MTG Salvation

As the title says, I'm looking to build budget Azorius Control in modern. The only cards I already own from the list below, other than the basic lands, are Elspeth and one of the Hieroglyphic Illuminations. I recently got back into magic via Arena after taking a lot break for personal reasons, and it's been a blast. I'm looking to build a semi-competitive list for FNMs and the like, and down below is the list I came up with. If anyone could suggest optimizations or cheaper replacements(such as for the Mystic Gate) I'd be very glad. The deck currently comes out to $230, because I already own Elspeth, and if anyone could advise me for trimming it further I'd be grateful. Thanks for your help.

Check this out - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/budget-modern/796880-semi-budget-esper-control?comment=23

This is a a very budget list though at about 100$.
So it doesn't have Path, Verdict (it has Condemn + Seal Away and Fumigate instead) or FoR which would be some of the first upgrades I'd make to it.
It also has Jace as a budget alternative to Teferi.

I'm not quite sure that list is where I'd like to be going, but thanks for showing it to me. I'd ideally be able to upgrade my deck into a non-budget T1 UW Control after a few years, but that list seems to be its own archetype. I'd like to try to use the cheaper good cards and then later upgrade into the more than $50 apiece ones. However, Jace Jace, Unraveler of Secrets is a card I'd forgotten about, and I'll definitely consider it since it's roughly $15 cheaper than big Teferi, which I like. I'll definitely think about Fact or Fiction and Archmage's Charm, and might even buy a singleton of each to try at an FNM in the future. I've also made a few changes after talking with a friend of mine with more experience in modern, which are down below. I'm wondering whether Logic Knot is good at all without fetches, and if not what should I run in its place? I was thinking Search for Azcanta but it's a little pricier than the Knot.

The snow cards are actually really good in the deck and greatly improve it imho.

I am not sure if Cataclysmic Gearhulk is even worth playing in the deck.
It plays worse than a wrath and if it is meant as a finisher then Torrential Gearhulk is much better.

I don't like Logic Knot in a fetch-less build and would prefer both Absorb and Archmage's Charm to it (or even Disallow).
I also recommend trying out Prohibit which is highly underrated imho and isn't as easily played around as Mana Leak.

Fact or Fiction is very good and I highly recommend it.
Search for Azcanta is also a good inclusion.

I would put the majority of my budget into the mana base first and foremost and then build around that. UW even at two colors is an extremely greedy and intensive mana base and if you are setting behind etb tapped lands early you will lose. Even when growing your deck, purchasing Cryptics, Snaps, and Jaces will leave you will a hand full of dead cards if you can’t cast them. Spend the first $150-$170 on 5-6 fetches, 3-4 shocks, 2-3 checks, 2 colonnades, and 3-4 field of ruins. Spend the other $50-$75 and build around that and then grow.

*Now I’ve told you to put the majority of your budget around the mana base. How do you build around that?

Card advantage and hand sculpting:
4x Opt
3x Think Twice
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Sphinx’s Revelation

Counter Control:
2-3x Remand
2-3x Mana Leak
2x Spell Snare
2x Dovin’s Veto (1 main 1 SB)
2x Logic Knot
1x Archmage’s Charm
2x Detention Sphere
4x Path to Exile
2x Supreme Verdict
1x Wings of Abandon
2x Mission Briefing (Budget Snap)
Win Cons
2x Restoration Angel (Budget Clique - strictly worse without Etb’s to abuse, but a decent clock against decks you need to put on a clock. My second choice would be Geist, but just for a clock I want some sort of evasion.
1x Secure the Wastes
1x Torrential Gearhulk
My personal budget favorite:
2x Luminarch’s Ascension . I utilized this my finisher of choice for about a year. You can easily win the turn after it is turned on, it forces opponents to pressure you when they might be best suited to hold back, and it is really strong in the mirror (where you will struggle with a budget list.) The other strength is that it isn’t widely played so many opponents don’t understand how dangerous it is for you to tick it up in their end step to bring it online, build 3-4 Serra Angels, and then untap. Most decks are dead then.

Budget Sideboard:
2x Damping Sphere
2x Dispel
2x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Dovin’s Veto
2x Ceremonious Rejection
1x Timely Reinforcements
1x Celestial Purge

Fit the rest to your meta.

My upgrade order would be:
Narset
2-3 FoN
2 Little Teferi
2 Big Teferi
2 Snaps
2 Cryptics
1 JTMS
3rd Snap
3rd Cryptic

Sideboard upgrades
Stony Silence
Rest In Peace

Sorry for the late reply. Cataclysmic Gearhulk is supposed to be a third wrath effect that can't get Spell Queller'd, and doesn't get Thalia, Guardian of Thraben taxed, as well as is another sweeper to be named with Meddling Mage. It could honestly be moved to the sideboard though. Archmage's Charm seems like it could be hard with the mana though, as it isn't getting cast on 3 if you play a field. Would I want to run Fact or Fiction as an additional Hieroglyphic Illumination or over one of the walkers? Recently I was playing this deck with proxies and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar felt bad, and didn't even feel that good against Jund and Junk, which was where I thought he'd shine due to them being very grindy. Teferi, Hero of Dominaria has shot up in the past few days, so I'm thinking of getting a Dragonlord Ojutai over him, as much as I'm biased towards Teferi due to his days in Standard. Is the snow package that good without fetches to find your snow basics?

I wouldn't play Gearhulk over more copies of Verdict.
Another wrath option to consider can be Settle the Wreckage for the instant speed surprise factor and exiling.

With 8x 1-mana removal spells (Path and On Thin Ice) I wouldn't worry about Thalia too much to be honest.

Archmage's Charm can be hard to cast though Arcum's Astrolabe helps mana fix for it.
The card is very good and worth playing as a budget Cryptic Command of sorts which functions differently.

I've tested Ojutai for a while and it is often hard to attack with it for fear of removal (which the opponent has no real targets for otherwise) and tapping out for it always seemed risky.
If Teferi is too expensive you should try out Jace for the card advantage option.

I like to bring the Gideons when I need to be more proactive (like against some combo decks) but since BG/x got Assassin's Trophy PW's aren't as effective against them as they used to be unless you protect them with counters right away.

And on the snow mana base, there's a reson why it got banned in pauper for making 3-4 color decks viable. Especially with a 4 duels and 4 basic fetches

So you'd suggest something for like this, with the sideboard being whatever? I'm not sure what wincons to run other than planeswalkers other than Ojutai.

As far as top-end threats I'd probably stick with PW's like Elspeth, Sun's Champion (and the Gideons) and Colonnade.

Some good creature options can be:
Torrential Gearhulk and Angel of Grace since you don't need to tap out for them on your turn.
Azor, the Lawbringer is also interesting but not sure if it is actually better than Dragonlord Ojutai.

Azor and Angel of Grace were two interesting things I hadn't thought of since Standard. Would anything with flash work in that slot? Torrential Gearhulk seems good as I can cast either a counter or the Hieroglyphic Illumination that got cycled earlier in the game, as well as ambush a beater. Would maindecking Elspeth be possible as well? It seems rather slow, but with the amount of card draw my virtual land count is at least 28 or so.

basically yes, anything with flash. personally i would run a mix of gearhulk and angel as gearhulk is a good snap caster effect but 6 mana can be significantly more than 5. angel can do a lot of work vs things like burn, and having a big evasive flyer can do alot for your chances of winning. but in your specific build i would do something a little different
i would run

card choices
resto angel: it has 7 solid deck targets, (walls for card draw, gearhulk for value, gideons for resetting counters or using twice in a turn) it's also a solid flash flyer with an easy casting cost and sits nicely in the 4 drop slot.

Detention Sphere: with walls and restos card draw should be fine, these tend to act as excellent catch alls, much better than the jaces

Fact or Fiction: why play the jace that pretends to be this whey you can actually play this! also best gearhulk target.

Marit Lage's Slumber: budget search while also being a very solid wincon.

ice/path balance: with slumber caring about snow stuff uptick ice to make more effective and save on budget

passage and colonnade this is where the budget went, colonnades are cheap atm so 3 seems like a solid number, Strand (or passage if they easier o get) is a solid option due to the fixing of mana while finding a snow permanents, the ability shuffle your deck can also be relevant at times.

Secure the Wastes: good when your winning and good when your behind

Field of Ruin: 4 is a lot of colorless mana in a deck with some fairly mana intensive spells, so down to 3 and have some more land hate in sb if needed.


cards i would strongly consider
aven mindcensor: flash flyer, able to block ore beat down, while denying opponents land drops is pretty powerful in fetchless decks.
Spell Queller: if you ever decide to go for a more tempoy style of control auto 4 of.
a 4th colonnade: they are very good and probably never going to be much cheaper.
brazzen borrower: if you ever decide to go in much more draw go control style of play and drops the walls etc these would be a very solid inclusion