Tier 3control

Astral Slide

Cycling Control

Featured list~$728Jornada VII de la II Liga Extremeña de Premodern

Overview

"Astral Slide is a cycling-engine control deck built on Astral Slide and Lightning Rift as twin payoffs: every cycling trigger either exiles a creature until end of turn or deals 2 damage. Eternal Dragon, Renewed Faith, and Decree of Justice supply continuous cycling fuel, while Wrath of God and Swords to Plowshares answer what the engine cannot. Exalted Angel enters face-down as a Morph, then Astral Slide blinks it to return it face-up for free as a 4/5 flying lifelinker."

Game Plan

Establish Astral Slide and/or Lightning Rift. Use cycling cards (Eternal Dragon, Renewed Faith) to trigger 'Slide' effects, blinking your own creatures like Wall of Blossoms for value or exiling opponent's threats. Win by blinking face-down Morph creatures (Exalted Angel) to return them face-up for cheap.

Key Cards

Core engine & flex

Swords to Plowshares

$8.05

TCG MP CK

Secluded Steppe

$0.23

TCG MP CK

Eternal Dragon

$9.05

TCG MP CK

Decree of Justice

$16.96

TCG MP CK

Signature

Astral Slide

$0.89

TCG MP CK

Renewed Faith

$0.28

TCG MP CK

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Sample Decklists

Sort By

Jornada VII de la II Liga Extremeña de Premodern

1st PlaceMay 2, 2026

Mikel

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Mikel

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$601

Creature (22)

$180

$19.001G

$1.722G

$27.155WW

$0.84GG

$4.47G

$0.462G

$83.963GG

$37.404WW

$4.88G

Instant (6)

$32.83

4Swords to Plowshares

$32.20W

1Ray of Revelation

$0.351W

1Renewed Faith

$0.282W

Sorcery (3)

$50.88

3Decree of Justice

$50.88XX2WW

Enchantment (4)

$3.56

4Astral Slide

$3.562W

Land (25)

$334

$7.28

$2.35

$0.92

$1.36

$266

$55.69

Sideboard (15)

$127

$22.942WW

$9.221W

$0.701W

$24.20G

2Circle of Protection: Red

$0.441W

$2.681W

$13.031

$34.09W

$10.412

$9.551WW

Est. Total$728

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MTGO Premodern League 5-0 - 2026-04-24

1st PlaceApr 24, 2026

Gabaman

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Gabaman

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$512

Creature (14)

$49.00

$0.922G

$19.001G

$27.155WW

$0.252W

$0.231W

$1.452GW

Instant (8)

$67.13

4Swords to Plowshares

$32.20W

3Renewed Faith

$0.842W

1Enlightened Tutor

$34.09W

Sorcery (6)

$85.29

3Decree of Justice

$50.88XX2WW

3Wrath of God

$34.412WW

Artifact (1)

$1.31

1Tormod's Crypt

$1.310

Enchantment (7)

$33.22

4Astral Slide

$3.562W

1Rune of Protection: Red

$0.211W

1Seal of Cleansing

$0.571W

1Sylvan Library

$28.881G

Land (24)

$276

$3.29

$3.64

$0.92

$1.36

$178

$32.99

$0.30

$55.69

Sideboard (15)

$34.69

$0.693W

$2.620

$0.562WW

$19.101WW

$1.852G

$0.571W

$4.611W

$1.452GW

$2.991G

$0.252W

Est. Total$546

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Premodern MTGO Friendly League 5-0 - 2025-12-10

1st PlaceDec 10, 2025

Aylett

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Aylett

TCG

Mainboard (60)

$220

Creature (4)

$36.20

4Eternal Dragon

$36.205WW

Instant (15)

$34.73

4Renewed Faith

$1.122W

4Spark Spray

$0.72R

4Swords to Plowshares

$32.20W

2Wing Shards

$0.461WW

1Gilded Light

$0.231W

Sorcery (8)

$91.50

4Decree of Justice

$67.84XX2WW

2Slice and Dice

$0.724RR

2Wrath of God

$22.942WW

Enchantment (8)

$4.48

4Lightning Rift

$1.241R

3Astral Slide

$2.672W

1Seal of Cleansing

$0.571W

Land (25)

$52.93

$3.29

$4.92

$42.56

$1.24

$0.92

Sideboard (15)

$60.19

3Red Elemental Blast

$17.10R

3Pyroblast

$27.66R

2Slice and Dice

$0.724RR

2Rune of Protection: Red

$0.421W

$0.361W

$11.472WW

$0.571W

$1.894WW

Est. Total$280

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Archetype Anatomy

Based on 102 decks with known dates2021-05-20 to 2026-06-12

Mana Base

Average24.6lands

Median25lands

Range22–30lands

Spells35.4avg non-land

Based on 102 decks (All-time)

core Cards(>80%)

Swords to Plowshares

100%

4.0x

Secluded Steppe

99%

3.9x

Eternal Dragon

98%

3.2x

Decree of Justice

96%

2.9x

Astral Slide

95%

2.7x

Renewed Faith

94%

3.8x

Wrath of God

82%

2.3x

flex Cards(30-80%)

Forgotten Cave

66%

3.8x

Exalted Angel

66%

2.1x

Lightning Rift

65%

3.8x

Seal of Cleansing

65%

1.3x

Battlefield Forge

62%

3.9x

Spark Spray

60%

3.7x

Slice and Dice

60%

2.4x

Rune of Protection: Red

38%

1.0x

Enlightened Tutor

35%

1.5x

Tranquil Thicket

32%

4.0x

Cartographer

31%

3.0x

Burning Wish

31%

2.5x

fringe Cards(<30%)

Auramancer

28%

1.1x

Wall of Blossoms

27%

3.7x

Humility

25%

1.2x

Windswept Heath

23%

3.3x

Krosan Tusker

23%

2.8x

Wasteland

22%

2.1x

Temple of the False God

22%

1.2x

Living Wish

15%

3.6x

Phyrexian Furnace

14%

1.1x

Nantuko Monastery

13%

1.2x

Clear

12%

1.7x

Dust Bowl

12%

1.3x

Karmic Guide

11%

1.7x

Starstorm

10%

1.9x

1.9x

1.7x

4.0x

2.0x

1.8x

2.0x

1.6x

1.2x

1.0x

2.5x

2.3x

2.0x

1.0x

4.0x

4.0x

3.3x

1.7x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

4.0x

4.0x

3.0x

3.0x

2.5x

2.5x

2.5x

2.0x

2.0x

1.5x

1.5x

1.5x

1.5x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

1.0x

Rune of Protection: Green

1.0x

Scrivener

1.0x

Siege-Gang Commander

1.0x

Teroh's Faithful

1.0x

Sideboard Anatomy

flex Sideboard Options(30-80%)

Tormod'S Crypt

74.7%

1.7x

Wrath Of God

49.7%

1.1x

Disenchant

49.4%

1.4x

Seal Of Cleansing

43.7%

1.5x

Exalted Angel

42.3%

1.7x

Cursed Totem

42.2%

1.5x

Sacred Ground

32.9%

1.4x

Slice And Dice

30.8%

1.1x

fringe Sideboard Options(<30%)

Circle Of Protection: Red

29%

1.5x

Red Elemental Blast

28.5%

2.7x

Aura Of Silence

26.6%

1.2x

Warmth

25.6%

1.2x

Akroma'S Vengeance

25.5%

1.0x

Decree Of Justice

25.2%

1.0x

Monk Realist

25%

1.1x

Uktabi Orangutan

23.6%

1.1x

Auramancer

23.5%

1.1x

Pyroblast

23.2%

2.9x

Pyroclasm

22.4%

1.3x

Gilded Light

19.4%

1.0x

Rune Of Protection: Red

19.2%

1.5x

Phyrexian Furnace

19%

1.6x

Circle Of Protection: Black

16.8%

1.0x

Teroh'S Faithful

15.9%

1.2x

Cleansing Meditation

15.8%

1.3x

Compost

14.9%

1.0x

Enlightened Tutor

14.3%

1.4x

Karmic Guide

13.2%

1.0x

Spiritual Focus

11.2%

1.4x

Ray Of Revelation

9.7%

1.3x

Mystic Enforcer

8.9%

1.2x

Dust Bowl

8.5%

1.0x

Wasteland

7.9%

1.0x

Karmic Justice

7.8%

1.0x

Ivory Mask

1.0x

Monk Idealist

6.9%

1.0x

Naturalize

6.7%

1.0x

Black Vise

2.0x

Gaea'S Blessing

5.7%

1.5x

Flametongue Kavu

5.4%

1.0x

Overload

5.4%

1.8x

Boil

5.1%

1.5x

Defense Grid

5.1%

1.6x

Rune Of Protection: Green

4.7%

1.0x

Meltdown

4.5%

1.0x

Rune Of Protection: Black

4.5%

1.3x

Replenish

4.4%

1.0x

Wing Shards

4.3%

1.3x

Morningtide

4.2%

1.0x

Abeyance

4.2%

2.6x

Armageddon

4.2%

2.7x

Terravore

4.2%

2.7x

Sphere Of Law

3.6%

1.0x

Seedtime

3.6%

2.0x

Aura Shards

3.5%

1.3x

Blinding Angel

3.3%

1.0x

Clear

3.2%

1.1x

Null Rod

3.1%

1.0x

Humility

3.1%

1.0x

Decree Of Annihilation

2.9%

1.0x

Obliterate

2.9%

1.0x

Scour

2.9%

1.5x

Reprisal

2.9%

1.0x

Starstorm

2.8%

1.5x

Ghitu Slinger

2.8%

1.0x

Goretusk Firebeast

2.8%

1.0x

Staunch Defenders

2.8%

1.0x

Rune Of Protection: Artifacts

2.7%

1.0x

Circle Of Protection: Artifacts

2.6%

1.0x

Light Of Day

2.5%

1.0x

Choke

2.5%

1.2x

Scald

2.5%

1.0x

Cartographer

2.4%

1.0x

Zuran Orb

2.4%

1.0x

Eternal Dragon

2.4%

1.0x

Argivian Find

2.3%

1.3x

Library Of Leng

2.1%

1.0x

Crumble

2.1%

2.0x

Spike Weaver

1.5x

Astral Slide

1.7%

1.0x

Rune Of Protection: Blue

1.7%

1.0x

Masticore

1.5%

1.0x

Hidden Gibbons

1.5%

2.0x

Spirit Cairn

1.5%

1.0x

Glowrider

1.5%

2.0x

Kismet

1.4%

1.0x

Paladin En-Vec

1.4%

1.0x

Dueling Grounds

1.4%

1.0x

Avalanche Riders

1.4%

1.0x

Rune Of Protection: White

1.4%

1.0x

Sowing Salt

1.4%

1.0x

Engineered Plague

1.4%

3.0x

Nekrataal

1.4%

1.0x

Living Death

1.4%

1.0x

Haunting Echoes

1.4%

1.0x

Cabal Therapy

1.4%

1.0x

Multani'S Presence

1.4%

2.0x

Earthquake

1.4%

1.0x

Shatterstorm

1.4%

1.0x

Call Of The Herd

1.4%

2.0x

Xantid Swarm

1.4%

1.0x

Firecat Blitz

1.3%

1.0x

Overmaster

1.3%

1.0x

Pillage

1.3%

1.0x

Kor Haven

1.3%

1.0x

Nantuko Vigilante

1.3%

1.7x

Sacred Mesa

1.3%

1.0x

Force Bubble

1.3%

1.0x

Pyrostatic Pillar

1.3%

2.0x

Erase

1.3%

1.0x

Orim'S Chant

1.2%

1.0x

Tsabo'S Web

1.2%

1.0x

Cataclysm

1.2%

1.0x

Quicksilver Wall

1.2%

1.0x

Serenity

1.2%

1.0x

Circle Of Protection: Green

1.1%

1.0x

Dense Foliage

1.1%

1.0x

Sterling Grove

1.1%

1.0x

Silver Knight

1.1%

3.0x

Spike Feeder

2.0x

Recent Events Featuring this Archetype

Lega Milano 3/10 @ Milano (Italy)

2026-06-12•Milano, Italy•56 Players

Highest Finish: 1st

VIEW EVENT

PreModern Cologne (First June Event) (Premodern)

2026-06-11•Cologne, Germany•16 Players

Highest Finish: 8th

VIEW EVENT

Liga Frostbite Covilhã 4 @ Roll'Oriental (Covilhã, Portugal)

2026-06-03•Covilhã, Portugal•9 Players

Highest Finish: 3rd

VIEW EVENT

May Monthly @ Darkside Games (Las Vegas, NV)

2026-05-17•Las Vegas, USA•10 Players

Highest Finish: 7th

VIEW EVENT

SPMCR Monthly PM Burro Singles Mayo (Premodern)

2026-05-05•Costa Rica•22 Players

Highest Finish: 5th

VIEW EVENT

Quick Facts

Tier3

Stylecontrol

Meta Share0.3%

Avg Lands24.6

Est. Price~$728

Colors

Deck Weaknesses

Enchantment dependency — exiling threats and grinding value both run through Astral Slide and Lightning Rift, enchantments that do nothing the turn they resolve and fold to any enchantment removal.
Slow setup window — the deck needs the enchantment plus a steady stream of cycling cards before it can protect anything, handing aggressive starts several untaxed turns to build a board that Wrath of God alone cannot fully answer.
Graveyard recursion as a crutch — Eternal Dragon, Auramancer, and Cartographer lean on returning cards from the graveyard to refuel, so static graveyard hate breaks the loop and leaves the deck top-decking.
Win — condition fragility - Exalted Angel is the primary clock, and before the engine is online a single exile-based removal on it at instant speed answers the deck's only fast threat with no death-based payback.

How to win with it

Keep any opening hand with at least one white mana source, one cycling card (Eternal Dragon or Renewed Faith), and either Astral Slide itself or Enlightened Tutor to fetch it; a seven-card hand with no enchantment and no Enlightened Tutor is almost always a mulligan, because the deck does nothing without an engine piece on the table.
Sequence your first turns around landing Astral Slide before committing creatures: cycle Renewed Faith or cast Seal Of Cleansing early to buy time, then resolve Astral Slide on turn three so the next cycling trigger has teeth, rather than jamming Exalted Angel face-down into an open board with no Slide in play to blink it.
The dream draw is Astral Slide plus Eternal Dragon: cycle Eternal Dragon to trigger Slide (blink a blocker or exile a threat), lean on its upkeep Plains-fetch to never miss a land drop, then hardcast it as a 5/5 flier while every Renewed Faith cycle refills your hand and gains life.
Hold Lightning Rift until a turn you can also cycle a card the same turn; deploying it naked accomplishes nothing and shows your hand. The payoff is chaining cycling triggers to chip the opponent out one or two damage at a time while Astral Slide handles their board, so keep both enchantments in hand and land Slide first, Rift a turn later.
The grind plan is Wrath of God into Decree Of Justice: tap out for Wrath of God to reset a losing board, then cycle Decree Of Justice at end of turn to make a wave of 1/1 white Soldier tokens at instant speed, using Astral Slide to blink a token in response to a follow-up sweeper so at least one survives.
The game-winning decision is timing the Exalted Angel flip: cast it face-down as a cheap blocker when the board is contested, then cycle any card so Astral Slide blinks it; it returns face-up as a 4/5 flying lifelinker for free, swinging ten-plus life over two turns and nearly impossible to answer once Slide is already on the table.

How to beat it

The whole engine flows through one enchantment, so answer Astral Slide (or Lightning Rift) with enchantment removal as it lands - without it the deck is a pile of individually weak creatures plus slow, self-unprotecting spells like Eternal Dragon and Decree of Justice.
Race through the air before Exalted Angel stabilizes: it is usually played face-down early and flipped up off a cycling trigger, so if you have two or three evasive threats online by the time it comes up, the lifegain will not catch up to your clock.
Go wide with four or five small threats instead of one big one - Wrath of God is the deck's main reset, and a flooded board forces that single sweeper to trade down since the deck rarely holds a second one.
Hold instant-speed interaction for the cycling step: the Slide effect is a triggered ability that uses the stack when a card is cycled, so you can remove the targeted creature in response before it blinks, strand a chosen blocker, or shut the blink off entirely with a triggered-ability counter.
Attack the recursion that wins the long game - Eternal Dragon buys itself back from the graveyard, while Auramancer and Cartographer return enchantments and lands as they enter, so consistent graveyard hate strips the card advantage that keeps the deck resilient.

Last Updated: 2026-05-31