I'd like for some of these to be reprinted to enter Modern format, as currently it's a bit too much about turning creatures sideways for my taste. Probably not going to happen, as that's what Wizards seems to want.
-Mishra's Factory
-Hymn to Tourach
-Swords to Plowshares
-Counterspell
-Diabolic Edict
-Nevinyrral's disk
-Island sanctuary
-Force Spike
4 Fact or Fiction is already quite a lot of draw, so I don't think you are going to need sorcery speed draw in addition to them. Also, Ponder and Preordain don't provide card advantage, if you really want more draw, something like think twice would probably be better. Otherwise, having a full set of Rewinds and maybe two force spikes in addition spell pierces could be good. Also, spellstutter sprites aren't that good unless you have more faeries. Maybe replace them with Mishra's Factories or Faerie Conclaves for more mana and blockers?
Btw, should Mindbreak Trap, Spell Snare and Spell Pierce be listed in primer? They seem to be pretty good, and apart from Spell Snare are quite affordable, too.
I guess you have good ideas, but why Brainstorm instead of or the various sorcery draw spells over Impulse/Think Twice? Brainstorm provides no CA, which a control deck needs, and sorceries hinder your ability to do stuff on your opponent's turn. Opportunity is a late-game spell, but it's there in case you have to hide behind the Island sanctuary. Maybe it's not a good idea after all..
Trinket mages are nice and all, but do interfere with Balance. Two enlightened tutors and two mystical tutors would probably be better (you could fetch balance or wrath or elixir), but they are also a bit expensive. I guess I have to consider..
Anyways, adding some Sky Diamonds and Marble Diamonds (and a sol ring, although it's a bit expensive) could probably be a nice idea.
Okay, here's a revised version. I kept the sphinxes, as Voice of All is only 2 cheaper, and it's only 2/2. Not sure if 2 sphinxes is too few, though. Added tutors and sol ring and some diamonds, and now it's vintage legal. Could add more diamonds, but now it has 19 lands, and you need them to get started. Also, kept most of the disenchants as a lot of the decks I play against have artifacts and enchantments. Again, not sure about opportunity, probably need to do some testing with it to find it out.
First off, this isn't a legal deck list. Balance is a restricted card (1 per deck) in all formats and banned in all but classic and vintage.
Secondly, you never main deck disenchant. You can side board it, but never main deck as its a dead card against about half the decks out there.
You could run oblivion ring instead if you want an enchant/artifact removal. This also can hit planeswalkers and creatures though.
The next thing is that your win condition...it just isn't very strong. I think you'd be better off running Luminarch Ascension and bringing in tokens than relying on shroud and one not that big over-costed creature.
diabolic edict effects will still rid the sphinx or just a creature with deathtouch like Vampire nighthawk...even just something bigger and on the ground (insert random green beatstick) would win.
Secondly, this deck is painfully slow...consider some mana acceleration. Land Tax is awesome and will work well with the cards below (loads up your hand).
This would be a much ferocious creature than your sphinx and you would have it sooner.
Your games would (ideally) look like this:
turn 1 you drop a white weeny. turn 2 u play empyrial plate or a removal or land tax. turn 3 you beef up your weeny with empyrial stuff. turn 4 you play balance or cataclysm and have a huge board advantage. Turn 5 you pretty much win.
This is casual, and in the meta there are some other decks with 2 Balances.
I'm still not so sure about replacing the sphinx. The enchantment can be removed, as can tokens (which can be destroyed with echoing roil or other bounces, for example), and the deck has counterspells and removal in case of something like a diabolical edict or creatures with deathtouch.
Land tax would be good, but it's a bit expensive card.. same for wrath of god.
Thoughts? Idea is to slow opponent down until you can beat him up with the sphinxes. Balance is there as a board sweeper, ideally you would tap your lands for mana, then sacrifice them to Zuran orb, play Balance and then play a Sphinx. If things start to look too bad, you can hide behind Island sanctuary.
Also, I dunno if 4 boomerangs and 2 capsizes are too many bounces. I should probably replace 2 of them with echoing truths, and maybe another 2 with into the roil. Or maybe use 2 propagandas or something else.
Also, the bad part about force spike is that it's usually a dead card in mid-late game. Maybe 2 of them could be useful in case somebody tappes out, but then you probably won't get it early.
I'm still waiting for the sphinxes which I ordered, so haven't done any testing, but is there any reason to not use Arcane Laboratory? It sounds like it would be insanely powerful in a MUC, at least as long as your opponent doesn't have disenchant spells or counters.
Btw, how about using howling mine to draw more cards? IIRC it doesn't give extra cards if it's tapped. Sure, it's a nombo with nev's disk (like creatures), and you have to cast it during your main phase, but it generates a permanent flow of cards.
EDIT: Never mind, you need something else to tap it with.
All right, I think I'll go with this. I'm not sure if I should replace force spike or rewind with dismiss. Force spike is nice early on, but not very useful later. Rewind is a "free" counterspell, which is nice, but it's kinda expensive if something happens.
Thanks for suggestions, but why 3 sphinxes and not 4? Arcane denial does have the problem with draw, but it's a hard counter.. most of the others can be dealt with by having mana, or are expensive. I dunno which would be a bigger problem.
Gush does have its problems until you aren't drawing lands, maybe impulse would be a better pick? Or accumulated knownledge? Though Gush could be useful for drawing cards without spending mana, especially if you don't have lands in hand..
Yes, blightning would definitely belong there, maybe I'll have to get more of them. On the other hand, I already have a lot of discard, maybe I could then drop some of it.
Terminate is otherwise good but it won't get indestructible creatures and creatures that have either protection from black or red while edict gets everything.
Thoughts? The point is to discard cards from opponent's hand to slow him down until the racks and red spells kill him. Rats and spectres are there for discard and blocking, and to occasionally do some small damage. Currently the red part seems to be not that useful, especially fireball is a bit so-so. Blightning would be a good card, but I don't have any of them free.
-Mishra's Factory
-Hymn to Tourach
-Swords to Plowshares
-Counterspell
-Diabolic Edict
-Nevinyrral's disk
-Island sanctuary
-Force Spike
Trinket mages are nice and all, but do interfere with Balance. Two enlightened tutors and two mystical tutors would probably be better (you could fetch balance or wrath or elixir), but they are also a bit expensive. I guess I have to consider..
Anyways, adding some Sky Diamonds and Marble Diamonds (and a sol ring, although it's a bit expensive) could probably be a nice idea.
Okay, here's a revised version. I kept the sphinxes, as Voice of All is only 2 cheaper, and it's only 2/2. Not sure if 2 sphinxes is too few, though. Added tutors and sol ring and some diamonds, and now it's vintage legal. Could add more diamonds, but now it has 19 lands, and you need them to get started. Also, kept most of the disenchants as a lot of the decks I play against have artifacts and enchantments. Again, not sure about opportunity, probably need to do some testing with it to find it out.
4x swords to plowshares
3x disenchant
4x counterspell
4x rewind
2x capsize
1x balance
2x wrath of god
2x island sanctuary
1x zuran orb
1x elixir of immortality
1x mystical tutor
2x enlightened tutor
4x think twice
2x opportunity
creatures:
2x sphinx of jwar isle
mana:
1x sol ring
1x everflowing chalice
2x sky diamond
2x marble diamond
4x celestial colonnade
7x plains
8x island
This is casual, and in the meta there are some other decks with 2 Balances.
I'm still not so sure about replacing the sphinx. The enchantment can be removed, as can tokens (which can be destroyed with echoing roil or other bounces, for example), and the deck has counterspells and removal in case of something like a diabolical edict or creatures with deathtouch.
Land tax would be good, but it's a bit expensive card.. same for wrath of god.
4x swords to plowshares
4x disenchant
4x counterspell
4x rewind
2x capsize
2x balance
3x island sanctuary
2x zuran orb
3x sphinx of jwar isle
1x elixir of immortality
3x impulse
3x think twice
2x opportunity
lands:
4x various white-blue tap lands
8x plains
11x island
Thoughts? Idea is to slow opponent down until you can beat him up with the sphinxes. Balance is there as a board sweeper, ideally you would tap your lands for mana, then sacrifice them to Zuran orb, play Balance and then play a Sphinx. If things start to look too bad, you can hide behind Island sanctuary.
Also, the bad part about force spike is that it's usually a dead card in mid-late game. Maybe 2 of them could be useful in case somebody tappes out, but then you probably won't get it early.
I'm still waiting for the sphinxes which I ordered, so haven't done any testing, but is there any reason to not use Arcane Laboratory? It sounds like it would be insanely powerful in a MUC, at least as long as your opponent doesn't have disenchant spells or counters.
EDIT: Never mind, you need something else to tap it with.
4x negate
4x rewind
4x rune snag
4x force spike / dismiss
3x sphinx
4x impulse / accumulated knownledge
4x boomerang
2x capsize
1x nevinyrral's disk
1x tormod's crypt
21x island
4x Mishra's factory
Gush does have its problems until you aren't drawing lands, maybe impulse would be a better pick? Or accumulated knownledge? Though Gush could be useful for drawing cards without spending mana, especially if you don't have lands in hand..
4x arcane denial
4x rewind
4x rune snag
4x force spike
4x morphling
4x gush
4x boomerang
2x capsize
Lands:
22x island
Terminate is otherwise good but it won't get indestructible creatures and creatures that have either protection from black or red while edict gets everything.
4x hymn to tourach
4x hypnotic spectre
4x ravenous rats
4x diabolic edict
2x mind twist
2x duress
2x crypt rats
4x lightning bolt
4x fireball
4x the rack
4x sulfurous springs
4x various red/black tap lands
14x swamp
Thoughts? The point is to discard cards from opponent's hand to slow him down until the racks and red spells kill him. Rats and spectres are there for discard and blocking, and to occasionally do some small damage. Currently the red part seems to be not that useful, especially fireball is a bit so-so. Blightning would be a good card, but I don't have any of them free.