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Many people believe that there are about three quality archetypes in OBC (various forms of U/G, Mono-black Control, U/W punisher/Quiet Speculation). It is true that these decks are most popular, but as of the recent Grand Prix- London, more defining decks seemed to emerge out of this stale format: One of these decks that have become more successful is U/B Upheaval. This deck has the potential to rise above the others and be a dominant force and with outstanding powers rule this world we call"the current OBC metagame." The group I have been playtesting with has been trying out many forms of this deck for nearly two months, leading up to a mediocre performance at a PTQ. We were all confident with the deck, as it usually is an auto-win against MonoBlack Control, which we predicted to be the most popular deck of the day. Five people from our group decided to go with identical lists for a total combined record of 15-10-3 - most of us going 2-3-1 drop, or 2-3 drop. Although none of us did that well, lack of Mono-black (bad call or bad luck; however you decide it), it was decided that the deck showed lots of potential - as it did well against the other, less played, decks in the field like G/W and U/W. And now, the deck:
OBC Upheaval
Creatures: (3)
3x Psychatog
Spells: (33)
4x Deep Analysis
3x Standstill
3x Cunning Wish
4x Circular Logic
3x Aether Burst
3x Upheaval
3x Zombie Infestation
4x Chainer's Edict
4x Innocent Blood
2x Mutilate
Land: (24)
1x Cephalid Coliseum
2x Darkwater Catacombs
10x Swamp
11x Island
Sideboard: (15)
1x Mutilate
1x Ghastly Demise
4x Coffin Purge
4x Envelop
2x Grotesque Hybrid
1x Aether Burst
1x Skeletal Scrying
1x Divert
Matchups (taken from my playtest group)
U/G Madness/Standstill
Mutilate is good in this matchup; if you can stall long enough to resolve one, your chance is good. But if they get the jump, oftentimes it's hard to come back.
Sideboard in: 1x Mutilate, 2x Grotesque Hybrid, 1x Aether Burst
Sideboard out: 3x Standstill, 1x Cunning Wish
After sideboarding, your chances are much higher. If they don't get the jump on you, you will most likely be able to hold them at bay long enough to control the game. Just watch out for Envelop.
U/G Quiet Speculation/Threshold
You can usually hold off the creature rush with all the removal, and Wish for Purges to get rid of Roar of the Wurm and Deep Analysis. This matchup is easier than the U/G Madness/Standstill because they aren't as fast.
Sideboard in: 3x Coffin Purge, 2x Grotesque Hybrid, 1x Aether Burst, 3x Envelop (for the ones that use Grizzly Fate)
Sideboard out: 3x Standstill, 2x Cunning Wish, 4x Deep Analysis
Mono-Black Control
This matchup is fairly easy because they don't have any answers to Zombie Infestation or Upheaval
Sideboard in: 4x Envelop
Sideboard out: 1x Psychatog, 2x Mutilate, 1x Innocent Blood
After sideboarding, this match becomes even easier; they can't touch your win/condition outside of Mind Sludge. All of Mono-Blacks spells are sorcery speed, which Envelop dominates; just watch out for the Mirari version, which can cause trouble for you.
G/W Beats/U/W Punisher/Braids/Other creature based decks:
Stall and combo out in game 1 and sideboard accordingly (usually Mutilates, and other forms of removal)
I only wanted to go into detail on what I thought to be the most popular matchups. Another reason I only did a few matchups is because it gets very boring reading matchup after matchup.
Well, that pretty much sums up my article on OBC - Upheaval. Now that there is professional support behind it, as GP - London shows, people will see it for its potential and give it a shot. Others will just say,"Screw that, this deck sucks; I want a U/G decklist."
