Can Control Be Good in Standard?

[@ZeroIsEven]

Yes!

[@loxeggcheese]

I've seen alot of 4c control on the ladder, plays boardwipes and that gaea's blessing type card from one of the innistrad sets. pretty miserable but also somewhat admirable haha

[@MCKejml]

Absolutely loved the last Esper match. I tried this deck yesterday and beat Grixis two times. Kaya is very good.

[@kujabuja]

I've had a ton of luck with Esper legends so far, suuuuuper strong (at least in Bo1) I'm always game to play control though

[@ziegfeld4131]

I just play Historic feels like the only format with any varity nowadays

[@itsthekid9815]

Standard is one of the craziest it's been in a while. The pure amount of different decks is crazy for a standard format.

[@WormHunter]

@@itsthekid9815 Yea, there's mono black with invoke despair, rakdos with invoke despair, grixis with invoke despair, sometimes even esper or jund with invoke despair.

[@Avalyn175]

It is genuinely crazy people aren’t playing any basics, I saw a mono-white midrange decklist with 4 field of ruin and 4 demolition field which works so well because people aren’t playing basics

[@thechris312]

Never didn't have it...

[@yawgmoth6568]

If you *do* play control I think Esper is by far the best choice but I think that list needs a lot of work. I don't like Union and 6 card draw spells is too much, I think 4 deluge alone is plenty. What we really lack is good planeswalkers that draw cards and solid modal spells like Azorius Charm, Archmage's Charm, Cryptic Command, etc. The new Jace has been much better than I expected but he's still no where near 3Feri or Big Teferi. I feel like if WoTC is going to print absurd threats *and* nerf our Wrath's so that they all have drawbacks at 4 CMC then they can at least give us decent modal cards and planeswalkers. But instead they pretty much give us nothing. Midrange get's absurdly good tools and Control get's... pretty much nothing.

[@MCKejml]

Frankly, smetimes I find even 6 draw spells not enough.

[@lucarr1041]

I mean, if we're not getting good card advantage planeswalkers / modal spells that draw, you're probably gonna end up playing more draw spells to compensate. Union's an interesting card that I can see being underwhelming in the long run, but gaining back 4+ life without costing you a card isn't nothing.

[@MCKejml]

@@lucarr1041 Totally. I see the appeal in Bo1, but in Bo3 it's just alright, nothing I'd go bananas for, something like Restoration of Eiganjo. But it certainly worked for Trotte, it seems. Also, 61 cards. Wow

[@yellowhatmtg]

I agree it feels like this list needs some refinement, not sure it's really worth it as I expect the Grixis matchup to be really rough no matter what

[@itsthekid9815]

Control doesn't need good planeswalkers or unconditional wraths. That has been proven in the past. They "need" better answers. In a ladder standing where you should just play mono red for the best ev. Control will have a hard time existing. Mono red has always been the control equalizer.

[@yawgmoth6568]

No, it can't.

[@台灣黑熊奇佑]

Control sucks in standard