Standard UW Control by Satoshi Nakayama
Planeswalker (3)
Enchantment (3)
Land (21)
UW Control in Standard has been very quiet as of late. The rise of planeswalker-heavy midrange decks make Doomskar look like a joke. Everybody is seemingly prepared for control in some way, whether it be artifacts like Reckoner Bankbuster or Oni-Cult Anvil, enchantments like Wedding Announcement or Showdown of the Skalds or the creature-lands out of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms.
Satoshi Nakayama brought an innovative take on UW Control featuring four Cathar Commando to the latest Standard SNC Championship Qualifier on MTGMelee – the Degen Open. With just one win away from the Top 8, Satoshi placed in the Top 16 with a 6-2 record.
At first glance, we are looking at a fairly normal UW Control list with Restoration of Eiganjo, Doomskar and The Wandering Emperor. We see some artifacts in the form of Reckoner Bankbuster and Mnemonic Sphere. The latter synergizes nicely with the second chapter on Restoration of Eiganjo. Same is true for Cathar Commando, which can be used to target some of the pesky artifacts and enchantments that your opponent deploys, but can also be flashed in as a surprise blocker against any attackers. It can also serve as a flash threat to pressure your opponent’s planeswalker or life total.
The inclusion of this unassuming common is intriguing to me and will hopefully lead to a revival of UW Control as a competitive archetype. I am looking forward to trying this new approach on my stream.
Would you have any sideboard tips against the meta decks?