[Deck] Mono-Blue Control (MUC)

[frustanani]

If you're playing mono-blue not-Merfolk you probably need to try and cheese wins off the back of Chalice. In terms of card draw, within the context of Chalice, your best options are Thoughtcast, Reverse Engineer, Thirst for Knowledge, Search for Azcanta, Standstill, etc... or you go down the Paradoxical Outcome pathway.

Without going down the Paradoxical path the question becomes naming the best 0 or 2 drop artifacts which preferably don't tap such that your deck can utilize the improvise mechanic. At least 8 slots are Spyglass and Chrome Mox (option to play without imprint). Best creature would be Walking Ballista, so now you're at 16 artifacts, and let's say 8 draw effects (Thoughtcast + Reverse Engineer seem best). Next best improvise spell is Metallic Rebuke - instant speed has very specific implications with tapping down own Winter Orb (so Winter Orb x2 is a direction you could go down). Tag on a pair of Mox Opal and you're at 30 cards done. Blue count is high enough so FoW x4 and about 6 slots to work with.

You stay on Standstill x4 w/ Factories also in the manabase and maybe you want 2x Foundry Assembler to really max out on Factory synergy. Could do Ensnaring Bridge and another wincon (probably a PW, probably Karn). Could be boring and play 4x TNN plus 2x PWs (at this point though, why aren't you playing Merfolk); Misthollow Griffon isn't good, but it's kinda fine with Chrome Mox imprints (recast it later, not really killing the Mox since it improvises), so that's another thing you could do.

For the sake of simplicity with the manabase, let's say 20 lands is correct and you're doing the Factory/Standstill thing: 4x Factory, 4x Ancient Tomb, 6 Fetch, 6 Island.

Removal is the problem in decks like these, not sure how you can fix it and keep the deck focused on 'doing the thing.'

I personally think Chalice of the Void decks are good only if they have multiple options of turn 1 to play good spells and/or if they can play any of their cards between first and second turn. It is the case of Dragon Stompy, which is to my view a control deck nowadays
and has the nice Simian Spirit Guide which ables it to play a lot of cc3 killing-cards on turn1
(Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Trinisphere, Chalice of The Void)
and card disadvantage is sometimes good because their strategy is also based on Ensnaring Bridge.

I think Mono-U with Chalice of the Void would be too inconsistent.

Actually I was thinking of something like that:

3 Mutavault (can be trasformed into a Construct with Retrofitter Foundry and with also Crucible of Worlds it becomes quite funny)
2 Ancient Tomb
2 Wasteland
2 Seat of The Synod
2 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
6 Island
4 Chrome Mox

4 Retrofitter Foundry
1 Pithing Needle
1 Crucible of Worlds

2 Grindstone
3 Painter's Servant

2 Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp
3 Whirler Rogue (whose Thopters can be converted into Constructs with Retrofitter Foundry)

4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder

2 Whir of Invention

4 Force of Will
1 Flusterstorm
1 Dismember

2 Standstill
3 Reverse Engineer

[P210]

What about some Trinket Mages and/or Trophy Mages to tutor the artifact stuff? And why chrome mox, when you already play crucible? Mox Diamond makes much more sense to me, in this case...

[frustanani]

What about some Trinket Mages and/or Trophy Mages to tutor the artifact stuff?

Trinket Mage can be a 1x only to tutor Walking Ballista or Engineered Explosives
Trophy Mage has no interesting targets
anyway ... mages are slow and sorcery. Whir of Invention is better. A lot.

And why chrome mox, when you already play crucible? Mox Diamond makes much more sense to me, in this case...

a) Mox Diamond needs more lands -> more slots
b) Chrome Mox can be played empty (without sacrificing it) and taps anyway for
Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp
Whir of Invention
Reverse Engineer

[frustanani]

I found this list which is focused on Narset, Parter of Veils' static ability (opponent's can't draw more than one card each turn),
thus making stronger and disruptive other cards
Vendilion Clique
Lore Broker
Day's Undoing
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

http://www.tcdecks.net/deck.php?id=30494&iddeck=258749


3 Vendilion Clique
4 Lore Broker

2 Commandeer
2 Flusterstorm
4 Boomerang
4 Foil
4 Force of Will

4 Day's Undoing
4 Preordain

2 Back to Basics

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Narset, Parter of Veils

4 Chrome Mox

14 Island
1 Blast Zone
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

Sideboard

2 Commandeer
1 Flusterstorm
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Ravenous Trap
4 Surgical Extraction


very interesting to my view. What do you think of it ?

Maybe Cephalid Coliseum can be added

[schweinefettmann]

I found this list which is focused on Narset, Parter of Veils' static ability (opponent's can't draw more than one card each turn),
thus making stronger and disruptive other cards
Vendilion Clique
Lore Broker
Day's Undoing
Geier Reach Sanitarium
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

http://www.tcdecks.net/deck.php?id=30494&iddeck=258749


3 Vendilion Clique
4 Lore Broker

2 Commandeer
2 Flusterstorm
4 Boomerang
4 Foil
4 Force of Will

4 Day's Undoing
4 Preordain

2 Back to Basics

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Narset, Parter of Veils

4 Chrome Mox

14 Island
1 Blast Zone
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Gemstone Caverns
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

Sideboard

2 Commandeer
1 Flusterstorm
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Ravenous Trap
4 Surgical Extraction


very interesting to my view. What do you think of it ?

Maybe Cephalid Coliseum can be added

you need a teferi's puzzle box in there, i think. whir-able, so you can drop narset, then go for the puzzle box, and then empty their hand. Not sure if this is fast enough to lock the opponents out. you only need one MD, so if can be used on the off-chance you can't find day's undoing.

Maybe something like static orb, smokestack can be used as well to start nuking lands/hampering mana on their side (or whatever they managed to land before the lock). i'm not convinced boomerang is what your deck wants to do. it's a bit too mana intense for not enough payoff.

[Glass House]

Echo of Eons further strengthens the Narset plan. I'm curious to see how that goes...

[Kagehisa]

Hi guys !

I would to talk a bit about Narset, Parter of Veil, Blast Zone and Force of Negation. I want to try them with Standstill.

With Narset, Parter of Veils in play, if ever you break your own Standstill during your opponent's turn (after their draw phase), they don't get to draw. Which means Standstill is one sided in a way. That is a way to break its symmetrical effect.

Blast Zone is a removal that we can sneak under Standstill. Yes, it is expensive as a 4 mana removal but it allows us to play Standstill from (slightly) behind on board.

Force of Negation lets us play a deck with 8 Forces and we play a mono blue deck so the color requirement is not a probleme, obviously. The thing is that with 8 Forces, we have more chances to draw one of them with Standstill to counter what the opponent played. It just makes Standstill better. 8 Forces also means we can counter the turn 1 Aether Vial or Chalice of the Void more often and drop the Standstill behind.

So with that in mind, I can imagine a mono blue Landstill


4 Standstill

4 Energy Field
3 Oblivion Stone
4 True-Name Nemesis

3 Narset, Parter of Veils
4 Force of Will
4 Force of Negation
2 Counterspell

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Preordain

2 Blast Zone
10 Island
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta


In the Sideboard


Back to Basics
Flusterstorm
Counterbalance
Thing in the Ice
Engineered Explosives
Vendilion Clique
Hydroblast
Piracy Charm
Dismember

etc

Note : Energy Field. Some people are not familiar with this card or how to play this card. First, it sucks against discard deck like Grixis Delver, UB Shadow (Delver and discard) or TES (army of goblins and discard) but if ever it sticks, it buys you a lot of time/life.

Before playing it : unload your hand. Trade one for one to make room in your hand and avoid losing Energy Field to the discard phase. Play it, make land drops and try to reach another Energy Field or Oblivion Stone or load your hand with cantrips/Narset, play cantrips, find Energy Field #2 or Oblivion Ring. Clean the board and drop Standstill.

If you need more explanations, feel free to ask but I am the one who needs advices.

I don't own Force of Negation yet.

Thank you for reading !

[frustanani]

Hi guys ! ...


4 Standstill

4 Energy Field
3 Oblivion Stone
4 True-Name Nemesis

3 Narset, Parter of Veils
4 Force of Will
4 Force of Negation
2 Counterspell

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Preordain

2 Blast Zone
10 Island
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta

.....

Thank you for reading !

standstill does nothing in your list because you don't have Delver of Secrets or Mishra's Factory to be able to force your opponent to break it. If you play it on turn 2, your opponents simply don't care and don't let you draw 3. Most times you just cannot play it on turn 2.
Too my view, 18 lands are too few to play standstill because when you play it on turn 2, there are few possibilities that you find one of you other 15/16 lands, while your opponent might play more lands than you. For sure they are too few to activate Oblivion Stone.

With Narset, Parter of Veils on battlefield, good cards are:
Day's Undoing
Echo of Eons (you can tutor it with Quiet Speculation or discard it via Foil)
Vendilion Clique
Arcane Denial
Cephalid Coliseum (target your opponent)

Your description of Energy Field is correct
... BUT ...
it's week against too many cards you cannot even counter and you have to sacrifice it anyway (card disadvantage)
Pyroblast from any deck running red g2 and g3
Wasteland on one of your fetches
thoughtseize, Tendrils of Agony, Liliana of the Veil ..
Abrupt Decay, Assassin's Trophy
Flickerwisp
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn & Show and Tell (you better counter it)
Council's Judgment (and Miracle's Jace, The Mind Sculptor still kills you)
... which means way too many decks.

..................................

If your will is to play Landstill (with "Lands") and more free spells, I suggest you to try something like this

2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
3 Prismatic Vista
6 Island
3 Mishra's Factory
2 Faerie Conclave
2 Wasteland .............. total 20

4 Delver of Secrets
4 True-Name Nemesis
3 Pteramander

3 Standstill

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Chart a Course
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
2 Misdirection
1 Commandeer
3 Vapor Snag
2 Psionic Blast
1 Archmage's Charm

Sideboard:
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Basilisk Collar or Umezawa's Jitte
1 Walking Ballista or Masticore
1 Marrow Shards or Dismember
1 Divert
1 Flusterstorm
1 Spell Pierce
1 Pithing Needle
1 Faerie Macabre
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Powder Keg
1 Teferi's Response

Force of Negation is not a very good card in legacy to my view ... can counter just planeswalkers and few interesting sorceries.
Misdirection and Commandeer are better to my view because they allow you to protect your play (for exaple Nemesis or Standstill sorcery speed) and you can use your opponent's spell as a threat for themself.

[Kagehisa]

Thank you Frustanani and sorry for the late reply. I couldn't log in for unknown reasons earlier but I can assure you that I've read your post many times.

You are right, I forgot to put pressure in my plan. I was so focused on the other new cards that I forgot what Standstill needs to founction haha I still refuse to put manland in a Back to Basics deck though. I just remember now why Mono Blue Landstill has tension with Back to Basics.

I won't try Standstill in MUC again.

I posted a 58 cards list. I cannot count. Sorry about that but 2 Island are missing.

I am a huge fan of MU Tempo or MU Stifle Dreadnought and I find your work very good in other threads. It is just that MUC is missing few pieces to become playable again ( some removal and sweeper or we are to any creature decks lol ) and the other hand we have strong cards like Narset, Parter of Veils, Accumulated Knowledge, the 12 cantrips, Back to Basics, Counterbalance, Jace, the Mind sculptor, Force of Will, Snapcaster Mage, Vendilion Clique, Spell Pierce, Flusterstorm but we cannot be a deck because we die to creature deck. Ridiculous haha

[Von]

I think to run MUC successfully we have to take a look at what MUC brings that splashing color doesn't.

1. Not weak to blood moon or nonbasic land hate.
2. Consistently produce UUU or UUUUU
3. Devotion,

I think for MUC to be a worthwell deck we need to leverage UUU spells as much as possible, luckily we got archmages charm, CCommand or invoke prejudice.
Next I think we need to leveage bnb as much as possible.4
If your deck doesn't run these things, there;s no advantage to to MUC. Just go miracles and get it over with .

[frustanani]

I think to run MUC successfully we have to take a look at what MUC brings that splashing color doesn't.

1. Not weak to blood moon or nonbasic land hate.
2. Consistently produce UUU or UUUUU
3. Devotion,

I think for MUC to be a worthwell deck we need to leverage UUU spells as much as possible, luckily we got archmages charm, CCommand or invoke prejudice.
Next I think we need to leveage bnb as much as possible.4
If your deck doesn't run these things, there;s no advantage to to MUC. Just go miracles and get it over with .

Well, the biggest advantage in playing mono blue is that you are the strongest in control mirrors.
Miracle Control, Grixis Control, Bug Control are a big part of the metagame.

For sure, if you are asking yourself "where is my swords to plowshares?!", you are doing it wrong. On the other side, as far as Lightning Bolts, Abrupt Decay, Hymn to Tourach, Thoughtseize, Dovin's Veto are popular, you should ask yourself "where are my Misdirections and/or Diverts ?!"

At the moment those decks are not running wastelands or fast drops, so if you run Mishra's Factory and Standstill they have problems facing you. Not to consider that cards like Psionic Blast are like an istant speed vindicate for their planeswalkers. Also against combos / storm decks you don't have those 8/9/10 remouval spells (swords to plowshares, terminus, Council's Judgment; abrupt decay; fatal push) which are dead cards in your hand. There are some advantages in playing just blue.

Playing mono-U has a lot of limitations. But, as far as you are a control deck (or aggro-control, midrange), you adapt to the meta, you should not focus of what cards you have not in your pool, but on what your opponents' are playing.

[MGB]

4 Force of Will
4 Force of Negation
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Ophidian

Profit?

[Kagehisa]

4 Propaganda
4 Collective Restraint
2 Back to Basics

3 Narset, Parter of Veils
4 Thing in the Ice
3 Snapcaster Mage

4 Force of Will
3 Counterspell
3 Spell Pierce

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Preordain

8 Island
4 Prismatic Vista
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Forest
1 Mountain



SB
Hydroblast
Spell Snare
Flusterstorm
Divert
Surgical Extraction
Misdirection
Jace, The Mind Sculptor
Counterbalance
Engineered Explosives
And the usual toys

The novelty here is the synergy between Prismatic Vista and Collective Restraint.

Plan against aggro deck : Drop and stack Propaganda and Collective Restraint. With 5 basic land type, opponent will have to pay 5 generic mana to attack you ! In the end, opponent won't be able to attack you. That why we play 4 Prismatic Vista and a blue fetch of each so that we can align lots of Island next to Mountain, Swamp, Plains and Forest. Obviously, we won't have turn 5 Collective Restraint at full power. "Only" 16 blue sources. We can maybe remove 2 Preordain for 2 Island.

Back to Basics, sometimes an end bringer by itself, helps to make opponent just skip the attack phase with Propaganda effect.
Narset buys time and find the Propaganda and friends.
Thing in the Ice is the win condition, Jace being excluded from maindeck because of Propaganda effects unable to protect planeswalkers against creatures deck.

I hope this is solving MUC weakness, which is creatures deck in my opinion. In the sideboard, goodies (flashback-able with Snapcaster Mage) against Control mirror and Combo match up, graveyard hates and bounce spells should cover the rest and Engineered Explosives at full power as a bonus.

I'm excited to test this list ! I'm 80 euros away from getting the deck on MTGO lol

[Fallen_Empire]

The novelty here is the synergy between Prismatic Vista and Collective Restraint.

With 5 basic land type, opponent will have to pay 5 generic mana to attack you ! In the end, opponent won't be able to attack you. That why we play 4 Prismatic Vista and a blue fetch of each so that we can align lots of Island next to Mountain, Swamp, Plains and Forest.

this is super intriguing, have you tested this out? you could also run wastes

[MGB]

Collective Restraint is so bad. So they have a Tarmogoyf and they pay 2 mana to kill you with it. And the card cost you 3U just to put in play. At that cost it should wipe the board or function as a hard lock a la Ensnaring Bridge.

[Jofiel]

standstill does nothing in your list because you don't have Delver of Secrets or Mishra's Factory to be able to force your opponent to break it. If you play it on turn 2, your opponents simply don't care and don't let you draw 3. Most times you just cannot play it on turn 2.
Too my view, 18 lands are too few to play standstill because when you play it on turn 2, there are few possibilities that you find one of you other 15/16 lands, while your opponent might play more lands than you. For sure they are too few to activate Oblivion Stone.

With Narset, Parter of Veils on battlefield, good cards are:
Day's Undoing
Echo of Eons (you can tutor it with Quiet Speculation or discard it via Foil)
Vendilion Clique
Arcane Denial
Cephalid Coliseum (target your opponent)

Your description of Energy Field is correct
... BUT ...
it's week against too many cards you cannot even counter and you have to sacrifice it anyway (card disadvantage)
Pyroblast from any deck running red g2 and g3
Wasteland on one of your fetches
thoughtseize, Tendrils of Agony, Liliana of the Veil ..
Abrupt Decay, Assassin's Trophy
Flickerwisp
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn & Show and Tell (you better counter it)
Council's Judgment (and Miracle's Jace, The Mind Sculptor still kills you)
... which means way too many decks.

..................................

If your will is to play Landstill (with "Lands") and more free spells, I suggest you to try something like this

2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
3 Prismatic Vista
6 Island
3 Mishra's Factory
2 Faerie Conclave
2 Wasteland .............. total 20

4 Delver of Secrets
4 True-Name Nemesis
3 Pteramander

3 Standstill

4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Chart a Course
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
2 Misdirection
1 Commandeer
3 Vapor Snag
2 Psionic Blast
1 Archmage's Charm

Sideboard:
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Basilisk Collar or Umezawa's Jitte
1 Walking Ballista or Masticore
1 Marrow Shards or Dismember
1 Divert
1 Flusterstorm
1 Spell Pierce
1 Pithing Needle
1 Faerie Macabre
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Powder Keg
1 Teferi's Response

Force of Negation is not a very good card in legacy to my view ... can counter just planeswalkers and few interesting sorceries.
Misdirection and Commandeer are better to my view because they allow you to protect your play (for exaple Nemesis or Standstill sorcery speed) and you can use your opponent's spell as a threat for themself.

From few years I'm playing as a MUC something like this and it's winning with other decks. :) Yes, I know that mono U Delver can not be satyfing for all but it's still some base. So I show you my list.

Lands:
10x Island
4x Scalding Tarn - added
4x Wasteland

Creatures:

4x Delver of Secrets
4x Pteramander
4x True-Name Nemesis

(You could replace one of this creatures by Cryptic Serpent)

Spells:

3x Unstable Mutation / Curious Obsession

4x Brainstorm
4x Ponder

4x Force of Will
4x Counterspell
3x Daze
2x Swan Song

(You could allways experiment with Spell Snare or Spell Pierce, but in mono U real counterspells sounds better for me.)

3x Rapid Hybridization / Pongify / Diminish - black & white have Fatal Push & Swords, we have this one.

2x Echoing Truth
1x Devastation Tide

Sideboard:

2x Ratched Bomb
2x Tormod's Crypt / Grafdigger's Cage
2x Winter Orb
2x Chill
2x Back to Basics
2x Devastation Tide
2x Flusterstorm
2x Echoing Truth


Other Side Options for tests:

2x Narset, Parter of Veils
2x Ashiok, Dream Renders
2x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2x Acid Rain - so funny :D
2x Propaganda
2x Pithing Needle
3x Polymorphist's Jest

That's all. This appear in Internet arter I played this deck :D - really:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-TXokCg3_I

[Fox]

8 Fetch, 6 Island or cut Brainstorm.

[Jofiel]

8 Fetch, 6 Island or cut Brainstorm.

But why? Other players have wastelands, we have back to basics on side. 4 will not be enough?

[Fox]

But why? Other players have wastelands, we have back to basics on side. 4 will not be enough?

Brainstorm, put 2 cards you don’t want back, then shuffle the 2 cards you don’t need away. Also they mill lands out of your deck, decreasing wasted drawsteps on land topdecks.

Beyond this, it’s never been easier to splash a second color for a single 4-of. If you played Vista full of Tarn, there’s really nothing stopping you from playing 1x Mountain, SB REBs, and just 4x maindeck Bolt and improving competitiveness. Every mono-color deck has to justify why they’re not grabbing a second color at this point since it’s basically free.

Alternatively 1x Swamp and Delta full of Vista and you can change every Counterspell into a playable card: Drown in the Loch.