"...blue magic could stand alone. It was easily the most powerful magic..." - Richard Garfield, Magic: the Gathering Pocket Player's Guide, Fourth Edition, page A-6.

Blue always has been and always will be the most powerful and versatile Magic color. This is the deck I play when I'm in a serious mood. It's pretty straightforward. It just takes control and wins.

This deck is built in strict accordance with official Type I deck construction guidelines. If you're curious what any of these cards do, just click on the card name to view a full-sized image of it.

Blue:

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Capsize
1 Time Walk
2 Control Magic
2 Counterspell
2 Misdirection
2 Morphling
4 Force of Will
4 Impulse
4 Mana Drain
4 Mana Leak
4 Ophidian

Artifacts:

1 Masticore
2 Powder Keg

Mana Sources:

1 Black Lotus
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Strip Mine
2 Wasteland
15 Island

Sixteen assorted counterspells make up the bulk of your defense. Use them liberally, yet wisely. Try to save them for things that have a real impact on the game and ignore things that are irrelevant or minor. Anything that would give your opponent card advantage is a prime target, for example, while life gaining effects just delay the inevitable are usually aren't worth the trouble. Here's a quick overview of your counter arsenal:

Counterspell: The most basic option. Nothing fancy here.

Force of Will: The original and still the best of the so-called "free" counterspells, Force of Will is your first line of defense during the early game, when mana to power your other counters is in short supply. It also allows you to tap out to cast key permanents, such as the all-important Morphlings. Like most counters, it plays its own little mind game with foes, who can never be sure that your lack of mana equates to defenselessness.

Mana Drain: Considered by many to be the best counterspell ever printed, Mana Drain is a double whammy, stopping your opponent's spells cold and siphoning off the mana invested into them for your own use during your next turn. Stolen mana acts as a fantastic boon to this deck, speeding out your creatures and artifacts.

Mana Leak: Unlike Mana Drain, Mana Leak requires only one blue mana to use. This can make it very valuable in the early game when mana is tight. It can even be cast during the first turn in conjunction with a Mox. It becomes less useful later on, but can still be discarded to power Force of Will and Misdirection.

Misdirection: Not really a true counterspell, Misdirection allows you to change the target of an opposing spell, not only saving yourself from an otherwise deadly burn, permanent removal or discard spell, but turning that spell back on its caster as well. You can also use it to foil counterspells (by redirecting them to Misdirection) and hijack card drawing spells (by redirecting an opponent's Braingeyser to you, for example). Like Force of Will, it has an alternate casting cost that makes it playable earlier than its mana cost would seem to allow for and is a great asset in the early game.

No matter what, you can't counter everything, so always try to keep Capsize, Masticore, a Control Magic or a Powder Keg on hand to deal with enemy permanents that make it past your counters.

Strip Mine and Wastelands eliminate your foe's most important lands, the one thing your artifacts can't touch. Whenever possible, try to save them for truly important targets like Library of Alexandria, Tolarian Academy, Mishra's Factory, Rishadan Port, etc.

Ancestral Recall and Library of Alexandria are among the best card drawers ever printed. Each one has the potential to grant you overwhelming card advantage.

Impulse is vital here because it digs deep into your deck cheaply and at instant speed, helping to guarantee that you always have the card you need when you need it.

Time Walk is an extra untap phase, draw and potential attack and land drop for only two mana. At the very least it always replaces itself and is never a bad card.

Ophidian is your number one source of card advantage. In addition to serving as a valuable early blocker, these little guys have the potential to net you countless extra draws. This allows you to totally dominate your unfortunate opponent's game.

Morphling and Masticore, of course, are your big finishers. Nearly invincible when backed up with enough mana and countermagic, they're often hailed as two of the best creatures ever made.

The overall strategy here involves using Ancestral Recall, Library of Alexandria and Ophidians to draw as many extra cards as possible. This allows you to stay well ahead of your opponents by countering or removing virtually everything they play. Other sources of potential card advantage are the Powder Kegs, which can destroy multiple enemy permanents. Eventually, you'll draw or Impulse your way into a Morphling or Masticore and it'll be game over for your foe. Easy as can be, no?

Playing a control deck properly requires both quick wits and lots of practice, but the rewards are well worth it.

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