Magic: The Gathering,GO TEAM MS!

[Nuwen]

Sever the Bloodline should have a place in your deck/SB. Because you're not playing Sphinx's Rev, repeatable card slots and cantrips are worth gold. Forbidden Alchemy is another valuable flashback card that lets you diiiig through your deck for wincons.

You should play more mainboard countermagic and respect other control decks. Underworld connections is pretty necessary in the control mirror.

[InflatablePie]

Dunno about running Connections with no lifegain. Jund runs it because Thragtusk, Esper because Sphinx etc.

Also, the Worlds deck was also in a smaller tournament than, say, a local PTQ so keep that in mind.

[bv310]

Here's the UB mill control list I'm trying to run:

KINDA SORTA INCIDENTAL MILL CONTROL

(Creatures - 5)
2x Aetherling
3x Augur of Bolas

(Instants - 23)
1x Crypt Incursion
1x Cyclonic Rift
1x Devour Flesh
2x Doom Blade
2x Essence Scatter
3x Far // Away
3x Opportunity
2x Psychic Strike
2x Syncopate
4x Think Twice
2x Warped Physique

(Sorcery - 4)
2x Barter in Blood
2x Mutilate

(Planeswalker - 2)
1x Jace, Memory Adept
1x Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

(Land - 26)
4x Watery Grave
4x Drowned Catacomb
3x Nephalia Drownyard
7x Island
8x Swamp

I've been testing this all night and haven't lost yet. It's pretty solid overall -- the mill is incidental and winds up being a wincon in those long midrange/late games. For the sideboard, I'm thinking...

SIDEBOARD

2x Pithing Needle
2x Notion Thief
1x Curse of Death's Hold
1x Crypt Incursion
1x Dispel
2x Negate
1x Jace, Memory Adept
2x Appetite for Brains
2x Duress

My thought process on the sideboard goes like this:
Pithing Needle shuts down obnoxious Planeswalkers + cards that Aristocrats needs to functions
Notion Thief just surprise shits on anything that runs Sphinx's Revelation
Curse of Death's Hold can be a perma-wipe against some aggro decks + Aristocrats
Crypt Incursion comes in when I'm facing any deck that I'll be dumping creatures into a graveyard... or they'll do it themselves like with Aristocrats... or it's good to have vs Reanimator
Dispel is a good one of for control matchups
Negate obv comes in against decks that run any scary noncreature spells -- everything from Jund to Bant Pants to Control
The extra Jace comes in against control matchups for the 0 effect (and in some rare cases free card draw while leaving counterspell/Drownyard mana up)
Appetite for Brains comes in against Jund's fatties
Duress comes in against control or even sometimes Jund (planeswalkers + all the removal)[/area]

This deck seems to do well in testing. I end up having exactly what I want in my hand, and the Drownyards always leave me with options. I think Junk can blow up this deck post-board with the Slimes/Sin Collector/Resto post-board but it's not something I'm seriously worried about... and I have been incredibly impressed with Opportunity here. I'm willing to give up the lifegain from Sphinx's in exchange for a much more consistent mana base plus the access to all the black removal.

2x AEtherling tends to make me see it not too often but always when I want it. The three Augurs have a whopping 27 spells they can grab. I'm wondering if Syncopate is worth running since Psychic Strike just straight up counters things without the unreliable X cost AND gives me more mill. Far // Away is obv a huge card that I can't wait to play because it's a five mana blowout (and even a 2-3 mana blowout in the right situations). I have yet to miracle the 1-of Cyclonic Rift, but I'd imagine there are probably situations where it's awesome. It sucks not having access to Supreme Verdict or Terminus or Planar Cleansing by foregoing white but I honestly think it more than makes up for that fact in the black removal it can run PLUS the fact that the mana base is way more consistent PLUS the fact that it can run jace/Tamiyo without being greedy

Also wondering about Mutilate vs Barter in Blood... like, running 2 & 2 has been fine so far but I can't actually see any advantage that one has over the other considering they're the same CMC, both sorcery speed, and both are going for the same effect. I suppose the only real difference is that sometimes in rare cases you don't have the swamps to make Mutilate effective (there are 12 swamps out of 26 lands) but then in some rare cases Barter in Blood doesn't make them sacrifice what you want it to

Something to look at, this list went 3-1 recently: http://www.mtgo-stats.com/decks/69758

[Thestatusquo]

I think devoting a sb slot in your deck to sphinx's is pretty poor considering it is very very narrow and you already have syncopate in the main which answers sphinx's pretty well and negate in the board which does the same. You just have to play in such a way where you know which cards are important to counter. There's no need to water down your deck with crap like notion thief which has no utility anywhere else.

[xRECKONERx]

Cyclonic rift can definitely be a miracle against a jund with a bunch of horesshit out (lets say: Pithing needle on your jace, garruk, a bunch of beasts from garruk, rakdos keyruke, etc.) and help pull you back in the game.

I also think you should fit in 1x mind grind here or am I just going that deep >______>

Too deep bro

Take out a Crypt Incursion, Opportunity, Aetherling, and both Psychic Strikes for 1 Syncopate 2 Dissipate 2 Snap. Maybe drop both Mutilate for another Memory Adept and Snap. Ratchet Bomb also good, maybe go down a Scatter and something else or board it.

Overload Rift also takes 7 btw. Not that I don't like the card.

Crypt Incursion is INSANE. I didn't realize it but those fast aggro decks that are throwing creature after creature at you and slowly chipping away at your life while you counter and remove their threats just get devastated when you exile their 6 creatures and go back to 20 life out of nowhere.

Why would I remove Psychic Strike? It's a 3 mana on color counterspell for anything that also fits the mill plan

Opportunity as a 3-of might be a bit much but I have yet to draw too many of them because getting to 6 mana with this deck is easy as fuck

I'm not getting Snapcasters this late in the game especially when I just traded them off, plus I don't think they have as much synergy here as they do in decks that love running Azorius Charm and Verdict. I'm not going for a bunch of cheap spells that are easily snappable plus I'd much rather mill them with drownyard if I have the extra mana.

Sever the Bloodline should have a place in your deck/SB. Because you're not playing Sphinx's Rev, repeatable card slots and cantrips are worth gold. Forbidden Alchemy is another valuable flashback card that lets you diiiig through your deck for wincons.

You should play more mainboard countermagic and respect other control decks. Underworld connections is pretty necessary in the control mirror.

With all the card draw I'm running, Forbidden Alchemy seems like a bit overkill. Also yeah Underworld Connections would just kill me most times I think. I've played the control mirror several times last night and while it came down to a mill race or "who can successfully stick Aetherling first" a lot of times, I think because this deck already sticks to the mill plan heavier than most decks, it wins out in that respect.

I think devoting a sb slot in your deck to sphinx's is pretty poor considering it is very very narrow and you already have syncopate in the main which answers sphinx's pretty well and negate in the board which does the same. You just have to play in such a way where you know which cards are important to counter. There's no need to water down your deck with crap like notion thief which has no utility anywhere else.

I agree that it seems weird to sideboard for one specific card, I just really like Notion Thief.

He's also really good in the control matchup in general because he shuts down card advantage. Even flashing him in during an end step where they try to Think Twice is good value -- stop their draw, draw a card, have a 3/1 on the field that you can most likely protect with removal/countermagic.

[xRECKONERx]

Also keep in mind that the idea behind this deck is putting together a viable control list in Standard while not breaking the bank.

I have everything already except for:
4x Drowned Catacomb ($2.30 each)
?x Nephalia Drownyard ($0.94 each)
2x Mutilate ($2 each)
1x Tamiyo, the Moon Sage ($9.99)
2x Jace, Memory Adept (7.59 each)
2x Notion Thief ($0.99 each)
1x Curse of Death's Hold ($0.49)

That's about $40 for all the cards I need (only $30 if I take out Tamiyo)

[InflatablePie]

Dissipate is better atm because of exiling. Syncopate is great too. Slightly better than Psychic Strike; exiling is stronger than 2/3rds of a Drownyard. Still like only one Aetherling though; if you're doing the mill plan, go with that, one is fine as an alternate wincon and it blocks well if you'd rather Jace-mill.

the fuck did you trade off the snaps for shit, I would have loved those

I guess I just don't like even one Incursion because this deck does seem a little weak to UWR or UW Flash and it's fairly useless against them. Sideboard is fine of course.

How does this deck do against Jund?

[xRECKONERx]

3 shocks for 1 snap np

Incursion exiles creatures that you mill/counter meaning you gain life out of it, I can see it being a little weak against creature light decks which is why it's one of the first things to come out in those situations (while Negate/Dispel/Appetite/Duress go in)... but for G1, with Jund and RG aggro being so prevalent (and I got dickstomped by Naya in the finals last night), running Crypt Incursion seems like a safe bet.

I haven't playtested Jund much, just once last night. I had a few problems with the deck (specifically Abrupt Decay/Dreadbore being uncounterable and with Rakdos's Return fucking over my hand if I don't have a counterspell up) but nothing else seemed too bad aside from the fact that Doom Blade doesn't kill Olivia/zombies/whatever other black FOTM Jund is running. Jund is probably the biggest sideboard changeup. Pithing Needle/Duress/Appetite/Negate probs come in against Jund and that will usually shut them down

[InflatablePie]

Yeah, always keep a counter up for RR.

My meta's heavy control and Jund (basically FotM-ville, huge rise in Jund post-m14) so I'm biased, if it's heavy aggro up there then I guess one CI is fine.

[xRECKONERx]

haven't seen much control at all up here. I'd imagine if your store is Jund heavy then you could always run a couple duress or appetites maindeck (probably duress since it also hits control)

[Thestatusquo]

I've got a jace I could trade you.

[xRECKONERx]

Want anything in particular?

[xRECKONERx]

He's at $6.40 median price on TCGPlayer

[Thestatusquo]

You quoted a price a dollar higher not an hour ago. XD

The main card I'm looking for is mutavault, or threads of disloyalty. I'd just trade straight up for equal value. Whats some stuff you're looking to get rid of?

[xRECKONERx]

I took the local in store price not the tcg price

Uhhh I have a whole box of trade crap let me get Fate to look in it and see what's in there

[Thestatusquo]

Got a mutavault? I really need one. I'll trade jace and something else for it?

[Debonair Danny DiPietro]

If you guys can't come to terms I've got 2 Jaces,, 2 Drowned Catacombs, and 4 Drownyards that I'm willing to move.

[xRECKONERx]

Well that just seems perfect. Looking for anything particular?

[Debonair Danny DiPietro]

Basically I'm looking for many of the pieces and parts to the UWR midrange/control decks that are near top of the modern pile right now.

[xRECKONERx]

I've got a couple verdicts and a Glacial Forttess

[Debonair Danny DiPietro]

I've got a couple verdicts and a Glacial Forttess

Eh, I prefer the more creature based version of the build, so add Geist of St. Traft, Thundermaw, and Reckoners (sic) as things beyond that list.

[xRECKONERx]

I have three Reckoners I might be willing to get rid of just because I don't even use them in my RDW anymore.

[xRECKONERx]

Also: playtested a lot against Fate/Nuwen tonight. I think the list is pretty solid -- I ran into a few matches where I was just drawing into lands and couldn't do anything, but most of the matches I was pretty solid.

Crypt Incursion is godlike.

[Thestatusquo]

I ran it in the board of the mazes end deck I took to game day for Dragons Maze. It always did what I wanted it to do.

[xRECKONERx]

That's how I feel. Even if I'm just paying 3 mana to exile 3-4 creatures and gain 9-12 life it's great value.