Esper Salt Mill (KHM Update)

Modern TheSurgeon

SCORE: 178 | 100 COMMENTS | 12457 VIEWS | IN 66 FOLDERS


March 23, 2017

Added Extirpate and twekaed since last update.

Pyromancer999 says... #3

I would board multiple crypt incursions as those terrible Aggro/burn matchups cannot come back from that kind of life gain most of the time

August 20, 2016 10:40 a.m.

lefty117 says... #5

I use to run a build very close to this I ran Ghost Quarter as a way to help my opponent search there library or to quarter my own land and finish someone off with another landfall trigger or 2. love the build!

September 5, 2016 5:48 p.m.

TheSurgeon says... #6

Thanks lefty117! I actually just took Quarter out, as it screwed me last event when I needed a colored land. The Paths and the opponent's own fetches do the heavy lifting for me.

Thanks for the upvote!

September 5, 2016 5:59 p.m.

SavageGaul says... #9

Glad to see another Esper Mill player. Here are my thoughts:

I'm amazed that you're having success with just 19 lands! I run 21, with a lower curve and cheaper cantrips, and I still consider myself to be playing with fire by not running 22+. We've got a painful landbase and we benefit from landfall, so don't be afraid to up the land count if it's impacting you negatively. But if it's working for you, keep on keeping on.

Is Extirpate in over Surgical Extraction due to budget issues? If not, I'd make the swap. Split Second can be relevant, but the ability to extract when necessary regardless of mana access is just more widely applicable.

Since you splash white, Ghostly Prison might be an option over Ensnaring Bridge against go-wide decks--Bridge is amazing, but Visions of Beyond cripples it to a degree. If you're against more of the decks that cheat out big goons--especially Emrakul, the Aeons Torn--keep Bridge, and also consider Hide/Seek, which is a little-known card that can turn a nearly unwinnable matchup (Nahiri Control) into a favorable one.

Any reason Mesmeric Orb isn't a 4-of? Since you're more control oriented (and rightfully so), Orb puts in massive work over the course of even a moderately long match. If you take this advice, the first cards I'd look to cut are Breaking/Entering and Tome Scour. Neither is terrible, but Orb puts in so much more work. Fatal Push is also certainly worth considering--it's inferior to Path for our purposes, but in an aggro-heavy meta 4 spot removal might not be enough. I personally run a 4/2 split of Path/Push (check out my deck here: Esper Mill).

Leylines from the side are a nice touch, as are Remands in the main. I personally haven't gone that route, but there's nothing wrong with them whatsoever. Consider a sweeper or two if the go-wide decks really get out of hand in your area. Supreme Verdict and Damnation are both viable.

+1, and good luck to you! I'd welcome any feedback on my own build.

March 22, 2017 6:53 p.m.