Introduction:

Wanted to share another fun, janky yet effective deck I've been brewing this week. B/W Lich's Mastery Control.

I love decks that go off the beaten trail, but still can hold their ground against the meta. I think I've really hit a good one with this Lich's Mastery brew.

The deck's namesake, Lich's Mastery, is the key the deck. This sounds absolutely crazy, but in 35 matches I have never lost once Mastery hits the battlefield.

I swear that's true. All my losses are when the deck has failed to land the card.

The card is incredibly nuanced with lot's of interaction and almost no way to get disrupted. I love it so much! It really feels so unique and unlike anything else in the meta. It's a blast!

I'll discuss the core components and strategy of the deck, then give my current list and a budget brew and substitutions for all those people with more self-control than me that haven't whaled it up. Sigh. This economy.

I tend to have long write ups with a little more detail than a simple breakdown of a list. Apologies. Again, TL;DR with lists at the end.

Let's get started!

How it works:

It's a control deck. We want to stay alive until we stabilize, then we cast Lich's Mastery on to a controlled board and absolutely sprint to an almost guaranteed victory with one of either two win conditions—a two-turn approach victory or a horse and vampire army.

On The Ropes:

Don't get me wrong, it's not easy. Timing is everything and the deck takes a lot of thinking and decision making. Most plays come at an opportunity cost. Good mulligans are crucial. And the deck can lose very quickly if you simply don't find what you need. Personally, I love all this. I love decks that feel like they are on the ropes. It makes the game more exciting and the victory more satisfying.

The Line Up:

Somehow I'm getting carried away with sports analogies. I'm a nerd, I don't even like sports.

Here's our starting line up:

• Quarterback: 3x Lich's Mastery

• Linebackers: 3x Anointed Priests, 3x Queen's Commission, 3x Feast

• Running backs: 3x Crested Sunmare

• Offensive Guard: 3x Bontu's, 1x Phyrexian Scriptures, 3x Cast Down

• Wide Receiver: 1x Approach of the Second Sun

• Special Teams: 2x Mastermind's Acquisition

The Game Plan:

• Stay alive until we land Mastery. We use tokens, Wraths, and removal to carry us to a stable board.

• Timing, timing, timing. We only want to play Lich's Mastery on to a clear board and once we have enough cards in the graveyard and in hand to keep us from losing the game to damage.

• Lich's Lands. We use our life gain to draw lots of cards. We are looking for Approach or Crested Sunmares to bring us home.

• Approach. If we cast Approach, the card draw will immediately put it back in our hand, getting us ready to cast again for victory the following turn. One time I had 14 mana available and cast it twice in the same turn. It was awesome.

• Horseys FTW. Another option is to simply draw in to Sunmares and flood the board with horseys. Not as guaranteed as Approach, but multiple Sunmares on the field is a big threat and a probable loss for your opponent.

Some Tips:

• Again. Seriously. Don't play Lich's Mastery on to a full board or when you don't have enough cards to sacrifice.

• Mulligan for removal. The meta is pretty creature oriented, a Cast Down, Vrask'a Contempt, and especially a Wrath are really desired in hand.

• Control match ups are easy. A lot of our board development feels underwhelming. I rarely have Priests, tokens, and even Mastery get countered. The opponent just isn't sure they are threatening enough.

• Don't worry about self-mill if it gets to that point. You can't lose to it! Besides, at that point you probably have found Approach or have a thousand horseys.

• Save your tokens. They aren't for getting damage in. They are for blocking 4/3 Benalia knights or Hazoret's. They are also a crucial source of card draw and horse generation.

• Time your Wraths for maximum wipe. We want to nail as many of their threats as possible and gain control.

• If you are using Mastermind's, keep a diverse sideboard to allow you to adapt to different decks. It's an awesome strategy.