Standard: Azorius Control - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Standard got two powerful tools with Ixalan and Murders at Karlov Manor: Get Lost and No More Lies, which have finally resulted in a trustworthy Azorius Control list in this format.

In this article, I'll analyze this deck thoroughly, explore its game plan, and give you some sideboard suggestions for the main matchups.

This list's main idea is the same as Azorius Control in Pioneer: Teferi, Hero of Dominaria is one of the pillars of your strategy, you'll use counters to control your opponent's actions, and have an efficient removal package to deal with threats.

In Standard, we don't have Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, but we have Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim, which is also a 5 mana Planeswalker and has abilities that make him an excellent win condition. You can draw cards with his first ability, create tokens that become stronger as you draw cards with the second ability, and clear the board with his Ultimate through a global bounce.

Forming the team of Planeswalkers in this deck, we have The Wandering Emperor and Jace, the Perfected Mind. Including The Wandering Emperor in this list is a must, whereas Jace is an important piece in several situations and brings you another alternative to end the game.

In Pioneer, Shark Typhoon allows us to create card advantage and can be a different way to attack your opponent. In Standard, Wedding Announcement has this same goal, and, even though it is a bit different, you can still create tokens and draw cards. Teferi and Emperor's tokens also go well with this enchantment.

Memory Deluge has the same role in this list as it has in any other Control list that uses it: you'll look for your resources to interact with your opponent or find your win conditions to end the game.

Deduce is another new addition that fits this list really well, and creates value in two different ways.

The removal package in this deck is quite consistent and can deal with most threats in the metagame right now.

As it is a control deck, your game style is simple - you will interact with your opponent's threats and develop your game plan in a way that check-mates them, making them unable to revert the situation, and like so guarantee your victory.

Guaranteeing your land drops is essential to develop your game plan, and interacting with early game threats is also crucial. The strong presence of Cavern of Souls in the metagame is a challenge for this deck, but your removals do their job well, and it is precisely because of Cavern of Souls that I use Field of Ruin.

Vs. Esper Midrange

Esper is the most played deck in this format, and probably the strongest metagame deck right now, which makes this matchup quite hard. Having a Deep-Cavern Bat early on, hitting your important resources, can significantly affect the Azorius game plan, and Raffine, Scheming Seer is a big issue if it sticks to the board for a long time.

Make sure to always clear your opponent's board, and be careful with counters because some Esper lists also use No More Lies.

In

Out

Vs. Rakdos Midrange

This matchup is easier than the Esper matchup. The Rakdos approach is quite similar, but, without Blue and White, this deck doesn't have the play lines that make Esper a tougher opponent.

Keep the same strategy above, but, in this matchup, you won't have to worry with counters; only with their Bats and a few discard tools.

In

Out

Vs. Boros Convoke

Boros Convoke popped off more recently in the metagame, and soon became one of the most popular decks. Besides the fact it can compete with the best decks in this format, it is an extremely efficient and consistent Aggro deck. In this matchup, control will struggle a bit, will need to interact with the enemy threats fast, and manage its life points well, considering they're a valuable resource against Boros Convoke.

In

Out

Vs. Domain Ramp

I consider this match to be relatively favorable. Your game plan will focus on preventing your opponent from ramping and speeding up their game plan, while we place our own threats on the board.

Topiary Stomper and Invasion of Zendikar are central pieces in Domain's strategy; counter these spells and your opponent will be forced to work with a regular mana curve. Post-side, we have more cards that help and improve this match.

In

Out

Vs. Azorius Control

The mirror is basically a cold war in which the player who plays first can give up the advantage to the other player, and counter wars will be decisive. Most lists only use The Wandering Emperor, so Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim can be an element of surprise, just like Jace, the Perfected Mind.

Avoid hands with too much removal, as they'll usually be useless in most games, and prioritize value spells.

In

Out

Azorius Control is perfect for those who want a reactive game style and want something different from the other popular options in the meta. This list in particular has cards that could see a lot more play, even though they are a bit unpopular right now, like Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim.

Another article is finished. Leave your questions and feedback down below in the comment section; I'll answer everyone! See you next time.