Do you like control, but your wallet is constantly Deprived of money? Do you like Dragons (ofc you do! everyone loves them)? Then this is your deck.
Why play Esper dragons?
I built this deck in an attempt to create a control deck that is cheap and suitable for kitchen table games and maybe an FNM, while offering at the same time a similar playstyle of the higher tier decks, but with affordable cards.
To this end, I took the cards that the Tarkir block brought along and exploit them to their fullest, turning them into an even more powerful version of those cards that exist in modern. These cards are Orator of Ojutai, Foul-Tongue Invocation, Silumgar's Scorn and Dragonlord's Prerogative.
Also, this deck is like a swiss-army knife, containing a vast amount of spells with multiple effects that cover most situations you can face in a casual game, making the need of a sideboard non-mandatory and thus, help you save some money.
FInally, the flavor is over the top. Most cards either depict or make reference to your dragonlords, which thematically is freaking cool.
Card Breakup
Orator of Ojutai: Well, hello UW staple Wall of Omens. With flying and a cooler art. Block their early game.
Silumgar's Scorn: Member Counterspell? The epitomy of the color blue in MTG? Yeah, we brought it back into modern.
Foul-Tongue Invocation: Sacrifice a creature for 3 mana is a bit lame. But gain 4 life in the process? Sweet. Keep aggro at bay.
Lifegain:
This deck does a great job stabilizing your life amount through the early stages of the game.
Blessed Alliance, Foul-Tongue Invocation, Ojutai's Command
Bounce:
Echoing Truth
Counterspells:
Any spell: Silumgar's Scorn
Creature spell: Ojutai's Command
Non-creature spell: Silumgar's Command
Keep the cards flowing:
Serum Visions, Orator of Ojutai, Ojutai's Command, Dragonlord's Prerogative, Dragonlord Ojutai
Removal:
Boardwipe: Crux of Fate, Silumgar, the Drifting Death
Against tokens: Steel Hellkite (X=0), Silumgar, the Drifting Death (as long as they are not buffed. In that case, you'll need more dragons) and Detention Sphere
Sacrifice: Blessed Alliance, Foul-Tongue Invocation
Targeted: Nameless Inversion, Detention Sphere (deals with almost anything)
Planeswalker: Dragonlord Silumgar, Silumgar's Command
Notable synergyes:
-
Blessed Alliance + Dragonlord Ojutai: The high-tier decks utilize Minamo, School at Water's Edge to instantly untap Ojutai, but for budget reasons, this will do it. Attack with Ojutai, then cast Blessed Alliance to protect him in case they target it.
-
Nameless Inversion + any of your creatures: All of your creatures can be targeted with this spell and survive it, transforming it in a little extra muscle to close the games faster.
-
Ojutai's Command + Orator of Ojutai: One of its options lets you reanimate him, providing you a surprise blocker and, if you have a dragon in play, you cantrip (sadly, a dragon card in hand wouldn't trigger the draw since revealing it is an additional casting cost, and this revives the orator, doesn't cast it)
-
Nameless Inversion: boost your creatures (all of them can take the -3 toughness without dying), counts as a dragon, removal.
If you like it, remember to +1 ;)
