The Master's Teachings: Esper Control (Modern MTG Deck)

I've wanted to build an Esper Control deck for a while now, but never really had the ability to play it. As someone who plays UW Control in the paper world, I have grown tired of losing games simply becuase we timed out and nobody did much of anything. This lead me to want to build Esper Control.

This is a tap-out version of esper control which focuses on the draw engines accessible to blue decks in the format, while using the removal and finishers available to the black and white decks in the format. the result of this is a variety of powerful spells we can play, and a variety of options.

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The Manabase

Celestial Colonnade: Run as both a finisher and mana source, colonnade serves as a destructive force in this deck. As a 4/4 Flying in the late game usually closes out games quickly.

Flooded Strand & Marsh Flats: Our fetchlands allow us to search for the colors we need to cast the spells we want. Since I've already spent lots of money on MTg, I do not plan on getting Polluted Delta.

Godless Shrine & Hallowed Fountain: Our shocklands allow us to play three colors without too much pain. Obviously the more colors we add, the weaker we become to aggressive decks like burn.

Shambling Vent: The other manland we use, Vent gives us the ability to gain back our life total in the mid-late game. This allows us to play our painful manabase knowing we can get back eventually.

Underground River: Serving as budgeted manafixers, Underground River is very cost effective, because while it may not be a fetchland, it often work out to be even better as the game goes on, since we can just use it for colorless mana if we do not need the mana at that specific time.

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Discard

Inquisition of Kozilek: One of black's main advantages is that we get discard in order to fight combo decks like Ad Nuasseum, and in combination with cards like Surgical Extraction, can destroy entire decks. Iok hits almost everything in the format without hurting us.

Thoughtseize: The pain of 2 life for the best discard spell in the format.

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Removal

Fatal Push & Path to Exile: Our 1 cmc removal suite allow us to removal any and all threats that are currently played in the modern format. Since they cost so little, they work with our manabase to be as cost effective as possible.

Supreme Verdict: An uncounterable Day of Judgment that is great against the vast majority of creature playing decks in the format.

Anguished Unmaking: A modern version of Vindicate that gets rid of almost anything we need it to.

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Card Draw

Serum Visions: Our primary cantrip, visions sets up our draws and can get us out of tight spots, all for the cost of a single blue mana.

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Utility

Collective Brutality: An amazing card against decks like burn, brutality can often be a 2 for 2 thanks to it's Duress, Disfigure, and Syphon Soul abilities.

Blessed Alliance: Another amazing card against aggressive builds, this card can help us stop burn, as well get rid of something like a Slippery Bogle.

Esper Charm: Instant speed card draw, discard, and enchantment removal, Esper charm is capable of screwing over opponents at instant speed.

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Finishers

Gideon Jura: Big Gideon is our main finsiher besides our manlands, as he is easily strong enough to end games by himself. Although he does not generate more grind like Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, he is far more powerful, as he can easily slow down an opponent long enough for you to crank out a win.

Jace, Architect of Thought: a built in tech for token & go-wide strategies, Jace is alos fully capable of tutoring for a gideon and another card an opponent controls if he ever gets to ultimate.

Liliana of the Veil: Built in tech for decks like Shadow and Bogles, Lilli can easily win games by herself if left to her own ideas.

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Sideboard

The sideboard is still being put together, what you see here is likely temporary.

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Feedback & Misc.

If you like this deck, please give it an upvote! If you want to give your opinion in regards to the deck, please do try to keep it constructive, and if you have any card suggestions, please tell me what cards you'd think they should be swapped out for.

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Suggestions

Updates Add

ONLINE GAME LOGS — June 1, 2017

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Game record so far: 10-5

Match Record So Far: 5-2

Death's Shadow Jund 2-0

Game 1: We pretty much have everything we need to fight this deck game 1, as we can easily get rid of their threats with our removal suite, and we have the upside of mainboarding Lingering Souls.

Game 2: Shadow Jund player scooped after I played my second wrath.

Eldrazi Tron 2-1

Game 1: He had turn 2 thought-knots, and I lost my answers. I couldnt do too much when multiple endbringers hit the board.

Game 2: A turn 2 stony silence on the play amde it so he couldnt get turn 3 tron. I got him with my discard spells, and win with Gideon.

Game 3: I drew a lot of removal this game, and killed everything I could. Lilli ended up winning me the game after stony silence dropped.

Eldrazi Tron 0-2

Game 1: Tron is already a very difficult matchup, so I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I should be playing against them, I lost to a bunch of walking ballistas and turn 3 tron.

Game 2: I thought I stabilized, but after negating an Ugin, he got down an All is Dust, and won the top-deck game with multiple smashers.

Elves 2-0

Game 1: Elves can be very explosive if you have lords, and thanks to removal, I just had some 1/1s swinging at me every turn. I won with a Gideon.

Game 2: Brought in Timely and a wrath, and won with gideon again.

Jund 2-0

Game 1: Jund just naturally isn't great against UWx decks, and he had a tough time measuring up with my spells. Won with a Gideon and Souls tokens.

Game 2: His hand was mostly removal, and mine was mostly discard. After he lost all his good removal, I got down my souls with a snappy and won the game with my own lilli.

Naya Burn 2-0

Game 1: His deck was aggressive, but after some discard and Lilli, I had him down to top-deck mode. I won when I pulled up a Blessed Alliance and used it twice to go back to 11, I won with Souls tokens and snapcaster.

Game 2: After sideboarding in my lifegain, I managed to play a timely reinforcements, which pretty much won me the game as my opponent couldn't find enough gas to keep going.

Boros Humans 0-2

Game 1: Played a friend who owns the boros human deck I made. I didn't draw a ton of removal, and died to burn spells as my manabase can be pretty painful. I drew no lifegain.

Game 2: After sideboarding in more lifegain, I never drew any of it, and died to a strong of boros charms.

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Revision 7 See all

(6 years ago)

+3	Ancestral Vision	main
-1	Anguished Unmaking	main
-1	Celestial Colonnade	main
-2	Countersquall	side
+3	Cryptic Command	main
+1	Detention Sphere	main
-3	Esper Charm	main
+1	Flaying Tendrils	side
-3	Geist of Saint Traft	side
-1	Gideon Jura	main
-2	Gideon, Ally of Zendikar	main
+1	Glacial Fortress	main
-1	Godless Shrine	main
+2	Gurmag Angler	main
-3	Inquisition of Kozilek	main
+1	Island	main
+1	Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet	main
-3	Lingering Souls	main
+2	Mana Leak	main
+2	Negate	side

and 31 other change(s)

Date added	6 years
Last updated	6 years
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 1 Mythic Rares 27 - 9 Rares 13 - 2 Uncommons 8 - 3 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.49
Tokens	Zombie 2/2 B
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