Total price: $98.38 · Format: Budget Standard · This week’s Budget Brew

Azorius Control is one of the best-represented decks in competitive Standard right now — a patient removal-and-card-advantage shell that went 5-1 at the Super Sunday RCQ (SCG CON Hartford, Oct 25, 2026). The problem: the tournament 75 runs $342.76, almost entirely because of two bombs (Wan Shi Tong, Librarian and The Theorist, Jace Beleren) and a mana base of premium shock/fast lands.

This build keeps every piece of the real removal-and-draw engine — Get Lost, No More Lies, Day of Judgment, Consult the Star Charts, Three Steps Ahead — and swaps the two expensive bombs for Captain Marvel, Earth’s Protector (a flash, flying, lifelink finisher) and Beza, the Bounding Spring (a comparison-based value engine), while trading the dual lands for basics. Total cost drops from $342.76 to $98.38 — a 71% cut — without losing the control game plan.

Full Decklist — Total: $98.38

Creatures (6) — $13.48

  • 4x Captain Marvel, Earth’s Protector — $4.48
  • 2x Beza, the Bounding Spring — $9.00

Sorceries (3) — $3.38

  • 1x Stock Up — $1.28
  • 2x Day of Judgment — $2.10

Instants (20) — $66.51

  • 2x Erode — $18.62
  • 2x Spell Snare — $0.78
  • 3x Three Steps Ahead — $13.29
  • 4x Consult the Star Charts — $15.96
  • 4x Get Lost — $15.36
  • 4x No More Lies — $2.00
  • 1x Settle the Wreckage — $0.50

Artifacts (2) — $0.80

  • 2x Pinnacle Starcage — $0.80

Enchantments (3) — $3.00

  • 3x Seam Rip — $3.00

Lands (26) — $11.21

  • 1x Agna Qel’a — $1.00
  • 4x Deserted Beach — $6.40
  • 8x Island — $0.00
  • 3x Petrified Hamlet — $3.21
  • 8x Plains — $0.00
  • 2x Restless Anchorage — $0.60

Paste-Ready Import

Deck
4 Captain Marvel, Earth's Protector
2 Beza, the Bounding Spring
1 Stock Up
2 Day of Judgment
2 Erode
2 Spell Snare
3 Three Steps Ahead
4 Consult the Star Charts
4 Get Lost
4 No More Lies
1 Settle the Wreckage
2 Pinnacle Starcage
3 Seam Rip
1 Agna Qel'a
4 Deserted Beach
8 Island
3 Petrified Hamlet
8 Plains
2 Restless Anchorage

Strategy Guide

Early (Turns 1-3): Hold up Spell Snare and No More Lies while you deploy lands and dig with Consult the Star Charts. Day of Judgment stays in hand until it’s blowing out two or more threats at once — this deck wants to play a patient draw-go game, not tap out on curve.

Mid (Turns 4-6): Flash in Captain Marvel, Earth’s Protector at the end of the opponent’s turn or as a surprise blocker. Her lifelink flying body buys time against aggro while Get Lost and Erode clear out the opponent’s best threats. Seam Rip and Pinnacle Starcage lock down anything else that’s causing problems.

Late (Turns 7+): Beza, the Bounding Spring resets the value engine — treasure, life, tokens, or a card depending on the board — while Three Steps Ahead protects your key spells from counterspells or removal. Grind the opponent out of resources, then close with Captain Marvel’s evasive lifelink damage or a long Beza value engine.

Win Conditions

There’s no combo finish here — this is a pure grindy control shell. The plan is attrition: out-card-advantage the opponent with Consult the Star Charts and No More Lies while answering every threat, then close the game with Captain Marvel’s evasive lifelink damage or a long Beza, the Bounding Spring value engine.

Upgrade Path

  • The Theorist, Jace Beleren (~$52.55/copy) — the tournament list’s second bomb planeswalker; adds a long-game card advantage engine on top of the budget removal suite.
  • Wan Shi Tong, Librarian (~$35.12/copy) — the deck’s other premium bomb creature; a huge upgrade to the top end once budget allows.
  • Floodfarm Verge (~$9.28/copy) — swap in for basic Islands to smooth the mana base and enable double-spell turns.
  • Hallowed Fountain (~$7.89/copy) — swap in for basic Plains for an untapped dual that fixes for white instants on curve.
  • A 4th copy of Erode, or extra copies of Settle the Wreckage, for sideboard depth against go-wide aggro decks.

That’s this week’s Budget Brew — a full tournament-grade control shell for under $100. 💰 Budget Brew Wednesday — a new Budget Brew lands every Wednesday at manariotgames.com. Follow Mana Riot Games for next week’s brew.