UWR Control II

// Lands
4 Kabira Crossroads
4 Rupture Spire
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Terramorphic Expanse
2 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Island
2 Mountain
2 Plains

// Creatures
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Sphinx of Lost Truths

// Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Journey to Nowhere
2 Celestial Purge
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Ajani Vengeant
4 Day of Judgment
2 Martial Coup
3 Mind Spring

// Sideboard
SB: 2 Celestial Purge
SB: 4 Flashfreeze
SB: 3 Luminarch Ascension
SB: 3 Negate
SB: 2 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 Quest for Ancient Secrets

It's the exact same list as the one here: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=8719

I played it for a few games expecting to make some sweeping changes, but as far as I could tell, the deck worked as is. It may appear that there's too much card draw, but the amount is correct -- you want to spend your later turns digging into your deck for multiple Baneslayers, and also filter away excessive answers.

The lack of MD Essence Scatter and Flashfreeze appears correct. I didn't think so at first, but the rest of the deck is so sorcery speed that you really don't have time to play a perfect instant game. Sure, if you had a great Mana Leak-type counterspell you could play it, but you don't have time to match conditional instants when you have sorceries that answer pretty much everything.

Also, playing better draw later in the game actually works better than playing worse, cheaper draw early. The reasoning is because you want to be spending your turn playing Oblivion Ring and Day of Judgement, not playing Jaces and Divinations.

The rest of the reasoning in the article seems pretty sound. I'll be playing this deck and retooling it as I feel necessary.

Just gotta wait until Worldwake, I guess.

Jund

Between not currently having StarCityGames Premium, no one focusing on Standard because it's Extended season, Jund still being undoubtedly the deck to beat and placing too well, and a general wish to just wait until Worldwake, I give you the misery...

// Lands
4 Savage Lands
4 Rootbound Crag
3 Dragonskull Summit
2 Oran-rief, The Vastwood
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Swamp
2 Forest
2 Mountain

// Creatures
4 Putrid Leech
4 Sprouting Thrinax
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Master Of The Wild Hunt
3 Broodmate Dragon

// Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Terminate
4 Blightning
3 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Bituminous Blast

// Sideboard
4 Duress
2 Pyroclasm

4 Goblin Ruinblaster
4 Jund Charm
1 Thought Hemorrhage

This Jund placed 2nd place at SCG's 5k, losing to the RWU in the previous post.

UWR Control

// Lands
4 Sejiri Refuge
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Island
4 Plains
2 Mountain

// Creatures
4 Wall Of Denial
3 Sphinx Of Jwar Isle

// Spells
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Path To Exile
4 Spreading Seas
4 Flashfreeze
2 Double Negative
2 Jace Beleren
2 Divination
3 Ajani Vengeant
2 Earthquake
2 Mind Spring

// Sideboard
SB: 4 Baneslayer Angel
SB: 3 Luminarch Ascension
SB: 2 Essence Scatter
SB: 2 Negate
SB: 2 Mind Control
SB: 1 Oblivion Ring
SB: 1 Cancel

I'm a sucker for control. Especially control that can somehow magically win games. Like this UWR Control played by Louis Scott Vargas in the Starcitygames 5k to the tune of a first place Jund-crushing finish, and also to 5th place with an identical deck under Jeff Huang, complete with more Jund crushing.