Well, sucks to say it, but with M13 rotating out of Standard, it's time to wrap this sucker up. It's been one of the most fun times I've ever had playing Magic, and I'm sad to see it go. However, there are other alternative win cons that I have to get at in my quest to not conform to everything else that's out there. RIP BoW.
I've always been one of those players who has been resistant to Standard simply because of the limited pool of cards from which to create one's deck. This could be a result of being brought into Magic by Legacy-minded friends; however, recently I have been challenged at my local shop to attempt Standard. I scoffed initially, but when it was explained to me how the limited number of sets your deck could be made from actually added to the experience of creating a viable strategy for a deck facing off against others with the same restrictions, I decided I would at least give them the benefit of consideration. My one caveat for it was that I was not going to make a deck that was a carbon copy of everything else out there. I was simply going to make something that seemed entertaining or outlandish. Alternate win-cons have long been an attractive deck type to me; it wasn't long before my eyes spied Battle of Wits and the rest, as they say...
After doing a little bit of preliminary research online on the few forums even talking about Battle of Wits in Standard, I decided to focus my colours on my favourite three-colour combination: Esper. While I fully understand the advantages of mana ramp in green, I wanted to make this deck my way, and that meant playing in the colours that I found most engaging and interactive.
This list is what I finally settled on, and I have piloted it at ten local FNM's so far with the following records:
2-3 / 2-3 / 4-1 / 2-3 / 2-3 / 3-1 / 2-2 / 1-3 / 3-1 / 2-2
Two third place finishes at FNM with a grossly alternative deck has made me feel prouder than ever as a Magic player, and I'm extremely happy I have given Standard a chance. I've even begun to envision how this deck will evolve once Battle of Wits rotates out of Standard, and what deck will replace it as my Standard deck when that happens. (Someone recently suggested Maze's End, and while it was piloted by more than one player at Pro Tour Dragon's Maze, I just don't think so.)
Esper control has a few directions it can be taken from what I've seen, and while some of my card choices may not necessarily be top choice for every deck of this type, I feel like I've put a lot of reasoning behind each of them. Here are the cards, and how they contribute to my wins.
Enchantments
Battle of Wits - The star of the show, as it should be. Creating this deck and not ever winning with it would be counterproductive. It's not a requirement to pull out a win; there are definitely other ways of whittling an opponent down to nothing, but this is the most satisfying.
Detention Sphere / Oblivion Ring - Definitely helpful in removing those permanents that are causing me grief. Most of the time this is creatures, considering my deck is a little light on those and having appropriate blockers can't always happen, so removing the opponent's attackers can be game-changing for me.
Blind Obedience - Speaking of creatures, this happens to do quite well at hosing the super-fast hasty aggro decks from putting the beats on at the pace they'd like, and buying myself time is definitely a constant need of mine. The extort ability on the enchantment is a huge help because mana is not at a premium in this size of a deck. Having plentiful amounts means I usually have no problem casting more than one spell and extorting it while this is out. Oh, and Obzedat, Ghost Council becomes less of an issue with this well-spent two mana.
Omniscience - I had originally thrown this into the deck more as a joke than anything. It was a singleton that wasn't meant to have any impact on the game, but since Obzedat's Aid exists now, there are easier ways to achieve Omniscience besides hard-casting it. But getting to ten mana with the massive supply of land and the mana-accelerating artifacts in the deck is hardly a challenge. And once this is on the board, life becomes easier.
Planeswalkers
Jace, Memory Adept / Jace, Architect of Thought - These guys are obviously huge players in any deck they're in, but for me they were mostly put in to assist with card draw. Architect is still there for that, although he does put weenie aggro in its place pretty handily by himself. Adept, however, has found himself as a win condition all on his own with his zero-cost mill ability. While the +1 is nice, his ultimate is not necessarily what I'm after because drawing 20 might yield Battle of Wits but would I have enough in the library afterward? That's a risk I'm not willing to take in most situations, so milling an opponent's library is his usual use, and it's effective.
Liliana of the Veil - A late entry to the deck, and I'm glad she's now in there. She's definitely more powerful in an early game setting where the opponent still has a hand and dealing with creatures is more impactful, but for a 3-cost planeswalker that can make a sac effect happen, she's still good almost anytime.
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage - Perhaps the planeswalker MVP of the deck. She's almost always used for her +1 ability to lock down a pesky creature, though if the board is full and I can't protect her, being able to draw cards off of her can be a very helpful ability. Her ultimate, though, has happened more often than I expected, and is extremely helpful for my deck, with all the tools to reuse again and again.
Instants & Sorceries
These will be simply categorized because their usefulness should be fairly evident.
Battle of Wits search/retrieval: Diabolic Revelation / Increasing Ambition / Diabolic Tutor / Obzedat's Aid
Card Draw:
Amass the Components
/ Sphinx's Revelation / Think Twice / Azorius Charm
Creature removal: Supreme Verdict / Terminus / Merciless Eviction / Far / Away / Murder / Ultimate Price / Cyclonic Rift / Azorius Charm
Counterspells:
Dissipate
/ Negate / Essence Scatter
Creatures
Fog Bank - This guy is a pesky blocker for early game. As a 0/2, he's very susceptible to damage spells and kill cards, but most opponents don't want to waste those spells on something like Fog Bank, so he stands up tall and blocks the best of the best all day long.
Rhox Faithmender
- Maybe my favourite creature in the deck. With several sources of lifegain -- Drogskol Reaver, Sphinx's Revelation, Azorius Charm, Vampire Nighthawk, Blind Obedience, Obzedat, Ghost Council, Blood Baron of Vizkopa and Elixir of Immortality -- available in the deck (including himself!), he not only becomes difficult to kill while blocking, but a creature that can singlehandedly keep me in the game when I might otherwise be in dire straits.
Obzedat, Ghost Council - The power of this card can't be denied. He's tough to deal with, and nets you a huge advantage when he hits the board. The consistent lifegain is nice, and a hasty 5/5 every turn can't be considered a bad thing.
Blood Baron of Vizkopa - It's hard to find a deck these days that isn't running white or black, so he is quite frequently a bomb drop for me, but even when the opponent is in red, green, or blue, he's still a powerhouse drop that can help swing the tide in my favour.
Drogskol Reaver - Lifegain, flying, double strike, card draw... this guy has it all. Seven mana CMC is his only downfall but that's rarely an issue in a deck full of stalls and mana accelerants.
Vampire Nighthawk - Often considered to be one of the weakest parts of the deck, he does make the opponent hesitant to swing into a flying, lifelinking deathtoucher. With good reason.
Snapcaster Mage - With 72 instants and sorceries in the deck, this guy can help me get another use out of some of the most powerful parts of my arsenal, on top of being a flash blocker. I love this card to pieces.
Sublime Archangel - She took the place of Restoration Angel because of the lack of important ETB effects in the deck (save for Snapcaster, of course), and although I'm not running an insanely high amount of creatures, the ones that do make it to the board can definitely make good use of the pump that she provides them. And she costs the same amount as Resto, so it was a no-brainer to put Resto to use somewhere else and let Sublime have her time in the light.
Other
Mana accelerants: Chromatic Lantern / Gilded Lotus
Library refill: Elixir of Immortality
If you have any suggestions for things you think I should take in or pull out, I have no problem discussing them with you, but please provide a reason for it interacting well with the deck so I can take a constructive look at it and where it fits.
Thanks for the view!
