Control

decks answer what everyone else plays, stopping spells and removing dangerous cards, then win slowly once they are in charge. Expect lots of , spells that cancel other spells, and extra .

KindArchetype
Cards1,573

An archetype is a whole game plan: the way a deck tries to win.

Find these cards in the app Commanders with this archetype

How it plays

You answer what everyone else plays: stop their spells, kills their creatures, and a clears the table when it gets busy. You draw extra cards to keep the answers coming, and you play few of your own until the table is quiet.

How it wins

Late, with one big once nobody can stop it, or by locking the game down until the others cannot do anything. A single creature attacking every turn is enough when you have an answer for every blocker.

What beats it

A table that plays more than you have answers. Three opponents one spell each is three spells a turn, and you cannot them all. Cards that cannot be countered, and cheap creatures that come back, grind you down.

If this is your first deck

Not a first deck. asks you to know every on the table and to hold your answers for the right moment, often on other players' turns.

Commanders to Start With

The most played commanders where Control is one of their two main plans, in order from EDHREC, a site that counts the Commander decks players post online.

Example Cards

RemovalSpells or abilities that destroy, exile, or bounce your opponents' cards.Open the full glossaryControlControl decks answer what everyone else plays, stopping spells and removing dangerous cards, then win slowly once they are in charge. Expect lots of removal, spells that cancel other spells, and extra card draw.Open the full glossaryCard DrawCards that put more options into your hand from your deck.Open the full glossaryCounterspellA spell whose job is to counter another spell: it stops that spell while it is still on the stack, so it does nothing and goes to the graveyard. The name comes from the card Counterspell, the classic example.

Open the full glossaryBoard WipeA spell that destroys or removes most or all creatures at once, resetting the battlefield for everyone. Also called a sweeper or a wrath.Open the full glossaryThreatA card or permanent someone has to deal with or it will win or wreck the game, like a huge attacker. A spell that deals with one is called an answer.Open the full glossaryCasting (short for Cast)To cast a spell is to put it on the stack and pay its cost, usually from your hand. Playing a land is not casting, and a copy of a spell is not cast either.Open the full glossaryCounterTwo different things share this word. A counter is a small marker placed on a card, such as a +1/+1 counter. To counter a spell is to stop it resolving while it is still on the stack.Open the full glossary