Welcome, my dear control freaks (or RDW addicts in rehab), to this article about the format that died more than the Winchesters, but survived anyway: Pioneer!
It's a favourite of mine, this ugly duckling of a format, with the charm of early Modern, still full of cards thought for other formats and with less access to coloured mana thanks to the ban on Fetchlands.
Today I'll be talking about my current favourite deck: Dimir Yorion. Or Dimir Bounce. Or... Yorion Bounce? Or Black Blue Things You Play But Then You Blink'Em Or They Go Back In Hand So They Make More Value Please Punch Me Stop My Yapping.
Anyway, this archetype is actually made of two versions, two branches of the same tree: the most common one is essentially Midrange, the other is a pure Control deck. The base shell is the exact same:
4x Thoughtseize
4x Boomerang Basics
4x This Town Ain't Big Enough
4x Nowhere to Run
4x Momentum Breaker
4x Stormchaser's Talent
4x Cryogen Relic
4x Hopeless Nightmare
4x Fear of Isolation
What's the point? What do I unga bunga bash opponent in skull with? Thanks for the question, Barry Boros, "Energy" for the very few friends. The plan is simple on paper, and it's enough to read some of these cards to see that many of them have some card advantage ETB (or even LTB) effects, and that we have many ways to either bounce or blink them to repeat the abilities over and over. The value produced is quite a lot.
For example, playing Relic, then just bouncing it with Boomerang nets you 3 cards for 3 mana, and you still have Relic in hand to repeat the pattern. Not Ancestral Recall, but it's no Idle Thoughts either, especially when games go longer and every card counts.
This Town Ain't Big Enough, if you pinch your nose and endure the absolute cringe of the name, is absolutely stong when paired with removal or discard enchantments in the kit. And you can be quite creative with it! For example, if the opponent has nothing in hand you can target their strongest card and your Hopeless Nightmare to make them discard that same card AND take 2 damage.
Yorion, Sky Nomad is THE big boss monster here, and often ends more grindy matches by blinking 3-4 permanents and creating huge value swings. And let's not forget his big, winged, angry body.
Stormchaser's Talent is the deck's most feared card, and for good reasons. It does everything we need: the otter is surprisingly a game-ender a lot of times, and by blinking the talent you make more of them. Ability #2 often picks up spells to bounce it and repeat the pattern on the next turn and produce more value. #3 is just a finisher, straight up. But honestly I don't play it very much. When it's not a winmore, 7 mana to get a Disenchant in the face is like a heart attack in the US: your descendants will still pay that cost.
Now, a stock Midrange list of the deck is usually built like this:
Dimir Yorion (Versione Midrange)
- 4 × Fear of Isolation
- 3 × Thundertrap Trainer
- 2 × Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
- 4 × Fatal Push
- 4 × This Town Ain't Big Enough
- 4 × Boomerang Basics
- 4 × Thoughtseize
- 1 × Duress
- 4 × Hopeless Nightmare
- 4 × Momentum Breaker
- 4 × Nowhere to Run
- 4 × Stormchaser's Talent
- 3 × Cryogen Relic
- 1 × Grim Bauble
- 4 × Clearwater Pathway
- 4 × Darkslick Shores
- 4 × Gloomlake Verge
- 4 × Mutavault
- 4 × Shipwreck Marsh
- 4 × Swamp
- 4 × Watery Grave
- 3 × Island
- 1 × Otawara, Soaring City
- 1 × Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
- 1 × Underground River
- 3 × Change the Equation
- 3 × Duress
- 2 × Annul
- 2 × Grim Bauble
- 2 × Soul-Guide Lantern
- 2 × Spell Pierce
- 1 × Yorion, Sky Nomad
The noteworthy cards that identify the Midrange variant are especially 3:The 3x/4x of Thundertrap Trainer, a quirky, synergic good boy (girl?) that is an Impulse on legs, and can also be repeated with Offspring if you have mana to spare. Unless you are me and see 4 land every goddamn time, Keranos hates me from that time I stole one of his holy cows.
These additional creatures give you more flexibility to play Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, that with his Ninjutsu ability grants you at least one card draw and puts up a lot of pressure.
Another gem is ol' reliable 4x Mutavault. In a deck like this that sometimes struggles to poke the other player, having a land that can outlast mass-removals, sorceries and non-land removals, is a small but effective luxury. The drawback is, and I can say this by experience, that this deck is veeery colour-thirsty. 4 colourless lands can make awkward hands, but they are survivable. However, you cannot think of playing more colourless lands without having any troubles. The Vault is strong, but it must be a choice, not just a free slot because it's format-legal (like you can do with other decks).
In short, the Midrange gameplan is this: use your artifacts and enchantments to slow down the opponent, pressing them with numerous Talent plays (and some Fears on wings), and Kaito to put the last nails. The bounce spells create tempo and gives you more responses than the opponent has threats.
The other player will found themselves stuck between trying to play wincons that might get negated basically for free, and facing significant aggression via creatures that are harder to block due to Prowess. Every play by the opponent might just result in a 2x1 in your favour. It's a gourmet alternative to the classic Midrange archetypes such as Rakdos or The Rock, that has taken its own space and is currently growing in the meta, due to its versatility and its capacity to find different outs to the most diverse situations.
If I'd have to find an issue, and a consequent flaw (but what deck doesn't have one? Probably Eldrazi in that cold, cold winter), is that many of its solutions are either temporary or situational. This, in my experience, might give some difficulties in matchups against classic Midrange decks, which generate a constant state of card advantage while keeping up a pressure that cannot be ignored. This does not mean those matchups are unwinnable, but it does mean you'll have to evaluate your response to maximize value and avoid overextending. It won't always necessarily be the best choice to play on curve every turn. The best way to learn these games it to play play play.
However, after weeks playing this Midrange deck, I've settled upon this other wonderful Control version (it should have been obvious to me before, as a veteran UW player). Let me show you my list first, and then we'll dive into it.
Dimir Yorion Control
- 4 × Fear of Isolation
- 2 × Narset, Parter of Veils
- 4 × This Town Ain't Big Enough
- 3 × Fatal Push
- 1 × Bitter Triumph
- 4 × Boomerang Basics
- 4 × Thoughtseize
- 2 × Stock Up
- 1 × Sea Gate Restoration
- 4 × Hopeless Nightmare
- 4 × Momentum Breaker
- 4 × Nowhere to Run
- 4 × Stormchaser's Talent
- 2 × The Meathook Massacre
- 4 × Cryogen Relic
- 5 × Swamp
- 4 × Clearwater Pathway
- 4 × Petrified Hamlet
- 4 × Shipwreck Marsh
- 4 × Watery Grave
- 3 × Island
- 2 × Undercity Sewers
- 1 × Castle Locthwain
- 1 × Gloomlake Verge
- 1 × Hall of Storm Giants
- 1 × Otawara, Soaring City
- 1 × Scavenger Grounds
- 1 × Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
- 1 × Underground River
- 3 × Soul-Guide Lantern
- 2 × Duress
- 2 × Invoke Despair
- 2 × Narset, Parter of Veils
- 1 × Bitter Triumph
- 1 × Day of Black Sun
- 1 × Day's Undoing
- 1 × Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- 1 × The Meathook Massacre
- 1 × Yorion, Sky Nomad
As you can see, even if the base shell is the same, those small differences deeply alter the gameplay approach of the deck. Let's see them one by one.
The most notable one is the total absence of Thundertrap Trainer and Kaito. No Mutavault either. So what? How do we win if no hit head? We don't even have a maindeck Yorion to jumpscare the opponent and win through syncope.
Well, we do have something: Fear of Isolation and Stormchaser's Talent. You can also count the manland if you really really want. But they are actually an afterthought, since this version of the deck attempts to exhaust the opponent's resources while keeping a steady flow of your own. Only then you'll have free range to use your pieces to give'em a merciful death, delicious psycho that you are. Of course, this changes depending on the matchup. As I write, I'm playing against a UW Control (less common, in this meta), and here it is mandatory to poke them for pressure, especially with the otters. Still, it's way less important than in Midrange.
The Narset split and the maindeck copies of The Meathook Massacre are a personal pick. Many lists you can find will go full in with 4x main Narset, and a couple Massacres in the sideboard. I found that to be overtly risky: Narset is strong for sure, I won't deny it. She's never truly a bad card. Either the static ability is a backside pain to the opponent, or at the very worst she cycles herself and might be a small damage sponge. The best case scenario is that her presence on the board totally shuts down the enemy plan, like against Izzet Phoenix. However, she is quite expensive against aggro decks. You don't want to spend 3 mana to basically draw a card, against a deck that will actually just kill you.
Maindeck Massace is a true delight. Mass (or even targeted) removal with a passive, lifegain, and repeatability. An aggro seeing it being bounced over and over, with you healing up like one of those unfair soulslike bosses, will probably want to go play Monopoly. Or go to Monopoli and die of heatstroke, which is more pleasant than dealing with you. In the worstest case, against pure control, you can either cast it at x=0 to have a bad Blood Artist on the field, or wrath your own creatures to deal the last bit of damage.
Another significant change is swapping Mutavault with Petrified Hamlet. It wasn't really useful to have a tool to deal some chip damage in this kind of build, so I thought it made more sense having 4 Pithing Needle for all those nasty lands like the Vault itself. I've also tried a set of both, but this deck casts a lot of small spells, therefore it's a bit colour-thirsty and struggles with a manabase like that.
I've preferred treating myself to a fifth colourless land, in the guise of Scavenger Grounds, which is never really a colour problem, but can be a useful tech if you find yourself in a G1 against a graveyard-heavy deck and you don't have your sideboard tools at your disposal. Just one more toy.
[Card]Sea Gate Restoration[/card] plays a similar role: it's basically an Island, but if you find yourself in need, a Fear can re-draw it to let you get some cards. 3 life are not good, but I've never lost for this. Now, I gotta say, it probably sucks. But, playing Magic is a constant improvement through tests and experience, isn't it?
Last Maindeck thing: I've chosen to run a split of 3 Push and 1 Bitter Triumph instead of the usual 4 Push, since I wanted one more out against the various PWs like Professor Dellian Fel, Teferi, Hero of Dominaria or The Wandering Emperor. Otherwise, you'd have 4 dead card right away in some matchups.
Let's now talk about the Sideboard. Yorion needs no presentation, it is the deck's raison d'étre. The build is made for it: with just a couple of trinkets on the ground it can produce an unsurmountable advantage. If some of your removals are on the field, it's not rare to produce an asymmetric wrath.
Lanterns are more than necessary due to the abundance of decks like Izzet Phoenix or Greasefang, all relying on graveyard. 4 would be a bit too much, but 3 let you draw at least one per game.
Duress is just simple as a useful discard tool that also provides intel. Nothing more to say, a nuisance to other control decks and a perk of playing black.
One more Massacre and a Day of Black Sun keep aggro decks at bay. The split isn't just due to my (indomitable) creativity, nor because I was lacking wildcards on Arena (notice me WoTC-sama please I've been a good boy), but because there are some specific matchups where it could possibly be more effective to check for mana value instead of toughness. Yeah Barry, I'm not forgetting that Boros Convoke of yours.
Bitter Triumph, well, I've already talked about this card. Better removal in more various contexts, it often swaps places with a Push or a NTR. No, wait, that's a very unfortunate acronym. Well, nowhere to run now I guess. Badabum-tss.
The other two Narsets are just awesome, she's super-strong in many matchups which need to draw a lot, and some of them struggle a bit taking her away. And, when she's 4x in, it's damn fun playing a Day's Undoing as a sudden, surprise combo. You now have 7 cards, your opponent just one and a primal desire to beat you to a pulp. Now... that might not be an advantage. But! At the small price of a headbutt in the nose, you win due to expulsion! Worth it!...? It also has the added bonus of denying graveyard, even if it's quite bad at doing so. A CovertGoBlue would probably tell me I'm not right in my mind playing it (naaaah he's far too kind), but Undoing is basically a fetish of mine. I see 4 Narsets in a list, I know the fifth card to play.
Invoke Despair is, on paper, a card I dislike. Too much specific, sorcery speed, high cost and situational. But nobody bothered (or dared) to tell it so, and it shows! It does so many things at once, avoid resistances, removes many types, hurts, and draws. Too much value on one card, absolute cinema against Midrange decks and one of the few cards that can take out Fable of the Mirror-Breaker WITH CARD ADVANTAGE. Just remember, if you side it in you must make sure to build up 4 black mana sources while playing in your first turns.
...You thought I was forgetting about Sheoldred? Ok, I was, actually. But I do remember stuff in the end. Usually. This already disqualifies me from US Presidency, I suppose. What can I say about her? Nothing you have experienced on your own skin, especially a specific area of your lower back. She's strong against: deck that draw a lot, decks low on removal, aggro decks, control decks. She also pseudo-combos off with Undoing. We don't play her maindeck only because she's not synergic. Just avoid her getting a removal in the face the moment she coils down on the battlefield, and you're already winning.
In conclusion, if you reached down here and you aren't convinced of playing this deck yet, just go look for Barry and go play ball with him or something. He'll be at the bar at this hour (whatever hour you are reading this). For everyone else, Dimir Yorion, in both its forms, remains one of the growing decks of the pioneer meta, it's versatile, fun and satisfying to pilot. It never gets old to see your opponent forced to play the same spell for the fourth turn in a row while you keep building your board, while he's pondering resigning from uni and opening a chiringuito which would close forever in three months (we've all been there at some point).
Now, you have the list, the philosophy, and my obsession about stripping my opponent bare (of their cards) and laughing at them in a humiliating, very Dimir ritual. It's time to face the rest of the metagame. It's there that you'll show what kind of player you are: by choosing what hand to keep, what to play, what to cut, and how to face different matchups. As a bonus, let's see a quick sideboard guide against the top decks of the format.
UR Aggro:
In: The Meathook Massacre, Day of Black Sun, Bitter Triumph,Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
Out: 4x Thoughtseize.
Greasefang:
In: 3x Soul-Guide Lantern, Bitter Triumph.Out: 4x Hopeless Nightmare.
Red Deck Wins:
In: The Meathook Massacre, Day of Black Sun, Bitter Triumph,Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, 2x Invoke Despair.
Out: 4x Thoughtseize, 2x Narset, Parter of Veils.
The Rock:
In: Bitter Triumph, Day’s Undoing, 2x Narset, Parter of Veils, 2x Invoke Despair, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
Out: 4x Thoughtseize, 2x Fatal Push, 1x Nowhere to Run.
Mirror Match:
In: 2x Duress, Day’s Undoing, 2x Narset, Parter of Veils, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.
Out: 2x The Meathook Massacre, 4x Nowhere to Run.
Phoenix:
In: 3x Soul-Guide Lantern,Day’s Undoing, 2x Narset, Parter of Veils, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, The Meathook Massacre.
Out: 4x Hopeless Nightmare, 3x Fatal Push, 1x Momentum Breaker.
