Mono U for now needs help

[monSt4r]

Mono U build budget

Well how to start…let me say first that one no proxy tournament is coming and I don’t know what to play…I have a good amount of control cards but no power except recall (library and drains too).
So the thing is that maybe it’s smart to play the deck I played long time ago in some newer shape. I need all the advices I can get, even throwing extra colors (I can support all except green)…so let us start-I put up this list in 2 minutes so I really appreciate all kind of help. I don’t know what kind of metagame it will look like, but there won’t be a lot of power…maybe 1-2 fully powered decks but I think counters can go up against it…

Counter wall:
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
4x Counterspell

It’s a normal setup except 4x counterspell instead of Mana Leak…it’s fully normal cause I don’t have power so there is nothing that makes me support mana leak. Maybe Misdirection ?

Support:
4x Powder Keg
3x Vedalken Shackles
1x Rushing River

Really I don’t know if chalice is ok for this metagame (maybe 4x mishra’s factories instead), but I’m sure that rushing river can help in a lot of matchups as well as powder keg. Well let’s move on cause this is just a rough scatch of the deck.


Kill:
2x Morphling
1x Tinker
1x Darksteel Colossus
4x Ophidian

Well the new thing is that I want to put Colossus into no mox deck…maybe it wont be hard with all artifact support and 11/11 body can help a lot. Maybe even put 1 morphling out to free one spot. Ophidian’s are old timers that are very cool.


Draw/tutor:
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Mystical Tutor
4x Impulse
3x Thirst for Knowledge

Why thirst…well I don’t play brainstorm is one of the reasons, but the main reason is a nice draw effect at instant speed. Maybe brainstorms can be kicked in somehow?


Mana:
1x Library of Alexandria
1x Sol Ring
15x Islands
4x Flooded Strand
1x Polluted Delta

Do I really need fetches ? no brainstorms but thinning the deck is nice…


Well that’s a short note on the deck…all advices are helpful and would be appreciated.


EDIT : I forgot to mention anything about SB...well Control Magic, Tormod's Crypt, Back to Basics, Rushing River, Energy fluxes...propaganda...psionic blast (old favourite  )...Maybe with red splash I can get stronger play while still perserving optimal land situoation...well that's why I'm asking for help actually-dig in

[Lajiskin]

hi, dude!
If I were you, I'd definitely play 4cc instead of monoU. It is more versatile. You'll be having a hard time beating FCG and other aggro decks, which will dominate the tournament you'll be attending. There'll be some random combo decks, at least one oath(), a stax and very likely your mirror. The combo player doesn't have any chance against you after you lock him with COTV for 1. The other potential threats you can simply counter. This is why you don't like playing brainstorm, having suddenly 4 dead cards in your deck. But this is wrong! Brainstorm is so much better than impulse, and you are running 5 fetchlands as well.
I think Red is a fine addition to your deck. You get cards like REB, Fire/Ice(to burn those goblin evil pesky "thingies" called Goblin Welder), R'n'R, Lava Dart(to burn them some more) etc.
IMHO the Powder Kegs are too slow.Engineered Explosives are much better when playing some splashed color.
And maybe another thing you should consider: Adding black instead of red. The most played deck will be FCG(according to my dark servants and lackeys), so having Engineered Plague is game winning not only in this matchup, but against oath as well. You would have access to 2 tutors,duress, y.will(very nice after a good drain), etc etc.....
I'm only suggesting, you are the one to make the call! Remember, most decks in the metagame are going to be aggro!
The Kegs are not bad in this case hence they are likely going to sweep the aggro players' board.
Try to add wastelands, believe me, they are necessary.
And to finish with a good players quote(DadoTM):" I wish there was more bounce in the format!"
Remember, bounce is always good. And stick to 4cc!

[monSt4r]

Tnx Lajiskin, this was cool 
Btw. I don't think I'm gonna do the 4cc dance...you said it yourself-wastelands are wow...and without moxes I cannot spin the 4cc wheel.
I dont think im gonna play UB, but maybe URphidian is a nice choice (FTK and other cool options)...but with mono U i can really embrace the format...heck, controll magic the oath creatures is nice maybe to add some misdirection somehow...btw. Colossus is here cause of aggro so maybe mono U is a choice to be. I saw Nevnyral's Disk instead of powder but I love my keg's really...
I need more help^^ tnx for this

[bdg4life]

perhaps instead of thirst for knowledge, how about murmers from beyond? Same casting cost and you get 2 cards. Also if it is a unpowered meta game, there will be alot of aggro, vedalken shackles could help out alot.

[Ged]

I have to agree with my fellow dude Lajiskin, MonoU is probably a poor choice for that turnament. Aggro will be omnipresent, and even with 4x Keg/EE you will not have a stroll in the park.

Which leads me to splashing of colours. I've read that you can't splash green, but I don't think it's that hard to borrow a tropical (don't look at me, I don't have them). And then you have an Oath deck... which is a much better MonoU.

[monSt4r]

I have to agree with my fellow dude Lajiskin, MonoU is probably a poor choice for that turnament. Aggro will be omnipresent, and even with 4x Keg/EE you will not have a stroll in the park.

Which leads me to splashing of colours. I've read that you can't splash green, but I don't think it's that hard to borrow a tropical (don't look at me, I don't have them). And then you have an Oath deck... which is a much better MonoU.

To be honest, maybe oath is a superior version...but I simply don't like that deck...
Btw. Vedalken Shackles are maybe a nice put to the metagame...4x chalice out, 3x Vedalken In 1x Mystical Tutor/thirst for knowledge IN

[monSt4r]

Well, to be honest i bounced this mono U idea in my head and in theoretical testing I got to these ideas, throw phids out-make 4 thirst ! The deck would look something like this :
Counter wall:
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
4x Counterspell
1x Misdirection
Support:
4x Powder Keg
2x Nevinyrral's Diskl
3x Vedalken Shackles
1x Rushing River
Kill:
2x Morphling
1x Tinker
1x Darksteel Colossus
Draw/tutor:
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Mystical Tutor
4x Impulse
4x Thirst for Knowledge

Mana:
1x Library of Alexandria
1x Sol Ring
15x Islands
4x Flooded Strand
1x Polluted Delta

_____
I will test this, but bdg4life tnx a lot for Vedalken's...and further on I would really like to loose the morphlings...maybe 2 mis-d more but then how to win (no tutor's for tinker)...

Edit : I'm not shure about numbers of Keg's and Disks...maybe I go up to 4 Disk's and lower the keg's on 4...it flashed me I don't have Phids so no more Disk limitations...

[warble]

Mono U is the SLOWEST deck in the format.  The reason people play it is because running into a wall of blue in many cases (when the opposing player chooses to fight the "counter war") causes a deck to switch from it's strategy to topdeck mode.
In that light, platinum angel is not only necessary, it's one of the few reasons anyone competitive will consider running mono-blue.
The comment, "I don't know how to win" is exactly mono blue's problem, it can't put anyone on a faster clock then an opposing deck; even if that deck is the slowest thing besides mono-blue.
Run the highest playable number of counters (12 would be the minimum), as much draw power as you can afford (this shouldn't be very much, most consider between 10 and 14 standard) and as much early game control as you can (4xChalice, 2-3x Keg, Land Destruct, super-secret tech)  The best early game control card set (4x Wasteland + Strip Mine, 4xChalice) seems to be missing completely from your deck, which means it's not worth tuning before those 9 make it into the deck.  Seriously, your deck isn't competitive under the genre "mono blue" unless it's running that.
I have a friend who loves unpowered mono blue.  Without chalice and waste+strip I would never let him take it to a tournament.  We're both aware that without the early control the deck is not type 1, it's just casual.  You should be too.

Edit: Chalice for 1 when combined with waste+strip is very much the control that mono-blue seeks.  You're not running brainstorm because you want to chalice 1, correct?  If that's not correct, then maybe you can enlighten us as to why you run fetch+no brainstorm + no chalice.  Also, you're not going to the tournament to try to go 50% wins, you're going to roll over some people and win some prizes.  Or maybe we're just not designing the deck for the same purpose.

[monSt4r]

Well first thing to say : this is not a tournament of combo decks and Gifts decks...this will be non proxy UG madness, FCG tournament. In that light I also give you the idea that Wastelands are bad...they can't target anything and 1 land for 1 land excange is not making me faster really...next to see is that early tech like chalice is not so good, cause i cannot put it on 1 first turn (except land sol ring chalice GO) and cause of that i think Vedalken is game controlishing and helpfull much more...the main fact is there won't be as much duals as you think...for now I changed 4 kegs into 2, and 2 disk into 4...maybe remove kegs and put more rushing rivers/echoing truths...one platinum for morphling is a Valid idea but i think tinkering Colossus is a much nicer idea...

[DeMarki]

I realy don't know if the DSC is better than the Platinum but I would not run fewer than 2 Morphlings. 4 Disks seem to much, and you lack a descent draw engine. Relying only on Thirst for card drawing is rediculus. Brainstorm+Fetchlands+Wastelands+Crucible= very good choices.
Think about it.

[Lajiskin]

LOL, if you go any further with your ideas, you'll end up playing LandStill.
As warble stated, Chalice is very strong. I warned you about the wastelands, too.
I haven't thought of the Shackles, but they appear very strong in an aggro dominated tournament.
Why run only 1 Misdirection, when you can run  2 (2 is recommended)? You wouldn't want to waste any more blue cards on 4 FoW + 4 Misdirection.
About the Nevinyiral's Disk: It's waaay to slow.Just think of yourself getting beaten by aggro, you draw a Disk and then you die, because you're not able to activate it the same turn. Keg is the better option. It can be dropped sooner, allowing you to maintain control in the midgame. It's slow too, but significantly better than Disk.
You mustn't loose the Morphlings, as you said, there is no way to win, except the Tinker/DC route, which you can't absoutely rely on.
And not playing Brainstorm because of Chalice is wrong.

[DeMarki]

Shackles rule and you should play 2 main. What's wrong with my ideas? If anyone runs wastelands+fetches SHOULD at least run a copy of Crucibles, it's definetely a bomb. And don't run fewer than 2 Morphlings, you might not even draw it in time. Lajiskin is right Kegs are way better than Disks in MUC. Have fun.

[monSt4r]

I'm not playing brainstorm's cause i think Impulse is stronger...I can't put both of them...well I can but that's not so cool.
Next = you said it yourself : aggro dominated tournament...how can you expect me to put them in (cotv's) when all I can stop is something like LATE rotwalla...i will have 4 cotv in SB...btw. keg is as slow as disk...and I throw them in via mana drain fuell...both of them...AND disk cleans the table while keg removes 1 dude I have trouble with...btw. I considered playing landstill but I don't have much material
Keg is better with phids...not without them...I will bounce the decks idea's a few more times...

[Sundberg]

demarki knows what he is talking about. Run brainstorms, fetchlands(2flooded strand, 2 polluted delta) and 5 strip effects. Then maby a crucible is good, i havent tested it myself...TFK is bad, run b-storms in their place. Chalice main is a must. If you expect mws and bazaar run back2basics md.

/Tommy

[monSt4r]

I played this decklist :

Counter wall:
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
4x Counterspell
1x Misdirection
Support:
2x Powder Keg
4x Nevinyrral's Diskl
3x Vedalken Shackles
1x Rushing River
Kill:
2x Morphling
1x Tinker
1x Darksteel Colossus
Draw/tutor:
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Mystical Tutor
4x Impulse
4x Thirst for Knowledge
Mana:
1x Library of Alexandria
1x Sol Ring
15x Islands
4x Flooded Strand
1x Polluted Delta

SB:
3x B2B
2x BeB
2x Hydroblast
2x Rushing River
3x Chalice of the Void
2x Energy Flux
1x Hurkly's Recall

The deck functioned OK...was near Top8...unluckily for me I got a cursed draws with no more then 2 lands for a long time or 6 lands topdeck...the rest it worked as I wanted it to work and TFK is just great...no more in this thread, no proxy tourny is finished