Cryptic Command this is not, but it's a pretty nice copycat. Three Steps Ahead is a modal type card that we haven't seen in Standard in quite awhile. At its worst it's a Cancel that can also be a Catalog. While neither of those cards see play, the versatility of this card being either makes for some great flexibility, and probably replaces cards like Quick Study and Disruption Protocol in Azorius.

However, this card has another built-in mode that gives you a copy of an artifact or creature you control. There aren't a ton of powerful artifacts that come to mind, but you can copy a clue token, a Chrome Host Seedshark, or maybe even a Treasure Map. You can get another samurai token from The Wandering Emperor as well.

Overall, this card is my frontrunner for the best Control card for Standard in Outlaws of Thunder Junction. While on the surface it doesn't seem like a very powerful card, its overall flexibility is what stands out to me. While this is at worst a tame Dissipate or Disruption Protocol, the fact that you can counter a spell while also drawing cards on turn five is what makes this so useful.

We haven't seen a playable instant-speed wrath effect in Standard in quite some time, the last being Settle the Wreckage. While six mana is a pretty steep price for this kind of effect, similar to Three Steps Ahead, Final Showdown's strength comes from its flexibility.

I don't think I'd want to play more than one copy of this card, but this card. It's also worth noting how powerful having a single copy of a blowout card in your sideboard can give you an edge in open decklist tournaments. At Regional Championship Atlanta I was able to gain a lot of equity from having a single copy of Settle the Wreckage in my Azorius Control deck. Opponents would play around it when I didn't have it and then get blown out on a later turn when I drew it. Having access to both this card and other instants like The Wandering Emperor puts pressure on your opponent to make the right gambles when figuring out how to attack or play into the board.

While this card certainly isn't a Tibalt, the Fiend-Blooded, it's just as unexciting. I couldn't tell you what the right application for Jace Reawakened is. The first issue with the card is its inflexibility. By not being able to cast it on the first three turns of the game it's a completely dead card until turn four - meaning your opponents can build a board state to pressure it once it comes into play. While looting is useful in Control decks (because you can pitch away cards that might be bad in a given matchup for ones you need), waiting so many turns just to have a looter in play is a pretty bad bargain in my opinion. Jace's other +1 helping you plot cards away is underwhelming because you can't plot counterspells, and the cards you would want to plot like Memory Deluge and wrath effects you can't even plot because of the 3-mana or less restriction.

Overall this Jace is a letdown. I think there's applications for this card in some sort of combo deck, maybe in Pioneer with Valki, God of Lies // Tibalt, Cosmic Imposter. For now I'm going to steer clear of this card, but I would love to be wrong.

Gisa, the Hellraiser might not be a Control card exactly, but I definitely think it's powerful enough to make a pretty decent impact in Standard. While this card might act more as a sideboard card in your control deck, I think the ceiling of this card is pretty high. This card pairs nicely with hand disruption in Duress or removal spells like the newly spoiled Shoot the Sheriff. Since the ability triggers once each turn you can make zombies on both you and your opponent's turn to assemble a potent army quite quickly. I'd also look at pairing this card with Liliana of the Veil or Graveyard Trespasser // Graveyard Glutton for some easy zombie tokens.

While I don't think this card replaces Ezrim, Agency Chief, I do like that it could be a potential Control mirror finisher due its flash ability. By not casting any spells each turn you can put some serious pressure on with a hexproof four-turn clock, also in conjunction with the +1 ability from The Wandering Emperor and attacking with Restless Anchorages. I think Ezrim, Agency Chief fills out a similar role in the deck, but Stoic Sphinx is a card I'd be interested in trying out to close games out fast in Control mirror matches.

Archangel of Tithes saw play the last time it was printed in Standard, in Magic Origins. With Inspiring Vantage seeing a reprint in this set Boros Convoke definitely gets a lot stronger with improved fast mana. Archangel of Tithes is a nice counter to the Convoke deck, and I expect it to show up in various White decks.

While Oko seems like another midrange card, I don't want to discount its applicability to Control decks. I'd put Oko in a Bant Control deck with cards like Leyline Binding, or in a Sultai Control deck with Deadly Cover-Up and various targeted removal spells. Being able to draw two cards a turn when you commit a crime is some serious advantage that can spiral out of control fast. You can also use the passive to copy cards like Chrome Host Seedshark or even a creature land like Restless Reef. The -1 ability can help you stabilize a board state and make tokens that outpace The Wandering Emperor. The -5 ability isn't the most relevant in a Control shell because you can't have multiple copies of the same Planeswalker in play, but I do want to try out Oko in these shells primarily for the ability to draw cards. However, it may be true that Oko would rather team up with some midrange creatures.

While I don't think this will make any waves in Standard, I do think this is a pretty flexible sideboard card in Pioneer for Azorius Control decks. This shuts off Izzet Phoenix and Lotus Field pretty well, arguably better than Rest in Peace does, while also having a way to deal 25% of your opponent's life total. I wonder if you'd still play this without access to Red mana, but Sunken Citadel or Raugrin Triome can help you get there.

So far Outlaws of Thunder Junction hasn't given us Control mages a ton of new toys to play with, but I am intrigued with the printing of Blooming Marsh and Botanical Sanctum to mess around with committing crimes with Oko, the Ringleader and Gisa, the Hellraiser. I think Three Steps Ahead is a nice upgrade in Azorius Control and Final Showdown is an exciting wrath effect that I can't wait to play in decks with The Wandering Emperor.

Hopefully by the end of spoiler season we see a few more tools, but overall I'm liking Control's viability for Outlaws of Thunder Junction Standard. I'll be back soon with some decklists!

Thanks for reading!

-Roman Fusco