WUControl
patreon
Long and Detailed Post about Every Card in the 75
🕑 Added 2023-06-11 01:32:02 +0000 UTCHello!
I feel like this is a much needed article on how every card in the 75 was chosen and the specific special mechanics every unique card has that can be very relevant from winning or losing the game. I realize this is probably much better in the end than having VODs with commentary. I still intend on doing that but I think this will give much more insight to people starting out with the deck or with UW in general.
Please note, because of the nature of all the RCs and PTs being open decklists, I will almost always make my decklists with open decklists in mind. There are many advantages with open decklist that in my opinion, UW has a massive advantage with.
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria:
This is quite the obvious one, one of the strongest planeswalkers in the format, if not the strongest and the ability to untap two lands (potentially both Lotus Fields is extremely strong). You can get the Discontinuity + Teferi Engine running as early as Turn 4 (although rare) if you have two lotus Fields but it is mostly an extremely strong Turn 5 play. In later turns, the untap two lands becomes even more relevant as it allows you to Deluge on your main phase to find the necessary cards to win the game. Once that engine is going, most of the time, it is extremely difficult for your opponent to come back.
The Wandering Emperor:
This is a card that is actually stronger in tournaments with open decklists. The moment they know this card is in your 75, they are required to play around it even if you don't have it once you hold up 4 mana. This is often to your advantage because you get to sometimes get a free Deluge without pressure or if you actually have it, they just have to run into it. This card is the haymaker against the midrange matchups like Rakdos and Gruul.
Dream Trawler:
In short, this card says "I win the game" against so many matchups like Rakdos, Gruul, Humans, Sacrifice, Phoenix, etc. All the aggro and midrange matchups often have no answer to this card and this card synergizes extremely well with Discontinuity and Teferi. Of course, you have to still be at a healthy life total before you slam this card. Dream Trawler is arguably the best choice that is a 6 mana spell because of its evasive ability to discard a card to give it hexproof and its lifelink, which can often have its power boosted by cards like Behold/Finale/Teferi/Farmland/Typhoon. All-Star card that I don't think I would ever replace.
Strict Proctor:
While I thought this was a card that goes without saying, I return back to Earth knowing that not everyone plays only UW. So with a more detailed explanation, this card essentially counters all ETB triggers unless it's controller pays 2. This is an optional tax and you or your opponent are not required to pay 2 whatsoever. This synergizes very well with Lotus Field because you can ignore the tax and counter your own ability to sacrifice two lands. The common mistake I see people doing is playing this card turn 2. The ideal situation is to mostly hold up Jwari Disruption turn 2 or Foretell a card. The exception to this rule is if you are against a matchup like MonoG or MonoW that has very limited interaction against Proctor on T2 in general. Otherwise, Proctor is almost always a T3 play with Lotus Field. The reason being is because once it resolves, because you have priority once again, you can play Lotus Field and it is too late for your opponent to interact. Your opponent is able to kill the Proctor in response to you playing Lotus Field on T3 but it is too late because of the triggers already being on the stack. However, if you try to set this up on T2 and they kill it, your Lotus Field just became much worse. This card is currently a house on its own with many matchups just folding to this card by itself. Examples include Convoke, Keruga Fires, MonoG, etc. The advantage of this card is that it is very playable on its own but it becomes extremely overpowered when you also have a Lotus Field in hand.
Doomskar:
This card has been met with the most controversy. The most common question I get asked is: Why not just play Verdict? The reason is because most matchups require a T3 boardwipe or you are dead. With the exception of spirits: MonoW, Gruul, Convoke, all of them can have extremely strong board states by T3 and if you do not have an answer by T3, you will likely lose the game. This is the necessary sacrifice needed for having no single target removal in the main, which is in my opinion, worth it. Make the spirits matchup worse but make everything else much stronger. It also makes it extremely awkward for Rakdos to overextend their board when you have a Foretold card. They cannot thoughtseize it, and they cannot commit to the board without the risk of getting boardwiped. This card is MUCH stronger in an open decklist environment because of Behold the Multiverse. Your opponent is still required to play around a foretold card even if it is Behold the Multiverse. They know you play 4 doomskars, and will often play around it. I have sandbagged my Behold Foretold A LOT, trying to represent doomskar and have won many games because of this at the RC.
Farewell:
The strongest boardwipe in the game... If you can get there. This is a catch-all boardwipe against almost all matchups and simply just doesn't remove planeswalkers. This can be good or bad depending on the situation because you get to keep your Teferi + Emperor if you already have a board state once you Farewell. 3 copies is the ideal number because of the need to respect MonoG. MonoG just folds to a Farewell against this deck because the advantage of this deck over traditional UW, you are also trying to sculpt your perfect hand to win the game. MonoG for example cannot do anything against Teferi + Discontinuity or better yet: Finale for x = 10 +.
Finale of Revelation:
This is a card that I personally added to really seal the deal against matchups like MonoG or Rakdos. Casting it for X=10 + basically means you win the game, because of the untap 5 lands clause. You get to freely draw a large portion of your deck and still continue to play with your hand. This card has saved me many games against MonoG where I slowly run out of cards in my hand trying to interact with them and we eventually get close to topdeck mode for both players. I will likely not cut this card out unless the meta becomes more aggressive.
Behold The Multiverse:
This is just a great card that synergizes with Doomskar. Because your opponent isn't able to know what you foretold, you often get a free "pass" in terms of them playing no creatures and you are given time to sculpt your hand for when they eventually do.
Discontinuity:
The best card in the deck. This helps you "scam" Lotus Field T3 by ending your own turn with the trigger on the stack or late game, it becomes an extremely strong Time Walk. It is almost always better to Discontinuity when they cast a spell rather than doing it on the upkeep. This is unless they have a strong boardstate and you are trying to protect your lifetotal or Teferi from dying. You usually wait until they play a spell because they are either forced to play their strong cards, or they can also topdeck a land and just do nothing, allowing you to save your Discontinuity for future turns that require a catch-all answer. This card also dodges "Can't be Countered" such as Thought Distortion or Hullbreaker Horror, very relevant against matchups like Lotus Field Combo and Creativity.
Jwari Disruption:
Because the deck plays 4 Lotus Fields, 28 lands are needed. The reason being 2 land hands with Lotus field are not keepable. This means you need at minimum 2 lands with no Lotus Field or 3 lands with Lotus Field as one of them. Jwari Disruption adds the consistency of hitting your essential land drops in the early turns while being quite useful for slowing down the game early, where you are most vulnerable. Once the game goes to mid-late, you usually have an extreme advantage with all the Card Advantage engines like Deluge and Behold that this card essentially becomes a land 80% of the time.
Memory Deluge:
The best card advantage engine because of the flashback. With Teferi and Lotus Fields, this basically becomes a free spell on your main phase, allowing you to sculpt your hand into what you need to win the matchup.
Shark Typhoon:
Just a great card to stall with chump blockers and with the uptick of spirits, is a must against them. This is really one of the only ways of surviving against spirits because their answers are awkward. They cannot counter the cycling whatsoever. Shark Typhoon is just a great card in general in control because it can often be a 2 for 1 or it can be hard casted in the later stages of the game to make it easier to close the games out.
Sideboard:
Aether Gust:
This is really for Gruul and MonoG, it is the extra kick necessary to slow down the game and consistently win against those matchups.
Dovin's Veto:
Counterspells that can't be countered are extremely strong. 4 of is a no-brainer especially since the mainboard has no counterspells. This allows you to win against interactive decks on the stack or combo decks like Lotus Field.
Dream Trawler: Added for extra consistency against matchups where this is really good.
Lantern of the Lost: I prefer this card over RiP as there are not many matchups that require HARD graveyard hate because of the fact that you already play 3 farewells in the main. Because of this and because of the fact that the deck already has a proactive strategy in place (Teferi + Discontinuity, etc), the Lantern is the perfect card to slow down graveyard decks while still developing your hand into the unbeatable one.
March of Otherworldly Light: For the spirits matchup, with the rise of spirits, this is the way to try to reliably beat spirits more. The early few turns are really the most important ones because they cannot win the mid-late game. They have to continue the tempo pressure with evasive creatures and slowly chip the life total. This card is also extremely strong against MonoG and Sacrifice so it is a great addition.
Narset's Reversal:
Arguably my favorite card in the sideboard. This card allows you to interact with so many cards that you can easily lose to such as:
Storm the Festival
Emergent Ultimatum
Thought Distortion
This card is the best card against so many matchups and easily swings the card in your favor. You can even treat this card as sort of like a remand by reversing your own Discontinuity, to kind of have 6 copies when necessary.
Rest in Peace: One of against the hard graveyard decks like Greasefang or the new one with Storm Herald.
Thought Distortion: The card to really seal the deal and make the matchups against Lotus Field Combo and UW mirrors more consistent. Those matchups both are probably unfavored game 1 but because of the sideboard, become extremely favorable post-sideboard. This card just seals the deal when drawn.
I hope all this helps and really gives people just starting the deck a better understanding of why every card is in the 75. I think this is essential to understand how the deck works because it plays on a different mentality. After sideboard, it can become a traditional control deck though which is what I think many players who do not have much control experience can struggle with. This transition becomes a complete change in mentality that often requires you to change how you play in the middle of a match.
When you play this deck, you should always be asking: How do you win this game? What are the cards you need? How much damage can you be taking to develop your hand? What are the best cards to play on your turn?
When you play Control, it is different, it is often: How do you lose? What are the threats that you have to respect? Can you let certain spells resolve? When can you tap out?
Comments
Bohdan Makohin
Wow. That's amazing write up. Very helpful to those who wants to understand the deck from the basis and learn how to pilot/adapt it
Patrick Wu
In general, their magma opus most definitely or your Discontinuity when they try to counter it. I would also be willing to copy cards like Big Score (depending on the list) but not Prismari command. Any way you can get card advantage, you usually do it.
For narsets reversal in the creativity matchup. What would you want to copy most of the time, late game against the gearhulk version doing your own magma opus, however what do you want to with it early? Prismari, or any of the draw cards they use?
