I for once can actually offer some constructive advice for this, well maybe. I think if you want to play true MUC (emphasis on control), you need to change quite a bit. As of right now, you're just playing a subpar delver deck. There is no benefit to playing mono blue delver when mono blue Fae, or URx delver are flat out superior with very few drawbacks over what you're trying to attempt here. They're both probably better at being both control as well as tempo than a mono blue delver deck would be.
1. Replace the vapor snags with repeals. This isn't a tempo deck, and the card advantage loss is going to be pretty annoying later on, especially when your opponent's creatures are cheap and easy to play. Replace vapor snag with repeal. It bounces the majority of the creatures in the format for a relatively low cmc. The important part is that it cantrips and can hit non-creature permanents as well. Vapor snag may be decent when you have a 4-5 turn clock with an active delver in play, and when they haven't removed delver, but that's simply not going to be the case the majority of the time.
It's also very strong against any tokens, as it turns into a cantripping terminate for 1 mana. Bonus? You can use it to save any permanents from removal (abrupt decay), and you can use it with snapcaster mage late-game to draw cards (play snap targeting repeal, target itself to draw an extra card).
2. Keep the dispels to the sideboard. They're just too high variance in here. They literally will do nothing against BG rock, only hit 3 cards in pod, are useless against RG tron, and are really only valuable for countering revelations and winning counter-wars. I don't think they're bad, and it's a good idea, but once again - high variance is not what you want unless you're playing in a very tight meta with tons of UWR control type decks.
3. Get rid of the delvers. If you want to be a tempo deck, go all-in on it, and add red to make your deck better (with very little investment outside adding scalding tarns). Change the delvers out for actual card advantage, preferably at instant speed. Blue sun's zenith is probably your best choice in a deck like this. If you play delver, this just makes their removal way more valuable without providing enough of a payout to be worthwhile.
4. Play some spellskites. There is a lot of abrupt decay going around, which really hoses shackles. Spellskite is helpful against burn, hoses quite a few combo decks, and is a decent blocker to boot. On top of that, it protects your shackles from removal, which is needless to say, very relevant.
5. Add some draw spells. Drawing cards is good in a control deck that plays the long-game. Jace AoT isn't going to be great for this since he really doesn't draw that many cards, and his +1 isn't all that relevant in the format. If you go with the spellskite route with shackles, you can add the bonus of having access to the best draw spell in the format - Thirst for Knowledge, which becomes really strong with 10+ maindeck artifacts.
Sample / Idea decklist
I made this a while back and it's a really fun deck to play. It's actually surprisingly effective, and Extraplanar Lens gives a mono-blue tron-like level of inevitability. The best part? You play 100% creatureless control, and your best win condition is decking your opponent with Blue Sun's zenith after amassing 2-3 Extraplanar lenses with tons of snow-covered islands.
The weakness is of course that you're reliant on lens, but you at least have spellskite to protect you there.
Most of these are pod creatures, and regardless of whether they die, they all gain value in the face of removal. For Lark, it brings back 2 voice of resurgences or something similar if they bolt it.
In other words, not really a good comparison to a 2/3 that doesn't combo, and doesn't gain any value upon entering the battlefield.
Never said the prophet was playable, just noting that there are 5 drops that are played that die to bolt
Mostly interested in Steam Augury and determining the correct amount in a control deck
Right now your list looks a mash-up of tempo and midrange, if you want to go the control route you need to cut around 12 cards (the delvers, leaks over remand, dispel), that said Augur Of Bolas may be a consideration and with all the bounce Pongify as well
Deprive is fine, but you generally need something to offset the tempo loss
Also dismember? For the board if you want to go deep there is mindlock orb
I have been testing Chapin's list on MTGO since Sunday, it is quite good, I thought 3 Cruels and Mulldrifter were bad and can say I was quite wrong
Some notes:
Mulldrifter is a much better lategame topdeck than Think Twice
You always want to draw cruel when you hit the cryptic mana mark
Relic has been consistently overperforming I even turn 5 a cruel ultimatum one game (check my stream archives for the game)
Jund is about 50/50 it comes down to your removal vs their discard in your opener and unlike Revelation a resolved Cruel almost always wins you the game
Early I found Burn to be unwinnable game 1 (like 85/15 MU) I am testing a misers Vampire Nighthawk, today it over performed as it was really good vs Jund UWR Geist. I cut a Blood Crypt for it
Also testing misers shriekmaw over the third snare
Rakdos's Return or Blightning may have a place in the deck, currently unknown though
I've tested a few things at this point, but I am still adding more rounds of the tests to try and build an effective case one way or the other. What sort of combos are you personally suggesting? Are you thinking some Laboratory Maniac-style combo? Something with Emrakul ala the illegal 4-Horsemen deck of Legacy? A manaless build with Balustrade Spy or the like? I only ask for clarification because this has been an issue, in the past, where I ran tests on my interpretation of a deck and not the interpretation of others. And in the case of DR, there are a few ways that such a deck could go.
All of the above actually 4 Horsemen variant I would start with since it seems the simplest (Puresight Merrow +Paradise Mantle with Mesmeric Orb out to deck yourself, likely other combinations work as well)
After that I would dig into a Manaless Belcher style deck trying to win turn 1 by DR for Angel for Azami + Lab man
Sample hand that wins turn 1 w/o lands:
Simian Spirit Guide
Simian Spirit Guide
Either pyretic or desperate ritual
Another ritual or spirit guide
Wild Cantor or manamorphose
Balustrade Spy or Undercity Informer
Other hands can include infernal plunges, Pact of the Titan and Summoner's Pact
I was going to weigh in on this DR argument, but I wanted to ask a clarifying question first. Does anyone think that DR would be broken withoutBridge From Below? Or is it just the synergy between those two cards that is threatening?
As for the theoretical testing of DR in a list, I am trying out a number of decks that attempt to abuse the card. This includes both a Crab/Rusalka deck and a more spell-based Glimpse/Ideas/Scour deck. The former is proving much faster because of the relative power of an unanswered turn 1 Crab, but the latter is obviously more resilient to removal. In both cases, I am using Flayer as per the popular consensus, although my suspicion is that it becomes much worse without Putrid Imp and Cabal Therapy, but that's something to confirm or refute with testing.
Have you tested a breakfast style combo deck yet? One intent on using DR to win without the combat step? That is what I fear with a DR unban theoretically you can build a breakfast deck that can win on turn 1
@ktkenshinx I am going to test a misers copy of Ashiok in Esper after carefully evaluating the card with discussion from others I think if you ignore the ultimate the card is fairly decent in a control shell, most decks in the format have creatures and the exile is relevant. The main thing to remember is the CA this card provides is entirely dependent on the opponents deck, since I rum very few threats anyway taling their threats is great and in a control MU the mill is extremely relevant
I'd like to play Legacy, and actually, minus duals which several people say you don't really /need/ to play it, finishing my Legacy deck would be cheaper for me than finishing my Modern deck.
Still love Modern though. I just don't see any reason why I should have to choose between the formats.
QFT, commenting that you can enjoy both formats for various reasons (I do)
Every format has different police cards, Modern is no exception the meta can self-regulate if allowed to do so (and to an extent it has)
We are likely going to see quite a bit of enchantment hate from this block (both because of limited and constructed) maybe even spread across a variety of colors
With that in mind I can see Bitterblossom coming off the list
To this list I feel Jace Beleren should be added, Tezzeret appears okay after board, but decently lackluster preboard
I would also add a storage land or 2, but that is more personal preference also Miren + Shackles is sweet
As for ending the game you have manlands in blue as well
I feel with the thirst route you want trinket mage, darksteel citadel, and aether spellbomb to capitalize on CA
Never said the prophet was playable, just noting that there are 5 drops that are played that die to bolt
Mostly interested in Steam Augury and determining the correct amount in a control deck
Actually a good amount of 5 drops in Modern (creature wise) die to bolt that see play
Lark, Shriekmaw, Kiki, Conscripts off the top of my head
Deprive is fine, but you generally need something to offset the tempo loss
Also dismember? For the board if you want to go deep there is mindlock orb
Some notes:
Mulldrifter is a much better lategame topdeck than Think Twice
You always want to draw cruel when you hit the cryptic mana mark
Relic has been consistently overperforming I even turn 5 a cruel ultimatum one game (check my stream archives for the game)
Jund is about 50/50 it comes down to your removal vs their discard in your opener and unlike Revelation a resolved Cruel almost always wins you the game
Early I found Burn to be unwinnable game 1 (like 85/15 MU) I am testing a misers Vampire Nighthawk, today it over performed as it was really good vs Jund UWR Geist. I cut a Blood Crypt for it
Also testing misers shriekmaw over the third snare
Rakdos's Return or Blightning may have a place in the deck, currently unknown though
All of the above actually 4 Horsemen variant I would start with since it seems the simplest (Puresight Merrow +Paradise Mantle with Mesmeric Orb out to deck yourself, likely other combinations work as well)
After that I would dig into a Manaless Belcher style deck trying to win turn 1 by DR for Angel for Azami + Lab man
Sample hand that wins turn 1 w/o lands:
Simian Spirit Guide
Simian Spirit Guide
Either pyretic or desperate ritual
Another ritual or spirit guide
Wild Cantor or manamorphose
Balustrade Spy or Undercity Informer
Other hands can include infernal plunges, Pact of the Titan and Summoner's Pact
Have you tested a breakfast style combo deck yet? One intent on using DR to win without the combat step? That is what I fear with a DR unban theoretically you can build a breakfast deck that can win on turn 1
QFT, commenting that you can enjoy both formats for various reasons (I do)
Every format has different police cards, Modern is no exception the meta can self-regulate if allowed to do so (and to an extent it has)
We are likely going to see quite a bit of enchantment hate from this block (both because of limited and constructed) maybe even spread across a variety of colors
With that in mind I can see Bitterblossom coming off the list
Clique, Snapcaster mainly you can likely add in others like Coiling Oracle or Venser, Jace 1.0 as well
Scry and the evasion aspect, 5/6 unblockable goyfs are nice
It would require some brewing and testing of course