Introduction
American control in modern is the best control deck in the format. It has access to the two best removal spells in the format Path to Exile and Lightning Bolt. It has access to the best counters in the format and sweepers.
This is primarily a tempo deck that likes to pro long the game to win when you're resources are depleted.
We use Electrolyze, Remand, Cryptic Command,
Vendillion Clique
to gives our tempo.
We run 27 lands, so we never miss a land drop. To run less is not the best of ideas. Tectonic Edge is great for setting opponents back and removing and man lands they may be playing.
Card Selection
Counters
Spell Snare and Mana Leak in addition to Remand and Cryptic Command are our main counter spells.
Spell Snare hits so many threats, from Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, opposing Snapcaster Mage, Wrench Mind (mbc discard spell), Gaddock Teeg, Torpor Orb, Melira, Sylvok Outcast, opposing Remand, signets (used in tron, mostly u/w version), etc...
Using Remand to return a spell of mine that's being countered and I have no other answer to the counter in hand is something I always do and you should consider.
Mana Leak is great early game, but late game, it usually is a dead draw. We play four to make sure we have one in our opening hand.
Removal
Lightning Bolt, Electrolyze, Path to Exile are our main form of removal.
We use
Anger of the Gods
over Supreme Verdict mainly to shut down pod decks recursion and many other decks fall prey to the 3 damage.
Creatures
Snapcaster Mage allows us to reuse any of our spells as we see fit in the length of the game. Need to counter that spell, but one mana leak short, let that one on the stack resolves, before the spell you're trying to counter resolves, flash in snap, flash back mana leak again.
Vendillion Clique
is more of a tempo play for us than to get our opponent to discard a threat. Though using it as a way to craft our opponents hand is not a bad play, sometimes the better play is to replace a land in our hand with another card and gives us card draw and a 3/1 flyer to attack/defend with.
There is another version of this deck, that uses a few less spells and runs Restoration Angel and Geist of Saint Traft with these creatures for a more aggro approach and known as 'American Flash'. I mention it here because the big difference is in the creature selection.
Planeswalkers
Ajani Vengeant because if we get ahead of our opponent and keep their creatures down, we can ult him and take out their lands, creating a blow out. But his more functional use is the Lightning Helix to remove blockers are do extra damage to our opponents and to keep a threat we can't deal with right now, locked down.
Gideon Jura
is another planeswalker used in this deck as a finisher. Typically you're attacking with him as a 6/6 body into an empty field.
Utility
Sphinx's Revelation is just perfect for this deck, giving us the ability to stay alive and find answers or keep our hands full of answers.
Lands
The land base is ti colored, but we run 3 Islands because of Cryptic Command demanding 3U. Also, Blood Moon is a thing and having access to those basics, helps us get through the hard times when our shocks are mountains. We might want to remove a mountain from this for the second Plains for that reason. But we don't because we can fetch the mountain, when we need it and not bolt ourselves.
Celestial Colonnade is typically the finisher for this deck as a 4/4 flyer with vigilance, allowing us to attack with evasion and if needed use it for mana later that turn or before our next untap step.
Sideboard
Celestial Purge is great at removing a resolved Liliana of the Viel, Phyrexian Obliterator, Dark Confidant and other threats on the board in black or red. It mainly comes in against jund, b/g/x rock decks, mbc.Also great at removing the card we hate to see the most, Blood Moon.
Counterflux is for the control mirror match and storm decks. 4 mana counter to storm, thank you very much.
Dispel is also another card I love to bring in against the control mirror match.
Rest in Peace is a meta call for me, but it's great in shutting down pod decks and dredgevine decks that you'll see. I also use it against loam based decks. It hurts mbc's raven crime also. IT should be considered here, when doing this I'm always taking out the Snapcaster Mage See sideboarding guide below for details
Sowing Salt
is what I bring in against tron. It just deprives them of their Urza's Tower to prevent them from powering up those lands. academey ruins is another good target when playing mono-u tron and shutting down the Mindslaver lock. In the mirror it's great for getting rid of the opposing Celestial Colonnade.
Stony Silence Is the answer for affinity and shuts down Birthing Pod. Against pod decks, this is just one tool and they do have answers for it (along with answers for rip). But it still worth side boarding in against them.
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir is here for the control mirror and storm by slowing them down. I also have u/r faerie tempo deck in my meta this card is great against.
Thundermaw Hellkite is a call for u/w tokens mostly.
Wear / Tear is for opposing hate mostly, such as Blood Moon. Also good against affinity. I wouldn't side this in against pod, but would against splinter twin, tron and affinity.
Other cards you would see are Porphyry Nodes used against creature heavy decks, including pod and g/w hatebears.
Matchups
Deck by deck walk through on what happens when we play certain decks game one and sideboard plans for games 2 and 3.
