protection. Put this faerie out before you drop a bomb (just make sure to save that U to activate her). When someone tries to counter, you can counter their counter. Also good for preventing silly X spells, Tooth and Nail, etc.
Render Silent: What's more fun than countering a spell? Countering it and then not letting them play anymore, obviously. The ultimate "NO!" card.
Venser, Shaper Savant: Good for "countering" the uncounterable or removing tricky permanents. Be warned: it's not a permanent solution unless you're planning to end the game on your next turn. Can also be bounced with his favorite planeswalker for some lolz.
Cryptic Command: It's a great counter. No, wait! It can stop a massive attack dead in its tracks. No, wait! It's some solid bounce. And draw a card. Simply the most versatile U card in existence. They took everything Blue is good at and stuck on an instant... which means it can get Snapcaster'edback if you have the mana.
Condemn: In case anyone has the balls to swing with their general without protection. Can be imprinted on the Stick.
Path to Exile: Some sweet, sweet instant exile for just W! Prevents things from hitting graveyards. Stick-able.
Cyclonic Rift: Great spot removal. Excellent for late-game pseudo-wraths or for clearing the board so you can do stuff. Can also go on the Stick, but you can't Overload it from the Stick (I guess you can't have everything...).
Disenchant: The best answer for enchantments and artifacts. Beats out Revoke Existence and Return to Dust if only because it's instant-speed (and can go on the Stick) and is really low-CMC. Trust me, when an opponent plays an artifact or enchantment that can wreck your board, you will want a low-CMC instant to take care of it as quickly as possible.
Gilded Drake: For when your opponents think they can have nice things.
Austere Command: The most versatile wrath effect. Good for picking and choosing what you want to stay on the board. Because this deck tends to put out a lot of artifacts and enchantments, I usually end up using this as a creature wipe. If your opponents have played some stuff that is just killing you, don't shy away from destroying all enchantments and/or artifacts. Replenish can get all the enchantments back, and Sun Titan can get most of the enchantments and all of the artifacts back, only much more slowly.
Terminus: For removing any pesky indestructible stuff or things you don't want hitting the graveyard. Plus, it works as a general tuck. PLUS! It can be Mystical Tutored to the top for a "miraculous" save from unending (or undying) hordes. Did I mention it tucks generals? Just be sure you can either survive without GAA4 or you can get him back... or, even better, he's not on the field.
Long-Term Plans: Not Stick-able (sad trombone), but does search for anything... I'm lookin' at you, Academy Rector. Works great with the Top.
Dream Cache: Some of the best draw and deck manipulation in the format. Stuck with Omniscience and other high-drops in hand but not ready to play them? Draw 3 and toss that **** on the bottom! Just need to see what you're gonna get? Draw 3 and set up your next two draws!
Sphinx's Revelation: Excellent draw-X spell that only gets better with GAA4 on the field; you get two "free" cards (oh, and life) because the spell will cost 1 less for being W and 1 less for being U. Not so bad in the early-mid game, but is totally awesome in the late-game, when you need a fresh, full hand to maintain the lock you've set up.
Thassa, God of the Sea: Scry is pretty necessary for ensuring good card quality. You don't want to have dead draws if you can help it, and Thassa makes sure to limit that as much as possible. She's also low-CMC and indestructible, which is a HUGE advantage. I don't even care when she's not a creature; she's super-powerful just by being a regular ole' enchantment.
Fact or Fiction: Some serious card-advantage possiblity here. As the saying goes, if the deck is built right, there's no "right" way to split up a FoF. So grab a cocktail and watch your opponents deliberate.
Replenish: When you're graveyard becomes card advantage, you have a way to survive the mid- to late-game. It's asymmetrical enchantment recursion. Can't go wrong with that, can ya? Also a good way to cheat out Omniscience, in case it has to be discarded early. Replenish is also the answer to mass enchantment destruction. When someone keeps blowing up your stuff (die in a fire, Aura Shards...), Mystical Tutor up a Replenish and laugh at their pitiful attempts to ruin your plans.
Mulldrifter: GAA4 works on Evoke costs. 2 cards for 2 mana ain't bad.
Temporal Mastery: I put the time magic in with Card Advantage because, really, that's mostly what it does. You get to draw another card and go through another turn of board development that, trust me, you want and need. Temporal can be set up with Mystical Tutor, Sensei's Divining Top, Dream Cache, etc. It can save you from tough situations and give you the breathing room to change the tide of battle.
Snapcaster Mage: Because doing it once isn't enough! Your graveyard becomes an extension of your hand when it comes to instants and sorceries.
Solemn Simulacrum: Land and draw and he blocks for you. Could you want anything else in a creature?
Phyrexian Metamorph: Copies creatures AND/OR artifacts. That versatility is exactly what GAA4 likes. Especially good for copying artifact accel and ETB creatures. My personal favorites: Gilded Lotus (someone else's obviously), Sol Ring, Titans, Prophet of Kruphix...>_>
Wall of Denial: Has saved me so many times... can be pretty much as effective as Propaganda/Ghostly Prison because a 0/8 flying, shrouded blocker for 3 (2 with GAA4!) is stupid good.
Consecrated Sphinx: GAA4 really likes card draw.. and Consecrated loves giving cards. Each draw your opponents get is two potential answers, which can take the form of counters, spot removal, or even land. I will say this: drawing into counters/instant-removal with the Sphinx is awesome-sauce.
Frost Titan: A good beat-stick that will help lock down the board.
Sun Titan: A good beat-stick that can get some of your stuff back... like a Strip Mine or Lotus Petal... In fact, most of the enchantments and artifacts can be recurred with Sun Titan. There aren't a ton of creatures that can come back, but there are enough to make it worthwhile, if necessary. Lands are never bad recursion targets either. :3
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite: Because if you're gonna swing, swing hard? ehehee.. Seriously though, she wrecks opponents' attempts at aggro, kills most token swarms, and happens to make your stuff bigger, too.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage: Pretty good card draw with her minus. Her plus works pretty well if you've already got a handle on most of the board. Her ulti is just silly.
Venser, the Sojourner: Because bouncing is fun, that's why! He can be a little slow sometimes, but when he's working, he's working hard
This is a control deck; thus, it is slow. Actually, it's very fast to set up, but the win is slow.
YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK FOR A WIN. This deck cannot play itself.
Follow the strategy, but allow for tactical maneuvers. (That's just basic... anything, really)
Politics is your friend... This deck draws a lot of hate, so the main goal of politicking is to mitigate that hate as much as possible and to rally others to join your cause (that is - make them kill each other first).
Okay, onto basic strategy:
The Opening Hand
Look for at least 3 usable lands. You probably want more, unless you have a way of getting more mana (e.g. Land Tax, Sol Ring, Lotus Petal, or a tutor so search of any of them). The lands should produce at least W and U.
Look for a low mana-curve. Getting stuck with a 6-drop bomb happens, but try to have mostly 2-4 CMC cards in a good ratio so that you have something to build into.
Look for 1-2 prison cards. These aren't exactly necessary, but they enable you to start locking down the board very early. Sometimes, your opening hand will give you a ton of counter/removal and little or no prison cards. If you're game for it, you can take such a hand (and still win!). The key is maintaining a highly defensive stance: you will have to take a couple of early hits, but as long as you counter/remove the right things, you'll be able to stall for enough time to build a good prison. In times like these, the deterrent cards (like Propaganda and Ghostly Prison) will be the most useful in keeping you alive, so use those tutors wisely. Politicking will also help in these instances (put on your most pathetic face ;P).
The general gameplan
Drop GAA4 as early as (safely) possible. The faster he hits the field, the more devastating the prison. By taxing early game, your opponents will have a harder time setting up how they're used to setting up. Ramp spells, artifact accel, etc. no longer really get them ahead. Keep in mind that if you're playing against another Blue deck and have reason to believe that that player has a counter in hand, you'd better have back-up. Do not be so hasty to cast GAA4 that you misplay. The deck can stand to build the prison while you wait for an opening to drop your general. (Again, this is primarily for if you're up against another control deck.)
Build the preliminary prison. A few of the prison cards should be on the field by turn 4. Counter back-up and spot removal are fine but not always necessary.
Continue building the prison. Counter or remove any threats to you or the prison. Counter any attempts at combos.
Drop beaters, search/filter-draw for combo pieces. Continue building the prison. Do not miss a chance to make your opponents' spells useless in their hands.
Attack until someone dies, or combo in everyone's faces. AKA: win.
The nitty-gritty
The gameplan is simple, but it takes a while. Playing a control deck in 100-card singleton necessarily requires a lot of set-up and careful planning, in spite of the card-function repetition and tutors.
This is a very simple deck in terms of what it does. This deck is meant and able to control the board in three ways. First, it has a lot of counter-power, so that few things hit the board. Second, it has the best spot removal in the format, so that you can clean up anything you couldn't counter. And on top of it all, it taxes your opponents to the extent that playing spells is a chore, which works in tandem with the previous two.
You may have noticed that a lot of the spells in the deck are very cheap, like 2-4 drop. Yes, GAA4 makes things cheaper, so you could put out higher CMC beaters and whatnot faster and for less. But (I think) it's better to drop a lot of little nuisances (the prison cards) and still have mana left over for answers. The big guns can still come out, when your position is guaranteed or when you really need their utility. The deck is defensive first and aggressive later (waaaaay later).
The main idea is to tax/hurt your opponents with as little collateral damage as possible. GAA4 automatically creates a favorable asymmetry when he's out. Sphere of Resistance, Aura of Silence, and Rhystic Study amplify the his taxing abilities. The thing is to be very careful with Sphere of Resistance, since your spells will cost more, too. If GAA4 is out, though, the Sphere and the Judge balance each other out for you while really, REALLY sticking it to your opponents. You should also consider what you might be losing out on if you hold onto counter mana. Yes, have counters ready, but also realize that they could be preventing you from developing your board position and locking down opponents. It's usually better to set up the prison in the early game, since it would be unlikely for your opponents to have enough mana to drop major threats or have any answers to the prison at that time. Still, this issue might take a bit of deliberation and is definitely dependent on the game-state. Thinking is key to using this deck successfully.
This deck can take care of most threats to the board: wrath effects, spot removal, and counters (preemptive strikes against board position). But remember, your opponents having a solid or scary board position is only bad if it can hurt you. If your opponents cannot attack you with their creatures or if you have instant-speed removal as a back-up, there is no need to be hasty with the removal. Let your opponents off each other first and get rid of the issue when it becomes inconvenient for you.
Use counters carefully. See the Enemies of the State section.
You are essentially waiting until your opponents have run out of options (either because they have tried everything and failed, or because they can't play anything) before you go in for the kill. Do not be surprised if you are just starting to pick up steam (i.e. attacking or collecting combo pieces) around turn 12-15.
Playing Multiplayer Control
You can't control everything. Seriously. This deck has an incredible amount of counter-magic, spot-removal, and miscellaneous removal, but it still cannot realistically hope to take on 2-4 other players by itself just by countering/tucking/exiling/destroying all their stuff. There's just no way to guarantee you will have enough appropriate answers for everything your opponents do. The key is to be very selective about what you respond to. If possible, hang onto a counter for generals, known combo pieces, and/or generally accepted threats (Eldrazi, praetors, and primordials, oh my!). If a spell/permanent doesn't really hurt or hinder your board position, there's no reason to respond to it. Even some iffy or potentially harmful spells can hit the board as long as you know you can (eventually) recover from it. The other things to counter/remove are interferences to the gameplan or win-con. If you're about to combo, or make a major play, like hard-casting Omniscience (I've had to do it more times than I'm willing to admit... :P), I seriously suggest holding onto back-up, just in case. Even if Blue isn't well-represented in your play-group, there is plenty of cheap removal in other colours that can negatively affect what you're trying to do. (I was once playing against 2 Blue decks: I cast and resolved a Consecrated Sphinx, only to have it Path to Exiled out of nowhere by the Doran player... wah.) Remember: counters are both defensive and offensive.
Politics. As mentioned before, GAA4 generates a ton of hate as soon as your group knows you're playing him. To keep the game from instantly turning into a crazy Archenemy match, a good handle on the "political" situation will prove handy. Politics is both persuasion and enforcement. You persuade your opponents mostly by acting as innocent as you can. Convince everyone that what you did was for the greater good: "Woah, guys! That could have gotten seriously out of hand! Aren't you glad I countered/exiled it?" Shift the focus away from yourself and onto other players and the potential threats of other players. As for "enforcement", I mean forcing opponents to take certain actions. The prime examples are Ghostly Prison/Propaganda. They don't just protect you; they make your opponents attack each other (or at least tax them heavily for trying to attack you... which limits their spell-power for the rest of the turn/round... you should remind them of this :3). You can also use your counters/removal to open the way for opponents to take shots at each other. There are many ways to do this (tapping/removing blockers, etc.), so experiment! However, always keep in mind that since you are essentially playing your opponents off of each other, you should always be ready for backlash should the tables turn and they gain a stronger position or team up against you.
Some Tips for Winning
Only take opening hands with good mana promise, at least 3 good land (and able to produce U AND W. If you take a 3-land, you had better have either Land Tax or Sol Ring (or both), and a low curve, with the highest CMC card no greater than 4. I've taken risky hands (2 lands or 3 iffy lands) and won, but more often I lost. GAA4 really does need a good start (not necessarily a stellar start, but a good one) and sufficient mana is key to that.
Always make the play that will profit you the most in the end. This should be common sense, but it's surprising how many people don't realize that what might be "bad for the board" isn't necessarily bad for you. If someone lays down a Sheoldred, Whispering One and you don't have any worthwhile creatures on the board, don't waste a counter or removal on it. Let it hurt your opponents; let Sheoldred's controller get some creatures. If you've set up a board position that hinders your opponents' attacks, who cares how many creatures they have? Even better when they think they've got you in a corner with creatures on all sides, and you wipe them (overloaded Cyclonic Rift, anyone?) and enjoy their whines.
Don't give up. You will absolutely have to work for your win. The great thing about this deck is that it can handle a lot of different situations. This versatility will carry you, if you know how to use it to its fullest potential - and that takes time and experience. You will be attacked and lose a lot of life (until you set up a decent board position, anyways). You will see someone try to pull off a combo (or two). You may get your hand ripped apart or a chunk of your library sent to your graveyard. You will have to battle through this. If you dig in, stand your ground, weather the storm, and make it through some tough times with cleverness and pluck, the game can be yours for the taking (er, winning?). In numerous instances, I have survived attacks, been left at less than 5 life, and been able to win in spite of it all. (I've also lost, but at least I almost won on those occasions.) Point is, when set up properly, this deck can lock down and fend off an entire board until you either beat in enough face or pull off a combo. So don't give up; push through it!
Tax. What does Grand Arbiter Augustin IV do best? Tax people, of course. GAA4 is key, since he makes your spells cost less and makes your opponesnts' cost more. To augment the general's natural taxing abilities, I've included Sphere of Resistence, Aura of Silence, Rhystic Study, Ghostly Prison, and Propaganda. Some of these taxers do other things, too (as we shall see), but they are generally good for discouraging your opponents from playing things that might annoy you. One note about Sphere of Resistence (when GAA4 is out) - Yes, your mono-coloured spells will typically cost the same, but the (WU spells will still cost 1 less than normal, (yay!). AND!! Your opponents' spells cost 2 more, which is what we want. This makes Rhystic Study and the other taxers even more effective (most people won't be able to pay more than 2 extra for each spell).
Pause or Redirect Attacks.Blind Obedience and Ghostly Prison/ Propaganda are there to deter opponents from attacking you. And if they're not attacking you, they're attacking your opponents (basically doing the dirty work for you ^_^). Blind Obedience also stops Kiki-combos, haste, and mana rocks for a turn, so it's particularly versatile in what it affects.
Shuts Off Specific Problems.Aven Mindcensor is an attempt to control how opponents interact with their decks. Unfortunately, Stranglehold can't be in GAA4 (I'm such a sad panda about this... you have no idea), but Mindcensor is useful in how it shuts down (or at least severely limits) green ramp-y decks, other control decks, and combo decks (which are notoriously tutor-intensive). Detention Sphere is also great for getting rid of serious threats (planeswalkers, fatties, enchantments or artifacts that are preventing you from doing stuff...) as well as armies of tokens.
Mana Severance.Sphere of Resistance, Aura of Silence, Rhystic Study, etc. aren't just good as taxers. They also restrict how much mana opponents have access to in order to cast spells. They are essentially an indirect form of mana severance. The piece de resistance is Winter Orb. Timing will be everything when it comes to this card. If you wait until everyone (or at least everyone who seems like they'd have a problem with it) is tapped out, or nearly so, until you drop it, you will be fine. However, do not drop it until you are confident that you can function on the land you have. Once Winter Orb goes down, it is hard to get rid of, since most people won't have the mana to remove it afterwards, supposing they even have the removal in hand. Winter Orb creates a "bottle-neck." Once it sticks, people will be playing very few spells per round and, instead, building up their land/mana reserves. Once Winter Orb is removed, that bottle-neck of restricted access to untapping lands is gone and people will be able to play freely again, so be very careful in your use of this card. In any case, the Orb makes people really rethink their use of lands. You will certainly have to think about your land/mana situation before dropping this. Still, it works great with an early Omniscience.
5. Academy Rector + death/sac outlet (i.e. High Market) = Omniscience gets cheated into play. No, it's not very original, but free spells are free spells.
These are the cards that present the greatest threat to our gameplan and board position.
Aura Shards. Destroys our prison. In case you haven't realized yet, enchantments and artifacts are the bricks and mortar of our little prison here. Aura Shards destroys everything we've been trying to set up, and that's really annoying. It means we have to Replenish (or search for it and then Replenish) from our graveyards... and that's even more annoying. It's simply best to either counter it or Disenchant it at the first available moment. Aura Shards must never be allowed to activate.
Austere Command/Merciless Eviction. These are other popular artifact/enchantment removal. Try not to let them hit for the same reasons as above. Again, our solution to this is Replenish, but it's not a good idea to rely so heavily on one card to fix everything. Best to prevent the BS than have to rebuild from it, right?
Lodestone Golem/Thorn of Amethyst/Ethersworn Canonist. It's not fun when you're getting taxed, right? Cards like these aren't really problems, per se. Depending on what they're stopping your opponents from doing, they can actually be on "your side." They start becoming a problem once their taxing starts to get in the way of what you're trying to accomplish. At that point, get rid of them.
Tooth and Nail. If your meta actually runs this, it at least deserves a counter. Unless you plan on Cyclonic Rifting (or otherwise removing their combo/beat-stick pieces) their stuff when they try to use it, this card should probably eat a counter.
Natural Order/Defense of the Heart. Ugh. These cards. Every time I see them, I roll my eyes. Cheating a fattie into play? OK, I get it. Who doesn't want a discount on their creatures? Cheating a green fattie into play? Go die in a fire. Green can ramp up to that **** like nobody's business; it doesn't need a way to cheat stuff into play on top of it, amirite? I hold counters specifically for stuff like this when I know it's floating around.
Eldrazi. Annihilator is stupid. You shouldn't let your playgroup use stupid cards, right? In all seriousness, though, Eldrazi put opponents way too far ahead after the annihilator trigger (and these beasties can sometimes be indestructible). Countering or removing them must also be done in such a way that the offending Eldrazi (titan) doesn't hit a graveyard. Exile or tuck it. There is no other option, unless you're OK with giving them back their graveyards...
Bribery. It really depends on the meta. For example, my playgroup stopped playing Eldrazi when I started playing Bribery (in a different deck, though) and they haven't returned since. If there's reason to suspect that Eldrazi, Praetors, or Primordials are running around, you should seriously consider stopping Bribery. (You don't want them cheating out anything you don't want to hit the board.)
Possibility Storm/ Warp World/ Chaos effects, in general: This deck can probably work around Possibility Storm (it's still probably worth a counter if you think opponents will abuse it), but Warp World is extremely nasty. Since this GAA4 deck has a ton of spells, randomly revealing cards and hoping for permanents is not gonna end well. I don't think chaos is bad just because this is a control deck (actually I love me some chaos effects!). It's not about chaos vs. control. It's about not being able to control the chaos in a beneficial way; it's also about making sure your opponents can't exploit the chaos. Decks like Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (handcycling combo) are good at controlling/exploiting the chaos. This deck isn't, except by countering chaos.
There are plenty of cards in this deck that cost $10+. I don't think I can provide budget options for all of them without completely neutering the deck. Here, I will suggest functional options for the most egregiously priced cards and cards that have cheaper counterparts that do effectively the same thing (but just aren't as optimized).
Note: some cards do not have cheaper options. For example, if you cannot get a hold of Academy Rector, it might just be best to take out the whole Omniscience combo. In its place, though, it would be wise to insert something that works well with High Market.
1. Mana Drain: literally any other counterspell.
2. Orim's Chant: Silence
3. Cryptic Command: Lost in the Mist. Turnabout and Boomerang are other options to think about, too, depending on how you would use the Cyptic Command.
4. Venser, Shaper Savant: Time Stop. They both stop the uncounterable spell, which might be necessary, depending on the meta. Also good for stopping uncounterable spells: Mindbreak Trap, since it exiles spells from the stack. Great if you can get it for free; certainly not bad if you have to pay 3 or 4 for it, though.
5. Jace, the Mind Sculptor: Jace, Architect of Thought should suffice. JTMS really is the best Jace for any job, but JAoT is good for dulling attacks and for card advantage, too.
There are comparatively few wrath effects in this deck, mainly because it is very easy to have a good board position. (GAA4 makes your stuff cost less to put out, so your position will naturally be easier to set up than your opponents'.) GAA4 is a relatively cheap general, but you should seriously weigh the options before sweeping the board of creatures when he's out. His costs can add up if he dies enough, and Omniscience won't be able to save you. Wrathing should be a last resort for when you have no spot removal (or tutor access to spot removal).
If GAA4 gets tucked (which he shouldn't if you're doing it right; and even if you are, it happens :P), you can find him again with Long-Term Plans, which synergizes well with Sensei's Divining Top. Other than that, he might be lost in the deck. But that's alright. GAA4 simply amplifies what the deck already does, so it should still work as you stall for your general/ win-cons (i.e. beaters or combos).
1. Force of Will:
>a. FoW requires you to exile a blue card. As a 2-colour deck, a blue card might not be in the hand (either because FoW is the only card in hand with a colour identity or because the other cards in hand are white).
>b. The exile of a card is a loss of card advantage. Snapcaster Mage can at least access stuff in the graveyard, in case you have to discard, but exile is irretrievable in this deck.
2. Tundra:
> Because I spent $125 on a Mana Drain already. Hallowed Fountain is good enough for me. It's not like I'm running fetches...yet! Now that Khans has spoiled fetches, I'll be getting mine soon enough. If you have the mana base for it, go ahead and run whatever you want.
4. Clone/ Phantasmal Image/ etc.
> Phyrexian Metamorph should suffice if you haven't used it to copy a Sol Ring or Gilded Lotus. Plus, there's easier ways to deny or remove generals. Don't forget: this deck is about preemptive moves against your opponents.
5. Time Warp and other time magic:
> It's not my style. As mentioned before, this is a defensive deck: an extra attack phase and extra main phases don't amount to much.
6. Relic of Progenitus or other Graveyard hate:
> GY shenanigans can only happen if your opponents have paid the tax for them and don't get countered. For this reason, I tend to view counters as preemptive GY hate. Yes more things end up in the 'yard, but they can't get out unless you let them. Ah... Permission decks.. Still, if your meta is rife with GY issues, by all means substitute a card or two to ensure you have answers.
1. Flusterstorm (and any non-hard counter):
> Too situational. If I need to counter something, I need the assurance that what I have in hand will do the job.
2. Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker:
> I wanted so bad for this card to work, but it ultimately cost too much for a "win-more".
4. Serra's Ascendant:
> Again, too situational. Only really good early game. Plus, it's kind of a dick-move that isn't necessary for the game-plan. (I acknowledge that the game-plan is a a series of dick-moves...)
5. Rule of Law/ Arcane Laboratory:
> Too limiting of my own spell power. Rarely if ever got the combo up and running.
6. Spelltithe Enforcer
> Wasn't a bad choice, but if I was going to pay 4 (which is what he costs after GAA4 is out) for a creature, it had better help me out. A lot. Loxo here just did what other cards were already doing better.
7. AEther Barrier
> I didn't like that it made my creatures cost more. I prefer Sphere of Resistance when it comes to symmetrical taxing. SoR isn't restricted by spell type, which I prefer.
8. Leyline of Sanctity/Leyline of Anticipation
> I didn't like having to pay for them when they weren't in my opening hand. 3 mana (after GAA4 discounts) for cards that don't actively contribute the the prison just didn't seem worth it.
9. Rest in Peace
> Wasn't worth it in my Meta. Even with heavy reanimator decks around, I didn't see a point to it. If fatty creatures are out, I either could live with them (because they couldn't attack me) or I could remove them at will. Usually both. Also, if fatties can't attack me (because of Propaganda and/or Ghostly Prison), that means they are attacking my opponents. =]
10. Serra's Sanctum
> It doesn't produce anything without an enchantment on your side of the field. That hurts like crazy early game or after all of your enchantments have been destroyed. A Plains will at least always produce W, and I need to count on my mana-sources to provide me with mana..
11. Story Circle
> It deterred mono-coloured decks, but it wasn't good enough to stave off a board full of different colours. Also, it requires W to activate; as a rather U-heavy deck (and mana-base), it just wasn't going to fit too well. Plus, people win through more than just damage. Combo decks are a thing and Story Circle is powerless to stop them.
5.15.13: -Oblivion Ring, +Detention Sphere. Ring gets one thing. Sphere gets one thing and everything else with that name. And, when GAA4 is out with Sphere of Resistance, Sphere will still cost WU while Ring will cost 2W.
5.30.13: -River Kelpie, +Dream Cache. Kelpie didn't work like I thought it did. RTFC, eh? Anyways, Dream Cache is a great draw spell and helps put cards where you want them in the deck. You can either set up your next couple of draws or put stuff you can't afford to play on the bottom. You can also throw back an early drawn Omniscience to Academy Rector for later.
7.7.13: -Idyllic Tutor, +Aven Mindcensor. Idyllic Tutor is just a little too slow. Yes, it gets the enchantment to your hand, but it costs 3 (2 with the general on the field). Idyllic searches for an answer (or win-con), which combined with its CMC, becomes only really useful late-game, in my opinion. Mindcensor, on the other hand, starts stopping your opponents quite immediately. The versatility of Mindcensor is in its timing. It's pretty much good at any point in the game and especially devastating early-game. Late-game, it depends on how much of the board you've got under control. If you have a lot under control, it's just another nail in the coffin. If you are just starting to pick up steam, Mindcensor will continue and help perpetuate that trajectory.
7.7.13: -Azorius Charm, +Replenish. I needed a spot for Replenish, and Azorius Charm was rather weak in comparison to the rest of the deck. Yes, the Charm has been useful, but Replenish can me back all of my enchantments. Replenish becomes an alternate cheat-out for Omniscience if you drew it too early and discarded it, and it gets back anything that's been destroyed over the course of the game. It's solid recursion that affects an admittedly small, but significant, part of the deck.
7.7.13: -Final Judgment, +Terminus. I like both and wish I could keep both. Both can get rid of indestructible creatures. Both cost 4WW. But Terminus can be Mystical Tutored for. You get to wipe the board - hopefully tucking generals and other nasties away on the bottom - for W and then proceed with your turn.
7.24.13: -Isperia the Supreme Judge, + Pact of Negation. After playing a 4-person game with 3 of them (GAA4 included) running Blue, I decided a free, back-up counter was necessary. Not just that, but I'd been feeling a little let down about how apparently seldom I was drawing counters, and I'd wanted to try out Pact for awhile. Isperia, though only 4 to cast with GAA4 out, wasn't really netting enough cards to justify her place. I realized, too, that for a 100-card, singleton, control deck that can run almost any card ever printed, Standard control (loosely defined by holding off the opponent until you can drop a beater, protect the beater, and then beat with the beater) wasn't going to be as efficient as just locking people out and combo-ing off. The beaters, then, became a back-up win-con, so I didn't need an extra beater that wasn't performing as well as the others.
2.9.14: -Temporal Mastery, + Thassa, God of the Sea. The card advantage from her is just amazing. It doesn't even matter if she's a creature (actually, it's probably better if you don't have enough devotion, anyways). An indestructible enchantment for 3 (2 with GAA4) that scrys each upkeep AND can make your stuff unblockable in the late game is a damn versatile card. Temporal Mastery, though fun with Mystical Tutor, isn't really that useful by comparison.
7.11.14: -Yosei, the Morning Star, +Taliman of Progress. Yosei is awesome for solidifying the prison, and I'll miss his help. He's definitely wan me games. But with a card as risky as Winter Orb floating around, it's important to have mana rocks that will untap when my lands won't.
7.11.14: -Gideon Jura, +Remand. Yes, it's time for Gideon to take his leave. He's got excellent synergies with Tamiyo and can buy you time to stabilize your position, but it's hard to argue with a tempo-counter, like Remand, which replaces itself (by drawing you an extra card). Remand is Stick-able and only costs U if GAA4 is out, so you have more mana during the round for removal/counters.
7.11.14: -Rewind, +Arcane Denial. Arcane Denial, like Remand, is a good tempo-counter that will replace itself. It can be thrown on the Stick and will cost next to nothing with the general out. Yeah, your opponent will get two cards, but, hey, that's politics. Just remind them about those two cards when they're deciding who to swing for
7.11.14: - Dissipate, +Temporal Mastery. Yes, I'm putting Temporal back in. It's just so game-changing, regardless if you set it up or if it's truly a miracle. Dissipate is a fine card, but with the addition of tempo counters that a super-cheap and replace themselves in the hand, Dissipate is a little lack-luster.
10.21.2014: - Erayo, Soratami Ascendant, +Sphinx's Revelation. Since the new, "combined" banlist, Erayo has been banned completely... not even allowed in the 99 (R.I.P. Erayo!). I've been looking for a spot for Sphinx's Revelation for awhile, so this is a good opportunity to put it in. Sphinx's Rev gives you more steam to hold down the prison and just as much life, so you're sticking it to your opponents at the same time. Still, I really will miss the long-eared little bugger. She's so good a locking people out of the game...
5.18.2014: - Spell Crumple, +Dissipate. With the new tuck rules, the redundancy of Spell Crumple and Hinder isn't as useful. I stuck with Hinder because, unlike Spell Crumple which goes on the bottom of your library, Hinder goes to the graveyard, so there's at least a chance of flashbacking it with Snapcaster Mage. I subbed in Dissipate because it's a counter and GY hate... kinda. Anyways, why didn't I put in Scroll Rack, mana rocks, etc.? Two reasons: 1) I like counters, and 2) the amount of counters in the deck right now is just right. Not too few and not too many. I wanted to preserve that spell density without disrupting the balance of the other strategies in the deck.
You bring up a good point. Yeah, I've thought about GY hate, but came to the conclusion that opponents can only play GY shenanigans if 1) they have the mana for it, and 2) I let them. As you can see, there is no dearth of countermagic. Not allowing opponents to play spells is my GY hate. That and bouncing. A well-timed Cyclonic Rift (even without overload) can screw up a lot of game plans, especially if they like cheating out fatties.
As far as Revoke Existance and Return to Dust are concerned, I don't particularly dislike them, but I find Disenchant to be more versatile. It is naturally an instant (Revoke is a sorcery; has no restrictions, like Return to Dust does) and costs 2. This means it can go on Isochron Scepter (which makes people freak out, for some reason) for value. If enchantment/ artifact recursion is a serious problem in your meta, feel free to swap it out for one you like better.
I don't think using static orb is overkill on this deck, remember this is a singleton format so redundancy is key, and it can be shutted down unlike winter orb.
with only 32 lands do you ever have mana troubles? it seems like quite a low land count to me.
Also is Frost Titan a effective card?
how often do you flip Erayo?
how effective is lotus petal it seems underwhelming in theory
I don't think using static orb is overkill on this deck, remember this is a singleton format so redundancyrepitition is key, and it can be shutted down unlike winter orb.
BTW GAAIV is my stax general .
Redundancy implies that something is unnecessary. For a singleton format, repetition is key, which I understand. I didn't want too much repetition for Orb effects because they are symmetrical effects. For things like that, I'd prefer to tutor for them if I feel they're necessary.
I had Static Orb in for a time, but when I did and played it (along with Sphere of Resistance and/or Winter Orb) I found myself having to calculate mana even more and plan waaaay (3-4 turns) in advance. If you're up to doing that, that's cool. I just know that, for myself, there's already a lot to think about with this deck and splitting my concentration even more tends to lead to play mistakes. (But that's probably because I'm just dumb.)
1.with only 32 lands do you ever have mana troubles? it seems like quite a low land count to me. 2.Also is Frost Titan a effective card? 3.how often do you flip Erayo? 4.how effective is lotus petal it seems underwhelming in theory
1. I really don't have mana trouble. Yes, it's a tight curve, but the deck can survive on 4-5 land. 4-5 land can be a little rough, but if you make the right decisions about what to play and when to play, you shouldn't run into a lot of problems. Besides the heavy beaters and a few other cards, the deck is 4 CMC and lower. This turns into 3 CMC and lower if GAA4 is out. So instead of playing 1 thing a turn and holding mana for a counter, you can usually play 2 things a turn and hold mana for a counter. Or play one thing and hold 2 counters/removal. Whatever.
I also hold a lot of faith in Land Tax and Sol Ring (as well as my ability to getthem). Even if Land Tax or Sol Ring don't show up, I really haven't run into serious mana problems.
Lands are also really annoying to draw into late-game, so I like having as few of them as I can get away with. 32, I've found, is a good balance.
2. Frost Titan is very effective. He's excellent for locking down creatures, but I usually use him to tap down problem lands or artifacts. If you blink him with Venser, the Sojourner, he gets nuts. I locked down a table with those two before since he swings (trigger --> tap #1) then blinks (trigger --> tap #2). It's a mid- to late-game soft-lock combo that is especially brutal if GAA4 and other tax cards are out.
The key is knowing when to play Frosty, here. He's really for wrapping things up: he solidifies the control you've already (hopefully) have established and he swings 6. It's a slow win, for sure, but it can work... if your opponents don't scoop first. He is an answer to certain threats (any enormousbeater and comboartifacts). He can't take care of all the threats, but he can stall for some time/draw.
3. I flip Erayo, Soratami Ascendant every time I play it. Of course, I only play it when I can flip it, but that's not really hard with GAA4 out. 3-drops turn into 2-drops; 2-drops (like Erayo and Greater Auramancy) turn into 1-drops. Basically, if you have a few enchantments or artifacts to put out and a cheap cantrip (like Brainstorm), you're set. Also, Erayo checks herself on the stack, so she can be the 4th spell, come into play, and immediately flip.
I was playing 1v1 with a Teferi draw-go deck last night. GAA4 was out, and I hung onto some counter back-up and proceeded to drop of dirty stuff. Noticing that Teferi didn't counter what I was already doing, I went ahead with Erayo, which resolved and flipped. Shortly after, Teferi conceded.
4. Lotus Petal is great. I've never disliked drawing it at any time. It's excellent early game because you can get out GAA4 a little faster. Mid- to late-game, it can hang around as counter mana, which I never see as a bad thing. Playing a 0-drop artifact is nice, since it's like playing an extra land albeit a one-time-use land. It's really the only mana acceleration besides Sol Ring in the deck, but since the deck doesn't need to accelerate too hard, I find that Lotus Petal is a good balance.
The thing that solidified its acceptance into the list is this: I was playing against an Azusa, Lost but Seeking battlecruiser deck that had Hall of Gemstone out. (It was a 4-player game, but the other 2 decks weren't an issue.) GAA4 was out, too, so my counters cost 1 less, essentially... but I couldn't play them. I had out a Lotus Petal, though, so I could Memory Lapse his Natural Order, stalling enough to get Academy Rector into Omniscience on my turn. At that point, the Hall of Gemstone started working for me, since I could play whatever I wanted and everyone else was restricted. Yes, this is anecdotal, but I still see no problem with extra mana for free.
Plus, Lotus Petal comes back with Sun Titan, in case you're still worried about those 32 lands.
At one point, I had both Kismet and Frozen AEther, but they cost soooo much (OK, I'm really cheap...). 4 (3 with GAA4) wasn't the right place on the mana curve for this kind of effect. I took Frozen AEther out, hoping Kismet alone would suffice, but every time I drew it, it just sat there in my hand; there had been better plays to make.
I was ecstatic when Blind Obedience came out and the ruling made its colour identity mono-white. It let me put tapping back into the repertoire, which works swimmingly with Yosei, the Morning Star and Tamiyo (draw power!).
If you want to include Kismet for repetition, by all means do. For me, when it comes to repetition for the prison effects, I don't look at what each card specifically does. I just look to see if it's a prison card. For example, it doesn't matter to me if I have a Blind Obedience, Sphere of Resistance, or Rhystic Study in hand because they are all contributing to the same overreaching goal. It doesn't matter if the card taps or taxes; it's still shutting down your opponents. =]
Aura of Silence
Blind Obedience
Detention Sphere
Dissipation Field
Enchanted Evening
Ghostly Prison
Land Tax
Oblivion Ring
Omniscience
Propaganda
Rhystic Study
Academy Rector
Angelic Arbiter
Aura Thief
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Chancellor of the Annex
Consecrated Sphinx
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Frost Titan
Glen Elendra Archmage
Isperia, Supreme Judge
Mulldrifter
Phyrexian Metamorph
Snapcaster Mage
Solemn Simulacrum
Sun Titan
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Venser, Shaper Savant
Yosei, the Morning Star
Gideon Jura
Jace, Architect of Thought
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Venser, the Sojourner
Cleansing Meditation
Final Judgment
Idyllic Tutor
Supreme Verdict
Temporal Mastery
Wrath of God
Academy Ruins
Azorius Guildgate
Boseiju, Who Shelters ..
Command Tower
Flagstones of Trokair
Glacial Fortress
Hallowed Fountain
High Market
11xIsland
Mystifying Maze
Nimbus Maze
9xPlains
Reflecting Pool
Reliquary Tower
Thespian's Stage
So far, I havent played in an EDH game with more than 3, so I have no clue how it would go in a proper game of EDH.
I've noticed there isnt much card draw for me. I get 4-5 lands out, then sputter and sit with 2-3 cards in hand. This might change with 6 people and rhystic study out.
So far Lotus Petal has been very underwhelming. Whenever i draw it, i never really need it much.
It's been hell trying to get out more than 2 of propaganda/ghostly prison/sphere of resistance/dissipation field.
Had a game where one guy did nothing but blow up my lands
strip mine/crucible of worlds.
blew up the crucible with disenchant and he got it back next turn(forget how)
He then proceeded to Tooth and Nail(2-3 cards in my hand at this point) into two creatures which just blew up my lands.
Scoop.
Game 2 and 3 went very similar. Turn 3 both games, blow up my lands and continue doing so several times a turn, until i had 1 land.
The deck seems to work well when I have time to sit, draw, and set up.
Played a 1v1 where i got out winter orb against a token deck with propaganda in play. Had iso scepter with disenchant on it.
He started to just draw and go, untapping 1 land each turn
I had a sun titan/mystical tutor/orim's chant in hand, so at the end of his turn, i blew up winter orb with Disenchant scepter. Untapped, mystical tutored to a temporal mastery, played. Took extra turn, blew up iso scepter with disenchant on scepter, played sun titan getting back scepter and put Orim's on it.
I was very pleased with how that game went, but it took a lot of time to set up.
Is there anything in this list you would recommend taking out or exchanging something for?
Also, Erayo checks herself on the stack, so she can be the 4th spell, come into play, and immediately flip.
Actually, this doesn't work. Erayo can only trigger from the battlefield. If she's the fourth spell, she's still on the stack when the ability would trigger. Abilities only work from the battlefield, unless otherwise specified or they only make sense in another Zone.
P.S: The deck looks sweet. I'd hate to play against it ;-)
Have you thought about Lightmine Field for a prison piece? I'm not sure that it's better than either of the Propaganda effects, but I think it's worth considering - I see a lot of players at the local shop run it in their Isperia Prison lists to great effect.
Have you thought about Lightmine Field for a prison piece? I'm not sure that it's better than either of the Propaganda effects, but I think it's worth considering - I see a lot of players at the local shop run it in their Isperia Prison lists to great effect.
Lightmine Field locks with Humility. I would feel compelled to run both. It's not a bad lock, for sure, but each has a CMC of 4 (3 with GAA4) for a total of 8 (6) to set up the lock. That's a little high if you're trying to hold onto removal/counters.
By itself, Lightmine Field is good at stopping swarms and tokens, and Propaganda/Ghostly Prison kinda already does that better for less...
Edit:
@Ly: Okay. I'd had someone play that against me at a tourney once, and I called him on it. The judges said that Erayo checks itself, though, so I let the matter drop (I could get rid of it anyways ;P).
Aura of Silence
Blind Obedience
Detention Sphere
Dissipation Field
Enchanted Evening
Ghostly Prison
Land Tax
Oblivion Ring
Omniscience
Propaganda
Rhystic Study
Academy Rector
Angelic Arbiter
Aura Thief
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Chancellor of the Annex
Consecrated Sphinx
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Frost Titan
Glen Elendra Archmage
Isperia, Supreme Judge
Mulldrifter
Phyrexian Metamorph
Snapcaster Mage
Solemn Simulacrum
Sun Titan
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Venser, Shaper Savant
Yosei, the Morning Star
Gideon Jura
Jace, Architect of Thought
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Venser, the Sojourner
Cleansing Meditation
Final Judgment
Idyllic Tutor
Supreme Verdict
Temporal Mastery
Wrath of God
Academy Ruins
Azorius Guildgate
Boseiju, Who Shelters ..
Command Tower
Flagstones of Trokair
Glacial Fortress
Hallowed Fountain
High Market
11xIsland
Mystifying Maze
Nimbus Maze
9xPlains
Reflecting Pool
Reliquary Tower
Thespian's Stage
So far, I havent played in an EDH game with more than 3, so I have no clue how it would go in a proper game of EDH.
I've noticed there isnt much card draw for me. I get 4-5 lands out, then sputter and sit with 2-3 cards in hand. This might change with 6 people and rhystic study out.
So far Lotus Petal has been very underwhelming. Whenever i draw it, i never really need it much.
It's been hell trying to get out more than 2 of propaganda/ghostly prison/sphere of resistance/dissipation field.
Had a game where one guy did nothing but blow up my lands
strip mine/crucible of worlds.
blew up the crucible with disenchant and he got it back next turn(forget how)
He then proceeded to Tooth and Nail(2-3 cards in my hand at this point) into two creatures which just blew up my lands.
Scoop.
Game 2 and 3 went very similar. Turn 3 both games, blow up my lands and continue doing so several times a turn, until i had 1 land.
The deck seems to work well when I have time to sit, draw, and set up.
Played a 1v1 where i got out winter orb against a token deck with propaganda in play. Had iso scepter with disenchant on it.
He started to just draw and go, untapping 1 land each turn
I had a sun titan/mystical tutor/orim's chant in hand, so at the end of his turn, i blew up winter orb with Disenchant scepter. Untapped, mystical tutored to a temporal mastery, played. Took extra turn, blew up iso scepter with disenchant on scepter, played sun titan getting back scepter and put Orim's on it.
I was very pleased with how that game went, but it took a lot of time to set up.
Is there anything in this list you would recommend taking out or exchanging something for?
Sorry for double-posting. Just saw the above post.... That's what I get for trying to do stuff on my phone. XP
Anyways! Draw is a pretty big concern for GAA4. I really recommend River Kelpie. When you chump block with it, kill something, board wipe, etc., you get cards for each thing that dies. Seriously, you don't even have to destroy it. Something just has to die, and you get to draw cards! I drew 28 cards with it once from Enchanted Evening/Cleansing Mediation-ing the board. And Kelpie came back. If you really need it/can afford it, get Sensei's Divining Top. The ability to set up your draws is priceless in a deck like this.
Also, you kind of have a lot of colorless-producing land. Try the filter land (Mystic Gate), maybe. Keep Lotus Petal because it's like a land and you can Sun Titan it back. And do you have a Sol Ring?
In general, you'll want to limit anything that costs more than 7 to put out. The best way to use GAA4 is to have a lot of cheap things to always play or have in hand to play (if it's an instant). Stuff that costs more than 6 can be a real drag on the tempo of this deck.
I don't think River Kelpie works how you think it works, you get the card draw for things coming out of graveyards, not getting put into them. Wrathing with a Kelpie in play only draws you one card from the persisting Kelpie, Snapcasting a Wrath draws you one for the flashback, etc. I'm pretty confused about the role of the card in the deck since you have very little graveyard interaction.
I don't think River Kelpie works how you think it works, you get the card draw for things coming out of graveyards, not getting put into them. Wrathing with a Kelpie in play only draws you one card from the persisting Kelpie, Snapcasting a Wrath draws you one for the flashback, etc. I'm pretty confused about the role of the card in the deck since you have very little graveyard interaction.
Woah! Right you are. Good catch. I guess my brain really wanted the card to say "whenever a permanent is put into the graveyard from play, draw a card". Just a case of wishful thinking + RTFC, eh?
Okay. So to replace the failure River Kelpie, I was initially thinking to finally put in Replenish, but then I recalled some recent games I played against mill decks. There weren't a ton of enchantments hitting the graveyard... I'll try it out, but I'm really leaning towards Dream Cache, since it replaces Kelpie's card-draw function better and it let's you filter through the deck whole sculpting your hand. Thoughts or suggestions?
where's Tezzeret the Seeker, with this kind of deck he is so auto-include, I would say replace Gideon with him instead.
First of all, what do you mean by "this kind of deck"?
Second, explain your reasoning. I do not accept "auto-include in this kind of deck" as a valid reason, since I question your understanding of what this kind of deck is. For example, Tezzeret is good for searching up a lot low- or 0-drop artifacts. He's an "auto-include" in dedicated combo decks that need lots of mana early and/or quickly to win fast. Why is Tezzeret necessary for this deck, and, specifically, why is better (or how does he synergies better) than Gideon?
Also, there are 9 artifacts with varying degrees of nessessary-ness at a given time. Together, they form a well-rounded foundation for the deck, but they do not by any means define the deck.
3 have tap effects (Sol Ring, Sensei's Divining Top, and Isochron Scepter) that would work with Tezzeret's + ability... actually, only 2 because Top will leave the battlefield if you activate it's tap ability.
2 are prison cards (Sphere of Resistance and Winter Orb) and so aren't really worth tutoring for with Tezzeret's - ability since there is a lot of repetition of prison effects.
2 have miscellaneous effects (Lightning Greaves and Lotus Petal). The only one I'd tutor for with Tezzeret is the Greaves and only if I really needed it. I'd rather just Enlightened Tutor it up if I was that desperate.
2 are creatures (Solemn Simulacrum and Phyrexian Metamorph) that both cost 4 (and kill Tezzeret if I tutored them), and those creatures just... don't seem worth it..
I'd take Gideon, who absorbs hits like a wall, can destroy creatures, and beat face in a pinch, over Tezzeret the Seeker in the 5-drop slot any day.
I realise this post may come off as defensive, but I do not intend it to be that way. I am merely surprised that Tezzeret was mentioned as a viable replacement and want the reasoning behind it.
Loving the deck, you've inspired me. I'm going time walk effects with mine aswell. We've seen a resurgence of dedicated combo decks recently and I want to punish them.
Loving the deck, you've inspired me. I'm going time walk effects with mine aswell. We've seen a resurgence of dedicated combo decks recently and I want to punish them.
Definitely let me know how extra time magic works for you. I've been curious but couldn't ever being myself to try it. Plus, there's an Azami, Lady of Scrolls deck running around with lots of extra turns, so my playgroup would probably flip a ***** if two decks were doing it. Sure, they already run Stranglehold, but I can definitely see them complaining anyways
No Thalia because there are a lot of spells that I don't want to pay extra for. Also, there are competitive aggro decks in my meta, and Thalia helps them and hurts GAA4's spell-control.
I've just found a card that's kinda cool, Stone Calendar, seems like it can work with a bit more tax.
I've gone a bit more down that route too with sphere of safety, there's quite a few enchantments and with enchanted evening it's just crazy good.
I'm putting Vesuvan Shapeshifter in as well. Purely to interact with a few nasty combo decks, namely Azami with a Teferi Lock and a couple of others.
What do you think of Mystic Remora as a card? Understand not wanting to pay the upkeep for too long but turn 1 or 2 this can net you quite a few cards what with all of the mana rocks running around.
Stone Calendar is definitely an option if you can artifact-ramp into it early enough. If it comes out too late, I can see it being a "win-more" card, and there's plenty of other dirty stuff to do with 5 mana. Still, it looks pretty fun.
Vesuvan Shapeshifter seems like it would be excellent with the new legendary rules. (My group doesn't play with them, so I don't have first-hand experience with that.) And if it functions as a meta-specific answer, that's good.
Mystic Remora... it would have to come out at the right time to be useful, I think. I would have to have good reason to think my opponents want to cast a lot of spells each turn to feel like the cumulative upkeep worth paying for more than, like, 1 turn. Maybe I'm just being picky, though. After all, it can be resurrected with Sun Titan after I decide to not pay the upkeep costs. And in competitive metas, you are quite right that mana rocks will be floating around. I'll try to play a few more games with it (in place of Rhystic Study) and compare.
I'm not really sure how much you focus on getting Winter Orb. I play GAA I'VE sometimes in Duel Commander and it wrecks pretty much 90% of the decks. If you consider building around Winter Orb, I'd like to suggest Rising Waters and Transmute Artifact to get that effect out sooner. Also, running more Mana Rocks are obviously nice with Orb, although little sensitive to sweepers. Additionally, Undiscovered Paradise and Oboro, Palace in the Clouds can ensure you to keep hitting land drops with Orb in play.
I tend to think of the cards in the deck by what they accomplish: card advantage, prison-building, blinking, attackers, etc. So, I tend to lump all the "prison" cards together; one isn't any more important than the others, since they accomplish the same thing (prison-building). This means I don't typically build around a card. Of course, if I want to include a particular card that demands a particular interaction, there have to be a good amount of other cards that demand that particular interaction (like the High Market Suite or the Venser Suite) to justify the inclusion.
Winter Orb can be built around but I don't see a point to it. As just another "prison" card, it's meant to be replaceable in that whether you draw into Winter Orb or Sphere of Resistance or Blind Obedience you're still drawing into "prison" cards. I don't usually see Winter Orb as something that shuts down GAA4, since the general lowers CMCs like crazy, so I'm not sure how much building-around is really necessary beyond Land Tax.
That being said, I do like Oboro, Palace in the Clouds because the art is sick and Undiscovered Paradise because the drawback is outweighed by it's assets (any colour mana + doesn't CIPT). Thanks for the suggestions.
Did you pay for that?
About the deck
I suppose this is fairly standard for a Grand Arbiter Augustin IV (GAA4) list, but I like to think I put my own quirks into it, namely the heavy use of enchantments. Enchantments are probably my favorite card type, so I thought it particularly fitting that the main win-cons are variations of an enchantment combo.
The deck has been played in this iteration for about 12 months. However, I've been playing and tinkering with this deck for over about 2 years. Originally, I tried to be "nice" and not include the meanest of the mean, but that wasn't getting me anywhere. GAA4 has a reputation as one of the most control-y generals in EDH; he is supposed to be sheer agony to play against. I wanted to live up to those expectations, so I crushed all feelings of pity and remorse, and I went for the meanest control deck I could reasonably assemble.
Beginnings
The core of the deck has always been the Enchanted Evening + Cleansing Meditation combo, since I love me some enchantment shenanigans. When I first built the deck, I went waaaaay overboard with the enchantment theme. There were too many enchantments (which tend to be really slow to put out) and too many interactions that depended on playing a lot of enchantments. Cards like Celestial Ancient and Sigil of the Empty Throne need boatloads of enchantments coming into play regularly, which meant holding onto cheap but powerful enchantments to play after setting these cards on the board... and that's not an effective strategy when those cheap enchantments should be coming out before turn 5. They were a cute interaction, but they were simply too slow and inefficient, especially since much of the deck is composed of a lot of instants, too. This led to a deck that ultimately couldn't handle most basic tasks of surviving a game, let alone controlling a board of 2+ people.
Gettin' Better
I decided to de-emphasize the strategy of "enchantments for the sake of enchantments" and instead cherry-picked only the most appropriate and synergistic ones. Arcane Laboratory, AEther Barrier, and Sigil of the Empty Throne hit the curb to make way for better counters and removal. As the quality of enchantments got better, I realized that some of the creatures I had been using were doing things that the enchantments were doing, only the enchantments were doing it better, cheaper, and were harder to kill. My discovery of some handy artifacts and my resolve to make the meanest GAA4 deck made underwhelming Spelltithe Enforcer and Fatesticher in the face of Sphere of Resistance and Winter Orb.
Optimizing to Win
I started including alternative win-cons using Enchanted Evening. I'd always known about Aura Thief, but hadn't wanted to use him because he wasn't an enchantment... (Okay, I took the original theme a little too seriously..) I didn't think my opponents would have any enchantments worth stealing in the likely event that Enchanted Evening wasn't on the board. But as I faced a variety of other decks, I understood that I might not always be able to assemble the combo with Cleansing Meditation and that another way to win had to be in the deck, just in case. With addition of Aura Thief came the addition of High Market because I don't trust my opponents to be so nice as to set up my win-con for me. This made Academy Rector even more useful, though at the time, it was only toolboxing. (When Omnscience came out, I knew exactly where to put it... ;P) High Market led to a turn towards other sac-able stuff, as well.
From there, I simply worked to replace cards with more optimized versions. Desertion got nixed for Cryptic Command. Angelsong was replaced by Holy Day, which was in turn replaced by Orim's Chant.
As more amazing things went into the deck, the chaff came out and the deck tightened into a very cohesive and versatile package of control. At this point, the deck is in "maintenance mode," so I don't think there will be any drastic changes to the deck. Just putting in more optimal cards as they become introduced in later sets.
If you have any questions about why I didn't include particular cards or if I've tried particular cards, ask away and I will address your concerns to the best of my reason and recollection. Also, there are sections of "Tried and Failed" and the "Changelog" at the end of this Primer for further reference.
Who Can Replace GAA4 as General for the Deck?
The deck is specifically formulated to synergize with the Grand Arbiter's natural abilities. The use of another UW legend would ultimately prove hollow. I tried to do this when I first built GAA4 because a friend in my playgroup had just finished using him as a general. I wanted to play UW control, and I really wanted to play GAA4, but out of respect for that friend, I went with Ghost of Saint Traft, and the experience playing this deck (at least a somewhat similar version to it) without GAA4 at the helm was awful. GoST didn't do anything. I never cast him once, even when I had several opportunities to do so. My friend saw that I essentially hated my deck and gave me his blessing to use GAA4. So I did. And the the way the deck worked changed drastically. Things came into harmony with each other and the taxing and answering (counters/removal) became sustainable. I could advance my board position quickly while slowing the advancement of their positions significantly.
If you really felt the need to change the general, however, here are my suggestions:
1. Hanna, Ship's Navigator. Gets back the enchantments and artifacts that build the prison, though they only go to your hand. That's not a terrible draw-back, of course, and Hanna can be super-handy for retrieving stuff that your opponents blow up or make you discard. If you were to go with Hanna, I'd suggest tweaking the deck a little to include more artifacts (Ethersworn Canonist, Tanglewire, etc.) and more recursion for artifacts/enchantments (Open the Vaults, Argivian Find, Argivian Resoration, etc.). This will build on her theme a little more and integrate her abilities into the deck better. A full primer for Hanna can be found here.
2. Lavinia of the Tenth. If you cast her on-time, she'll be effective. As opponents begin ramping and playing bigger things, she could be underwhelming. I'm not very stoked about the "detain" ability. It's great if you've made your entire deck around it, but this decklist isn't about tapping people's stuff. If you went with Lavinia, Sunblast Angel seems like a good choice for destroying whatever creatures you've detained.
3. Isperia, Supreme Judge. Useful for drawing cards, but it's clearly meant as an attacker (higher power, lower toughness), which can prove inconvenient for a defensive deck. Paying 6 for her is a little steep, too, but in the right situation, she can net a bunch of cards.
Introduction
Why play Grand Arbiter Augustin IV?
1. Because you're a sadisti--- I mean, because you want a challenge and enjoy smart playing.
2. Because if you're going to do a control deck, do it right.
3. Because control is the best archetype (/opinion) and should be everywhere!
You will like playing GAA4 if:
You will NOT like playing GAA4 if:
Decklist: by Card Type
4 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Creatures - 16
2 Gilded Drake
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Wall of Denial
3 Thassa, God of the Sea
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Glen Elendra Archmage
4 Aura Thief
4 Academy Rector
4 Venser, Shaper Savant
5 Mulldrifter
6 Frost Titan
6 Sun Titan
6 Consecrated Sphinx
7 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Enchantments - 10
1 Land Tax
2 Blind Obedience
2 Greater Auramancy
3 Ghostly Prison
3 Propaganda
3 Detention Sphere
3 Rhystic Study
3 Aura of Silence
5 Enchanted Evening
10 Omniscience
Sorcery - 8
3 Cleansing Meditation
3 Dream Cache
4 Replenish
4 Wrath of God
4 Supreme Verdict
6 Austere Command
6 Terminus
7 Temporal Mastery
0 Pact of Negation
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Orim’s Chant
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Condemn
1 Brainstorm
2 Disenchant
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Arcane Denial
2 Memory Lapse
2 Remand
2 Mana Drain
2 Counterspell
3 Long-Term Plans
3 Dissipate
3 Hinder
3 Render Silent
3 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Cryptic Command
Artifacts - 8
0 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
2 Talisman of Progress
2 Sphere of Resistance
2 Winter Orb
2 Isochron Scepter
2 Lightning Greaves
4 Jace, the Mind Scupltor
5 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
5 Venser, the Sojourner
Land - 32
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Command Tower
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Mystic Gate
1 Nimbus Maze
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Tolaria West
1 Halimar Depths
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 High Market
1 Maze of Ith
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Strip Mine
9 Island
7 Plains
Decklist: by Function
4 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Mana Fixing/Acceleration - 4
0 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
1 Land Tax
2 Talisman of Progress
Utility Artifacts - 3
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Isochron Scepter
Prison - 8
2 Sphere of Resistance
2 Winter Orb
2 Blind Obedience
3 Ghostly Prison
3 Propaganda
3 Detention Sphere
3 Rhystic Study
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Aura of Silence
Denial - 13
0 Pact of Negation
1 Orim’s Chant
2 Arcane Denial
2 Memory Lapse
2 Remand
2 Counterspell
2 Mana Drain
3 Dissipate
3 Hinder
3 Render Silent
4 Glen Elendra Archmage
4 Venser, Shaper Savant
4 Cryptic Command
1 Condemn
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Cyclonic Rift
2 Disenchant
2 Gilded Drake
Wrath Removal - 4
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Wrath of God
6 Austere Command
6 Terminus
Tutors/Draw/Card Advantage - 11
1 Brainstorm
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Long-Term Plans
3 Dream Cache
3 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Replenish
5 Mulldrifter
7 Temporal Mastery
Utility Creatures - 3
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
Beaters/Enforcers - 5
3 Wall of Denial
6 Consecrated Sphinx
6 Frost Titan
6 Sun Titan
7 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Greater Auramancy
3 Cleansing Meditation
4 Aura Thief
4 Academy Rector
5 Enchanted Evening
10 Omniscience
Planeswalkers - 3
4 Jace, the Mind Scupltor
5 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
5 Venser, the Sojourner
Lands - 32
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Command Tower
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Mystic Gate
1 Nimbus Maze
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Tolaria West
1 Halimar Depths
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 High Market
1 Maze of Ith
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Strip Mine
9 Island
7 Plains
Note about decklist by function:
1. Some cards have multiple functions or interact with multiple cards beyond the ones listed. Cyclonic Rift, for example, is listed under "Spot Removal", even though it can act as board sweep. Cryptic Command is another example: I typically use it as a counter, but it is versatile enough to use for different reasons as the board situation dictates. The cards under each function are guidelines; they are simply how I tend to use the cards.
2. Creatures are particularly tricky to categorize by function. The ones I've listed as "Beaters/Enforcers" are ones that I usually use to actually hit opponents or to maintain the lockdown (e.g. Frost Titan/ Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite). These creatures can certainly be used to create a soft-lock combo (Frost Titan + Venser, the Sojourner) or to defend precious, precious life points. Also, I count Mulldrifter as "draw" rather than as a strict utility creature. He's definitely both, but I don't want to split hairs about it.
Card-Choice Commentary
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV: Our glorious leader. I'm sure you can tell by now, but this entire thread is about how awesome he and his support are. He taxes opponents while making your stuff cost less. This is the core of what the deck does, but it does further in exploiting the general's asymmetry.
Lotus Petal: It's like playing a second land that turn. Plus, it can be retrieved from the graveyard with Sun Titan. Works well against effects that screw up the mana that lands produce (like Hall of Gemstone, Blood Moon, and Contamination)
Sol Ring: Because 2 mana for 1 is pretty damn good. If you have this in your opening hand with a Plains and an Island, GAA4 is coming out T2. It gets even more gravy when you have Lightning Greaves in that hand.
Land Tax: Fetches you basic lands and no one really targets it (if they do, they have really crappy threat assessment). In other words, you're pretty much guaranteed steady access to whatever color of mana you need.
Talisman of Progress: Just a good artifact/fixer to have when Winter Orb is messing up the land situation. It can produce 1 no matter what and W or U for the cost of a little life, and you don't have to pay mana to activate it!
Sensei’s Divining Top: Because this is a control deck. You need to control your deck as well as everyone else's.
Lightning Greaves: Protection for the general. Haste for the beaters.
Isochron Scepter: Complete and utter hilarity. You can put any 2-drop instant in this deck on the Stick and will be happy if not giddy with your sadis-- I mean, cleverness ;P
Sphere of Resistance: Why make their stuff only cost 1 more? They should pay 2 more!! :3
Winter Orb: Because denying opponents access to land is fun, right? Well, it's fun for this deck. Just make sure you drop it when you know your position/hand can deal with it.
Blind Obedience: Shuts down haste and combo artifacts for a turn. Buys time to find answers, if necessary. Honestly, I've never used it in this deck for its Extort ability. I suppose if I had Omniscience out, I'd Extort all day, every day. But the "ETB tapped" effect is more than worth the 1W CMC.
Ghostly Prison: Please don't attack me.
Propaganda: No, seriously. Don't ****ing attack me.
Detention Sphere: What do we say to clones? Not today Also useful as spot removal for a variety of permanents. Kills token armies, which gets pretty hilarious if you blink D-Sphere with Venser, PW.
Rhystic Study: Tax stuff or get cards? Why not both?-- force them to give you cards with outrageous taxes! (cue maniacal laughter)
Aven Mindcensor: Confines opponents to searching their top 4 cards. Good luck tutoring, ramping, etc. in just those 4 PLUS! You can still search your entire deck, thanks to Mindcensor's asymmetry.
Aura of Silence: You like 0-drop artifacts? Cool story, bro. "Pay 2 extra for that? Even Sol Ring doesn't look as good now, does it?" Good against a variety of decks, since most decks utilize artifacts to some extent. Oh yeah, and it's artifact/enchantment spot removal (kill the Aura Shards).
Pact of Negation: Great hard-counter for times when you tap out. Tutorable with Tolaria West (for me, it's the #2 Tolaria West transmute target, after High Market.) I usually consider this a 5-CMC card, so I don't forget that that's how much it'll cost in the end. Still, it's great as a general denial counter, or as combo protection for when you need it. Just don't forget to pay for your pact!
Orim’s Chant: Good for if you smell a combo coming (like if someone tutors something dirty to the top of their deck). Can go on the Stick-- can be kicked from the Stick.
Arcane Denial: Excellent tempo-control. It's a hard counter that only costs 1U (put it on the Isochron!), or just U with GAA4 on the field. This leaves more mana open during the round for other actions/spells. Plus, you get a card off it immediately, so it replaces itself in your hand. Yeah, your opponent gets two cards later, but you can use that to your political benefit.
Memory Lapse: A good delay counter. Plus it screws up their next draw, which -- trust me -- is REALLY frustrating. Can go on the Stick.
Remand: Again, a good delay/tempo counter. Replaces itself, is incredibly cheap, and can go on the Stick. What more can you ask for?
Counterspell: A classic. Can also go on the Stick.
Mana Drain: Counterspell on crack. Is the wet-dream of the Stick.
Dissipate: Removes the spell from the game. No library shenanigans. No graveyard tricks. Just done.
Hinder: Not so great as a general removal, but it still has its uses for countering things that you don't want to hit the graveyard, like Eldrazi titans and other such things. Also, if the card is back in their deck and they want it, they'll have to search for it again, which won't be easy if Aven Mindcensor and some prison cards are out.
Glen Elendra Archmage: Some seriously good counter protection. Put this faerie out before you drop a bomb (just make sure to save that U to activate her). When someone tries to counter, you can counter their counter. Also good for preventing silly X spells, Tooth and Nail, etc.
Render Silent: What's more fun than countering a spell? Countering it and then not letting them play anymore, obviously. The ultimate "NO!" card.
Venser, Shaper Savant: Good for "countering" the uncounterable or removing tricky permanents. Be warned: it's not a permanent solution unless you're planning to end the game on your next turn. Can also be bounced with his favorite planeswalker for some lolz.
Cryptic Command: It's a great counter. No, wait! It can stop a massive attack dead in its tracks. No, wait! It's some solid bounce. And draw a card. Simply the most versatile U card in existence. They took everything Blue is good at and stuck on an instant... which means it can get Snapcaster'edback if you have the mana.
Condemn: In case anyone has the balls to swing with their general without protection. Can be imprinted on the Stick.
Path to Exile: Some sweet, sweet instant exile for just W! Prevents things from hitting graveyards. Stick-able.
Swords to Plowshares: See above..
Cyclonic Rift: Great spot removal. Excellent for late-game pseudo-wraths or for clearing the board so you can do stuff. Can also go on the Stick, but you can't Overload it from the Stick (I guess you can't have everything...).
Disenchant: The best answer for enchantments and artifacts. Beats out Revoke Existence and Return to Dust if only because it's instant-speed (and can go on the Stick) and is really low-CMC. Trust me, when an opponent plays an artifact or enchantment that can wreck your board, you will want a low-CMC instant to take care of it as quickly as possible.
Gilded Drake: For when your opponents think they can have nice things.
Austere Command: The most versatile wrath effect. Good for picking and choosing what you want to stay on the board. Because this deck tends to put out a lot of artifacts and enchantments, I usually end up using this as a creature wipe. If your opponents have played some stuff that is just killing you, don't shy away from destroying all enchantments and/or artifacts. Replenish can get all the enchantments back, and Sun Titan can get most of the enchantments and all of the artifacts back, only much more slowly.
Terminus: For removing any pesky indestructible stuff or things you don't want hitting the graveyard. Plus, it works as a general tuck. PLUS! It can be Mystical Tutored to the top for a "miraculous" save from unending (or undying) hordes. Did I mention it tucks generals? Just be sure you can either survive without GAA4 or you can get him back... or, even better, he's not on the field.
Supreme Verdict: Uncounterable wrath is uncounterable.
Wrath of God: No regenerating, you troll! (Haha! Get it?)
Brainstorm: Is incredibly efficient draw and deck manipulation. Can go on the Stick, which has won me games..
Enlightened Tutor: Solid W tutor. Gets prison pieces. Stick-able.
Mystical Tutor: Gets combo spells, Temporal Mastery/Terminus, and answers. Access to answers is fun. Also, can be imprinted on the Stick.
Long-Term Plans: Not Stick-able (sad trombone), but does search for anything... I'm lookin' at you, Academy Rector. Works great with the Top.
Dream Cache: Some of the best draw and deck manipulation in the format. Stuck with Omniscience and other high-drops in hand but not ready to play them? Draw 3 and toss that **** on the bottom! Just need to see what you're gonna get? Draw 3 and set up your next two draws!
Sphinx's Revelation: Excellent draw-X spell that only gets better with GAA4 on the field; you get two "free" cards (oh, and life) because the spell will cost 1 less for being W and 1 less for being U. Not so bad in the early-mid game, but is totally awesome in the late-game, when you need a fresh, full hand to maintain the lock you've set up.
Thassa, God of the Sea: Scry is pretty necessary for ensuring good card quality. You don't want to have dead draws if you can help it, and Thassa makes sure to limit that as much as possible. She's also low-CMC and indestructible, which is a HUGE advantage. I don't even care when she's not a creature; she's super-powerful just by being a regular ole' enchantment.
Fact or Fiction: Some serious card-advantage possiblity here. As the saying goes, if the deck is built right, there's no "right" way to split up a FoF. So grab a cocktail and watch your opponents deliberate.
Replenish: When you're graveyard becomes card advantage, you have a way to survive the mid- to late-game. It's asymmetrical enchantment recursion. Can't go wrong with that, can ya? Also a good way to cheat out Omniscience, in case it has to be discarded early. Replenish is also the answer to mass enchantment destruction. When someone keeps blowing up your stuff (die in a fire, Aura Shards...), Mystical Tutor up a Replenish and laugh at their pitiful attempts to ruin your plans.
Mulldrifter: GAA4 works on Evoke costs. 2 cards for 2 mana ain't bad.
Temporal Mastery: I put the time magic in with Card Advantage because, really, that's mostly what it does. You get to draw another card and go through another turn of board development that, trust me, you want and need. Temporal can be set up with Mystical Tutor, Sensei's Divining Top, Dream Cache, etc. It can save you from tough situations and give you the breathing room to change the tide of battle.
Snapcaster Mage: Because doing it once isn't enough! Your graveyard becomes an extension of your hand when it comes to instants and sorceries.
Solemn Simulacrum: Land and draw and he blocks for you. Could you want anything else in a creature?
Phyrexian Metamorph: Copies creatures AND/OR artifacts. That versatility is exactly what GAA4 likes. Especially good for copying artifact accel and ETB creatures. My personal favorites: Gilded Lotus (someone else's obviously), Sol Ring, Titans, Prophet of Kruphix...>_>
Wall of Denial: Has saved me so many times... can be pretty much as effective as Propaganda/Ghostly Prison because a 0/8 flying, shrouded blocker for 3 (2 with GAA4!) is stupid good.
Consecrated Sphinx: GAA4 really likes card draw.. and Consecrated loves giving cards. Each draw your opponents get is two potential answers, which can take the form of counters, spot removal, or even land. I will say this: drawing into counters/instant-removal with the Sphinx is awesome-sauce.
Frost Titan: A good beat-stick that will help lock down the board.
Sun Titan: A good beat-stick that can get some of your stuff back... like a Strip Mine or Lotus Petal... In fact, most of the enchantments and artifacts can be recurred with Sun Titan. There aren't a ton of creatures that can come back, but there are enough to make it worthwhile, if necessary. Lands are never bad recursion targets either. :3
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite: Because if you're gonna swing, swing hard? ehehee.. Seriously though, she wrecks opponents' attempts at aggro, kills most token swarms, and happens to make your stuff bigger, too.
Enchanted Evening + Greater Auramancy/ Cleansing Meditation/ Aura Thief: is how you win.
Academy Rector + Omniscience: will help you win
Jace, the Mind Scupltor: He is the control Jace. Early game, expect a 4-drop Brainstorm or Boomerang. Late game, you can +2 him all day long until you hit his ulti.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage: Pretty good card draw with her minus. Her plus works pretty well if you've already got a handle on most of the board. Her ulti is just silly.
Venser, the Sojourner: Because bouncing is fun, that's why! He can be a little slow sometimes, but when he's working, he's working hard
Adarkar Wastes: Painland. Why not?
Azorius Chancery: Ravnica Karoo. A little annoying, but if it's set-up right it doesn't hurt too bad
Celestial Colonnade: I usually forget that this turns into a beater... but it's a damn good beater!
Command Tower: This is a staple! It really should go in every EDH deck.
Glacial Fortress: Checkland. Why not?
Hallowed Fountain: Shockland. Why not?
Mystic Gate: Filterland. Why not?
Nimbus Maze: If you have a Plains or an Island, you can produce the 2 colours you need to put GAA4 out.
Seachrome Coast: Fastland. Why not?
Tolaria West: Searches up High Market. Can get any 0 drop.
Halimar Depths: Fair early game draw set-up. Gets fun with Venser, the Sojourner if you don't have the Top available.
Boseiju, Who Shelters All: Great against any other blue deck. I like uncounterable stuff anyways. I couldn't care less if I lose life
High Market: Enables dirty dirt to happen. It also gains life
Maze of Ith: Personally, I play in a pretty aggro-heavy meta. It's also good back up for Propaganda/Ghostly Prison
Reliquary Tower: Great with Land Tax (Hint: just keep taking land out of the deck 3 at a time to make draws ever so slightly better)
Strip Mine: Because I hate letting people have Cavern of Souls or any other super-special-awesome-secret-rare land.
Island/Plains: Mine are all shiny...
Playing the Deck:
First, a few things to keep in mind--
Okay, onto basic strategy:
The Opening Hand
The general gameplan
The nitty-gritty
Playing Multiplayer Control
Some Tips for Winning
Key cards of the prison:
1 Detention Sphere
1 Sphere of Resistence
1 Blind Obedience
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Propaganda
1 Aura of Silence
1 Rhystic Study
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Winter Orb
1. The Mystical Tutor Suite
>1.1Mystical Tutor + Terminus: "miraculous" salvation from problematic creatures (like generals)
>1.2Mystical Tutor + Temporal Mastery: "miraculous" extra turn
2. The Enchanted Evening Suite
>2.1. Enchanted Evening + Aura Thief + death/sac outlet (High Market) = gain control of all permanents
>2.2. Enchanted Evening + Cleansing Meditation (with Threshold) = destroy all permanents and return yours to play
>2.3. Enchanted Evening + Greater Auramancy = all your permanents have shroud (except for Greater Auramancy... so counter anything that tries to kill it)
3. The Venser, the Sojourner Suite
>3.1 Venser, the Sojourner + Titans (Frost Titan and Sun Titan = tap down/ return to battlefield 2 permanents each turn. Attack first for the attack trigger, then blink with Venser.
>3.2 Venser, the Sojourner + ETB (Mulldrifter, Snapcaster Mage, Venser, Shaper Savant, Solemn Simulacrum) = extra value
>3.3 Venser, the Sojourner + Glen Elendra Archmage = remove the -1/-1 counter to effectively use the creature forever.
>3.4 Venser, the Sojourner + any artifact or land = untap that artifact or land (as long as it doesn't ETB tapped... unless you toss in an Amulet of Vigor, at which point, eat your heart out).
>3.5 Venser, the Sojourner + any planeswalker = restore loyalty counters (especially good if you use minus abilities a lot)
4. The High Market Suite:
>4.1 High Market + Academy Rector = Omniscience
>4.2 High Market + Solemn Simulacrum = draw
>4.3 High Market + any creature = prevent that creature from being targeted or killed; gain a life
5. Academy Rector + death/sac outlet (i.e. High Market) = Omniscience gets cheated into play. No, it's not very original, but free spells are free spells.
These are the cards that present the greatest threat to our gameplan and board position.
There are plenty of cards in this deck that cost $10+. I don't think I can provide budget options for all of them without completely neutering the deck. Here, I will suggest functional options for the most egregiously priced cards and cards that have cheaper counterparts that do effectively the same thing (but just aren't as optimized).
Note: some cards do not have cheaper options. For example, if you cannot get a hold of Academy Rector, it might just be best to take out the whole Omniscience combo. In its place, though, it would be wise to insert something that works well with High Market.
1. Mana Drain: literally any other counterspell.
2. Orim's Chant: Silence
3. Cryptic Command: Lost in the Mist. Turnabout and Boomerang are other options to think about, too, depending on how you would use the Cyptic Command.
4. Venser, Shaper Savant: Time Stop. They both stop the uncounterable spell, which might be necessary, depending on the meta. Also good for stopping uncounterable spells: Mindbreak Trap, since it exiles spells from the stack. Great if you can get it for free; certainly not bad if you have to pay 3 or 4 for it, though.
5. Jace, the Mind Sculptor: Jace, Architect of Thought should suffice. JTMS really is the best Jace for any job, but JAoT is good for dulling attacks and for card advantage, too.
There are comparatively few wrath effects in this deck, mainly because it is very easy to have a good board position. (GAA4 makes your stuff cost less to put out, so your position will naturally be easier to set up than your opponents'.) GAA4 is a relatively cheap general, but you should seriously weigh the options before sweeping the board of creatures when he's out. His costs can add up if he dies enough, and Omniscience won't be able to save you. Wrathing should be a last resort for when you have no spot removal (or tutor access to spot removal).
If GAA4 gets tucked (which he shouldn't if you're doing it right; and even if you are, it happens :P), you can find him again with Long-Term Plans, which synergizes well with Sensei's Divining Top. Other than that, he might be lost in the deck. But that's alright. GAA4 simply amplifies what the deck already does, so it should still work as you stall for your general/ win-cons (i.e. beaters or combos).
1. Force of Will:
>a. FoW requires you to exile a blue card. As a 2-colour deck, a blue card might not be in the hand (either because FoW is the only card in hand with a colour identity or because the other cards in hand are white).
>b. The exile of a card is a loss of card advantage. Snapcaster Mage can at least access stuff in the graveyard, in case you have to discard, but exile is irretrievable in this deck.
2. Tundra:
> Because I spent $125 on a Mana Drain already. Hallowed Fountain is good enough for me. It's not like I'm running fetches...yet! Now that Khans has spoiled fetches, I'll be getting mine soon enough. If you have the mana base for it, go ahead and run whatever you want.
3. Rule of Law/ Arcane Laboratory
> Yes, it locks with Erayo, Soratami Ascendant, but I've found it to limit my own spell-power, as well. I really prefer asymmetrical effects when possible.
4. Clone/ Phantasmal Image/ etc.
> Phyrexian Metamorph should suffice if you haven't used it to copy a Sol Ring or Gilded Lotus. Plus, there's easier ways to deny or remove generals. Don't forget: this deck is about preemptive moves against your opponents.
5. Time Warp and other time magic:
> It's not my style. As mentioned before, this is a defensive deck: an extra attack phase and extra main phases don't amount to much.
6. Relic of Progenitus or other Graveyard hate:
> GY shenanigans can only happen if your opponents have paid the tax for them and don't get countered. For this reason, I tend to view counters as preemptive GY hate. Yes more things end up in the 'yard, but they can't get out unless you let them. Ah... Permission decks.. Still, if your meta is rife with GY issues, by all means substitute a card or two to ensure you have answers.
1. Flusterstorm (and any non-hard counter):
> Too situational. If I need to counter something, I need the assurance that what I have in hand will do the job.
2. Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker:
> I wanted so bad for this card to work, but it ultimately cost too much for a "win-more".
3. Absorb:
> Render Silent is just so much better.
4. Serra's Ascendant:
> Again, too situational. Only really good early game. Plus, it's kind of a dick-move that isn't necessary for the game-plan. (I acknowledge that the game-plan is a a series of dick-moves...)
5. Rule of Law/ Arcane Laboratory:
> Too limiting of my own spell power. Rarely if ever got the combo up and running.
6. Spelltithe Enforcer
> Wasn't a bad choice, but if I was going to pay 4 (which is what he costs after GAA4 is out) for a creature, it had better help me out. A lot. Loxo here just did what other cards were already doing better.
7. AEther Barrier
> I didn't like that it made my creatures cost more. I prefer Sphere of Resistance when it comes to symmetrical taxing. SoR isn't restricted by spell type, which I prefer.
8. Leyline of Sanctity/Leyline of Anticipation
> I didn't like having to pay for them when they weren't in my opening hand. 3 mana (after GAA4 discounts) for cards that don't actively contribute the the prison just didn't seem worth it.
9. Rest in Peace
> Wasn't worth it in my Meta. Even with heavy reanimator decks around, I didn't see a point to it. If fatty creatures are out, I either could live with them (because they couldn't attack me) or I could remove them at will. Usually both. Also, if fatties can't attack me (because of Propaganda and/or Ghostly Prison), that means they are attacking my opponents. =]
10. Serra's Sanctum
> It doesn't produce anything without an enchantment on your side of the field. That hurts like crazy early game or after all of your enchantments have been destroyed. A Plains will at least always produce W, and I need to count on my mana-sources to provide me with mana..
11. Story Circle
> It deterred mono-coloured decks, but it wasn't good enough to stave off a board full of different colours. Also, it requires W to activate; as a rather U-heavy deck (and mana-base), it just wasn't going to fit too well. Plus, people win through more than just damage. Combo decks are a thing and Story Circle is powerless to stop them.
5.15.13: -Oblivion Ring, +Detention Sphere. Ring gets one thing. Sphere gets one thing and everything else with that name. And, when GAA4 is out with Sphere of Resistance, Sphere will still cost WU while Ring will cost 2W.
5.30.13: -River Kelpie, +Dream Cache. Kelpie didn't work like I thought it did. RTFC, eh? Anyways, Dream Cache is a great draw spell and helps put cards where you want them in the deck. You can either set up your next couple of draws or put stuff you can't afford to play on the bottom. You can also throw back an early drawn Omniscience to Academy Rector for later.
7.7.13: -Idyllic Tutor, +Aven Mindcensor. Idyllic Tutor is just a little too slow. Yes, it gets the enchantment to your hand, but it costs 3 (2 with the general on the field). Idyllic searches for an answer (or win-con), which combined with its CMC, becomes only really useful late-game, in my opinion. Mindcensor, on the other hand, starts stopping your opponents quite immediately. The versatility of Mindcensor is in its timing. It's pretty much good at any point in the game and especially devastating early-game. Late-game, it depends on how much of the board you've got under control. If you have a lot under control, it's just another nail in the coffin. If you are just starting to pick up steam, Mindcensor will continue and help perpetuate that trajectory.
7.7.13: -Azorius Charm, +Replenish. I needed a spot for Replenish, and Azorius Charm was rather weak in comparison to the rest of the deck. Yes, the Charm has been useful, but Replenish can me back all of my enchantments. Replenish becomes an alternate cheat-out for Omniscience if you drew it too early and discarded it, and it gets back anything that's been destroyed over the course of the game. It's solid recursion that affects an admittedly small, but significant, part of the deck.
7.7.13: -Final Judgment, +Terminus. I like both and wish I could keep both. Both can get rid of indestructible creatures. Both cost 4WW. But Terminus can be Mystical Tutored for. You get to wipe the board - hopefully tucking generals and other nasties away on the bottom - for W and then proceed with your turn.
7.24.13: -Isperia the Supreme Judge, + Pact of Negation. After playing a 4-person game with 3 of them (GAA4 included) running Blue, I decided a free, back-up counter was necessary. Not just that, but I'd been feeling a little let down about how apparently seldom I was drawing counters, and I'd wanted to try out Pact for awhile. Isperia, though only 4 to cast with GAA4 out, wasn't really netting enough cards to justify her place. I realized, too, that for a 100-card, singleton, control deck that can run almost any card ever printed, Standard control (loosely defined by holding off the opponent until you can drop a beater, protect the beater, and then beat with the beater) wasn't going to be as efficient as just locking people out and combo-ing off. The beaters, then, became a back-up win-con, so I didn't need an extra beater that wasn't performing as well as the others.
2.9.14: -Temporal Mastery, + Thassa, God of the Sea. The card advantage from her is just amazing. It doesn't even matter if she's a creature (actually, it's probably better if you don't have enough devotion, anyways). An indestructible enchantment for 3 (2 with GAA4) that scrys each upkeep AND can make your stuff unblockable in the late game is a damn versatile card. Temporal Mastery, though fun with Mystical Tutor, isn't really that useful by comparison.
7.11.14: -Yosei, the Morning Star, +Taliman of Progress. Yosei is awesome for solidifying the prison, and I'll miss his help. He's definitely wan me games. But with a card as risky as Winter Orb floating around, it's important to have mana rocks that will untap when my lands won't.
7.11.14: -Gideon Jura, +Remand. Yes, it's time for Gideon to take his leave. He's got excellent synergies with Tamiyo and can buy you time to stabilize your position, but it's hard to argue with a tempo-counter, like Remand, which replaces itself (by drawing you an extra card). Remand is Stick-able and only costs U if GAA4 is out, so you have more mana during the round for removal/counters.
7.11.14: -Rewind, +Arcane Denial. Arcane Denial, like Remand, is a good tempo-counter that will replace itself. It can be thrown on the Stick and will cost next to nothing with the general out. Yeah, your opponent will get two cards, but, hey, that's politics. Just remind them about those two cards when they're deciding who to swing for
7.11.14: - Dissipate, +Temporal Mastery. Yes, I'm putting Temporal back in. It's just so game-changing, regardless if you set it up or if it's truly a miracle. Dissipate is a fine card, but with the addition of tempo counters that a super-cheap and replace themselves in the hand, Dissipate is a little lack-luster.
10.21.2014: - Erayo, Soratami Ascendant, +Sphinx's Revelation. Since the new, "combined" banlist, Erayo has been banned completely... not even allowed in the 99 (R.I.P. Erayo!). I've been looking for a spot for Sphinx's Revelation for awhile, so this is a good opportunity to put it in. Sphinx's Rev gives you more steam to hold down the prison and just as much life, so you're sticking it to your opponents at the same time. Still, I really will miss the long-eared little bugger. She's so good a locking people out of the game...
5.18.2014: - Spell Crumple, +Dissipate. With the new tuck rules, the redundancy of Spell Crumple and Hinder isn't as useful. I stuck with Hinder because, unlike Spell Crumple which goes on the bottom of your library, Hinder goes to the graveyard, so there's at least a chance of flashbacking it with Snapcaster Mage. I subbed in Dissipate because it's a counter and GY hate... kinda. Anyways, why didn't I put in Scroll Rack, mana rocks, etc.? Two reasons: 1) I like counters, and 2) the amount of counters in the deck right now is just right. Not too few and not too many. I wanted to preserve that spell density without disrupting the balance of the other strategies in the deck.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
Yes. Apparently, colours in reminder text don't count towards colour identity.
Edit: Just citing my sources.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
As far as Revoke Existance and Return to Dust are concerned, I don't particularly dislike them, but I find Disenchant to be more versatile. It is naturally an instant (Revoke is a sorcery; has no restrictions, like Return to Dust does) and costs 2. This means it can go on Isochron Scepter (which makes people freak out, for some reason) for value. If enchantment/ artifact recursion is a serious problem in your meta, feel free to swap it out for one you like better.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
BTW GAAIV is my stax general .
Also is Frost Titan a effective card?
how often do you flip Erayo?
how effective is lotus petal it seems underwhelming in theory
Redundancy implies that something is unnecessary. For a singleton format, repetition is key, which I understand. I didn't want too much repetition for Orb effects because they are symmetrical effects. For things like that, I'd prefer to tutor for them if I feel they're necessary.
I had Static Orb in for a time, but when I did and played it (along with Sphere of Resistance and/or Winter Orb) I found myself having to calculate mana even more and plan waaaay (3-4 turns) in advance. If you're up to doing that, that's cool. I just know that, for myself, there's already a lot to think about with this deck and splitting my concentration even more tends to lead to play mistakes. (But that's probably because I'm just dumb.)
1. I really don't have mana trouble. Yes, it's a tight curve, but the deck can survive on 4-5 land. 4-5 land can be a little rough, but if you make the right decisions about what to play and when to play, you shouldn't run into a lot of problems. Besides the heavy beaters and a few other cards, the deck is 4 CMC and lower. This turns into 3 CMC and lower if GAA4 is out. So instead of playing 1 thing a turn and holding mana for a counter, you can usually play 2 things a turn and hold mana for a counter. Or play one thing and hold 2 counters/removal. Whatever.
I also hold a lot of faith in Land Tax and Sol Ring (as well as my ability to get them). Even if Land Tax or Sol Ring don't show up, I really haven't run into serious mana problems.
Lands are also really annoying to draw into late-game, so I like having as few of them as I can get away with. 32, I've found, is a good balance.
2. Frost Titan is very effective. He's excellent for locking down creatures, but I usually use him to tap down problem lands or artifacts. If you blink him with Venser, the Sojourner, he gets nuts. I locked down a table with those two before since he swings (trigger --> tap #1) then blinks (trigger --> tap #2). It's a mid- to late-game soft-lock combo that is especially brutal if GAA4 and other tax cards are out.
The key is knowing when to play Frosty, here. He's really for wrapping things up: he solidifies the control you've already (hopefully) have established and he swings 6. It's a slow win, for sure, but it can work... if your opponents don't scoop first. He is an answer to certain threats (any enormous beater and combo artifacts). He can't take care of all the threats, but he can stall for some time/draw.
3. I flip Erayo, Soratami Ascendant every time I play it. Of course, I only play it when I can flip it, but that's not really hard with GAA4 out. 3-drops turn into 2-drops; 2-drops (like Erayo and Greater Auramancy) turn into 1-drops. Basically, if you have a few enchantments or artifacts to put out and a cheap cantrip (like Brainstorm), you're set. Also, Erayo checks herself on the stack, so she can be the 4th spell, come into play, and immediately flip.
I was playing 1v1 with a Teferi draw-go deck last night. GAA4 was out, and I hung onto some counter back-up and proceeded to drop of dirty stuff. Noticing that Teferi didn't counter what I was already doing, I went ahead with Erayo, which resolved and flipped. Shortly after, Teferi conceded.
4. Lotus Petal is great. I've never disliked drawing it at any time. It's excellent early game because you can get out GAA4 a little faster. Mid- to late-game, it can hang around as counter mana, which I never see as a bad thing. Playing a 0-drop artifact is nice, since it's like playing an extra land albeit a one-time-use land. It's really the only mana acceleration besides Sol Ring in the deck, but since the deck doesn't need to accelerate too hard, I find that Lotus Petal is a good balance.
The thing that solidified its acceptance into the list is this: I was playing against an Azusa, Lost but Seeking battlecruiser deck that had Hall of Gemstone out. (It was a 4-player game, but the other 2 decks weren't an issue.) GAA4 was out, too, so my counters cost 1 less, essentially... but I couldn't play them. I had out a Lotus Petal, though, so I could Memory Lapse his Natural Order, stalling enough to get Academy Rector into Omniscience on my turn. At that point, the Hall of Gemstone started working for me, since I could play whatever I wanted and everyone else was restricted. Yes, this is anecdotal, but I still see no problem with extra mana for free.
Plus, Lotus Petal comes back with Sun Titan, in case you're still worried about those 32 lands.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
Glad you like it.
At one point, I had both Kismet and Frozen AEther, but they cost soooo much (OK, I'm really cheap...). 4 (3 with GAA4) wasn't the right place on the mana curve for this kind of effect. I took Frozen AEther out, hoping Kismet alone would suffice, but every time I drew it, it just sat there in my hand; there had been better plays to make.
I was ecstatic when Blind Obedience came out and the ruling made its colour identity mono-white. It let me put tapping back into the repertoire, which works swimmingly with Yosei, the Morning Star and Tamiyo (draw power!).
If you want to include Kismet for repetition, by all means do. For me, when it comes to repetition for the prison effects, I don't look at what each card specifically does. I just look to see if it's a prison card. For example, it doesn't matter to me if I have a Blind Obedience, Sphere of Resistance, or Rhystic Study in hand because they are all contributing to the same overreaching goal. It doesn't matter if the card taps or taxes; it's still shutting down your opponents. =]
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
I've only played a few games and I'm having a few problems.
Here is my version:
Beware, i dont know how to make it pretty like you guys do.
I included a link to where i normally create my decks.
http://www.mtgvault.com/issizz/decks/edh-grand-arbiter/
Azorius Charm
Brainstorm
Condemn
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Cyclonic Rift
Disenchant
Dissipate
Enlightened Tutor
Hinder
Long-Term Plans
Mystical Tutor
Orim's Chant
Path to Exile
Render Silent
Rewind
Spell Crumple
Swords to Plowshares
Aura of Silence
Blind Obedience
Detention Sphere
Dissipation Field
Enchanted Evening
Ghostly Prison
Land Tax
Oblivion Ring
Omniscience
Propaganda
Rhystic Study
Academy Rector
Angelic Arbiter
Aura Thief
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Chancellor of the Annex
Consecrated Sphinx
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Frost Titan
Glen Elendra Archmage
Isperia, Supreme Judge
Mulldrifter
Phyrexian Metamorph
Snapcaster Mage
Solemn Simulacrum
Sun Titan
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Venser, Shaper Savant
Yosei, the Morning Star
Gideon Jura
Jace, Architect of Thought
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Venser, the Sojourner
Cleansing Meditation
Final Judgment
Idyllic Tutor
Supreme Verdict
Temporal Mastery
Wrath of God
Academy Ruins
Azorius Guildgate
Boseiju, Who Shelters ..
Command Tower
Flagstones of Trokair
Glacial Fortress
Hallowed Fountain
High Market
11xIsland
Mystifying Maze
Nimbus Maze
9xPlains
Reflecting Pool
Reliquary Tower
Thespian's Stage
So far, I havent played in an EDH game with more than 3, so I have no clue how it would go in a proper game of EDH.
I've noticed there isnt much card draw for me. I get 4-5 lands out, then sputter and sit with 2-3 cards in hand. This might change with 6 people and rhystic study out.
So far Lotus Petal has been very underwhelming. Whenever i draw it, i never really need it much.
It's been hell trying to get out more than 2 of propaganda/ghostly prison/sphere of resistance/dissipation field.
Had a game where one guy did nothing but blow up my lands
strip mine/crucible of worlds.
blew up the crucible with disenchant and he got it back next turn(forget how)
He then proceeded to Tooth and Nail(2-3 cards in my hand at this point) into two creatures which just blew up my lands.
Scoop.
Game 2 and 3 went very similar. Turn 3 both games, blow up my lands and continue doing so several times a turn, until i had 1 land.
The deck seems to work well when I have time to sit, draw, and set up.
Played a 1v1 where i got out winter orb against a token deck with propaganda in play. Had iso scepter with disenchant on it.
He started to just draw and go, untapping 1 land each turn
I had a sun titan/mystical tutor/orim's chant in hand, so at the end of his turn, i blew up winter orb with Disenchant scepter. Untapped, mystical tutored to a temporal mastery, played. Took extra turn, blew up iso scepter with disenchant on scepter, played sun titan getting back scepter and put Orim's on it.
I was very pleased with how that game went, but it took a lot of time to set up.
Is there anything in this list you would recommend taking out or exchanging something for?
I've thought about taking out the:
Angelic Arbiter
Chancellor of the Annex
Lotus Petal
Actually, this doesn't work. Erayo can only trigger from the battlefield. If she's the fourth spell, she's still on the stack when the ability would trigger. Abilities only work from the battlefield, unless otherwise specified or they only make sense in another Zone.
P.S: The deck looks sweet. I'd hate to play against it ;-)
Lightmine Field locks with Humility. I would feel compelled to run both. It's not a bad lock, for sure, but each has a CMC of 4 (3 with GAA4) for a total of 8 (6) to set up the lock. That's a little high if you're trying to hold onto removal/counters.
By itself, Lightmine Field is good at stopping swarms and tokens, and Propaganda/Ghostly Prison kinda already does that better for less...
Edit:
@Ly: Okay. I'd had someone play that against me at a tourney once, and I called him on it. The judges said that Erayo checks itself, though, so I let the matter drop (I could get rid of it anyways ;P).
Lesson learned: drop Erayo third.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
Sorry for double-posting. Just saw the above post.... That's what I get for trying to do stuff on my phone. XP
Anyways! Draw is a pretty big concern for GAA4. I really recommend River Kelpie. When you chump block with it, kill something, board wipe, etc., you get cards for each thing that dies. Seriously, you don't even have to destroy it. Something just has to die, and you get to draw cards! I drew 28 cards with it once from Enchanted Evening/Cleansing Mediation-ing the board. And Kelpie came back. If you really need it/can afford it, get Sensei's Divining Top. The ability to set up your draws is priceless in a deck like this.
Also, you kind of have a lot of colorless-producing land. Try the filter land (Mystic Gate), maybe. Keep Lotus Petal because it's like a land and you can Sun Titan it back. And do you have a Sol Ring?
In general, you'll want to limit anything that costs more than 7 to put out. The best way to use GAA4 is to have a lot of cheap things to always play or have in hand to play (if it's an instant). Stuff that costs more than 6 can be a real drag on the tempo of this deck.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
Elixir of Immortality
Isochron Scepter
Lotus Petal
Oblivion Stone
Planar Portal
Sensei's Divining Top
Sol Ring
Sphere of Resistance
Winter Orb
Woah! Right you are. Good catch. I guess my brain really wanted the card to say "whenever a permanent is put into the graveyard from play, draw a card". Just a case of wishful thinking + RTFC, eh?
Okay. So to replace the failure River Kelpie, I was initially thinking to finally put in Replenish, but then I recalled some recent games I played against mill decks. There weren't a ton of enchantments hitting the graveyard... I'll try it out, but I'm really leaning towards Dream Cache, since it replaces Kelpie's card-draw function better and it let's you filter through the deck whole sculpting your hand. Thoughts or suggestions?
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
First of all, what do you mean by "this kind of deck"?
Second, explain your reasoning. I do not accept "auto-include in this kind of deck" as a valid reason, since I question your understanding of what this kind of deck is. For example, Tezzeret is good for searching up a lot low- or 0-drop artifacts. He's an "auto-include" in dedicated combo decks that need lots of mana early and/or quickly to win fast. Why is Tezzeret necessary for this deck, and, specifically, why is better (or how does he synergies better) than Gideon?
Also, there are 9 artifacts with varying degrees of nessessary-ness at a given time. Together, they form a well-rounded foundation for the deck, but they do not by any means define the deck.
3 have tap effects (Sol Ring, Sensei's Divining Top, and Isochron Scepter) that would work with Tezzeret's + ability... actually, only 2 because Top will leave the battlefield if you activate it's tap ability.
2 are prison cards (Sphere of Resistance and Winter Orb) and so aren't really worth tutoring for with Tezzeret's - ability since there is a lot of repetition of prison effects.
2 have miscellaneous effects (Lightning Greaves and Lotus Petal). The only one I'd tutor for with Tezzeret is the Greaves and only if I really needed it. I'd rather just Enlightened Tutor it up if I was that desperate.
2 are creatures (Solemn Simulacrum and Phyrexian Metamorph) that both cost 4 (and kill Tezzeret if I tutored them), and those creatures just... don't seem worth it..
I'd take Gideon, who absorbs hits like a wall, can destroy creatures, and beat face in a pinch, over Tezzeret the Seeker in the 5-drop slot any day.
I realise this post may come off as defensive, but I do not intend it to be that way. I am merely surprised that Tezzeret was mentioned as a viable replacement and want the reasoning behind it.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
Out of interest why no Thaalia, Guardian of Thraben
Glad you like it!
Definitely let me know how extra time magic works for you. I've been curious but couldn't ever being myself to try it. Plus, there's an Azami, Lady of Scrolls deck running around with lots of extra turns, so my playgroup would probably flip a ***** if two decks were doing it. Sure, they already run Stranglehold, but I can definitely see them complaining anyways
No Thalia because there are a lot of spells that I don't want to pay extra for. Also, there are competitive aggro decks in my meta, and Thalia helps them and hurts GAA4's spell-control.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
I've just found a card that's kinda cool, Stone Calendar, seems like it can work with a bit more tax.
I've gone a bit more down that route too with sphere of safety, there's quite a few enchantments and with enchanted evening it's just crazy good.
I'm putting Vesuvan Shapeshifter in as well. Purely to interact with a few nasty combo decks, namely Azami with a Teferi Lock and a couple of others.
What do you think of Mystic Remora as a card? Understand not wanting to pay the upkeep for too long but turn 1 or 2 this can net you quite a few cards what with all of the mana rocks running around.
Vesuvan Shapeshifter seems like it would be excellent with the new legendary rules. (My group doesn't play with them, so I don't have first-hand experience with that.) And if it functions as a meta-specific answer, that's good.
Mystic Remora... it would have to come out at the right time to be useful, I think. I would have to have good reason to think my opponents want to cast a lot of spells each turn to feel like the cumulative upkeep worth paying for more than, like, 1 turn. Maybe I'm just being picky, though. After all, it can be resurrected with Sun Titan after I decide to not pay the upkeep costs. And in competitive metas, you are quite right that mana rocks will be floating around. I'll try to play a few more games with it (in place of Rhystic Study) and compare.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB
Love the interaction with consecrated sphinx
I tend to think of the cards in the deck by what they accomplish: card advantage, prison-building, blinking, attackers, etc. So, I tend to lump all the "prison" cards together; one isn't any more important than the others, since they accomplish the same thing (prison-building). This means I don't typically build around a card. Of course, if I want to include a particular card that demands a particular interaction, there have to be a good amount of other cards that demand that particular interaction (like the High Market Suite or the Venser Suite) to justify the inclusion.
Winter Orb can be built around but I don't see a point to it. As just another "prison" card, it's meant to be replaceable in that whether you draw into Winter Orb or Sphere of Resistance or Blind Obedience you're still drawing into "prison" cards. I don't usually see Winter Orb as something that shuts down GAA4, since the general lowers CMCs like crazy, so I'm not sure how much building-around is really necessary beyond Land Tax.
That being said, I do like Oboro, Palace in the Clouds because the art is sick and Undiscovered Paradise because the drawback is outweighed by it's assets (any colour mana + doesn't CIPT). Thanks for the suggestions.
Okay.
Thank you to Rivenor for this awesome banner!
Palladia-Mors of {The Spirit of EDH}
EDH
WLinvala, Queen of the AngelsW
WUThe Prison of the Grand ArbiterUW [Primer]
URNiv-Mizzet, Handcycling ComboRU
UTalrand, Drake-Slinging to VictoryU
WUGDerevi, Tactical ShufflingGUW
BCao Cao, Discard Stax of Absolute MiseryB