UWr Helm Control

[ThirdDegree]

With top gone, I've been trying to find a good way to use my pile of UW cards. Stoneblade is fun, but I never have much luck with it. I feel like it doesn't win fast enough, so it gives your opponent time to turn the corner. I got to thinking about the pre-miracles helm of obedience/rip combo. Granted this old deck used counter-top, but I threw something together without it. I think the down-tick of abrupt decay in decks makes some of these cards more viable:


//Lands 21
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Island
2 Plains
1 Karakas
2 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island
2 Wasteland

//Instants 19
3 Enlightened Tutor
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Brainstorm
2 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
4 Force of Will

//Sorceries 7
4 Ponder
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Council's Judgement

//Enchantments 7
3 Rest in Peace
3 Energy Field
1 Detention Sphere

//Artifacts 3
2 Helm of Obedience
1 Engineered Explosives

//Creatures 1
1 Vendilion Clique

//Walkers 2
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

//Sideboard
2 Flusterstorm
2 Pyroblast
1 Meddling Mage
2 Monastery Mentor
2 Blood Moon
1 Sulfur Elemental
2 Containment Priest
2 Wear//Tear
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar


I haven't done any MODO leagues with this pile yet (planning on doing that today and tomorrow) but have gone 4-0 in various practice matches (and 2 of those weren't even jank decks!). Once I have some better testing, I'll post some results. Curious on people's thoughts on this.

[Dice_Box]

I was playing something like this a while back, I loved it when I was. I suggest, if the plan is to run the lock as a primary form of defence, add a 4th Energy Field. If your near on empty handed and draw it, the card can buy you a few turns on its own. A desperate play yes, but that's not something I would knock back.

I think you should cut red, load up on Basics and run Back to Basics. When you drop an Energy Field in defence without RIP, having a land Wasted is a death sentence. Having more basics and another way to lock out someone is very efficient. While you do lose Pyroblast, the ability to strengthen your ability to hide behind a Field is not something that should be understated.

Also, Humility and Moat. If you have them, look at adding them.

[ThirdDegree]

I was talking to a friend today about dropping red as well as running humility. I like the utility of having red, but I see your point on a desperation energy field (I also love uwr as a color combo, so it's hard to quit haha). Moat is a bit out of my price range though :( Does humility modify the cmc of each creature or no?

[Dice_Box]

I was talking to a friend today about dropping red as well as running humility. I like the utility of having red, but I see your point on a desperation energy field (I also love uwr as a color combo, so it's hard to quit haha). Moat is a bit out of my price range though :( Does humility modify the cmc of each creature or no?

It doesn't. It just turns them into 1/1 creatures without text boxes. Aside form the few played acceptions (Magus of the Moon and Painter's Servent). So Emrakul becomes a 15 drop 1/1 with a cast trigger and nothing else.

Just to add, this was what I use to run:
//Enchantments:
2 Back to Basics
4 Counterbalance
2 Energy Field
1 Humility
1 Moat
3 Rest in Peace

//Sorceries:
2 Ponder
4 Terminus

//Instants:
4 Brainstorm
3 Enlightened Tutor
4 Force of Will

//Artifacts:
1 Helm of Obedience
4 Sensei's Divining Top

//Lands:
1 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
7 Island
4 Plains
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Tundra

//Planeswalkers:
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

//Sideboard:
2 Council's Judgment
2 Disenchant
1 Entreat the Angels
3 Flusterstorm
1 Humility
1 Meddling Mage
1 Misdirection
2 Monastery Mentor
2 Vendilion Clique

Obviously some changes are required.

[PirateKing]

I have a list very close to this but also packing the Parfait engine of Land Tax/Scroll Rack.
It helps keep land drops up to maintain the expensive 4 drops like Jace and Moat, and when it fires on all cylinders, sitting behind an Energy Field while digging 7~10 cards a turn you find your combo fast. Once I get home I'll transcribe the list I have sleeved currently.

[crowe_1]

I've been tinkering with something similar:

Creatures:1
1 Keranos, God of Storms

Spells:37
4 Brainstorm
2 Enlightened Tutor
4 Ponder
1 Porphyry Nodes
1 Spell Pierce
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Counterspell
2 Energy Field
3 Rest in Peace
1 Detention Sphere
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Humility
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Force of Will

Lands:22
2 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Mountain
3 Plains
1 Polluted Delta
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island

Sideboard:15
2 Containment Priest
1 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Meddling Mage
1 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Disenchant
2 Blood Moon

Main issue is that it's a lot of Four-drops; occasionally whiffing on lands kind of sucks sometimes, but surviving to turn four hasn't been difficult partially because Porphyry Nodes is a decent stall. The deck has been fine versus D&T which is mana denial heavy. I'm not sure the full four Verdicts is needed but I think having a surefire path clearer for your PW is pretty essential. Humility synergizes well with Elspeth and with Keranos. Also tried versus Reanimator and Affinity (random fast aggro) with positive results; only around 10 matches each though. Got to get matches in versus Delver, Sneak and ANT when I get the chance.