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Willbreaker

Modern* Casual Combo Control WU (Azorius)

Cipher_8

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Creature (20)

Land (24)

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Artifact (14)

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Land (1)

Artifact (6)

Instant (3)

Sorcery (1)

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Land (8)

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Artifact (13)

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"There is power in attacking with wreckless abandon, but far more in control."

This deck compensates for the individual weakness of its cards with its synergies.

Just like Heroic benefits from cards that say "target", Willbreaker loves cards that say "target" as well. And you must know the difference between cards that will work (such as Descent of the Dragons ) and cards that won't work (such as Bident of Thassa or Polymorphist's Jest) because there is a distinction.

The MVP's

Rogue's Passage -

The challenge was finding cards that target their creatures. Anything cheap that can target their creatures will work. Well there's nothing cheaper than lands! You need to actually do the targeting with this card but you're going to need at least that much mana to have access to Willbreaker anyways. And you can do this once a turn. As long as you can pay that and tap it you can do it over and over again.

Whirler Rogue -

Even cheaper than you can simply tap 2 Artifacts to target a opposing creature and take control of it. This is your MVP -- besides Willbreaker (who the deck is designed around) -- and your best reusable/repeatable targeter. You'll have to support it with Artifacts but soon you'll see just how easy that is. Hint: It often involves Hangarback Walker flooding the field with artifacts to tap for Whirler Rogues' ability.

Whirler Rogue & Rogue's Passage both let you target their creatures, and make them unblockable that turn, and then you take control over and steal said creature(s) because of Willbreaker. Now you attack them with their own creatures and go in unblockable that turn for a free hit!

Kytheon, Hero of Akros  

Not only is this Legendary guy a nice one-drop creature you can cast early on but once you start playing your other creatures or if you already have been stealing their creatures it won't be long before you activate his flip and get Gideon, Battle-Forged.

Gideon, Battle-Forged

Gideon is your main combo card with Willbreaker. His +1 basically protects it for the rest of the game. It's key that it says, "Until your next turn," basically it covers you throughout your turn and throughout their turn until it becomes your turn again. And remember, as long as you don't pass priority, cast another spell or activate another ability, or if an ability triggers, then you can +1 him first thing you do with your priority. You haven't lost your chance to use the Planeswalker's loyalty ability and if your opponent says he's casting Hero's Downfall or some kind of removal before one of these things happen, then they are playing out of turn.

Lets get down to it. Where Gideon really comes in handy is his +1 ability: (Until your next turn, target creature gains indestructible. Untap that creature.) Perfect protection for Willbreaker! You give Willbreaker Indestructible for your turn, throughout their next turn, and then lose it when it becomes your next turn again but of course you can just do it again that turn.

That's not all he's good for though. He also becomes one of your cheapest targeter's alongside Whirler Rogue and Rogue's Passage.

His +2 ability: (Up to one target creature an opponent controls attacks Gideon, Battle-Forged during its controller's next turn if able.) is a perfect way to steal their creatures with no downside of them being tapped or dealt damage. And while you do this he's building double the loyalty so any damage he may be dealt (if they attack and target him or through burn damage spells) he can take more of a hit because he'll have more Loyalty. You're going to want to try to keep him alive but you'll have stolen plenty of creatures to block with so he don't have to take any damage if you don't want him to. And remember it's not like they're going to have much of a board presence if they'll even have any creatures at all to attack you with. Especially after Gideon is targeting them, stealing control and puting 2 loyalty counters on himself bringing him to 5, 7, 9... and after that point you can take a hit and not worry so much.

(Note: If the creature targeted by Gideons first ability changes controllers before it has the chance to attack Gideon, the ability will apply to it during its new controllers next turn but since you now control it and you can only attack a planeswalker controlled by an opponent, just like you can only attack an opponent. Your good. Can't attack yourself or your own planeswalker.)

When they got no creatures to steal and you have no need to protect Willbreaker you can choose to use his 0 ability: (Until end of turn, Gideon, Battle-Forged becomes a 4/4 Human Soldier creature with indestructible that's still a planeswalker. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to him this turn.)

You might do this to get through for lethal damage or you can completely ignore this one and never use it too. Honestly his other two abilities are why he's included. Keeping his one activation a turn up incase they try to destroy Willbreaker is also smart. Then before you forget to roll him up and pass turn just +2 him on your 2nd main phase and yes you can do that because it says "up to one" target creature, which includes zero target creatures, meaning you can target 0 creatures if you want.

[ ] cut out render of Gideon

Kytheon doesn't really fit into this type of deck because you can't support him well enough with multiple attacking creatures but the end goal is obviously to get Gideon, Battle-Forged Flip out. He is a powerhouse targeter for Willbreaker.

The trouble is getting Kytheon flipped to Gideon in this deck. Can you reliably do it? I doubt that.

Hangarback Walker

Anytime a creature replaces itself with more creatures when it leaves is good. The fact you can use every 2 of those creatures to do exactly what the deck wants to do is even better. By itself Hangarback Walker gives us a early creature to attack/block with. It scales into the late game so he can be played with effectiveness at any point in a match. I like to use him as a blocker and help stall the game until I can get Willbreaker out but you can utilize his ability to tap and put more counters on himself if you don't need him that turn. Or if you wanna be more proactive and attack you can get use out of him that way too. If they block and kill him off don't worry he'll replace himself with all those Artifact thopter tokens that Whirler Rogue can then use.

This guy is a must play in this deck. When you see a power card -- You play the power card. And this is one of the most powerful and most played cards in all of Standard right now. This deck features it and lifts it up to new heights. It's almost designed perfectly around it. For starters, Whirler Rogue needs you to tap 2 Artifacts to target a enemy creature so you can take control of it via Willbreaker. This is one of the better "targeters" and you can do it for free almost as long as you have Artifacts to tap. There is no quicker way than Hangarback Walker to flood the field with Artifacts. When it dies for every counters on it you get one! I would want to play 4 Hangarback Walkers. It's a threat, it's value doesn't end, and it has a lot of crazy good synergies in this deck. It's basically a Doomed Traveler or a colorless Hooded Hydra that scales into the late game and if that doesn't excite you then you must be dead on the inside.

Play Now - Target Later.

Here are a few cards that you can play and save for later and use once you got Willbreaker up. Remember though Artifacts don't suffer from Summoning Sickness so you can play them and use them tapping the same turn as long as you can afford the mana costs involved.

It's also just a great targeter because it makes whatever you target and steal unable to be blocked that turn. So as long as that creature has been under the opponents control since the beginning of their last turn and/or wasn't summoned that turn then you'll be able to take control of it and attack in the same turn and it cannot be blocked. Often times in the middle of the match they'll cast some powerful creature and think they got you dead to rights you get Willbreaker out and pay and steal it and hit them with their own threat. Talk about turning the tables on them!

Sacred Armory splits the cost up in half. now and later to target something. It's super effective though because it's spammable later in the game. As long as you got the mana you can target as many creatures as you like. Simply pay another mana. It's a simple yet effective targeter in this deck. Possibly the main one.

Alchemist's Vial can be played as a Sorcery for and it let's you draw a card and target one of their creatures and with Willbreaker you steal that creature but it cannot attack or block that turn. You can also pay to cast it on a turn when you have leftover mana and save it for later use, especially useful for when they don't have a creature in play but you still wanna utilize all of your mana every turn and not waste any. Plus the nice little cantrip effect is a bonus and you'll want to get the draw. The sooner the better when it comes to card advantage.

Briber's Purse is a main option for targeting. Cast it for X=as much as possible and then double down with Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient targeting two of their creatures at a time and only removing one counter. Remember it can be played for X=0 and still be sacrificed to Shrapnel Blast in a pinch for the 5 damage.

Sacred Armory is another interesting card. So you can use it for to target one of their creatures, as many times as you got mana to pay for. Then you can tap it. It too can still be tapped via Whirler Rogue so you may target another one of their creatures for free basically since it being tapped or untapped has absolutely no effect on it. It's also got the ability to buff your creatures up, especially an attacking Hangarback Walker, after they've declared blockers. Since there's a chance for both players to activate abilities after blockers are declared before combat damage is dealt you can trick them into blocking you with something that will kill your creature but not theirs. Then you can buff it's power up to the level that it'll kill their creature even though yours still dies it floods the field with more 1/1 flying thopters for every counter it had on it. So you're basically trading one creature for their creature and gaining 2+ more creatures. They cannot do that too often and expect to win. Trading 1 for 2(+) is a losing proposition.

Plus both Sacred Armory , Briber's Purse , and Alchemist's Vial help us play the stall game as we bind up their creatures from attacking (or blocking). This is especially useful when you don't have the mana to play your hand. Just save the mana, pass the turn, tap the mana and make there creatures unable to attack, and then hope your next turn's draw is what you need. Later, they both become accessories to theft and grand accomplices to Willbreaker because they target their creatures so you can take control over them.

Artifacts serve a dual purpose in this deck. A lot come with their own way of targeting other creatures so you can take over control of them. Also due to their Artifact type nature they inherently let you tap them via Whirler Rogue. Tap 2 and you can trigger another targeting effect over and over to make things unblockable.

Sacred Armory is one of the better ones we run. Especially useful because you can spend mana and target one of their creatures and steal it. Then still tap it via the rogue along with one other artifact (often times you'll have more than one on the field) and make something unblockable.

The other Artifacts require you to pay mana and tap some even require a sacrifice so they are really only one time uses but you can use them via the rogue over and over just tap them.

On Cast Targeters

There's plenty of spells that target more than one creature. Here's some of the best...

[16:50] Cipher_8> How does the stack resolve if I have under my control a !Willbreaker and cast a !Icy Blast on their creature with 4 power? What resolves first and do I trigger the Ferocious

[16:51] ToddB> Willbreaker's trigger resolves first

[16:51] Cipher_8> So I gain control of their 4 power creature and THEN it checks for Ferocious

[16:51] ToddB> which means you'll control a 4 power creature when Icy Blast resolves

Now after Icy Blast and/or Send to Sleep, would they untap on your turn once you took over control of them via Willbreaker? No. Because you took over control and then the tap effect resolved so your the controller and it doesn't untap on controllers next turn.

[09:09] Cipher_8> !Icy Blast and !Send to Sleep

[09:10] Cipher_8> Their "creatures don't untap during their controllers' next untap steps"? Do they ever untap? or does that just mean the very next untap step but the one after that they do become untapped?

[09:11] Brain>

[09:11] Brain>

[09:11] Cipher_8> why do they word it as "step(S)" then? It's kinda confusing

[09:12] Katzby> Because you might tap creatures that different players control. (In a 2+ player multiplayer game especially) Then the creature would not untap on each players turn and not on their controllers next upkeep phase and again until it came back to them.

[09:12] Brain> or when the affected creatures are controlled by different players

Other Artifacts to consider:

You also have access to Jeskai Banner and Ojutai Monument (Maybe even Meteorite )Both tap for mana in case you haven't drawn the lands you need or can be tapped via Whirler Rogue's ability to target their creatures and take control of them. And don't forget the Banner can even be used for a draw. The Monument becomes a flying 4/4 that you can then make unblockable even... which is decent. They can't take many hits from that and survive especially when they cannot block it via it's evasive flying, it's unblockable-ness, or due to the fact they have no creatures because you've stolen them all! Haha...

Sword of the Animist is an important card because it stops you from stalling out on mana if you don't draw any. It can also be tapped via Whirler Rogue's ability to target one of their creatures.

Even if a Artifact - Equipment is already attached to a creature, it can still be tapped. And the creature doesn't become tapped at all with it either, in case you were wondering.

I was discussing Rule Clarification on this at Ask A Magic Judge @ http://chat.magicjudges.org/mtgrules/

[09:07] Cipher_8> Can any Artifact be tapped even if they don't have a tap ability? Artifact Equipments for example or those simple Artifacts like War Horn

[09:08] Cipher_8> So i can tap my two War Horn's via Whirler Rogue to make it unblockable?

[09:08] Katzby> Yes, Cipher_8. You can do that.

[09:09] Cipher_8> What about Equipments?

[09:09] Katzby> same thing

[09:09] Cipher_8> If they are attached to a creature can i still tap them?

[09:09] Brain> yes

[09:09] Katzby> yes

More interestingly if you play Hero's Blade followed by a Kytheon, Hero of Akros   it can be auto-equipped to him wiping out the cost. Instantly making him a 5/3 for just or i suppose you would say a 5/3 for . Still either way that's way better and it goes a long way to helping him stay alive when he attacks even though ultimately you're going to want to pay that : Become Indestructible this turn.

In case you're wondering when you exile it the Hero's Blade equipment falls off but does stay on the battlefield, left behind so you can Equip it onto something else if you got the spare extra mana to spend. Can even throw it on Willbreaker to make it harder to kill via damage. 5/5 is a lot harder to bring down than a simple 2/3, it takes it out of Languish range anyways.

Since Equip or equipping is a sorcery-speed action, you may not activate an equip ability unless it is your main phase and the stack is empty. This means you cannot do it in response to something they play, or on their turn, in order to get Willbreaker the +3/+2 to survive something like a Languish.

Thopter Spy Network is very strong in this deck. It'll keep a steady flow of creatures too but with the Whirler Rogue/Rogue's Passage making them go in unblockable it's also a nice draw engine.

Really should add Jalira, Master Polymorphist in here until she rotates out Oct. 2nd but she has no synergy with the best card in this deck and the best card solely in Standard. Hangarback Walker She plucks your Willbreaker out which is awesome and would be a good reason to include her. Also she grabs anything else just fine as they usually come in as 2 for 1 bringing a long their Spirit / Artifact - Thopter Creature Tokens with them. So that's great too but if she puts Hangarback Walker out into play though it immediately dies.

It's designed to test wills and stall games as you wait until you take total control over the game. Once you've got Willbreaker out you LOCK the game down... With ways to protect it and repeatably target their creatures you've already won and they don't even know it yet.

This deck boasts a very good matchup against slower mid-ranged creature-based decks. Really any deck besides maybe something obscure is going to rely on some form of creatures and if you take them from them, you're imposing your will over their deck's strategy.

As you take control over their creatures and hit them with them you've taken control over the game.

Blue

White

Azorius Law comes to all without distinction.

Willbreaker knows no discrimination. You need not worry about fairness with this deck.

She takes one... she takes them all.

Imagine a few ideal opening hands:

[ ][ ][ ]

Cards you could include:

Meteorite When you cast it you play it as a targeter and you can steal control of a creature but then it stays behind as a mana source thereafter. And this is fixed mana which is important. (Tap: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.) I find a lot of the times it's not about not having enough mana but rather not having enough of the right mana. If you got that's not good enough to get Willbreaker out or Whirler Rogue. It's also for this reason in this deck that Artifacts being colorless mana are so strong. It doesn't matter what you got as long as you got some...

Astral Cornucopia is another interesting card I was considering playing until it rotates out Oct. 2nd. You get to 3, 6, or 9 mana but it scales into the late game so that's nice. At 3 mana you can fix 1 mana. At 6 mana in the middle it gives you add added little perk of being able to fix mana and tap for 2 of that certain mana instead of just 1. If you manage to make it to 9 mana and haven't won by then you can play it and tap for 3 mana of any one color. At that point though, you probably have enough mana to cast anything you need with some to spare. Also, remember that it can be played for X=0 just to trigger the 'if you control an Artifact' on Thopter Spy Network but then again so can Briber's Purse. They may be pointless without the counters but they are still Artifacts permanents that stay out and both can still be tapped via Whirler Rogue too.

Renowned Weaponsmith + Vial of Dragonfires. Use the creature to ramp Artifacts out or pay for their activated abilities. Or search for a Vial of Dragonfire as a targeter. Just not the most efficient use since you must sacrifice it so it's really only a one-of. It's the same reason I don't really like Alchemist's Vial but at least that comes with the cantrip which helps and it's purpose as a staller for a turn in a pinch is more important than a targeter in this deck. For if you can't utilize your turn because you're mana screwed you can use it on their turn to make their biggest threat a non-threat for that turn and get bye for another turn.

Ancestral Statue is a nice colorless Invasive Species for just one more mana. Since we utilize Artifacts a lot with this deck I was thinking about adding him in at least as a one-of for all the ETB effect creatures. Bouncing a Whirler Rogue or Sandsteppe Outcast back to hand only to be replayed again so they can put more thopter tokens out is a nice enough reason to consider it.

Dragon Throne of Tarkir is a nice option. Your mana in before you can use it, which also costs another but at least it's split up in intervals. You can pay get it out. Equip it at a later turn for and then once you've stolen a whole bunch of creatures or swarmed the field with Thopters you can give those thopters +X/+X and Trample for just . This card has a mutual relationship with another Equipment card because it's effect directly correlates with Hero's Blade's effect of +3 power. It distributes that +3 to all in the form of +X/+X.

Spirit Bonds is a nice card that this deck almost forgets about. It's great protection for Willbreaker because your Sandsteppe Outcast will provide you with a spirit or any other creature that ETB's let's you play one for . Think of that as a downpayment for protection on Willbreaker. Then when they try to get rid of your Willbreaker simply play and sac one spirit to give it Indestructible.

If we try to include more cards that'll be rotating out one to think about is Shield of the Avatar. Equipping it on your Willbreaker can prove to be game changing. Especially if you don't have Gideon, Battle-Forged out yet. The more creatures you are in control of the more damage it prevents.

Of course Glint , Feat of Resistance , Center Soul, Valorous Stance , or the cards that'll soon be rotating out Gods Willing , Ajani's Presence , Ephemeral Shields , Crypsis and other cards like this are also effective ways to protect your Willbreaker. (If you got them in your hand.) Mistfire Weaver could be too but I don't like having to have it in play and keep it alive and besides it's only a one time use it's not even a permanent effect like Spectra Ward or Aegis Angel . Plus it's to do it. No, we plenty more options that are much much cheaper options than that. You never have to spend any mana until you need them either! We got plenty to choose from for protection.

I want to make a Blue/Red version of this deck. While there will be inherently less protection for Willbreaker there will be way more synergy with the Artifacts. Ghirapur AEther Grid You could even do a USA/Jeskai Red/White/Blue version and use Kytheon still alongside more ETB 2for1 creatures. Especially the Thopter Engineer because the Artifacts and thopter tokens all would have Haste.

The only real threat to this deck is Hexproof and the only creature people are even playing that has that is Dragonlord Ojutai.

The bane of this deck is just about non-existent in Standard.

The other real threat is consistent and efficient Removal. Control decks, a sort of mirror match up, is something that you might struggle with. I'm taking suggestions for the sideboard because that's how you deal with those type of problems and to be honest I'm not a good sideboarder.

You gotta really keep Willbreaker alive or this deck will come unglued quickly because if she goes down to removal they gain back control of everything you stole and you're going to take some revenge shots pretty quickly thereafter.

I love this deck though because I'm always looking for something cool and interesting to play and especially for card interactions that others may overlook. I love abusing creatures or cards that others might not play.

Let me know what you think and leave a comment. +1 if you liked it too!

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Created with Highcharts 9.3.3Card costs (outer) ​Land mana (inner)
Created with Highcharts 9.3.3Creature​CreaturePlaneswalker​PlaneswalkerLand​LandEnchantment​EnchantmentArtifact​Artifact
Created with Highcharts 9.3.3Converted mana costMana-curve10.0%​10.0%10.0%​10.0%​10.0%​10.0%​​​​​​15.0%​15.0%10.0%​10.0%20.0%​20.0%​20.0%​20.0%5.0%​5.0%​​01234502468101214