[Standard] Wizard Tribal in standard? Is Dimir the answer?

[Loykuaza]

https://deckstats.net/decks/66244/774310-dimir-cycling-wizard-tribal

Here is my attempt to make a home for three cards that I like a lot but are currently overshadowed by the current format's other threats, namely baral, the archfiend of ifnir and the last delver, docent of perfection. I think that both flying finishers are really sweet in conjunction with baral, chief of compliance who helps trigger them both to the fullest of their capabilities, and of course the two other wizards, champion of wits and nimble obstructionist have the same sweet kind of synergy with both cards. So playing a control shell since we are playing baral with lots of counterspells and draw to find the archfiend and weakening to death the opposing board with -1/-1 counters seems powerfull against midrange and we should fare well against control too. I'm not sure about aggro though we do have a nasty sideboard which flips up entirely our deck plan against control with gearhulks(supposedly they would have sideboarded abrade seing none in first game) and planeswalker they dit not expect and a recursive zombie plan with the scarab god, who is also a very strong option against any deck except aggro. We have Bontu's last reckoning against aggro, liliana the last hope is going to slow down our opponent if they play little aggressive creatures, maybe adding more yahenni's expertise would do the trick.

What do you guys think and what are your recommendations?

[bulgymilk]

Hi there!

I think your deck is really cool! I also like Docent of Perfection, and think it is a powerful finisher. One of the big problems unfortunately is Hour of Devastation being a card. It can kill the flip side and all the little wizards it's delvering. That being said Hour of Devastation is counterable, so you just have to have enough ways to deal with that.

I think Countervailing Winds is a great counterspell for a cycling deck, very often just being a hard counter in the late game (and becomes insane with Baral). Abandoned Sarcophagus could also be great (maybe in the sideboard against control) allowing you to cast your Archfiend of Ifnir and other cyclers from the graveyard, which allows you to be a little more aggressive in cycling cards early, and providing extreme power late.

Maybe something like Lay Claim to deal with Planeswalkers and other problematic permanents? (over Never // Return or Commit // Memory?)

Also, as a control player, I don't think I would side out Abrade if I saw Baral/Nimble Obstructionist in game 1

Overall I like where you're going with it! Hope some of this helps!

[Loykuaza]

Thanks for your suggestions!
Yes I will have to keep in mind HouroD while playing the docent, countervailing winds seems like a good option but it strongly competes with supreme will I guess? I have to see if the low cost cycling matter opportunity is superior to an impulse, since the mana leak is currently a hard counter in the early game and in the midgame too where it matters most, since in the late you will want answers for permanents
Lay claim I keep thinking about it and it is definitely too expensive, since I only play 24 lands and does not benefit baral & co since not an instant// sorcery, only the archfiend actually really benefits from the cycling/discard effect so going too tightly in that direction might be wrong, as per the example with counter winds, the deck is primarely a tempo/tribal&cycling synergies deck, not a dedicated cycling deck. Same could be said about the abandoned sarcophagus but I may add it to the sideboard against a meta with more control decks(there aren't any in my current meta, just aggressive decks mostly).
Yes againt planeswalkers I have another never // return in the SB and a consign // oblivion which needs to be tested too, along with an efficient discard package(doomfall, lay bare the heart).
Oh and the point about abrade is control decks plays energy since glimmer of genius so when facing  0 artifacts decks they tend to just keep the harnessed lightning playset and add maybe a sweltering suns planing on just countering my bigger creatures.

[bulgymilk]

Ah I see, somehow my brain told me is was a cycling base deck with some wizard synergies, not the other way around

In that case I might try a Flaying Tendrils as a sweeper. Hits all the low-to-the-ground guys, while leaving yours (mostly) untouched, and exiles them to boot!

[Loykuaza]

Thanks for the suggestion, but as a sweeper I would prefer yahenni's expertise since it hits larger things without exiling my poor champion of wits, and has the benefit of letting me play a champion of wits/baral, supreme will for free to follow up! Bontu's last reckoning is more radical and needed against midrange heavy strategies which floods the board with solid creatures like winding constrictor and sylvan advocate so tendrils is a bit underpowered here sadly...even zombies get to 3 endurance pretty easily by turn 3 with a single lord. ^^