The lists for almost all of the Paradoxical Outcome decks run this
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
4 Force of Will
4 Paradoxical Outcome
4 Preordain

I tried a Mono Blue package when I was preparing for SCG Con and I found that I needed more I win cards so I added White for Monastery Mentor and some removal spells. Looking at the current variants out there some people play Black for tutor and draw or Tendrils and some play Karn.

My question is why isn't this deck just Blue? There is Karn, Scion of Uzra and Sai, Master Thopterist as additional I win cards and Thoughtcast adds more card draw. Then, you have the underplayed Transmute Artifact and several bounce spells.

The reason for a mono colored deck is to reduce the impact of disruption and increase the efficiency of the deck. Some will say that without the tutors and removal the deck cannot fight back and Pyroblast is just going to wreck you. I would add Hydroblast and play some of the blue removal spells. The ability to play Timetwister also gives the deck a booster after a stack battle you can reload and win. I know Brainfreeze is also underplayed but as a one of it can beat the Jeskai decks if you sequence it correctly.

Work in Progress
4 Paradoxical Outcome
4 Force of Will
3 Preordain

2 Karn, Scion of Urza
2 Sai, Master Thoperist
2 Voltaic Key
2 Sensei's Divining Top

1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall

1 Tinker
1 Ponder
1 Dig Through Time
1 Brainstorm
1 Brain Freeze
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Gush
1 Ancestal Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Time Vault

2 Mox Opal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt

6 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolerain Academy

Sideboard
3 Hurkyl's Recall
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Flusterstorm
2 Reality Shift
1 Hydroblast
1 Island

I've been wanting to build an Academy deck for a while but every time I think about it, it occurs to me that it'd be a weird Paradoxical deck. So that's the direction I'd take mono-blue Paradoxical - Academy, Minamo, maybe a Candle or two and Stroke 'em out.

If you look for different deck show omniscience ub is very playble

@thecravenone

Paging @Hrishi

Is there any merit to just making the mono blue PO deck into a Belcher variant? Solves the lack of win condition problem.

Otherwise, I guess brain freeze could be a pseudo tendrils for a mono blue version.

Edit: Completely glossed over brain freeze mention in OP.

I'd run 1 Master of Etherium just to cut the clock in half with the Thopter Tokens.

@moorebrother1 I would run 3 Sad main and 2 Karn in the board. No need of more win conditions.
Maybe you could try Thoughcast and Seats of Synod (which combo really well with 3-4 Opals).

@peach There is so much artifact hate now and a lot of it main deck. Do you expose yourself with Seat main? I worry about just losing to some deck because of main deck Null Rod and Stony Silence.

I will play around with Sai. When you have more Karn main you race the Shop decks. I only lost one game getting Karn out early, and that was because he drew 2 revokers.

Karn was a solid answer to Null Rod and Stony Silence when he was just making huge creatures that they had to deal with.

One card I really like with Sai is Skullclamp. Let’s you really go even if you don’t hit Outcome.

@moorebrother1 Not all decks play SS, and you can outdraw them with TC, POs and such. You can play 6 basics too. I would play Karn in the board and side it in the matches where you have to face NR or SS. Or you can just main deck Karn if you feel that.
I have played Karn lately in PO versions in the board and have been really impressed by its performance.

@peach I usually only run 2 opals because they are bad early game if you don't get an explosive hand. I may try it with 3 with the Seat of Synod. Thanks for the recommendation.

@thecravenone said in Mono Blue Paradoxical Outcome:

I've been wanting to build an Academy deck for a while but every time I think about it, it occurs to me that it'd be a weird Paradoxical deck. So that's the direction I'd take mono-blue Paradoxical - Academy, Minamo, maybe a Candle or two and Stroke 'em out.

I built something like this even before Paradoxical Outcome was printed (though it wasn't mono-blue). You can absolutely do this. I personally didn't find Candle worth it, but your mileage might vary. I played a single copy of Mind Over Matter instead, which lets you draw your deck along with Sensei's Divining Top as well as untap your Academy. Minamo is, of course, very worth it.

If I were to build a mono-blue version today, I'd include a healthy mix of Time Spirals and Outcomes (possibly even 4 of both, though I could see there not being room), a number of Thoughtcasts, one Mind Over Matter and one Stroke of Genius, a couple Tops and maindeck Defense Grids. You will also want to run Expedition Maps, possibly 4 though I can see 3 working.

Despite this being about mono-blue, I'd be very tempted to splash black for Demonic Tutor and Vamp, because they can find your Academy.

Good luck! I found a modern day Academy deck extremely fun to play.

I've played against a weird mono-blue belcher academy deck last month. It had only academy as land, mana-generating artifacts to play map and search for academy, and belcher as it's win con. It had the blue tezzeret and probably some paradoxical outcome too. It was pretty weird. Lost 2 matches 1-2 both of the times, with survival. An early thalia, chalice for 0 or stony silence was gg on the spot but I think that can be maneged with some bounce or more counters. Lost twice on turn 1.

@gutocmtt Hi, that was probably me. The mono-blue belcher is great against anything without interaction and survival often gives just enough time to pull it all together. Took it to a tourney this weekend and not only was it super fun, it tied for 3rd out of 11. Had a few T1 wins and some opponents who were excited just to see the topdeck reveal as I belched through the deck, with Academy already in play. It can be easily disrupted, but has enough threats to punch one through and go for it. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

@gutocmtt That was me. I felt pretty heavily favored on the Belcher side, but I certainly was going to lose games at random to Stony/Thalia et. al.

You should cross-post to the Survival Thread.

Mystic Remora is now a card played in Outcome so this really pushes me to think that this deck can and almost should be mono blue. I have a build that I am messing around with and Karn is main deck and you need at least 3 - 4 different types of bounce spells.

How many counters should a deck like this run? I have stuck with 4 FOW and no more but as mono blue I think you need 2 Flusterstorms. Also, I cut Mental Misstep entirely even though I run 4 Preordain. I am of the mind that if someone wants to stop a cantrip - so be it.

@moorebrother1 said in Mono Blue Paradoxical Outcome:

Mystic Remora is now a card played in Outcome so this really pushes me to think that this deck can and almost should be mono blue. I have a build that I am messing around with and Karn is main deck and you need at least 3 - 4 different types of bounce spells.

How many counters should a deck like this run? I have stuck with 4 FOW and no more but as mono blue I think you need 2 Flusterstorms. Also, I cut Mental Misstep entirely even though I run 4 Preordain. I am of the mind that if you want to was a slot to stop a cantrip - so be it.

Why should it be mono blue? What do you gain by keeping the deck one color?

Have you tried using High Tide as a one or two-of? It could be really good with a candelabra. Candelabra with High Tide, Outcome and Hurkyl's would result in a pretty high storm count provided you have a few other artifacts and a couple or more Islands. I think a single Frantic Search could be good with High Tide too, while helping chain Outcomes.

I've been experimenting with using a couple of mainboard Cunning Wishes to tuck away the more clunky win condition cards into the sideboard, like Brain Freeze and even Blue Sun's Zenith (which gets shuffled into your library after using it, which is nice). I think it works reasonably well in streamlining the deck. Given that you don't have too many tutors as a mono blue deck, a couple of Cunning Wishes alongside Merchant Scroll and Mystical tutor doesn't seem bad at all. An added benefit is being able to wish for specific solutions like Echoing Truth when necessary, without having to clutter up your mainboard with them.