Quote from: Doks on 07-09-2012, 08:40:05 PM
Any new changes to the list or any progress made in general?
I have been playing a significant amount of UWx control versions on Cockatrice / MWS against friends with different decks and right now I don't know if black is the colour to go for a splash. The cards black provides are obviously pretty strong:
- Lingering Souls / Mystical Tutor for their flashback
- Demonic Tutor
- Shriekmaw
- Vindicate
- Baleful Strix
- Volrath's Stronghold / Sorin 2.0 (if you think you can utilize them by playing more creatures)
- Single target spot removal + discard
At first glance, this looks like a ton already, but I have the feeling that these cards "only" strengthen the mid to late game where UWx in general already shines. Black feels like trying to make the deck better where it already is pretty good.
I have played an equal number of games with both UWb and UWr and in the current meta, I found R to be much more useful.
Besides strong control cards like Ajani Vengeant, Grim Lavamancer, Ruination/Blood Moon (if you go this route) and Flametongue Kavu I found single target burn (that sometimes even brings utility and card advantage like Fire // Ice, Arc Trail, Helix, Magma Jet, Forked Bolt etc.) and cheap "mass" removal like Pyroclasm, Whipflare and Firespout to be too good (remember: in the current creature based meta) to not run.
Red gives UWx what it misses desperately: a stronger early game. There is almost nothing better than to burn the enemies T1 mana elf and slow them down heavily. It also kills almost every utility creature and eot Lightning Bolt killing the enemy Jace TMS (and burning Planeswalkers in general) is just a super strong play.
Am I missing something that makes black so much better than red?
I have also played both version and right now i'm playing esper instead uwr. What i didn't like about uwr was burn, while it was good sometimes it failed to do it's job in midgame when you are facing bigger creatures and you are staring your lightning bolt in hand and wishing it would be go for throat or other "real" removal instead of burn. Yes, you can burn little dudes and shoot burn to head but if we are control deck, burning opponent alive isn't our plan a really. Just imagine facing a Titan, you have to resolve / have two burn spells instead of one removal to get rid of it. Same is true for some litte bigger dudes what one 2-3 dmg spells can't kill. I don't know what your meta is looking like, if there is tons of aggro then uwr maybe be better there but when you are facing control you wish you would be playing esper instead.