Hi guys!
Between a PTQ final loss and another (I lost again a few days ago against Italian Limited master Luca Casadei) I’m finally here to celebrate a victory: I took home the first Italian World Magic Cup Qualifier in Rimini, defeating my friend Alessandro Laporta in a close UW control mirror match.
No surprise: if control is viable in a format and possibly good, I will always try to tune a good version to battle with it. Besides, I think UW is the best deck in the format, because it’s the most solid and improves in almost every matchup while nobody really improves against us with the exception of Jund Planeswalkers, which is the only really though matchup (but still not unwinnable).
This is the list I used to win the tournament:

Alessandro Portaro UW Control
Winner of Italian World Magic Cup Qualifier 2014

Lands

7 Island

7 Plains

2 Mutavault

4 Hallowed Fountain

4 Temple of Enlightment

2 Azorius Guildgate

Creatures

1 Aetherling

Spells

4 Supreme Verdict

4 Detention Sphere

4 Sphinx’s Revelation

2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion

4 Dissolve

3 Azorius Charm

1 Banishing Light

3 Last Breath

2 Syncopate

1 Elixir of Immortality

3 Jace, Architect of Thought

1 Jace’s Ingenuity

1 Fated Retribution

Sideboard

1 Dispel

2 Archangel of Thune

4 Nyx-Fleece Ram

1 Jace, Memory Adept

2 Gainsay

2 Reprisal

1 Deicide

2 Negate

 

First of all, why the Detention Sphere version over the Planar Cleansing one? Altough the latter is certainly better against Jund Planeswalkers which is definitely the worst matchup for UW, recently Rabblemaster Red literally flooded the field (just for reference, it won the first USA WMCQ and the finals of Italys second WMCQ, in Milan, was a Rabblemaster mirror) and without Detention Sphere you can’t expect to beat it consistently in game 1. I like the added fifth Sphere too in the form of Banishing Light. In a field full of mirror matches you can consider playing 3 Detention Sphere and 2 Lights, but the ability of taking away a couple (or set) of little red men or Pack Rats is too important, so I’d stick with 4 and 1. Some UW lists, even the Sphere version, don’t play Aetherling. I feel this is really wrong for two reason. The most important is that Aetherling allows you to kill your opponent in 2-3 swings, and having a really fast clock is mandatory for such a slow deck. The second, Aetherling is the only real nightmare for the Planeswalker matchup (they can just destroy your Elspeth) and with it on your side, unless you’re a million years behind, you can completely turn the game around.
I also played 1 Jace’s Ingenuity and 1 Fated Retribution. The latter is a fifth wrath, with a bonus sometimes, which can take out Mutavault and Obzedat, Ghost Council and it’s of course a bomb against Planeswalkers. Jace’s Ingenuity is incredibly good acting as a fifth Sphinx’s Revelation basically in every matchup but Rabblemaster. I like to keep it even against Burn, where I don’t like to tap out especially after board where I add more counterspells.
I was able to win my first six matches playing against two Rabble Red (my metagame prediction was correct), a RG monsters, a Mono green Devotion and a couple of BW midrange. In round six I drew incredibly well against my teammate Enrico Santinelli. Sorry Enrico, but you have to be lucky to win tournaments. I owe you a beer :). I was able to double-ID the remaining two rounds of the Swiss and I made it in a top 8 full of mirror match. I faced a mirror in the quarterfinals, than won against a rogue Bant Aggro list in the semifinal and then I was able to defeat Alessandro in three close game to become once again a member of the Italian National Team joining Andrea Mengucci.

If you want to play this deck in the last WMCQ I can only suggest you to practice a lot in order to get faster (and to make the right choice of course (; ). I wouldn’t change a card in the maindeck, but I’d remove Deicide (people began to play Read the Bones over Underworld Connections and we still have 5 Spheres) and Jace, Memory Adept (you don’t really want to tap out in control mirror) from the board for a second Dispel[card] and a second [card]Jace’s Ingenuity
This my sideboard guideline, of course feel free to change it according to the opponent’s deck.
UW
+2 Dispel
+1 Jace’s Ingenuity
+2 Negate
+2 Gainsay
+2 Archangel of Thune
-4 Supreme Verdict
-3 Last Breath
-1 Azorius Charm
-1 Fated Retribution

Sticking Aetherling should be our main plan. Revelation of course is important, but if you can force the blue monster in play you should win pretty easily. Play as fast as possible in order to avoid draws and don’t keep land-light hands.

MONOBLACK/ x
+1 Jace’s Ingenuity
+2 Negate
+2 Archangel of Thune
-2 Jace, Architect of Thoughts
-2 Azorius Charm
-1 Elixir of Immortality
Against BW you should add Reprisal to stop Obzedat taking out additional Charms. Don’t keep land light hands because after board they have 8 discards spell and since they often will put us in topdeck mode make sure to have the mana to cast the big spells.

JUND PLANESWALKERS
+1 Jace’s Ingenuity
+2 Negate
+2 Reprisal
+2 Archangel of Thune
-3 Supreme Verdict
-3 Azorius Charm
-1 Last Breath
You have to keep some Last Breath against Mutavault and Courser of Kruphix. Archangel is really good at fighting planeswalkers and if we can protect it we should be in good shape. You can board out the fourth Revelation if they have Slaughter Games, which is great against us, but luckily not every list is playing it. Reprisal is a must against Mistcutter Hydra, and being able to take out an animated land from Nissa surely doesn’t hurt.

RABBLEMASTER RED
+4 Nyx-Fleece Ram
+1 Dispel
+2 Archangel of Thune
-4 Dissolve
-2 Syncopate
-1 Fated Retribution
I think this matchup is even pre-board and favorable after. The lone Dispel is good against Skullcrack and other burn spells threatening to kill us.

BURN
+4 Nyx-Fleece Ram
+2 Dispel
+2 Negate
+2 Archangel of Thune
-4 Supreme Verdict
-1 Banishing Light
-1 Fated Retribution
-1 Aetherling
-3 Azorius Charm
Altough we’re boarding 10, I think this is a close/favorable matchup game 1 (depending on our starting hand) and really really good after board. I think the UW matchup is the real reason to avoid playing Burn right now.

WG
+4 Nyx-Fleece Ram
+2 Archangel of Thune
+2 Dispel
+2 Reprisal
-4 Dissolve
-2 Syncopate
-3 Last Breath
-1 Elixir of Immortality
Although it’s good against Voice of Resurgence, Last Breath doesn’t have other impactful targets. Matchup is 50/50 pre board and favorable after board, where we improve a lot and he doesn’t.

MONOBLUE
+2 Archangel of Thune
+2 Dispel
+2 Gainsay
-4 Dissolve
-2 Syncopate
The matchup is very good and Last Breath especially is excellent here.

MONOGREEN
+2 Archangel of Thune
+1 Jace’s Ingenuity
+2 Reprisal
-4 Dissolve
-1 Syncopate

They simply can’t beat our sweepers. Another really good matchup of ours.
So, if you see, we have a tough matchup overall, some close ones, and some really good ones. That makes, in my humble opinion, UW the best – if not the only right – choice for your last WMCQ, If (I want to repeat it) you had the time to practice to master it properly.
Hope this was useful, good luck!
Alessandro Portaro