Overview
Izzet Control for Pioneer. Updated for Kaldheim!
Card Choices
Card Draw
3x
Dig Through Time
: Perhaps the best card draw/ selection spell in the format, if you can support it. We're often casting Dig for just at instant speed and getting 2 almost-guaranteed-to-be-useful cards out of it, which is insane value. Add the fact that we can flash it back for free with a
Torrential Gearhulk
and it becomes one of the core engines in the deck. You'll often cast this 2 to 3 times in a game (flashing it back with
Torrential Gearhulk
), at which point your hand should be stacked with answers.
4x
Behold the Multiverse
: While
Chemister's Insight
can draw us more cards over a longer game, needing 4 mana to refuel is really cumbersome.
Behold the Multiverse
strikes a great balance between giving us more proactive plays for just 2 mana (so long as we foretell it on a previous turn) and filtering our draws with the Scry 2. Foretelling this on Turn 4 and leaving 2 mana open to choose between interacting with your opponent and drawing cards is excellent, as is having a proactive play on Turn 2 by foretelling it if you won't need to interact that turn!
4x
Opt
: Early cantripping ensures we have a good balance of lands and spells (consistently hitting land drops is key to winning most matches), and fills the graveyard for
Dig Through Time
.
Removal
4x
Frost Bite
: I've been waiting for a 1 mana 3 damage removal spell to turn this deck on.
Fiery Impulse
was passable, but not being able to hit planeswalkers was a pain.
Frost Bite
can hit Planeswalkers and still has a straightforward condition for enabling 3 damage, but it's contorted the manabase a little to make it work. If it doesn't pay off,
Fiery Impulse
is still an option.
4x
Bonecrusher Giant
: While not the most mana efficient as removal, it's decent removal attached to a significant body; a solid 2-for-1. From Turn 5 onward, we can usually play the Giant to apply pressure while still holding up interaction. Particularly useful for when we need to pivot to more of a tempo strategy since we can hit the board sooner and more consistently.
3x
Blitz of the Thunder-Raptor
: The big problem with UR control decks is there's almost no way to efficiently answer a big creature once it hits the board.
Blitz of the Thunder-Raptor
is great for removing creatures with more than 3 Toughness, plus it hits planeswalkers and exiles whatever it kills. Beware the nonbo with delving away your spells with
Dig Through Time
, though; if Blitz is an essential answer in a matchup, leave enough spells in the graveyard to keep it useful.
2x
Sweltering Suns
: Our maindeck sweeper to deal with aggressive matchups. Critically this is 3 mana so we can dodge a Spell Queller when on the play against Spirits. We can also cycle this in matchups where it's dead.
Counterspells
2x
Censor
: Strong tempo play in the early game, with cheap cycling for when it becomes irrelevant (which also fuels the graveyard for
Dig Through Time
!) or when we need to find something else.
2x
Neutralize
: Unconditional counterspell that cycles when we don't need it.
Sinister Sabotage
is a consideration for this slot, but I think cycling for when you have to find another answer is more useful than surveiling.
4x
Saw It Coming
: If you're gonna play
Behold the Multiverse
,
Saw It Coming
is great for keeping your opponents guessing. Having an unconditional counterspell available for 2 mana in the mid-late game is brilliant for double spell turns.
Finishers
2x
Brazen Borrower
: A bounce spell to deal with problematic permanents stapled to a tempo threat with Flash. The extra 2 copies in the sideboard helps us pivot to being a tempo deck instead of a control deck.
3x
Torrential Gearhulk
: An instant-speed giant beatstick that can surprise block and will also probably flash back a
Dig Through Time
to draw some extra cards. What more could you ask for in a control finisher?
3x
Faceless Haven
: The other solid payoff for playing Snow lands, Faceless Haven is a lot better than
Wandering Fumarole
. Colourless lands in a colour-intensive deck is a little rough, though.
Sideboard Choices/ Guide
2x
Abrade
: More removal for aggressive matchups that doubles as artifact removal against UR Ensoul Artifact.
2x
Anger of the Gods
: More sweepers for aggressive matchups, particularly Mono Black Aggro with its many recursive threats. Considering
Crush the Weak
in this slot, but 2 damage probably isn't good enough.
1x
Fiery Impulse
: More 1 mana removal, 3 damage being more effective against Spirits.
1x
Blitz of the Thunder-Raptor
: Finishing the playset for when you need more removal against decks with bigger creatures.
2x
Brazen Borrower
: Bring in extra copies of Borrower if you anticipate enchantments being a big problem, or if you're pivoting to a tempo strategy. Borrower is a good proactive play on Turn 3 onward that can't (easily) be card: Fatal Pusheded and will probably close out the game if you can protect it.
2x
Magma Spray
: Removal aimed at Mono Black Aggro's recursive threats, or Lurrus decks.
3x
Mystical Dispute
: Particularly useful for winning counter wars in control matchups and disrupting Blue decks heavily.
2x
Soul-Guide Lantern
: Always a good idea to pack graveyard hate. Lantern is ideal because it exiles a card on ETB, only exiles opponents' graveyards when we sacrifice it, and can cantrip in the late game if we don't feel we need to hold up a second one (reducing the diminishing returns you'd see from something like
Tormod's Crypt
.
