How to Beat a Control-Mage

[Streetz]

This thread is reserved for discussing Russell Cutting's first article on MDV:

How to Beat a Control-Mage

Link:

http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0062.htm

Please discuss.

Note: The article will be up in about 30 minutes.

[Tynion]

This article is essential the inverse of the article I submitted on how to play a counter deck. For anyone who does not know.. this has been an on going struggle throughout the history of Magic. Its along the lines of the chicken or the egg. However, this time we ask, which wins more effectively. I will point out to you, that the more dominant decks of all time have been control style decks. The Sligh style deck (efficient weenie rush) had it's day in the sun. Its 15 minutes are up.

I would also like to point out that no matter how many times Wizards tried to kill the blue mage, we still reign.

If you want to know how to best beat a control player, you have to destroy his resources. If you get him to 1 hit point and he wraths your critters away, he has you where he wants you. I think I played most of my career with less than 5 hit points. You need to destroy my lands or my hand. The weenie rush may surprise me in game one, but realisticly.. what is my sideboard designed to do? Kill YOU weenie player. Blue has one thing it does really good, it SQUASHES red flat. So while you try to overwelm me with your creatures, I will use all kinds of mass removal and keep up with you. I can wrath after your third play turn if I go first. I can always play red and pyroclasm on turn two. I have countless black creature kill spells. I can play some effective blue blockers, not to mention blues bounce spells that stall you. Green is a pal with its fog effects.

I like your article, but I am a control player. I think I'd rather you play a mountain than any other land truth be told. Atleast I know whats coming. And knowing is half the battle.

Keep up the good work in your writing!

chris

[oyzar]

That all depens on the format.. this past season for example one of blues worst matchups was boros.

[Tynion]

I honestly have not played Magic since Mirroden, so these deck names don't mean anything to me, and I apologize for that. However, can you say that the dominant control deck of the day can not beat it? You worded it as to say that its worse match up is.. Boros? Is that like saying Togs worst match up was UG Madness becasue UG beats it 50% of the time? (just tossing out numbers here I dont remember for sure)

Format wise.. in Type I (vintage I think).. Control will own a major tournament. No question. Type 1.5 (Legacy?) Creatures are quicker and more than can kill enough, but with a good Tog build, control will still win. I even consider UG Madness a control type deck becasue of the counter and utility it works. Sure it crushes with fat wurms, but its going to get you with the blue side of the deck. Type II (Limited) your guess is aas good as mine.. but not knowing the cards, I am about 80% certain there is a control deck in the format that is making the finals consistantly at your local tourneys.

As a matter of fact... if you want to make a list of Magics all-time top non-control decks, I bet I can list more control decks than you can list non-control decks. That is not trying to show a level of my v. your magic history awareness, that is just to show how dominant control has been over the 10+ years of competetive Magic.

Scoreboard.

Playing a creature and pointing to an opponent and relying on that alone as your kill condition rarely works. Very few creatures have been ableto do that. (Morphling, Hypnotic Specter, Psychatog, Nantuko Shade, Spirit Monger, Palinchron, Akroma, etc) Then filling a deck with very small fast creatures, while it will kill off the tourny bottom feeders with ease and make it deep, it will normally be beaten by a control deck and most likely.. by COP: Red. I dont usually like it when one card defeats me. That's my beef with creature decks.

Atleast if you play a Choke, Boil, etc. I have a chance to respond. What does red weenie X do when you play a COP Red? Besides cry I mean. Just as with Sacred Ground and Land Destruction. Woops! Now I am playing a bad direct damage deck with 15 dead cards.

Chris