Recently I’ve been looking for ways to abuse Academy Rect...

[Mizzithrandir]

Recently I’ve been looking for ways to abuse Academy Rector further.  Rather than use it for straight combo which seems to have been the trend in the past with decks like Rector Trix and Rectal Agony, I’ve decided to try out a control build.  I applied a Landstill approach because Standstill draws mad cards and manlands own.

This is what the deck is starting to look like:


Get The Enchantments
4 Academy Rector

The Enchantments
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1 Moat
1 Future Sight
1 Fastbond
4 Standstill

Draw / Search / Utility / Win
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Cunning Wish
1 Replenish
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Timewalk
1 Decree of Justice (cycles through standstill)

Control
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Stifle (leave my manlands alone)

Mana
4 Faerie Conclave
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Tundra
1 LoA
7 SoLoMoxen
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
4 Fetchlands


I’m currently working on the sideboard and input for it would be greatly appreciated.  


Though the traditional Type 1 rock / paper / scissors doctrine doesn’t completely apply anymore, aggro can still be rough on control.  The Rector destroys the aggro player by forcing him to attack into it, in which case you can fetch Moat or The Abyss.  Against control, you can basically play it like regular standstill that had the added drawing power of Bargain and Future Sight.  Only testing will tell how this deck fares against combo, but Dragon can be hated out.  Obviously several sideboard slots will be dedicated to the Workshop.dec matchup.

Feedback would be greatly appreciated including if you honestly think this is a bad idea that should be scrapped.

[Shadow-Walker]

Id consider running cabal therapy, whether you're using it for combo or control rector+therapy is sweet.

[Cedric]

I would swap the moat for an abyss...mishra's factory can't swing with a moat in play, and the abyss is just another way to kill off another rector

[Eddie]

This thing looks cool. But isn't 4 stifles a bit overkill? And a second decree might be a good idea. And as Cedric says: go for the abyss  ! Maybe crucible of worlds for recurring manlands?

Also, what do you have in your SB? Always nice to know if there are 2 cunning wishes in the deck.

[Binary]

Maybe I'm missing something here... but what do you do if your opponent isn't playing aggro and doesn't have to attack into your Rectors? You have no way of getting your own Rector out of play right now, so you're relying on the opponent to get rid of it for you, and they're not going to do that if they can help it.

Either of the aforementioned cards (Abyss and Cabal Therapy) will give you ways to do that.

[Josti]

Quote (Mizzithrandir @ Dec. 10 2003,04:09)4 Stifle (leave my manlands alone)

If the stifle's are only to protect your manland, than you can better play teferi's responce. it's less viable, but it's a good drawer and protector.

Josti

[Razvan]

Quote Recently I?ve been looking for ways to abuse Academy Rector further

Don't... it's taken too much abuse already... poor rector!

Seriously now.

Yes, replace the Moat. It kills half your kill conditions.

And remove Future Sight OR Yawgmoth's Bargain... although they are nice together, you rarely will go for either when the other one is in play.

And get Cabal Therapy. It rocks with the Rector.

And I am not sure you need to worry too much about Aggro. Instead, get ways in there to kill off the Rector, since you can't really do that now.

[Willforce]

i think that a rector keeper is a good way to play rector\control but this list is a bit too strange...some cards are not sinergical like moat \ mishra's

or 8 lands that dosen't gives the right mana or gives it too late..

i think that a decree of silence is more usefull than bargain.

and the rector needs therapy to work well,

so u can make an other deck with hand distruption, and manabase attack and decree as finisher i think it wold be more
competitive than this.

[Mizzithrandir]

First off, thanks for the replies guys.

Yeah good call on the abyss, I actually just forgot to put it in the decklist as evident by my allusions to it earlier in the post. Cabal therapy is also amazing with rector, I just need to rework the manabase and figure out what to cut.

Also I suppose its true that I would never choose future sight over bargain unless I was incredibly low on life so maybe I should cut it.

In regards to the stifles, they aren't just there to protect my manlands, they also serve a number of functions that have been listed by many people in many in several other posts.

[Arvid]

I'm working on a similar build so it would be of great interest to see your updated deck list!

Although, I think I will play it B/W with black control cards (discard and possibly land destruction) instead of the blue denial spells. This is just an embryo yet so I don't really know much about what good and not.

But I'm thinking of including Form of the Dragon, which both gives you the Moat-ability and a second win condition! What do you think?