Help me make a ballin' competitive control deck f. Sharuum as general.

[Evenpence]

I started playing EDH maybe two months ago and knew I didn't want to touch green or red.  I started making a UWb control deck using Sen Triplets and eventually shifted to Sharuum.  After playing for a week or two with a decent deck, I wanted to make it more competitive to push the limits of what my playgroup would allow.  I owe a large amount of these card choices to Demars' thread on his Sharuum control build.  I would not be playing many cards (Invincible Hymn, for instance) had it not been for that thread.  I am in debt.

1 General
1 Sharuum the Hegemon / Sen Triplets

I sometimes play Sen Triplets instead of Sharuum with this deck.  I've had to play Sen Triplets instead of Sharuum because a local runs a Sharuum deck that is artifact-creature/bounce-heavy.  A lot of the synnergy is lost, but I can play stuff from the Sharuum player's hand, which kind of makes up for it, I suppose.  I still build entirely with Sharuum in mind.

13 Artifacts (yep, only 13)
7 Mana Artifacts
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Gilded Lotus
1 Coalition Relic
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Solemn Simulacrum (I took this guy out for a while because I'm retarded, don't cut this guy)

0 Talisman of Progress (I took this out for Darksteel Ingot, primarily for the indestructibility.  Having the extra mana after Disk or Stone has served me pretty well, the extra mana cost has never been a problem.)

6 Non-Mana Artifacts
1 Expedition Map
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Nevinyrral's Disk
1 Oblivion Stone
1 Sensei's Diving Top
1 Mindslaver

0 Forcefield  (I added this card because I figured it would dissuade enemies from attacking me - the opposite was true.  Apparently the guy with the forcefield is dangerous.  It requires a fair amount of mana to keep working when you're playing in 4+ player games, and does little to nothing vs. swarm/token decks.)
0 Mind's Eye  (When this card works, it's fantastic, but five mana + activations is a little pricey, and this card makes me a giant target in multi-player games.)

31 Blue
15 Counterspells (15 is about as low as I can reasonably go, I am much more comfortable with 17-18)
1 Force of Will
1 Misdirection (this is cuttable if no one in your meta uses a lot of spells with targets)
1 Pact of Negation
1 Mana Drain
1 Counterspell
1 Remand
1 Negate
1 Forbid
1 Hinder
1 Exclude
1 Cryptic Command
1 Dismiss
1 Desertion
1 Spelljack (testing this out over Mindbreak Trap/Swift Silence, I have high hopes)
1 Overwhelming Intellect

0 Rewind (Rewind was actually very good for me and will use it as my 15th counterspell if Spelljack doesn't work out)
0 Dissipate (16th counterspell)
0 Swift Silence (17th counterspell)
0 Mindbreak Trap (18th counterspell, I have only cast this card for 0 once or twice, I tested Swift Silence in it's place and was also unimpressed with only drawing one card 75%+ of the time for a five mana spell even though it was better than MBT, I'm now testing Spelljack)
0 Spell Burst (I'd rather draw cards and discard them to Forbid if I want a counterspell that goes the distance, although this would probably be my 19th counterspell)
0 Commandeer (it's noncreature, I have no desire to run this even thought you might go broken with a planeswalker)

7 Draw
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Deep Analysis (this card has been bonkers good for me)
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Brainstorm
1 Frantic Search (cuttable for Ponder or some other cool spell you like, I personally like sifting through my cards and potentially filtering or generating mana, it also pitches good artifacts for Sharuum, so I like it a lot)
1 Tidings (cuttable for another draw spell, if you have a lot of counterspells and aren't afraid of being misdirected, Opportunity might be slightly better)
1 Mind Spring (this card is very hit or miss for me, it's mostly hit, but if some other draw comes along that is better, I'll easily cut this for it)

0 Ponder (the effect isn't that great, and it's pretty bad if you have a SDT out)
0 See Beyond (seems fine, just no room for it)
0 Rhystic Study (I would much rather play Mind's Eye, and that's not currently making the cut for me)

3 Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Mystical Teachings (I can see myself cutting this someday)

0 Fabricate (I haven't tested Fabricate out, but I'm not sure I ever will.  A three mana tutor for Mindslaver, Disk or Crucible [I can't imagine getting anything else] isn't anything special.)

2 Bounce
1 Capsize (one of my only ways to deal with plainswalkers)
1 Repeal (this is easily cuttable, I just like the extra bounce -- you can also play Repulse over this, I personally tend to have problems with artifacts/enchantments more, however)

4 Busted Effects
1 Treachery
1 Bribery (I'm not entirely sure this card will stay in much longer.  It's a crazy good effect in multi-player, but depends a lot on your opponent's deck in duels, and is a 3UU sorcery, which doesn't net you +3 card advantage).
1 Temporal Manipulation
1 Capture of Jingzhou

0 Time Warp/Stretch (I don't play them because they're misdirectable, but I am VERY pleased with the time walk effects and would probably run both if I weren't afraid of just losing to a misdirection -- if I played 18-20 counterspells I would probably run Time Stretch but not Time Warp)
0 Planeswalkers (Jace 2.0, Elspeth, and Gideon are all fine choices.  I can see myself running Jace because if he hits the board he has the potential to net you a card in brainstorming twice.  His bounce effect is also decent.  I'm much less keen on Elspeth or Gideon, although if you aren't being attacked that often in your playgroup, they're fine.  I'd probably run all three if all I did was duel, also.  Sorin isn't even close to worth running just because of BBB mana cost)

6 Black
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Imperial Seal

1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Skeletal Scrying (this card is insane in EDH, casting it for 3 or more right before my turn is ridiculous)
1 The Abyss

I'm thinking about running a Grim Tutor and possibly even a Diabolic Tutor.  Tutor effects are absolutely bonkers in this deck, Grim Tutor might be better than Imperial Seal in this deck atm.  Will probably be cutting Ray of Distortion or Repeal and testing Grim Tutor soon.

0 Necropotence (I've toyed around with the idea of running a random Necropotence, but I doubt I'd get the BBB to cast it)
0 Night's Whisper (seems fine, just no room for it, I'd rather have more answers than a dinky draw spell, even early game)

11 White
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Wrath of God
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Catastrophe (random late game Armaggedon wins infinite games)
1 Moat

1 Dismantling Blow
1 Dispeller's Capsule (testing this out, I expect it to be amazing)
1 Ray of Distortion (trying this out, will update with results in a few days)

1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Invincible Hymn

0 Condemn (I'd rather play another counterspell over it, there's not enough room for it, great card otherwise)
0 Wing Shards (this was one of the first cards I cut and haven't had any desire to go back -- I'd much rather play Condemn if I wanted a way to kill attacking creatures)
0 Beacon of Immortality (I think Invincible Hymn is superior, but am willing to test BoI again -- I like BoI much more if I am running 18+ counterspells)

2 Multi-Colored
1 Vindicate
1 Magister Sphinx

36 Lands
12 Dualish Lands
1 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
1 Savannah
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Watery Grave
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Drowned Catacomb (I'd cut this for a basic if Blood Moon were more played around here)
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Dimir Aquaduct
1 Mystic Gate
1 Sunken Ruins (I'd cut this for a basic if Blood Moon were more played around here)
1 Nimbus Maze (I'd cut this for a basic if Blood Moon were more played around here)

5 Fetches
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Marsh Flats

I tested an additional white fetch for a while and was generally pretty pleased with it.  I cut it because I wasn't running into as many white mana problems as I originally thought I was going to.  I'm not sure I even need marsh flats, but enjoy crucible/fetch recursion and have achieved it with only Marsh Flats a few times, so I think five fetches is probably the right number.

9 Busted Lands
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Mishra's Workshop (accelerates Mindslaver Lock and can cast Sharuum, what's not to love?)
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Academy Ruins
1 Tolaria West
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (dominates w/ Maze of Ith, Tabernacle, and/or Mishra's Workshop -- it can also legend strip somebody else if the opportunity arises, I never need double black on a non-yawgwill turn)

10 Basics
7 Islands
2 Plains
1 Swamp

0 Maze of Ith (I like Maze a lot and might play it over something soon, I took out Forcefield just recently, so I might need something else to dissaude early game ridiculousness, and works really well with Expedition Map / Tolaria West)
0 Ruins of Trokair (being able to fetch out the 2nd basic plains is more valuable, and I'm not going to cut an island or another nonbasic for it)
0 Manlands (no desire to play these things)

Recap:

Stuff I'd like to run (in order of best to least), but am out of room for now:
Grim Tutor
Maze of Ith
Jace 2.0
Rewind
Mind's Eye
Condemn
Swift Silence
Diabolic Tutor
Repulse
Mindbreak Trap
Forcefield
Ponder
Beacon of Immortality
Scroll Rack?  (see below)

Stuff I'm running which might be cut eventually:
Repeal
Ray of Distortion
Bribery
Spelljack
Mystical Teachings
Tidings
Mind Spring
Dispeller's Capsule

Some ending thoughts / requests:
I find myself wanting draw throughout every point of the game.  I rarely eschew draw spells and find myself tutoring for them pretty often.  I'd like to play more draw spells, but don't know of many other exceptional ones other than Jace 2.0 that I'm not currently running.

I have a relatively high land count (for most EDH decks anyway), but need to make those land drops.  Crucible-fetch recursion is excellent in this deck.  I find myself having a full grip in the mid-late game, but often times, many of those cards will be lands.  Scroll Rack might be an option there.  If anyone has a better suggestion, that'd be awesome.

The Abyss and Moat are basically must-haves in multi-player.  Aside Teferi's Moat, which is not good enough to see play, does anyone know of any other anti-creature enchantments which are absolutely brutal? (I've considered Propaganda, but I don't think it's good enough on its own to replace another card).

My record is something like 40-2 in duels (both losses to Zur decks) and 20-1 in multiplayer (lost due to a ridiculous game of damping matrix + blood moon + warp world with me drawing no counterspells and the warp world being unbelievably brutal *frown*).

And yeah, I can't spell.

What do you guys think about my card choices?  Anything that you would think is risky, or questionable?  Am I missing any insane cards that I should be running (draw, enchantments, artifacts, permanent removal)?

[Killane]

Scourglass is a beating with Sharuum - recurrable wrath that doesn't hit the vast majority of your stuff is nasty.

it seems to me the 3 dualish land you mentioned to cut for basics if blood moon was around woudl do better as fetchlands  to go with the crucible recursion element - the extra damage won't make a huge difference and you obviously grasp how good recurring them with crucible can be. the fetch is certainly better on turn 1.

You've got to run Rewind. that card is sick.

[Evenpence]

Scourglass is a beating with Sharuum - recurrable wrath that doesn't hit the vast majority of your stuff is nasty.

it seems to me the 3 dualish land you mentioned to cut for basics if blood moon was around woudl do better as fetchlands  to go with the crucible recursion element - the extra damage won't make a huge difference and you obviously grasp how good recurring them with crucible can be. the fetch is certainly better on turn 1.

You've got to run Rewind. that card is sick.

I do like Scourglass, but I think the number of mass removal effects I'm running right now does the trick.  While the card would also deal with planeswalkers, it would destroy my moat and abyss.  Disk already does this, and I don't know if I'd feel comfortable taking something else out for a 2nd effect that kills my two best cards.  I do agree with you that it's pretty sick, though.  EDIT:  If Scourglass didn't have that damn upkeep clause, I would cut Disk for it in a second.

I would run the three additional fetchlands if they could get islands.  I'm dropping nonbasics for nonbasics no matter how you look at it once my 2 plains and swamp are on the table, so dropping 3 "duals" for 3 fetches isn't a huge deal.  I haven't been screwed over on having a Crucible out but not a fetch -- if I do get to that point, I might swap in the extra white fetch.

Rewind is my favorite counterspell I'm not current playing.  Right now, I'm thinking about cutting:

Repeal
Ray of Distortion
Bribery

For:

Grim Tutor
Maze of Ith
Jace 2.0

I'd need to cut something else to run Rewind, which is next on my list for stuff I want to play.  I think Mystical Teachings is still probably better than Rewind, so I'd be looking at cutting a draw spell (which I'm not going to do atm) or a mana source.  I could maybe cut a mana source for Rewind.  I'll look into that, thanks for the suggestion.

[zimagic]

0 Rhystic Study (I would much rather play Mind's Eye, and that's not currently making the cut for me)

[snip]

Some ending thoughts / requests:
I find myself wanting draw throughout every point of the game.  I rarely eschew draw spells and find myself tutoring for them pretty often.  I'd like to play more draw spells, but don't know of many other exceptional ones other than Jace 2.0 that I'm not currently running.

There's a couple of things wrong with this:
1.) Rhystic Study is the best draw per mana investment blue card, bar none, in multiplayer. If Ancestral Recall were legal, this would still hold true. That's a pretty ballsey statement but you won't see how true it is until you've counted the number of cards you draw with this along a significant enough time line and do the math.
2.) You're comparing it to Mind's Eye, a more expensive card which requires you keep mana open to use. Sure, Mind's Eye will get you some return but while you're doing that, you're not doing other stuff with your mana. Rhystic Study just sits there netting you cards or slowing your opponents down. Study also comes down earlier to net cards off your opponents' development while you're free to just draw and play. At some point opponents will have to decide between letting you draw and doing stuff and you'll just sit there and profit.
3.) You're not playing a mana denial strategy but I think you can see how easily you could and how much of a beating Study would be with that.
4.) While they are killing your Study, they aren't killing any important artifacts. Sure, you make their enchantment-only removal more relevant but generally EDH cares a little more about cards being able to do multiple things so the spell that kills your Study more than likely could have been used to kill another key permanent that will now survive a little longer.

1 Bribery (I'm not entirely sure this card will stay in much longer.  It's a crazy good effect in multi-player, but depends a lot on your opponent's deck in duels, and is a 3UU sorcery, which doesn't net you +3 card advantage).

I suppose this depends on your Duels but it's an effect you'd rather have than not have. Putting someone's DSC, Eldrazi, Terastadon, Iona, Akroma, Magister Sphinx or whatever into play on turn 2-3 (given your accelleration, that's pretty do-able) has probably just won you the game.

This is considered by a lot of people to be one of the most unfair effects in a single card in the game. EDH wants you to play big and Bribery kicks you in the teeth for doing that.

[Evenpence]

0 Rhystic Study (I would much rather play Mind's Eye, and that's not currently making the cut for me)

[snip]

Some ending thoughts / requests:
I find myself wanting draw throughout every point of the game.  I rarely eschew draw spells and find myself tutoring for them pretty often.  I'd like to play more draw spells, but don't know of many other exceptional ones other than Jace 2.0 that I'm not currently running.

There's a couple of things wrong with this:
1.) Rhystic Study is the best draw per mana investment blue card, bar none, in multiplayer. If Ancestral Recall were legal, this would still hold true. That's a pretty ballsey statement but you won't see how true it is until you've counted the number of cards you draw with this along a significant enough time line and do the math.
2.) You're comparing it to Mind's Eye, a more expensive card which requires you keep mana open to use. Sure, Mind's Eye will get you some return but while you're doing that, you're not doing other stuff with your mana. Rhystic Study just sits there netting you cards or slowing your opponents down. Study also comes down earlier to net cards off your opponents' development while you're free to just draw and play. At some point opponents will have to decide between letting you draw and doing stuff and you'll just sit there and profit.
3.) You're not playing a mana denial strategy but I think you can see how easily you could and how much of a beating Study would be with that.
4.) While they are killing your Study, they aren't killing any important artifacts. Sure, you make their enchantment-only removal more relevant but generally EDH cares a little more about cards being able to do multiple things so the spell that kills your Study more than likely could have been used to kill another key permanent that will now survive a little longer.

1 Bribery (I'm not entirely sure this card will stay in much longer.  It's a crazy good effect in multi-player, but depends a lot on your opponent's deck in duels, and is a 3UU sorcery, which doesn't net you +3 card advantage).

I suppose this depends on your Duels but it's an effect you'd rather have than not have. Putting someone's DSC, Eldrazi, Terastadon, Iona, Akroma, Magister Sphinx or whatever into play on turn 2-3 (given your accelleration, that's pretty do-able) has probably just won you the game.

This is considered by a lot of people to be one of the most unfair effects in a single card in the game. EDH wants you to play big and Bribery kicks you in the teeth for doing that.

Our playgroups are probably a good bit different.

I would certainly rather play Mind's Eye over Rhystic Study -- I can't get Rhystic Study back with Sharuum/Academy Ruins and surefire 1:1 mana:card ratio is ballin'.  I've played Rhystic Study in the past, my opponents have just played around it and/or attacked me because I have an annoyance to them.  Mind's Eye is less of an annoyance/threat (since I have to pay the mana and that leaves them ininhibited).  They're completely different cards/strategies, and Mind's Eye has proven superior time after time with my playgroup.

A mana denial strategy?  O.o  Yeah, I don't really want to be attacked by the four other people at my table from turn 1 if they think I'm going to screw with their mana.  Moreover, I don't see how I could "easily" run a mana denial strategy in multi-player with my deck as is.

Your fourth point can hold weight for Mind's Eye just as easily (while they're killing that they're not killing any important artifacts), but by that statement (and in addition to the mana denial statement?), you might misunderstand the deck.  I usually don't have many permanents other than lands on the table ever.  I usually sit back and draw cards until I get enough mana to go broken.  I'm usually playing wrath effects and gumming up creatures so I don't die, then winning via Sharrum into Magister Sphinx or Mindslaver tricks.

[FlyFlySideOfFry]

I would certainly run Dreamstone Hedron:

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193501

Mana to dump my hand then draw tons of cards with Sharuum? Yes please.

Also where is Tinker? Too busted for your play group? :S (pfft Fabricate ew)

I would also consider Inkwell Leviathan if you ever start having problems ending the game. (which you currently don't seem to be having problems doing XD)

Time Stop is another Time Walk that can't be Misdirected even though your opponent gets to untap, but it can also double as a counterspell so... :O

Last Word is sweet since you seem afraid of Misdirection I'd say your playgroup is blue-heavy. Sometimes you just need to say "NO MEANS NO".

Complicate is another counter to watch out for if your playgroup likes tapping out. :O

Speaking of cycling Decree of Silence is more or less uncounterable or a really nice lock bomb if you drop it.

Dissipate is similar to Hinder except good against non-generals.

Dromar's/Esper Charms are good flex slots.

Overrule if you find yourself going into the red zone alot.

And finally Wizard Replica if you want a counterspell that Sharuum can fetch (even though it kind of sucks)

Also if you face swarm decks Engineered Explosives is total hot sauce especially with the mass recursion you have. Its like Maze of Ith on crack against weenie/swarm decks and you can tutor for it a hell of a lot easier. :O

Just some ideas that you don't seem to need with that really impressive record. XD

[Evenpence]

Thanks for all the ideas!  A few notes:

I would certainly run Dreamstone Hedron:

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=193501

Mana to dump my hand then draw tons of cards with Sharuum? Yes please.

I'll think about it, I dunno what I would cut for it, but it doesn't seem like a bad idea.  The extra mana can be really useful occasionally.

Also where is Tinker? Too busted for your play group? :S (pfft Fabricate ew)

It's banned in EDH.  http://99edhproblems.com/edh-banned-list/

I would also consider Inkwell Leviathan if you ever start having problems ending the game. (which you currently don't seem to be having problems doing XD)

Magister Sphinx is my win condition artifact atm.

Time Stop is another Time Walk that can't be Misdirected even though your opponent gets to untap, but it can also double as a counterspell so... :O

It would be fine in duels, but I'm trying to build for multiplayer and duels -- in multiplayer it's just an expensive counterspell most of the time.

Last Word is sweet since you seem afraid of Misdirection I'd say your playgroup is blue-heavy. Sometimes you just need to say "NO MEANS NO".

 

Swift Silence / Dissipate / Rewind are better imo. 

Complicate is another counter to watch out for if your playgroup likes tapping out. :O

Same thing w/ Last Word, there's just better stuff to run.    It is a good situational counterspell that I might run in my mono-blue azami deck though (ty).

Speaking of cycling Decree of Silence is more or less uncounterable or a really nice lock bomb if you drop it.

I want to run as few creatures as possible, otherwise I would probably include it.

Dissipate is similar to Hinder except good against non-generals.

Right, it's just on the fringe.  Very good counterspell, just don't have the room for it.

Dromar's/Esper Charms are good flex slots.

I've tried both, haven't been impressed with either unfortunately.  Esper charm is better imo.

Overrule if you find yourself going into the red zone alot.

I do find myself going into the red zone often, but I usually just tutor up Invincible Hymn.  I guess this card is worth considering though.

And finally Wizard Replica if you want a counterspell that Sharuum can fetch (even though it kind of sucks)

I love the out of the box thinking with this one, but yeah, probably won't make the cut. 

Also if you face swarm decks Engineered Explosives is total hot sauce especially with the mass recursion you have. Its like Maze of Ith on crack against weenie/swarm decks and you can tutor for it a hell of a lot easier. :O

Tabernacle is usually all I need vs. swarm decks -- the wraths hit them just as hard as everyone else. 

Just some ideas that you don't seem to need with that really impressive record. XD

Thanks for them.  I think Hedron is definitely worth considering, since I've included capsize recently I've found myself just wanting to get max mana asap, the draw effect is probably very valuable in multiplayer as well.  Thanks.

[M.Solymossy]

[DubDub]

Absorb

Undermine

You forgot one:

[Evenpence]

I lol'd @ Punish Ignorance in a good way. 

If Dissipate isn't making the cut, Absorb and Undermine are right out.

I've recently taken the deck in a more combo-ish direction just to test it out.  I've added Memnarch, Dreamstone Hedron, and Tawnos's Coffin among other things.  I'll give everyone a list if anyone is curious.

I'm down to 13 counterspells.  I am way too low atm and will be going up shortly.  The combo stuff is working really well though, definitely makes the deck seem more consistent, just at the expense of letting everyone else do what they want.  I cut Catastrophe which I'm actually happy with now that I'm running high-mana requirement stuff like Memnarch and Capsize.

[DubDub]

I liked Voyager Staff in Sharuum, since it makes her decently hard to kill.  I had other things to use it on occasionally though, especially Duplicant.

[Evenpence]

I liked Voyager Staff in Sharuum, since it makes her decently hard to kill.  I had other things to use it on occasionally though, especially Duplicant.

Unless I'm misunderstanding Tawnos's Coffin, I'm pretty sure T.C. does the same thing as Voyager Staff just better.  Recurring an artifact from your yard every turn (and turning Mindslaver Lock from 12 mana with no draw into 7 mana with a draw) seems good.

Plus, it can remove some other problematic creature on its own.

[DubDub]

T.C. is probably better and more synergistic with your deck, I guess the only thing staff has going for it is that it's significantly cheaper (only slightly cheaper to activate).

[Philatio]

0 Rhystic Study (I would much rather play Mind's Eye, and that's not currently making the cut for me)

[snip]

Some ending thoughts / requests:
I find myself wanting draw throughout every point of the game.  I rarely eschew draw spells and find myself tutoring for them pretty often.  I'd like to play more draw spells, but don't know of many other exceptional ones other than Jace 2.0 that I'm not currently running.

[snip]
1.) Rhystic Study is the best draw per mana investment blue card, bar none, in multiplayer. If Ancestral Recall were legal, this would still hold true. That's a pretty ballsey statement but you won't see how true it

I would concur for mono-blue, but considering the colors available in this deck, I would rank "evil sygg" above this.  He truly is stoopid.