Grixis Control

[Viridia]

So, i've been thinking about playing modern for a while now. While i don't particulary like the format alot, i see potential.
Considering that i love playing Control decks i had a few options. I chose to go with a somewhat lesser played archetype: Grixis Control.


This is the list i came up with so far, i haven't tested anything yet, but i'd be happy to have some more input :)

4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
2 Cascade Bluffs
2 Island
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Mountain
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Academy Ruins

3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Vendilion Clique
3 Thundermaw Hellkite

4 Rune Snag
4 Cryptic Command

4 Terminate
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Volcanic Fallout
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Electrolyze
1 Damnation
1 Cruel Ultimatum

2 Thoughtseize


Sideboard is somewhat thrown together, but i'll post it for good measures:

3 Rakdos Charm
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Duress
2 Spell Pierce
2 Pithing Needle
1 Damnation
1 Volcanic Fallout
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Thoughtseize

[CRich3]

Hello, I am making a switch from grixis delver to grixis control. Grixis just doesn't have enough power to support delver early game. I plan on running Liliana, it's a control deck so I don't see why not. I am also still working on a list. I have an idea of what I want. I think Thundermaw is a very powerful card in modern.

A few questions.
Would a 1 of Nicol Bolas be better than a 1 of Cruel Ultimatum?
Would Jace Beleren be playable? He sounds good with Liliana of the Veil.

[Viridia]

Hej! Great to see someone else interested in this :)
Personally, i'm not that big a fan for Liliana, she is definately good, however you'll pretty much end up pithing answers to her +1 all the time anyway, which obviously doesn't really help you out. However, multiple Edicts/ultimating her is definately strong, warants some testing at least.

Nicol Bolas costs 8 mana vs Cruel's 7, which might be a problem, aswel as Cruel being an answer to multiple creatures right away aswell as netting you instant CA. I'm open for testing Bolas, but i'm not sure if he's better then Ultimatum.

Jace is definately playable, but if he's better then the other cards in the deck? Not sure. I was thinking about testing Jace, Architect of Thought myself :)

[evanmartyr]

That list is sweet but I really don't like the Cruel Ultimatum. It seems like a really hard to cast win condition, when you could be playing much easier to cast win conditions.

EDIT: Also, why Thundermaw? He's a blowout against Lingering Souls, to be sure, but the general metagame is full of decks that don't play x/1 fliers. Is your meta Souls/Clique-heavy? Have you tried anything else in his spot?

[CRich3]

At first it was Tombstalker and he did a lot. But the removing cards in the graveyard was a hit or miss. But it was nice having 3 mana open and casting him. It isn't my meta that is full of x/1 fliers. Only cards with flying that are played are x/1 except restoration angel and Baneslayer. I will just have to use removal for her. Thundermaw is almost always 5 free damage. I'm still working with different cards. But most of my deck is black red. Just blue for baby jace and serum visions right now. Haven't tested the changes yet. Still waiting for another modern event.

[firebadmattgood]

Two thoughtsieze is not enough disruption, imo. 3 Thundermaw also seems really excessive. I would ditch two hellkites for two inquisition or thoughtsieze.

[Viridia]

Thundermaw is basically this deck's way of closing a game quickly. I do however agree that going -1 Thundermaw +1 Discard might be a good decision.

[Timber]

I'm slowing getting into Modern and I really liked Patrick Chapin's Grixis Control deck that he ran at GP Detroit. He went 7-3.

Any thoughts/suggestions for improving it? I thought there should be more disruption via Thoughtseize or Liliana of the Veil maindeck.

2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Mulldrifter

1 Jace, Architect of Thought

3 Mana Leak
3 Spell Snare
4 Cryptic Command

2 Damnation
1 Devour Flesh
1 Dreadbore
4 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Pillar of Flame
1 Terminate

3 Cruel Ultimatum

2 Coalition Relic

3 Drowned Catacomb
3 Island
2 Blood Crypt
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Lavaclaw Reaches
2 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Steam Vents
2 Sulfur Falls
2 Sunken Ruins
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

SIDEBOARD
1 Batterskull
1 Consume the Meek
2 Counterflux
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Pithing Needle
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Shadow of Doubt
2 Sowing Salt
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
1 Thoughtseize

Also, here's the link to the "bootleg" deck tech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5n42ax4ixk

[Timber]

Here are some videos of Paul Cheon playing a similar brew a few months ago. He calls it Cruel Control.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whLK5QRj7N4

[Timber]

Cruel Control quietly won an SCG Invitational Qualifier the same weekend as PT Born of the Gods.

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=63886

[Davran]

Cruel Control quietly won an SCG Invitational Qualifier the same weekend as PT Born of the Gods.

http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=63886

Hm, I actually really like that list. Consume the Meek seems pretty good in this format. It sucks to see Mystical Teachings in the board though...I love casting that card.

[Timber]

Another take on the deck:

http://www.gatheringmagic.com/blakerasmussen-031314-a-modern-ultimatum/

Is there a reason that none of the UWx players on this forum have tried Grixis? Or have you tried it and it didn't work?

With the ridiculous inflation of Modern cards right now, my ability to acquire anything blue is moving at a snail's pace so I can't contribute to any personal experiences.

[YamiJoey]

It's mostly Celestial Colonnade and Path to Exile. Colonnade is basically how I win every single game of Magic in Modern. (Apart from now that I'm playing a horrible deck with Green in it, but whatever.)

[Mr. Safety]

Another take on the deck:

http://www.gatheringmagic.com/blakerasmussen-031314-a-modern-ultimatum/

Is there a reason that none of the UWx players on this forum have tried Grixis? Or have you tried it and it didn't work?

With the ridiculous inflation of Modern cards right now, my ability to acquire anything blue is moving at a snail's pace so I can't contribute to any personal experiences.

I've considered playing grixis, and I play a bunch of uw. I think the strongest arguments for grixis are mystical teachings and creeping tar pit. Its such a strong control engine. Resolving a cruel ultimatum feels pretty damn good too.