Remand gets my vote. Sadly I think it would make UR Blitz easier to combo off though. Pyroclasm would hate out quite a few aggro strategies, and would cause a huge shift in the meta.
How often are you able to have Kird Ape and Wild Nacatl at their optimal power and toughness? I would think the limitations of the pauper format mana base would cause you not to have the land types needed at all times.
G/r Tron's nut hand is what can get you in trouble. If they are off their lands its not that hard of a matchup, but when turn 3 Karn hits the board their is very little any deck can do. Boomerang is absolutely essential in this matchup because it can give you the extra turn you need get Blood Moon or Sowing Salt online. Game 2 always assume they have a Torpor Orb or Nature's Claim. Turn 4 kill should be off the table unless you have boomeranged their green source the turn earlier.
I tried steam augury in a match last night against RG tron, and at the end of game 1 I had a weird idea. I boarded out my kiki-jikis and exarchs and replaced them with sowing salts and steam augury. In the second game augury was drawn somewhere between turn 4 or 5, but when my opponent had his torpor orbs and spellskites to stop my combo the ability to just amass card advantage against him was great. The more and more I play with the card the more I want to fit 2 in my sideboard and bring them in during a midrange match.
I'm worried about the long games against UWR Control when you give them a nigh-unblockable dude (or something to block Clique). I don't mind burning a Dispel to stop a turn-2 Shadow of Doubt on a land, but I wouldn't snap-counter a spell with this on the second turn. Casting two seems yucky, as does Snapcasting one. That said, it might be amazing in UR - it's definitely good in the mirror.
It might be that if we run Snapcaster Mage (which I don't), we should not run Swan Song. I know the value of snaps, but I do not see the point of running it at all unless you run 2 or 3. Sadly I don't have that much room in my deck. Giving them a 2/2 with the amount of removal we have does not seem like that much of a downside to the card. Giving them 4 or 5 birds can be fairly devastating.
Doesn't nail Torpor Orb or Linvala if we care about either of those. I don't know if it pushes Dispel out, but I'll definitely be testing it!
With it hitting more targets than dispel for the same cmc, I think this easily could replace it. With the amount of creature removal we have in the UWR version a 2/2 flyer should not be anything game changing for the opponent. In most games you can just even let them have the 2/2 and not even worry about having to remove the bird.
Thinking back to the steam augury spoiler it might after all need some testing but not as a combo enabler. The fact that of us getting to choose the piles is nice, but with the opponent choosing which pile we get means we will never get a pile with a combo piece in it unless you already have the gas to protect in hand. The only downside is that we do not have as much card advantage in the deck to take full advantage of augury in the deck. It really is a hard decision even after a day of testing 2 of in the main board.
Has anybody else proxy tested steam augury? It might be too narrow to play, but when it is helpful it wins you the game.
Teferi is the silver bullet for my sb that i wanted against control. Dropping splinter twin on their end step and then having a removal battle on your turn with full mana makes the stack laughably one-sided. Never came to my attention until it was written here so thank you guys very much.
I would rather play Gifts Ungiven than the theros card. The spoiler seems harder to cast and almost emulates casting gifts with a Aven Mindcensor on the board. Of course with any worth while spoiler I will sleeve up a proxy and try it out at the LGS tables later.
PS:
By saying that the spoiler is limited because it only effects the top few cards does not mean I think that Fact or Fiction is a bad card. I think that FoF has proven it's power over the years. All I am saying is that when you are fishing for combo pieces rather than options for a control deck that having full access to the deck is more helpful. Because of that I would be more willing to play it in UWR build than the URs.
Sudden Shockwas a card iplayed around with to stop targeted discard and eggs back when I was playing UR, and I didn't like taking out a stronger/cheaper burn spell for it.
Do you also have a ton of Thoughtseize/Inquisition of Kozilek or Burn in your meta because that is a lot of leyline of sanctity. do not get me wrong it is very helpful and I know that you have better odds of it being in your opening 7 but that takes a up a ton of real estate on the sb.
BTW I took out the Mizzium Skins out of my SB and upped the Dispel count to three. Only thing I am scared of is Abrupt Decay from Jund, thankfully though I already like my Jund matchup.
What sideboard would you build for some larger tournament with unknown meta?
Btw what is your matchup with UGR Scapeshift? I don't know if play this matchup wrong or what, but I win 4 of 10 games or so. I have to admit I tested it before adding 3 Dispels in SB.
I actually like your sideboard by looking at it, but i can't effectively tell you how its is without knowing the other 60. I would almost see about throwing in another threads for the goyf mathces but you do have path to help you with those as well.
which version of scapeshift are you having problems with? I could see the valakut burn version being harder than the titan version. I do not have too much experience with playing against it with the UWR list sadly, but in UR all-in you race them beacuse you can usually go off a turn earlier. I do not know if that wold be the same strategy with your list though.
I actually did not pull a cryptic in the few matches i logged. Thinking back though I can not think of a situation last night where I would have used them. I thinking of replacing those with Spell Pierce.
The logistical nightmare of running a whole tournament that attracts thousands of people in the span of 10-13 hours is too much. IF you add another tournament just like that the next day, you would have to cart comatose judges out of the event hall by the end of the 3rd day of 24 rules deliberation.
It might be that if we run Snapcaster Mage (which I don't), we should not run Swan Song. I know the value of snaps, but I do not see the point of running it at all unless you run 2 or 3. Sadly I don't have that much room in my deck. Giving them a 2/2 with the amount of removal we have does not seem like that much of a downside to the card. Giving them 4 or 5 birds can be fairly devastating.
With it hitting more targets than dispel for the same cmc, I think this easily could replace it. With the amount of creature removal we have in the UWR version a 2/2 flyer should not be anything game changing for the opponent. In most games you can just even let them have the 2/2 and not even worry about having to remove the bird.
Thinking back to the steam augury spoiler it might after all need some testing but not as a combo enabler. The fact that of us getting to choose the piles is nice, but with the opponent choosing which pile we get means we will never get a pile with a combo piece in it unless you already have the gas to protect in hand. The only downside is that we do not have as much card advantage in the deck to take full advantage of augury in the deck. It really is a hard decision even after a day of testing 2 of in the main board.
Has anybody else proxy tested steam augury? It might be too narrow to play, but when it is helpful it wins you the game.
I would rather play Gifts Ungiven than the theros card. The spoiler seems harder to cast and almost emulates casting gifts with a Aven Mindcensor on the board. Of course with any worth while spoiler I will sleeve up a proxy and try it out at the LGS tables later.
PS:
By saying that the spoiler is limited because it only effects the top few cards does not mean I think that Fact or Fiction is a bad card. I think that FoF has proven it's power over the years. All I am saying is that when you are fishing for combo pieces rather than options for a control deck that having full access to the deck is more helpful. Because of that I would be more willing to play it in UWR build than the URs.
Do you also have a ton of Thoughtseize/Inquisition of Kozilek or Burn in your meta because that is a lot of leyline of sanctity. do not get me wrong it is very helpful and I know that you have better odds of it being in your opening 7 but that takes a up a ton of real estate on the sb.
BTW I took out the Mizzium Skins out of my SB and upped the Dispel count to three. Only thing I am scared of is Abrupt Decay from Jund, thankfully though I already like my Jund matchup.
I actually like your sideboard by looking at it, but i can't effectively tell you how its is without knowing the other 60. I would almost see about throwing in another threads for the goyf mathces but you do have path to help you with those as well.
which version of scapeshift are you having problems with? I could see the valakut burn version being harder than the titan version. I do not have too much experience with playing against it with the UWR list sadly, but in UR all-in you race them beacuse you can usually go off a turn earlier. I do not know if that wold be the same strategy with your list though.