“Wilds of Eldraine” is the newest standard set releasing this week in Magic The Gathering. The set will surely shake up the standard metagame, but I am excited to test out some new cards in Azorius Control in Pioneer. Both new cards are also at low rarity making them easily affordable. Ice Out is a common counter spell, and Stroke of Midnight is an uncommon flexible removal spell.
Ice Out is the most exciting card release. It is a common three-mana counter spell that can be cast for two mana by paying its bargain cost. Ice Out costs 1uu, and reads, “counter target spell”, but if you pay its bargain cost, which requires the caster to sacrifice an artifact, enchantment, or token, then the spell costs only uu. Azorius Control is a solid tier 1 to 1.5 deck in the current Pioneer metagame. It falls slightly behind the bullies of the format, Mono-Green Devotion and Rakdos Midrange. While the top two archetypes have typical deck lists, Azorius Control is built in various ways with individual tweaks and card choices from list to list.
The primary problem with Azorius Control in Pioneer compared to older formats is the strength of the counter spells. Counterspell and Force of Will are far ahead of the choices available in Pioneer. In Pioneer, control players’ counter spell options are either two mana but have a restriction or three mana options that counter any spell with a slight upside. Currently, the most common counter spells in the format are Make Disappear at two mana and Absorb or Saw it Coming at three mana value.
Ice Out can replace Absorb in the three-mana value slot because of the number of tokens available to sacrifice for the bargain cost. And while losing out on three life is not great, the upside of having a two-mana counter spell to back up turn five Teferi, of Hero Dominaria turns may be enough to push Absorb out of the format.
The new mechanic, Bargain, requires players to sacrifice tokens, which Azorius Control makes a ton of from The Wandering Emperor, Shark Typhoon, and even Castle Ardenvale. In 80 card versions of the deck, bargain can sacrifice an Omen of the Sea or, in a pinch, Leyline Binding or Temporary Lockdown. Sideboards also include Chrome Host SeedShark, which generates additional tokens to sacrifice.
Ice Out may not make the cut in the end. However, it is something worth trying because, in its worse form, the spell still costs the same as Absorb, and until the format gets a spell like Mana Leak, two mana counter spells in the format are still going to be restrictive, requiring control players to carry three mana counters to deal with crucial spells in the late game.
The next spell I am excited to try out is Stroke of Midnight. Stroke of Midnight costs 2w and reads, “Destroy target nonland permanent. Its controller creates a 1/1 white Human creature token”. Interacting with Fable of the Mirror Breaker, Sheoldred, The Apocalypse, and any powerful planeswalkers that dominate the format all with one card is a significant upside despite costing three mana. Lately, I have been playing the 80-card versions of Azorius Control to add Leyline Binding to my deck, and often, in games, I find myself casting it for three mana while not feeling behind. Stroke of Midnight’s flexibility compared to other removal spells in Azorius Control interests me the most.
The three-drop slot in the deck is considerably weaker than the two mana interaction spells, so there is plenty of room for Stroke of Midnight to see play in 60-card versions of Azorius Control. I expect in 80-card versions, Leyline Binding will make it harder for Stroke of Midnight to find a slot. Still, like Ice Out, I expect some versions of Azorius Control to be playing 1 to 2 copies because of the power that comes with the flexibility in the late game.
Until Wizards of the Coast decides to shake up the Pioneer meta game with a ban list or card design changes, the format will continue to be a solved but diverse metagame. Future deck list changes will be minor additions and substitutions, giving cards like Ice Out and Stroke of Midnight a chance to be tested with “Wilds of Eldraine” release.
Card Images all from Scryfall.com.