Pros

Now to the bright side – you kill faster than any non-interactive deck. Without opponent’s interference turn 2 kill is pretty possible, turn 3 kill is like 80%. The low fizzle chance is mostly thanks to a simplicity of combo, it’s basically a 《Puresteel Paladin》 and a timely 《Retract》, you’re not picky about the Equipments you play and they are 33% of the deck.

Here’s our good to average matchups (I’ve wrote this before Modern Horizons got released, right now 《Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis》 is dominating the Magic Online metagame, I’ve played against the deck myself, but it’s hard to suggest how the metagame will shift to deal with it and how good Cheerios will be in the new world).

1) Old Styled Dredge (No Hogaak) and Tron

Old Styled Dredge and Tron, these are bye-like matchups. They have low-to-none interaction and very few possible sideboard countermeasures. After Tron switched to 《Karn, the Great Creator》 builds it can lock you down on Turn 3 with Karn fetching a 《Trinisphere》, that’s the only course of action you may have a problem. And there is no problem a 《Repeal》 cannot solve.

2) Hogaakvine

About that Hogaak build, at the moment I’ve played 5 matches against it and have won all of them. It still seems in the Cheerios favor so far, but their draws weren’t explosive. I would be dead on turn 3, but either I was on the play or had Turn 2 kill. Anyway I will tinker the sideboard a bit, back in the day all graveyard interactions was irrelevant because they were too slow. I’m not sure will the 《Surgical Extraction》s do the trick (and you already have 《Noxious Revival》), 《Leyline of the Void》 is the first candidate.

3) Straight Ramp Decks: Amulet, Valakut

Amulet, Valakut are pretty easy as well. A good thing about 《Repeal》 is you can keep it ready for an occasional 《Chalice of the Void》, but when it’s combo time you can always cycle it.

4) Straight Aggro Decks: Both Hardened Scales and Regular Affinity, Mono-Red Phoenix, Hollow One

Although the last two have 《Lightning Bolt》s, it’s unacceptable for the deck with such game plan to keep one mana open for the 1st 3 turns.

5) Other Combo Decks: Griselbrand-Based Decks, Storm, Ad Nauseam

Like I said above you’re just faster and more consistent in assembling the combo. I know 《Neoform》 can win on turn 1, but so do you and the possibility delta is not that high.

6) 《Thalia, Guardian of Thraben》 Decks: Humans, Spirits, Eldrazi&Taxes

At first those decks look terrifying, but it’s not that bad. It’s obvious the worst possible scenario is when opponent’s on the play and has a 1st drop followed by a couple of disruption creatures. It would be hard to catch up with that, but Paladins are immune to their disruption except 《Meddling Mage》, which still can name the wrong one, at least the most important parts of our machine will remain intact. The situation is pretty good on the play. If we start the things rolling on turn 2 and don’t have the kill, we still got a robot, some cards in hand and only one answer coming next turn.

7) Burn

Again, my first thought about the matchup was it would be a disaster-tons of removal, 《Eidolon of the Great Revel》, quick clock. But they have only one set of 1 mana creature removal and two sets of 2 mana ones (Including the conditional 《Searing Blaze》). Yeah, the matchup is unfavored, but not desperate, you still have some ways to win game 1, but it becomes interesting after the sideboard.

In games 2 and 3 your key cards are 《Burrenton Forge-Tender》 and 《Leyline of Sanctity》, I side 8 cards in and take out 1 《Sram, Senior Edificer》, 2 《Noxious Revival》, 2 《Repeal》, 1 《Hurkyl’s Recall》 and 2 《Paradise Mantle》. Leyline is your plan A now, if you don’t have the Kithkin your opponent has to tap out to keep pressure and it leaves them open to the combo plan, and if you have a 《Burrenton Forge-Tender》 + Leyline + any Equipment you can start attacking. Just don’t lose the Kithkin to a 《Skullcrack》. Plan B is to use Forge Tender to cover your combo, it shuts down Eidolon for an entire turn.

Tips and Tricks

Two more card to have a closer look:

《Noxious Revival》

I’d say it’s the most complicated card in the deck, but it is extremely useful. Here’s the list of what you can do with it:

• 1) We’ll start simple. It’s a second land if you keep a one-lander with a fetchland, you rarely need more than 2 lands and once you start rolling you’ll find the 3rd one without a problem.
• 2) It’s an extra Paladin in case the first one gets dealt with.
• 3) It’s an extra 《Retract》 if you think you can fizzle, you keep the last Equipment in hand, put 《Retract》 on top and draw it with the Paladin.
• 4) It targets card in any graveyard. So it’s a way to deal with 《Arclight Phoenix》 and the Dredge guys (although in a non-critical situation I won’t recommend doing this, you’ll probably need the card later).
• 5) UW Control plays 《Logic Knot》 sometimes. If you play a Paladin and opponent cracks a fetchland with zero graveyard, it might be worth a try putting the fetch back on top to cut them from a possible 《Logic Knot》.
• 6) It’s a kind of countermeasure to opposing 《Surgical Extraction》, but to be honest, Extraction is not a big problem to you, yeah, they can take out 《Retract》, but that means you’ve already connected one, so you should be in a good shape anyway.
• 7) If the game is in the topdeck mode, you have some Equipments in your hand and are waiting for a Paladin, you can just use it as a 《Time Walk》 putting some land on opponent’s top of the library.
• 8) In certain situations it allows some Scry/Miracle shenanigans.

《Repeal》

《Repeal》 mostly have 2 functions – It’s an universal and relatively cheap answer to anything (Chalice, Thalia, 《Damping Sphere》, 《Meddling Mage》). Function 2 is just cycling it. You can cycle it on turn 1 into your artifact, with an active Mox it cycles for free, with a Paladin it cycles for 2 cards, with 2 Paladins it’s an 《Ancestral Recall》!

One more thing to keep in mind is if you don’t want to cycle your 《Repeal》 on turn 1, start with a tapped 《Hallowed Fountain》 or a Fetchland into it. It may convince your opponent to think you’re on UW Control, then they’ll play aggressive and will give you an opening.