For the longest time, it’s been a bad time to be a Control player in Magic: The Gathering. Standard, Pioneer, and even Modern have been dominated by Aggro and Midrange for months now, thanks to a constant stream of hyper-efficient threats in new sets. Without the third member of the trifecta to keep things balanced, Standard has felt lopsided for a while. Fortunately, recent tournaments have brought a glimmer of hope. Control has come back into the MTG Standard metagame, and in a big way.
Results at recent major tournaments and in Challenges and Leagues point to a full-on Control renaissance taking place in the format. This is partly due to new tools provided in sets like Duskmourn and Aetherdrift, and partly due to the shifting metagame itself. Whatever the case may be, it’s great to see the archetype performing in Standard again. Magic just isn’t Magic without it.
Control Is Back In MTG Standard!
You don’t have to look far to see how well Control is doing in MTG Standard these days. Not just one list, either, but multiple variants. Generally, these fall under either Azorius or Bant, but there are some renegade Esper lists out there too. In other words, a lot of players are trying to make the archetype work.
These players are succeeding, too. Looking at the results from Pro Tour Aetherdrift, multiple Control lists placed highly in the event. Arne Huschenbeth made the top 16, and both Eli Kassis and Charles Wong made the top 64. Each of these players was on the Azorius variant of the deck. That’s some great representation on the biggest stage in Magic: The Gathering. Especially for a deck that barely registered as a threat before.
Outside of major tournaments, Control is also on the rise on the League/Challenge circuit. Just today Bielzito 5-0’d a League with Bant Control, and serajh achieved the same result with a very similar list. Go back to yesterday, and a total of five Control lists reached 5- results in the League. The archetype is out there in numbers, basically, and if you’re playing Standard now there’s a good chance you’ll run into it.
There’s a lot of variation in the makeup of these decks, but a few things remain constant. Jace, the Perfected Mind shows up consistently as a powerful mill finisher, and Beza, the Bounding Spring is in pretty much all of these decks as a catch-up mechanism. Control plays much of the game on the back foot, after all. Beyond this iconic duo shells vary wildly, with different threats and answers all vying for places.
The Right Environment
So Control is doing well in MTG Standard again, that much is clear. What’s less clear is just why this is the case. Players have been trying to make Control work in the format for months now but to no real avail. What’s changed to cause such a shift?
As far as I can see there are two main factors at play here: powerful new cards, and an evolving Standard meta. Aetherdrift was particularly kind to Control decks, providing both Ride’s End and Stock Up for their use. While Ride’s End does better in Domain decks it’s still an incredibly efficient removal spell in white, which all current Control variants love. Stock Up is one of the best blue card draw spells in years, with some even comparing it to Dig Through Time.
Together, these cards give Azorius Control a major boost. Cheap removal and powerful draw/selection are the heart of any Control deck, after all. That said, finishers are also important, and Duskmourn brought the deck a doozy in Overlord of the Mistmoors. Coming down early or late and providing a constant stream of fliers helps Control slow down aggressive decks, and then turn the corner against them later.
Metagame-wise, Standard is simply less overrun with Aggro now than it was in the past. The emergence of Esper Pixie has reduced Gruul Aggro’s meta share, which in turn has given Control more room to breathe. While Pixie can certainly get some aggressive starts, it’s much easier for Control to handle than Gruul’s merciless march of Mice. Add in the fact that most decks below Gruul Aggro in the meta are Midrange variants, which Control matches nicely against, and you can see why the deck’s stock is up.
A Lasting Change?
However you personally feel about the archetype, it’s hard to deny that Control seeing success in MTG Standard is great news. The Aggro/Midrange/Control triangle is one of the foundational principles of the game for a reason. Metagames where these three are represented tend to be much more balanced and fun to play than those where they’re not. Even if you hate playing against Control, it being part of the meta likely improves your experience indirectly.
The question now is whether this recent success is a flash in the pan, or a real return to form for the archetype. While the Standard meta remains as it is, with Esper Pixie, Domain, and Dimir Midrange in prominent positions, I believe the latter will be the case. Control has solid-to-good matchups against all of these decks, so it will only continue to thrive in such an environment.
As to how Control will fare come the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, that’s harder to say. The handful of spoilers we’ve seen so far are a bit of a mix. Most, like Smile at Death and Shiko, Paragon of the Way, are clearly aiming for a Midrange/Control space. Others, like Mox Jasper and Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant, have huge potential in hyper-Aggro decks. For now, it’s impossible to say which side of the coin the set will favor on the whole.
Whatever happens new cards-wise, it’s worth noting that Phyrexia: All Will Be One rotates out of Standard in the fall of this year. This will take Jace, Get Lost, Temporary Lockdown, and Sunfall out of the picture. Control decks will certainly feel the loss of so many powerful staples, and we can only hope more are printed to take their place for the sake of a healthy metagame.