Planeswalkers (4)
Spells (30)
Sideboard
The title of this deck is a little misleading as it really is a UW Control deck with a tiny splash of red mainly to gain a little edge in the control mirror and for some extra options out of the sideboard. The core of the deck is the standard UW classics with full sets of Sphinx’s Revelation, Supreme Verdict, Azorius Charm and Detention Sphere which work overtime to control the board, draw through your deck and regain lost life once you stabilize. The primary wincons come through the always powerful planeswalkers Elspeth and Jace, with a pair of Mutavault to plink in as well. The control package sports pairs of Dissolve, Syncopate and the reason for the red splash Counterflux. There are two one of artifacts with the new hotness Elixir of Immortality to recycle your used spells back into the deck and Ratchet Bomb which can take care of numerous permanent problems especially rat or soldier tokens in a pinch. We finally get to a little bit of cuteness in the deck with Quicken which while limited in targets does make Verdict into a surprise sweeper or turns Divination into an instant speed Concentrate.
Creatures (17)
Other Spells (17)
Sideboard
Creatures (17)
Other Spells (17)
This weekends premier tournament results came through huge for Mono-Black Devotion in Standard. Not only was the SCG Standard Open won by MBD but it was the SCG Invitational winner as well. The two decks were 72 of 75 the same list with identical main deck compositions, and only minor meta calls for sideboard tweaks. There’s nothing groundbreaking about the deck but it has matured into a solid fighting machine. The opening of Thoughtseize into Pack Rat has been said by many to be the strongest one-two punch in standard right now. Follow that up with Nightveil Specter or Underworld Connections into Desecration Demon then a backbreaking Gray Merchant and most games can be over before your opponent has even begun. Of course not all games play out quite that perfect so the deck is packed with removal wielding full sets of both Devour Flesh and Hero’s Downfall with a singleton Pharika’s Cure. Speaking of singletons there is also a one of Erebos which still catches opponents with the no life gain clause while also supplying a steady stream of card advantage. The deck can also go all in on the Pack Rat strategy which often is the last permanent you cast once dropped on turn two and is backed up by Mutavault which as rats themselves also take opponents by surprise and turn trades into chumps. Not that we didn’t already know it but this deck will definitely be top tier at least until Journey to Nykthos. Let’s not forget Owen Turtenwald took down the Grand Prix Albuquerque with MBD last month.
Creatures (24)
Spells (12)
Sideboard
Boros Burn – Red Burn – RDW
Darin Minard
8th place at GP Dallas Fort Worth 12/8/2013
Lands (22)
Creatures (8)
Other Spells (28)
Planeswalkers (2)
In my heart I’ve always been an aggro player so the instant I saw this decklist it really appealed to me. There is a critical mass of burn spells in this deck which will inevitably lead to the toasted carcass of your opponent sitting across the table from you. The deck boasts a throng of two dozen dome scorchers with 2 pointers Shock & Magma Jet, 3 pointers Lightning Strike & Skullcrack, and 4 pointers Boros Charm & Warleader’s Helix. And half of the burn spells double up with additional valuable capabilities. Given the limited card drawing in these colors the Magma Jets get paired up with the Temples help gas the deck with some very integral scry action. The non-damage abilities of Skullcrack prove especially potent against not only mega life gain such as Sphinx’s Revelation or Gray Merchant but also many of the post board answers that will come in against this deck. The creatures are particularly suited for this composition with Young Pyromancer able to spew forth a potent army to either chip away more life points or hold back a ground assault and Chandra’s Phoenix which with this deck will never be hanging around the graveyard too long. The removal of the deck, not that the burn doesn’t double as removal as well, comes in the form of Chained to the Rocks which is particularly well positioned right now to deal with indestructible threats such as Thassa or Erebos. The deck is capped with a pair of Chandra, Pyromaster which should be primarily used to grind some card advantage but the first ability is very good at working down life totals while the ultimate if achieved will net either 6, 9 or 12 points of damage. With this much raw power behind it I could definitely see myself taking this one for a spin
Orzhov Control
Marlon Gutierrez
Sideboard
Grand Prix Dallas-Fort Worth Champion Marlon Gutierrez took down the tourney with a pretty spicy Orzhov Control deck. It is strikingly similar to an Orzhov list that we featured last week from GP Vienna. The list is actually exactly the same with the exception of 2 additional Dark Betrayal found in Marlon’s sideboard to combat MonoBlack, replacing a Shrivel and a Wear // Tear. Looks like we were right to keep the Orzhov Control list on our radar and just like the UW Planeswalker Control list we spotlighted last week it was able to climb to the top of the mountain. I doubt they will continue uncontested but we did see a shift in the metagame from a more aggressive field to a more control oriented one.
Creatures (14)
Spells (22)
Sideboard
Continuing along the devotion themed decks we have here one of the usual suspects with a little twist. While this deck is primarily a Black Devotion deck the Red splash does allow for some heavy extra action to be played. The creature package boasts some requisite faces with Specter into Demon into Merchant for the devastating life swings and a miser Erebos for value. The pair of Sire of Insanity can be a real beating especially against control decks when you can capitalize on a superior board presence and strip them of any answers they might have been holding back. A full set of Thoughtseize and a pair of Rakdos’s Return also work hard to restrict your opponent from having many good options left against you. The devotion count is supplemented by standard includes of Underworld Connections and Whip of Erebos which both work to boost your side with card advantage. The rest is a robust removal package geared heavily against both creatures and Planeswalkers with full sets of Hero’s Downfall and Dreadbore backed up with a pair of Mizzium Mortars. All in all this deck looks to have a very strong mid to late game plan and could slip in as an alternative to just straight MonoBlack lists that have been running amok.
UW Control – UW Planeswalker Control
Stanislav Cifka
Grand Prix Vienna – Top 8
Lands (27)
Creatures (0)
Other Spells (26)
Planeswalkers (7)
Sideboard
I have to admire this very traditional feeling UW Control deck. While technically creature-less it does use Elspeth as a primary win condition with Mutavault as backup. The permission comes in the form of Dissolve, which works with the Temples to provide some dig with Scry, and Essence Scatter to fight off troublesome creatures. The deck then boasts a rather robust amount of removal starting with Supreme Verdict to sweep away aggro swarms, Detention Sphere is very versatile in controlling all other threats, and Last Breath is the spot removal that can handle most of the threats in standard currently. Azorius Charm is a useful with all it different modes either as another spot removal, to cycle for another draw or as a way to gain some quick life. The deck is topped off with Sphinx’s Revelation which is without a doubt one of the keys to the success of the UWx Control strategies. This list of Cifkas also included a very interesting sideboarding plan with Archangel and Fiendslayer capitalizing on a lifegain theme to build on a heavy creature package that’s brought in to combat the red decks.
Creatures (13)
Sideboard
Here we have an interesting control deck with lots of hand disruption, seven in the main with Sin Collector and possibly three more post Sideboard. Giving you plenty of useful information on your opponents, allowing you to plan out your winning strategy as you chip away his hand. This deck has a very strong removal suite with twelve total in the main, most of the time you already know what your opponents will be summoning so your answers are in hand. Orzhov Control is mostly black with a splash of white for Blood Baron of Vizkopa and Sin Collector less aggressive than its cousin Mono-Black Devotion. Blood Baron seems to be largely a meta call against a field of White weenie (Boros) and Mono-Black Devotion, while Sin Collector is another Duress on a stick. The Pack Rat has turned out to be quite a bomb in this season, otherwise it was just bane in Return To Ravnica Limited. The rats allow you to build an army very quickly with the help of Mutavault to pump them even more. Overall this looks like a solid deck that I’d Like to sleeve up and test it out versus Mono-Blue Devotion. Anyone had a running or tried out this deck please leave us some comments.
