Modern Azorius Titan Primer

Introduction

Emeria Control is a tapout control deck, you will be playing your spells on your turn. The main gameplan is to survive while getting seven plains into the battlefield for Emeria, the Sky Ruin to be active. An active emeria will outgrind many decks in modern. The deck has a great game against most aggro decks. Stall them with wall of omens and charming prince. Force the opponent to overextend, then you verdict them. This deck rebuilds much more quickly than the opponent mid to late game, with the help of sun titan and emeria. Against certain combo and control decks, this deck struggles. Sometimes a full set of Dovin's Veto in the sideboard is needed against these match ups. For more information against these, please refer to the matchup section.

Card Choices

Creatures

Wall of Omens   - this creature is our best two drop. Protects you and replaces itself. Play 4 copies.
Charming Prince   - a recent addition from Eldraine. Versatile card that replaces lone missionary. Play 2-4 copies.
Court Hussar   - fine card selection to help our deck at all stages of the game. This card is amazing when Emeria the sky ruin is active. Don't forget, an opponent's Narset, Parter of Veils does not stop Court Hussar ability to get a card, because the ability does not say "draw". Play 2-4 copies.
Stoneforge Mystic   - was once considered as one of the strongest 2 cmc creatures in legacy, and for a long time has been banned in modern. Adding her to the deck gives us a backup plan of attack that does not use the graveyard. Not for every list, as you need to dedicate slots for her and batterskull which she will tutor for you.
Pilgrim's Eye   - early versions of the deck used this artifact as a throw-away blocker, and for finding more plains for Emeria. Has mostly been outclassed by other cards. However, there is a recent winning decklist that used three of these to go all-in on the Emeria strategy. Play 0-4 copies.
Flickerwisp   - the weird flying creature is the bread and butter of our strategy. Always a decent follow up to the turn 2 wall of omens, to draw an extra card. He has amazing synergy with the comes into play nature of many cards in the deck. Also has a neat trick with Detention Sphere. For example, you cast detention sphere on an opponent's tarmogoyf. Opponent plays a second goyf - you can cast a Flickerwisp to exile your detention sphere, and when the sphere comes back it will exile the two tarmogoyf! Play 2-3 copies.
Soulherder   - being a 1/1, it dies to a stiff breeze. However, it provides serious card advantage if you could keep it alive together with a wall of omens. Competes with flickerwisp for slots, so test carefully if you will include it.
Sun Titan   - the top of our curve. When entering the battlefield, and when attacking.. this guy returns our creatures to gain a lot of value. Together with Emeria, the titan would eventually overwhelm the opponent if not dealt with. Play 2-3 copies.

Other Spells

Path To Exile   - our main spot removal. In a pinch, it can also be used on our own creature for fetching a plains to complete the lands for Emeria. Play 4 copies.
Spreading Seas   - although path to exile seems like a nonbo with this card, the seas is still effective. This card, can work together with Ghost Quarter and Crucible of Worlds to really mana screw opponents. Play 2-4 copies
Batterskull   - highly recommended for builds with stoneforge mystic. Play 0-2 copies
Mortarpod   - early versions of the deck used to run this card. The trick is equipping it to Sun Titan, to protect titan from exile effects. Remember how good mogg fanatic was? This is him turned into a repeatable cannon. However, these days the card seems to have been mostly outclassed by other cards. A few lists still seem to use it though. Play 0-3 copies.
Detention Sphere   - our secondary spot removal. The maelstrom pulse of UW. This card has a good synergy with Flickeriwsp. Remember that it can also be returned with Sun Titan from the graveyard. Play 2-3 copies.
Blessed Alliance   - this is seen in a few lists, it has flexibility both as lifegain and removal. Play 0-1 copy.
Winds of Abandon   - can be used early when you are under pressure. Or overloaded later for a one-sided board wipe. Play 0-1 copy.
Supreme Verdict   - uncounterable board wipe. Although be careful when there are plenty of Humans deck in the meta, as Meddling Mage can ruin your plans if you run 3 verdicts. It is better to run 2 verdicts together with one of something else.
Wrath of God   - diversify your board wipes. Particularly good against Elves, as it shuts down the regenerate ability of Ezuri, Renegade Leader. Play 0-1 copy.
Settle the Wreckage   - diversify your board wipes. Being an instant gives it the surprise factor, it also exiles which is another thing to consider if your meta is infested with creatures that keep coming back like Bloodghast. Play 0-1 copy.
Cleansing Nova   - diversify your board wipes. Costs 5, but has the added utility of being able to remove sideboard cards that the opponent might bring in game 2, like Leyline of the Void, Rest in Peace, and Ensnaring Bridge. Play 0-1 copy.
Gideon of the Trials   - this card is amazing against Burn. Play 0-2 copies.
Gideon Jura   - usually present along with Gideon of the Trials, as the emblem of the trials has synergy with any Gideon planeswalker. Play 0-1 copy.
Dovin's Veto   - an upgrade to Negate.
Crucible of Worlds   - this card is sometimes seen as a single in some builds of Emeria Titan. Allows us to reuse fetch lands, and also reuse Ghost Quarter to mess up the opponent's mana. Play 0-1 copy.

Lands

Flooded Strand   - we are a UW deck. No exceptions, play 4 copies of this fetch land.
Emeria, the Sky Ruin   - our strategy revolves around this card. Once active, it gives us amazing card advatage. Note, when you return court hussar from the graveyard with Emeria.. the hussar will be sacrificed, and you can use it again to filter cards next turn. Play 2-3 copies.
Plains   - why yes, we have planty of basic plains. Makes the deck resistant to blood moon effects, as well as feeding Emeria the Sky Ruin the plains it needs to activate. Play 6-7 copies.
Hallowed Fountain   - counts as plains for Emeria while also providing blue mana. Play 3-4 copies.
Prairie Stream   - another source of blue mana that also counts as plains for Emeria. We have plenty of basics, so there's a good chance this land is entering the battlefield untapped. Play 0-1 copy.
Irrigated Farmland   - another source of blue mana that also counts as plains for Emeria. It's main disadvantage is coming into play tapped no matter what you do. However, the disadvantage is negated by the fact that it can cycle itself during the times we don't need anymore land. Play 0-1 copy.
Island   - most lists have a lonely island. This is to make sure you don't get cut off from blue when the opponent is using Ghost Quarter or Field of Ruin. Play 1 copy.
Field of Ruin   - use mana screw strategy by combining this land with Crucible of Worlds. Play 0-4 copies.
Ghost Quarter   - use mana screw strategy by combining this land with Crucible of Worlds. Play 0-1 copy.
Blast Zone   - a useful utility land. Play 0-2 copies.
Mistveil Plains   - can sometimes be seen in mono white versions of the deck. Play 0-1 copy.

Alternate Card Choices

Restoration Angel   - has flash and a large body that can clock the opponent. However, she cannot do the Detention Sphere trick that we can do with Flickerwisp. Also being cmc 4 means she cannot be brought back by Sun Titan. Generally, you would want to run her only if you want extra blink effects and have already maxed out on Flickerwisps.
Sea Gate Oracle   - an alternative card if you don't have Court Hussar.
Champion of Wits   - an alternative card if you don't have Court Hussar.
Geist-Honored Monk   - a potentially large creature not affected by graveyard removal.
Elspeth, Sun's Champion   - a win con that does not care if the graveyard is empty.
Watcher for Tomorrow   - costs one less than hussar and digs four cards deep. At first glance this guy feels like a better Court Hussar. However, coming into play tapped and not giving the card right away are serious drawbacks.
Ranger-Captain Eos   - can be used to fetch utility cards like Kami of the False Hope and Giver of Runes.

Matchups

Amulet Titan

our best friends in this matchup pre side are Path to Exile, Ghost Quarter, Field of Ruin and Gideon of the Trials. Instant speed removal is likely needed to weather the first hit from Primeval Titan afterwards you want to take out their Slayers' Stronghold as this will force your opponent to play a sorcery speed making both Detention Sphere and Supreme Verdict much better. Once they shift gears to their grinder gameplan you need to prioritize destroying Tolaria West in response to a bounce lands trigger, this is to prevent them from starting their loop. A Gideon of the Trials emblem will ensure you don't get janked out by a Hive Mind.
Side in:
2 Dispel, 1 Sorcerous Spyglass, 1 Gideon of the Trails, 2 Damping Sphere

Side out:
2 Lone Missionary
4 Spreading Seas

Spreading Sea's is unreliable because your opponent will just play a bounceland to pick up the land enchanted by it and the lifegain provided by our Lone Missionary is largely inconsequential because our opponent tends to deal damage in massive chunks.

Countermagic for Pact of Negation and Summoner's Pact, Sorcerous Spyglass for Slayers' Stronghold, Engineered Explosives, or Tolaria West transmute. Gideon of the Trials for Hive Mind or fogs a threat. Damping Sphere to slow down the opponent by cutting off extra mana added by bouncelands.

Keep in mind, Flickerwisp can be used to kill Walking Ballista or reset a bounce land. Detention Sphere should be used to take out Amulet of Vigor ASAP. Sometimes you can win a match by destroying the correct bounce land while your opponent has pact triggers at upkeep. Make sure to destroy the bounceland upon entry so it's etb still forces your opponent to pick up another land. Our Emeria, the Sky Ruin gameplan is largely unreliable because of their one Bojuka Bog and thier ability to easily reset it multiple times. I would suggest holding a Court Hussar until you can use a Ghost Quarter / Field of Ruin to destroy it.

Other great cards in this match up Runed Halo, Disdainful Stroke, possibly Surgical Extraction.

Basic Land count: 3
3 Forest

Jund

Emeria, the Sky Ruin essentially bullies every Fatal Push and Lightning Bolt they draw, and Abrupt Decay or Terminate are little better for them. Once hands are relatively empty in the midgame, Inquisition of Kozilek becomes downright embarassing, since Emeria can choose to play almost everything it draws straight to the board for advantage, which leaves few openings for it and the only slightly less awful Thoughtseize. Kolaghan's Command is a potentially strong effect, but with so many chump blockers around the Raise Dead half of the card is very difficult to push for advantage. Add this to the fact that Emeria can always choose when to deploy its sweepers to punish overextension, and the combat step is only easy for them if they manage to piece together a perfect mix of threat+disruption+removal +attrition or advantage spell. Even then, the card equity involved in such a sequence generally has them out of gas early, and vulnerable to any number of Emeria's stabilizing plays. The majority of games will be won by this telling advantage, and it is up to the pilot to know what the Jund opponent can leverage to create openings that their cards can shine in.

Dark Confidant seems to be getting less popular than it was, which is a pity for Jund because it was sometimes able to take over games in which Mortarpod did not make a timely appearance. Speaking of the Living Weapon, it is an important tool for controlling loyalty, and the 0/0 germ can either provide a layer of defense from sacrifice effects, or simply chump-block the Tarmogoyf which frequently becomes large enough to threaten a quick clock. The current alternative card draw for them appears to be a mixture of Wrenn and Six and Tireless Tracker, which are both far less likely to provide a steady stream of new threats. The animated lands which are such a huge part of Jund's lategame are easily controlled by Field of Ruin and Ghost Quarter, and the card Emeria itself is a countdown to a game loss for them whenever it appears without the opposition of their best card in the matchup; Scavenging Ooze. This creature should be killed on sight whenever possible, since it reduces the ability of Sun Titan to build a commanding lead, shuts down recursion, and grows into a lethal threat surprisingly quickly.

Jund is a 70% matchup or better for the Stoneforge Mystic version of the list, since so many of the cards replace themselves. If I could choose to play this deck into a field full of Jund, I would jump at the chance. The topdeck wars which define the matchup are heavily skewed towards Emeria, which is exemplified in one of the defining cards of their strategy: Liliana of the Veil. The card quality that she and Jund's natural draws provide is much more difficult for them to press when lower on resources, and the lack of an overwhelming clock combines with this such that it is vital to be aware of the importance of Mulligans. Keeping any reasonable hand is imperative, and Liliana is also much more frequently beatable if she is made to discard their resources early, which means that choosing to draw against the deck is often a valid choice.The card quality that she and Jund's natural draws provide is much more difficult for them to press when lower on resources, and the lack of an overwhelming clock combines with this such that it is vital to be aware of the importance of Mulligans. Keeping any reasonable hand is imperative, and Liliana is also much more frequently beatable if she is made to discard their resources early, which means that choosing to draw against the deck is often a valid choice. If not complemented by a draw engine, using her +1 ability is a liability for them in the attrition battle, since they have to choose between holding up removal or throwing it away. A quick ultimate is possible, but not decisive. The matchup is so strongly tilted towards what Emeria wants to do that I have even recovered from several of these in the same game. In the sideboarded games Fulminator Mage leaves them down a card for no advantage unless they are already winning, and Celestial Purge covers the rest of the common issues.

The trick to sequencing here is to continue to focus on your manabase. Playing one new land per turn is the goal, since casting the curve smoothly is so strong. At the point where they are trading down cards by using their removal on cantrip creatures just to press an advantage, the game is almost over. Once the topdeck war has begun, Bloodbraid Elf can be good at compounding these advantages, but Wall of Omens is excellent at holding the body back, so their Cascades have to be very strong to gain ground on stable boards. Batterskull is a must-answer threat for them which their K-Command can hit cleanly, but most other ways to deal with it leave them concerned about the possibility of re-equipping on any given turn. In sideboarding, I would remove the Settle the Wreckage and the Crucible of Worlds because they can be liabilities to hold for value if they keep in some amount of discard, and I would bring in two Celestial Purge to replace them.

Eldrazi Tron

Post sideboard you want more creature removal and counter magic for specifically; planeswalkers or sweepers. I generally cut some number of one toughness creatures because they die to both Walking Ballista and End Bringer. I also trim a Path to Exile to hedge a Chalice of the Void on one, if your opponent has sided them out, leave Path to Exile in. Post sideboard if you're opponent brings in both Relic of Progenitus and Ratchet Bomb while leaving in Walking Ballista I would consider siding in Stony Silence too.

Side out: 5
1 Path to Exile
2 Lone Missionary
2 Flickerwisp

Side in: 5
2 Negate
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Gideon of the Trials
1 Settle the Wreckage