Curby
10-10-2007, 03:15 AM
Cheap-Ass Mono-Blue (Aggro-Control)
(a.k.a. The Most Annoying $5 Pile Ever)
The goal is to build a casual blue aggro-control deck using only cheap commons.
Ok, here we go again. I decided to switch gears a bit to see what could be done with pure Blue. Blue is traditionally one of the harder colors to use in Sealed Deck because a lot of the good stuff is Uncommon/Rare and best used as 4-ofs. Its low-end creatures are traditionally the weakest and most expensive, and much like in Sealed, casual/newbie games tend to be combat-heavy. How then, can we make a deck that can compete?
I'm posting this deck now because it did what should be impossible: it beat Legacy Goblins running Skullclamp, and in that game Goblins (1) got off to a good start, (2) resolved Skullclamp early, and (3) resolved Piledriver even earlier. Of course, luck was still largely an issue, but whenever you beat Clamp Goblins with a $5 deck, it's worth at least a laugh. The current list could probably use some improvement so let's see what we can do with it:
Proposed Decklist
// Lands (20)
20 [LRW] Island (4)
// Creatures (14)
4 [UL] Thornwind Faeries
4 [TSP] Looter il-Kor
4 [DS] Spire Golem
2 [LRW] Spellstutter Sprite
// Tricks (10)
4 [IA] Counterspell
4 [MOR] Negate
2 [FD] Neurok Stealthsuit
// Library Manipulation (4)
4 [VI] Impulse
// 2-for-1 Opportunities (12)
4 [TSP] Ophidian Eye
4 [UD] Sigil of Sleep
4 [R] Unstable Mutation
// Sideboard
4 [UL] Weatherseed Faeries (Use this rather than Blue Elemental Blast against red)
4 [DS] Echoing Truth (Bounce problems that resolve, handle token swarms)
4 [9E] Sea's Claim (Nullify utility lands for cheap. We could use Phantasmal Terrain, but this isn't about mana denial)
2 [SHM] Turn to Mist (Do tricks... this slot can probably be something else)
1 [FD] Neurok Stealthsuit (Another counterspell against targeted creature removal)
Built almost entirely with ten-cent commons, this is the cheapest Cheap-Ass deck yet!
As you can see, it looks a bit like a Tim deck, but it uses a variety of evasive creatures to damage the enemy rather than pure Tim effects. With the rather low creature count, it is vulnerable to removal-heavy opponents, but most decks in any meta are heavily focused on their aggro/control/combo plan with only a splash of removal, and Stealthsuits provide recurring protection as long as you have mana.
Possible 1-Drop Critters
Cloud Pirates/Cloud Sprite An aggro deck really wants good first turn attackers, and we don't even have the benefit of Dark Ritual for broken first turns. Unfortunately, a 1/1 is nearly worthless in aggro.
Spindrift Drake This guy is to blue what Rogue Elephant is to green, with the bonus that he will give you your land back if you really need it. However, this great turn-1 creature slows our second turn too much. We absolutely must have 2 free mana on our second turn to bring our countermagic online.
Possible 2-Drop Critters
Cloud of Faeries we can't abuse it as much as Faerie Stompy, but we can cast it on turn 2 and still have mana open to counter. It can also be cycled in the late game, but with such a low creature count already we should try to keep whatever we get!
Spellstutter Sprite As with Cloud of Faeries this allows us to keep our mana open on turn 2. It has the additional benefit of randomly countering small spells as it enters play, though that's not the primary reason we're using it.
Cloudskate Finally, a 2/2 Flier for 2. It doesn't stay around for too long, but with Unstable Mutation it can deal 12 damage by turn 5.
Escape Artist Forget Flying, Shadow, Fear... she's unblockable, period! She can also bounce to avoid removal, or to prevent Unstable Mutation from killing her.
Looter il-Kor Cheap, evasive, and helps sculpt the hand, which is ever so important with all the card disadvantage in this deck.
Infiltrator il-Kor Since coming out of Suspend gives Haste, we're only missing one turn. While a 3-power creature attacking on turn 4 is hardly scary, we simply don't have the broken weenies of other colors. Compared to the alternatives, this is quite playable in an aggro build. However, this deck leans more to aggro-control, so we prefer tricks over brute strength in our creatures.
Thought Eater In a fast enough aggro deck, running 2-3 should be fine. This isn't for us though.
Cephalid Scout This can smooth out a mana flood, and search for answers as a last-ditch effort.
Surveilling Sprite/Thalakos Seer These replace themselves when they die, but the Seer does so more reliably, and we've plenty of fliers already.
Possible 3-Drop Critters
Thornwind Faeries If we're gonna use a Tim, might as well have it fly for an additional evasive attack option.
Spire Golem This 2/4 Flier for 3 is better than Cloud Elemental, sturdier than Cloud Spirit, and comes out for cheap or free in the late-game. Being Bolt-proof is just gravy.
Spiketail Drakeling 3 for a 2/2 flier isn't bad to begin with by blue creature standards, but this "Seal of Miscalculation" will give your opponent pause before playing any big bombs. He'll need 6 for Wrath of God, 5 for Pernicious Deed, and still be wondering about Counterspells in hand.
Library Manipulation
If Blue knows anything, it knows how to steal from the Library.
Impulse Digs deep and removes the chaff from the top. Can also find an answer in a pinch.
Compulsive Research Rather than cantripping, this gives us a little card advantage if timed correctly. If we don't have a land to discard though, it's a 3-for-3 trade. Great for drawing in a common card, but ties up our mana with its Sorcery speed.
Brainstorm We can't use the best cantrip because we don't have any shuffle effects to get rid of unwanted cards.
Serum Visions/Ponder/Sleight of Hand None of these dig as deep as Impulse, but the cost of one is very appealing.
2-for-1s (a.k.a. the fun part)
Ophidian Eye Between our Tims and evasion, this lets us draw a lot of cards. The high cost is offset by the fact that we can Flash it into play to keep our mana open for countering. If you can, use the uncommon variant: Curiosity.
Sigil of Sleep This causes all manner of troubles for opposing creature decks, and with Tims can 2-for-1 the opponent as they cast any targeted spell at a creature. You can even ping yourself to save your own creature, or bounce a Spellstutter Sprite to counter a spell.
Unstable Mutation The Giant Growth that keeps on giving lets the deck go aggro when all else fails.
And some Equipment options:
Bonesplitter has the benefit of surviving if the creature dies. A good addition to an aggro build, but Unstable Mutation beefs up our fragile creatures until we can draw more.
Grafted Wargear If you can use uncommons and want to go aggro, use this equipment!
Tricks
Alexi's Cloak/Mystic Veil These can be Flashed, and therefore can be used as counterspells against removal and disruption. Veil can counter opponents' beneficial pumpers without shrouding their guy permanently.
Neurok Stealthsuit Reusable Cloak/Veil is significant in that it can (re)attach at instant speed to counter targeted removal/disruption. Note the mana investment involved, as it takes 2 to cast and 2 to equip.
Echoing Truth This works wonders against token swarms (e.g. Empty the Warrens) and any nonland threat that may have slipped by your counters.
Sea's Claim/Phantasmal Terrain Nullify utility land and possibly mana-screw them.
Counterspell Strongest common counter
Mana Leak Strong common counter
Negate Very nice splashable 2-cost counterspell for everything except creatures, but we're already busy pinging and bouncing creatures.
Daze Could be considered, but we need a stable mana supply so we can't afford to bounce lands until the late game when it becomes less useful
Logic Knot Gives us some use for our graveyard. Situational but possibly more powerful Mana Leak.
Faerie Trickery Practically a hard counter that permanently removes the threat. Changeling spells in recent sets makes this less appealing, especially given the cost of 3.
General Comments
All of the possible card disadvantage and the low creature count seems and is very risky, but note that almost every card generates card advantage (Ophidian Eye, The Faeries, Stealthsuit), improves card quality (Looter, Impulse) or helps with tempo (Countermagic, Sigil). With this much manipulation of both cards and game state, the occasional x-for-1 plays by the opponent do slow you down but don't devastate you.
Note that all the creatures are evasive, which help your Auras actually hit. Your creatures also have other abilities which are highly synergistic with your goals of improving card quality, dealing direct to the opponent, controlling opposing creatures, and keeping mana open for countermagic.
The order of battle is to drop a land for the first 6 turns, ping the weenies, bounce the fatties, and outdraw them into oblivion. Like a lot of blue control, you really want to make your first land drops consistently (this is why we don't play Daze). Once you have 5 land in play you can play any single spell in your deck and still hold mana open for countering. When possible, play your Flash spells and Impulses at your opponent's end of turn to keep your mana open. Pinging yourself to bounce a Sprite then recasting it to counter a spell is very satisfying.
It won't win World's, but it is quite solid for $5 worth of commons. It has good game against many casual decks, and can even hold its own against some of the slower mainstream designs. If you're interested in aggro-control, please give it a try!
Thanks for reading!
The Cheap Ass (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=Cheap%20Ass) Series (making 4 fun decks with less than $70):
CAMBA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6524): Cheap-Ass Mono-Black Aggro
CARGA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6848): Cheap-Ass Red-Green Aggro
CAMU (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7268): Cheap-Ass Mono-Blue (Aggro-Control)
CATA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9320): Cheap-Ass 'Tog Affinity
(a.k.a. The Most Annoying $5 Pile Ever)
The goal is to build a casual blue aggro-control deck using only cheap commons.
Ok, here we go again. I decided to switch gears a bit to see what could be done with pure Blue. Blue is traditionally one of the harder colors to use in Sealed Deck because a lot of the good stuff is Uncommon/Rare and best used as 4-ofs. Its low-end creatures are traditionally the weakest and most expensive, and much like in Sealed, casual/newbie games tend to be combat-heavy. How then, can we make a deck that can compete?
I'm posting this deck now because it did what should be impossible: it beat Legacy Goblins running Skullclamp, and in that game Goblins (1) got off to a good start, (2) resolved Skullclamp early, and (3) resolved Piledriver even earlier. Of course, luck was still largely an issue, but whenever you beat Clamp Goblins with a $5 deck, it's worth at least a laugh. The current list could probably use some improvement so let's see what we can do with it:
Proposed Decklist
// Lands (20)
20 [LRW] Island (4)
// Creatures (14)
4 [UL] Thornwind Faeries
4 [TSP] Looter il-Kor
4 [DS] Spire Golem
2 [LRW] Spellstutter Sprite
// Tricks (10)
4 [IA] Counterspell
4 [MOR] Negate
2 [FD] Neurok Stealthsuit
// Library Manipulation (4)
4 [VI] Impulse
// 2-for-1 Opportunities (12)
4 [TSP] Ophidian Eye
4 [UD] Sigil of Sleep
4 [R] Unstable Mutation
// Sideboard
4 [UL] Weatherseed Faeries (Use this rather than Blue Elemental Blast against red)
4 [DS] Echoing Truth (Bounce problems that resolve, handle token swarms)
4 [9E] Sea's Claim (Nullify utility lands for cheap. We could use Phantasmal Terrain, but this isn't about mana denial)
2 [SHM] Turn to Mist (Do tricks... this slot can probably be something else)
1 [FD] Neurok Stealthsuit (Another counterspell against targeted creature removal)
Built almost entirely with ten-cent commons, this is the cheapest Cheap-Ass deck yet!
As you can see, it looks a bit like a Tim deck, but it uses a variety of evasive creatures to damage the enemy rather than pure Tim effects. With the rather low creature count, it is vulnerable to removal-heavy opponents, but most decks in any meta are heavily focused on their aggro/control/combo plan with only a splash of removal, and Stealthsuits provide recurring protection as long as you have mana.
Possible 1-Drop Critters
Cloud Pirates/Cloud Sprite An aggro deck really wants good first turn attackers, and we don't even have the benefit of Dark Ritual for broken first turns. Unfortunately, a 1/1 is nearly worthless in aggro.
Spindrift Drake This guy is to blue what Rogue Elephant is to green, with the bonus that he will give you your land back if you really need it. However, this great turn-1 creature slows our second turn too much. We absolutely must have 2 free mana on our second turn to bring our countermagic online.
Possible 2-Drop Critters
Cloud of Faeries we can't abuse it as much as Faerie Stompy, but we can cast it on turn 2 and still have mana open to counter. It can also be cycled in the late game, but with such a low creature count already we should try to keep whatever we get!
Spellstutter Sprite As with Cloud of Faeries this allows us to keep our mana open on turn 2. It has the additional benefit of randomly countering small spells as it enters play, though that's not the primary reason we're using it.
Cloudskate Finally, a 2/2 Flier for 2. It doesn't stay around for too long, but with Unstable Mutation it can deal 12 damage by turn 5.
Escape Artist Forget Flying, Shadow, Fear... she's unblockable, period! She can also bounce to avoid removal, or to prevent Unstable Mutation from killing her.
Looter il-Kor Cheap, evasive, and helps sculpt the hand, which is ever so important with all the card disadvantage in this deck.
Infiltrator il-Kor Since coming out of Suspend gives Haste, we're only missing one turn. While a 3-power creature attacking on turn 4 is hardly scary, we simply don't have the broken weenies of other colors. Compared to the alternatives, this is quite playable in an aggro build. However, this deck leans more to aggro-control, so we prefer tricks over brute strength in our creatures.
Thought Eater In a fast enough aggro deck, running 2-3 should be fine. This isn't for us though.
Cephalid Scout This can smooth out a mana flood, and search for answers as a last-ditch effort.
Surveilling Sprite/Thalakos Seer These replace themselves when they die, but the Seer does so more reliably, and we've plenty of fliers already.
Possible 3-Drop Critters
Thornwind Faeries If we're gonna use a Tim, might as well have it fly for an additional evasive attack option.
Spire Golem This 2/4 Flier for 3 is better than Cloud Elemental, sturdier than Cloud Spirit, and comes out for cheap or free in the late-game. Being Bolt-proof is just gravy.
Spiketail Drakeling 3 for a 2/2 flier isn't bad to begin with by blue creature standards, but this "Seal of Miscalculation" will give your opponent pause before playing any big bombs. He'll need 6 for Wrath of God, 5 for Pernicious Deed, and still be wondering about Counterspells in hand.
Library Manipulation
If Blue knows anything, it knows how to steal from the Library.
Impulse Digs deep and removes the chaff from the top. Can also find an answer in a pinch.
Compulsive Research Rather than cantripping, this gives us a little card advantage if timed correctly. If we don't have a land to discard though, it's a 3-for-3 trade. Great for drawing in a common card, but ties up our mana with its Sorcery speed.
Brainstorm We can't use the best cantrip because we don't have any shuffle effects to get rid of unwanted cards.
Serum Visions/Ponder/Sleight of Hand None of these dig as deep as Impulse, but the cost of one is very appealing.
2-for-1s (a.k.a. the fun part)
Ophidian Eye Between our Tims and evasion, this lets us draw a lot of cards. The high cost is offset by the fact that we can Flash it into play to keep our mana open for countering. If you can, use the uncommon variant: Curiosity.
Sigil of Sleep This causes all manner of troubles for opposing creature decks, and with Tims can 2-for-1 the opponent as they cast any targeted spell at a creature. You can even ping yourself to save your own creature, or bounce a Spellstutter Sprite to counter a spell.
Unstable Mutation The Giant Growth that keeps on giving lets the deck go aggro when all else fails.
And some Equipment options:
Bonesplitter has the benefit of surviving if the creature dies. A good addition to an aggro build, but Unstable Mutation beefs up our fragile creatures until we can draw more.
Grafted Wargear If you can use uncommons and want to go aggro, use this equipment!
Tricks
Alexi's Cloak/Mystic Veil These can be Flashed, and therefore can be used as counterspells against removal and disruption. Veil can counter opponents' beneficial pumpers without shrouding their guy permanently.
Neurok Stealthsuit Reusable Cloak/Veil is significant in that it can (re)attach at instant speed to counter targeted removal/disruption. Note the mana investment involved, as it takes 2 to cast and 2 to equip.
Echoing Truth This works wonders against token swarms (e.g. Empty the Warrens) and any nonland threat that may have slipped by your counters.
Sea's Claim/Phantasmal Terrain Nullify utility land and possibly mana-screw them.
Counterspell Strongest common counter
Mana Leak Strong common counter
Negate Very nice splashable 2-cost counterspell for everything except creatures, but we're already busy pinging and bouncing creatures.
Daze Could be considered, but we need a stable mana supply so we can't afford to bounce lands until the late game when it becomes less useful
Logic Knot Gives us some use for our graveyard. Situational but possibly more powerful Mana Leak.
Faerie Trickery Practically a hard counter that permanently removes the threat. Changeling spells in recent sets makes this less appealing, especially given the cost of 3.
General Comments
All of the possible card disadvantage and the low creature count seems and is very risky, but note that almost every card generates card advantage (Ophidian Eye, The Faeries, Stealthsuit), improves card quality (Looter, Impulse) or helps with tempo (Countermagic, Sigil). With this much manipulation of both cards and game state, the occasional x-for-1 plays by the opponent do slow you down but don't devastate you.
Note that all the creatures are evasive, which help your Auras actually hit. Your creatures also have other abilities which are highly synergistic with your goals of improving card quality, dealing direct to the opponent, controlling opposing creatures, and keeping mana open for countermagic.
The order of battle is to drop a land for the first 6 turns, ping the weenies, bounce the fatties, and outdraw them into oblivion. Like a lot of blue control, you really want to make your first land drops consistently (this is why we don't play Daze). Once you have 5 land in play you can play any single spell in your deck and still hold mana open for countering. When possible, play your Flash spells and Impulses at your opponent's end of turn to keep your mana open. Pinging yourself to bounce a Sprite then recasting it to counter a spell is very satisfying.
It won't win World's, but it is quite solid for $5 worth of commons. It has good game against many casual decks, and can even hold its own against some of the slower mainstream designs. If you're interested in aggro-control, please give it a try!
Thanks for reading!
The Cheap Ass (http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=Cheap%20Ass) Series (making 4 fun decks with less than $70):
CAMBA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6524): Cheap-Ass Mono-Black Aggro
CARGA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6848): Cheap-Ass Red-Green Aggro
CAMU (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7268): Cheap-Ass Mono-Blue (Aggro-Control)
CATA (http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9320): Cheap-Ass 'Tog Affinity