Premodern BW Control Deck Guide (2026)
Premodern BW Control is a black-white control deck that answers everything and wins late with Decree of Justice, Eternal Dragon and Exalted Angel. Duress and Gerrard's Verdict strip the hand, while Swords to Plowshares, Vindicate and Wrath of God clear the board. It shares its removal with Deadguy Ale but not its plan: no Dark Ritual, no Hypnotic Specter and almost no early creatures. TC Decks lists 736 BW Control decks, and on MTGDecks it holds 1.6 percent of the metagame over the last 60 days (80 lists), with a 47 percent win rate over 579 recorded matches between April 7 and October 4, 2026. The reference list is Caroline Van Neste's top-four finish (7-2) at the 125-player Buckeye Brawl II on September 12, 2026; Hart Horton won the 59-player Peach Ball in Georgia with a close variant in August. This guide covers the plan, the key cards, mulligans, sequencing, every major matchup, sideboard plans and a budget path.
How the deck wins
- Trade early. Duress on turn one, Gerrard's Verdict on turn two and Swords to Plowshares on the first threat that matters buy the turns to reach four lands. If a land drop is missing, plainscycle Eternal Dragon for {2}: it finds a Plains and waits in the graveyard for later.
- Sweep, then deploy. Wrath of God works best after they commit two or three creatures. Your own threats come after it: a face-down Exalted Angel, turned up for {2}{W}{W} at the first safe moment, or a Decree of Justice cycled in their end step.
- Win with what keeps coming back. Cycling Decree of Justice for {2}{W} plus X makes X 1/1 Soldiers and draws a card at instant speed, out of reach of sorcery-speed answers and of counterspells like Counterspell and Mana Leak; cast for ten mana, it makes three 4/4 flying Angels. Eternal Dragon returns from the graveyard to your hand for {3}{W}{W} in your upkeep, so one copy can win several times. Dust Bowl and Skeletal Scrying keep turning spare lands and dead cards into advantage.
Core cards
- 4 Exalted Angel
- 3 Eternal Dragon
- 4 Swords to Plowshares
- 4 Duress
- 4 Vindicate
- 4 Gerrard's Verdict
- 4 Decree of Justice
- 3 Skeletal Scrying
- 2 Wrath of God
- 1 Phyrexian Furnace
- 4 Caves of Koilos
- 2 Dust Bowl
- 1 Secluded Steppe
- 8 Plains
- 9 Swamp
Key cards
- Eternal Dragon: Two cards in one. Early, plainscycling for {2} puts a Plains into your hand, so it doubles as a land drop. Late, pay {3}{W}{W} in your upkeep to return it from the graveyard to your hand, then cast a 5/5 flier for seven. Only exile answers it for good: Swords to Plowshares, or graveyard hate such as Withered Wretch, Phyrexian Furnace or Tormod's Crypt.
- Decree of Justice: The best threat in the deck, because it never has to be cast. Cycle it for {2}{W} in the opponent's end step: you draw a card, and the cycling trigger lets you pay X for X 1/1 Soldiers. Both are abilities, so Counterspell, Mana Leak and Standstill do nothing; Stifle can counter the Soldiers, but you still draw. Cast as a sorcery it costs {X}{X}{2}{W}{W}: three 4/4 flying Angels for ten mana.
- Exalted Angel: A 4/5 flier that gains you the damage it deals. Cast it face down for three and turn it up for {2}{W}{W}; turning a morph face up does not use the stack, so nobody can respond. After a Wrath of God it is often the only creature left, and it ends a game in five attacks while undoing their damage.
- Wrath of God: Two or three copies, and the reason the deck plays so few early creatures: every Wrath is a two-for-one or better. It does not target, so shroud, protection and Mother of Runes do not help, and nothing regenerates from it, Masticore included.
- Gerrard's Verdict: Two cards for two mana. The opponent chooses which, and you gain 3 life for each land they discard. Against UG Madness and Replenish it helps them: madness cards discarded this way are cast for their madness cost, and Replenish returns discarded enchantments.
- Vindicate: Three mana, destroy any permanent: Phyrexian Arena, Oath of Druids, Stasis, Solitary Confinement, an Urza land or a manland. It is black as well as white, so it cannot target a creature with protection from black, like Akroma, Soltari Monk or White Knight; Swords to Plowshares and Wrath of God still answer them.
- Skeletal Scrying: Instant card draw: exile X cards from your graveyard, draw X cards and lose X life. Cast it in the opponent's end step and keep Eternal Dragon in the graveyard; exile cycled Decrees, cycling lands and spent removal instead.
- Dust Bowl: A land that destroys lands: pay {3}, tap it and sacrifice a land to destroy target nonbasic land. Late in the game every spare basic becomes a Stone Rain for Mishra's Factory, Treetop Village, Gaea's Cradle, Serra's Sanctum, an Urza land, Rishadan Port or Ancient Tomb.
- Duress: One mana: take a counterspell, a combo piece or a removal spell, and see their plan. Against Goblins, Sligh and Elves it has few targets and is the first card to come out after boarding.
Mulligan guide
Keep
- Three or four lands with both colors, Duress or Gerrard's Verdict, and Wrath of God or Swords to Plowshares: Caves of Koilos, Swamp, Plains, Duress, Gerrard's Verdict, Wrath of God and Decree of Justice is the archetypal keep.
- Two lands with Eternal Dragon and cheap interaction: plainscycling for {2} on turn two finds the third land, so the hand plays like a three-lander.
- Against control, lands, discard and a threat that survives counterspells, like Decree of Justice or Eternal Dragon: the deck wins long games, so a slow hand is fine.
Ship
- One land, even with Eternal Dragon: plainscycling needs two mana.
- Five or more lands with no discard, removal or card draw, and hands with one color when the spells need both: Gerrard's Verdict and Vindicate need white and black.
- Against Goblins, Sligh and Elves: hands without Swords to Plowshares, Diabolic Edict or Wrath of God.
BW Control mulligans for lands and answers, not for threats: Decree of Justice and Eternal Dragon win any game that lasts. Against aggro a six-card hand with Wrath of God beats a seven-card hand of threats; against control, keep the hands with discard and card draw.
Play tips and sequencing
- Duress first, then Verdict. Duress on turn one shows the hand and takes the counter or combo piece; Gerrard's Verdict on turn two then takes two of what is left.
- Cycle Decree of Justice in their end step. With five lands it is {2}{W} for the cycling and {2} for X = 2: you untap with two Soldiers and a new card. Do it when they are tapped out or right after a Wrath, so the Soldiers do not walk into their sorcery-speed sweepers.
- Wrath when it takes two or more. Let one small creature live a turn rather than Wrath it alone, and hold Swords to Plowshares for the creature that must die now: Hypnotic Specter, Psychatog, Phyrexian Dreadnought or a reanimated Akroma.
- Plainscycle Eternal Dragon early, return it late. Early it is a land drop; later the return costs {3}{W}{W} in your upkeep and casting it costs seven, so plan the two turns.
- Keep Eternal Dragon in the graveyard. Skeletal Scrying exiles cards from your graveyard as a cost; exile cycled Decrees, cycling lands and spent removal instead.
- Point Dust Bowl at the lands that matter. Mishra's Factory, Treetop Village, Gaea's Cradle, Serra's Sanctum, Urza lands and Ancient Tomb first. Sacrifice a spare basic or a cycling land, not a colored source you still need.
- Morph Exalted Angel when they are tapped low. Face down it is a 2/2 for three that dies to Lightning Bolt or Fire // Ice; turn it up for {2}{W}{W} at the first safe moment.
- Mind Caves of Koilos. It deals 1 damage to you each time it taps for white or black; against burn, tap basics for colored mana when you can.
Matchups
- Stiflenought (unfavorable): Their counters meet your sorceries: Counterspell, Foil and Daze answer Wrath of God and Vindicate, and Stifle counters the Soldier trigger of a cycled Decree of Justice or Eternal Dragon's return. Phyrexian Dreadnought dies to Vindicate or Diabolic Edict, and to Swords to Plowshares, which gives them 12 life. Lead with Duress to take Stifle or a counter, cycle Decree in their end step when they are tapped low, and cast Wrath on the turn they cannot pay for a counter. MTGDecks: 39 percent over 62 matches.
- Sligh (slightly unfavorable): A race against burn. Your answers trade with Jackal Pup, Mogg Fanatic and Grim Lavamancer, but Fireblast, Lightning Bolt and Cursed Scroll go to your face, and Caves of Koilos and Price of Progress, two damage for each of your nonbasic lands, cost you life. Gerrard's Verdict gains 3 for every land they discard and Exalted Angel turns the race, unless Sulfuric Vortex is out, which stops all life gain. After boarding Circle of Protection: Red and Warmth swing it; Vindicate the Vortex first. MTGDecks (Burn): 44 percent over 45 matches.
- Goblins (unfavorable): The worst of the common matchups. Goblin Lackey, Goblin Warchief and Goblin Piledriver deal too much damage before Wrath of God on turn four, and Goblin Ringleader and Siege-Gang Commander refill after it. Rishadan Port and Wasteland attack Caves of Koilos and Dust Bowl. Duress has few targets, so take it out; keep Swords for Lackey, Wrath for three Goblins, and bring Engineered Plague naming Goblin, Circle of Protection: Red and Infest. MTGDecks: 36 percent over 39 matches.
- Enchantress (unfavorable): Solitary Confinement prevents all damage to them and gives them shroud, so Gerrard's Verdict, Duress and Diabolic Edict cannot target them either, and Sterling Grove gives their other enchantments shroud against Vindicate and Seal of Cleansing. Discard before the engine starts is your best plan: Duress and Verdict on turns one and two, Vindicate on the Grove or the Confinement, Dust Bowl on Serra's Sanctum. After boarding bring Aura of Silence, Seal of Cleansing and Presence of the Master, which counters every enchantment spell. MTGDecks: 29 percent over 28 matches.
- Terrageddon (unfavorable): Armageddon and Wasteland hit a deck that needs six lands for Decree of Justice and Eternal Dragon, and Terravore grows with every land card in any graveyard: the ones you sacrifice to Dust Bowl or cycle, and the ones Gerrard's Verdict makes them discard. Nimble Mongoose has shroud. Wrath of God answers the board; Swords to Plowshares handles Terravore but gives them life equal to its power. After boarding Sacred Ground returns lands destroyed by Armageddon and Wasteland. MTGDecks: 25 percent over 20 matches.
- Replenish (slightly unfavorable): Duress, Cabal Therapy and Vindicate stop the combo before it starts, but Gerrard's Verdict helps them: discarded enchantments are what Replenish returns. Parallax Wave exiles your creatures for a while, and Decree tokens never come back. Graveyard hate decides it: Phyrexian Furnace, Tormod's Crypt in response to Replenish, and Haunting Echoes, which exiles their graveyard and every remaining copy of those cards in the library. Limited data: 44 percent over 18 matches.
- Landstill (favorable): Your threats dodge their counters: Decree of Justice cycled in their end step is an ability, so Counterspell and Mana Leak cannot stop it and Standstill does not trigger, and Eternal Dragon's plainscycling and return are abilities too. Dust Bowl destroys Mishra's Factory, Duress takes a counter before it matters, Gerrard's Verdict thins their hand, and their Wrath of God has few targets. Their Phyrexian Furnace exiles Eternal Dragon from your graveyard and Humility shrinks Angels and Dragons to 1/1s; save Vindicate for those. MTGDecks: 64 percent over 25 matches.
- Oath of Druids (unfavorable): Sphere of Resistance, Wasteland, Rishadan Port, Thermokarst and Winter's Grasp keep you off the six lands Decree of Justice and Eternal Dragon need, and every land in a graveyard grows Terravore, Dust Bowl sacrifices included. Oath of Druids works for both players: once Terravore is out and you have no creature, your own upkeep can reveal into Exalted Angel or Eternal Dragon. Vindicate the Oath or a Sphere early, Wrath the Terravore, and bring Sacred Ground and Seal of Cleansing. MTGDecks (Oath Ponza): 38 percent over 21 matches.
- Full English Breakfast (unfavorable): A combo deck with two engines, and your answers are mostly sorceries. Duress and Vindicate take Survival of the Fittest, Swords to Plowshares answers Hermit Druid or Volrath's Shapeshifter, and Phyrexian Furnace exiles the creature card on top of their graveyard. Tormod's Crypt answers a Hermit Druid activation at instant speed; Haunting Echoes on your turn exiles a graveyard they could not use yet. Their Cabal Therapy names Wrath of God or Vindicate. Limited data: 31 percent over 16 matches.
- Mono Black (even): A grind between two discard decks. Hypnotic Specter off Dark Ritual is their best start and has to die at once, Withered Wretch exiles Eternal Dragon from your graveyard, and Mishra's Factory is a threat Wrath of God misses, while Wasteland hits your nonbasic lands. Wrath of God after they commit Nantuko Shade, Ravenous Rats and Wretch is a three-for-one, Dust Bowl kills the Factory, and Exalted Angel outgains Cursed Scroll. Dystopia after boarding makes you sacrifice a white permanent every upkeep; Vindicate it. MTGDecks: 49 percent over 39 matches.
- Stasis (slightly unfavorable): Black Vise punishes the full hand a control deck keeps, and under Stasis nobody untaps, so your six-mana cards wait. Duress and Gerrard's Verdict before Stasis lands are the best start, and Vindicate, Seal of Cleansing or Aura of Silence destroy Stasis once it is out. Dust Bowl can take Forsaken City, which pays for Stasis. Limited data: 40 percent over 15 matches.
- Elves (even): Wrath of God, Infest and a cycled Decree of Pain, which gives all creatures -2/-2, answer a board of small Elves, and Dust Bowl destroys Gaea's Cradle. They rebuild fast: Survival of the Fittest finds Deranged Hermit, Wirewood Symbiote returns an Elf to hand in response to a sweeper, and the mana creatures recast cheaply. Wrath kills Masticore, which cannot regenerate from it. After boarding bring Engineered Plague naming Elf. Very limited data: 44 percent over 9 matches.
- Psychatog (slightly favorable): Phyrexian Furnace keeps their graveyard small, and Swords to Plowshares exiles Psychatog. Gerrard's Verdict thins their hand, Duress takes Counterspell or Foil, and Decree of Justice cycled at instant speed gets around both. Their Smother and Sickening Dreams kill Soldiers, so do not overcommit. After boarding Haunting Echoes exiles their graveyard and every Accumulated Knowledge left in the library. Limited data: 57 percent over 14 matches.
- UG Madness (unfavorable): Your discard feeds them: Gerrard's Verdict lets them discard Basking Rootwalla or Arrogant Wurm and cast it for its madness cost, and Cabal Therapy does the same if you name one of them. Arrogant Wurm comes in at instant speed after your Wrath of God, and Circular Logic and Daze counter it. Duress has good targets (Careful Study, Circular Logic, Deep Analysis), Swords handles the Wurm, and Haunting Echoes after boarding exiles Roar of the Wurm, Deep Analysis and Wonder for the game. MTGDecks (Madness): 30 percent over 10 matches, limited data.
- The Rock (even): A long grind. Their Duress and Cabal Therapy take Wrath of God or Decree of Justice, Pernicious Deed destroys Phyrexian Furnace, Soldier tokens and a face-down Exalted Angel for next to nothing, and Recurring Nightmare brings back Ravenous Baloth or Krosan Tusker. Vindicate the Deed or the Nightmare, Dust Bowl the Treetop Village, and Haunting Echoes after boarding empties their graveyard. Eternal Dragon and Decree of Justice outlast them. Limited data: 53 percent over 15 matches.
- Reanimator (slightly favorable): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Reanimate, Exhume and Animate Dead before they matter (Gerrard's Verdict is risky here: they choose the discards and will put a fatty into their graveyard), and Phyrexian Furnace exiles the creature card they discard. Akroma, Angel of Wrath has protection from black, so Vindicate cannot target it, but Swords to Plowshares, Diabolic Edict and Wrath of God still answer it. A plainscycled Eternal Dragon makes their Exhume return a 5/5 flier for you too. Tormod's Crypt and Haunting Echoes come in after boarding. Very limited data: 80 percent over 5 matches.
- Deadguy Ale (slightly favorable): The same removal on both sides, so the rest decides. Their Hypnotic Specter off Dark Ritual has to die at once, and Phyrexian Arena wins a long game unless you Vindicate it. Their creatures, Specter, Nantuko Shade, Withered Wretch and Graveborn Muse, all die to Wrath of God, while your threats arrive later and keep coming: Decree of Justice in their end step and Eternal Dragon from the graveyard, unless Withered Wretch exiles it first. No meaningful match data.
- Tron (slightly favorable): Dust Bowl destroys an Urza land, and Duress takes Power Sink, Prohibit or Stroke of Genius before their mana is online, while Gerrard's Verdict thins their hand. Once all three Urza lands are out, their Decree of Justice and Stroke of Genius outdraw you, so pressure and land destruction come first. Their Wrath of God finds few targets, and yours kills Masticore, which cannot regenerate from it. No match data.
- Clerics (even): Wrath of God and Infest kill their board, but Rotlung Reanimator turns every Cleric that dies into a 2/2 Zombie, so a sweeper often leaves creatures behind; Swords the Rotlung first. Priest of Gix and Dark Ritual starts are fast, and Cabal Archon drains. After boarding Engineered Plague naming Cleric shrinks the whole team, Rotlung Reanimator and Withered Wretch included. Very limited data: 40 percent over 5 matches.
- The Solution (even): Meddling Mage naming Wrath of God or Vindicate and Mother of Runes, which gives a creature protection from Swords or Vindicate, are their best cards against you. Wrath does not target, so Mother cannot stop it, and Infest kills Mage and Mother together. Meddling Mage naming Decree of Justice does not stop its cycling, which is an ability. Lightning Angel and Fire // Ice pressure you, Mana Leak and Counterspell protect them. No meaningful match data.
- Dromar Control (even): A control mirror with counters on their side: Mana Leak on Wrath of God or Vindicate, and Meddling Mage naming either. Shadowmage Infiltrator has fear, so your white creatures cannot block it. Decree of Justice cycled in their end step dodges Mana Leak, Dust Bowl strains a three-color mana base, and Wrath of God kills Infiltrator, Meddling Mage and Mother of Runes together. No match data.
- Aluren (even): Gerrard's Verdict thins their hand, Duress and Cabal Therapy take Aluren before it lands, and Vindicate destroys it, but Aluren gives their creatures flash, so they can combo in response. Wrath of God does nothing against a loop that wins in one turn. After boarding Aura of Silence makes Aluren cost six, and a Seal of Cleansing on the battlefield breaks the loop after the first free creature. Very limited data: 33 percent over 6 matches.
- Zombies (slightly favorable): Wrath of God, Infest and a cycled Decree of Pain answer a swarm, and Engineered Plague naming Zombie after boarding shrinks Lord of the Undead to a 1/1. Their Duress and Cabal Therapy take the sweeper first, Withered Wretch exiles Eternal Dragon from your graveyard, and Shepherd of Rot and Gempalm Polluter drain you past your blockers. Gloom after boarding makes your Swords to Plowshares and Wrath of God cost three more. No match data.
- MUD (even): Winter Orb, Tangle Wire and Sphere of Resistance hurt a deck that wants six lands. Duress takes Tinker or Winter Orb, Vindicate and Seal of Cleansing destroy the lock pieces, Dust Bowl destroys Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors or Rishadan Port, and Phyrexian Furnace exiles the artifact Goblin Welder wants back. Triskelion kills up to three Soldiers, and Mishra's Helix taps the lands you saved for Decree of Justice. MTGDecks (Tinker Welder): 40 percent over 5 matches, very limited data.
- White Weenie (slightly favorable): Wrath of God, Infest and Diabolic Edict beat a board of small creatures, and Gerrard's Verdict takes the follow-up. Soltari Monk and White Knight have protection from black, so Vindicate cannot target them, but Swords to Plowshares, Diabolic Edict and the sweepers still answer them, and Mother of Runes stops Swords but not Wrath or Infest. Armageddon is their way back in; Sacred Ground after boarding returns your lands. Very limited data.
- Gro-a-Tog (favorable): Wrath of God kills Quirion Dryad, Meddling Mage and Psychatog together, Swords answers whichever grows first, and Duress takes a counter and Gerrard's Verdict two more cards of their choice. Their best cards against you are Meddling Mage naming Wrath of God and Armageddon, so keep Vindicate for the Mage and Sacred Ground for after boarding. Limited data: 75 percent over 12 matches.
- Pit Rack (slightly unfavorable): Their Duress and Cabal Therapy take Wrath of God, Bottomless Pit takes a random card every upkeep, and The Rack punishes the empty hand that follows. Vindicate and Seal of Cleansing destroy The Rack and Bottomless Pit, and Decree of Justice cycled at instant speed dodges their discard. Gloom after boarding taxes Swords, Wrath of God, Vindicate and Seal of Cleansing. Limited data: 45 percent over 11 matches.
- Rebels (slightly favorable): Your removal is built for this: Swords to Plowshares and Vindicate kill the searchers, Wrath of God the board, and Duress takes the counter that would stop it. The Rebels they search for never pass through their hand, so discard alone does not win; kill the searchers before they get to tap. Exalted Angel and Eternal Dragon outsize every Rebel but Jhovall Queen. No meaningful match data.
- Contamination (even): Contamination stops most of your deck: Swords to Plowshares, Vindicate, Gerrard's Verdict, Wrath of God and Decree of Justice need white, and Exalted Angel cannot be turned face up. Duress their lock before it lands, keep Phyrexian Furnace for Nether Spirit, and use Eternal Dragon's plainscycling, which costs only {2}. Very limited data: 67 percent over 6 matches.
- Turbo Lands (slightly favorable): Vindicate and Dust Bowl answer Glacial Chasm, which otherwise prevents all damage from your Angels and Eternal Dragon. Duress strips Exploration, Horn of Greed or Seismic Assault, and Gerrard's Verdict makes them discard two cards of their choice, gaining you 3 life for each land. Their Seismic Assault kills a face-down Exalted Angel, so turn it face up when you can. No match data.
- Fluctuator (favorable): Duress takes Fluctuator or a kill spell, Gerrard's Verdict makes them discard two cards of their choice, Vindicate destroys Fluctuator, and Dust Bowl hits their nonbasic lands. After boarding, Haunting Echoes exiles their graveyard and every copy of those cards left in their library, and Tormod's Crypt answers Songs of the Damned. Expect Gilded Light against your discard. No match data.
- RG Zoo (slightly favorable): Zoo is fast, but it has to keep committing creatures to keep up the pressure, which suits Wrath of God and Exalted Angel: hold Wrath for three creatures, and remember that Treetop Village survives it and Call of the Herd comes back with flashback. Their burn kills a face-down Exalted Angel, so turn it face up when you can. Circle of Protection: Red and Warmth only cover the red half, since Elephant tokens and Quirion Dryad are green, and Gerrard's Verdict lets them discard Call of the Herd for a later flashback. Limited data: 70 percent over 10 matches.
Sideboard guide
- vs Sligh and Goblins: Circle of Protection: Red, Warmth, Engineered Plague. Circle of Protection: Red prevents the next damage from a red source for one mana each time, and Warmth gains 2 life for every red spell they cast; almost every sideboard plays one of them. Engineered Plague naming Goblin kills Goblin Lackey, Goblin Matron and Mogg Fanatic and shrinks the rest. Watch for Anarchy, which destroys every white permanent, and Sulfuric Vortex, which stops Warmth's life gain. Out: Duress, Skeletal Scrying and Cabal Therapy.
- vs Elves, Zombies, Clerics and White Weenie: Engineered Plague, Infest, Diabolic Edict. Engineered Plague, in nine of ten sideboards, names the creature type that matters: Elf, Zombie or Cleric, and Cleric against White Weenie too, where it kills Mother of Runes and the Soltari. Infest kills every creature with toughness 2 or less, and a second Diabolic Edict handles the one big threat. Out: Duress and Skeletal Scrying.
- vs Reanimator, Full English Breakfast, Psychatog, UG Madness and Replenish: Tormod's Crypt, Haunting Echoes, Phyrexian Furnace. Tormod's Crypt exiles a graveyard at instant speed: in response to Reanimate, Exhume or Replenish, or after a Hermit Druid activation. Haunting Echoes, in four of five sideboards, exiles every card in their graveyard except basic lands, then every copy of those cards left in their library: Accumulated Knowledge, Roar of the Wurm or Replenish are gone for the game. A second Phyrexian Furnace joins the one in the main deck. Out: Gerrard's Verdict against UG Madness and Replenish, where discard helps them.
- vs Enchantress, Oath of Druids, Stasis, MUD and Aluren: Seal of Cleansing, Aura of Silence, Disenchant, Enlightened Tutor. Seal of Cleansing and Aura of Silence wait on the battlefield and destroy an artifact or enchantment when you sacrifice them, so they answer Solitary Confinement, Oath of Druids, Stasis, Winter Orb or Aluren at instant speed; Aura also makes their artifacts and enchantments cost two more. Enlightened Tutor finds the one that matters. Against Enchantress destroy Sterling Grove first, since it gives their other enchantments shroud. Out: Wrath of God and Infest against Stasis and Enchantress.
- vs Terrageddon, Oath of Druids and White Weenie: Sacred Ground. Sacred Ground returns a land to the battlefield whenever an opponent's spell or ability puts it into your graveyard: Armageddon, Wasteland, Thermokarst and Winter's Grasp all fail, and lands that come back do not grow Terravore. It is in two of five sideboards; cast it before they can cast Armageddon.
- vs Landstill, Psychatog, Dromar Control, Mono Black and Deadguy Ale: Phyrexian Arena, Cabal Therapy, Spiritual Focus. Against control and discard, card advantage beats more removal. Phyrexian Arena draws an extra card every turn, Cabal Therapy names Counterspell, Standstill or Hypnotic Specter, and Spiritual Focus gains 2 life and draws a card whenever their Duress, Gerrard's Verdict or Hypnotic Specter makes you discard. Out: Infest and Diabolic Edict, and one Wrath of God against Landstill and Psychatog.
Budget and upgrades
Typical cost: $430–$710. The reference list (Caroline Van Neste, top four of 125 at Buckeye Brawl II, 12 September) costs about $710 with its sideboard at the Premodern-era printings tracked here. Four Exalted Angel are about $130 of that, two Dust Bowl about $80, four Caves of Koilos about $70, three Decree of Justice about $50 and four Vindicate about $50; in the sideboard two Tormod's Crypt and an Enlightened Tutor are about $100 together. Wrath of God, Gerrard's Verdict, Duress, Skeletal Scrying and Eternal Dragon cost under $10 a copy.
- Never cut the core: Exalted Angel, Eternal Dragon, Decree of Justice, Vindicate, Wrath of God, Swords to Plowshares, Gerrard's Verdict and Duress.
- The budget build plays basics instead of Dust Bowl, Tainted Field instead of Caves of Koilos and Smother instead of Cabal Therapy, and in the sideboard Phyrexian Furnace and Haunting Echoes instead of Tormod's Crypt, Disenchant instead of Enlightened Tutor and Warmth instead of the third Cabal Therapy: about $430 with the same plan.
- Tainted Field makes white or black only while you control a Swamp, so keep at least eight Swamps in that build.
- Upgrade in this order: Caves of Koilos first, then Dust Bowl, then Tormod's Crypt and Enlightened Tutor.
