Blue Lantern, a mono blue control deck with methods to win the game through every possible avenue; damage, poison, and mill. It is a heavy counter deck, with a focus on targeting the area where mono blue control decks have the biggest issue, creatures.
Lantern Spirit is the only real creature in the deck, and at three CMC it is relatively easy to cast and counter in the same turn. Also, since he can protect himself by bouncing himself, you shouldn't be using precious counters to protect him from removal. Sadly, this guy is only a 2/1 and may not always be able to finish the opponent off. This is where other methods of victory come into play. Infect is one of these. Inkmoth Nexus is the only man-land left in standard and provides a respectable alternative win condition. This deck supports this with a few select proliferate cards that also help the deck during the game, Fuel for the Cause and Steady Progress. These cards not only support the infect strategy but also have the added bonus of boosting counters on Ratchet Bomb to get to the critical charge counter count faster, not to mention the do what blue likes to do anyways, counter spells and draw cards. The last method of victory this deck can use is mill, well more like library exhaustion. This is a minor win condition and should only be considered if no other path (damage or poison) is feasibly possible. It has two methods to do this, Memory's Journey and Blue Sun's Zenith. The zenith seems obvious but if you don't know you target your opponent to make them draw their entire deck in one shot. This most likely wouldn't be strategic unless it wins the game on the spot. The next is Journey, the basic concept here is to use the first and shuffle three cards from your graveyard, likely counters but whatever seems the most useful in the match, then every subsequent use would target the prior Journey plus any two other cards you wish. This also ties into the infect strategy by giving the opportunity to reuse your proliferate cards. Using Memory's Journey could actually enable the decks pilot to "counter everything" which is something a counter wants to do but rarely can.
The counter suite is geared mostly towards stopping creatures. Mana Leak and Psychic Barrier are the perfect choices for this. They are backed by the fresh new reprint Dissipate, a card I have missed almost as much as Counterspell itself. Dissipate is an upgrade to any three drop counter that has seen play since it was originally printed, and considering the possible metagame you will want four of these in any blue deck. Negate fills a gap in the defense, that gap being Swords. Whether on the play or draw you do not want any sword having the chance to touch you. Negate partners with Mana Leak to keep these meanies at bay.
The draw suite is 100% instant speed, and let me tell you, it feels good to have that ability after so long without it. Think Twice is the first draw spell, and can produce actual card advantage upon flashback. Steady Progress is next up, producing no real card advantage is hard to accept at 3 CMC and may seem better as Forbidden Alchemy, however we really want the option to poison our opponent once with Inkmoths and sit back as they slowly die due to our proliferation. Blue Sun's Zenith is a card that has endured much ridicule, being overshadowed by Jace's Ingenuity. This is no more. Originally, when there was Stroke of Genius, blue mages would cast it without question, Zenith is a strict upgrade since it has the ability to shuffle back into the library to be used again with no additional effort on your part. Nevermind that it can also function as an instant speed win condition.
Our support cards are Ratchet Bomb, since blue has no real removal, and Disperse, since things just get through sometimes. Not much else to say on these cards, they are really self explanatory.
The sideboard is under development and as such will not be posted until there is a clearer view of how the metagame is shaping up.
Now, for the list. It is a 61 card deck, but that is simply because I was not comfortable playing less then 25 land and couldn't decide what card should be cut. Over time the list will be trimmed.
I like the idea of a very counter-heavy control deck, and Memory's Journey finds a very good use here. However, the deck's win conditions are seemingly very unfocused, and I feel you may find it difficult to establish a solid position to win with infect and normal damage being used interchangeably. If you were to focus specifically on one or the other I think the deck would benefit greatly in terms of consistency.
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I like the idea of a very counter-heavy control deck, and Memory's Journey finds a very good use here. However, the deck's win conditions are seemingly very unfocused, and I feel you may find it difficult to establish a solid position to win with infect and normal damage being used interchangeably. If you were to focus specifically on one or the other I think the deck would benefit greatly in terms of consistency.
I can see where that would be a concern, however, the deck is designed to do both poison and damage. It has the ability to deal a poison damage then sit back and grind out the game, proliferating along the way and adding inevitability. Lantern Spirit will usually join the party around turns 5-6 and allow the game to move towards dealing damage if needed. Past that the deck can outlast any other deck not prepared for and "infinite" game using Journey. It may seem unfocused at first but since this deck doesn't want to tap out then the idea of dealing a poison damage once then proliferating for the win seems a fine avenue to take.
Basically, you can win faster with damage, but life gain and various creatures and get in the way. Poison cannot be removed and proliferate is not easy to prevent, so that would be considered a secondary route to victory. If all else fails you can grind the game out forever if need be and due to Journey you will win over time, Blue Sun's Zenith can accelerate this if needed.
Your card draw looks a bit weak. Steady is in no way better than ponder. Yeah it proliferates, but you will lose games because it wont let you get the card you need. Plus it lets you keep hands that possibly wouldn't work but getting to that land early to cast dissapate or something matters.
Fuel should be something else. I don't know what but there has to be a better counter.
spirit is a fine card to use here. Good against thrun. He is the anti your deck. So a creature that can block him forever is nice. And it makes all creature removal dead. I'm thinking of using him myself.
Could use more snapmage though. Flash is amazing. Him plus the fact that a full ¼ of your deck is counters means you will always have a target.
Just an opinion, I think this would get more attention if you renamed the thread MUC, mono-blue control, or mono-blue 'Draw, go'. This is my mono-blue control that I will try to test soon.
Just trying to keep it a simple 'Draw, go' deck. Ratchet bomb and inkmoth nexus to trade with fast weenies, go 1 for 1 with counters until I land Azure Mage and steadily build my card advantage. I haven't tested azure mage in a draw go style, but she looks good on paper so we'll see.
Wincons of the deck are the three 6 drops, which are all sorts of CA themselves, and Lantern Spirit. Wurmcoil Engine- just hard for aggro decks to deal with the lifegain, especially one protected with a wall of counters.
Consecrated Sphinx- If azure mage doesn't work out I'll probably bump this guy up 1 or 2. Not much to say that's not already known about him. Let him stay on the field and he'll drown you in CA.
Lantern Spirit- Perfect for draw, go, as already said he protects himself and has evasion.
Sideboard is just a few sample cards I'm thinking about. Will develop it more when meta is more defined. Mental Misstep- for the fast aggro Flashfreeze- another conditional counter Phantasmal Image- For the card I feel is the most annoying to play against with this archetype, and is a cheap answer to.. Thrun, the last troll Volition Reigns- I'm sure someone will play something I want to steal.
Tezz Gambit >>> Steady Progress. Clearly. That's a nobrainer, even though steady progress is an instant. It ONLY replaces itself for a marginal effect, for 4 mana. No bueno.
Tumble Magnet is good. Lost in the Mist combos nicely with it (along with the proliferate effects). It gives you a few turns to set up your ratchet bomb.
Maybe SoFaF wouldn't be terrible either. But, Mental Misstep is absolutely a necessity MB. One drops will wreck you. Stromkirk Noble will eat your face. On the draw, you absolutely have to. On the play, you can probably drop a few.
The thing with azure mage is... ratchet bomb. Bad.
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I'm not really seeing the hype with snapcaster mage in builds with just counters. Why pay 5 mana for a 2nd use of stoic rebuttal and a 2/1, and when used on psychic barrier would be a worse summoner's bane. I think you're better off running a set of dissipate in snapcaster's place, sure you could use it on tezzeret's gambit and pay 5-6 mana for 2 cards at sorcery speed, but then again why not bump up blue sun's zenith for the instant speed or consecrated sphinx for the bigger body.
Lost in the Mist- I'm sorry but this is no cryptic command, 5 mana is way too much for a counter. If its working for you then cool, more power to you.
Mental Misstep- This is just one of those cards people will have to make their own metacall on. You really have to weigh the probability of running into those decks where a turn 1 counter is needed against how many decks it would be a dead draw. So probably best left in sideboard unless that is just something you heavily expect to be paired against.
I realize ratchet bomb and azure mage may seem to conflict, but it's just one of those things that only testing will truly determine if their usefulness will outweigh their occasional conflictions.
Not to be rude, but Steady Progress and Fuel for the Cause are terrible cards and even dedicated Infect decks probably should not be running them. This deck has only two things you can proliferate anyways. Memory's Journey may also look appealing, but it's card disadvantage! There is no guarantee you ever see the cards you shuffle back in. Ratchet Bomb is okay but I definitely would not want 4 maindeck. Maybe 2 maindeck, 2 sideboard would be reasonable.
You want additional win conditions such as Consecrated Sphinx, or Wurmcoil Enginer as well.
Not to be rude, but Steady Progress and Fuel for the Cause are terrible cards and even dedicated Infect decks probably should not be running them. This deck has only two things you can proliferate anyways. Memory's Journey may also look appealing, but it's card disadvantage! There is no guarantee you ever see the cards you shuffle back in. Ratchet Bomb is okay but I definitely would not want 4 maindeck. Maybe 2 maindeck, 2 sideboard would be reasonable.
You want additional win conditions such as Consecrated Sphinx, or Wurmcoil Enginer as well.
I am considering all the above suggestions, however I would like to point out that this deck and any similar cannot keep up with tempered steel on a one for one basis and therefor must run a sweep effect, hence ratchet bomb. Ratchet bomb is also this deck's only removal, so four is the right number. For mono blue, the right number has always been four, dating all the way back to Powder Keg
If you can poison, why don't you consider Blighted Agent and Corrupted Resolve? one can give a poison counter almost everyturn, and one can counter any spell aslongas your opponent has poison counters
If you can poison, why don't you consider Blighted Agent and Corrupted Resolve? one can give a poison counter almost everyturn, and one can counter any spell aslongas your opponent has poison counters
Blighted Agent is on my list of things to try but past experience has shown him weak without a supporting cast. Corrupted Resolve is an interesting counter but it's just too situational for a control deck. Better in some form of Infect fish style deck.
Currently too weak to everything...
Agro creature decks crush me too fast.... I have tumble magnets but it only stops one... I block with 1/1's then scarfice them to the dais for later draws when Psychosis crawler it out.... merfolk looter really helps though
Control decks O-ring everything I need... black and red can deal with psychosis easy.
Now to start, Azure Mage + Ratchet Bomb is fine, you only need one Mage at a time. And those times when you would run him out early is usually against control where Ratchet Bomb is less then superb anyways. I really didn't want to put swords in here, however it REALLY wants to be here. Weak creatures wont win a long game therefor we either need to increase the power level of the creatures or find bigger guys. I have also tried Consecrated Sphinx and Wurmcoil Engine here but the sword seemed to help more since it gives pro black and green (removal and Thrun) and, with Mage, creates huge CA. I also realize that 24 land may be low and that 8 colorless sources may be high, however the Ghost Quarters can easily sac to kill another of my quarters to get an island, not to mention this deck would have no way to kill inkmoth otherwise. I may go back to 61 cards main if it seems that 24 lands do not cut it, however testing thusfar 24 has ben fine.
Now to start, Azure Mage + Ratchet Bomb is fine, you only need one Mage at a time. And those times when you would run him out early is usually against control where Ratchet Bomb is less then superb anyways. I really didn't want to put swords in here, however it REALLY wants to be here. Weak creatures wont win a long game therefor we either need to increase the power level of the creatures or find bigger guys. I have also tried Consecrated Sphinx and Wurmcoil Engine here but the sword seemed to help more since it gives pro black and green (removal and Thrun) and, with Mage, creates huge CA. I also realize that 24 land may be low and that 8 colorless sources may be high, however the Ghost Quarters can easily sac to kill another of my quarters to get an island, not to mention this deck would have no way to kill inkmoth otherwise. I may go back to 61 cards main if it seems that 24 lands do not cut it, however testing thusfar 24 has ben fine.
I think Lantern Spirit is a powerhouse in exactly the archetype you are proposing. I think playing a tight control strategy is exactly the way to work with what is an exceedingly resilient and moderately evasive creature.
Inkmoth nexus isn't good. Win with infect or win with damage. Other posters have said this, it seems like it is your pet card or something. Cut it, the deck will get better as it becomes more focused.
Add a second color. We have a lot of mana fixers available right now and there is n reason to be in mono-blue. It doesn't facilitate casting counterspells because you can run up to eight duals and you are currently running eight colorless sources. The best option is probably white for DoJ. You can score ridiculous card advantage with a well-timed wrath, it gives you excellent sideboard choices, and it can answer artifacts and enchantments that are on the table. You are currently running ratchet bomb to do these jobs for you. It is slow, clunky, and sub-optimal given that you can splash a second color without reducing your number of blue sources.
Replace three psychic barrier with O-Ring, and replace three ratchet bomb with Day of Judgment. Cut the last ratchet bomb for a land.
Your non-basics become dual lands. Maybe drop one of your counters for another.
The other thing you should think about is the inherent card advantage of Flashback. If you find yourself bouncing lots of creatures with Disperse, give one of the new sorcery speed cards a try. They are slow, but being able to stall out your opponent twice with on card is awesome.
On a similar note, forbidden alchemy offers some advantages over Azure Mage 'cause it digs.
I think Lantern Spirit is a powerhouse in exactly the archetype you are proposing. I think playing a tight control strategy is exactly the way to work with what is an exceedingly resilient and moderately evasive creature.
Inkmoth nexus isn't good. Win with infect or win with damage. Other posters have said this, it seems like it is your pet card or something. Cut it, the deck will get better as it becomes more focused.
Add a second color. We have a lot of mana fixers available right now and there is n reason to be in mono-blue. It doesn't facilitate casting counterspells because you can run up to eight duals and you are currently running eight colorless sources. The best option is probably white for DoJ. You can score ridiculous card advantage with a well-timed wrath, it gives you excellent sideboard choices, and it can answer artifacts and enchantments that are on the table. You are currently running ratchet bomb to do these jobs for you. It is slow, clunky, and sub-optimal given that you can splash a second color without reducing your number of blue sources.
Replace three psychic barrier with O-Ring, and replace three ratchet bomb with Day of Judgment. Cut the last ratchet bomb for a land.
Your non-basics become dual lands. Maybe drop one of your counters for another.
The other thing you should think about is the inherent card advantage of Flashback. If you find yourself bouncing lots of creatures with Disperse, give one of the new sorcery speed cards a try. They are slow, but being able to stall out your opponent twice with on card is awesome.
On a similar note, forbidden alchemy offers some advantages over Azure Mage 'cause it digs.
First i would like to say, Forbidden Alchemy digs, sure, but with your proposed changes is less then optimal. The flashback cost is black, you propose white. And clearly, if i was to splash a color it would be black, it has faster and better removal, which is the only appeal to going to another color. Also, Alchemy may dig, but mage is a constant source of cards, so there is no real advantage on either side UNLESS you play black.
I actually hate Inkmoth, i dont want to play him, but realistically does anyone really think that not playing him is right? So, he is infect and not damage, doesnt matter he is a blocker against aggro and a aggressive body against control. On top of that, there is 8 2/1 creatures in this deck, that is not exactly alot of muscle so haveing a source of attack in your land is valuable. Inkmoth stays.
8 non basics is also fine, especially since we need a way of dealing with opposing nexi and utility lands. We have no other way. For those saying that eight is too much, read this, YOU CAN QUARTER YOUR OWN LAND TO GET A BASIC, SO ANY DRAW WITH A QUARTER AND ANY OTHER LAND IS A POTENTIAL KEEPER.
Now for my major complaint, the title specifies MONO BLUE CONTROL and while some may have the opinion that adding another color will make the deck better they should keep those particular opinions to themselves or in the thread appropriate to those colors/strategy. I already play UW, UB, UR, even UG and if i wanted to talk about those combonations i would post in a thread dedicated to those combonations.
This is mono blue and the discussion of inclusion of cards in this deck is limited to blue cards and artifacts, plus appropriate land. Everything else is irrelevant to the discussion here.
And as far as there being no reason to stay mono blue.......there is no reason not to.
Strap a sword of war and peace/sword of feast and famine to the lantern spirit and you have a better win-con. Personally it could be just as powerful as squadron hawk except the less dying part.
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Strap a sword of war and peace/sword of feast and famine to the lantern spirit and you have a better win-con. Personally it could be just as powerful as squadron hawk except the less dying part.
I agree, which is why sword of feast and famine are in the deck, sword of war and peace and/or sword of body and mind wil appear on the board in some capacity.
whats the point of being mono-blue? there's nothing to be gained from it. nothing.
There is nothing to lose. What do i gain? I gain personal gratification because nearly all players simply cant fathom how a deck focused on counters actually wins. I want to play mono blue and since they have implemented planeswalker points i litterally have nothing to lose so why should i play something i do not enjoy playing. Its not like i plan on going to anything major anytime soon, i live in orlando and nothing major ever happens here.
Simple fact is, i know how to play muc, i have been doing it for more then a decade, 13 years i think, and whats more i enjoy the strategy. It is a simple concept to understand yet difficult to master. This is also the reason many cant or worse, dont play it. Players are lazy, they want instant gratification and think a deck should be a winning deck when they pick it up. That is my gain from muc, winning games because i put forth the time and effort, and looking at my opponent as they are dazed by a defeat they cannot fathom simply because they dont want to put forth effort.
Okay, so i ranted. There is no special gain for staying mono blue, however, there is no significant loss either. Anything any color can provide blue it can accomplish in some capacity with artifacts. Adding another color seems pointless when there is no need at all
what do you mean you have nothing to lose? you lose massive amounts of card quality and options. your deck is just outright worse then a two color control deck. from what you've said it sounds like you enjoy gimping yourself because you think it proves something. i can't relate to that.
I am considering all the above suggestions, however I would like to point out that this deck and any similar cannot keep up with tempered steel on a one for one basis and therefor must run a sweep effect, hence ratchet bomb. Ratchet bomb is also this deck's only removal, so four is the right number. For mono blue, the right number has always been four, dating all the way back to Powder Keg
I play Tempered Steel, and trust me, Ratchet Bomb is not as good as it sounds against it. It's okay and can sometimes net you a 2-for-1 but even then the CMCs are quite varied between their guys. If you hit their Memnite then Vault Skirge and Signal Pest still get you. If you hit Vault Skirge (doubtful you'd have the time to ratchet up two counters but lets say you do) then they've still got their 0 and 1 drops plus possibly 3 drops like Spined Thopter or Porcelain Legionnaire. It's also pretty unlikely you could hit the 3 counters required to get rid of Tempered Steel before they've overrun you.
Inkmoth nexus isn't good. Win with infect or win with damage. Other posters have said this, it seems like it is your pet card or something. Cut it, the deck will get better as it becomes more focused.
I disagree for the fact that Inkmoth Nexus can act as an out for resolved planeswalkers or a chump blocker if you need it. It also can carry a Sword if it comes to that. You don't have to be planning to poison people out for it to be good though.
Lantern Spirit is the only real creature in the deck, and at three CMC it is relatively easy to cast and counter in the same turn. Also, since he can protect himself by bouncing himself, you shouldn't be using precious counters to protect him from removal. Sadly, this guy is only a 2/1 and may not always be able to finish the opponent off. This is where other methods of victory come into play. Infect is one of these. Inkmoth Nexus is the only man-land left in standard and provides a respectable alternative win condition. This deck supports this with a few select proliferate cards that also help the deck during the game, Fuel for the Cause and Steady Progress. These cards not only support the infect strategy but also have the added bonus of boosting counters on Ratchet Bomb to get to the critical charge counter count faster, not to mention the do what blue likes to do anyways, counter spells and draw cards. The last method of victory this deck can use is mill, well more like library exhaustion. This is a minor win condition and should only be considered if no other path (damage or poison) is feasibly possible. It has two methods to do this, Memory's Journey and Blue Sun's Zenith. The zenith seems obvious but if you don't know you target your opponent to make them draw their entire deck in one shot. This most likely wouldn't be strategic unless it wins the game on the spot. The next is Journey, the basic concept here is to use the first and shuffle three cards from your graveyard, likely counters but whatever seems the most useful in the match, then every subsequent use would target the prior Journey plus any two other cards you wish. This also ties into the infect strategy by giving the opportunity to reuse your proliferate cards. Using Memory's Journey could actually enable the decks pilot to "counter everything" which is something a counter wants to do but rarely can.
The counter suite is geared mostly towards stopping creatures. Mana Leak and Psychic Barrier are the perfect choices for this. They are backed by the fresh new reprint Dissipate, a card I have missed almost as much as Counterspell itself. Dissipate is an upgrade to any three drop counter that has seen play since it was originally printed, and considering the possible metagame you will want four of these in any blue deck. Negate fills a gap in the defense, that gap being Swords. Whether on the play or draw you do not want any sword having the chance to touch you. Negate partners with Mana Leak to keep these meanies at bay.
The draw suite is 100% instant speed, and let me tell you, it feels good to have that ability after so long without it. Think Twice is the first draw spell, and can produce actual card advantage upon flashback. Steady Progress is next up, producing no real card advantage is hard to accept at 3 CMC and may seem better as Forbidden Alchemy, however we really want the option to poison our opponent once with Inkmoths and sit back as they slowly die due to our proliferation. Blue Sun's Zenith is a card that has endured much ridicule, being overshadowed by Jace's Ingenuity. This is no more. Originally, when there was Stroke of Genius, blue mages would cast it without question, Zenith is a strict upgrade since it has the ability to shuffle back into the library to be used again with no additional effort on your part. Nevermind that it can also function as an instant speed win condition.
Our support cards are Ratchet Bomb, since blue has no real removal, and Disperse, since things just get through sometimes. Not much else to say on these cards, they are really self explanatory.
The sideboard is under development and as such will not be posted until there is a clearer view of how the metagame is shaping up.
Now, for the list. It is a 61 card deck, but that is simply because I was not comfortable playing less then 25 land and couldn't decide what card should be cut. Over time the list will be trimmed.
4 Mana Leak
3 Psychic Barrier
2 Negate
4 Dissipate
2 Fuel for the Cause
2 Blue Sun's Zenith
3 Steady Progress
4 Ratchet Bomb
3 Disperse
3 Inkmoth Nexus
3 Ghost Quarter
19 Island
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Dull roots with spring rain.
-TS Eliot, The Waste Land
special thanks to sentimentgx4 for the sig
Pourquoi?
Jace Beleren seems foolish considering it will not be legal.
I can see where that would be a concern, however, the deck is designed to do both poison and damage. It has the ability to deal a poison damage then sit back and grind out the game, proliferating along the way and adding inevitability. Lantern Spirit will usually join the party around turns 5-6 and allow the game to move towards dealing damage if needed. Past that the deck can outlast any other deck not prepared for and "infinite" game using Journey. It may seem unfocused at first but since this deck doesn't want to tap out then the idea of dealing a poison damage once then proliferating for the win seems a fine avenue to take.
Basically, you can win faster with damage, but life gain and various creatures and get in the way. Poison cannot be removed and proliferate is not easy to prevent, so that would be considered a secondary route to victory. If all else fails you can grind the game out forever if need be and due to Journey you will win over time, Blue Sun's Zenith can accelerate this if needed.
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
Fuel should be something else. I don't know what but there has to be a better counter.
spirit is a fine card to use here. Good against thrun. He is the anti your deck. So a creature that can block him forever is nice. And it makes all creature removal dead. I'm thinking of using him myself.
Could use more snapmage though. Flash is amazing. Him plus the fact that a full ¼ of your deck is counters means you will always have a target.
1 Lantern Spirit
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Consecrated Sphinx
4 Azure Mage
Other Spells 6
2 Blue Sun's Zenith
4 Ratchet Bomb
Counters 20
4 Mana Leak
4 Psychic Barrier
4 Cancel
4 Dissipate
4 Stoic Rebuttal
2 Buried Ruin
4 Inkmoth Nexus
20 Island
4 Mental Misstep
4 Flashfreeze
4 Phantasmal Image
3 Volition Reins
Just trying to keep it a simple 'Draw, go' deck. Ratchet bomb and inkmoth nexus to trade with fast weenies, go 1 for 1 with counters until I land Azure Mage and steadily build my card advantage. I haven't tested azure mage in a draw go style, but she looks good on paper so we'll see.
Wincons of the deck are the three 6 drops, which are all sorts of CA themselves, and Lantern Spirit.
Wurmcoil Engine- just hard for aggro decks to deal with the lifegain, especially one protected with a wall of counters.
Consecrated Sphinx- If azure mage doesn't work out I'll probably bump this guy up 1 or 2. Not much to say that's not already known about him. Let him stay on the field and he'll drown you in CA.
Lantern Spirit- Perfect for draw, go, as already said he protects himself and has evasion.
Sideboard is just a few sample cards I'm thinking about. Will develop it more when meta is more defined.
Mental Misstep- for the fast aggro
Flashfreeze- another conditional counter
Phantasmal Image- For the card I feel is the most annoying to play against with this archetype, and is a cheap answer to.. Thrun, the last troll
Volition Reigns- I'm sure someone will play something I want to steal.
If I was to do it, I'd probably do it something like this.
4 Ghost Quarter
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Frost Titan
1 Consecrated Sphinx
4 Mana Leak
4 Tezzeret's Gambit
4 Think Twice
3 Mental Misstep
3 Blue Sun's Zenith
3 Ratchet Bomb
3 Lost in the Mist
3 Stoic Rebuttal
3 Tumble Magnet
Tezz Gambit >>> Steady Progress. Clearly. That's a nobrainer, even though steady progress is an instant. It ONLY replaces itself for a marginal effect, for 4 mana. No bueno.
Tumble Magnet is good. Lost in the Mist combos nicely with it (along with the proliferate effects). It gives you a few turns to set up your ratchet bomb.
Maybe SoFaF wouldn't be terrible either. But, Mental Misstep is absolutely a necessity MB. One drops will wreck you. Stromkirk Noble will eat your face. On the draw, you absolutely have to. On the play, you can probably drop a few.
The thing with azure mage is... ratchet bomb. Bad.
Lost in the Mist- I'm sorry but this is no cryptic command, 5 mana is way too much for a counter. If its working for you then cool, more power to you.
Mental Misstep- This is just one of those cards people will have to make their own metacall on. You really have to weigh the probability of running into those decks where a turn 1 counter is needed against how many decks it would be a dead draw. So probably best left in sideboard unless that is just something you heavily expect to be paired against.
I realize ratchet bomb and azure mage may seem to conflict, but it's just one of those things that only testing will truly determine if their usefulness will outweigh their occasional conflictions.
Not to be rude, but Steady Progress and Fuel for the Cause are terrible cards and even dedicated Infect decks probably should not be running them. This deck has only two things you can proliferate anyways. Memory's Journey may also look appealing, but it's card disadvantage! There is no guarantee you ever see the cards you shuffle back in. Ratchet Bomb is okay but I definitely would not want 4 maindeck. Maybe 2 maindeck, 2 sideboard would be reasonable.
You want additional win conditions such as Consecrated Sphinx, or Wurmcoil Enginer as well.
I am considering all the above suggestions, however I would like to point out that this deck and any similar cannot keep up with tempered steel on a one for one basis and therefor must run a sweep effect, hence ratchet bomb. Ratchet bomb is also this deck's only removal, so four is the right number. For mono blue, the right number has always been four, dating all the way back to Powder Keg
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
Blighted Agent is on my list of things to try but past experience has shown him weak without a supporting cast. Corrupted Resolve is an interesting counter but it's just too situational for a control deck. Better in some form of Infect fish style deck.
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
Mind unbound
Culling Dais
Shrine of Boundless Growth + Blue Sun Zenith
and Poliferate.
I am working on it....
Currently too weak to everything...
Agro creature decks crush me too fast.... I have tumble magnets but it only stops one... I block with 1/1's then scarfice them to the dais for later draws when Psychosis crawler it out.... merfolk looter really helps though
Control decks O-ring everything I need... black and red can deal with psychosis easy.
It needs a finnisher
Pioneer:UR Pheonix
Modern:U Mono U Tron
EDH
GB Glissa, the traitor: Army of Cans
UW Dragonlord Ojutai: Dragonlord NOjutai
UWGDerevi, Empyrial Tactician "you cannot fight the storm"
R Zirilan of the claw. The solution to every problem is dragons
UB Etrata, the Silencer Cloning assassination
Peasant cube: Cards I own
4 Lantern Spirit
3 Midnight Haunting
1 Consecrated Sphinx
2 Sword of Feast and Famine
Card Drawing (11):
4 Ponder
3 Think Twice
3 Forbidden Alchemy
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
4 Mana Leak
3 Dissipate
2 Cancel (or Psychic Barrier if you prefer)
2 Negate
Answers: (4)
2 Day of Judgment
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Inkmoth Nexus (Plan B)
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
2 Darkslick Shores (Forbidden Flashback)
8 Island
2 Plains
4 Azure Mage
4 Mana Leak
4 Psychic Barrier
2 Negate
4 Dissipate
4 Disperse
4 Ratchet Bomb
2 Sword of Feast and Famine
4 Ghost Quarter
16 Island
Now to start, Azure Mage + Ratchet Bomb is fine, you only need one Mage at a time. And those times when you would run him out early is usually against control where Ratchet Bomb is less then superb anyways. I really didn't want to put swords in here, however it REALLY wants to be here. Weak creatures wont win a long game therefor we either need to increase the power level of the creatures or find bigger guys. I have also tried Consecrated Sphinx and Wurmcoil Engine here but the sword seemed to help more since it gives pro black and green (removal and Thrun) and, with Mage, creates huge CA. I also realize that 24 land may be low and that 8 colorless sources may be high, however the Ghost Quarters can easily sac to kill another of my quarters to get an island, not to mention this deck would have no way to kill inkmoth otherwise. I may go back to 61 cards main if it seems that 24 lands do not cut it, however testing thusfar 24 has ben fine.
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
I think Lantern Spirit is a powerhouse in exactly the archetype you are proposing. I think playing a tight control strategy is exactly the way to work with what is an exceedingly resilient and moderately evasive creature.
Inkmoth nexus isn't good. Win with infect or win with damage. Other posters have said this, it seems like it is your pet card or something. Cut it, the deck will get better as it becomes more focused.
Add a second color. We have a lot of mana fixers available right now and there is n reason to be in mono-blue. It doesn't facilitate casting counterspells because you can run up to eight duals and you are currently running eight colorless sources. The best option is probably white for DoJ. You can score ridiculous card advantage with a well-timed wrath, it gives you excellent sideboard choices, and it can answer artifacts and enchantments that are on the table. You are currently running ratchet bomb to do these jobs for you. It is slow, clunky, and sub-optimal given that you can splash a second color without reducing your number of blue sources.
Replace three psychic barrier with O-Ring, and replace three ratchet bomb with Day of Judgment. Cut the last ratchet bomb for a land.
Your non-basics become dual lands. Maybe drop one of your counters for another.
The other thing you should think about is the inherent card advantage of Flashback. If you find yourself bouncing lots of creatures with Disperse, give one of the new sorcery speed cards a try. They are slow, but being able to stall out your opponent twice with on card is awesome.
On a similar note, forbidden alchemy offers some advantages over Azure Mage 'cause it digs.
First i would like to say, Forbidden Alchemy digs, sure, but with your proposed changes is less then optimal. The flashback cost is black, you propose white. And clearly, if i was to splash a color it would be black, it has faster and better removal, which is the only appeal to going to another color. Also, Alchemy may dig, but mage is a constant source of cards, so there is no real advantage on either side UNLESS you play black.
I actually hate Inkmoth, i dont want to play him, but realistically does anyone really think that not playing him is right? So, he is infect and not damage, doesnt matter he is a blocker against aggro and a aggressive body against control. On top of that, there is 8 2/1 creatures in this deck, that is not exactly alot of muscle so haveing a source of attack in your land is valuable. Inkmoth stays.
8 non basics is also fine, especially since we need a way of dealing with opposing nexi and utility lands. We have no other way. For those saying that eight is too much, read this, YOU CAN QUARTER YOUR OWN LAND TO GET A BASIC, SO ANY DRAW WITH A QUARTER AND ANY OTHER LAND IS A POTENTIAL KEEPER.
Now for my major complaint, the title specifies MONO BLUE CONTROL and while some may have the opinion that adding another color will make the deck better they should keep those particular opinions to themselves or in the thread appropriate to those colors/strategy. I already play UW, UB, UR, even UG and if i wanted to talk about those combonations i would post in a thread dedicated to those combonations.
This is mono blue and the discussion of inclusion of cards in this deck is limited to blue cards and artifacts, plus appropriate land. Everything else is irrelevant to the discussion here.
And as far as there being no reason to stay mono blue.......there is no reason not to.
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
UThada Adel AcquisitorU
GB Savara, Queen of the Golgori BG
GR Ulasht, the Hate Seed RG
I agree, which is why sword of feast and famine are in the deck, sword of war and peace and/or sword of body and mind wil appear on the board in some capacity.
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
There is nothing to lose. What do i gain? I gain personal gratification because nearly all players simply cant fathom how a deck focused on counters actually wins. I want to play mono blue and since they have implemented planeswalker points i litterally have nothing to lose so why should i play something i do not enjoy playing. Its not like i plan on going to anything major anytime soon, i live in orlando and nothing major ever happens here.
Simple fact is, i know how to play muc, i have been doing it for more then a decade, 13 years i think, and whats more i enjoy the strategy. It is a simple concept to understand yet difficult to master. This is also the reason many cant or worse, dont play it. Players are lazy, they want instant gratification and think a deck should be a winning deck when they pick it up. That is my gain from muc, winning games because i put forth the time and effort, and looking at my opponent as they are dazed by a defeat they cannot fathom simply because they dont want to put forth effort.
Okay, so i ranted. There is no special gain for staying mono blue, however, there is no significant loss either. Anything any color can provide blue it can accomplish in some capacity with artifacts. Adding another color seems pointless when there is no need at all
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Cremate
4 Think Twice
3 Forbbiden Alchemy
3 Syncopate
3 Psychic Strike
2 Negate
3 Dimir Charm
3 Tragic Slip
3 Tribute to Hunger
3 Mutilate
2 Vanishment
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Watery Grave
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
8 Swamp
I play Tempered Steel, and trust me, Ratchet Bomb is not as good as it sounds against it. It's okay and can sometimes net you a 2-for-1 but even then the CMCs are quite varied between their guys. If you hit their Memnite then Vault Skirge and Signal Pest still get you. If you hit Vault Skirge (doubtful you'd have the time to ratchet up two counters but lets say you do) then they've still got their 0 and 1 drops plus possibly 3 drops like Spined Thopter or Porcelain Legionnaire. It's also pretty unlikely you could hit the 3 counters required to get rid of Tempered Steel before they've overrun you.
I disagree for the fact that Inkmoth Nexus can act as an out for resolved planeswalkers or a chump blocker if you need it. It also can carry a Sword if it comes to that. You don't have to be planning to poison people out for it to be good though.