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Thread: [Deck] UWB Teachings Control

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  1. #1
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    [Deck] UWB Teachings Control

    Some may know it as an Esper Teachings deck. This plays like a draw/go control deck, almost every spell is an instant/flash. The deck has a solid mix of board control, card advantage/quality, and permission. It revolves around Mystical Teachings - which, while slow, is quite powerful, tutoring almost any spell in the deck. Many of the cards play more than one role (Cryptic Command, for example, is more than simple permission), with that in mind, please recognize that I'm categorizing cards by their usual role, but not their only role.

    Here is a list:

    // Lands - 25
    4 Island
    1 Plains
    1 Swamp
    1 Godless Shrine
    2 Watery Grave
    2 Hallowed Fountain
    4 Misty Rainforest
    4 Marsh Flats
    4 Arcane Sanctum
    1 Creeping Tar Pit
    1 Celestial Colonnade

    // Card Quality/Quantity - 9
    4 Mystical Teachings
    4 Esper Charm
    1 Blue Sun's Zenith

    // Permission - 9
    4 Mana Leak
    4 Cryptic Command
    1 Spell Burst

    // Board Control - 10
    4 Path to Exile
    3 Go for the Throat
    1 Geth's Verdict
    1 Consume the Meek
    1 Pulse of the Fields

    // Disruptive/Stalling Wincons - 7
    3 Vedalken Shackles
    1 Venser, Shaper Savant
    1 Vendilion Clique
    1 Aven Mindcensor
    1 White Sun's Zenith

    // Sideboard
    SB: 1 Vendilion Clique
    SB: 1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
    SB: 1 Mindbreak Trap
    SB: 1 Disenchant
    SB: 1 Surgical Extraction
    SB: 2 Bribery
    SB: 2 Pithing Needle
    SB: 3 Spell Pierce
    SB: 3 Meddling Mage

    As I said, many of these cards can play multiple roles. For example, sometimes it is better to pressure your opponent's hand with Esper charm than draw your own (and once in a while you'll be blowing up enchantments with it).

    This particular build has a solid amount of redundancy in each category, so you can reliably see the effects when you need them, but it also sports 9-singleton tutor targets, at least one in each category which scales very nicely with your manabase and are usually reusable. Cards like Spell Burst and Pulse of the Fields can setup softlocks, but are situational enough that you prefer to tutor them rather than have them in multiples, unlike something as generically useful as Vedalken Shackles.

    Many versions of this deck sport Teferi main and non-flash creatures (which can be tutored after Teferi is in play). In my experience, the deck evolves away from such a strategy. Teferi is a good card in some matchups, but relatively dead in others. I've relegated it to the SB, and the non-flash creatures have disappeared (Shackles has been much better).

    Lastly, I'd like to add that Mystical Teachings allows this deck to run a silver-bullet strategy in both the main and sideboard. It lends versatility to the deck - it is something akin to Cunning Wish with flashback on it.

    Hopefully this can get us started.



    peace,
    4eak

  2. #2
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    Re: [Deck] UWB Teachings Control

    I like every bit of this
    Matt Bevenour in real life

  3. #3
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    Re: [Deck] UWB Teachings Control

    I never got to play Teachings in Standard, but I did in Pauper, and the card is absolutely insane, I hope this deck can be the real deal.

  4. #4
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    Re: [Deck] UWB Teachings Control

    After testing more 12-post matchups, I'm changing the board:

    -2 Bribery (which was simply too slow)
    -3 Meddling Mage (a good card, but not good enough)
    +3 Aven Mindcensor
    +1 Spell Pierce
    +1 Vendilion Clique

    I can't say enough good things about Aven Mindcensor. That card is such a beast in the 12-post matchup (which I am worried about). It stops the ramp, rocks Eye of Ugin, and it beats down. The card is still quite good in other matchups as well, e.g. Dragonstorm, Gifts, and many others, but I would run it even if only for 12-post.



    peace,
    4eak

  5. #5
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    Re: [Deck] UWB Teachings Control

    Is Blue Sun's Zenith fast enough to warrant a slot of something less mana-intensive like Careful Consideration? Granted, the thought of searching up a Zenith and flashbacking Teachings to find it again made my head explode, so maybe it's good. I'd also consider Engineered Explosives, as it's awesome against Zoo.
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  6. #6
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    Re: [Deck] UWB Teachings Control

    Generally speaking, Draw/Go plays a spell in the mainphases under only 4 circumstances:
    • The spell isn't an instant (in which case, unless it is absolutely amazing and/or necessary, it shouldn't be in the deck)
    • You are digging for a non-instant card which you need to play in the same turn. (this should be fairly rare for the deck)
    • Your opponent is largely tapped out, they can't interact with you, and you want to resolve a key spell - this usually occurs where you end step bait and have a false counterwar over it, they are relevantly tapped out, and you untap to cast the vital spell on your turn (which is before they would untap, obv.).
    • You are already winning - your opponent has nothing in hand or threats, you have an answer+mana for the topdeck, and you have enough extra mana that you can cast the another spell in your mainphase without fear. It doesn't matter at this point whether you wait to play it mainphase or on their end step. But, this is not the sort of circumstance for which we select cards for the deck.

    Careful Consideration pushes you to play it mainphase, and unless you were already winning, it is almost always wrong to play it mainphase. Usually this card just digs 4 and you pitch you worst 3 cards (which isn't card advantage).

    Jace's Ingenuity is likely better, and it actually competes with BSZ for mana efficiency. 3 for 5 vs. 2 for 5. It takes 8 mana or more for BSZ to be more mana efficient. BSZ can be win-more. It depends on the matchup.


    peace,
    4eak

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