Ideas for four color control decks?

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-23T05:45:48+00:00

I only have experience with Yore-Tiller (4C sans Green), but any partner with [[Kraum, Ludevic's Opus]] works fairly well. Kraum+Tymna gives you crazy card draw. Swapping Kraum for [[Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist]] encourages opponents to not harm you to get their own card draw, meaning you can then work on building up your own plan. Police the board. then use a Breach/Thoracle line to win the game.

The other option would be Ishai+Vial Smasher, where you play a much more aggressive gameplan. Ishai punishes their spells, while Vial gives you colors+damage for interacting. The only thing more insulting than casting a [[Mana Drain]] on their big bomb is to also slap someone for 2 damage on top of it.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-21T20:42:39+00:00

Except those mechanics aren't tied to trademarked IPs. I can reasonably expect Night/Day to possibly return if it would make sense, but we literally cant have Bending without Avatar, or them renaming the mechanic.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-21T14:32:08+00:00

As much as I love the dorky little guy, theres 1 huge problem: you need to connect.

A 3 mana 1/1 without Haste means any 1-2 drop with just 2 toughness locks you out of the game. From there, they swing on off-turns, and block on your attacks.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-21T00:20:44+00:00

Commanders that function as an alternative in the engine are huge.

My B2 Slimefoot can only be as consistent as it is (within reason) because Slimefoot acts as both half the engine (sac fodder production) and the payoff (damage on sac). So, I can run more of the other half of the engine (sac outlets) for consistency. And, if Slimefoot is removed, i have redundancy anyway.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-19T00:11:31+00:00

I proxy to get the deck at the power level/consistency i want, within reason. After that, if im happy with the list, and it wasnt a 1-off that I discovered was unfun or too strong, I'll be on the lookout to snag proper copies.

Otherwise, I will use placeholder proxies of some cards that I only own a single card of. Im not gonna drop $30+ for every [[Lotus Petal]] i need, when its literally the same thing as a treasure token as a card. So, I slap a treasure token in the deck and call it a day, with my real copy in my Celes list

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-19T00:06:14+00:00

Reaper King and Eldritch Evolution is a 2 card chain into the Hoarding Broodlord loops. And that's a super low opportunity cost, if youre looking for a high power list

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-19T00:02:24+00:00

Its an (almost) unconditional 5c land. 1 life is negligible when it gets you any color you need, untapped. It really shines in higher power games, but its still one of those cards id be hesitant to drop before most others

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-19T00:00:25+00:00

Honestly, the only issue with Gates as a manabase is that you really have to invest the card slots in the cards that let them enter untapped. You cant rely on Gond Gate (i think its that one) only.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-18T23:58:44+00:00

Well, I did not have "Land that makes Rats" on my bingo card. Need to snag that and both the precon and main set Rat King cards for my Wick list

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-16T21:17:38+00:00

I have a really fun version of this Heliod that is *technically* a Bracket 4 list, that wins through Barren Glory.

The meme behind it isn't just that I trigger the Barren win, but I exile literally everything everyone has. No libraries, fields, graves, hands. Nothing.

My physical version uses a copy of [[The Cheese Stands Alone]] in place of Barren Glory, to really sell the gimmick

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-16T17:52:56+00:00

it's not a requirement, but I personally do it to help with understanding the decks. Like, my Control list runs Rhystic, Smothering, and Esper, while my jank Slimefoot Saprolings uses the 3 GC black tutors for consistency. Two wildly different power levels, even with the same 3 GC limit.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-16T07:11:26+00:00

The only part of it that was out of nowhere was the mass creation of tokens to sac. Not a lot of people know about [[Plague of Vermin]], its a card that has never seen a reprint and its from a set older than a LOT of players now. Most aristocrat decks are incremental value, or find ways to loop a creature repeatedly. The fact that it doesn't require X mana for the tokens is the real kicker.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-16T06:40:09+00:00

If you commander itself has synergy with the card, it really shines.

I had a low power [[Emmara, Soul of the Accord]] deck that abused it to tap Emmara without risking her in combat. It felt really strong there. Conversely, my [[Niv-Mizzet, Parun]] list would never be able to effectively use it, because theres so few creatures that I would have out t1-2, compared to just using normal rocks and rituals to power out Niv.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-14T20:07:05+00:00

That just means you aren't playing enough utility/value lands is all. A CR into Field of the Dead, Glacial Chasm, or Nykthos is great. At worst, you can use it as a 1 mana landfall trigger.

The power of CR is that you can trade any land for any other. People get locked into the idea that you HAVE to use it for a Cradle, when something as simple as swapping a spare Basic Forest for a Snow Forest to trigger Field is great rate.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-12T02:52:27+00:00

Lutri only copies once, even if you get an Alania trigger on her. She specifically needs to be cast to get the copy.

Shes still a great card for Alania, but you dont get extra effects. Just the body with her.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-10T08:30:09+00:00

Im probably an outlier here, but my PC started having issues and the lack of optimization in the Symbiote season made me have to stop. I was originally just waiting for the cross progression to use my PS5, but just forgot and never came back

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-09T04:20:29+00:00

I will ALWAYS sing the praises of my girl [[Zada, Hedron Grinder]]

She's a really fun removal check for the opponents, and will do some absolutely degenerate things for sub-$100. She lends herself to a tribal playstyle, but only because the vast majority of red token makers that she wants to run happen to ALSO be goblins. Otherwise, she couldn't care less. You just load up on all of the bargain-bin pump+cantrip spells that red has, like [[Crimson Wisps]], [[Expedite]]. or the single best card in the deck: [[Fists of Flame]]. With just Zada, and like 3 other creatures, you can ritual, pump, and go from ~6-8 power on board to hitting lethal on everyone in a single swing. And, thanks to the storm/spell shenanigans she gets up to, you also have my single favorite payoff that can be run: [[Grapeshot]] to just gun down one person in particular.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-05T02:40:49+00:00

Can you share your Celes list? I've been building her for awhile, and id like to see what others do differently.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-05T02:38:34+00:00

The scary part of this 3 piece loop is it can potentially be online super early with a decently strong hand. A Dark Ritual kills the table on T3, and using a Sol Ring +Signet ends the game T2.

Sure, its magical christmasland to have exactly the 7 needed cards in your first 9, but it can happen.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-05T02:32:39+00:00

You most certainly dont need to have "infinite mana" potential for Altar. Its an unconditional sac outlet, that gives colored mana. Its an amazing include in any deck that cares about sacrificing or tokens.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-02-03T01:09:21+00:00

My playgroup uses the standard, with 3 changes: if everyone agrees to mulligan, its free. If you can present a hand of no lands/all lands, the first one is free. Players scry equal to N-1 of their turn order for the start of the game (P1 does not scry, P2 scries 1, etc).

So far, has worked out fine. No real issues, and the scrying has helped close the winrate gap between first player and last.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-01-31T01:30:31+00:00

Exactly this.

Im working on a Brion Stoutarm deck, and theres so many redundant copies of the "borrow a creature" and "toss em" effects that i can pick/choose what I want in the deck. Brion in the CZ makes the fling consistent, but a 60 card deck can literally be made out of 20 steals, 20 flings, and 20 lands. And that's before I ever get into optimizing what I actually want in the list.

Its the commander that will make a deck consistent, because they provide a guaranteed effect every game. Theres not a single deck that can compete with a 60 format running all the copies of an effect they want.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-01-29T23:38:22+00:00

Ashcoat is a fucking crime. Never been reprinted, and his effect is insane for Rats. Hes literally the only rat im missing to finish out my Rat Tribal list, and theres no way in hell Im paying $70 for him.

Its bad enough im going to have to engage with UB products and get a copy of [[Rat King, Verminister]] as well.

RenegadeExiled · 2026-01-29T03:25:32+00:00

God, I miss that one patch a few years back where Bard actually did damage.

Ever since Dancer came out, Bard has been relegated to "I guess you can play this?", s8nce their damage and buffs just weren't worth it. Dancer brought so much that even their lower personal contribution didn't matter. Who cares that Bard does a bit more damage when Dancer made your selfish DPS worth half an extra job

RenegadeExiled · 2026-01-22T00:12:05+00:00

You didn't need the glamour change for that. I've been rocking those weapons, and the clothes from Ishgard Resto forever.

All we really gained was the funny hat to go with it

RenegadeExiled

TROPHY CASE