| The #SCGINDY results are in, and it's an aggro world we're living in right now. Thankfully, with the threats of the format clearly defined, control players know what we have to deal with going forward. As a connoisseur of expensive sorceries, I'm here to go over the cards you should be playing if you want to pilot a control deck in Standard. #10 Demon of Dark Schemes 
I've been big on this demon since it was previewed. The SCG Tour results from last weekend confirmed my suspicion of an aggro dominated start from Kaladesh, which the demon can answer effectively. There's a stunning amount of two toughness creatures that can populate the battlefield, and Demon of Dark Schemes is a powerful threat at the end of the curve for black control decks. #9 Essence Extraction 
This is a spell that I've had my eye on for a few weeks and is a key component of all black-based control sideboards. The Lightning Helix effect is a great way to answer a Smuggler's Copter, or any other three toughness threat while returning precious life points. Control decks that want to be successful are going to have to use cards like Essence Extraction to buy time moving forward. #8 Fumigate 
The new battlefield sweeper is all the way down the list and for good reason. The mana cost of these effects continues to increase while the upside continues to decrease. Gaining life is always a powerful step in a successful control plan, but Fumigate is easy to sniff out from a mile away. With the new vehicles, aggressive players have the option to play fewer threats that demand an answer. Because of this new reality, we will be forced to use spot removal earlier and more frequently to survive. Fumigate is a necessary evil, but I believe the next spell on the list will play a bigger role. #7 Descend Upon the Sinful 
I know this spell costs a million mana, but hear me out! I've been testing both white battlefield sweepers and have come to the conclusion that the difference between five and six mana is negligible. Both mass removal spells come late in the game, but Descend Upon the Sinful is a lights out spell against Grixis Emerge, or any deck using the Prized Amalgam/Haunted Dead engine. When gearing a control deck for an aggressive metagame, a control mage must play more copies of the most impactful spell of its type. This also puts pressure on deck building, because to get the full value of Descend Upon the Sinful, delirium should be achievable. Putting a 4/4 blocker on the battlefield against R/W Aggro, or any aggressive deck for that matter, is similar (or better) than gaining a couple life in many situations. #6 Liliana, the Last Hope 
The abundance of threats coming out of the tournament last weekend have efficiency written all over them. These creatures are very cheap, provide clues, or produce tokens. In a world like this, Liliana, the Last Hope lives up to her title. The three-mana Planeswalker comes directly after a removal spell from turn one or two in most control decks, which can often be enough to hold down the fort before the big sorceries make their appearance. Many of the matches I've tested against W/R decks and watched from the SCG Tour last week showed a level of clunkiness that control decks can take advantage of. They have to play multiple copies of Harnessed Lightning, Declaration in Stone, and other removal spells, which can interrupt their curve with inaction. This planeswalker is a must play in the current metagame if black is your primary color. #5 Grasp of Darkness 
This is still the best removal spell in Standard. Grasp of Darkness nearly answers every threat in the early turns, is fantastic in the middle of the game against most threats, and answers creature-lands from start to finish. The BB price tag is a commitment that prevents too much creativity in deck building, but that's the price we pay to play the best kill spell out there. #4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance & Dovin Baan  
I hear a lot of muttering about the weakness of our favorite red Planeswalker in the current metagame. That's bogus! Nearly every planeswalker that has ever been printed is ineffective against a deck with all one and two drops. Those decks will always be around to torment control players, but that doesn't mean we should adjust the rest of our deck to provide ample defense to our planeswalker captain. Chandra, Torch of Defiance still enters the battlefield and can dispatch a creature four toughness creature or provide a few red mana to hammer a threat with Harnessed Lightning or Galvanic Bombardment while increasing her loyalty. Control still needs a way to win and the creature route is typically the more difficult one. Aggressive decks will play Declaration in Stone, but often don't have the tools to handle Planeswalkers on semi-clean battlefields. Dovin Baan falls into the same category as Chandra, Torch of Defiance, with better control colors, but weaker overall. #3 Galvanic Bombardment 
I was hoping I wouldn't have to play Shock, but my wishes went unanswered. Galvanic Bombardment is a card that requires a higher investment, because playing less than four in the 75 isn't optimal. This removal spell works wonders with our next answer on the list due to its cheap cost, and continues to get better later in the game. #2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet 
The legendary vampire warrior's power level has fluctuated heavily from set release to set release. If this aggressive wave continues, Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet punishes those who attempt to slay us in the early turns if unanswered. Play this creature on turn four (or turn five with a Galvanic Bombardment) and watch your aggro opponent squirm in their seat as they see their battlefield shrinks, yours grows, and your life total move out of reach. #1 Radiant Flames 
Radiant Flames is the best battlefield sweeper in Standard at the moment. Three toughness is where most creatures cap off, and Radiant Flames has the power to keep us safe when the times are dark. There are battlefield sweepers from other colors, but red has the only available mana efficient option. Infest, Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, and Chandra, Torch of Defiance are the cards that have pushed me into the B/R/x control shell for the tournaments to follow. We know the threats, now we have the answers. Now go out there and make me proud! — Shaheen Soorani, @Shaheenmtg | 
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