BUG Control that focuses on maximizing removals to survive early game and clear the way for mid-game when powerful creatures come in and take over the board. Secondary win-con includes establishing board control and protect planeswalkers so they can do their jobs and win the game for you. This deck contains enough removals and sweeps to deal with most threats in a timely manner and should be able to survive the initial rush from faster, more aggressive decks and stabilize through sweeping and the multitude of lifegain the mainboard offers.
On a normal day, you'd be winning by removing their early threats while waiting to resolve Thragtusk and/or AEtherling and a couple planeswalkers to start the lockdown process or into
Progenitor Mimic
and start multiplying either your attack power or protection. You should be able to get there with the removals this deck gives you.
With decent draws, you should be able to have one very well-protected planeswalker that can safely move up to ultimate range or two planeswalkers with protection on a good day. Two planeswalkers usually tips the scale so far in your favor that you will win the game soon after if they don't somehow sweep them.
This deck usually prefers to win by gaining a lot of life, locking down the board, and keeping the opposite side of the board empty while swinging in with big creatures, but mill/card control is also an option.
Spot Removals:
Abrupt Decay - Still an incredibly good removal that can cover pretty much anything in an aggro deck, the select few planeswalkers, and pesky Oblivion Ring and Detention Sphere.
Unsummon - Cheap and extremely versatile removal that can also be used to save or recycle a Thragtusk or
Progenitor Mimic
.
Far / Away
- an incredibly efficient removal that can act as a powerful 2-for-1 for relatively little amount of mana. Works just as well individually in a pinch.
Putrefy - This baby is back thanks to Dragon's Maze. Much easier to cast than Murder and has a no-regeneration clause plus artifacts.
Ghost Quarter - Technically a spot removal, just for lands. Can take out the "win-con" lands like Vault of the Archangel, Kessig Wolf Run, Nephalia Drownyard, etc. Also, if you somehow know for a fact that your opponent doesn't run basic lands or doesn't have any left in the library, this becomes a Strip Mine.
Vraska the Unseen
- Great against control decks as secondary win-con and decent against midrange. Free pseudo-Vindicate every couple turns is nice.
Mass Removals:
Mutilate - The classic black sweeper. This deck runs enough swamps to reliably hit it for 2-4 at 4 mana which should take care of most creatures run by aggro. This effect hits through Sigarda, Host of Herons, hexproof, protection, and indestructibility.
Gaze of Granite
- a pseudo-Pernicious Deed that has a potential to become very potent late game. Able to be cast up to X=3 without removing any of your own permanents (except tokens and the rare
Progenitor Mimic
that is a copy of 3 or less CMC creature). 3-mana token sweepers and effective weenie sweeper.
The Win-Con (this includes card advantage, lockdown, and the actual win-con itself):
Farseek - One of the best, if not the best, color fixer in standard. Helps you ramp up to your comfort zone AND finds the color you need at the same time!
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage - The queen of lockdown in standard. Permataps the most threatening permanent or draw a ton of cards against swarm strategy. Letting her get to ultimate means GG.
Sphinx's Revelation - One of the best mythics in standard. Splashing white just for this card. Gives me the life gain I need against aggro and the card draws I need against control. Never a dead card and is especially potent with Crypt Ghast.
Jace, Architect of Thought - Second best Jace every printed, imo. Huge card advantage with -2. Protects you and himself with +1. -8 will usually win you the game against most decks.
Progenitor Mimic
- A very versatile finisher that can win games out of nowhere. Comes in as a copy of a powerful creature your opponent control and make more of it. Comes in as a Thragtusk and gain 5 life every turn while getting you a fat 5/3 token to fearlessly swing with that makes a 3/3 token to continue the quest. Comes in as a Crypt Ghast and multiply your mana count to astronomical levels. This can even work as a legendary-remover in a pinch if you're that desperate.
Nephalia Drownyard - Yet another mill engine for relatively cheap and can be recurred. Made famous by the Esper Control.
Thragtusk - The mistake of M13. 5 Life on entry, 3/3 Token on Exit. What more could you ask from it? Ok maybe a 5/3 AND you can abuse it with
Progenitor Mimic
AND you can board wipe to leave nothing but the tokens behind to swing in for lethal.
AEtherling - Great versatile creature. Protects itself. Ignores blockers (answers this deck's weakness to planeswalkers). Very flexible size allows for versatility on offense/defense. Good starting toughness dodges many burns. Usually comes in as an unremovable, unblockable beatstick late game.
Reap Intellect - A super-Slaughter Games that never whiffs. At the time to cast this spell, you usually will have enough mana to remove most or the entire hand of the opponent and potentially surgically remove his win-cons for good.
Sideboard:
Acidic Slime - I've decided I want to run at least 2 of these in my decks. He's great against midrange and control decks especially on the play when he will usually come in and hit the land right as they hit critical number to start casting their wins. Also gets along quite well with
Progenitor Mimic
.
Glaring Spotlight - Bant Auras and Hexproof decks are quickly becoming a thing in standard and this is to help combat this deck's Kryptonite. Sometimes merely hoping to draw into board sweeps just won't cut it. I'm looking at you, Geist of Saint Traft, Sigarda, Host of Herons, Alpha Authority! Also works well as a win-con.
Dispel - Comes in against control to combat counters and Sphinx's Revelation and some removals and against RWx or certain GWx decks to counter Boros Charm,
Ready/Willing
after a sweep. They sided in Skullcrack? No worries.
Sever the Bloodline - Selective sweeper that is great against aggro decks,especially blitz and tokens. Also screws Undying creatures over and not triggering Blood Artist.
Jace, Memory Adept - The king of millwalkers. His +1 draws you a card and mills at the same time which never hurts. His zero mills for ten which really adds up after a few activations.
Crypt Incursion - newly introduced in DGM, this card does serious work against reanimators AND aggro by removing the graveyard against the first and gaining a ton of life against the latter especially with all the removal this deck packs in the main.
Witchbane Orb - Comes in against Esper Control and Red-based decks to prevent you from getting milled or burned to death. Also works great against decks that rely heavily on sacrifice-based removals. Also prevents you from getting hit by Slaughter Games or Reap Intellect, among other hand and library control spells. Only the good few know to side in artifact removals against this game-changer.
Mutilate - More sweepers.
Like most control decks, the list takes some time to get used to and to get the feel of how and when the cards should be played. It is still more proactive in style than most control decks due to presence of creatures. If you test the list and don't see decent results, please keep trying through trial and error or ask me about the deck. I love teaching people and making them a better player!
Also check out my other FNM Top 8 deck, Ghost Dad's Circus Stampede!
