I love control decks, I've been playing esper for a long time now and it hasn't gotten boring yet. I'm always open to advice, so if you have any suggestions, questions, or ideas, please just post to the comments. Now with that in mind, I present to you, the deck breakdown:
Creatures
Snapcaster Mage~ give an extra cast for Path, Verdict, or any other number of answers. Plus I can swing or block.
Spells
Fatal Push~ this new removal spell is great for taking out manlands and small creatures, and Revolt provides additional value.
Cryptic Command~ I can finally afford these and so I'm putting them in. What is there this spell can't do?
Logic Knot~ the next best thing to counter spell that's modern legal. The delve ability allows me to dip into my graveyard to help counter spells that I otherwise would not have the mana to. Or I could use delve to pay for that extra one mana that means the spell is countered.
Think Twice~ need I say more?
Path to Exile~ this is one of the best removal cards ever printed and the one extra land is generally irrelevant.
Spell Snare~ an excellent counter spell for the format.
Esper Charm~ a great instant speed draw spell as well as having the utility needed in esper control.
Sphinx's Revelation~ this is by far one of my favorite cards ever. With draw and lifegain in the same instant speed spell I can just wait til an opponent's endstep and if I don't need to respond to something they are doing then I just tap out. The results are fantastic!
Supreme Verdict~ a cheap uncounterable board wipe.
Spell Burst~ a utility piece of counter magic.
Wrath of God~ another board wipe to take care of Thrun, the Last Troll and keep the board clear.
Negate~ A basic counter spell which hits a lot of relevant things.
Secure the Wastes~ a good game ender I substituted for White Sun's Zenith. This is faster and although it doesn't produce 2/2 bodies, often results in a more reliable kill.
Blessed Alliance~ some people say this is a sideboard card, however, I believe at least two should be run in the main 60. The reasons for this are that a single card can offset a lightnig bolt and/or force the sacrifice of a critical creature from infect. This being said, please discuss.
Lands
A pretty standard land base for modern. Fetches, shocks, a few basics and two check lands. I also run Ghost Quarter and celestial colonnades.
Sideboard
Batterskull~ this guy is really handy and a very effective win con though because of Siege Rhino, Gurmag Angler, and Tasigur he's not as effective mainboard. It allows you to play through a Blood Moon.
Leyline of Sanctity~ this is a must have when fighting burn, mill, or discard.
Blessed Alliance~ An additional slot to help fight burn, sligh, and infect.
Rest in Peace~ to beat dredge, delve, and other decks playing out of the graveyard the choice is between this and Leyline of the Void. However, to make leyline worthwhile I would have to use more slots so I decided RIP was better.
Celestial Purge~ there are some red decks in my meta that play Leyline of Punishment in their sligh decks and so I think this will be useful.
Disenchant~ this is much easier to hit Blood Moon with than Esper Charm and also provides direct artifact removal. Such a classic deserves a place in the sideboard.
Dispel~ this helps with control mirrors and burn.
Path to Exile~ a fourth copy of this great spell.
Elspeth, Sun's Champion~ a very useful piece, her +1 grants a large board presence rapidly and her -4 gives us an additional boardwipe versus fatties. Useful versus control.
Closing Remarks
Once again, if you have any comment please post them. I'm always seeking to make this deck better and introduce new cards into the deck. I love hearing the ideas and critiques of others, and although I may not always agree with the advice I'm given, that doesn't mean I want to stop hearing from you. Hope you had fun learning about this deck. And if you're feeling generous, please +1!
