In a way “when this creature dies” triggers are similar to enter-the-battlefield triggers, but an opponent has to actually kill the creature.
Jadelight Ranger and Gilded Goose are other examples of extremely successful cards based on being packed full of enter the battlefield value.ĭeath triggers are another way to gain an edge versus single-target removal.
Even if Refiner is instantly killed, you still acquired value by playing it, allowing you to repeat the process in future turns, all while building an advantage. Everybody’s favorite rogue not only left behind energy for your other cards to use, but also replaced itself by drawing a card. Rogue Refiner is a prime example of what you are looking for. All three of these mechanics have spawned incredibly powerful midrange decks based on the value created upon an individual creature entering the battlefield. Similar to standalone threats are cards that provide immediate value. By having a number of such threats, we’re able to make, and take advantage of weak points in our opponents remove-spell armour. These cards are good whether or not you already have a board presence, because they are must answer threats. A standalone threat is a card that has a high raw power level all on its own. For me, the biggest deckbuilding factor to exploit this is maximizing the number of “standalone threats” in a deck. Quadrant 1: Single-Target Removalĭeckbuilding plays a crucial role in making an opponent’s single-target removal inefficient.
My end goal is to leverage our understanding of these quadrants, and teach you how to exploit their weaknesses. The combination of these four quadrants enables a control deck to continuously answer threats while maintaining a resource advantage. “The Four Quadrants of Control.” is how I refer to what I believe are the four main jigsaw pieces that form a control deck: Single-target removal, Counterspells, Card Advantage and Sweepers. In order to understand the lines of play to make, you must first understand how control decks work. Playing against control requires you to make plays that seem counterintuitive against many other archetypes, and as such, many players struggle with this matchup. In this article we will tackle how to take down one archetype many find themselves frustrated to play against: control.
As new players play more magic, they discover a number of archetypes, or deck themes, that they encounter time and time again.