Control decks are often difficult to build on a budget. With the need for powerful, late-game threats, expensive mythic rares often take the lead. However, it is possible to build a workable control deck without breaking the bank. To prove it, I turned to a less common color combination.

"Dimir Control"

• Creatures (3)
• 3 Consuming Aberration

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 Jace, Memory Adept

• Spells (29)
• 3 Bile Blight
• 3 Devour Flesh
• 3 Dimir Charm
• 4 Dissolve
• 4 Grisly Spectacle
• 4 Psychic Strike
• 4 Ultimate Price
• 4 Pilfered Plans

• Lands (25)
• 10 Island
• 11 Swamp
• 4 Dimir Guildgate

Buy This Deck

The Win Conditions

Consuming Aberration is bound to be gigantic in this deck, not to mention the fact that it grows larger every time you cast a spell. As the only creature in the deck, your opponent will be hard-pressed to decide whether to take his removal out in sideboarding or leave it in, and you can often protect the Aberration in Game 1 using your counterspells.

The Control

Psychic Strike may be even better than Dissolve here. It mills two cards, which is relevant only occasionally, but the main draw is that it's much easier to cast, requiring one of each color rather than 2 blue mana.

Pilfered Plans is another upgrade to a standard card—in this case Divination. By paying a black mana in the cost, you gain the added bonus of milling two cards. It’s a minor ability to be sure, but a few cards here and there can really start to add up.

Grisly Spectacle is another card that happens to dump your opponent's library into his graveyard. Although it costs more to cast than Hero's Downfall, it costs much less to buy, and with large threats like Desecration Demon around, it can mill quite a few cards.

Ultimate Price can only kill mono-colored creatures, but it just so happens that there are a lot of those running around right now. Nightveil Specter is one notable exception, but fortunately, every other piece of removal in the deck can take care of that.

Dimir Charm is another great way to kill small creatures. With W/U control decks often playing several copies of Last Breath, it's obvious that there are enough powerful 2-power creatures in the format to make this kind of card worth it. In addition, Dimir Charm has two other modes that may be of use, letting you counter a sorcery spell or arrange the top of someone's library.

Whatever the rest of the removal in the deck misses, Devour Flesh can clean up. Although it only gets rid of your opponent's weakest creature, later in the game, there's often only one creature to choose. With the bevy or removal and counterspells in the deck, Devour Flesh will often get rid of exactly what you want it to.

Playtesting

Mono-Black Devotion – Game 1

My opponent played Mutavault and passed back. I drew Pilfered Plans, played an Island, and ended my turn.

My opponent played a Swamp and passed. I drew Psychic Strike, played a land, and ended the turn.

My opponent cast Erebos, God of the Dead. I countered it with Dissolve, and he ended his turn. I drew a Swamp, played it, and passed back.

My opponent cast Nightveil Specter, but I hit that with Dissolve as well. He ended his turn. I drew Devour Flesh and cast Jace, Memory Adept, using him to mill ten cards. I passed the turn.

My opponent cast Nightveil Specter, which I allowed to resolve. He activated Mutavault and attacked Jace with both creatures. I cast Devour Flesh, and he sacrificed the new Nightveil Specter. I then cast Dimir Charm on Mutavault. Jace dropped to 1 counter, and my opponent ended his turn. I drew Dimir Guildgate and cast Devour Flesh, killing Nightveil Specter. I used Jace's 0 ability to mill ten cards, and I then passed the turn.

My opponent cast Hero's Downfall on Jace, but I countered it with Psychic Strike. He ended his turn. I drew Pilfered Plans and cast it, drawing Dissolve and an Island. I played the land, dropped my opponent to eleven cards with Jace, and passed the turn.

My opponent drew his card and conceded.

Game 2

My opponent played a Swamp and cast Pack Rat. I drew a Guildgate and cast Ultimate Price on the Rat before passing the turn.

He cast Underworld Connections on his Swamp and passed back. I drew a Swamp, played it, and ended my turn.

My opponent played a Mutavault and cast Desecration Demon. I let it resolve and then killed it with Ultimate Price when he passed the turn. I drew a second Jace, played my Guildgate, and passed back.

My opponent drew a card with Underworld Connections and then cast Nightveil Specter. I countered it with Psychic Strike, and he ended his turn. I drew a Swamp, played it, and cast Jace, Memory Adept. I milled ten cards and ended my turn.

My opponent drew a card with Underworld Connections and attacked Jace with Mutavault. He played a second Mutavault and passed the turn. I drew Pilfered Plans and milled another ten cards with Jace. I cast Pilfered Plans, drawing Dissolve and a Swamp, played the Swamp, and ended my turn.

My opponent drew a card with Underworld Connections and killed Jace with both Mutavaults. He passed the turn. I drew Dissolve and cast the second Jace, milling another ten cards. I ended my turn.

My opponent cast Gray Merchant of Asphodel, which I countered with Psychic Strike. He attacked with both Mutavaults and ended his turn. I drew an Island and passed the turn.

My opponent cast another Gray Merchant, which I countered with Dissolve. He attacked with the two Mutavaults again before ending the turn. I drew a Swamp and passed the turn.

My opponent cast Erebos, God of the Dead. I let it resolve. He attacked with both Mutavaults, dropping me to 8, and passed the turn. I drew Devour Flesh and passed back.

He cast Underworld Connections, but I countered it with Dissolve. He attacked with both Mutavaults, and I cast Devour Flesh to kill one, dropping to 6 life. He passed the turn. I drew Dimir Charm and ended my turn.

My opponent attacked with Mutavault, and I cast Dimir Charm to kill it. He ended his turn. I drew Psychic Strike and passed.

My opponent cast Desecration Demon, and I countered it with Psychic Strike, leaving him with one card left in his library. He passed the turn. I drew a land and passed back, and he conceded after drawing his final card.

Wrap-Up

This deck deals with traditionally-difficult threats such as Mutavault better than most, and Jace can usually end the game in about four turns if left alone. The mill from Grisly Spectacle, Psychic Strike, and Pilfered Plans can really add up, letting you eke out a victory if Jace is dealt with. If you're looking for a control deck that wins on a different axis, or if you just enjoy playing mill decks, give this one a try.