EDIT2: CVH did a very nice gameplay video of this list, that you can find right here! Make sure to check the content on his Youtube channel, definitely worth it!

Hey everyone!

As usual, new season, new decklist! Haven’t posted a decklist here in quite a while, but I’ve decided to post what I think is the best Control Mage decklist every month with an in-depth guide.

No surprise here, the best Control Mage archetype right now is the one using the support package. Been trying to make regular Control Mage works, but it just isn’t enough to withstand the greed of all the Journey/Scout decks out there.

Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Card choices:

No Execute

While I think Execute is in a good place right now, I just can’t find room for it. The Elixir of Vitality basically took their place. They kinda have the same role in the early game: sustain you a little bit to allow you to reach your late game where you can hope to stabilize. It doesn’t kill the creature, but it obviously combos with Cauldron Keeper and Tower Alchemist. If you’re facing a very aggressive metagame, a possible modifications to the list would be -2 Excavate +2 Execute.

Excavate

Now that’s an interesting card. Basically a Soul Tear for supports and items. When it will most of the times bring back a support for you, it’s worth noting that it can also bring back a Tome of Alteration from a Daggerfall Mage for the extra reach or card draw. This card is in a versatile spot (as stated above), and can be swapped to help you against whatever metagame you’re facing. Support heavy metagame? Swap them for Vicious Dreugh. Aggressive, as said above, swap them for Execute.
I do believe Excavate is a key card in some match-ups (especially against Scout) where you can get extra value from your supports. For example, you could climb your College of Winterhold all the way to the 7 mana spells, grab your Journey to Sovngarde if you see it, then voluntarily destroy it so you can Excavate it and climb all the way again. It’s a tricky card to play with!

Reverberating Strike

Not a lot of people run this card right now, and I don’t understand why! First of all, no one will EVER play around it, period. It would be at such a tempo cost. This card is also very good against Hist Grove, where it’s basically a 3 mana Ice Storm that touches only the Leviathans (which is more than good enough). For example, triple Reverberating Strike clears them all, or double Reverberating Strike + Ice Storm. Again, it’s a versatile card, and we like versatile in Control. Finally, card is obviously extremely good against agro, having the possibly to do a X-for-1 with a 3 mana card is nuts. This card took the spot of Crushing Blow, but since we’re playing a very grindy list, we don’t really need the extra reach to win the game, our supports will do that.

No Mage’s Trick

While I love this card, I think we’re in a metagame right now where I’d rather drop a Daggerfall Mage or play a Reverberating Strike on turn 3. If the metagame would become slower, you would swap the Reverberating Strike for the Mage’s Trick.

Elusive Schemer

As always, this card is bae. Unconditionnal card draw that cycles itself? Please. Probably one of the most important card against other slow decks.

Wabbajack

So yeah… Wabbajack. If Bringer of Nightmares didn’t get nerfed, I would play them. Wabbajack is THE best card in your deck against any Soul Tear / Scout based decks. Just wabba everything you don’t wanna see comeback from the dead. Laaneth should be used only to find this card against those match-ups. Happened to me quite a few times to wabba every Giant Bat, Paarthurnax, Galyn the Shelterer and Eclipse Baroness. It’s pretty funny to watch them Soul Tear a bad card. Also in those match-ups, Excavate should only be used to bring back Wabbajack if they ever destroy it.

Goldbrand

This is your lock. If you ever stabilizes with a Goldbrand that’s at least at 8+ damage, the game is over. Anything they play will die right away. I don’t think I’d play Support Mage if Goldbrand didn’t exist.

Only 2 Dawn’s Wrath

While I always play 3 of them in almost all my control decks, the 3rd Dawn’s Wrath spot went to the Wabbajack, for obvious reasons.

Laaneth

Such a powerhouse. Laaneth allows you to go find that specific support you need, or an Excavate if you wanna bring back a support, or a Lightning Bolt if you’re close to having lethal, or anything else you want. Tutor effects are extremely powerful and that’s why we play this card.

In conclusion, this deck is relatively easy to play, but extremely hard to master. You have to be able to gauge when you can tank damage, when to activate your Elixir of Vitality at the correct time, what to seek with your Laaneth, what to choose on your College of Winterhold, and so on. But the deck is an absolute blast to play. I’ve refined the list a lot before posting this here and I’ve been able to reach #1 Legend last season with it.

As always, feel free to ask me any question, I’ll be glad to answer them

See you guys on the ladder!