The Ixalan Turbo Fog Primer - V3.3
Standard* Budget Competitive Control Creatureless Primer TurboFog
Land (21)
Instant (14)
- 1x Appetite for the Unnatural
- 3x Commencement of Festivities
- 2x Encircling Fissure
- 4x Haze of Pollen
- 4x Repel the Abominable
Enchantment (12)
Sorcery (11)
- 1x Approach of the Second Sun
- 3x Attune with Aether
- 1x Declaration in Stone
- 4x Fumigate
- 2x Wildest Dreams
Artifact (2)
Sideboard
Instant (6)
Creature (2)
Sorcery (4)
Get ready. I have found a way to make this deck survive rotation, but it's going a little deep. Updates to come soon. Vigorous testing in progress...
Amonkhet has been shrouded in a mist, some even call it a fog. Turbo fog has risen again to standard, and it looks as though it is here to stay. With Wizards printing new fog effects, the deck will cease to die out with rotation. With hope, this primer will inspire the deck's success in standard.
Turbo fog has shown up in standards past, like with the release of Sphinx's Tutelage. This standard deck takes advantage of new mechanics and cards in a work of art. Opponents, especially aggro players used to short games, will struggle against the stranglehold that this deck provides. A combination of slowing cards, fog effects, and card advantage/filtration spells makes this deck worthy of a competitive setting.
Turbo Fog is a strategy based upon preventing damage dealt to a player, usually based around the combat phase. The name originates from the card Fog, which stops combat damage, thus giving the nickname "a fog-effect" to any card that prevents damage to a player. The deck typically does not run any creatures, forcing it to utilize slow and passive means of killing the enemy. With the release of Magic Origins came Sphinx's Tutelage, which allowed decks to mill the opponent, or put all cards from their opponent's library into their graveyard. Kaladesh has spoiled the final cards necessary to restore this once competitive deck to its former glory, with both fogs, and new methods of causing a slow, painful death for the opponent.
Decks that run too many colors run the risk of struggling to properly fix mana, but in this case, the reward is worth the trouble. With a mana base designed to promote proper fixing, the most effective turbo fog cards in the format can be played. Save for the sideboard, the main deck is a white and blue list, but red and green are too tempting to resist. The recently released Commencement of Festivities and Haze of Pollen warrant the use of green, and a win condition, Fevered Visions, works too well to ignore red. The most recent addition of Thermo-Alchemist to the sideboard further boosts the desire for the color. Once my worst enemy, this card speed up the deck significantly, providing a blocker, and at least one damage per turn, sometimes three or four.
Aether Hub - This is excellent for ensuring the appropriate colors of mana are accessible in the early game to race aggro.
Geier Reach Sanitarium - This is used for digging in the late game.
Lumbering Falls - I have never killed with this, but it has stopped lethal attacks. Its a good backup.
Needle Spires - Lands are vicious.
All other lands are simply placed for proper fixing. There is no need to spend two hundred dollars on a mana base that rotates out of the format. The tapped lands are just as good in this grind deck. Picking up a few doesnt hurt, but there is no strong incentive
Authority of the Consuls - A conveniently costed combination of Soul Warden and Thalia, Heretic Cathar that's great for fighting haste. This builds incremental value throughout the game, building up a pillow of life if you need to let through an attack or two before better utilizing a wrath effect. It used to be an excellent method of stopping combo decks (particularly Saheeli Rai combo), but with bannings, the card is not as powerful as before. Regardless though, it is efficient enough to use a couple in the list.
Consulate Surveillance - This card not only assists with gaining much needed energy, but can be a repeated fog effect against a deck that pours power and spells into a large creature. This card absolutely destroys any Aetherflux Reservoir deck.
Fevered Visions - This is one of the main win conditions of the deck. You not only draw an extra card each turn, making it more likely to draw into a fog effect, but the enemy will be likely to draw enough cards eventually to mill them out or burn them slowly. The play set is warranted by its versatility in keeping myself high on useful cards to protect myself while keeping my opponent from milling me out.
Dynavolt Tower - This is the other main win condition. It gives energy each time you cast a fog, wrath, or dig spell, while allowing you to build up energy to bolt the opponent to death over seven or eight turns. These work best in conjunction with one another.
Cast Out - Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger is a jerk. Indestructible stops Fumigate, and it wipes out the deck so quickly with its exile effect. It is essential that the titan never gets declared as an attacker. Cast Out stops it, or, in a bad circumstance, can be cycled away for a more relevant draw.
Commencement of Festivities - Fog.
Encircling Fissure - Fog, and, in an optimal situation, a surprise 2/2.
Repel the Abominable - Fog, and, can stop most burn, save Thermo-Alchemist.
Fumigate - A wrath effect that punishes aggressive decks that like having lost of creatures. The timing of these is crucial, since casting time can shape close games.
Attune with Aether - This ensures that the necessary colors of mana are accessible, and fuels any energy hungry permanents.
Appetite for the Unnatural - Mainboarded hate keeps me ahead, especially with the abundance of artifacts in standard. This hits the main threats of standard, being vehicles and Aetherwork Marvel.
Approach of the Second Sun - This card. Ah, this card. I love to win with this.
Declaration in Stone - Stop Ulamog.
Haze of Pollen - A fog that can be traded for more applicable cards if needed.
Wildest Dreams - This is an incredible source of recursion. It is powerful, but slow. Perfect for this deck.
Appetite for the Unnatural - Life and killing pesky applicable permanents.
Ceremonious Rejection - The biggest threat in all of standard is Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. One attack and I am as good as dead, fog or not. This will deal with it.
Descend upon the Sinful - A special wrath just for Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger.
Deadlock Trap - Chandra, Torch of Defiance is one thing that I just need to get an answer to if she pops up.
Fragmentize - Artifacts and enchantments are good, but less so when they are in the graveyard.
Gideon's Intervention - Stop a strategy based too heavily on a single card.
Negate - Stops control decks and hits planeswalkers, which my deck hates.
Stasis Snare - A way to deal with a resolved Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger.
Thermo-Alchemist - No one expects creatures from a creatures deck. So when a creature can deal between one and four damage each cycle for two mana, it is excellent. Especially after they sideboard out all of their best removal.
The deck will typically want to have fixing to ensure that a fog will be accessible as soon as possible, in the event of luck or highly aggressive strategies. Aether Hub is great at this, since energy should be plentiful throughout the game. The strongest turn one play is to lead with Authority of the Consuls to immediately take advantage of creatures that the opponent plays.
From an established board of a few lands, continue with caution, as there are only four wrath effects in the deck and thirteen fogs. It is usually smart to save fog effects until after turns three or four (unless otherwise is necessary).
Once the opponent has a threatening presence, fog effects, or even the occasional use of Consulate Surveillance can slow them down enough to hold up a fog, and play card advantage spells or win cons, like Dynavolt Tower or Fevered Visions.
Fumigate, in it's small quantity, should be saved for a dangerous board state, or at least a point where the life gain may save you from trouble.
To close the game, allow your wincons to slowly burn out your opponent, as they frantically search for an out. If all works out, Approach of the Second Sun will do the trick.
Red-X Vehicle Aggro - This deck can be fought with Blessed Alliance, or Appetite for the Unnatural/Fragmentize, depending upon how vehicle heavy or burn heavy the deck is. Generally, this is a favorable matchup.
BG Delerium - This is also a favorable matchup. The deck is full of removal, and creatures meant to outclass other creatures. It will end up with a host of dead cards in hand, since there is nearly nothing that the removal in the deck can hit. The planes walkers in the deck can be a bit frustrating to deal with, since usually Dynavolt Tower can't burn them fast enough, so bring in Negate will help. If Emrakul, the Promised End is an emphasized card in the deck, Ceremonious Rejection will stop it from hitting the field, and Summary Dismissal will prevent the card from doing any harm.
GW(U) Aggro - This matchup is similar to Red-X Aggro, since Turbo Fog is generally favored, but Negate can be helpful if the deck is packed with Gideon, Ally of Zendikars and Nissa, Voice of Zendikars.
UB Colossus - This deck can be an easy matchup, depending upon how "all-in" it is. If the opponent is dead set upon bringing out Metalwork Colossus and attacking with just it, Consulate Surveillance becomes incredible. Otherwise, all artifact hate in the sideboard helps here.
UW Control - Control matchups are probably the worst to face, but this deck is heavily reliant upon a select few creatures to win the game. If those can be kept at bay, the slow wincons of the deck can usually beat this deck. Since it usually runs Cataclysmic Gearhulk and Torrential Gearhulk, Appetite for the Unnatural is excellent here.
Temur Aetherworks - This matchup is pretty bad, since the mainboard has little hate on Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger. The deck can deal with Emrakul, the Promised End, using the wrath, but Ulamog's mill is efficient enough to kill without ever having to deal damage. In order to win this matchup reliably, board in Ceremonious Rejection to handle eldrazi or Aetherworks Marvel. Blessed Alliance can deal with an Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger on the board.
Blue-X Aetherflux - This deck can be a difficult matchup if not played right. Often times, interaction with this deck is problematic, as their win condition does not require any sort of attacking or combat based strategy. The deck is however, highly susceptible to Consulate Surveillance, since they could pay fifty life to deal no damage. Side boarding here is to keep pesky removal spells away, while destroying any Imprisoned in the Moons. Negate is always good, while Fragmentize/Appetite for the Unnatural becomes better if permanents take a larger role, and Invasive Surgery is great if the deck is primarily sorceries.
Zombies - This classical aggro deck is easy to beat. Bring in all removal and youll be fine. In a worst case scenario, leave the field full and burn them out with the damage dealing permenants.
(More to come...)
This deck won its first real tournament. All rounds went to time and won through different means.
Match #1 - Aetherflux Reservoir: This variant of the deck relied upon Herald of Kozilek and Foundry Inspector to play artifacts as cantrips, like Prophetic Prism. The deck's engine, paradozical outcome was used primarily as an answer to Fumigate, but turbo fog faced this well. The games resulted in abnormally high life totals, up to 485 life (there were 4 Aetherflux Reservoirs on the field), but 26 energy and Consulate Surveillance, combined with Repel the Abominable took me to victory.
Match #2 - Delirium: This went according to plan. The deck had few ways around fogs, and a couple of Fevered Visions took my opponent out. At one point, my opponent did have 2 Liliana, the Last Hope emblems, but Authority of the Consuls and Fumigate kept the game in my favor.
Match #3 - Dynavolt Tower control: One of the worse match ups for the deck went well. I managed to kill of the towers with Fragmentize in game two, and Negate all around won me the game, saving my Fevered Visions and stopping big spells burn spells, like Fateful Showdown.
More to come...
Pieces of the Puzzle or Glimmer of Genius - By carefully watching the number of cards in an opponents library, it is possible to wait out the opponents assault. This patient strategy has won several tournament games.
If there are cards that you do not see here that should be in the deck, don't hesitate to comment below to suggest them. All comments are welcome and encouraged. Thank you for your ideas!
If you enjoy the deck, feel free to give this deck a +1.
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| Top Ranked |
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| Date added | 8 years |
| Last updated | 6 years |
| Legality | This deck is not Standard legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 0 - 2 Mythic Rares 22 - 5 Rares 18 - 1 Uncommons 14 - 7 Commons |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 2.79 |
| Tokens | Angel 4/4 W, Clue, Energy Reserve |
| Folders | Decks that are of interest, Standard Testing Pool, Nice, Standard Brew, Awesome, standard, Standard, T2 Kaladesh, Cool decks, sweet decks |
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