WUControl

Final Update - Modern Decklist Post Ban with SB Guide

Hello everyone!

Even though the billing is paused, I felt it was right to provide a final update for the month especially after the ban.

Here is the decklist:

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/08YlWrzOO0uPiTKTZpeR6A

Here is the SB Guide:
https://flexslot.gg/sideboards/2398

In short, Reprieves are replaced by FoN.

I just recently played a Last Chance Trial and went 4-1, losing my final match against Elementals. The loss was definitely on me though and I definitely didn't sideboard correctly. The reasons are in the video description and you can definitely see in the match the logic I should have applied. The Youtube VODs are in the Discord under the Patreon Content tab.

That said, this was my first attempt of playing the list and I am happy to say that this is super strong already. The FoN definitely melds into the deck without any issues and 12 pitch spells are just fine to play because of Narset and The One Ring.

That said, I do admit that the playstyle is a lot more degenerate. You are essentially playing kind of like a sorcery speed Rhinos playstyle but with Planeswalkers and The One Ring instead.

Updated Modern List

Playtested against Goryo's and Scam today as well as other matchups like 4cc. I added back Trickbind and Hallowed Moonlight in the sideboard. They are key cards in many matchups and I missed Trickbind against Scam. Dress Down simply doesn't do enough against Goryo's and Trickbind is also pretty good against Goryo's as you can stifle the Atraxa trigger or Griselbrand activated ability (they cannot use it for the rest of the turn again with Split Second as well). 

Went back to 4 Prismatic as well as Fire/Ice felt too much of a dead draw at times. It is great in the opening hand but Ragavan needs to be respected and having answers to your own Ring is very important too. 

Other than that, sideboard seems to be close to what I would continue playing.

I liked Tear Asunder over Pick your Poison and I see it being better against the Binding mirrors too because of the instant speed interactions that you can do over Pick Your Poison. For example, if your Narset is under a Binding, you can wait with Tear Asunder if they try to play an Omnath. 

I am still reluctant to play Counterspell but I see the increased appeal now. Cascade is now worse without Outburst and Dispute is not as present in the meta anymore. However, I am noticing an uptick of Veil of Summers so I am going to be monitoring the meta further to see how it develops. Counterspell feels awful against Veil of Summer currently and I think that is why the Sideboard is best to have answers geared towards the threats rather than more counterspells like Dovin's Veto. 

Being also able to Reprieve into your land drops more naturally is a big advantage. 

Same Decklist Link:

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/hAJ8NPC-_0G7N1C9-3arMA

Modern List Update

I think with the Outburst ban, Rhinos will still be a deck and a Tier 1 deck at that.

The decks that return are:

Yawgmoth, Titan, Reanimator, Zoo and Creativity

It's a bit hard to tell how the meta will continue to change but here is the preliminary list.

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/hAJ8NPC-_0G7N1C9-3arMA

SB Guide will come out after once I test it and get a feel on the list. 

I haven't tested it out yet but the ideas are:

Dress Down is better than Hallowed Moonlight against Yawgmoth and Titan. This can easily be Hallowed Moonlight though and I will wait to see how the meta continues to develop. Dress Down is also great against Zoo as it immediately kills Kavu and blanks Scion of Draco if there is Leyline of the Guildpact. 

Stern Scolding is a 4 of for Yawgmoth.

Tear Asunder is better than Pick Your Poison. More versatile and scales better in the later stages of the game. You can also use it on your own Ring, something that is really important in the grindy matchups. 

Ashiok and Stone Brain as one-ofs for matchups where you need to hate their library. 

Billing Paused and Final Update for Modern

Violent Outburst has been banned.

I can't say I expected it but I am not surprised.

That said, there will be a lot of changes that will have to be made to the list with the new metashift. 

I will create a final update to the list sometime this week or next week once I have a greater understanding of how this will impact the meta.

Billing has been paused now though and I will release a poll next month about Standard for the upcoming RC cycle in May. 

4c Narset

So with a Eureka moment, speaking with James Zhi on the Discord. 

Yawgmoth has seen less presence because of Rhinos being a bad matchup.

As a result, Prismatic Ending can be cut for some Fire/Ice and Pick your Poison can be put into the sideboard. 

Both are extremely useful and Fire/Ice will also help reduce the likelihood of missing land drops. 

Pick your Poison fills the application of Engineered Explosives and trimming one Stern Scolding can be done as well. Being able to force them to sac Saga lands is also really strong. 

I will test it out and if I like this, I will make a SB guide for this version but I think it is already very good in theory.

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/QYj7pDiwzEikttdg0Q3AkQ

The Stone Brain over Declaration of Naught

The change I can see myself making is replacing DoN with TSB.

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/-LIZgpiQN0i05PlauExtyw

It would make a cleaner manabase and allow you to play windswept heath which is cleaner for blood moon.

TSB is worse against Rhinos but better against Living End, Creativity and Tron.

Rhinos has access to Tishana and Flame of Anor while the others have the same removal for DoN.

Modern Preliminary 3-1 and Standard Esper List

I wanted to still provide some content for Modern players since it wasn't an overwhelming amount of players that wanted just Standard content. 

I did a Preliminary today:
2-0 Living End
2-0 Yawgmoth
0-2 UR Breach (Fair)
2-1 Murktide

https://youtu.be/o_yuXY4Ksak

The games were actually pretty interesting so take a look! I provide live commentary during my match. 

I have also transitioned to Esper in Standard. The manabase is cleaner because of Raffine's Tower and Virtue of Persistence is great when you want to go mill strategy. I think the meta will be a lot of midrange or control and mill is one of the faster alternate wincons rather than trying to beat them down with Samurai tokens. Many decks play 4 Sunfall so it is important to win game 1 and the best way to do that is with Realmbreaker/Virtue synergy. 

Standard Decklist:

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/ars1NPovDkO25kfYfzoB9w

Standard or Modern for the rest of the cycle

Hello everyone!

So I have been playtesting Standard lately and since Modern is kind of out of the competitive scene, I wanted to make a poll. I still play Modern but I've noticed there's actually more people that are interested in Standard right now than Modern, especially with MC Chicago now out of the way. 

I am likely going to play and improve this until the next RC: 

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/jYwflBShGkyXQJxdAr5LIw

I can do a lot of content on Standard, SB guide and VODs on Arena (probably a lot more enjoyable to watch too). 

Keep or Mull (Modern UW)

Either I am slow or this takes a lot more time than I expected.

Did a sample document to get some feedback. Let me know if you want more of this type of thing or if VODs are better.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m3nGByqe2BgTGOJDNaQQrdDlJe--N6-b6ZwuIy6X_nk/edit?usp=sharing

Standard Jeskai Decklist

Had a eureka moment last night,

The 75 in general seems very promising but I actually really do not like No More Lies.

Might cut it completely and play more Tishana’s/Protocol.

I currently think instant speed answers are better than countermagic especially because of Cavern of Souls. Against aggro decks, it is also very hard to effectively use counterspells.

This is better than the bant control deck I had recently posted.

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/jYwflBShGkyXQJxdAr5LIw

Keep or Mull Content

Your starting hand is very important in Modern, since the format is so fast. It is not likely you will be able to go through a game without getting pressured in the early turns. 

I will be making this week a keep or mull article where I do a lot of sample hands, against unknown matchups or against meta decks as well. 

If you want to participate with your own screenshots for this, simply post it on the Discord! 

Standard and Pioneer Prototype Decklist

I have started playing Standard in preparation for the store championships in two weeks where I plan to win as many Dauthi Voidwalkers as possible. I have come across Bant Control as my likely go-to choice. 

These decklists are in very much in their early stages so take them a bit more lightly. Use them as inspiration, if anything. I definitely think Up the Beanstalk is one of the broken "unchecked" cards in both Pioneer and Standard so I am trying to integrate them into each deck. 

Pioneer decklist is very much untested so it might not be great... I do think splashing green is now worth it though but the deck becomes much more dependent on Lotus Field than before. 

Standard:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/vknZur6DEEuavecHkfziUQ

Pioneer:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/LT-ma2S3UkWJFTikjo9p7Q

Yawgmoth 2-0 and 1-2 UR Prowess VOD

Recorded my last two matches in the league with live commentary. 

This was a pretty lucky match against Yawgmoth:
https://youtu.be/KJVSLBlvhN8

But you can kind of see how favored the matchup is as a whole, even with my very good topdecks. 

Lost 1-2 the next match against UR Prowess:
https://youtu.be/KVxXblJvqyY

This is not a good matchup in general. 

Any further VODs will be posted on the Discord so I am not spamming Patreon notifications. 

Murktide 2-0 and Amulet Titan 2-0

These are some quick VODs of my parts of my previous modern leagues. I haven't had time to play much but I do want to try to squeeze in a Modern Prelim/Challenge so that I can do a live recording in the near future. 

In the meantime, I wanted to at least cover some videos before I do this. 

Murktide:

https://youtu.be/829tBDXiEpA

Amulet Titan: 

https://youtu.be/tllWtjaoGBs

Sorry about the in-game audio, will reduce that for future VODs. 

Comprehensive Matchup Guide

I have finished the Matchup guide where I talk about every matchup.

Unfortunately, I came upon the realization that there is only so much I can talk about before it gets a bit redundant. 

A lot of the play-patterns can be better explained through VODs as well which is something that is coming very soon. I will try to do a Challenge if I have time so that I can live commentate my plays. If I am not able to do so, I will simply review my matches that I played in preparation for the RC. 

That said, here is the link:
https://flexslot.gg/article/80bb2fe7-e96b-4ae9-803b-ab7c4f950b74

Important Interactions and Play Patterns for UW Ring Undoing

https://flexslot.gg/article/6d027a71-3696-4a77-a7ad-da737a21195e

This article was meant to be a more simplified version of what is to come and is meant to really just explain the core principles of the deck. The next article will have a lot more emphasis on specific matchups and how to play against them. The focus will of course be on the top meta decks as those are the ones that you want to consistently defeat. There will also eventually be VODs that will provide a more visual way of understanding how the deck is played.

Sideboard Guide of UW Narset

More to come this week:

Important interactions and play patterns

Comprehensive explanation of how I view every meta matchup as well as potentially different cards to consider

As promised, here is the sideboard guide.

https://flexslot.gg/sideboards/1801

Decklist:

https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/362708

Schedule for the month and billing unpaused

Hello all patrons! I am excited to be back! 

I have unpaused the billing cycle starting today. As most of you old members know, when I unpause, I become very active once again. There was a great interest from many people asking me to release content for Modern after seeing my result in RC Ottawa.

I will strive to push through this content as fast as possible as I know there were a few people that wanted to play UW in MC Chicago which is coming up in two weeks. 

This will be billed for exactly one month. On March 13, I will pause once again. I will then release a poll whether I should release content for the next upcoming RC (Standard) or keep it paused. 

Planned schedule for this month for Modern:

Sideboard Guide which will be released tomorrow

Important interactions and play patterns (sometime this week) 

Comprehensive explanation of how I view every meta matchup (sometime this week) as well as potentially different cards to consider

VODs of leagues with commentary

If you also have suggestions for what you want to see, feel free to mention it!

Reminder that I am very active on the Discord so please do not hesitate to ask any questions. 

2nd in Modern RC and Patreon Update

Hello all! It has been a while. I had unpublished the page since the last update and still have the billing paused.

I know this Patreon is mostly known for Pioneer content which has been kind of dead lately as Pioneer is only really played during competitive seasons.

If you are only interested in Pioneer, I wanted to give you time to cancel before you are charged again. The billing will be paused until Tuesday.

Modern is however my favorite format. I have already received a lot of messages from people that have asked why my Patreon is no longer active.

I will be unpausing my Patreon for this month as I want to release a lot of Modern content following my performance. I will be going to the Pro Tour again and made Worlds for the first time.

https://x.com/wuctrl/status/1756829777929941269?s=46&t=VIbZSrhQCwUqDfYUDMFJuQ

Happy Holidays and Poll for Modern

Hi Everyone! I wish you all Happy Holidays for the next two weeks and Happy New Year!

I have already started my transition to Modern. I wanted to poll whether you wanted me to reactivate my Patreon for January. If I were to work on Modern, I would reactivate it early January and I would have the same type of activity as I did with the Pioneer cycle.

With my new list, I have done 2 Leagues of which I have done 2 5-0s in a row. I have already tried multiple previous iterations but this seems like one of the most convincing versions so far. I think UW is pretty well positioned right now, especially since the disappearance of Rakdos Scam.

I wanted to get all of your opinions for whether I should reactivate the Patreon for Modern. Please be honest and do not feel as if you have to say yes. I am more than happy with either decision the majority of you poll.

The matchups were:
League 1:
2-0 Living End
2-1 Jeskai Breach
2-0 MonoB Coffers
2-1 UW Narset
2-1 Asmo Food

League 2:
2-1 Grixis Death's Shadow
2-0 MonoW Soul Sisters
2-1 Murktide
2-1 Yawg
2-1 Rhinos

I have 5-0'd already so the list will be public eventually, here is the list:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/kE26uyGUs0a1ZUAGEaN5rw

Closing Update - RCQ List and SB Guide

Billing has been paused and this will serve as my final update for the next month. 

Here is the RCQ List I played today, finishing 6-2. 

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/75TCzFUbQkaVNPCcPc7HRQ

Sideboard Guide:
https://flexslot.gg/sideboards/1294

R1: bye
R2: 2-1 Gruul
R3: 2-0 Keruga Fires
R4: 2-0 Rakdos Mid
R5: 2-1 Rakdos Mid
R6: 0-2 Grixis Phoenix
R7: 2-0 UW Control
R8: 1-2 Rakdos Aggro

Thank you to everyone that subscribed to my Patreon. I hope you all received a positive investment from this. 

My Final thoughts:
I think the RC list actually is still quite good. It did not perform this tournament but UW Lotus Field still had one of the highest winrates from last month's RC events. I definitely didn't play very well and a lot of matchups where I lost or won, I realized after the match that I didn't take the best lines, just the most obvious ones. Both the RC and the RCQ, I could have definitely played better, but at the end of the day, no one is perfect. 

RC List: https://www.moxfield.com/decks/J2tLvqIZOkWM-Pg8nAUfFA

However, it is much different playing on MTGO/MTGA than on paper. Because the list was inherently more reactive, there were more times to consider various possible lines. Because paper magic is a shared clock of 50 minutes, you cannot take too long to make a decision and sometimes, the obvious decision is not always the best one. On MTGO, you can at least not get punished if your opponent is too slow. The list on paper also requires a lot more organization with Sunken Citadel + Thespian's Stage, the board can get messy very quickly without it. With that in mind, I would still probably look to play the reactive list online recreationally. 

It is likely going to be a while before the next Pioneer RC. When that time comes though, I will likely go back to developing a proactive UW Lotus list, like the one that I played at the RCQ. This deck has lines where the obvious one is usually also the right one.

The next Canadian RC is: Feb 9-11. It is Modern. I am going to be on UW Control (Likely Narset + Day's Undoing). However, I am leaning on just pausing the Patreon for this RC cycle since I do not believe UW Control is Tier 1 in Modern. I will put more thought into it but I don't feel like it is right to charge for Patreon when the deck is likely not going to be your choices for the RC. I still think UW Lotus Field is overall a tier 1 deck in Pioneer so that is a different situation.

RC Atlanta Update

Went 3-4 in the main event. I wasn’t proud of how I piloted the deck today and during my reflection after each match, I didn’t play very well.

Deck stats didn’t do as well as I had hoped either compared to the previous RC last month (55% wr). Of course, one tournament doesn’t represent the deck and UW Lotus Field still has legs.

The current version of the deck felt very strong on MTGO. I genuinely think it is because of the automation of the deck, giving you more time to think and less inherent distractions. On paper, the deck can get messy with the lands and I felt like today, I was focused on playing more time- efficiently rather than taking the time to consider more possible actions, partly because of shared clock.

That said, I think I might have swayed a bit too much from the fundamentals of the deck. This list seems like it has become too reactive and does not shine with mana like it used to. I will be going back to my boomer list before. The lines were a lot more proactive and obvious and on paper, this is much more valuable.

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/75TCzFUbQkaVNPCcPc7HRQ

Is the list I will be playing tomorrow for the RCQ.

Any questions, feel free to ask on Discord!

Good Luck at RC Atlanta

Lists are finalized. I wish everyone attending RC Atlanta good luck. At the end of the day, all we can do is play our best.

Thank you for everyone here that has taken interest in UW Lotus.

Billing will be paused on Sunday until further notice, likely until the next RC or something.

Last Minute Changes for RC Atlanta

With the meta being more defined, it is now easier and clearer to see what needs to be targetted. For that reason, I am likely going to be off Impulse. There are no changes other than that in the mainboard. I will be taking out Impulse and adding two moonlights and a jwari disruption. The jwari serves as the 28th land now that there is less digging power. There is also one Supreme Verdict being replaced for Farewell.

I will also be replacing the Scrabbling Claws for Lantern of the Lost. It is simply more consistent over time.

Moonlight is very strong in the current meta and is a cycle at worst. It is a metacall for Phoenix and Amalia, two decks which I think will be very popular.

Change the Equation would be my next go-to and all comes down to personal preference. Even with my continued testing, I never found Impulse necessary but I had to keep it because of the meta shifting. With that in mind, this is no longer the case.

Example Applications for Hallowed Moonlight:

Fable Token or Fable Flip

Phoenix

Gleeful Demolition

Temporary Lockdown being destroyed

Collected Company, Return to the Ranks, Chord of Calling

Shark Token or Emperor Token

I will see if I will be able to make a last minute sideboard guide with the changes. I should be able to once I land tonight in Atlanta at 10 pm.

https://www.moxfield.com/decks/J2tLvqIZOkWM-Pg8nAUfFA

Edit: SB GUIDE COMPLETED

https://flexslot.gg/sideboards/1294

Decklist, Sideboard Guide and Explanation of Each MU

I have done 4 Leagues with the current list:
16-2 Overall, losing to Rakdos Aggro and Monored Aggro.

That said, a lot of the decks I played against in the leagues are funky and provide barely any use for what to expect in RC Atlanta, so I am still having a bit of a hard time finding good matches that really detail the deck's performance. A lot of my matches were just very one-sided. I'll see what I can do for the VOD side of things. I might just playtest against a friend while they test out a variety of decks or I might ask people in the Discord if they want to play against me.

I have completed the sideboard guide:
https://flexslot.gg/sideboards/1198

Please note to not take the sideboard guide 100% exactly, the meta is still developing and it is important to always consider what they are playing that could be different from a typical list. 

I made this explanation short and concise but if you all have extra questions, I am very responsive on Discord. Do not hesitate to ask!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a3tP-df1E7Nj6elvLm_-VS0ItMKhHfYP2Cs_z7bv06k/edit?usp=sharing

List for RC Atlanta

As most of you know, I will be playing in RC Atlanta, my first time playing a US RC. 

I have kept my Twitter activity on the down-low as well as my MTGO leagues because I do not want UW Lotus to grab as much attention as it did before, like for RC Toronto/Japan/South America. I have also intentionally stopped 5-0ing MTGO Leagues as a result, for both my benefit and everyone here planning to play in RC Atlanta. 

Tale's End is no longer a good card because it was a metacall for the previous meta.

I have done some testing and this is likely what I am moving forward with:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/HV7k7eQvF0iWVscdgtGkqQ

The mainboard is designed to battle against:
Aggro
Rakdos
Other Creature Matchups

There are no counterspells and Lotus Combo is generally an instant loss. This is accepted since after side, it is very favored. 

Because I have now figured out the list I will likely be playing (may change some SB cards depending on the Challenge this weekend), I will be focusing on providing more information. This 75 is unlikely to change drastically as UW Lotus has returned back to a proactive style rather than a reactive one. It is better to do this in a meta that is not so certain or still developing. With only a week of results after the ban to look at, it is impossible to make a reactive UW Lotus deck for RC Atlanta.

I expect to have done throughout the upcoming week:
SB Guide
VOD Reviews
Document Explanation on how I try to beat each popular matchup.

Thank you all for taking interest in UW Lotus. The support has been astounding and I have very much enjoyed putting in the time and effort in Pioneer. Reminder that after RC Atlanta, Patreon billing will remain paused until around the next RC.

Deckbuilding Decisions and Thought Process

SB Guide will be posted next monday after I see how the meta develops this weekend from the MTGO Challenges.

Link to Decklist:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/8v7IrQpC_ky9QJYcipISYA

I wanted to provide a bit of insight on what is going on in my head when I play with the numbers in the deck. 

3 Teferi: Did not miss having the fourth, still reliably found it a lot.
1 Emperor: Good one-of.
3 Horned-Loch Whale: I honestly love this card and would want to play a fourth, but there is not much room to play it. This card is even more relevant with Smuggler's Copter being unbanned.
2 Strict Proctor: With the meta being inconclusive, Tale's End is not a good choice. It is better to have a proactive angle of cheating in Lotus Field. With Lockdowns in the main as well, two seems to be the perfect number so you don't flood your hand with Proctors like before (when the list had 4).
3 Supreme Verdict and 3 Lockdowns: I like this 3/3 split as there are pros and cons to both boardwipes. The turn earlier for Lockdown is also relevant at times. With the introduction of Smuggler's Copter, Lockdown is increasingly more relevant as well. Farewell is no longer necessary because MonoG is no longer a deck. Did not find the 2 Proctors awkward for Lockdown either. Often, you are simply holding Proctor until you have Lotus Field. So even if you have to lockdown, it is usually Turn 4 or later, when you can feasibly pay the tax.
4 Discontinuity and 4 Get Lost and 4 Memory Deluge: Core cards, never likely to change.
3 Impulse: As most of you know, I do not like this card very much. But I do admit that when the meta is not very certain, it is better to be proactive. This is the card that allows you to be proactive with UW Lotus Field. I would much rather play Rewind or some instant speed interaction but I do not know for sure how fast/slow the meta will be.
3 Shark Typhoon: With the addition of Impulse, 4 Shark Typhoons isn't necessary since you have more digging power with Impulse. 

Sideboard:
This is where it gets a bit more funky. This sideboarding will likely change by the time I go to RC Atlanta.
1 Ashiok, Dream Render: I like it as a one-of but this card is hard to defend. I am not so sure I want it in general. I may just put a third Scrabbling Claws for added consistency against graveyard decks.
Dovin's Veto: Core in the sideboard.
1 Dream Trawler: Good one-of in the side that is a creature threat after they likely remove most of their removal post-board. It can auto-win games against Rakdos and other aggro matchups. Harder to resolve against Phoenix though but is great if you do.
1 Hullbreaker Horror: Very much liked this card especially since the Control mirrors can be harder to win without countermagic pre-sideboard. This seals the deal after sideboarding and makes your overall matchups consistent. This card is also great against Lotus Combo.
2 Mystical Dispute: Targets Phoenix and Control as well as other blue decks. Could change.
2 Narset's Reversal: Never removing this card. Have to respect Lotus Combo too much and this card is great against Pore over the Pages as well as Ultimatum.
2 Scrabbling Claws: Could go to 3 Scrabbling Claws instead of Ashiok. I like this card in the Rakdos Sacrifice matchups and I even bring it in against the Rakdos Midrange to help with the cycling power and to slow down their Kroxas. This is a good random cycler. I have not yet been in a situation where I needed to urgently exile someone's graveyard entirely. Not exiling your own Deluges as well is a big factor too.
2 Unwind: This card performed in numerous ways and sometimes autowon me the game alone as it allowed me to Deluge on that same step and dig while they just lose tempo after getting their spell countered. This is a card for the grindier matchups though and shines especially against Lotus Combo and Control Mirrors. 

Post-Ban UW Lotus

https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/december-4-2023-banned-and-restricted-announcement

Quite a bit to take in from this banning. There will be a lot of updates in the Discord for the cards I will be testing as well as VODs that I will be uploading when I think I have a good list going.

Decks I think will be most common at RC Atlanta:
Phoenix (Both UR and UB)
Rakdos Midrange/Sacrifice w/ Smuggler's Copter
Boros Convoke
Lotus Combo

Tale's End is horrible against all these matchups and now gets axed.

Less popular decks that will likely see some play:
UW Spirits
Boros Legends
5c Humans
Quintorius Combo
Amalia Life

List I will be testing out from now on:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/8v7IrQpC_ky9QJYcipISYA

New cards to mention that I am testing:
Gates of Istfell: I like this card more than Restless Anchorage because of the card advantage it can provide. With the discounted cost from Sunken Citadel, this is not bad. I have clawed my way out of some games by just copying my Gates with Stage and saccing it for draws.

Scrabbling Claws: This is kind of like a weaker Lantern of the Lost but has the advantage of never exiliing your own graveyard. A lot of decks only really require you to exile one or two cards from the graveyard. The added bonus of being able to exile one card every turn is also better than Lantern, as you can control the graveyard more effectively, even against Rakdos Sacrifice, for example. However, this card needs testing and I'm not sure if I will stick to it.

Unwind: I really like this card. This is likely staying as a two-of. I have always like Rewind but found it too slow at times in the aggro matchups and so it lost its place in the mainbaord. This, however, is a great card that is played in the noncreature matchups, especially in the sideboard. It really turns the tempo around when your opponent tries to play on your end step and you untap all your lands, this is incredibly strong in the UW mirror and against Lotus Combo. These are also two matchups that are definitely loseable Game 1 because of the lack of countermagic.

Ashiok, Dream Render: I like this as a one-of to become a win-con against Phoenix (as they can easily mill out) and this also has the added benefit of being amazing against Lotus Combo.

Dream Trawler: With the rise of Rakdos after this ban, it is likely this card is necessary again.

Hullbreaker Horror: Great against Phoenix, Lotus Combo, UW Control. It is a great one-of in the grindier matchups.

Because the meta is likely not going to be solved by RC Atlanta, there will be a lot of random decks that can't be expected. Because of this, it is better to take a mainboard tap out approach as before with UW Lotus. The sideboard of course will be mostly instead speed. I think Rakdos adding Copter in the deck is actually a net positive for UW Lotus. This turns on the Whales so much more, even if they get a loot out of it. I don't think Copter will see as much play as people think in Rakdos, but it might see a lot of play in more aggro decks, maybe in spirits. 

Cards I have thought about:
Rewind
Elspeth's Smite
Portable Hole
More Lockdowns/Strict Proctor

These are all meta dependent cards though and will likely not make it to the final list I play in RC Atlanta unless something unexpected changes. 

B&R Announcement in Pioneer, December 4

Just wanted to provide an update on what I plan on doing with the list.

With the B&R announcement, Karn TGC and Geological Appraiser are likely getting the axe. This is based on what they said in the livestream.

I looked at the data here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PioneerMTG/comments/185sll2/mixed_data_matrix_from_3_regional_championships/

UW Lotus Field had the second highest winrate across all three regional championships this weekend. This is very impressive, especially since I knew quite a few people that decided to play the deck without much practice beforehand.

That said, the Rakdos winrate is worrisome. This definitely needs to be improved. Game 1 is certainly winnable for UW Lotus since they have a lot of dead removal but G2 & G3 definitely becomes harder. Although I think most people on UW Lotus weren't on Horned-Loch Whale, which is exceptionally strong against Rakdos as it is early game removal as well as a threat. A significant 2 for 1. That said, even with this addition, it is likely that the winrate remains in the 40s.

Phoenix also being slightly less than 50% means this matchup should be improved as well.

Every other deck, the winrates are pretty good and happy with. So the question is, how do you improve these two matchups without losing equity in all the other ones?

The answer is likely:
Dream Trawler returns

I have been testing -3 Mystical Dispute and +2 Dream Trawler and +1 Hullbreaker Horror and I like it.

However, nothing is for certain until the B&R but I just wanted to provide thoughts on what I am going to be targetting with the new list to come for RC Atlanta.

EDIT: Pre-emptive list:
https://www.moxfield.com/decks/3L5RX1FIhEGTHI6JCd8lzA

UW Lotus Fundamental Primer

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qLPNqgz77htdlBgoJci0H1nEK4Kd3c1O0Unm9RA5IRQ/edit?usp=sharing

Explanation of how I built the deck and why I chose each card.

I will also expand this document gradually and add the reasoning behind how I sideboard against each matchup.

Unfortunately, it is 10:45 PM and I have to go to bed for tomorrow but I wanted to push this before I do.

I will continue the document tomorrow for the sideboard guide reasoning when I get back to the hotel after the side event.