[Deck] BUG "Shardless" Control

[Kyle]

BUG "Shardless" Control

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I. Overview
II. History
III. Core List
IV. Maindeck Card Choices
V. General Strategy
VI. Sideboard Card Choices
VII. Match-ups

ANT
GWx Maverick and Death & Taxes
Miracle Control
Jund
Sneak Attack
Elves
Team America
RUG Delver
UWR Delver
Deathblade / Stoneblade
OmniTell

VII. Decklists

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I. Overview

BUG "Shardless" Control (a.k.a. BUG Cascade, a.k.a. Shardless BUG) is a spin off of BUG Team America Control and has taken some huge leaps forward lately. Surprisingly, something that started as a fun/gimmicky deck by Brian DeMars has cascaded (haha) into Top8s everywhere and is now a "Deck To Beat".

This deck is built around abusing Shardless Agent's Cascade mechanic to cast Ancestral Vision for free, helping you to drown your opponent in card advantage. The Cascade mechanic can also be used to 1-for-2 into Hymn To Tourach, Tarmogoyf, and Abrupt Decay, creating an explosive board presence or overall decent board control.

With the addition of Deathrite Shaman, you can be cascading into awesome as early as T2. Plus, the overall utility DrShaman brings to the table is astounding. Liliana of the Veil and Jace, the Mind Sculptor are also two important inclusions in the 75.

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II. History

In August 2012, Brian DeMars published this article, featuring a new list he put together, which is the basis of the Shardless BUG archetype.

Here are some of the featured cards in his original list that are notably absent from more modern lists. Explanation later.

Sensei's Divining Top
Snapcaster Mage
Vendilion Clique
Ghastly Demise
Pernicious Deed

Out of these cards, Deed is probably the only one sometimes used in the 75, and most often in the sideboard as a sweeper. And as much as I love Deed, it requires A LOT of mana.

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III. Core List

The "Core" List features:


//Creatures:
4 Shardless Agent
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Deathrite Shaman

//Sorceries:
4 Ancestral Vision
2-3 Hymn to Tourach
2 Thoughtseize

//Instants:
4 Brainstorm
3-4 Abrupt Decay

//Planeswalkers:
2-3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

//Lands:
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
2 Bayou
3-4 Misty Rainforest
2-3 Wasteland
2-3 Polluted Delta


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VI. Maindeck Card Choices

Assuming you follow the above "Core List," you'll be left with some flex spots which are typically reserved for the following, tailored to your own meta.


3-4 Force of Will
1-2 Maelstrom Pulse
2-4 Baleful Strix
2-3 Liliana of the Veil
1-2 Creeping Tar Pit


... or more loading up on business spells like:


Hymn to Tourach
Abrupt Decay
Thoughtseize
Jace, the Mind Sculptor


You will no doubt notice that this manabase is considered "extremely greedy" and is particularly vulnerable to Wasteland. In the past, I would not have hesitated to run a few basics, typically in order of priority of Swamp, Forest, Island, but recently I have found this deck to be so resilient and reliable, especially in the Card Advantage area, that worrying too much about your manabase isn't necessary.

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V. General Strategy

I figure it's best to quickly discuss the general strategy and some basic "how to play the deck" guidelines before jumping into the Sideboard Options. Here goes...

The First Rule of Shardless BUG is load up on business spells that are 2CMC or less

Clarification: The deck is designed to abuse Shardless Agent's cascade ability, so make sure you're running heavy on really good spells and creatures that will be cast for free off the cascade. Hymn to Tourach is the first card that comes to mind, that is always an incredible joy to cascade into.

The Second Rule of Shardless BUG is try to prime your cascades

Clarification: You obviously want to draw 3 free cards from Ancestral Vision as soon as humanly possibly and as much as humanly possible, and in order to do this you often will need to stack the deck with the card you want to cascade into, using Brainstorm and Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

The Third Rule of Shardless BUG is don't worry about gambling a little with your cascades

Clarification: The 1 and 2 CMC choices in the deck are very rarely going to let you down if you cascade into them without preparing with a Brainstorm or Jace. Tarmogoyf and Baleful Strix can help establish board presence, Hymn to Tourach and Thoughtseize can help rip apart your opponent's hand, and Abrupt Decay can help to clear your opponent's board. The only cards that are a little "meh" that you can cascade into are Brainstorm and Deathrite Shaman, and these two cards are still good.

Lastly:

From amazing to great to good, the cards you want to cascade into are ranked in this order:


Ancestral Vision
Tarmogoyf
Hymn to Tourach
Abrupt Decay
Baleful Strix
Thoughtseize
Brainstorm
Deathrite Shaman


...with none of them being fair or bad.

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VI. Sideboard Options

With the general cascade strategy out of the way we can move on to some of the better sideboard choices and why and where they are helpful or necessary.

Golgari Charm

Awesome utility card: sweep away weenies or take out an Omniscience.

Scavenging Ooze

Not only is it a 2-drop that can be cascaded into, it is great at nulling DrShaman. This deck also has a weak spot against burn and Goblins, so Ooze can help you with some lifegain when if you need it.

Nihil Spellbomb

A must-sideboard graveyard hate card if you are playing Black. It cycles too upon activation.

Vendilion Clique

When you need more disruption against combo, plus a great beater, Clique's the winner.

Whipflare

Requires a greedier red splash, but is a potentially devastating sweeper against non-artifact creatures and can be cascaded into. Some lists run this card with a Badlands MD.

Thoughseize

Speaks for itself - it's great against combo, can rip an important T1 one-drop like Aether Vial, Goblin Lackey, or Mother of Runes out of your opponent's hand, and can also help in midgame to 'yard a Jace or Humility.

Krosan Grip

This deck can sometimes have problems with CounterTop, so you will need to nuke that Counterbalance. It's also great against MUD, Affinity, Goblins and Merfolk (for Vial), or any Batterskull-based deck.

Umezawa's Jitte

Jitte is the best equipment printed ever and works nicely with this deck, with its suite of quick n' dirty creatures. It helps as a pump to close out games, can nuke Delvers, Moms and Thalias, and against Burn it can help with getting back your seared away life total.

Surgical Extraction or Extirpate

Especially necessary against Dredge, Reanimator, Loam.dec, anything with Bloodghast, and very nice against RUG (used on their lands after nuking some with your Wastelands). It can help against combo to steal Burning Wishes and Show and Tells as well.

Dismember

More cheap spot removal - kills opposing 'goyfs and Knight of the Reliquaries, but it can't be cascaded into.

Chill

This deck has a problem against Burn and Goblins, hence [cards]Chill[/chill]. It's a blowout against both. Now that Goblins runs Cavern of Souls and BUG Shardless Control does a decent job of clearing away Aether Vials, Chill can be a necessity.

Cursed Totem

The ultimate hurt against Maverick and can provide a lot of help against Griselbrand. Keep in mind, however, that it will shut off your Deathrite Shamans.

Force of Will

Sometimes this card is relegated to the Sideboard, since Maindeck you are not running many blue cards to pitch to the Force, but often 3-4 is a necessary inclusion in the 75 for Combo hate.

Liliana of the Veil

If you are not running her MD then you better be in the SB. Discard, Board Control, and a great Ultimate. Yeah, she's the second-best Planeswalker around (behind Jace, of course).

Baleful Strix

Many lists are running 2 MD and 2 SB. Strix is so good against Swarm matchups that it is a great inclusion of 4 in the 75.

Maelstrom Pulse

Catch-all spot removal and has the added benefit of taking out tokens (Spirit, Angel, Goblin, or Soldier typically)

Hymn to Tourach

You probably want to have 4 in your 75, but 4 MD might be too much, hence a split between MD and SB. Great against Combo (and everything but Dredge, for that matter).

Notion Thief

Holy toledo bonkers amazing blowouts can come from this dude. Steal a Brainstorm, Griselbrand activation, or here's some fun: an Enter the Infinite draw.

Disfigure

Probably the best 1CMC black spot removal spell at the moment. Nukes Mom, Thalia, Gaddock Teeg, Deathrite Shaman, Stoneforge Mystic, Dark Confidant, Goblin Lackey, and Goblin Piledriver.

Venser, Shaper Savant

Versatile 4CMC flash creature: bounce a permanent or "counter" a spell. What he's probably best for is bouncing an Omniscience of a Show and Tell. Rage Quitting will ensue.

Engineered Plague

Very meta-dependent, but excellent against Goblins, Maverick, Death & Taxes, and Elves. Can act as a reactive board sweeper or just a soft-lock. Two of 'em can be gg in many cases.

Submerge

So good at clearing the board it's not even funny. So many people play green where Submerge is helpful: Maverick, Jund, BUG (duh). Can be a clincher spell at the right time, and is especially awesome when used on a creature in response to an opponent's fetchland activation.

Ratchet Bomb

Cascadeable mass removal, but can be slow.

Life from the Loam

This deck's manabase is pretty greedy, so LftL can be very helpful in Wasteland-heavy metas.

Massacre

Another possible oh-my-god-so-effing-good mass removal spell. HOSES weenie decks, especially when a that weenie deck is white. Some drawbacks: Gaddock Teeg nulls it and it takes out your own Deathrite Shamans, Shardless Agents, and Baleful Strixes. Sometimes swarm decks have to be taken down or they will run over you before you have a chance to set up your business spells.

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VII. Matchups

ANT

Probably one of our toughest match-ups as they are going off on T2 or T3. Thoughtseize and Hymn are your best buddies here, as you aren't typically loading up on Force of Wills maindeck. In a combo-heavy meta, it helps to have 4 FoWs maindeck, though they are not nearly as powerful against a Storm Combo player as discard is. Also, Liliana can be an asset to help with keeping hands down. You need to proactively disrupt your opponent with discard so they have more trouble assembling their Kithkin Shotgun. Nevermind that reference.

GWx Maverick and Death and Taxes

Abrupt Decay all the way. Putting them in topdeck mode with discard is great, and FoW is a little weak because you are running few blue spells to pitch and they have so many threats. Thalia, Mother of Runes, and Mirran Crusader are big problems for you, so having board control and presence is the only way you'll stay alive. Discard route: T1 Thoughtseize, T2 Hymn, T3 Liliana or Shardless Agent. Board presence route: T1 Deathrite Shaman or suspended Ancestral Vision, T2 Shardless Agent or Tarmogoyf, T3 Jace.

Miracle Control

Very touch matchup as we don't have much of an answer to Sensei's Divining Top and Miracles typically runs 3-4 sweepers and 4 pieces of spot removal. But, there's one thing that Miracles has an enormously difficult time responding to: Liliana of the Veil. She can win you games against Miracles just by grinding their hand down. Yes, they can still often dig, but Top is durdly and doesn't always give the card quality they want unless they're digging into fetchlands. As a lover of Miracles myself, I know this firsthand. Grind their hand down and land a Lili and it's often very tough for them to come back. Watch out for Rest in Peace, which can nullify 8 of the bombs in your deck.

Jund

Their 6-8 maindecked removal can be tough, since it hits all of your bombs, but your card advantage and quicker cascader can put you one turn ahead, and a very big goal is to get cards as fast as you can with Ancestral Vision. Nihil Spellbomb as a sideboard card is helpful to nuke their 'yard. Jace can often be sided out, since all he's good for in this matchup is getting pitched to Force of Will. Bloodbraid Elf makes quick work of him. Be wary of Punishing Fire, as it can decimate most of your threats, namely Deathrite Shaman, Tarmogoyf, Baleful Strix, and Liliana, and save your Wastelands for their Grove of the Burnwillows. Pointed discard (Thoughtseize) is very helpful in this matchup to remove Bloodbraid, Abrupt Decay, and Red Elemental Blasts post-board. Lastly, take out their Dark Confidant as soon as you can, as he will bury you in CA before you can get your engine online.

Sneak Attack

Thoughtseize, Hymn, and Liliana are your holy trinity in this matchup, as you want to put them in topdeck mode, pronto. Often, a resolved Sneak Attack or Griselbrand spells GG so getting rid of him as fast as you can is the way to go. Force of Will is necessary postboard. Don't be discouraged, this is a tough matchup, but keeping discard heavy hands is the best way to beat them. Leyline of Sanctity post-board is a common board-in, which can often spell disaster. If you went with the discard plan and can resolve a Liliana and a Jace you can come out ahead. Fatesealing is very helpful.

Elves

You have 4 Abrupt Decay, which are very important to take out manadorks, Heritage Druid, and Wirewood Symbiote. You have 2-3 Force of Wills maindeck, which is very important. Save your Forces for Glimpse of Nature, Natural Order, or a big Green Sun's Zenith. Discard is helpful here (as with any combo matchup). Postboard more removal and/or sweepers -- Disfigure, Massacre, or Engineered Plague are necessary. You need to get your game on early because they can go off as early as T2 and typically on T3.

Team America

Deathrite Shaman is an all-star in this matchup to grind down their 'yard, and postboard Nihil Spellbomb is your friend. Hymn probably isn't as helpful in this matchup as in others, since it can help their own Deathrite Shamans, Tarmogoyfs, and the 5/5 "2-mana" flyer known as Tombstalker. This is very similar to a mirror match, except they run more counters, including Daze and Spell Pierce, which you will have to play around. Some lists also run Dark Confidant, which becomes a big target. Thoughtseize is very helpful to rip out hand-hate and know what's coming.

RUG Delver

Abrupt Decay is what breaks the tension in this deck, as they have absolutely no answer to it, except, maybe, Nimble Mongoose. That's where your maindeck graveyard hate in the form of DrShaman comes in. Post-board if your meta is infested with 'yard-based strategies, Nihil Spellbomb is the biggest help. They can stifle your cascades, so they lose some of their value. Baleful Strix is a big help in this matchup to block anything they throw at you. Also, Wasteland hurts you a lot since you aren't running any basics. Hopefully you can get an unswered Deathrite Shaman online early on.

UWR Delver

Their deck currently plays 7 or 8 pieces of maindeck removal, Stifle and Wasteland to disrupt your greedy manabase, and many of the newest decklists are packing the almost unanswerable Batterskull. So what's your primary strategy? Prevent them from casting anything, meaning pointed discard in the form of Thoughtseize and hand grinding in the form of Hymn to Tourach. A resolved Geist of Saint Traft can be tough to deal with, but thankfully you have Tarmogoyf to keep him from attacking you (hopefully). Everything else can be hit by Abrupt Decay and/or Disfigure. Also, UWR Delver dies a pitiful death to Massacre, so if you can prevent a Batterskull from sticking around and then Massacre the board, you're in good shape.

DeathBlade / Stoneblade

Stoneblade variants can be tough to deal with (see UWR above). Batterskull, if resolved and unanswered, can be a very tough threat. Also, there is now exists a "race-to-Jace," where your card advantage engine and mana acceleration becomes even more important. Your maindeck all-stars are Abrupt Decay, Baleful Strix, and Creeping Tar Pit (as a Jace assassin). Every creature in the deck is a threat if unanswered - Stoneforge Mystic, Deathrite Shaman, Dark Confidant, Geist of Saint Traft, and even Vendilion Clique. Post-board you should bring in more removal and if you're running Massacres, they can be a blowout, as it can nuke everything the've got except for B-skull.

OmniTell

Yet another tough matchup, but like other combo decks, your discard is your greatest ally, particularly in G1, as in G2 OmniTell players are playing Leyline of Sanctity more now, requiring you to board out some discard to prevent filling your hand with crap and getting terrible topdecks. T1 Thoughtseize, T2 Hymn can be your ticket to GG during G1 and if they don't have that Leyline. If they cast and resolve a Show and Tell into Omniscience or Dream Halls, you're doomed. Post-board you take out the Abrupt Decays and bring in Notion Thief and Venser, Shaper Savant, plus more Force of Wills. Notion Thief will probably draw you 46 cards off their Enter the infinite, so have fun and go nuts.

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VII. Decklists

Gerry Thompson - 1st Place at StarCityGames.com Invitational on 4/7/2013
http://sales.starcitygames.com/deckd...p?DeckID=54793

Andrew Tenjum - 8th Place at StarCityGames.com Legacy Open on 8/4/2013
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deck...p?DeckID=58122