I've never played Mono U Control -.- heres a shot.

[Gaea'sSaproling]

This isnt based off any list or anything just a control deck I will attempt to make one up

Mana - 22
22 Island
1 Sol Ring

Draw - 10
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Brainstorm
2 Future Sight

Control - 26
4 Chain of Vapor
4 Counterspell
4 Rewind
4 Miscalculation
2 Stifle
2 Misdirection
2 Thwart
4 Dismiss

Kill - 4
4 Ophidian

i need another kill condition... moprhling i spose

well theres my first shot at permission, ive been playing 9+ years and still never dabbled in U control, tell me wut ya think

 

[Oversoul]

I will extrapolate after I get some glucose in my bloodstream...

Until very recently, here is what I was running...

Arctic Circus version 2.3:

1 Powder Keg
2 Arcane Denial
3 Boomerang
4 Counterspell
4 Ophidian
1 Whispers of the Muse
2 Meditate
1 Fact or Fiction (all I have)
4 Forbid
3 Masticore
4 Nevinyrral's Disk
2 Rewind
2 Morphling
4 Force of Will
4 Thawing Glaciers
19 Island

It tried to keep itself alive long enough for Thawing Glaciers to generate some cool card advantage by giving me lands while allowing me to draw nonlands. The Powder Keg was a cool trick against decks with weenies or artifact lands, but it usually found something to blow up. The Boomerangs were for bouncing potential blockers to Ophidians or dangerous permanents that were already in play. Arcane Denial sucked in this deck. If rebuilt the deck, I would have cut it. Arcane Denial is only good in fast decks.

You can't use Ophidian as a kill because too often you need to draw cards off it.

Masticore was my primary kill here, since it could clear the way for Ophidian to attack, then swing on its own, as well as surviving Disk. But in games against decks with few creatures, Morphling was often better.

Also note the cool, but probably outdated, soft lock using Ophidian and Forbid.

 

[Tabasco]

well basically,

you should run 4x mishra's factories if you can get a hold of them.

Palinchron is also a nice finisher. Treachery/Control Magic is also a fun card. Powder Keg helps control things. Free stuff....ie; Daze and Misdirection always help. 4x Force of Will is a must if you have them.

as for future sight....I dont think it would be all that great....the cost of five is really a killer in here... mainly because you would need to tap out to play it...which basically give your opponent a oneturn window to do their thing and possibly take control tempo-wise. Rystic Study would be killer, as it is mad card advantage...

It can a). draw a couter if they dont pay the one for thier spell...remember it still triggers whether or not the spell resolves.
b). tie up your opponents mana so suddenly they cannot pay for the daze or miscalc. and what not.

Man Leak and Arcane Denial are also among some of the best counters in the game!!

 

[Oversoul]

I'm not one of the those who seem to enjoy using Arcane Denial as an example of a bad card...

I've been using it for a long time in many decks. I think it is often nice in combo-based decks because it replaces itself to maintain a high level of threats. The opponent drawing cards is not a problem if I win the game. Force of Will is the only exception to that, and it's a small gamble ordinarily...

Slow decks, like blue control, would really do well not to let the opponent draw extra cards. Card advantage is important to such decks, which is why Ophidian is so good. Arcane Denial may draw a card, but it's card disadvantage nonetheless. When I counter Goblin Welder, for example, in order to not lose, I do not want to give my opponent two more chances to find another to cast before I can establish more control on the game...

 

[Gaea'sSaproling]

oh ****, i didnt mean arcane denial, that card is crap lol i meant mana leak

 

[Oversoul]

I was referring to Tabasco's post, not yours...

Arcane Denial isn't THAT bad...

But I really don't like it for monoblue control...

 

[train]

I'm surprised there are no capsizes in decklists...

 

[Oversoul]

Why so surprising? Boomerang is better until you hit six mana...

When my deck had that much mana available, it was usually about to die, or in the process of soft locking the opponent and getting mad card advantage...

This is not to say Capsize is not a viable option. But my mindset when I was playing this deck (I have taken it apart since) was that it would not be optimal. It would definitely go in if Thawing Glaciers were removed, I think, since Thawing Glaciers sucks up some mana that could be used for Capsize earlier in the game...

 

[train]

The reason I was surprised is because you have enough cheap counterspells for early game, and could easily build up the land for the capsize...

Even putting in memory lapse - though I think it an inferior counter - buys you a turn... this is another land, etc...

2 memory lapses allows your capsize to be extremely viable... early game...

 

[Homestar]

u could cehck out my extended blue thread, that deck has been working great for me.

 

[Oversoul]

Originally posted by train
The reason I was surprised is because you have enough cheap counterspells for early game, and could easily build up the land for the capsize...

Even putting in memory lapse - though I think it an inferior counter - buys you a turn... this is another land, etc...

2 memory lapses allows your capsize to be extremely viable... early game...

Yeah, my latest Forbidian decklist DOES use Capsizes, as well as multiple Fact or Fictions.