[CaNGD - Finalist] TEC - The EPIC Control

[Nightmare]

My SCG Article unveiling this deck can be found here. As I took the time to write it for the site, I'd appreciate if you checked it out as far as the development and history of the deck goes. I'l touch on it, but I don't plan to write another six pages on it.

Basically, this deck is the result of a ton of testing with Lorwyn, a love of cards that draw cards and ones that play well with doing so, an obsession with control, and a hatred that burns with the fury of a thousand suns for the Landstill manabase.

Late in 2007, Ray Robillard held TMLO3. At this event, two important things occurred. First, I found myself single, and with it, found myself with plenty of time to test new decks and strategies. Second, I was paired round two with Dave Gearhart, who was testing a new aggro-control deck using CounterTop and Hoofprints of the Stag. While Dave's list was interesting, I think it left a lot to be desired. He used 4 Hoofprints in the main, which I felt was too many. He ran clunky card advantage spells like Fact or Fiction, and ran too many cantrips. He ran Daze. All of these are card choices I would probably have reconsidered, however I must give credit to him as the person who inspired me to use Hoofprints in control.

Once I saw how good the card was, I discussed it with Di, and we arrived at the point I discussed in the article. For reference, here is the decklist (Now, with sideboard!)

TEC - The EPIC Control

4x Force of Will
4x Brainstorm
4x Counterbalance
3x Meditate / Thirst for Knowledge
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Tarmogoyf
3x Wrath of God
3x Sensei's Divining Top
2x Jace Belaren
2x Hoofprints of the Stag
3x Vedalken Shackles
2x Engineered Explosives

4x Flooded Strand
3x Polluted Delta
4x Tundra
2x Tropical Island
2x Underground Sea
4x Island
2x Plains
1x Academy Ruins

SIDE
3x Extirpate
3x Krosan Grip
3x Decree of Justice
2x Pithing Needle
2x Humility
2x COP: Red

Alternative Sideboard in a Goblin metagame:
3x Extirpate
3x Krosan Grip
3x Pithing Needle
3x Humility
3x Engineered Plague


Matchup Analysis -

Goblins:
Game 1 can be tricky, especially on the Draw. As with most decks, you hate to see the nuts Lackey draw, but you do have 8 ways to deal with it on the play, and another 4 on the draw, plus Brainstorm/Top. Counterbalance is actually pretty solid against them, if you keep Vial off the table. Your best threat game 1 is Goyf, but games 2 and three I usually side them out and focus on winning with Humility/Plague plus Jace, who is extremely effective. Watch out for Wort, she's a bitch. Overall, I think this matchup is more in your favor than it is for Landstill, as you have a more robust manabase, and access to Tarmogoyf. It's not overwhelmingly in your favor, but control is never really that good at dealing with Goblins, no matter what anyone else tells you. It wasn't the best deck in the format for two years for nothing.

Landstill:
Depends on the build. If you're playing against the 4c list without Wasteland or Decree, then have fun kicking their teeth in with Jace. Nice deck, nub. If it's more traditional white based Landstill, their ability to operate under a Standstill is an issue. Game 1, you need to decide when the best time to break a Standstill is. Early game, that's usually now. Remember that their deck is full of an asston of cards that do nothing to you, like Wrath or StP. They have a better chance of drawing irrelevant spells than relevant, so play that to your advantage. CounterTop is actually solid vs. them with your deck, as you can shut them down with it much more readily than Thresh can. Games two and three (if you get there), they need to decide if you have Decree or not, and sometimes it just bites them in the ass.

Threshold:
You dominate them. I'm a little concerned regarding this new build of UGr from the Canadians, although I didn't get a chance to play them this weekend, however the more traditional CounterTop centered builds are pretty savagely behind you. Thresh has always had issues with dedicated control, since their natural tendancy is to extend into your removal. You have almost the same threat base that they do, you have CounterTop, you have frigging Wrath of God, and you have the ultimate trump in Jace. More than any other deck, Thresh cannot afford to lose 20 cards from their library. With such a small threat package, its entirely possible for them to lose the majority of their creatures, and that's not something they can win through easily. Post Board, Extirpate deals with the creatures and other stuff permanantly. It's an excellent matchup for you.

Goyf Sligh/Burn:
Although everyone claims that you have a great matchup based on CounterTop, they still have a tendancy to go to your dome enough to be a pain, especially if they run stuff like Kird Ape out there before you stabalize. You end up at a low enough life that Fireblast just ends it. Since this deck has cropped up so much, I've switched to the COP Reds in the board, which work in the Goblin matchup, too, and pretty much destroy burn. Shutting down 90% of their deck seems fine to me. With the COPs in the board, this matchup goes from marginal to extremely favorable over a 3 game set. Oh, and Goyf gets HUGE in this matchup.

TES:
I suppose it's only fair, since we made both of the decks, that I have some testing in with this matchup. Basically, each deck's matchup revolves around one card - Orim's Chant. TES is the strangest combo deck to play against, because they lose to Force of Will or plow right through it about evenly. Now, Bryant is pretty much the person you should fear with the deck, and he's the only person I'm uncomfortable sitting across from with it. He knows the matchup and his deck through and through, which gives him an advantage others don't have. Still, I find that Counterbalance is all kinds of annoying for him. Combine it with a fast clock like Goyf, and he has a tough time fighting through it. If he goes all in on Warrens, you have plenty of ways to survive, but again, getting Chanted is a pain in the ass. Overall, this matchup is pretty heavily in your favor, but as I said, beware the chanting Orim.

Black Aggro-Control:
Decks like Red Death, Eva Green, and Deadguy were built almost specifically to dominate control matchups. As such, this leaves something to be desired. Still, you have the tools in your deck to make the matchup more favorable for you, and if you manage to get them out there, you should be fine. You need to focus on getting basic lands down wherever possible, and sit on fetches when you can. Utilize Brainstorm reactively, rather than proactively, and run out Standstills if you get a board advantage. Vedalken Shackles is such a beating for them that it's rediculous. Let them invest the time and mana into a Tombstalker or Hippie, and snag it at will. Still, sometimes they can get the nuts, and if that happens, or you hit a pocket of land when you need business (or visa-versa), then you take it in the face. I'd call it even, and highly dependant on draws and the die roll. By the way, Counterbalance is great for you, unless you see a Tombstalker dumped on your head.


That's it for the opener. Between this and the article, you should have something to start with. I'll do my best to answer any other questions in the thread, and listen to Diablos, too, as he knows just about as much about the deck as I do.