What's consistently better Valakut Ramp or B/U Control
Deck Help forum
Posted on Jan. 13, 2011, 12:31 p.m. by trisbee
I'm new to magic and before I spend money on 4x Jace, the Mind Sculptor, I'd like to know generally which deck has the edge or if they're an even match! B/U control or Valakut Ramp!
hamburgers says... #3
Adding to the above point. many decklists don't contain Jace, the Wallet Opener in 4-sets. Many have 2-3, or in some cases, you will often find people who simply are playing Jace Beleren in the 3 mana slot, using him as what amounts to a three cost sorcery that reads "sometimes you draw some cards with this, and sometimes it Vindicate 's the nearest jace, the mind sculptor."
January 13, 2011 10:37 p.m.
It really depends on the skill level of the pilot IMO/ I feel that Control always has the potential to beat any deck if you get halfway decent draws and play it well but a deck like Valakut Ramp is so consistent because once you get the 2 Valas out (via normally playing it, or a titan drop) the rest of your deck save forests might as well read: You win the game!
It's hard to lose with a decent hand when your deck is entirely Gas. A control player usually has to work for the win a bit harder but if they are skillfull enough with a bit of luck can shut down even the best Gas based decks.
January 14, 2011 10:43 p.m.
hamburgers says... #5
The main thing, however, is that for control decks to function well, they need to have Knowledge. Information about your opponents decks, while helpful for your sideboarding, is not NEARLY as useful to a regular deck, as to a man of the puppet strings. Consequently, you need to know ALL the kinds of decks currently popular in your meta to be able to have a decent shot of controlling, because you cannot counter everything. Some spells have to be let through, and you have to know what to let through (Ex, Monogreen eldrazi ramp, probably don't Essence Scatter /etc dem Overgrown Battlement . It could lead to Summoning Trap into a fatty anyway, so you save that counter for Primeval Titan )
This makes it VERY hard for players who have little knowledge of the meta and cards availible (new, usually, but also anyone without a broad range to play against) to immediately play control.
January 15, 2011 2:05 a.m.
Very true, Most control players develop a love for control after they have been running an argo for a while and are tired of control decks messing up their usual play orders with counters and field wipers. They then try control with little success because they don't know when and what to counter/bounce/destroy. After failing they tend to study the metagame, study other decks, and more closely study their own decks. After study and better understanding the game in general, they then approach control with a new set if eyes and a different mindset which allows them to do well.
If you are pretty new I suggest an Argo over control to start with then move into control if you are still interested.
January 15, 2011 10:36 p.m.
π_is_the_word says... #7
For a good starting deck I would suggest B/r Vampires, its much cheaper and is starting to get some serious play.
Now besides Vampires, U/B Control requires you to memorize all the other decks that you could face. Then, you have to know out of all the decks you could face, which decks are actually being played in your Meta. Then, you have to know what to counter, what to let through and, how much damage to allow to go through to you. I started playing U/B Control after playing for 7 months and I picked up how to play Control relatively fast because I had 2 excellent Control players for friends. Control as it currently exists in Standard is not a beginner level deck or even an intermediate level deck, it is for those players who have a good amount of play experience and understand how to manipulate game play to their largest advantage.
Valakut requires some skill, it requires you to know when to crack a Harrow and to plan out your game play for the next 2 or 3 turns. But, compared to Control this is an easy deck, to learn how to play.
I would suggest that at some point you make a control deck. After playing a control deck for a long time I feel I have a much better understanding of the game. But, you should not make it to be your First good deck.
Raddman says... #2
Having played both in paper and online, I have to say UB is more consistent, if not for any reason other than card draw spells and abilities.
Titan ramp can sometimes get back topdecks where as UB hardly ever gets back rips unless you didn't stack your deck right off the card draw spells.
Also, Jace will retain more value long term than Primeval because it is played in other formats, legacy, ext for example.
Having said all that.......if you don't like playing control then don't buy it, you will not be happy! Keep in mind, Jace rotates out in about 8 months I think.
January 13, 2011 2:48 p.m.