If you’ve played Magic: The Gathering’s Standard format at all since the bans, you’ve probably seen your fair share of Dimir decks. Dimir Midrange is back in the dominant position it was in pre-Bloomburrow, with a metagame share bordering on the worrying. Not content with just that, it seems Dimir is now dabbling in other archetypes, too. In yesterday’s MTG Online Standard League, two separate Dimir Control lists put up 5-0 results.
These lists came from Supercazzola and NoamBrunel, and each represents a different way Dimir can play the long game. One grinds things out through infinite value, while the other stalls until it can pull off a sneaky combo finish. Both are significantly different from the established Midrange lists that have defined the color pair for some time now. With rotation on the horizon, however, they could be meta-topping decks in their own right very soon.
Dimir Control In MTG Standard
We’ll take a look at Supercazzola’s list first. This is a Control deck in the very traditional sense, in that it focuses on not losing the game more than winning it. The creature suite is only eight deep, but each serves a particular purpose.
Scavenger Regent and Marang River Regent are pretty much tailor-made for Control. Both provide evasive threats to close out the game later, while also serving as useful spells early on. Coil and Catch is actually a pretty solid draw spell for its cost, and Exude Toxin keeps the board clear of early Aggro advances. The fact that they shuffle themselves back in after being cast this way also allows for some very grindy lines against other Control decks.
The other creature in the deck is a full playset of Oildeep Gearhulk. Many thought this card would end up a staple of Dimir Midrange during Aetherdrift previews, but it’s just too expensive for the deck. In Control, however, it’s a different story. Four mana to deal with the biggest problem in your opponent’s hand, even if they draw a card to replace it, is fantastic. You can also use it on yourself as a rummage effect, if you really need to dig for an answer.
Outside of this plucky band, and the obligatory playset of Stock Up, this deck is pretty much all removal and counterspells. All the classics of the genre are here: Cut Down, Go for the Throat, Sheoldred’s Edict, Three Steps Ahead, etc. Overall, about 22 of the deck’s 60 slots are dedicated to this purpose. Since the deck doesn’t really play to the board much at all, this cheap interaction is absolutely necessary to stay in the game.
The Doomsday Device
NoamBrunel’s Dimir Control list, while similar in some ways, takes the concept in a very different direction in MTG Standard. Instead of relying on chunky Fliers to eventually win the game, they’ve opted for a splashy combo finish.
The key to this combo is Doomsday Excruciator. For six black mana, this card reduces both players’ decks to just six cards. Ordinarily this creates a tight clock, but paired with Jace, the Perfected Mind it can actually straight-up end the game. As long as you have a Jace with two loyalty, you can -X him to mill those last six cards, causing your opponent to lose on their next draw step.
NoamBrunel also runs the full playset of Oildeep Gearhulk, which is even more crucial here to dig for your combo pieces. This deck also goes deeper into card draw than Supercazzola’s did. You’ll find Stock Up here, of course, but also Deduce and Dreams of Laguna. The list also runs Intimidation Tactics to attack your opponent’s hand and protect your combo, though you can also Cycle it in a pinch.
From here, a similar removal/counterspell suite to Supercazzola’s rounds out the list. Both decks play very similarly, in that they’re trying to survive and stall the game until they can go for the win later.
A Hostile Environment
With both of these Dimir lists securing 5-0 results in the same League, a Control revival could well be taking place in MTG Standard. Azorius Control has been a somewhat consistent player since the bans, after all, so it’s not too surprising that Dimir could follow suit. That said, there are still some obstacles in the archetype’s way.
Right now, Control is in a bit of a weird spot overall. While the best decks in the meta are Midrange decks, they’re not vulnerable to hard Control the way such lists typically are. Dimir Midrange is rough at around a 40% winrate for Control, and Izzet Cauldron is even worse. With the Vivi/Agatha’s Soul Cauldron combo, the deck has the potential to explode early and finish Control off before it gets going. Thanks to this, and the continued presence of Izzet Prowess in the upper tiers, Control decks aren’t safe choices quite yet.
The main problem here is that current Midrange decks play a lot like Control decks. Where in the past these decks lacked ways to go ‘over the top’ and close things out, now their value threats are so powerful that they can often do so easily. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is a perfect example: a resilient, ever-scaling threat.
In order to properly overthrow Midrange, Control really needs to diversify its gameplan. NoamBrunel’s list above is a great example of this idea in action. By adding in a combo finish, the deck can potentially win in the mid game without needing to stall the opponent out. With today’s lists doing so well, I expect other players to experiment in similar areas soon.
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