With the Pioneer Metagame re-established between the banning of Heartfire Hero and the release of Avatar, Orzhov Control emerges as a response to a scenario where go-wide decks are on the rise, whether with spellslinger archetypes running Cori-Steel Cutter or through Badgermole Cub and Collected Company.
The Decklist
This deck is essentially based on the interaction between Enduring Innocence and cards that create tokens each turn to guarantee extra draws, while using the usual bombs — Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Beza, the Bounding Spring, and The Wandering Emperor — to stabilize the board after responding and, frequently, "lock down" the opponent's ability to execute their game plan.
To that end, cards like High Noon and Pest Control — common pieces in sideboards — take center stage in the early game, clearing the board of cards like Stormchaser's Talent and eliminating snowball effects caused by cards like Cori-Steel Cutter.
Once the game is under control, Elspeth, Storm Slayer and Fountainport provide added value, overwhelming the opponent with card advantage.
Maindeck
Enduring Curiosity is the deck's main source of card draw. Many proactive plays in the deck can generate tokens frequently, and each one guarantees an extra card in your hand. Furthermore, a 3/2 body with Lifelink is decent against Aggro.
Preacher of the Schism works across both game spectrums: against Aggro, it's a 2/4 with Deathtouch that usually requires an extra resource from the opponent to be answered, and in games against Midrange and Control, it guarantees more card draws per combat or the possibility of having more bodies on the board with the 1/1 tokens.
For the mid-game, we also have cards for both spectrums: Beza, the Bounding Spring is stronger against Aggro, where it will usually offer three bodies on the board and four life, guaranteeing a necessary boost.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, on the other hand, benefits from our interactions with Enduring Innocence but also punishes opponents' long-term play, pushing them further from victory with each of our draws and bringing us closer to winning if they draw many cards.
The Wandering Emperor does a little bit of everything: removes creatures, gains life, increases the power of our threats so they trade favorably, and finally, can create tokens to interact with Enduring Innocence — all in a cheap card that can be used on the opponent's turn.
Elspeth, Storm Slayer is our finisher. In stabilized games, she will guarantee lethal damage by increasing the power of all creatures, while in attrition games, she demands an immediate response or will overwhelm the opponent with pressure while also working as spot removal.
We have the complete interaction package.
Thoughtseize is the best disruption in the format and guarantees, at the lowest possible cost, the possibility of significantly delaying the opponent's turns or extracting as much information as possible while removing a bomb from their hand.
Vanishing Verse deals with almost everything we need to resolve, from Cori-Steel Cutter to Unholy Annex, passing through [Parhelion II] and Arclight Phoenix. We complement it with a copy of Go for the Throat, which is a flexible removal slot.
Pest Control has become essential for dealing with tokens like Cori-Steel Cutter, Stormchaser's Talent, and a dozen one-drops that have become more popular in the format, and it's never a dead card in your hand in other matchups due to cycling.
We complement the number of sweepers using Path of Peril, which deals with small creatures early in the game and can later be cast with the Cleave cost to destroy all creatures.
High Noon locks the ability to play multiple spells in one turn, being essential against Prowess and Izzet Phoenix while, in some cases, delaying decks like Boros Convoke, Nykthos Ramp, and Selesnya Company. There are rare situations where we create a Treasure token with Fountainport for the enchantment's ability as a finisher.
Fountainport does everything we need: it guarantees extra draws with Enduring Innocence on the opponent's turn while also feeding on them and functions as late-game manafixing if needed.
Takenuma, Abandoned Mire and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire offer some extra flexibility with our land drops, working as both recursion for our threats and spot removal.
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The combination of Godless Shrine and Shadowy Backstreet with Bleachbone Verge ensures consistent access to both colors, while Concealed Courtyard offers untapped lands early in the game for us to play our cheap interaction.
Sideboard
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines has grown in popularity due to the rise of Selesnya Company, but it also works against Nykthos Ramp and Niv-to-Light and is a relevant piece in the mirror match.
Rest in Peace is the best answer against graveyards that we have in white and deals perfectly with Izzet Phoenix and Greasefang Okiba Boss, and we complement it with Go Blank, which, despite only guaranteeing a one-shot effect against the graveyard, helps to deplete the opponent's resources, also being useful against Midrange and Control decks.
Duress is the best one-mana answer we have in Control games and tends to work in Midrange matches and against some combos, while Kambal, Consul of Allocation also punishes these strategies, despite being directed at spellslinger decks.
Pest Control and The Meathook Massacre complete our sweeper package, with Massacre also being an option against Cauldron Familiar or Sacrifice lists.
Sideboard Guide
Selesnya Company
IN
OUT
Izzet Prowess / Gruul Prowess
IN
OUT
Rakdos Midrange
IN
OUT
Azorius Control
IN
OUT
Izzet Phoenix
IN
OUT
Orzhov Greasefang
IN
OUT
Nykthos Ramp
IN
OUT
Wrapping Up
That's all for today!
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
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