Previously, I put together a deck that took full advantage of Standard's abundance of mana fixers—Golgari Obliterator. Its key card? None other than Phyrexian Obliterator, an incredibly powerful card that's often held back by its demanding quad-black mana cost.
But what if I told you there's another deck that can use a similar strategy? Enter Dimir Doomsday Control, a formidable control deck poised to take on the Standard meta's top decks.
Curious about how this deck works and why it's a strong contender in MTG Standard? Let's dive in!
Dimir Control Standard Deck Overview
Dimir “Doomsday” Control is built around Doomsday Excruciator, which is inspired by the classic Doomsday card. In the original, you exile your library and leave only the top five cards. This version is essentially the same concept, but with legs. Too bad Thassa's Oracle has already rotated out of the Standard metagame—otherwise, these two would make great friends!
Best Card Choices for Dimir Control in Standard
As you'd expect from a classic control deck, this one is all about keeping the board clean while you find your win condition—and, well, win. Let’s break down the key cards that make this strategy possible.
The Removal
To handle early threats, this deck runs cards like Cut Down and Locust Spray, both excellent at dealing with aggressive one-drops like Monastery Swiftspear, a staple in Standard.
For bigger threats, the deck leans on Go for the Throat and Sheoldred's Edict. The latter is especially useful for taking out opposing planeswalkers.
Anoint with Affliction is a key tool for dealing with resilient creatures like Mosswood Dreadknight or Enduring Curiosity, which might otherwise be tough to remove.
Last but not least, we have board wipes: Malicious Eclipse clears out smaller creatures, while Deadly Cover-Up is an unconditional board wipe that can also function as an incidental Surgical Extraction if you collect enough evidence.
Of course, removal alone doesn’t win games—you need a way to stay ahead on cards, too.
The Card Advantage
Sometimes, all it takes is one great card to breathe new life into an archetype. For Dimir Control, that card is Stock Up—a crucial addition that helps the deck keep up with Standard's top contenders.
Why is it so good? Well, it offers a deep selection of cards to choose from, similar to Memory Deluge, but at a full mana less. That's a huge discount.
Think about it: for just three mana, you can dig for spot removal while still holding up interaction on turn five. That flexibility is a game-changer.
And Stock Up isn't the only source of card advantage here—Mazemind Tome also plays a crucial role. While it doesn't provide direct card selection, it lets you draw up to four cards and gain four life over time, which can be a lifesaver in longer games.
The Win Condition
As expected, Doomsday Excruciator is our primary win condition. Its enter the battlefield ability forces each player to exile their entire library except for the bottom six cards.
That might sound risky, but it’s not—because we plan to win almost immediately.
When paired with Jace, the Perfected Mind, you can mill your opponent based on Jace's total loyalty, effectively leaving them with only one draw step before they lose.
Is it a cheap way to win? Yes.
Does it work? Absolutely.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the right lands.
The Manabase
Every land in this deck can tap for black mana, ensuring you can always cast Doomsday Excruciator when the time comes.
Some lands, like Undercity Sewers and Restless Reef, provide even more value—whether by letting you Surveil or transforming into threats that can mill your opponent.
Optimizing Your Dimir Control Sideboard
This sideboard equips Dimir Control with everything it needs to handle any matchup in Standard. Whether you're facing control, aggro, or combo decks, these cards allow you to adjust your game plan and maintain control.
Control Matchups
Duress and Negate are your go-to cards for other control decks. They're also perfect against decks like Bant Overlords, helping you disrupt their game plan.
Against similar control decks, consider bringing in Jace, the Perfected Mind and Overlord of the Floodpits to win the long game.
This sideboard is a bit transformational, so you’ll want to swap most of your spot removal from the main deck for ones better suited to control matchups. Without this adjustment, you’ll be stuck drawing dead cards while your opponent keeps drawing gas.
Aggro Matchups
In aggro matchups, Phyrexian Obliterator is your best friend. Not only does it apply pressure to your opponent, but it also works as a backdoor win condition if the Doomsday Excruciator plan proves too slow, even if you're able to keep the board clear.
When you resolve a Phyrexian Obliterator, Gix's Command becomes a perfect follow-up. It helps you gain life while clearing out any pesky blockers.
Other Sideboard Options
- Harvester of Misery is great for aggressive matchups where you need to put pressure on your opponent.
- Ghost Vacuum is a must-have for graveyard-centric decks.
- Obstinate Baloth is a solid choice against Rakdos sacrifice or decks running Liliana of the Veil.
Tips and Tricks for Playing Dimir Control in Standard
Playing Dimir Control in Standard can be a lot of fun, at least for you anyway, but it requires smart decisions and careful timing and use of your removal spells. Here are a few tips to help you navigate some of the more common matchups:
- Never tap out: A general rule for control decks is to stay reactive to the meta. You want to time your removal carefully, always using it at instant speed when possible.
- The only real exception to this rule is prioritizing mana development. In the early game, getting stuck without mana is a major setback. So, make sure to prioritize your land drops to avoid getting caught with an empty hand. But remember, you can always clean the board later if needed.
- One great way to secure your land drops is to use Mazemind Tome's first ability at the end of your opponent's turn and at the beginning of your upkeep. This allows you to put non-land cards on the bottom without tapping out.
- Use cheap removal first: Always use your cheaper removal spells over unconditional removal when you can. You don't want to run out of answers for bigger threats like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse just because you used your Go for the Throat on a smaller creature.
Thanks for reading!
