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If you check out my CoolStuffInc article database you'll see that I have a special affinity for a certain deck archetype: Control.
Back in 2017, Mike Flores pointed out I had a knack for decks that played from behind, as I made the top 8 of two SCG events playing Control brews that summer.
Azorius Approach | Hour of Devastation Standard | Roman Fusco, SCG Syracuse 5k, 2017/5th
- Creatures (2)
- 2 Thraben Inspector
- Instants (22)
- 2 Consign // Oblivion
- 4 Blessed Alliance
- 4 Censor
- 4 Glimmer of Genius
- 4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
- 4 Supreme Will
- Sorceries (7)
- 3 Approach of the Second Sun
- 4 Fumigate
- Enchantments (4)
- 4 Cast Out
- Lands (25)
- 5 Plains
- 9 Island
- 1 Aether Hub
- 2 Ipnu Rivulet
- 4 Irrigated Farmland
- 4 Prairie Stream
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Eight years later, I'm still building, writing about, and theorizing Control strategies for Standard. On the eve of Standard rotation and a new set's release I'm thinking now more than ever what my favorite archetype looks like post-Edge of Eternities, as I again thrust myself back into a Standard RCQ season.
Part 1 - Where Control Decks Stand
After the major recent Standard bannings, Control emerged as one of the archetypes that stood the most to win from the outcome. With Aggro taking a big hit, as well as Pixie decks and Up the Beanstalk Green decks, Control was poised to be a top contender in the new meta.
Now this is mostly true, as I've seen various Control shells 5-0 and top 8 MTGO challenges this past week. The bannings also gave a lot of juice to Midrange decks Control sometimes struggles with, most notably Dimir Midrange.
Decks that have diverse threats are a nuisance for Control, as your Day of Judgment can't always hit everything. Since you can't counter Kaito, Bane of Nightmares' ninjutsu easily, you can find yourself under pressure pretty quickly in this matchup. Even if you do Get Lost a Kaito and Ultima their board, you might still get got by a Restless Reef that goes unchecked.
In the interim before EoE releases, Control still has a lot of tools, but with the absence of Aggro, Midrange decks become harder to deal with.
When it comes to rotation, we only lose a few cards. First up is Temporary Lockdown which is a pretty major hit, as this was an important two-for-one (plus) against Aggro. However, with Cori-Steel Cutter banned, losing lockdown isn't as huge, but it becomes harder to cleanly deal with a board of Insidious Roots and plants.
Jace, the Perfected Mind is a tough card to lose too. Jace was always my choice as a win condition, as two Jaces usually one-shot an opponent for 30 cards. It also allowed Control to have an auto-win against decks that went over the top, like Overlords or Mono-White Control.
The last reason why I'm so sad losing Jace, is because it helped me win matches in paper that I would've drawn otherwise. When you play Control, time is always an issue. Your deck takes a long time to win, so not only do you have to be mindful of your pace of play, you also have to make sure your opponent doesn't stall. Jace was able to win games fast when your back was against the clock.
I think Elspeth, Storm Slayer fills a similar role, and synergizes nicely with cards you already play like Beza, the Bounding Spring, but she definitely can't end games in one turn like two Jaces can.
Part 2 - Edge of Eternities Spoilers
While the full set is still yet to be revealed, a handful of Edge of Eternities cards have already caught my eye:
Welcome back Temporary Lockdown! It's very funny to lose a major card like Lockdown only to have it immediately replaced. It is worth noting this card can't hit Enchantments like Insidious Roots, but it sweeps up Aggro creatures, map tokens, and Agatha's Soul Cauldron all the same. This can be Abraded, so there is more blowout potential from Red decks. It also can be caught by Ultima, so depending on the speed of the format you might need to rely on this and Day of Judgment more than Ultima, but we'll have to see how Standard shakes out. Split Up might just have to take this card's spot, but I'm confident Pinnacle Starcage will see loads of play.
It's also kind of a mini win condition by itself, as at eight mana you can make a small army of 2/2s. This pairs nicely with Elspeth, Storm Slayer, as it builds you an army you can make pretty formidable with her 0 ability.
Consult the Star Charts is the card that I'm really excited for. This is probably the most powerful Memory Deluge effect I've ever seen in Standard, and it's extremely flexible. At its floor, this card is basically just a Dreams of Laguna, since at two mana you get to look at two cards and grab one. At three mana you get a glorified Anticipate. However at four mana and higher you get probably the best four-mana draw two Standard has ever seen.
What's so crucial to why this card is exceptionally better in Control than other archetypes is that it scales with the game. Control, fundamentally, aims to drag the game out as long as possible, to get to an eventual point where your opponent has no tools while you have everything at your disposal - counter magic, game-ending threats, removal, you name it.
Consult the Star Charts eventually just becomes a double Demonic Tutor for Control decks, as at some point in the game you'll be able to look through 10+ cards. This card will be so important to Control decks going forward because it's good at every point in the game. It'll find you your lands early on, search for an Ultima on turn four, and basically become a tutor in the late-game. This is one of the best Control cards they've printed in years.
Part 3 - And You
At this point I hope I've convinced you that Control has a lot of playability in Standard. If I was able to go 7-1-1 against Izzet Prowess at the last RC, a deck with two banned cards(!), I'm pretty confident a deck that lost virtually nothing with rotation will still be good. Again, I think Control might struggle a bit with the various Midrange and Ramp shells popping up, decks with Kaito, Bane of Nightmares or Yuna, Spira's Hope, but ultimately Control has enough tools and new powerful cards to be a strong contender post-rotation.
Again, we have a whole set we still need to see, but I stand behind Control being a great choice for RCQs, especially when no one else at your local store is playing it. I think there have been a lot of sets where I've struggled to find good Control cards, but Edge of Eternities looks very power crept. I think there are a lot of cards I'm excited to try, and it's going to be a turbulent Standard period for a few weeks as the format shakes out.
With RCQ season around the corner I'm going to be doing my best to find the right shell for all these new Control cards. There's a lot to explore on the horizon!
Until then...
-Roman Fusco
