SPELLS=Abrade- The main argument here was about Abrade vs. Harnessed Lightning. I decided to split the playset of 3-damage-burn 50/50 for two reasons: first of all, Abrade and Lightning do the same amount of damage without any outside interference, but Abrade has the all-important Artifact hate. Second of all, Solemnity runs in the sideboard, so it will immediately shut down Lightning. Sideboarding 101: When Solemnity comes in, take Lightning out.
=Blessed Alliance- I've witnessed this card do a world of hurt in Modern, so I decided to port it over into standard. I initially decided on Immolating Glare, but Blessed Alliance gives me more room to work with. If my opponent isn't playing a creature-heavy deck, I can use it to stay alive a little longer, or untap my Gearhulks to fight something coming my way; but the primary way I'll use it to get rid of any large attacking creatures.
=Cast Out- I think it's pretty self-explanatory why I'm running these in this deck. 4 mana to get rid of anything (at instant speed, mind you) that cycles away? Sure, why not?
=Censor- Possibly the breakout control card from Amonkhet, Censor counters anything for two mana in the earlygame. When your opponent taps out to play their opener, you can get rid of the threat before it even hits the battlefield. And, in the late-game, it can dig one card deep for an answer when you don't need it.
=Commit / Memory- This card has saved me from decking quite a few times. The Commit side of the card acts as a more annoying counterspell. But, when it hits the graveyard, and you're about to deck, or have just run out of cards in hand, you can Memory right back into the game with a hand full of answers.
=Disallow- This card served its primary purpose to shut down an Aetherworks Marvel activation, but with a Marvel-ous B&R announcement from Wotsie, Disallow can save you from a Planeswalker ult, a vehicle crew, or, in a last resort, a spell resolving.
=Essence Scatter- A great spell for getting rid of creatures. Works on everything from Glint-Nest Crane to Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger.
=Glimmer of Genius- Ever since Kaladesh, Glimmer has been the go-to draw and dig spell for blue. If you ever need answers off the top, Glimmer gives you 4 chances to find something, and fuels Harnessed Lightning and Aether Hub as well.
=Harnessed Lightning- Like I mentioned above, Abrade vs. Harnessed Lightning was a the biggst debate that I had while brewing this deck. I kept two copies of Lightning because, in other instances, it can deal more than 3 damage. Given enough Glimmers and Aether Hubs, you can take down a Gearhulk or any other large creatures. Lightning offers options, whereas Abrade doesn't.
=
Hour of Devastation
- I added this in place of Sweltering Suns, because 5 damage to EVERYTHING is a nasty, nasty hit. Plus, everything loses indestructible (@Gideon, @Crested Sunmare).
=Magma Spray- Because Zombies are still a thing, Magma Spray gets rid of a majority of them for good. Plus, any older threats such as Scrapheap Scrounger will be removed as well. As an added bonus, anything killed this way won't come back in during a Memory.
=Negate- Two mana to get rid of a Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, or
Hour of Devastation
is pretty good. Where Essence Scatter can't do its job, Negate says "hold my beer".
=Pull from Tomorrow- This card can dig REALLY deep during your opponent's end step to replenish your hand, or can dig 2 or 3 deep for an answer. This card can also get really dangerous when combined with The Locust God.
CREATURES
=Torrential Gearhulk- A blue staple in Standard. Six mana for a 5/6 is well above curve already, but a better Snapcaster Mage effect is just flat out broken. This is also the primary wincon for the deck. Punching your opponents with Gearhulks seems really painful - for them, that is.
=The Locust God- I had some doubts whenever I saw this card for the first time. Then, when I got destroyed by it in a Prerelease and saw how it interacted with so many other cards, I was pretty impressed. 6 mana for a 4/4 flyer isn't bad, but the way it works with Glimmer of Genius and Pull from Tomorrow is pretty dumb. Plus, if it dies, it goes right back into your hand at the end step. I'm really looking forward to having fun with this SOAB.
Lands
The Land base is pretty self-explanatory. I need the basics for generic mana production. The fastlands fix colors early on, and the cycling lands can eliminate themselves if I have too many lands in hand. Also, Wandering Fumarole can serve as a good blocker or attacker in the event of a control mirror match.
SIDEBOARD
Crook of Condemnation- Really? They reprinted Relic of Progenitus? In a zombie-meta STANDARD? Heck yeah! Graveyard hate all the way!
Dispel- In the event of a control ditto, 1 mana to prevent your opponent from meddling in your schemes is really nice to have.
Dragonmaster Outcast- Outcast is a good card to have during a control matchup. Sneak this guy in on turn six or seven, and you'll have a field full of flyers in no time.
Essence Scatter- For aggro matchups, another Scatter is a good way to deal with your opponent's creatures before they even get started.
Fevered Visions- Another control ditto answer. This card draws both you and your opponent cards, but punishes your opponent for having resources. Combined with The Locust God, this is a dangerously good card.
Fumigate- For creature-heavy matchups, kill everything in one fell swoop and gain some life out of it. For added evilness, activate Crook of Condemnation to get rid of everything you just killed for good.
Horribly Awry- More creature hate. Gets rid of pretty much all of the zombies for good.
Solemnity- Did someone just say standard shutdown? This card obliterates pretty much any good deck in standard. B/G counters, Jund Energy, you name it: it's done. God, I love this card.
Sweltering Suns- For more creature-heavy matchups, you can get rid of their board state for 3 mana. And in case there was a sideboarding fake-out, it can cycle away for 3 mana.
Thing in the Ice
- I love TITI's. They work pretty much anywhere. For control matchups, sneak this guy in on turn two when you're on the play to avoid an Essence Scatter and go to town. For creature-heavy matchups, this guy can take a hit from pretty much anything, including Sweltering Suns. Man, I love this card.
