What's the time in round? [Esper Control Primer]

Modern TheAnnihilator

SCORE: 67 | 88 COMMENTS | 9380 VIEWS | IN 24 FOLDERS


Huge Overhauls! —Jan. 24, 2018

So, after testing lists with Opt (and then Serum Visions... again), I was unimpressed (even with the Search for Azcanta  Flips). I've since decided on a 2:2 split on Think Twice vs. Search for Azcanta  Flip, and I'm incorporating some Shambling Vent at the time of writing this to help with the Burn matchup. Since I already play 2 Fields, 2 Plains, and 1 Swamp as non-U sources, a Mystic Gate has come in for the assist on casting Cryptic. Blessed Alliance is still great, and it's my go-to mainboard (despite people's dissenting opinions on it). Nothing else much has changed.

tlhunter07 says... #1

Four copies of Alliance in the 75 is altogether too much. I'd run 2, maybe 3 at most.

September 26, 2017 9:11 p.m.

TheAnnihilator says... #2

Yeah, sorry. I meant to play 3 Alliances in the 75, but I forgot I was trimming a Push instead of an Alliance mb to make room for the set of Opts, and put the Alliance I thought I had cut into the board. I've changed it to a Settle the Wreckage (over a Verdict/Wrath mainly for Dredge).

September 26, 2017 9:32 p.m.

T12H says... #4

You ever think with only 6 true black cards in your 75 you could make your mana base a little different? With my straight UW deck I have been considering adding black for the same few cards that you have. Esper Charm is amazing!! But with the addition of just a handful of black cards I was considering running 4 Field of Ruin. This can search for the solo swamp. It is color fixing but also helps verse the big mana decks and greedy mana base decks. maybe run 6 fetches (cutting 2 fetches and 2 ghost quarters for 4 ruins). I don't know....just an idea. But I guess with more colorless sources would make less turn 3 esper charms.

January 9, 2018 7:39 p.m.

TheAnnihilator says... #5

T12H It's less about the quantity of black cards and more about the strictness of the deck's mana costs in general. More than 3 colorless sources is suicide in this build of the deck, since I'm supporting and by turn 4, by turn 3, and by turn 2. Even one Field can prevent me from casting Knot on 2, and in fact most Esper players don't play any LD lands at all (okay, maybe 1 sometimes). I'm staunch on playing 2, since lands can be the toughest things to answer in some cases, but I'm sure you already know that. :)

That said, it'd been some time since I updated the list, and so here it is again for you to critique -- I've been playing straight UW for quite some time now, but brewing Esper on the backburner, and I came up with some of the same stuff you did.

January 9, 2018 9:34 p.m. Edited.