W/B Wizard Agrro...What?!

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

I made this deck shortly after shadowmoor came out to capitalize on the reverse dark confidant- Augery Adept. It started out as a bored attempt to shake things up a bit, as at this point i had run the same deck for over 2 months, and surprisingly it won...again and again and again. Its a very interesting deck, very much so in the developing stages, but this is how ive been playing it. Suggestions welcome!

WU Wizards:

Land-
4x Tundra
4x Flooded Strand
4x Polluted Delta
3x Island
2x plains

Creatures-
4x Meddling Mage
3X Azorius Guildmage
3x Augery Adept

Removal-
4X Swords to Plowshares
3x Oblivion Ring

Counter-
3X counterbalance
3x Counterspell
4X Force of Will
4x Daze

Filter-
4x Brainstorm
3x Sensie's Diving Top
2x Ponder

Super Secret Tech-
3x Steel of the Godhead

Sideboard:
3x tormods crypt
3x disenchant
3x stifle/orims chant (cant decide:cry: )
3x Back To Basics
3x umezawa's jitte

The deck is pretty straightforward. Counter the spells, remove annoying things...its white/blue control. what can i say you dont already know?

what i CAN say is steel of the godhead is amazing, on any creature in this deck. A resolved steel will win any game against aggro, and on most occasion thresh cant keep up with the unblockable lifegain beats either. Combo is an easy win, with all the maindeck answers+sideboard hate. On most occasions i win via" meddling mage naming a removal spell, give him steel and beat face", although-and dont laugh- azorius guildmage is an all star as well. he is surprisingly good in the format. Keeping goyf from attacking or nullifying blockers at crucial time? Countering deed activations? he has done them all because he is easily dismissed and forgotten.

Another fun fact---essentially i run "only" four non-basic lands. Back to basics in the side makes for an easy victory against an inumerable amount of decks in the format, especcially when you can simply fetch all your basics.

Look it over let me know what you think.

[Valtrix]

Well, for one, the abbreviation for blue is U, not B. B is for black =P

I think that it's pretty weak, actually =/ I mean, you're creatures are hardly that strong. Azorius guildmage is just not that good, and you won't want to use its abilities so you can keep mana open for counterspells. You're going to get two-for-one'd left and right with steel of the godhead, even if sometimes it's good. I also don't understand all the three-ofs. They just seem like the wrong number. 3 counterbalance? 3 counterspell? 3 augury adept?

Really, I'd say this looks closest to thresh, only with worse creatures as win conditions. Could you elaborate how this deck "consistently" wins?

[Drac]

This deck is nothing like Threshhold at all.

Although it runs counterbalance and blue disruption its gameplay differs.

This deck creates card advantage rather then card quality, although it does this aswell.

lots of cards in this deck are random wins.

Lets take a look @ our little friend Azorius Guildmage for instance.

How awesome is it to stifle Counterbalance or Survival again and again and again!

Meddling Mage, with the rise of Agro-Loam and combo this card just might have a home in this deck. also he is awesome with steel of the godhead(this just requires alot of know how of your opponents deck.)

Steel of the godhead- This is a card that cuts both ways. It can 2 for 1 you. but it can also totally kick ass. with counterbalance and meddling mage you may be able to create a save environment for your steel.

the Back to Basics from the side can be very good in this format.

This deck seems very mana hungry with your azorius guildmage and countertop. I dont see counterspell working out in this deck, but maybe im wrong and i would like to hear your reaction on this issue.

All in all i think this deck has serious promise, but its not their yet.

[Elficidium]

How awesome is it to stifle Counterbalance again and again and again!

Doesn't work.

[Drac]

im sorry i misread the card, i thought it was activated and triggered like stifle. you can still stifle the top tapping to go on top tho :(.

[Mirrislegend]

Personally, I'd change the Oblivion Rings and Steel of the Godheads into Condemn (cheap creature management) and Jitte. Find some space for Factories and you've just streamlined your manacurve and strengthened your early and late games.

[Kuma]

Having had the pleasure of playing against this deck several times, I can tell you that it is way better than any of you are giving it credit for. It is able to maintain good matchups against aggro, control, and combo all at the same time, and has won several of our tournaments in the face of top-tier decks.

Heh, now I can stop calling this deck UW Aggro Control when I talk about how it beats me ;P

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

This deck is nothing like Threshhold at all.

Although it runs counterbalance and blue disruption its gameplay differs.

This deck creates card advantage rather then card quality, although it does this aswell.

lots of cards in this deck are random wins.

Lets take a look @ our little friend Azorius Guildmage for instance.

How awesome is it to stifle Counterbalance or Survival again and again and again!

Meddling Mage, with the rise of Agro-Loam and combo this card just might have a home in this deck. also he is awesome with steel of the godhead(this just requires alot of know how of your opponents deck.)

Steel of the godhead- This is a card that cuts both ways. It can 2 for 1 you. but it can also totally kick ass. with counterbalance and meddling mage you may be able to create a save environment for your steel.

the Back to Basics from the side can be very good in this format.

This deck seems very mana hungry with your azorius guildmage and countertop. I dont see counterspell working out in this deck, but maybe im wrong and i would like to hear your reaction on this issue.

All in all i think this deck has serious promise, but its not their yet.

Thank you for your kind words! a few points-
a.guildmage-although the "stifle" ability is good, i only ever have to use it once in a blue moon. The best situation is P.deed/explosives. Most occasions he(she? it?) taps down attakers, or forces win by tapping blockers.

Meddling mage- although it gets better with the more knowlege you have of your opponents deck, there are many situations where all you need to know is the COLOR of the opponents deck. Often times MM names removal, unless its late game and there is another option. Against black its a safe bet to name smother, against green goyf, etc,etc. hit or miss, MM is still a 2/2 for two-and this is some kind of bizarro world aggro deck:confused:


@Valtrex-I will be playing this deck tonight at our local tourney. Tomorrow ill list detailed game matches so you(and everyone else) can get a better idea of how it opperates

[Top Deck]

Thank you for your kind words! a few points-
a.guildmage-although the "stifle" ability is good, i only ever have to use it once in a blue moon. The best situation is P.deed/explosives. Most occasions he(she? it?) taps down attakers, or forces win by tapping blockers.

Meddling mage- although it gets better with the more knowlege you have of your opponents deck, there are many situations where all you need to know is the COLOR of the opponents deck. Often times MM names removal, unless its late game and there is another option. Against black its a safe bet to name smother, against green goyf, etc,etc. hit or miss, MM is still a 2/2 for two-and this is some kind of bizarro world aggro deck:confused:


@Valtrex-I will be playing this deck tonight at our local tourney. Tomorrow ill list detailed game matches so you(and everyone else) can get a better idea of how it opperates

i think the deck has a ton of potential. it really looks like an updated version of blue/white fish. you might look to that deck for inspiration on what cards you might want to toss in, but overall the deck looks like it should work well.

also o-ring is great against the other countertop decks since they dont run 3's and you want to o-ring their counterbalance.

[stalkerzero]

Wish I had gotten a chance to play against this tonight.

Seems like an almost impossible win for my deck or at the very least a win that I would have to work way too hard for.

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

i know im late w/the tourney report, ill get it up tomorrow.(i have kids and work and all that jazz...)

[Mordenkaynen]

Silkbind faerie can be an option. It do better the work of "stop opponent's creature while beat with your one" than mage (cheaper and can attack when an opponent has blockers) but is more narrow, sure.

A little bad news are Eplague and that piledriver has protection from your creatures.

Mostly I'm interested in gobs match up of this deck. Were they in the tournament?

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

Silkbind faerie can be an option. It do better the work of "stop opponent's creature while beat with your one" than mage (cheaper and can attack when an opponent has blockers) but is more narrow, sure.

A little bad news are Eplague and that piledriver has protection from your creatures.

Mostly I'm interested in gobs match up of this deck. Were they in the tournament?

Ive noticed both about E.plague and driver. Luckily i have O.ring and SB Disenchant for the plagues and well...i have to counter or swords a driver.

One note before i list the tournement report: i made a small change to the MD and Sb before the tournement. Before i was running 4x Brainstorm, 3x Top, and 2x ponder-and i found that i was outboarding the 2 ponders in every match. So i:
-2 Ponder
+2 Jittes
Then the side board changed to:
-2 jittes
+2 Blue Elemental Blasts


TOURNEMENT REPORT-7/16/08: 14 players-4 rounds cut to top 4.
Rd.1-Crazy Rogue Storm
Game one he wins by sheer luck i didnt know what he was playing and kept a generally good hand, something like daze, swords, mage, lands and top. He goes first and combos(!). Ouch
-3 oblivion rings
-2 swords to plowshares
+2 BEB
+3 Stifle
Game two i win by an ungodly amount of counter. I keep stalling him and eventually drop a M.Mage naming Empty the warrens. I play a jitte the following turn with 2 blue untapped and he decides to chance it. I BEB his burning wish and he plays tendrills. I stifle and jitte+MM take it home.
Game three I laugh at the utter rediculousness of my hand-double meddling mage,2 fetches, force, augery adept,stifle. I wait till turn 3 to play the first mage leaving mana open to stifle. I name empty, and pass. He is obviously upset because he draws the empty he needed :smile: . I play next mage naming tendrills. i draw counter balance and play it(still have force, auger, and stifle in hand). He trys to pryoclasm i trigger counterbalnce (revealing top) and force the clasm. at this point i have him locked out because i keep a one and a two on top (to counter pryoblast and pyroclasm,among others) and mages mages beat him to death.

Rd.2-G/U/R Threshold (with swan combo)
I win game one after a nasty war of attrition. We take turns countering each others stuff( counter your stuff, no counter your stuff. counterbalance- counter, play counterbalance -force) and i get a MM to stick and name Fire/Ice. I manage to keeps Mongoose's off the board and am forced to swords a gofy. I eventualy rip a jitte and ride it for the win.
-3 steel of the godhead
the burn here makes it more likely that ill get 2-1ed, and in a control match i cant afford a counter to protect it.
+3 Back to Basics
Game two is a long, dragged out, brawl. We spend the first couple (few? five? 8?) turns countering/swordsing/burning evferything off the board. He manages to establish counterbalance+top, which i play around for a couple turns. I eventually am able to play my OWN counterbalance with his in play. We stay in this state for several turns, letting counterbalances do all the work while we draw more cards. he plays a goose, and goddamn it he makes it through. i subsequently draw an o.ring (played on his counterbalance-it resolved :laugh: ) and a ton of counter, but that damn goose beats me down while i wish i had a creature to go on the jitte:cry:
As we start shuffling for Game three, we hear "TIME!". Oh poop. 1-1-1 draw.

Rd.3-Gobbo's
I spend the first couple turns countering early lackey and vial, and i play a MM naming tarfire. I rip an augery adept and play it and spend the next few turns countering and swords'ing a path for her. adept flips me a steel and i quickly outrun the goblins. Fun fact-i ended the game at 47 life-AGAINST GOBLINS
-3 counterbalance
-1 daze
+2 disenchant
+ 2 BEB
He comes out swinging! I mull to five (no lands) and he opens up with a lackey. I swords and pass the turn. He plays a vial(F#@K!) and passes. i play a MM naming tarfire again. In a couple of turns he manages to produce a warchief and a driver of vial, i BEB the driver and he pryoblasts. he pitches a card to pyrokinesis my MM and im done in a few turns.
game three im forced to mull again, and i keep a six card hand of swords x2, 2x fetch, a MM and a top. I play top and pass. he plays vial:eek: . i Play MM naming pyroblast and pass. he ramps vial to one and plays...another vial. uh-oh. i draw a c.spell and pass and he endsteps a fanatic. he ramps vial #2 to one swings in (i take it, down to 17) and passes. i draw and play a flooded strand. he endsteps two more fanatics(!). He swings in and i take it goiing down to 14.I draw steel of the godhead. i swing in knocking im to 17, and I fetch(13) to play steel to force 2 fanatic pops. he does leaving 2 vials, a fanatic and lands on board. he end steps a driver and a lackey. He swings dropping me to 6 and plays ring leader revealing: tarfire ,warchief, driver, land.i draw my card-a land. i do some quick math and determine that no matter where i point my 2 swords im still dead

I just want to note that this match was not an accurrate reflection of this decks matchups against gobbos. Ive played it many times before and the win/loss ratio is 3/1. A large amount of counter, creatures to block and go on the offensive, and removal makes this a very decent match for me.

Rd. 4-Crazy G/W aggro(?)
I get paired down-bad for me. this match was so random and way off the beaten path im not going to go into detail. I counter+top him out of game one and i beat him to death game two with a mage +steel. nothing to brag about.

I finish up the tournement 2-1-1. i get cut out of the top, most likely because i got paired down rd 4, although i didnt look to confirm this. anyhow i finish seat five, a little burned i didnt have an awesome report to give on the true capabilities of this deck. I will run again on next Wed.

[yawg07]

I STILL curse you for countering BOTH of my Counterbalances one right after the other :tongue:
There were a lot of 2-1-1's that night, I got bumped out, too. I think I must have been ranked 6th though. :rolleyes:

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

I STILL curse you for countering BOTH of my Counterbalances one right after the other :tongue:
There were a lot of 2-1-1's that night, I got bumped out, too. I think I must have been ranked 6th though. :rolleyes:


:cool: Your welcome

[mercenarybdu]

ya could splash for black for some extra goodies....

[Mordenkaynen]

i BEB the driver
WTF? (did I misunderstand smth?)

If vials are so deadly, why no needle in SB?

What about FS and DS MUs?

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

WTF? (did I misunderstand smth?)

If vials are so deadly, why no needle in SB?

What about FS and DS MUs?
Error, the driver wasnt off vial :tongue:

ass far as the SB, its very much in development, so needles very well could be in there . ill look at it and see if i can incorporate them in there. ill post if(and when) the deck or SB changes.

alsoin confused. Not sure what FS and DS MUs stand for :frown:

[Barook]

At the very least, it looks like a cool concept.

However, considering the amounts of enchantments and artifacts, wouldn't a few Enlightened Tutors do wonders?

[Kuma]

Not sure what FS and DS MUs stand for :frown:

Faerie Stompy and Dragon Stompy.

Barook may have a point. In Cephalid Breakfast, Worldly Tutoring a needed card to the top of the deck with a Counterbalance out is an amazing play.

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

ohhhh...well i have yet to play it -vs- dragon stompy (although im sure kuma will be happy to test it with me) but i tested against fairy stompy just friday night. we played three games and everytime it was a real awkward game. in one mach i MM'ed both serendib and sea drake and he pooped it. in another i named serendib, and immediately regretted it because a SOFI came down. he ended up winning 2 of 3, but if people are interested in these matchups i can do more playtesting and let you know.

[yawg07]

The Thresh (non tempo, like swan and UGw) matchup seems to be a battle to get Counterbalance on the table.
Because that was what we both tried VERY hard to do those games, because it nukes the other player.
Have you considered Spell Snare anywhere?

[Barook]

The Thresh (non tempo, like swan and UGw) matchup seems to be a battle to get Counterbalance on the table.
Because that was what we both tried VERY hard to do those games, because it nukes the other player.

In that case, wouldn't it be more logical to use a 3cc Disenchant-Effect to play around Counterbalance? E.g. Dismantling Blow (instant speed) or Aura of Silence which has the boni of taxing their stuff and being fetchable via Tutor.

[Nihlistdeathtrip]

In that case, wouldn't it be more logical to use a 3cc Disenchant-Effect to play around Counterbalance? E.g. Dismantling Blow (instant speed) or Aura of Silence which has the boni of taxing their stuff and being fetchable via Tutor.

dont know if adding more is necessary. You have to consider, theres always the option of countering CB, and if it were to resolve i have oblivion rings to take care of it (which happened in the example above)
i think in the thresh match, as far as CB is concerned, im a little better off because i have answers for it, whereas they have to wait for SB, unless they are playing whit splash (but who does that anymore?)