DG's 3 Standard Anti-Creature Decks! Control Updates, A Budget List, and More!

[Death Gaara]

Hello everyone. This article will be following up my previous one that was centered on Esper Control in Standard. Many changes have been made and with the release of Dragon's Maze, control now has a few more viable options that it was lacking before the set's release.

Before we continue, here is the previous list I was running.

Creatures- 5
3 {Augur of Bolas}
2 {Snapcaster Mage}

Instants and Sorceries- 27
4 {Sphinx's Revelation}
4 {Think Twice}
4 {Supreme Verdict}
4 {Lingering Souls}
3 {Syncopate}
2 {Planar Cleansing}
2 {Devour Flesh}
2 {Dissipate}
2 {Azorious Charm}

Planeswalkers- 1
1 {Jace, Memory Adept}

Lands- 27
4 {Nephalia Drownyard}
4 {Hallowed Fountain}
4 {Glacial Fortress}
4 {Drowned Catacomb}
3 {Watery Grave}
3 {Godless Shrine}
1 {Isolated Chapel}
2 {Island}
1 {Swamp}
1 {Plains}

There were a few problems with this list that regularly came up. Azorious Charm continuously fell short and Syncopate was not doing the job I needed it to. The deck was solid and won regularly, but the sometime dead cards just really hurt the deck. Thankfully, there is no longer a need to play these subpar cards and solely rely on them to protect you. With the release of Dragon's Maze, a situational piece of removal was printed. While it is situational, {Warped Physique} is the only removal we have in standard that can target a creature for only two mana. The other option being {Murder} is too slow to make the impact we need. This card is also solid for its ability to get around indestructible. I have been testing against some players who use {Tajic, Blade of the Legion} and this card has never came up dead. Some would argue that Warped Physique is situational and unplayable. It is a terrible top deck and requires you to have cards in your hand to be effective. While this is true, it is really not a solid argument. If you do not have cards in your hand, control is probably losing anyways. You should have enough cards in your hand to make this card work. If you do not, the game is probably too far gone and not much would put you back in anyways.

Another solid card that has been printed is {Far//Away}. While this card is not as effective as the above card in my opinion, I still thing that it deserves to be played for the versatility and synergy the card provides. I am still not sold on this card, but think it is fine as a one or two of. What I do like about this card is the versatility even if the opponent only has one creature. Far is solid for recycling your Augrs or Snapcasters. Getting these cards back in your hand is really nice value when you are fusing it. While you do not want to just cast Far and bounce a creature unless it saves you or prevents a threat, bouncing an efficient creature and making the opponent sacrifice a creature is a really nice one two punch play that really puts you ahead of the game. Fusing the card and casting both halves on the opponents is of course still profitable as long as you are not giving them more chances to reuse their efficient cards like {Thragtuk}s or {Restoration Angel}.

There was also a slight change up in the counterspell lineup too. Syncopate was just a soft counter too often that was out of reach against other control decks. To rectify this, I found that {Psychic Strike} was a solid replacement that helped contribute to the mill game plan. It is a hard counter against control and stops some of the later threats from aggro. The early counter is not needed anymore because of the inclusion of new removal.

For finishers, {AEtherling } is a welcome addition. It acts as a mana sink for control and can protect itself due to its own abilities. I have not had a chance to test it yet, but it seems solid enough for control to run. This will be on my list of to do things if I can get my hands on some. For now, I like the {Obzedat, Ghost Council} as a finisher. He nets you life and puts the opponent on a fast clock. With all of the shocks in standard, it is not unreasonable to put the opponent at 18 life sometime early in the game. With Obzedat's ability and two {Lingering Souls} tokens, you push 9 damage a turn. This two turn clock makes a nice solid win condition now that standard has started to slow down.

Here is a copy of the new list I am running.

Creatures- 7
3 {Augur of Bolas}
2 {Snapcaster Mage}
2 {Obzedat, Ghost Council}

Instants and Sorceries- 26
4 {Sphinx's Revelation}
4 {Think Twice}
4 {Supreme Verdict}
4 {Lingering Souls}
3 {Warped Physique}
3 {Azorious Charm}
2 {Dissipate}
2 {Psychic Strike}
1 {Far//Away}

Lands- 26
4 {Hallowed Fountain}
4 {Glacial Fortress}
4 {Drowned Catacomb}
3 {Nephalia Drownyard}
3 {Watery Grave}
3 {Godless Shrine}
1 {Isolated Chapel}
2 {Island}
1 {Swamp}
1 {Plains}

The above list has proven very effective. I think it is a step in the right direction for control in this format. The deck can more reliably win off of real methods then spamming Drownyards for a win. Drownyards are still in to act as an alternate win con against the decks you need it for. The new sources of removal combined with the slower metagame are really helping this deck gain a stronger grip of control on the other tier one standard decks. That being said I am moving on to the next part of this article. A few days ago another member asked me if Esper Control could be done without Snapcasters and Sphinx's Revelation. The following list is a tapout control list that falls on more of a budget line (for control decks that is). Keep in mind all of the following lists are untested and have not proven themselves. They are just ideas off of the top of my head.

Creatures
4 {Augur of Bolas}
4 {Vampire Nighthawk}
2 {Aetherling}
2 {Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis}

Spells
4 {Lingering Souls}
4 {Amass the Components}
4 {Supreme Verdict}
3 {Azorius Charm}
3 {Far//Away}
1 {Mind Grind}

Enchantments
3 {Oblivion Ring}

Lands- 26
4 {Glacial Fortress}
4 {Drowned Catacomb}
3 {Nephalia Drownyard}
6 {Island}
5 {Swamp}
4 {Plains}

As stated earlier, the above list is not tested in any way. The mana is kind of shaky without the shocks, but the checklands should work well enough for those trying to save a few pennies. The deck has a two main ways to win. The main game plan is to just push through enough damage to kill your opponent.  Aetherling acts as a pretty cheap mana sink and can wing games. Nefarox is good for getting rid of creatures and abusing the exalted with Aetherling if you manage to get both out. It also helps that he comes down on turn six and helps the natural curve of the deck. When that is not an option ( against control some of the time), the plan B is to use your Drownyards to mill them. The singleton Mind Grind should be enough to finish most games when using this game plan. Oblivion Ring is mainly in the deck to deal with planeswalkers since we are not playing counterspells and have no way to stop their resolution. The draw is really weak without access to Sphinx's Revelation. Our best option is really Amass the Components. It gives us a turn four play and is a plus 1 in terms of card advantage. Divination is also a plus one and cheaper, but we need the ability to select which cards to keep since we cannot draw that many. So I feel Amass the Components in better in this situation.

Our removal package is pretty standard. Supreme Verdicts are unavoidable. I suppose you could switch them for {Merciless Eviction} or {Planar Cleansing} if you really do not want to shell out the cash, but the extra two turns you have to wait will make the difference in winning and losing a game. Be prepared to lose more games than you want if you choose not to go with the wrath that comes down on turn four. Solid trades with Lingering Souls tokens and Far//Away make up the rest of your removal. Vampire Nighthawk can kill creatures, but you want him to remain alive as long as possible. This is your only source of lifegain without having access to Sphinx's Revelation. Some could argue that {Elixir of Immortality} is an option. While that is true for lifegain purposes, it hardly helps lay down pressure. This is why I believe Nighthawk is better (it helps that he can act as removal when needed).

This list should run you about $100 give or take $10-$15. It's not bad, but do not expect to go winning any GP's or PTQ's with it. It should suffice in a leisurely FNM setting.

Finally I will be looking at this last list for those who want to try something a little different. Keep in mind this list is also untested and is just an idea. I present to you Standard Turbofog.

Creatures-8
4 {Snapcaster Mage}
4 {Thragtusk}

Spells- 20
4 {Fog}
4 {Druid's Deliverance}
4 {Riot Control}
4 {Supreme Verdict}
3 {Clinging Mists}
1 {Increasing Confusion}

Planeswalkers- 3
3 {Jace, Memor Adept}

Artifacts- 5
3 {Otherworld Atlas}
2 {Elixir of Immortality}

Land- 24
4 {Temple Garden}
4 {Glacial Fortress}
4 {Sunpetal Grove}
4 {Breeding Pool}
3 {Hallowed Fountain}
2 {Forest}
2 {Plains}
1 {Island}

Aggro heavy meta got you down? Have no fear, turbofog is here. This list was just an idea I have been rolling around for a while. I will not be testing it because I do not have the time or the Thragtusks, but it looks like it would be a ton of fun to play in those aggressive metagames. For those who have not heard of turbofog, the idea is simple. You keep fogging to keep yourself alive. Between Jace, Atlas, and the one Increasing Confusion, you mill your opponent out. It is not that hard to play and uses Thragtusk as an alternative win condition and a source of lifegain. What really makes this a deck now in my opinion is the printing of Riot Control in Dragon's Maze. The extra life gained should help against the quick aggro decks that were so dominant before. Atlas helps you draw your fog effects and Snapcaster lets you reuse the fogs you already used previously.  We round out the deck with Elixir of Immortality. This helps recycle your fog effects and keeps you in the game long enough to survive with its life gain. The control matchup will probably end up being a tossup since your only hope is going to be resolving a Jace. This deck is best suited for aggressive metagames where control is not as prevalent.

This concludes our look at Esper Control in standard. In addition, a budget list has been shown to you to help provide some options with those who cannot drop a huge chunk of change into standard. Turbofog remains as an option for those who do not like control but want to play an anti-creature deck that uses Thragtusk. I hope you guys are able to draw inspiration from or utilize one of the lists I have provided for you today. Hopefully with the metagame slowing down, anti-creature decks will be able to see some presence on the tables at the big events to come. Thanks for reading! Always remember, keep it real and have fun!

DG

[Wally]

Yet again, another great write up!

A few cards to sus your opinions on, if I may.
Firstly lets start with the mill control option. I've been testing a dimir control deck with one of my mates it's pretty solid and there are a few cards in there that may also fit into your budget deck or maybe even the sideboard of the main one.
{Grisly Spectacle}, to me it seems to hit really well on anything that wasn't countered by {Psychic Strike} and adds to the graveyard quite quickly.
{Dimir Charm} as a straight up counter for  {Dreadbore} it protects Jace as well as any counter, but has options if we need to use it a different way.
We have been using my favorite card  {Essence Harvest} coupled with {Consuming Aberration} and {Wight of Precinct Six} to turn the game around and end it quite suddenly.
If it wasn't built around using that (and the combo between {Duskmantle Guildmage} and  {Jace, Memory Adept}) I would consider playing  {Crypt Incursion} to recover life.
Also I think worth mentioning is  {Bane Alley Broker}, she plays so well, especially in multiples, allowing some serious card advantage, and effectively scrying what card you want and storing the other one for later.

On to the turbo fog. Two cards that sprung to mind when I though about making one was  {Tamiyo, the Moon Sage} and {Sleep}.
Also when I saw the  {Otherworld Atlas} I thought that you would mention {Liliana of the Veil} with her discard ability, then force sac, it's a brutal combo.

Anyways, as I already said. Another great read


Edit:
Also I nearly waited for a response to ask another question, but here goes anyway.
What are your thoughts on the pseudo removal (via enchantments) eg.  {Dead Weight},  {Death's Approach}, etc

[Mikefrompluto]

Very nice! I enjoyed it.

[Dudecore]

Interesting to say the least. What is the advantage of {Otherworld Atlas} over let's say,  {Staff of Nin}? I see the Atlas is used for milling, while generating symmetrical card advantage. {Staff of Nin} allows you to have card advantage (finding your fogs and jace) while also pushing the clock (albeit slowly).

[Destore117]

I apologize but I simply don't have the fortitude to read all of this but! I did pick up a few good pieces of information as well as learning control may just be something I'm going to look into.
And I have a new question.
Is the control deck you mentioned at the top what you usually run with? And is it the deck you will be adding  {Damnation}

[Death Gaara]

Interesting to say the least. What is the advantage of {Otherworld Atlas} over let's say,  {Staff of Nin}? I see the Atlas is used for milling, while generating symmetrical card advantage. {Staff of Nin} allows you to have card advantage (finding your fogs and jace) while also pushing the clock (albeit slowly).

To be honest, I forgot Staff of Nin even existed. I would still pick the Atlas over it. Here are some of my reasons.

1) The Atlas not only contributes more to your gameplan, but also lets you draw more cards in the long run.
2) The Atlas comes down faster than the Staff.
3) So many decks play lifegain via Swagtusk and Sphinx's Revelation, that the one damage is irrelevant since there is no reasonable clock that could be made with it. Too many decks just get the life back too easily for it to matter.

@ Wally here are my responses to your questions

To begin with, Grisly Spectacle costs too much mana for it to be solid removal. Yes it mills, but that is only the plan B. Even then, Drownyards and Mind Grind should be enough to get you there. We want efficiency, and Spectacle does not give that at a reasonable cost.

Tamiyo and Sleep are both solid. However, Tamiyo can only stop one creature from attacking per turn. I would rather just have a fog to prevent all of the damage. Drawing is a moot point since we have the Atlas. And the ultimate is unreliable to achieve, so I do not think that is enough to merit its inclusion. I think some lists may want it, but not the one I provided. Sleep is sub par when you could just fog at instant speed for less mana. Furthermore, we would rather just kill every creature with Supreme Verdict, so I think that Verdict is just an outright better 4 drop. People can play Sleeps if they do not want to invest in Verdicts, but I feel Verdict is just more solid.

And finally your third question.  I am not a large fan of Enchament style removal since it opens up the possibility of 2 for 1ing yourself. However, I do think that there are some applications that may merit its inclusion. Forget about standard since hard removal is just more solid and not as prone to card disadvantage. But in block, I see some options being playable. {Stab Wound} and {Thousand Lashes} to be honest are solid cards in a particular archetype that is a fun deck to run in block. With the printing of {Sphere of Safety}, Pillowfort is a playable block deck in an FNM setting. This deck would want the pseudo Enchantment removal. Most notably the two I listed (one is not removal) because it puts the opponent on a clock that slowly bleeds them dry.

@ Destore117

No, Damnation is not legal in Standard.

[Destore117]

I didn't know that. (My noob questions xD )

[Hunteroffire9]

Thanks so much!!!

[Xaol]

Why {Planar Cleansing} over {Terminus}?

[Death Gaara]

Why {Planar Cleansing} over {Terminus}?

For the budget deck, budget reasons (although if you cannot afford a playset of $3 cards you are playing the wrong game IMO). I also just do not like Terminus. I like the fact that Planar Cleansing can wipe away planeswalkers and the occasional artifact/enchantment too. Terminus does not do that. Although it does reward luck sacky players (sadly I am not one).

For the original list that I no longer run, cleasing was just better at the time against the planewalker (super friends) deck that was getting popular.