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Control Strategies


Control is an overarching classification for decks that seek to dictate the pace of the game, and only win after they are firmly in control of it. Here is a Podcast episode on Control in Highlander. Click on any of the archetype primers below to learn more about Control and decks with a Control element in Highlander. 
How to build better decks in 7 Point Highlander: Lock, or Prison

How to build better decks in 7 Point Highlander: Lock or Prison

In this article, I analyse a macro-archetype that players tend to love or hate: Lock, also known as Prison. If you could lock your opponent out of the tennis court, then you could win at leisure (provided the umpire was on board!). You can sort of do this in Magic, locking your opponent out of the game. Your opponent is at the table, but not meaningfully participating. Given this unconventional aim, Lock decks tend to require off-beat deck building and earn the ire of opponents. Reading this article will give you insights into how to approach building and beating Lock decks. First, I identify the key features of Lock according to Patrick Chapin, then I examine two Lock decks that have succeeded in 7 Point Highlander.

The Good-stuff Control Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Good-stuff Control deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Good-stuff Control Archetype Good-stuff Control decks plan to control the game via spells that are fundamentally good on their own (as opposed to the Synergy Control Archetype). When behind, these Control… Read More »The Good-stuff Control Archetype in Highlander

Deck primer: UW Miracles (Bourbon and Coke) in 7 Point Highlander

Bourbon and Coke is a UW Miracles-like control deck centred on Balance and Entreat the Angels that once had bourbon and coke spilled all over it.  It started as a blue-white-red control deck around 2015, when I switched black for red to play Dack Fayden and Young Pyromancer.  Earlier I had played blue-white-black control, porting the Vintage deck with which… Read More »Deck primer: UW Miracles (Bourbon and Coke) in 7 Point Highlander

The Synergy Control Archetype in Highlander

Welcome to the Synergy Control deck archetype for 7 Point Highlander! On this page you will find all the content related to this play style. A Summary of the Synergy Control Archetype Synergy Control decks often look strange on the surface because in comparison to the Good-stuff Control archetype their individual cards tend to look somewhat weak in a vacuum.… Read More »The Synergy Control Archetype in Highlander