I have a few cards that I'm looking at from the new set that I want to get some opinions on.
Narset, Parter of Veils - This one might be iffy, or better off as a sideboard option for control matches, but I think getting two pseudo-Impulse chances, plus a somewhat relevant static ability might warrant a try. Our decks have a lot of non creature hits, and it kind of fills the Jace Beleren slot that older versions of the deck had.
Narset's Reversal - Another odd idea, this gives us a bit of extra counterspell insurance, and can even help stop spell based combo decks.
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God - I'm not super high on this guy, but seeing some of the work he's doing in Standard testing, may still be worth a consideration. I currently think the format is faster than I'd like, especially for a five drop with such tricky mana, but there might be a spot for him. I don't want to have to drop the Ral, Izzet Viceroy in my version of the deck though, as I actually think Ral might be a tad better on the whole.
Tyrant's Scorn - I originally mis-read this as "Choose one or both" and got super excited. As it is, it's probably not good enough, but maybe it can work into a flex slot?
Blast Zone - There has been many times I wished I maindecked Engineered Explosives, and this let's me do so without taking a slot. It is colorless though, and while I don't personally, many of us Cruel players have Field of Ruin in the main deck. It might hinder the mana, but it might be worth a shot?
These next ones are possibly sideboard considerations:
Ashiok, Dream Render - Sideboard option for Dredge or Phoenix? The static ability might even do a bit to slow down some other decks enough that we can gain the upper hand.
Dovin, Hand of Control - Another possible consideration for spell based combo, acts like our own Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, plus it Fogs something for the turn as well, though that might not come up much in the spell matches.
Has anyone also thought of Angrath's Rampage? I know Liliana's Triumph has been talked about, but I think I'd actually like a split of the two, if only for the Planeswalker part of Rampage
I'm not sold on the new Bolas, but I am high on the edict effect. I'd actually rather play a second Ral over Bolas, as the mana cost is actually pretty rough more often than not I think. Getting two planeswalkers out is just win more, I don't think I've ever lost a game when I had both Jace and Ral out, and I don't think it does enough by itself. Sure, you get to draw a card, and your opponent exiles one, but I'm sure there are enough dead cards in some matchups that they can toss one, or get rid of a land (I'd be a lot higher if the plus said "non land permanent". I think I'll give it a shot any ways, but I don't expect to be impressed.
Any ideas as to how many Triumph we want to play, and what to cut? Do we want to also play Liliana's in the maindeck to luck into the discard, or is that not worth working for?
I haven't played against Bant Spirits much lately, but I was probably 50% in the past. The trick I found was to just kill anything on sight and blow up Aether Vials whenever I could. If you can keep the board clear (or at least clear of relevant lords/ Maelstrom Wanderer), you can pull ahead. Sideboarded, things get easier, as you can take out the counterspells for removal and board wipes (though I try and fit two Dispel in to stop Collected Company). The one thing that I always found, is if your draw doesn't line up, you have a hard time.
Ral has been great, he's basically Grixis Teferi. I got to win a game against Amulet where I got to use Ral to shoot a Primeval Titan when I didn't have a Terminate, and it felt so good. I haven't gotten to test Bedevil much yet, but I don't expect it to be worse than Hero's Downfall, which was already good enough for a slot.
This is my current Cruel list. I've been including an after action tournament report on the deck page on my profile, so feel free to take a look. It's performed fairly well, though that's more that what can be said about my play performance. I welcome any comments or suggestions
Anyways, it's good to see some new testing being done. Niv-Mizzet, Parun is an absurdly strong card in the current Standard format and I've often thought about porting him over to Cruel Control. He does a great job of clearing the board of fliers and is bad news bears for any Control variants that exist.
I've found Niv-Mizzet to be good, yet not terribly amazing, mostly due to the hard casting cost. I've had many games where it's been stuck in my hand, even with 7 lands or more on board, simply because I couldn't have triple red with the lands I drew. In some matchups, you take too much damage from your lands, and in others, the opponent can let you draw one card when they Path to Exile him. I've also found it's hard to leave up counterspells when you cast him, as he eats up much of your blue mana. I've moved him to the sideboard after playing a few gauntlets of assorted decks and I think that is where he will stay. I'd much rather bring him in when I expect him to be good, than have him taking up a card in my main deck, especially in fast matches. Versus control, he's been pretty good, but that's also a matchup where bringing him out of the sideboard would be better, as they'd be lower on actual removal spells.
Creatures.Snapcaster is pretty self explanatory in this deck. Recurring Kolaghan's Command, Cryptic Command, or even the (surprisingly achievable) Cruel Ultimatum is a good late game plan, and sometimes you can just slide into the Bolt-Snap-Bolt position to close games fast. Don't be afraid to trade a Snapcaster Mage off to protect your life total, as you do want some value if you draw Kolaghan's Command. Next up is Niv-Mizzet, Parun. This is just a fun-of I wanted to test, so it's probably not correct. I've cast it 3 times, and won, lost, and drew those three games. It does put a small strain on the mana, where you need to focus on getting triple R quickly, which also can lead to issues casting certain combinations of spells. I'm going to continue playing him for a few more weeks of testing, but it may be correct to swap in a Vendilion Clique (or maybe go back to the other fun-of, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager).
Enchantments and Planeswalkers. I'm going to cover these three all at once, as they basically fill the same role in the deck: Card Advantage. Ral is even sometimes a decent removal spell. There isn't much to go over about the planeswalkers or Search that haven't already been said in articles about other decks, but in this deck, you can pretty much slam on down if you can protect it. With Jace, brainstorming is usually the way to go (though 'fateseal' first if against a Bolt deck), as you can usually win the game without his ultimate. You have enough fetchlands to shuffle away cards you don't need, and finding the spells to protect Jace and yourself is more important than trying to ult. Ral, Izzet Viceroy, on the other hand, is definitely worth trying to ultimate. Not only does it go ultimate in about half the time as Jace, but he also nets a card each time. His ultimate may not win the game as quickly as Jace, but it's a pretty negligible difference, the opponent is dead anyway. Search for Azcanta is pretty much an auto include in any blue based control deck, and I originally started with two, but I always found the second one never did anything, and I wasn't relying on the first one as much as I thought. It's good to have in the opening hand or in the first couple of turns. It's less good late, paradoxically, as you want to leave mana open for other spells, though if you can sneak it in the curve, it's basically confirmed to flip the next turn. In control mirrors especially, Search can just snowball in your favor.
Spells. The spells category is pretty self explanatory, though some of the numbers may seem a little weird. Lets break them down into the groups:
Card Draw- Opt is basically the only dedicated card draw spell on the deck. It slots into the curve pretty nice, helps filter excess lands/spells you don't need, nice and cheap to pair with Snapcaster Mage. I've tweaked the numbers a few times, first having two, then four, and now I've settled on three. I have considered cutting one for a Think Twice, to have a more pure card advantage spell, but I haven't decided yet.
Removal- No deck is good in modern without at least some removal. I've eschewed the typical suite of board wipes in favor of some spot removal. Bolt, Fatal Push, and Terminate do a good job keeping things under control, while Dreadbore and Hero's Downfall are your anti planeswalker spells. Kolaghan's Command, while not solely removal, does a very good job in many match ups. Electrolyze is probably the weakest, and I have considered cutting it, but it mostly earns it's keep. The games you get to kill two x/1s are the games you wish you had more Electrolyze. I chose 3 Lightning Bolt over 4, as the extra one is never really a game changer, and something needed to be cut for other spells. 2 Fatal Push is pretty standard nowadays, but I could drop to 1 if the meta shifted away from creatures. It has come in handy against Izzet Phoenix, as Thing tn the Ice dies to it. Terminate rounds out the typical removal slots. I used to have 3, but cut one to make room for the Dreadbore, which does mostly the same job.
Counterspells- I don't know if this deck has too few counters, or two many. It's one of those questions that everyone has different answers to. I originally had 2 Mana Leak, 2 Logic Knot, and 2 Spell Snare. I found that the only matches that counterspells really mattered in, Mana Leak and Logic Knot under performed. The opponent could easily pay for the Mana Leaks, or I didn't fill my graveyard enough to delve a lot with Knot. I decided to swap them to hard counters. Negate does a great job, and there are very few matches where it is stone dead. Counterflux is a new addition, and is pretty solid (and the overload text isn't always ignored). Cryptic Command is wonderful, and while I used to have the full set, I think 3 is the perfect number, as the curve does start to get clunky with multiple 4+ cost spells. Usually, it's a counter/draw sort of spell, but often you'll use it to tap creatures to buy a turn, and I've also used it to bounce problem stuff. It's an all around great card, and I can't see this deck without it.
Lands. Arguably the most important cards in this deck. The lands are the hardest thing to get right, as the color requirements are difficult to manage. The fetchlands are key, make sure to fetch blue lands first do you can cast Cryptic Command on time, Blood Crypt is usually the last shock you'll need/want to fetch. If you can avoid it, don't fetch-shock. If you really need to cast a spell end of turn, get a basic land, especially if under pressure. You're better off fetching the shock lands into play tapped, as I've found the life total really starts to matter. I've thought myself safe to shock for less important spells, and found myself nearly being burned out, even against control. Creeping Tar Pit is great for getting chip damage in, but I've found myself not attacking when I can, in favor of holding up counters or removal. Sulfur Falls and Drowned Catacomb are better than expected, usually coming into play untapped. I was originally playing a 1-1 split, but I added an extra Sulfur Falls to add an extra R source for Niv-Mizzet. I had considered Dragonskull Summit but the blue source is more important than another black.
Now, lets go into the sideboard guide for a minute.
Burn:
Surprisingly, I've won games with Cruel Ultimatum in this match. Collective Brutality and Kalitas are key here, and Dispel is handy to have. Take out some of the more expensive spells, don't be too adverse to using Snapcaster as Ambush Viper, and try to keep the opponent from stockpiling a grip of spells to overwhelm you with. I always take out at least one of the Ultimatums. Leaving one in is acceptable, just be cognizant of Skullcrack or having it jam up your hand.
Ironworks:
Pretty much the same sideboard plan as Tron (so I won't repeat myself), except you probably won't just get wrecked super quick. You can stunt the early development with a few well placed counterspells (I usually focus on the Wellsprings and mana and card draw artifacts). As with Tron, you will need to get aggressive. Kolagahn's Command is wonderful here.
I was reading Patrick Chapin's article on Modern Jeskai today on SCG, and he brought up playing Niv-Mizzet, Parun in the sideboard of that deck, and I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on sideboarding it in Cruel Control. I'm not sure what matches it'd be good in though. I'm thinking control mirrors, but Teferi and Jace kinda laugh at it (though those aren't solid answers, and even Pathing it isn't great). There aren't many attrition decks like Jund floating around right now, and i think that's where Niv would shine, as he'd be a great haymaker top deck. What are your opinions?
Are we also still reliant on a board sweeper such as damnation or not so much anymore? I'm sure it's still good to have around but do we actually need it?
I've found that we really do need at least one Damnation in the sideboard (i play a 3 sweeper mix of Anger, Explosives, and Damnation). It's a great reset button against the creature decks that can overwhelm the spot removal. I can't count the number of games I've come back from with a timely Damnation. It's especially great against Humans and Spirits, as their creatures can get out of range of Anger. It's even decent against Dredge, but i'd always prefer to have a Nihil Spellbomb or Tormod's Crypt in play at the same time. I've even used it to beat Slivers, since it shuts down Sedge Sliver.
So is torrential gearhulk not viable in our deck(s) anymore?
Edit: Also what about Hieroglyphic Illumination? maybe as a 2 of, if not we run the full set for the cycling makes it ideal it seems for us. 1 mana for a draw spell that fits into our kit.
I've found Gearhulk isn't as great as it seems. You don't really need it to win games, and even though it flashes back the spell for free, the 6 mana up front is risky. It leaves you with no mana to fight a counter battle with, whereas Snapcaster Mage is cheap enough for you to cast multiple spells if you need. There's been many times where the 2 mana on Snappy has helped win against control decks.
Hieroglyphic illumination might be worth a try, but I'd start with one first and see how it goes. I know some of the UW decks play it, but I haven't heard if it's pulling it's weight.
Figured I'd post in here, since I can't find a support thread for the deck builder, but Jace, the Mind Sculptor is not showing up as Modern Legal (Bloodbraid Elf shows up though)
Narset, Parter of Veils - This one might be iffy, or better off as a sideboard option for control matches, but I think getting two pseudo-Impulse chances, plus a somewhat relevant static ability might warrant a try. Our decks have a lot of non creature hits, and it kind of fills the Jace Beleren slot that older versions of the deck had.
Narset's Reversal - Another odd idea, this gives us a bit of extra counterspell insurance, and can even help stop spell based combo decks.
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God - I'm not super high on this guy, but seeing some of the work he's doing in Standard testing, may still be worth a consideration. I currently think the format is faster than I'd like, especially for a five drop with such tricky mana, but there might be a spot for him. I don't want to have to drop the Ral, Izzet Viceroy in my version of the deck though, as I actually think Ral might be a tad better on the whole.
Tyrant's Scorn - I originally mis-read this as "Choose one or both" and got super excited. As it is, it's probably not good enough, but maybe it can work into a flex slot?
Blast Zone - There has been many times I wished I maindecked Engineered Explosives, and this let's me do so without taking a slot. It is colorless though, and while I don't personally, many of us Cruel players have Field of Ruin in the main deck. It might hinder the mana, but it might be worth a shot?
These next ones are possibly sideboard considerations:
Ashiok, Dream Render - Sideboard option for Dredge or Phoenix? The static ability might even do a bit to slow down some other decks enough that we can gain the upper hand.
Dovin, Hand of Control - Another possible consideration for spell based combo, acts like our own Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, plus it Fogs something for the turn as well, though that might not come up much in the spell matches.
As for lifegain things, I’ve tested Essence Extraction a couple of times and it seemed alright. This was before Moment of Craving came out
Any ideas as to how many Triumph we want to play, and what to cut? Do we want to also play Liliana's in the maindeck to luck into the discard, or is that not worth working for?
Ral has been great, he's basically Grixis Teferi. I got to win a game against Amulet where I got to use Ral to shoot a Primeval Titan when I didn't have a Terminate, and it felt so good. I haven't gotten to test Bedevil much yet, but I don't expect it to be worse than Hero's Downfall, which was already good enough for a slot.
4 Snapcaster Mage
Enchantments
1 Search for Azcanta
Land
3 Island
1 Mountain
3 Swamp
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
2 Steam Vents
1 Blood Crypt
2 Watery Grave
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Drowned Catacomb
2 Sulfur Falls
1 Shadow of Doubt
1 Counterflux
1 Logic Knot
2 Spell Snare
2 Kolaghan's Command
1 Negate
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Electrolyze
1 Mana Leak
2 Fatal Push
3 Cryptic Command
2 Terminate
3 Opt
1 Bedevil
2 Cruel Ultimatum
1 Dreadbore
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Countersquall
1 Dispel
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Collective Brutality
1 Damnation
I've found Niv-Mizzet to be good, yet not terribly amazing, mostly due to the hard casting cost. I've had many games where it's been stuck in my hand, even with 7 lands or more on board, simply because I couldn't have triple red with the lands I drew. In some matchups, you take too much damage from your lands, and in others, the opponent can let you draw one card when they Path to Exile him. I've also found it's hard to leave up counterspells when you cast him, as he eats up much of your blue mana. I've moved him to the sideboard after playing a few gauntlets of assorted decks and I think that is where he will stay. I'd much rather bring him in when I expect him to be good, than have him taking up a card in my main deck, especially in fast matches. Versus control, he's been pretty good, but that's also a matchup where bringing him out of the sideboard would be better, as they'd be lower on actual removal spells.
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
Enchantments (1)
1 Search for Azcanta
Planeswalkers (2)
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
Spells (26)
1 Counterflux
1 Logic Knot
2 Spell Snare
1 Hero's Downfall
2 Kolaghan's Command
1 Negate
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Electrolyze
1 Mana Leak
2 Fatal Push
3 Cryptic Command
2 Terminate
3 Opt
2 Cruel Ultimatum
1 Dreadbore
3 Island
1 Mountain
3 Swamp
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
2 Steam Vents
1 Blood Crypt
2 Watery Grave
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Drowned Catacomb
2 Sulfur Falls
1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Countersquall
1 Dispel
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Jace's Defeat
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Collective Brutality
1 Damnation
Lets start from the top and work down shall we?
Creatures. Snapcaster is pretty self explanatory in this deck. Recurring Kolaghan's Command, Cryptic Command, or even the (surprisingly achievable) Cruel Ultimatum is a good late game plan, and sometimes you can just slide into the Bolt-Snap-Bolt position to close games fast. Don't be afraid to trade a Snapcaster Mage off to protect your life total, as you do want some value if you draw Kolaghan's Command. Next up is Niv-Mizzet, Parun. This is just a fun-of I wanted to test, so it's probably not correct. I've cast it 3 times, and won, lost, and drew those three games. It does put a small strain on the mana, where you need to focus on getting triple R quickly, which also can lead to issues casting certain combinations of spells. I'm going to continue playing him for a few more weeks of testing, but it may be correct to swap in a Vendilion Clique (or maybe go back to the other fun-of, Nicol Bolas, the Ravager).
Enchantments and Planeswalkers. I'm going to cover these three all at once, as they basically fill the same role in the deck: Card Advantage. Ral is even sometimes a decent removal spell. There isn't much to go over about the planeswalkers or Search that haven't already been said in articles about other decks, but in this deck, you can pretty much slam on down if you can protect it. With Jace, brainstorming is usually the way to go (though 'fateseal' first if against a Bolt deck), as you can usually win the game without his ultimate. You have enough fetchlands to shuffle away cards you don't need, and finding the spells to protect Jace and yourself is more important than trying to ult. Ral, Izzet Viceroy, on the other hand, is definitely worth trying to ultimate. Not only does it go ultimate in about half the time as Jace, but he also nets a card each time. His ultimate may not win the game as quickly as Jace, but it's a pretty negligible difference, the opponent is dead anyway.
Search for Azcanta is pretty much an auto include in any blue based control deck, and I originally started with two, but I always found the second one never did anything, and I wasn't relying on the first one as much as I thought. It's good to have in the opening hand or in the first couple of turns. It's less good late, paradoxically, as you want to leave mana open for other spells, though if you can sneak it in the curve, it's basically confirmed to flip the next turn. In control mirrors especially, Search can just snowball in your favor.
Spells. The spells category is pretty self explanatory, though some of the numbers may seem a little weird. Lets break them down into the groups:
Card Draw- Opt is basically the only dedicated card draw spell on the deck. It slots into the curve pretty nice, helps filter excess lands/spells you don't need, nice and cheap to pair with Snapcaster Mage. I've tweaked the numbers a few times, first having two, then four, and now I've settled on three. I have considered cutting one for a Think Twice, to have a more pure card advantage spell, but I haven't decided yet.
Removal- No deck is good in modern without at least some removal. I've eschewed the typical suite of board wipes in favor of some spot removal. Bolt, Fatal Push, and Terminate do a good job keeping things under control, while Dreadbore and Hero's Downfall are your anti planeswalker spells. Kolaghan's Command, while not solely removal, does a very good job in many match ups. Electrolyze is probably the weakest, and I have considered cutting it, but it mostly earns it's keep. The games you get to kill two x/1s are the games you wish you had more Electrolyze. I chose 3 Lightning Bolt over 4, as the extra one is never really a game changer, and something needed to be cut for other spells. 2 Fatal Push is pretty standard nowadays, but I could drop to 1 if the meta shifted away from creatures. It has come in handy against Izzet Phoenix, as Thing tn the Ice dies to it. Terminate rounds out the typical removal slots. I used to have 3, but cut one to make room for the Dreadbore, which does mostly the same job.
Counterspells- I don't know if this deck has too few counters, or two many. It's one of those questions that everyone has different answers to. I originally had 2 Mana Leak, 2 Logic Knot, and 2 Spell Snare. I found that the only matches that counterspells really mattered in, Mana Leak and Logic Knot under performed. The opponent could easily pay for the Mana Leaks, or I didn't fill my graveyard enough to delve a lot with Knot. I decided to swap them to hard counters. Negate does a great job, and there are very few matches where it is stone dead. Counterflux is a new addition, and is pretty solid (and the overload text isn't always ignored). Cryptic Command is wonderful, and while I used to have the full set, I think 3 is the perfect number, as the curve does start to get clunky with multiple 4+ cost spells. Usually, it's a counter/draw sort of spell, but often you'll use it to tap creatures to buy a turn, and I've also used it to bounce problem stuff. It's an all around great card, and I can't see this deck without it.
Lands. Arguably the most important cards in this deck. The lands are the hardest thing to get right, as the color requirements are difficult to manage. The fetchlands are key, make sure to fetch blue lands first do you can cast Cryptic Command on time, Blood Crypt is usually the last shock you'll need/want to fetch. If you can avoid it, don't fetch-shock. If you really need to cast a spell end of turn, get a basic land, especially if under pressure. You're better off fetching the shock lands into play tapped, as I've found the life total really starts to matter. I've thought myself safe to shock for less important spells, and found myself nearly being burned out, even against control. Creeping Tar Pit is great for getting chip damage in, but I've found myself not attacking when I can, in favor of holding up counters or removal. Sulfur Falls and Drowned Catacomb are better than expected, usually coming into play untapped. I was originally playing a 1-1 split, but I added an extra Sulfur Falls to add an extra R source for Niv-Mizzet. I had considered Dragonskull Summit but the blue source is more important than another black.
Now, lets go into the sideboard guide for a minute.
Control:
Countersquall, Dispel, Disdainful Stroke, and Jace's Defeat all come in, usually replacing various removal spells and at least one Cryptic Command (I don't like being the player with Cryptic in a counterspell war, but I like having them around). Jace's Defeat is pretty nice, as it's basically a hard counter, being able to even hit a Vendilion Clique or Snapcaster Mage. Regarding control matches, I always leave in the Dreadbore and Hero's Downfall (to kill Jace or Teferi), and at least one Fatal Push and a Terminate (Fatal Push to kill a Celestial Colonnade or Snapcaster Mage, and Terminate for any sideboarded Lyras or Baneslayers). Usually, I cut one Cruel Ultimatum, but you don't have to. it may win the game, but you really have to know where to pick your fights. In this match, I've thrown Kolaghan's Commands at the opponent to run them low on cards before picking a counter war, but depending on the opponent, that plan may not work out.
Creature based decks:
Damnation, Engineered Explosives, Kalitas, Anger of the Gods, occasionally Collective Brutality (depending on what creature's you're against). Basically, cut the counterspells and at least one Cruel Ultimatum, as most creature decks right now are running Cavern of Souls or Aether Vial, bring in things to kill dorks with. Kalitas is basically your way to victory. If you can cast a removal spell right away with him, you're in a pretty good spot.
Tron:
Bring in Ceremonious Rejection, Disdainful Stroke, and Countersquall. Hope you don't get cheesed, and get aggro with Snapcaster Mage. If you live long enough to get a Cruel Ultimatum off, you'll be in good shape, but this isn't a good match.
Burn:
Surprisingly, I've won games with Cruel Ultimatum in this match. Collective Brutality and Kalitas are key here, and Dispel is handy to have. Take out some of the more expensive spells, don't be too adverse to using Snapcaster as Ambush Viper, and try to keep the opponent from stockpiling a grip of spells to overwhelm you with. I always take out at least one of the Ultimatums. Leaving one in is acceptable, just be cognizant of Skullcrack or having it jam up your hand.
Ironworks:
Pretty much the same sideboard plan as Tron (so I won't repeat myself), except you probably won't just get wrecked super quick. You can stunt the early development with a few well placed counterspells (I usually focus on the Wellsprings and mana and card draw artifacts). As with Tron, you will need to get aggressive. Kolagahn's Command is wonderful here.
Izzet Pheonix:
Countersquall, Nihil Spellbomb, Anger of the Gods, Kalitas, Dispel, Collective Brutality. Take out a Cryptic Command, one or both Cruel Ultimatums, Dreadbore, Electrolyze, and anything else you think you can do without. Fatal Push Thing in the Ice when you can, try and hit Arclight Phoenix with Spellbomb or Anger, and Spell Snare is great at hitting Manamorphose. You can try and run them out of cards with Collective Brutality and Kolaghan's Command, but always make sure you can't get punked by a good chain of spells from their side. I've lost games to a Crackling Drake and double Lightning Bolt when I've been at a high life total.
I've found that we really do need at least one Damnation in the sideboard (i play a 3 sweeper mix of Anger, Explosives, and Damnation). It's a great reset button against the creature decks that can overwhelm the spot removal. I can't count the number of games I've come back from with a timely Damnation. It's especially great against Humans and Spirits, as their creatures can get out of range of Anger. It's even decent against Dredge, but i'd always prefer to have a Nihil Spellbomb or Tormod's Crypt in play at the same time. I've even used it to beat Slivers, since it shuts down Sedge Sliver.
I've found Gearhulk isn't as great as it seems. You don't really need it to win games, and even though it flashes back the spell for free, the 6 mana up front is risky. It leaves you with no mana to fight a counter battle with, whereas Snapcaster Mage is cheap enough for you to cast multiple spells if you need. There's been many times where the 2 mana on Snappy has helped win against control decks.
Hieroglyphic illumination might be worth a try, but I'd start with one first and see how it goes. I know some of the UW decks play it, but I haven't heard if it's pulling it's weight.