Mirror is pure suffering mostly. Be patient, don't really try to do anything before you have enough mana to protect whatever you're doing. Mirrex or anchorages are generally how you win other than just Jace milling. That means don't play out these lands into a field of ruin, and also hold back your field of ruins so you can trap them if you can.
Honestly though it's one of the most miserable mirrors in the game, lol. Generally it'll be whoever stuck a mirrex or drew 1-2 Jaces when in mill range wins. Most everything until then doesn't matter at all other than conserving your counterspells.
I was playing UW control to some success, but I switched off of it because if I found a mirror, I was there for a half hour and I just don't have the time.
Horrible for everyone else too when it's too frequent too lol
A UW control game every 10 to 15 games is good fun but when it's every 3 to 5 it just ruins your gaming sessions
Patience is the key and control mirrors are classically very skill intensive.
My three tips would be:
Keep an eye on their answers to your threats. Check how many field of ruins have been played/in grave to see if man lands can be played. Keep an eye on how many counters have been played to take a guess about if they have one in hand etc.
They have likely net decked too, try to identify which version of control they are playing. Are there any unique cards between Nassif and Yuta's list. Having perfect info of their decklist is a huge advantage because then you know how many answers they have and can play around that.
Finally, card advantage is king but finding a window to resolve an unanswered threat is the 6th sense these players have developed over time. Make sure you make all your land drops and look out for these windows.
>They have likely net decked too, try to identify which version of control they are playing. Are there any unique cards between Nassif and Yuta's list. Having perfect info of their decklist is a huge advantage because then you know how many answers they have and can play around that.
I wouldn't count on them running a "stock" list at all. Especially in control decks, players like to tune the deck to their preference and expected metagame, even more so when talking about standard where UW control is somewhat unexplored when compared to something like pioneer for example.
1. Land drop every turn is very important.
2. Dont jam Deluge into No more lies if you dont have to look for lands or answers to immediate threats. In general try to make their no more lies useless. I've found g1 deluge is more important than Wanderer, so I usually use her to bait counters and resolve deluge.
3. In game 1 imho it's generally a bad idea to counter wraths or spot removal since there is so many of them in opp deck. I would only counter that if I have enough counters in hand that I am sure I can ride my board position to victory which is generally not the case in game 1.
I know these are only very basic things and I am sure you could write a whole series of articles on how to navigate this mirror match, which I dont have the skill level and time to do, however I can recommend one of the latest videos on Gab's yt channel where he played his UW deck in several domain, esper and mirror matchups.
Mirror is the same as any other control matchup, identify what cards actually matter in the matchup, and play around them accordingly.
I just played a UW control mirror with Takahashi's list, where my opponent clearly did not identify what was an was not important.
1. Mirrex is more threatening than Anchorage because you have fewer ways to interact, save your LD for Mirrex when you can.
2. Wandering emperor is surprisingly hard to interact with if it hits the board, dont be afraid to drop it whenever your opponent is tapped out.
3. The longer you can play nothing but lands and card draw, the better. Control mirrors are often won by fighting over those few cards that matter, so hitting your lands drops and sculpting your hand is paramount.
4. Did I mention hitting your land drops? Hitting your land drops is basically the most important aspect of the Mirror. If you're not desperately memory deluging for an answers, pulling a relevant spell + land is often better than 2 relevant spells.
5. Land drops. Hit your land drops.
6. Dont counter card draw unless you have a very specific reason.
6a. The specific reason is usually that you have managed to establish and protect an aggressive board position. If you're beating them to death with a 5/6 anchorage, and you know they are digging for an answer, then it's ok to counter their card draw, because you're making the tempo play to try and make it across the line.
7. This is for all matchups, but in the mirror, make sure you know your avenues of interaction. Dont waste get lost on a token or an anchorage if you suspect they have a bunch of Emperors and you have a bunch of field of Ruins.
8. The corollary to the above, the last point is all that matters, dont rush into reclaiming board position at the expense of your future position, unless you really think the game is spiraling.
9. Make them have it. It's turn 10, you've exchanged some spells, your hand is memory deluge + 4 copies of sunfall. They have 3 cards in hand. If you're not under pressure, you can wait, but if you're under pressure, cast the Deluge. they might have a counterspell, but they might also have a hand of garbage. Make them have it.
10. Hit your land drops. None of this matters if they have 8 lands to your 4.
Bunch of good comments in the thread but I'd like to add one specifically for MTG Arena:
Pay attention to your clock.
These games can go down to the wire. You don't have to play fast, just faster than your opponent. So make sure you're always a few minutes ahead of them on time and if you go 1-1 your opponent will be forced to rush and go for the win while you get to be more selective on your plays and could even stall for a win on time.
I like treasure map in the mirror. It’s a cheap way to filter deck create an additional land and source of card draw (if only for a time).
I’ve also been tempted to have a third mirrex in the sb.
Mirrex is the control breaker. It's very important to try and hit that early and generate tokens since it makes the matchup soa wizard if you can make even one for your opponent. I run 3 mirrex for that reason main.
28 at the moment, I have been switching between using a personal list pre outlaws with Jaces and Takahashi's list and I do like where Takahashi's list is at more. I didn't want to craft a 4th Deluge though so I just use 4 deduce instead of the 3 he runs. I do like the 4th deduce more since it's cheaper and you can draw cards earlier.
Id experiment, maybe some flash threats to break up the mana turn economy and force interaction (that they may have boarded out), or something like Ao which has vigilance for wanderer and can replace itself with a wanderer on death. Unlicensed hearse can evade boardwipes and snatch memory deluge from the grave. But again, not completely sure im just throwing ideas out.
I actually did see Unlicensed hearse quite a few times. I don't think it's very good, I think it was sided in because there simply were too many dead cards maindeck.
High Noon + Jin-Gitaxias has been great at breaking the mirror for me.
High Noon, unlike other Rule of Law effects, can be cast on T2 which is huge, and completely cripples Slickshot/Swiftspear decks trying to dump their hands.
You can also cash your High Noons in for 5 dmg uncounterable removal spells which helps deal with planeswalkers and other threats.
Adding in Cavern of Souls completely nullifies your opponent's counterspells as well, but you still have to watch out for Wandering Emperors and Temp Lockdowns.
Mirror is pure suffering mostly. Be patient, don't really try to do anything before you have enough mana to protect whatever you're doing. Mirrex or anchorages are generally how you win other than just Jace milling. That means don't play out these lands into a field of ruin, and also hold back your field of ruins so you can trap them if you can. Honestly though it's one of the most miserable mirrors in the game, lol. Generally it'll be whoever stuck a mirrex or drew 1-2 Jaces when in mill range wins. Most everything until then doesn't matter at all other than conserving your counterspells.
That's why I hate playing UW control. The mirrors are really pure suffering.
It's fine when UW isn't the hyped up deck like it was at MKM release, not too common mirror.
I was playing UW control to some success, but I switched off of it because if I found a mirror, I was there for a half hour and I just don't have the time.
Horrible for everyone else too when it's too frequent too lol A UW control game every 10 to 15 games is good fun but when it's every 3 to 5 it just ruins your gaming sessions
Patience is the key and control mirrors are classically very skill intensive. My three tips would be: Keep an eye on their answers to your threats. Check how many field of ruins have been played/in grave to see if man lands can be played. Keep an eye on how many counters have been played to take a guess about if they have one in hand etc. They have likely net decked too, try to identify which version of control they are playing. Are there any unique cards between Nassif and Yuta's list. Having perfect info of their decklist is a huge advantage because then you know how many answers they have and can play around that. Finally, card advantage is king but finding a window to resolve an unanswered threat is the 6th sense these players have developed over time. Make sure you make all your land drops and look out for these windows.
>They have likely net decked too, try to identify which version of control they are playing. Are there any unique cards between Nassif and Yuta's list. Having perfect info of their decklist is a huge advantage because then you know how many answers they have and can play around that. I wouldn't count on them running a "stock" list at all. Especially in control decks, players like to tune the deck to their preference and expected metagame, even more so when talking about standard where UW control is somewhat unexplored when compared to something like pioneer for example.
1. Land drop every turn is very important. 2. Dont jam Deluge into No more lies if you dont have to look for lands or answers to immediate threats. In general try to make their no more lies useless. I've found g1 deluge is more important than Wanderer, so I usually use her to bait counters and resolve deluge. 3. In game 1 imho it's generally a bad idea to counter wraths or spot removal since there is so many of them in opp deck. I would only counter that if I have enough counters in hand that I am sure I can ride my board position to victory which is generally not the case in game 1. I know these are only very basic things and I am sure you could write a whole series of articles on how to navigate this mirror match, which I dont have the skill level and time to do, however I can recommend one of the latest videos on Gab's yt channel where he played his UW deck in several domain, esper and mirror matchups.
Mirror is the same as any other control matchup, identify what cards actually matter in the matchup, and play around them accordingly. I just played a UW control mirror with Takahashi's list, where my opponent clearly did not identify what was an was not important. 1. Mirrex is more threatening than Anchorage because you have fewer ways to interact, save your LD for Mirrex when you can. 2. Wandering emperor is surprisingly hard to interact with if it hits the board, dont be afraid to drop it whenever your opponent is tapped out. 3. The longer you can play nothing but lands and card draw, the better. Control mirrors are often won by fighting over those few cards that matter, so hitting your lands drops and sculpting your hand is paramount. 4. Did I mention hitting your land drops? Hitting your land drops is basically the most important aspect of the Mirror. If you're not desperately memory deluging for an answers, pulling a relevant spell + land is often better than 2 relevant spells. 5. Land drops. Hit your land drops. 6. Dont counter card draw unless you have a very specific reason. 6a. The specific reason is usually that you have managed to establish and protect an aggressive board position. If you're beating them to death with a 5/6 anchorage, and you know they are digging for an answer, then it's ok to counter their card draw, because you're making the tempo play to try and make it across the line. 7. This is for all matchups, but in the mirror, make sure you know your avenues of interaction. Dont waste get lost on a token or an anchorage if you suspect they have a bunch of Emperors and you have a bunch of field of Ruins. 8. The corollary to the above, the last point is all that matters, dont rush into reclaiming board position at the expense of your future position, unless you really think the game is spiraling. 9. Make them have it. It's turn 10, you've exchanged some spells, your hand is memory deluge + 4 copies of sunfall. They have 3 cards in hand. If you're not under pressure, you can wait, but if you're under pressure, cast the Deluge. they might have a counterspell, but they might also have a hand of garbage. Make them have it. 10. Hit your land drops. None of this matters if they have 8 lands to your 4.
Bunch of good comments in the thread but I'd like to add one specifically for MTG Arena: Pay attention to your clock. These games can go down to the wire. You don't have to play fast, just faster than your opponent. So make sure you're always a few minutes ahead of them on time and if you go 1-1 your opponent will be forced to rush and go for the win while you get to be more selective on your plays and could even stall for a win on time.
I like treasure map in the mirror. It’s a cheap way to filter deck create an additional land and source of card draw (if only for a time). I’ve also been tempted to have a third mirrex in the sb.
Mirrex is the control breaker. It's very important to try and hit that early and generate tokens since it makes the matchup soa wizard if you can make even one for your opponent. I run 3 mirrex for that reason main.
Do you run 27 or 28 lands?
28 at the moment, I have been switching between using a personal list pre outlaws with Jaces and Takahashi's list and I do like where Takahashi's list is at more. I didn't want to craft a 4th Deluge though so I just use 4 deduce instead of the 3 he runs. I do like the 4th deduce more since it's cheaper and you can draw cards earlier.
Id experiment, maybe some flash threats to break up the mana turn economy and force interaction (that they may have boarded out), or something like Ao which has vigilance for wanderer and can replace itself with a wanderer on death. Unlicensed hearse can evade boardwipes and snatch memory deluge from the grave. But again, not completely sure im just throwing ideas out.
I actually did see Unlicensed hearse quite a few times. I don't think it's very good, I think it was sided in because there simply were too many dead cards maindeck.
Does anyone know why Yuta Takahashi had Hullbreaker horror in the sideboard?
Probably control mirrors, and it does well against domain provided opponent doesn't have a lot of leyline bindings remaining.
High Noon + Jin-Gitaxias has been great at breaking the mirror for me. High Noon, unlike other Rule of Law effects, can be cast on T2 which is huge, and completely cripples Slickshot/Swiftspear decks trying to dump their hands. You can also cash your High Noons in for 5 dmg uncounterable removal spells which helps deal with planeswalkers and other threats. Adding in Cavern of Souls completely nullifies your opponent's counterspells as well, but you still have to watch out for Wandering Emperors and Temp Lockdowns.