Deduce
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Legality

Format Legality
1v1 Commander Legal
Alchemy Legal
Arena Legal
Block Constructed Legal
Canadian Highlander Legal
Casual Legal
Commander / EDH Legal
Commander: Rule 0 Legal
Custom Legal
Duel Commander Legal
Gladiator Legal
Highlander Legal
Historic Legal
Historic Brawl Legal
Legacy Legal
Leviathan Legal
Limited Legal
Modern Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons Legal
Oathbreaker Legal
Pauper Legal
Pauper EDH Legal
Pioneer Legal
Planar Constructed Legal
Pre-release Legal
Standard Legal
Standard Brawl Legal
Tiny Leaders Legal
Vintage Legal

Deduce

Instant

Draw a card. Investigate. (Create a Clue token. It's a colourless artifact with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.)

Swing4Lethal on Esper Control 3.0

1 year ago

I am very excited to hear you have been playing my list and enjoying it! I still believe the deck is very powerful and consistently better than straight Azorius Control.

I'll address Oath of Kaya first - It is way too slow. You can't afford to be tapping out for a single target sorcery speed removal effect. Especially not with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord + Vein Ripper dominating like it is. You need to have 2-3 mana available for counter spells the turn they can drop Sorin. Temporary Lockdown is good enough in the 3 mana removal slot and clears most of the things you care about early.

Second, Get Lost is a great catch all option that bridges the small gaps in utility amongst Fatal Push, Vanishing Verse, and Void Rend. The map tokens the opponent gets are mostly irrelevant with only the Amalia Combo decks caring about them. Theoretically you should be able to control the board enough that they never get to use them. With that said, Vein Ripper presents a threat with a protection ability this deck has not had to deal with before, so you could get away with a second copy of Void Rend over Get Lost you just lose an effect that can hit land creatures.

Third, I agree whether you like the card or not, Reckoner Bankbuster is a great card. It gives the deck extra reach that it desperately needs. Deduce is fine, if you absolutely do not want to play Bankbuster but you lose the imminent body and damage threat that Bankbuster gives. The token would give you revolt, but you'd need to run 4 copies for that to be consistent and casting a 3 mana Fatal Push feels not great. Mazemind Tome is far too little impact to make it in the list. Your life gain is handled by The Wandering Emperor and Shambling Vent. Search for Azcanta  Flip is too slow and is really bad in Pioneer due to all of the graveyard exile effects being used.

Fourth, If you personally prefer to run 1 basic and 1 Otawara, Soaring City that's fine too. It's really just personal preference and relevant to your area's meta. I find that Dovin's Veto and Void Rend are good enough in the control match up that Otawara is not necessary. The biggest drawback is that Otawara always costs 4 mana game 1 and has a small chance to cost less in games 2/3. The very first iteration of the deck had both Otawara and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire but I found I was being wastelanded by Field of Ruin too often and utilizing the channel abilities so rarely that I just cut them in favor of basics.

Finally, yes The End made it into the deck. It is the best possible removal option against so many creatures that decks rely on to win. Greasefang, Okiba Boss, Arclight Phoenix, Mayhem Devil, Vein Ripper (if you can pay the ward), and Amalia Benavides Aguirre are all game winning targets for it. Honestly I have even been considering cutting the Rest in Peace for a second copy of the end. I also swapped Make Disappear out for No More Lies. It is just a far better card in every way.