Part 1. Pro Tour 1 and the LA/Columbus Qualifier
Tournaments, Feb '96 - May '96
With the restriction of the Black Vise in the Standard format, new doors
were opened in terms of deck design and strategy. Before this, all competitive
decks either exploited the obscene damage potential of the Black Vise (such
as the Howling Mine or Winter Orb Vise Age decks) or were quick enough to
play around it (such as the G/R beatdown or B/x discard decks).
At the first Pro Tour, top players were for the first time allowed to run
decks that were not routinely punished for holding multiple cards in hand.
This fact led to the births of both the B/x Necrodecks and the
“Fortress” philosophy, generally assumed to be U/W Control decks
based in the principles of Brain Weissman’s famous Type I deck.
These Control decks were slower than any decks before them. They were
characteristically non-aggressive, choosing to hold back and remove threats
rather than to attack or disrupt the opponent’s game. The Control player
waited behind a Fortress of permission and creature neutralization cards,
staying alive for the sake of staying alive.
Consider the following deck played by Hammer at Pro Tour 1, constructed under
the "five cards from each T2 legal expansion" rule:
"Hammer" Regnier - Millstone |
4 Counterspell
4 Power Sink
1 Recall
4 Spell Blast
1 Balance
4 Disenchant
3 Land Tax
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Wrath of God
|
3 Icy Manipulator
1 Ivory Tower
3 Millstone
1 Zuran Orb
Sideboard:
1 Abbey Gargoyles
1 Arenson's Aura
2 Circle of Protection: Black
2 Circle of Protection: Red
1 Divine Offering
1 Truce
|
3 Mishra's Factory
1 City of Brass
4 Adarkar Wastes
1 Ruins of Trokair
4 Svyelunite Temple
4 Island
6 Plains
Sideboard(Cont):
1 Feldon's Cane
1 Fountain of Youth
2 Memory Lapse
1 Sea Sprite
2 Steal Artifact
|
Notice that Hammer’s deck had very few ways to win, only 3 Millstones
and 3 Factories--and the Factories themselves are also mana sources! Because
of this, Hammer would have a very high chance of drawing a card that would
keep him alive either by life gaining (Ivory Tower and Zuran Orb), by removing
dangerous threats played by the opponent (creature or enchantment/artifact
removal), or by countering these cards before they hit the table (12-14
permission spells).
From the position of drawing 3 or more cards per turn via Land Tax, removing
multiple creatures with a single spell via Wrath of God, and milking the
abusive power of the Ivory Tower, this deck would usually be able to ensure
its position of 1 or more life--all that was necessary to continue the game.
At the same time, both Hammer’s deck and his opponent’s would draw
threats or threat removal, but Hammer’s deck would generally draw more
raw cards; because of the large number of permission and removal used, the
Control deck would be able to counter threats constantly, at the same time
whittling away at the opponent’s library with Millstones or attacking
through a Wrath-cleared battlefield with Factories.
Efficiency of this nature allowed Hammer to make an impressive top
8 showing at Pro Tour 1, and helped make the U/W Control deck a popular
one for its era.
A similar deck, worthy of mention here, from the same environment, was the
so-called “Neutral Ground” Serra-Scepter deck. This version came
from Rob Hahn’s “Schools of Magic.”
Rob Hahn's "Serra-Scepter" |
2 Serra Angels
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Wrath of God
4 Disenchant
3 Land Tax
1 Balance
4 Counterspell
2 Powersink
2 Control Magic
1 Recall
|
2 Jayemdae Tomes
2 Disrupting Scepters
2 Jester's Cap
2 Icy Manipulators
1 Serrated Arrows
1 Aeolipile
1 Feldon's Cane
1 Ivory Tower
1 Zuran Orb
Sideboard:
2 Control Magic
2 Orders of Leitbur
2 COP: Black
2 Divine Offering
2 Serrated Arrows
|
2 Fellwar Stones
4 Adarkar Wastes
7 Plains
7 Islands
2 Svyelunite Temples
4 Mishra's Factories
Sideboard(Cont):
2 Sleight of Mind
1 Wrath of God
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Swords to Plowshares
|
This deck, like Hammer’s, drew multiple cards per turn via Land Tax
(and Jayemdae Tome), increasing its chances of having the necessary
threat-removal when the opposing deck presented threats. Also present was
the soft-lock of the Disrupting Scepter, where the Control player depleted
his opponent’s hand.
With no cards in hand, it was a small thing for the Control player to attack
with Serra Angel, ending the game in only a few turns. Because he had no
resources, the opposing player was forced to top-deck an anti-Serra Angel
card quickly or fall prey; because the Control player usually had many cards
in hand, including a couple of permission spells, the likelihood of a dead
Serra Angel once the soft lock is in place was very low.
Now consider these decks in an environment where the opposing player was
almost assured an early Black Vise.
Aggro: Land, Vise.
Control: Land, um, Land Tax.
Aggro: Land, Done.
Control: Ouch. Are you sure you don’t want to cast something so I can
counter it, thereby allowing me to reduce my hand size, and with that, the
amount of damage you can deal with your Black Vise?
Aggro: Pretty sure. Go ahead and Tax, though.
Control: Okay. I draw lots of cards... Doh! “Ouch” has evolved
to “OUCH.”
Clearly this deck was non-viable in such a setting.
Part 2: The Restriction of Land Tax, Jun '96 - Aug '96
The Control decks were so popular and powerful during Pro Tour 1 (2 U/W decks
made the final 8, and Mike Loconto’s won the whole thing) and the LA
and Columbus qualifier tournaments that followed, that Wizards of the Coast
identified them as a problem, overpowered to some degree.
The answer to their ridiculous efficiency was the restriction of Land Tax,
which allowed the Control player (especially when combined with Zuran Orb
or Strip Mine) to draw multiple cards per turn at little or no cost. While
this was an attempt to level the field, it actually promoted an environment
dominated by Necropotence decks, whose libraries were still allowed 4 Hymns
to Tourach, 4 Strip Mines, and 4 Necropotences, plus multiple Demonic
Consultations.
Because of this significant environmental imbalance, there were few traditional
U/W Control decks present at the 1996 US National championships and World
Championships (although Prison and Stasis decks were very successful, their
histories are detailed elsewhere on The Magic Dojo). This deck by Erno Ekebom,
who placed well at the 1996 World Championships, is a notable exception.
Erno Ekebom's "Aggro-Control" |
4 Savannah Lions
3 Order of Leitbur
4 Order of the White Shield
1 Blinking Spirit
3 Swords to Plowshares
4 Disenchant
1 Land Tax
1 Balance
|
3 Power Sink
2 Control Magic
1 Recall
1 Zuran Orb
1 Serrated Arrows
2 Jeweled Amulet
1 Aeolipile
Sideboard:
1 Aeolipile
1 Armageddon
3 COP: Black
1 COP: Green
2 COP: Red
|
4 Strip Mine
4 Mishra's Factory
2 Kjeldoran Outpost
2 City of Brass
4 Adarkar Wastes
1 Island
10 Plains
Sideboard(Cont):
3 Divine Offering
1 Karma
1 Serrated Arrows
2 Sleight of Mind
|
Notice that this is a much more aggressive take on the Control deck. Ekebom
included a fast offense via Savannah Lions and protection from black Clerics
and Knights to supplement the more control-oriented Blinking Spirit and
Mishra’s Factories. Another key alteration is the inclusion of Aeolipile
and Control Magic along with only three Swords to Plowshares for creature
elimination. These cards were more effective against the protection from
white Clerics and Knights of the popular Necrodecks than Swords to Plowshares,
and along with the inclusion of an impressive *seven* anti-black creatures
of his own, Ekebom dramatically increased his deck’s chances against
the Necrodeck, even with the loss of Land Tax.
The core of the Control deck is intact, however, with creature elimination
and Disenchants as a defensive theme, supplemented by permission in the form
of Power Sink. Also notable was Ekebom’s early use of the Kjeldoran
Outpost, which would see a more broad popularity later.
Part 3: Pro Tour Columbus and the Restriction of Strip Mine, Jul '96
- Oct '96
Simultaneous with the restriction of Land Tax came the legalization of Alliances.
At Pro Tour Columbus, with its Ice Age/Alliances only format, appeared the
use of 3 new additions to the U/W Control deck’s arsenal: Force of Will,
Thawing Glaciers, and Kjeldoran Outpost.
Perhaps the first deck to combine the power of these cards for the U/W Control
deck was Jon Finkel’s Ice Age/Alliances only deck, which earned him
an impressive spot at Pro Tour 3.
Jon Finkel's PT3 ALICE "Blinkie-Post" |
4 Blinking Spirit
4 Disenchant
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Counterspell
2 Powersink
2 Force of Will
1 Binding Grasp
1 Hydroblast
|
2 Pyroclasm
1 Lava Burst
4 Stone Rain
3 Icy Manipulator
2 Jester's Cap
1 Zuran Orb
Sideboard:
1 Binding Grasp
3 Burnout
1 COP: Black
2 COP: Green
2 COP: Red
|
2 Kjeldoran Outpost
4 Adarkar Wastes
3 Thawing Glaciers
5 Mountain
6 Plains
7 Islands
Sideboard(Cont):
1 COP: White
1 Hydroblast
2 Loadstone Bauble
1 Pyroblast
1 Pyroclasm
|
The Ice Age/Alliances environment, with the conspicuous absence of Strip
Mine, allowed the U/W Control player to abuse the powerful card-drawing abilities
of both Thawing Glaciers and Kjeldoran Outpost. One Thawing Glaciers would
generally allow the drawing of an additional card every other turn; the Outpost
would create a 1/1 token threat, effectively a card, if the opponent was
forced to Plow, Incinerate, or otherwise deal with it, each turn. In this
environment, only spells, such as Icequake, Pillage, and Stone Rain, could
deal with these powerful lands.
Finkel was conscious of the power of Thawing Glaciers and Kjeldoran Outpost
in his opponents’ decks, including 4 Stone Rains to defend against their
card advantage engines.
In the Standard format, however, Control players tended to resort to the
“lock” decks such as the Prison (such as George Baxter’s Orb-Song
finalist deck at the US Nationals) or Turbo-Stasis (played by many top players
at the 1996 US and World Championships). The presence of Strip Mine represented
an uncounterable attack on the Outpost and Thawing Glaciers that made these
cards more-or-less frivolous in a traditional U/W Control deck.
With the eventual restriction of Strip Mine, the Outpost and Thawing Glaciers
became much more viable, especially with the power of permission to defend
them from Icequake, Pillage, Stone Rain, and so forth.
The following deck used by Jon Finkel was one of the first examples of
Counterpost, a new version of the U/W Control deck specifically designed
to win with the Kjeldoran Outpost.
Jon Finkel's "Finkel-Post" |
4 Counterspell
3 Force of Will
3 Power Sink
2 Recall
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Wrath of God
3 Disenchant
1 Balance
|
1 Fireball
2 Stone Rain
1 Feldon’s Cane
1 Zuran Orb
Sideboard:
2 Feldon’s Cane
2 Stone Rain
3 CoP: Black
2 CoP: Green
|
4 Thawing Glaciers
4 Kjeldoran Outpost
1 Strip Mine
4 Mishra’s Factory
2 Adarkar Wastes
2 City of Brass
2 Mountain
6 Plains
6 Island
Sideboard(Cont):
2 CoP: Red
1 Disenchant
3 Divine Offering
|
This deck has few targets for opposing spells, and no threats that at all
that can be dealt with via permission. This method of deck design was popularized
by East Coast players Erik Lauer and Jon Finkel as an attempt to create
wasted card slots (i.e.. Disenchant, Swords to Plowshares, and Wrath of God)
in the hands of an opposing white player. At the same time, the considerable
inefficiencies against aggressive decks associated with no main deck Ivory
Tower or Land Tax could be supplemented somewhat by a wide permission base.
The incredibly high land count is a testament to both the hunger of the Outpost
and the deck-thinning efficiency of Thawing Glaciers. Kjeldoran Outpost requires
the sacrifice of a Plains when it comes into play; Thawing Glaciers can
constantly fill that need, simultaneously replacing the void left by Land
Tax.
The Counterpost deck’s greatest asset, however, was a new economy in
deck design. In all previous incarnations of the U/W Control deck, the focus
of the deck to simply stay alive was hindered somewhat by the possibility
of drawing a card that could kill the opponent, such as a Millstone. In this
new era, the Outpost represented a card that could both keep the Control
player alive (the main focus of the U/W Fortress philosophy) and serve as
a road to victory.
The main weaknesses of this deck were the restricted Black Vise (which was
extremely problematic, as the new Counterpost deck had very few proactive
cards which it could cast from its hand) and other Kjeldoran Outposts. The
loss of Strip Mine at the same time made this deck viable, and make it vulnerable
to other versions. To partly offset the danger posed by opposing Outpost
decks, Finkel’s version, like its Ice Age/Alliances predecessor, started
with Stone Rain.
Part 4: The Release of Mirage and Pro Tour Dallas, Oct '96 - Dec '96
The additions to the U/W Control deck from Mirage were many and powerful.
First, Dissipate served as a cheap permission option to supplement Counterspell
and Force of Will. While not game-breaking in and of itself, Dissipate proved
in most cases preferable to Power Sink and Spell Blast.
Next, the Enlightened and Mystical Tutors allowed U/W Control decks to better
abuse their restricted cards. In the words of John Chinnock, the Tutors
create an environment where Balance + Zuran Orb “isn’t just a lucky
occurrence, but instead is something that happens every single game at the
perfect time (and some games twice).”
Perhaps most importantly, Mirage’s addition of Political Trickery allowed
U/W Control decks, bereft of any land destruction beyond the symmetrical--and
therefore undirected and dangerous--Armageddon, to combat other U/W Control
decks.
Many of these factors matured in Andrew Cuneo’s deck, which won him
a slot for Pro Tour Paris:
Andrew Cuneo's "U/W-Control" |
1 Blinking Spirit
3 Wrath of God
3 Swords to Plowshares
3 Disenchant
1 Land Tax
1 Balance
2 Counterspell
2 Dissipate
3 Force of Will
1 Arcane Denial
1 Mystical Tutor
4 Brainstorm
1 Recall
|
1 Icy Manipulator
2 Serrated Arrows
3 Lodestone Bauble
2 Sky Diamond
2 Marble Diamond
1 Zuran Orb
Sideboard:
2 Hydroblast
1 Conversion
1 COP: Red
2 Serrated Arrows
1 Disenchant
1 Divine Offering
|
3 Thawing Glaciers
1 Strip Mine
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Adarkar Wastes
6 Islands
5 Plains
Sideboard(Cont):
3 Political Trickery
1 Mahamoti Djinn
1 Control Magic
1 Steal Artifact
1 Soldevi Digger
|
Cuneo’s deck was by his own testimony a sort of hybrid between the
traditional U/W Control deck and the Prison. Diamonds and an Icy Manipulator
of his own allowed for operation under an opposing Winter Orb, yet his deck
retained the flexibility of the traditional U/W Control deck.
In the first game, a very creature-hostile environment was created by the
synergy between Icy Manipulator + Wrath of God (a sure guarantee for a 2-for-1
card exchange), supplemented by Serrated Arrows and Swords to Plowshares.
The combination of Balance, Mystical Tutor, and Recall was obvious, and
potentially abusive, against any deck lacking permission.
While his main deck focused on creature threats, the sideboard devastated
other U/W Control decks. Sideboarding in Mahamoti Djinn could be disastrous
for an opponent who decided his Swords to Plowshares and Wraths of God were
ineffective against a lone Blinking Spirit. Furthermore, the inclusion of
three Political Trickeries absolutely wrecked Outpost-based strategies,
effectively transforming the deck into Counterpost after sideboarding. Finally,
a Soldevi Digger made the deck invulnerable to Millstone.
Most interesting, though, in this deck of mostly 2’s and 3’s was
the use of 4 Brainstorms. Brainstorm, in combination with Thawing Glaciers,
was very similar to an Ancestral Recall in Type II. Cuneo used this to great
effect in many games, shuffling excess land back into his deck, while filling
his hand with permission and destruction cards.
Part 5: The Loss of Ice Age and the Banning of the Restricted List, Jan
'97 - Apr '97
Ice Age’s rotation out of the Type II environment removed access to
the powerful Icy Manipulator soon after Pro Tour Dallas, but the real blow
dealt to the U/W Control deck was the complete removal of the restricted
list.
Ivory Tower, Balance, Land Tax, and other staple cards were simply gone.
Mystical Tutor abuse was at a minimum. The loss of Zuran Orb created new
fear of burn and Sligh decks, which the U/W Control decks had consistently
defeated in the past.
This Browse deck represents the U/W resistance against a new environment
dominated by black weenie (which retained the Hypnotic Specter), Sligh, and
Big Blue.
4 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
4 Arcane Denial
1 Dissipate
1 Political Trickery
1 Recall
3 Browse
|
4 Plowshares
3 Wrath of God
4 Disenchant
2 Enlightened Tutor
1 COP: Black
1 COP: Red
Sideboard:
2 Disrupting Scepter
1 Browse
3 Hydroblast
1 Mahamoti Djinn
|
1 Soldevi Digger
4 Thawing Glaciers
1 Kjeldoran Outpost
10 Plain
11 Island
Sideboard(Cont):
3 Political Trickery
2 COP: Black
2 COP: Red
1 Divine Offering
|
AustiKnight Lance Tokuda had the following to say about the performance
of his deck in that Type II environment:
“The deck can crush Sligh with a single CoP: Red and many counterspells.
“It can beat a lot of black decks with one CoP: Black and no counterspells!
Once you win the first game versus black, you just have to get lucky in the
second game with additional CoP: Blacks and take control with Browse.
“Big Blue has almost no chance against this deck because it can't get
rid of browse once you get it into play. Big Blue’s only chance is to
kill you quickly.
“It will usually beat Ernhamgeddon but lose to weenie geddon. I really
think it is a power deck that many people have never seen.”
Unusual in the design is the use of only one Kjeldoran Outpost. This choice
actually serves to increase the chances of drawing actual removal and permission
cards, bringing the Control player to a point where he can sit back and abuse
Browse, counter almost every threat, and win in the late game with the Outpost
or Soldevi Digger.
Browse makes this deck incredibly powerful against other Control decks of
various styles.
Part 6: 5th Edition, May '97 - Jun '97
The rotation from 4th Edition and Chronicles to 5th Edition generally weakened
every existing Standard deck. Black lost Hypnotic Specter and Sengir Vampire,
Blue lost Control Magic and Mahamoti Djinn, green lost Erhnam Djinn, red
lost the staple Lightning Bolt and most of its quality small creatures, and
white lost its very base in Swords to Plowshares and Serra Angel.
Without Swords to Plowshares, the U/W Control deck was effectively crippled
against aggressive creature decks. Its fastest defensive element, the ability
to remove almost any creature on turn 1 at very little cost, had to be
supplemented somehow.
The answer was:
Erik Lauer's "Lauer-Post" |
4 Counterspell
4 Dissipate
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Impulse
1 Political Trickery
4 Nevinyrral's Disk
3 Lodestone Bauble
|
4 Wrath of God
1 Disenchant
1 COP: Red
Sideboard:
3 COP: Black
2 COP: Red
1 COP: Green
2 Wall of Air
|
4 Thawing Glacier
4 Kjeldoran Outpost
6 Plains
12 Island
Sideboard(Cont):
1 Cursed Totem
1 Disrupting Scepter
2 Political Trickery
3 Disenchant
|
The original Lauerpost deck replaced the speed of Swords to Plowshares with
the acceleration of Thawing Glaciers in combination with an obscene amount
of cantrips. The cantrip base allowed the Lauerpost player to tear through
his deck to whatever key cards seemed necessary, from the mass destructive
power of Nevinyrral’s Disk and Wrath of God, to single copies of Disenchant
and Circle of Protection: Red. Perhaps most importantly, the use of many
cantrips allowed the Lauerpost player to play land almost every turn, because
he was able to look at and choose from a much greater number of cards than
most players. Like his friend Andrew Cuneo, this deck’s creator, Erik
Lauer, was able to abuse the “Type II Ancestral Recall,” Brainstorm
+ Thawing Glaciers.
Lauer made a fine showing with this U/W Control deck, earning a spot at the
1997 US National Championships.
Part 7: The Return of Ice Age, Jul '97 - Sep '97
Just when U/W Control players were getting used to the idea of winning without
their staple cards Icy Manipulator and Swords to Plowshares, Ice Age returned
to the Standard environment.
The following version of Counterpost, which in many ways combined the best
principles of previous U/W Control decks, was used by Jon Finkel to win the
first 1997 US Open, and allowed him further to reach the final 8 of the US
National Championships:
Jon Finkel's "Finkel-Post, Redux" |
4 Counterspell
2 Force of Will
2 Dissipate
4 Brainstorm
4 Impulse
3 Browse
1 Political Trickery
1 Soldevi Digger
|
4 Wrath of God
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Disenchant
1 Gerrard's Wisdom
4 Abeyance
1 COP: Black
Sideboard:
1 COP:Black
2 Karma
1 Disenchant
2 Dust to Dust
1 Gerrard's Wisdom
|
2 Kjeldoran Outpost
4 Thawing Glaciers
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Plains
8 Island
Sideboard(Cont):
1 Sleight of Mind
2 Serrated Arrows
2 Disrupting scepter
2 Political Trickery
1 ?
|
Finkel credits John Chinnock with this deck idea, with input and
influences from Brian Schneider and Erik Lauer. In practice,
this deck operates on the cantrip-driven principle of the Lauerpost defense,
further increasing its own defensive speed with the availability of the casting
cost 1 Swords to Plowshares.
Part 8: U/W Control in the Current Environment, Nov '97
The Control “Fortress” philosophy has been absolutely crippled
by the banning of Ice Age, Homelands, and Alliances. Gone are Swords to
Plowshares, Serrated Arrows, Force of Will, Kjeldoran Outpost, and Thawing
Glaciers. Players would think that the day of the U/W decks is over due to
the removal of so many key cards, but it seems that with Tempest, Control
might continue to be a viable option.
Alex Shvartzman of *Inquest* has been operating on the East Coast with this
“Steel Curtain” deck:
Alex Shvartzman's "Steel Curtain" |
4 Counterspell
3 Dissipate
2 Dismiss
3 Disrupt
4 Propaganda
2 Pendrell Mists
2 Capsize
4 Impulse
1 Recall
|
3 Steel Golem
4 Winter Orb
1 Grindstone
1 Jester's Cap
Sideboard:
1 Disrupt
2 Abduction
4 Hydroblast
2 Chill
|
3 Sky Diamond
3 Mind Stone
4 Quicksand
16 Island
Sideboard(Cont):
1 Steel Golem
2 Suq'Ata Firewalker
2 Disrupting Scepter
1 Grindstone
|
Although the Steel Curtain at this point contains no white cards, it seems
to have come full circle back to the original Standard U/W Control decks
played by Hammer and the Neutral Ground community. Shvartzman’s deck
wins by a combination of creatures (Steel Golems here, rather than Mishra’s
Factories) and deck exhaustion (Grindstone and Jester’s Cap rather than
Millstone). It also successfully incorporates the "Turbo-Cantrip" principles
of the previous Lauer and Finkel decks.
Like all Control decks in the Standard environment, the Steel Curtain creates
a creature-hostile playing field, here with Propaganda, Pendrell Mists,
Quicksand, and Capsize. Combined with Winter Orb, these cards are extremely
effective against any sort of a creature rush.
The further success of the Steel Curtain and the Control Fortress philosophy
remains to be seen, but it appears that even with the removal of many key
cards, this defensive style of play will persevere.
Article written and © 1997
by Mike Flores, used here
with permission of author.
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