An attempt to revive the famous "Deep Blue" deck for the latest standard format. Work-in-progress.
For reference, here is the old deck, which achieved the #2 top deck spot in 2014: Deep Blue
DESCRIPTION: Mono-blue competitive control deck on a $60 maximum budget! Designed for players who love control but don't have the collection or money to dish out for a top tier control deck.
CARD CHOICES:
AEtherspouts
: Aggro is extremely popular right now, and is arguably the strongest archetype in some of the top competitive venues. This card deals with aggro effectively and buys you the time you need to get into lategame.
Anticipate: Allows control over the top of your library to make sure you get the right cards at the right time.
Clever Impersonator: The term "nonland permanent" is extremely important on this card, because it gives us the flexibility to deal with both creature-heavy decks and planeswalker-heavy control decks. Can't afford to drop big dough for that Ugin, the Spirit Dragon? Copy your opponent's and nuke their Ugin right off the bat. Problem solved.
Crippling Chill
: Utility to slow down rush decks, and replaces itself. Not a mandatory card however, and can be replaced if necessary.
Dig Through Time: Absolutely wonderful card, and put into this deck for that reason despite its price tag. It allows you to make new use of all the instants lying dead in your graveyard to dig deep into your library and pull out your lategame ancients.
Dissolve: Conditionless counterspell with added scry.
Dragonlord's Prerogative
: We need at least one big-draw card in the spirit of Sphinx's Revelation, to establish late game dominance.
Icefall Regent
: A 5-drop that is difficult to spot-remove and has an immediate influence on the board. Also a dragon, which synergizes with
Dragonlord's Prerogative
on Turn 6, and a flyer, with 4 attack.
Dragon's Eye Savants
: A 2-mana early board presence which has the flexibilty of its morph to give you a view of your opponent's hand, useful in planning out your next steps. Perfect synergy with Profaner of the Dead.
Pearl Lake Ancient
: The late-game finisher. Flash lets it come out at the perfect time, and essentially eliminates summoning sickness. Prowess lets you buff him while controlling with your spells. His evade ability gives you flexibility when the opponent dishes out spot-removal. He is as close as we can get to a 2015 AEtherling.
Prognostic Sphinx
: Decent blocker, flyer, evade ability and gives scry 3 on attack. You swap this with
Icefall Regent
when you're fighting control decks, since it survives Bile Blight, Drown in Sorrow, Anger of the Gods and many other removal spells and helps dig into your library to find the answers against big control lategame plays. Furthermore, having
Prognostic Sphinx
on the board with his 5 toughness gives more value to Profaner of the Dead when you're in a dire mid-game situation.
Reality Shift: Though it comes with a downside, this is hard creature removal for 2 mana at instant-speed, something we really need since we're not running black spells.
Silumgar's Scorn: Currently being tested.
Weave Fate
: Some more instant-speed card draw.
SIDEBOARD:
Disdainful Stroke: Another spell for midrange and control matchups. Swap out
Nullify
or
Crippling Chill
for this.
Monastery Siege: Flexible enchantment with either scry each turn or persistent anti-removal.
Dragonlord's Prerogative
: Extra card draw swap-in in case we need it.
Perilous Vault: I get that this is a controversial card, and many are criticizing its slowness and huge vulnerability to removal/counterplay. However, without splashing any black, this is our one route toward completely cleaning the board in certain matchups.
Phyrexian Revoker: Lock down the opponent's biggest activated-ability threats and get a 2/1 body on the board. Particularly good against enemy planeswalkers and other activation-dependent creatures and spells like Tasigur, the Golden Fang, Fleecemane Lion, Soulfire Grand Master, Sylvan Caryatid, Polukranos, World Eater,Perilous Vault and Whip of Erebos.
Whelming Wave: Good mono-color board resets are hard to come by in this meta, particularly those that can come out early like Whelming Wave at only 4 CMC. Yes, it's sorcery speed, so you end up losing your control options on that turn, but the upside is that if you draw it later in the game, you can keep your
Pearl Lake Ancient
on the board since it's a Leviathan.
TYPICAL SIDEBOARD SWAPS:
Against almost any control deck:
Out: 2x [[Dragon's Eye Savants] 2x Profaner of the Dead
In: 4x Phyrexian Revoker
Against removal-heavy decks with fewer creatures:
Out: 4x
Crippling Chill
In: 4x Monastery Siege
Against mid-to-late game decks:
Out: 2x Profaner of the Dead 1x
Crippling Chill
2x
Dragon's Eye Savants
In: 3x Disdainful Stroke 1x
Dragonlord's Prerogative
1x Perilous Vault
MAYBEBOARD:
The Maybeboard in this decklist contains cards you may wish to include if you have a larger budget and can afford more powerful spells.
SUGGESTIONS:
All advice is welcome, but please keep in mind before you post:
-The maximum budget for the deck is $60. Your suggested card(s) should not push the cost of the deck above this value.
-If you make a suggestion, please also suggest which card in the current decklist (mainboard/sideboard) to replace with your suggested card.
-Please keep in mind the mana curve when making suggestions.
Thanks!
