Welcome back to the Beginner’s Budget Guide to Modern. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 as well. Modern Horizons has entered the format, and the dust is slowly beginning to settle on the new Modern metagame. So let’s revisit how to make the jump into the format from a beginner’s perspective.
Following suit from previous articles in the series, I carry on the journey of creating budget Modern decks with the end-goal of upgrading into established archetypes. I’m writing this using Standard cards as tools to extend their application into Modern. Nevertheless, I will be approaching this article differently by spotlighting one archetype that is both well-loved and often successful—Control.
Control is a strategy which will always exist within Magic and has been heavily featured in Modern since the introduction of the format. If you have identified that you enjoy playing a prolonged “draw go” strategy in Magic, then Control could be for you.
Blue-based Control strategies such as Azorius Control are always an excellent choice, and there are myriad ways to build your list. The power-level of Azorius Contol has held consistent despite fluctuations in the metagame, and over time, the build can be adjusted to match the popular strategies and threats of the day. I would put Azorius Contol into a similar bracket as Jund and Tron, where if you were going into a metagame blind it would provide decent matchups across the board.
Control strategies also lean on format knowledge and experience. That takes a modest amount of time to develop, but doing so provides a high reward. Last weekend at MagicFest Dallas, Austin Bursavich took down the event with Azorius Control. Even in a sea of Dredge, Hogaak Bridgevine, and Izzet Phoenix, Azorius Control can win large tournaments. If recent metagame trends are anything to go by; the more narrow Modern becomes, the more favored Control becomes. So this is an excellent time to pick up the archetype. Unfortunately, a typical Azorius Control list in Modern comes to roughly $1200 ,which is a steep investment and can be discouraging. Despite this, we can use Standard as a foundation as a start and upgrade into an optimal list in due course.
There are a myriad of routes to take when it comes to building Control in Modern. Although the price tag can be daunting, it’s important to create an affordable base which allows you to gain plenty of experience with the strategy. Through playing Control you will discover what works for you and what does not, so adjusting lists to tailor your metagame will be the norm. Don’t feel you need to go by what I say fully, but this does provide a foundation to build Modern Control and what cards to pick up in the future.
Control strategies are popular in Standard currently with Esper Control taking the charge. Thanks to the release of War of the Spark, thirty-six new Planeswalkers have given the archetype a wealth of options. This extends to Modern too, which is where you can convert your Standard Control list into a Modern one. There are a couple of routes you can take in order to make the jump into Modern, but keeping the list heavy in Blue is recommended as that is where the powerful spells lie.
Let’s take a typical Esper Control list in Standard as an example.
Standard Esper Control
| Creatures (2) 2 Basilica Bell-Haunt Planeswalkers (12) 4 Narset, Parter of Veils 4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 4 Teferi, Time Raveler Spells (20) 2 Search for Azcanta 2 Command the Dreadhorde 3 Cast Down 1 Cry of the Carnarium 3 Kaya’s Wrath 3 Oath of Kaya 2 The Elderspell 4 Thought Erasure | Lands (26) 4 Drowned Catacomb 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Godless Shrine 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Isolated Chapel 1 Plains 1 Swamp 4 Watery Grave Sideboard (15) 2 Cry of the Carnarium 2 Despark 1 Dovin’s Veto 3 Duress 1 Ixalan’s Binding 2 Lyra Dawnbringer 2 Nightveil Predator 1 The Elderspell 1 Unmoored Ego |
There are plenty of variables we have to consider before going further. Both Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Teferi, Time Raveler are stalwarts in Standard Esper Control that have already made an impact in Modern. With this power level comes a price tag, of course. Playsets of these two cards come to roughly $250, which is an expensive commitment especially if you are looking to create Control on a budget. Fortunately you can still play Standard Control without Teferis, and that holds true for Modern as well.
While my budget lists will skip over the Teferis, I would recommend picking these up in the future if you want to have an optimal Modern control list. On the flip side, if you already have Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and/or Teferi, Time Raveler, I highly recommend adding these into your Modern Control lists.
For budgeting reasons, I suggest sticking to two colors. This saves money while maintaining a streamlined mana base, which is essential to Control. Going into Modern Esper Control may be a line to take in the future, but it’s important to have the basics down first. Let’s begin with the first option, budget Azorius Control which comes to roughly $200 in paper.
Budget Azorius Control
| Creatures (5) 1 Lyra Dawnbringer 2 Torrential Gearhulk 1 God-Eternal Kefnet 1 Nimble Obstructionist Planeswalkers (5) 3 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Gideon Jura 1 Jace, Architect of Thought Spells (24) 4 Opt 4 Path to Exile 3 Archmage’s Charm 1 Detention Sphere 2 Dovin’s Veto 1 Logic Knot 3 Think Twice 2 Mana Leak 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Sphinx’s Revelation 1 Supreme Verdict 1 Winds of Abandon | Lands (26) 4 Port Town 2 Glacial Fortress 1 Nimbus Maze 3 Prairie Stream 2 Celestial Colonnade 1 Mobilized District 9 Island 4 Plains Sideboard (15) 2 Celestial Purge 2 Ceremonious Rejection 1 Day of Judgment 1 Detention Sphere 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Dovin’s Veto 2 Rebuild 1 Rule of Law 1 Timely Reinforcements 3 Tormod’s Crypt |
This list provides a decent starting point if you want to upgrade into an optimal version of traditional Azorius Control, which is the most played Control strategy in Modern. If you already have Hallowed Fountains from Standard, I’d recommend adding these instead of Nimbus Maze and Prairie Stream.
Thanks to the release of Modern Horizons, the set has provided us with some excellent budget options of expensive staples. Archmage’s Charm does an exceptional impression of the always-versatile Cryptic Command, and Winds of Abandon is a powerful board wipe alongside Supreme Verdict. Force of Negation is another card from Modern Horizons which is seeing extensive play, providing a safety valve against powerful combo strategies. Despite being a $30 card currently, I can’t see this going down anytime soon. I recommend picking a few of these up sooner rather than later. Force of Negation will become an important card in Modern in the upcoming months, which will lead to demand and the price will reflect this.
Torrential Gearhulk was once a powerhouse in old Standard Control strategies. It provides a budget version of the eternal staple Snapcaster Mage. Snapcaster is one of the best cards in Azorius Control, as it provides you with additional copies of your powerful removal and counterspells. Although you will want to obtain Snapcaster Mages eventually, Torrential Gearhulk provides an affordable option and creates a potent win condition given its 5/6 body. We can use win conditions such as the Standard all-stars Lyra Dawnbringer and God-Eternal Kefnet in budget Azorius Control. They provide additional inevitability, as our budget forces us to shift away from a Planeswalker-dense list.
If you own copies of Search for Azcanta from Standard, I would add these to the list taking out Think Twice. Field of Ruin is another to consider in the future. Despite being affordable currently, we are running a handful of cards which meet a high mana demand. Playing multiple colorless mana sources will damage this plan. However, you can add Field of Ruin once you can afford the most expensive Modern dual lands.
In terms of priority for upgrading the deck, you will want to focus on picking up the staples. Cryptic Command, Force of Negation, and the full playset of Celestial Colonnade lay the foundations of Modern Azorius Control, and you will feel the improvement in your deck as you acquire them. Your end goal will be picking up playsets of Snapcaster Mage, Flooded Strand, Cryptic Command, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor, but the budget list creates an excellent starting point that can compete at your local FNMs.
If you want to play a less traditional variant of Blue-based Control list, here is a second option. Budget Dimir Control comes to around $200 in paper.
Budget Dimir Control
| Creatures (5) 2 Gurmag Angler 2 Torrential Gearhulk 1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang Planeswalkers (5) 3 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries 1 Liliana, Death’s Majesty Spells (25) 4 Thought Erasure 4 Thought Scour 3 Inquisition of Kozilek 2 Go for the Throat 1 Murderous Cut 3 Archmage’s Charm 1 Blue Sun’s Zenith 2 Fact or Fiction 1 Logic Knot 2 Mana Leak 2 Think Twice | Lands (25) 3 Choked Estuary 4 Creeping Tar Pit 3 Drowned Catacomb 2 Fetid Pools 9 Island 4 Swamp Sideboard (15) 2 Bontu’s Last Reckoning 1 Countersquall 1 Dispel 2 Fatal Push 1 Nihil Spellbomb 2 Sorcerous Spyglass 1 The Scarab God 2 Thief of Sanity 3 Tormod’s Crypt |
Dimir Control leans on a resource denial strategy, whereas Azorius Control offers more emphasis on Planeswalkers and removal. Thought Erasure is an all-star in Standard and creates an excellent budget option for Thoughtseize, and Surveil compliments Gurmag Angler.
If you already have Watery Graves, these should replace the Fetid Pools and two Islands. I suggest picking these up soon otherwise, as their price is slowly beginning to creep up with the popularity of Standard Control. Jace, Wielder of Mysteries creates an affordable but less powered alternative of its predecessor Jace, the Mind Sculptor, and presents a different path to victory.
With the release of Ultimate Masters late last year, Creeping Tar Pit and Celestial Colonnade got reprinted and their prices eased a bit. Core 2020 is looking to do the same for Leyline of the Void. Prior to its preview last week, a playset of Leyline of the Void set you back $240. Now this is looking to be close to $60 (at most) for a set of the Core 2020 printing. Leyline of the Void is the premier answer for your opponents’ graveyard in Modern, and would highly recommend taking advantage of the reprint and picking these up for your Dimir Control sideboards.
Outside of this, we would be looking to upgrade into Snapcaster Mage, Polluted Delta, Liliana of the Veil, Liliana, the Last Hope, and Damnation in the future. In addition, you can go deeper and create a Faerie subtheme by adding Bitterblossom and Vendilion Clique to the mix, but this requires a deeper financial commitment.
Control strategies require knowledge in order to achieve success, and that comes with experience. Although you won’t have access to the optimal version of Control, learning is part of the process—which creates the most fun in my opinion. Core 2020 comes out in a few weeks, which could give berth to more budget options on Modern staples, allowing more affordable routes into the format. Core sets usually offer reprints of eternal staples, as well as providing excellent answers to the questions of Standard, Modern, and Legacy. I’m excited to see what Core 2020 does for Modern; and at least, it will make Modern that little bit cheaper for you.
Emma is a writer and Modern enthusiast based in Suffolk, England. She has been involved in Magic since Khans of Tarkir’s release back in 2014, but won’t shy away from Cube and MTG Arena. Follow her on Twitter @emmmzyne to join in on the conversation!