U/W Control for Type II

[Duel]

Dismantling blow is a great card once you have established some sort of control, or if you are desperate. Again, 1 more mana can be rough (How many 2cc artifact/enchantments are there that are threats?), but the kind of card advantage we're talking about is really quite good. That's 2 cards advantage. Not until the third accumulated knowledge will you get two card's advantage.

 

[Mikeymike]

How about Parallax Wave? Its the perfect complement to your 7 Wrath of Gods. Remove your own critters from the game, Wrath, run over them next turn. It can also temporarily remove a problem Chimeric Idol. In my opinion, the most powerful white card in Type 2 right now. Hanna complements the Wave very well, but thats going in another direction.

I know Thwart is solid, but I question it in this deck on 2 accounts. One your not playing heavy islands and its ACC probably won't be available until turn 5 or 6 mosts games. Two, your deck is fairly expensive, returning 3 islands to your hand can really slow you down. But then again, there aren't too many pure counters anymore (besides foil and undermine). The closest replacement I can think of is Rethink, a card I hate.

If you want to go a slightly more aggresive rout, Sky Weaver would make a nice addition to the deck also.

In the sideboard I think Teferi's Response is better than Sheltering Prayers. Granted the Prayers guarantee's you get to 3 mana, but the Response makes them waste a spell and nets you 2 cards. Besides, a lot of people are playing with Port in there sideboards now for surprise's sake.

Rout + Samite Archer = nice. I'm still not convinced on the Sliptide serpent. With a 6CC, you still have to wait a turn to use his ability. Air elemental, 4/4 flyer for 5 now that's a solid creature.

 

[Istanbul]

Duel - Duke pretty much said it all, with regard to Jeweled Spirit vs. Sliptide Serpent.
Duke - Yeah...it's a slow deck, so I can afford to wait the extra time to blow up an enchantment or artifact. I'm wary of Stinging Barrier because that goes in a slot to deal with *creatures*, where I'd *need* speed.
Mikeymike - Thwart is in there to get around land destruction and Rising Waters, both of which are landlocking decks. But I HAVE been thinking Rethink...you may hate it, but much of the time, it IS a pure counter.
I'm not really going aggressive, so Sky Weaver would be out of place.
Parallax Wave would be a waste of a slot; if I ever had enough creatures out to use it to its full advantage, I wouldn't need it.
Teferi's Response is a one-shot counterspell. Sheltering Prayers will flat-out STOP land destruction decks.

 

[DÛke]

Istanbul, I don't think that you should play Rethink. Let's face it, it might be somewhat of a "pure" counter, but it doesn't counter much, and there will be times you wish it was a real counter. Thwart, however, is a real counter. You have a good reason why you have it: it is great against Rising Waters and land destruction decks. Though you can't play its alternative cost much, Thwart's ACC will still come in handy, espeically late game, when you're probably in control; by that time, and most likely, Rethink will be sitting in your hand wishing it was a Thwart. Keep it with Thwart.

As for Teferi's Response: you're making the right decision. Stick with the Sheltering Prayers.

Now, for Dismantling Blow. I think you're right. It's not like there are any Artifacts or Enchantments that are a must-kill. You could wait. Go with it.

Mikeymike, Air Elemental is, in fact, a solid creature; though Istanbul's deck is not focusing on beatdown.

 

[Duel]

Yeah, I agree here. Thwart is underused, as it is a true counter even without the acc, and it really can be devilishly effective against many decks. Plus, with one card in you hand, and all your mana tapped, your opponent is sure to try and play his armageddon.

 

[Mikeymike]

I generated a nice little response with my post.

The more I think about Sheltering Prayers, the more I agree with you. By the time you hit 3 mana, you'll have the counter backup to answer their LD. Mark my words, Teferi's Response will have its time in the sun, OH YES (que the diabolical laughter)!

Rethink, the 2 of us just don't get along. I've tried this card in 3 different non-monoblue decks and I've been able to counter 2 spells I wanted to counter. It sat there in my hand a whole mess of the time. The thing was, against cheap decks it was almost useless.

In defense of Parallax Wave, you will have those games where you'll get all your creatures instead of your counters.

How about Sunscape Master instead of the Sliptide Serpent? Sorry to keep harping on this, but all that mana he costs is killing me. The Master can return the creature of your choice each turn and is much cheaper.

 

[Duel]

I agree. The serpent is too much for too little. Why price it like a mahomati? There must be better creatures to use. Why not run parallax wave, allowing you to either wave his stuff out to stall, or wave your stuff out to wrath?

 

[Istanbul]

Mikeymike - Sunscape Master is a 2/2. NOT a kill card (the function the Sliptide Serpent fulfills). Oh, and if I tap out of blue, any of the five trillion 2-damage burn spells can send him packing.

Duel - I've looked. If you can recommend to me a better card in a deck that packs 7 Wraths than a fattie that can bounce, you feel free to let me know.

Parallax Wave is going to be a useless card more often than not in this deck. If I have to Wave to stall, my deck isn't doing its job (seven Wraths, remember?). If I'm Waving my own creatures, I'm probably already doomed anyway, having hit nothing controllish.

Any more questions?

 

[Duel]

Fine, now I have to playtest that card. Finally, I can use my two.