Azorius Control

The new Standard Pauper metagame is shaping up nicely, with a fairly wide variety of decks still in contention for top spots. While Dimir Mill seems to be the clear front-runner, Hexproof, Mono Black, Orzhov, and RDW are all producing good results.

None of these have really captured my attention though, despite their strengths. Instead, I've returned to my roots in Blue White, and testing out a build that I believe has the potential to carve out a place in the emerging metagame.

Here's the list I'm currently playing:

Azorius Control

Creatures 4 Basilica Guards 4 Deputy of Acquittals 4 Omenspeaker 3 Nephalia Seakite 3 Nimbus Naiad 1 Prescient Chimera 19 cards Other Spells 2 Cancel 3 Inspiration 3 Voyage's End 3 Celestial Flare 4 Essence Scatter 3 Last Breath 18 cards

Lands 8 Plains 8 Island 4 Azorius Guildgate 3 Unknown Shores 23 cards Sideboard 3 Dispel 3 Pacifism 3 Solemn Offering 2 Fortify 1 Archaeomancer 1 Celestial Flare 1 Prescient Chimera 1 Voyage's End 15 cards

With 25 Instants (including creatures with Flash), this deck is about as close as one gets in Standard Pauper to 'draw-go,' firmly pushing the deck into the role of Control. It also has eight different Scry effects as well as 3 draw spells, giving the deck the ability to dig deep to search for answers. Furthermore, between Deputy of Acquittals and Voyage's End, this decklist can sidestep a surprising amount of removal, while also potentially ambushing attackers as well. Basilica Guards is also a cornerstone of the deck, allowing you to recover from early aggression and get extra value out of your spells. And, perhaps best of all, the deck has some solid options for playing against Dimir Mill, even to the point of being able to 'out-mill' your opponent.

I've spent quite a bit of time fine-tuning this list, but there certainly could be room for improvement. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this build.

Thanks for reading.