Today I'm going to try Stanislav Cifka's U/W Control deck from the Top 8 of Grand Prix Vienna. I think this deck is really well built and well positioned right now, particularly against Mono-Blue Devotion. So like when I tried B/R Aggro after it did well in Grand Prix Santiago, I want to see if this is deck is the real deal or something I don't need to worry about.
Planeswalkers (7)
Lands (27)
Spells (26)
- 4 Detention Sphere
- 4 Azorius Charm
- 4 Dissolve
- 2 Essence Scatter
- 4 Last Breath
- 4 Sphinx's Revelation
- 4 Supreme Verdict
- 1 Pithing Needle
- 2 Archangel of Thune
- 3 Fiendslayer Paladin
- 3 Soldier of the Pantheon
- 4 Gainsay
- 2 Negate
Sideboard
This match was fairly academic. His deck wasn't fast enough to kill me before my big spells took over. The second game was close, of course, but it definitely felt like I had the tools to win most of the time.
Similar matchup, but against a deck that's a little faster. The creature sideboard seems extremely powerful here, even when accounting for how bad my opponent's draw was.
That match showed quite a bit more of their counterplay as a midrange deck with Fanatic of Mogis to answer Elspeth, Sun's Champion. Chandra, Pyromaster; Wear // Tear; and Stormbreath Dragon are each individually problematic, but ultimately I think they're still at a substantial structural disadvantage based on the basic game plans of the decks.
That sideboard plan felt really good against the blue deck that I usually present after sideboarding. The big threats just line up so well against the permanents and counters in the blue deck that the tapout plan works perfectly, and the answers in this deck are the best and most flexible against blue.
Overall, I felt very good about this deck. I think it's likely weak against other control decks because it doesn't have Thoughtseize or Counterflux, but it seems really well positioned against the rest of the field.
About Sam Black
Sam Black is professional Magic player who's known for his love of building decks that attack formats from unexpected angles. He's made the Top 8 of sixteen GPs covering every format as well as three Pro Tours, but he's particularly proud of his less common accomplishments, including a Top 4 at the World Championship, a win in the Team World Championship in 2008, and winning a car in 2007.
