The mana base and the sideboard are work in progress.
I am feeling really good on testing against midrange and in control mirror, but i'm feeling really bad against aggro like Zoo and the likes.
I would appreciate some advice on how to play against fast decks and more importantly what type of hands are keeps and when to mulligan.
The best advice I can give on keep or mulligan in a general sense is that this deck should mulligan anything that doesn't do anything until T3-4, the main exception being hands with Think Twice and Esper Charm (which I still don't know whether to keep or not, but I've been keeping -- you just get there sometimes, and sometimes your opponent keeps a marginal one too). On mulls, especially with 5- cards, I tend to keep hands that have 2-3 lands and either ways to draw out of it or removal/counters (or a mix). With Leyline in the deck post board, I am more likely to mull a marginal 7 (without Leyline) since the upside of mulling is so high. On the flipside, I'm more likely to keep a hand if it has a Leyline in it.
I'd say my "best" 7 is Colonnade, 2x Fetches, Path, Think Twice, Logic Knot, random spell (hopefully Esper Charm, Anticipate, or Snare).
As for the deck being somewhat poor against aggro, don't feel bad about it -- I think aggro in general is a bad matchup for Esper. Burn, Zoo, Goblins, etc. Things that are aggro-combo aren't as bad, ranging from even to favorable (Infect and Affinity respectively). Something like like Suicide Zoo or Delver/Fae, basically Aggro with splashes of other archetypes (Combo and Control respectively), can be good or bad depending on your list -- mainboard Condemns and more Verdicts tend to swing these matchups in your favor while making you poorer against combo decks like Storm and AdNaus.
Edit: At least, this is my personal experience given my playstyle and preferences.
As a whole, how has Hallowed Burial been treating you? I have been considering trying some out or at least having access to foil copies before a potential price spike at the way creatures have been pushed lately. It seems as though the mantra is that every new critter has to have a way to provide repeatable advantage or is a spell with legs.
Hallowed burial was great. Only dropped one game tonight vs Merfolk but went 4-0
The game I lost was because hallowed burial got spell pierced and cursecatched, but also I resolved it twice against both allies and against 4 color coco.
The 4th deck was 4 color jeskai / marsh nahiri control
Lingering souls did exactly what I thought it would do. Harassed nahiri. Souls was good in every other match also, defensively
Secure the waste felt REALLY nice and at times unfair. The power vs mana ratios vs wsz are all theorycrafting. They are technically correct on paper, but tonight I just tossed outnswcure the wastes to not die, then flashed it back later for an arbitrary amount. What most people don't consider is that, on an empty board (which we achieve often) you don't need a 20 power one hit lol turn. 6 power of 1/1 dudes is absolutely fine
4-0 tonight here as well. I ran the alleged Wafo Tapa list and finished 1st in FNM tonight beating Mono Red Kiln Fiend, Naya Burn, Ad Nauseum, and Mono White Humans. Again only dropping a 1 game the whole night against Naya Burn.
Spell Burst, Secure the Wastes and Lingering Souls were all stars tonight. Definitely sold on the list. I'll be trying to make it to event tomorrow, so maybe ill make up an event report when I get back.
Tonight originally was a thought experiment for myself, to prove that Teachings was the superior build, but the deck played flawlessly tonight. Ended up convincing myself just the opposite. As much as I adore teachings, ill be shelving it for the time being. I think the most exciting thing is that we are about to get a couple new toys in the form of Blessed Alliance, Collective Brutality, Summary Dismissal. Even without those, the deck feels VERY strong. Only time will tell, but I do believe were on to something.
Oh yeah one of spell burst totally shut out Merfolk in game 3 He couldn't find cavern and I just repeatedly countered every top deck. Sweetness. I don't know what to say. And I'm not sure what I'll do if wafo shows up to lile gp with the the same list we've all been playing for a year and a half.
As for now, I'm going to assume this is wafo, or at least someone from his team piloting a wafo designed deck.
There's a couple giveaways. Mainly the engineered explosives and logic knots. And the old jeskai list in the deck history.
oh man. Instant speed sign in blood for an extra colorless mana. UB control got a sick new toy. If only they had some kind of reasonable, repeatable life gain that didn't die to bolt. Like, if It had a 4 toughness butt. And maybe a relevant ability.
This set has two absolutely delicious new cards for control in Modern, but for very different decks: one for a more traditional UB style build, and one that's exactly what the doctor ordered for beating up on agro if you're in esper colors.
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Yes, I am a local area mod. WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Primary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
Yeah who knows. Seems to fit the part, especially with the red blue eldrazi his team developed, and that jeskai list
I don't know if it's Wafo, and honestly don't care too much. The guy's been basically playing the same deck as us and absolutely cleaning up on MODO. The main reason I suspect it is is the UWR list that's running Think twice and Revelation. Basically as soon as Chapin wrote about Wafo's list and the deck became known, people automatically cut Think Twice and shifted the deck towards a Flash build. I've never heard of another player doing well with that original UWR Control build, just Chapin and Wafo.
Lingering souls is boss. If it's good enough for legacy, it's good enough for modern. It's such a ******* simple card when you look at it, but it's so powerful when you play it. It tops my list for most annoying card to play against. Got to get me some NOSB in my 75 for it, baby. Just had a flashback (pun intended) to Esper Charm's Evil Twin, Dromar's Charm. Too bad it's not modern legal. Didn't know that card existed and will def be having dreams tonight about it. A card a day...
Meh, I played maindeck Lingering Souls last year and it was underwhelming. It's only good in select matchups, and a lot of the ones where you assume it's broken it's really not. I think it's definitely a sideboard card. You basically only want it against blitz decks with a lot of small creatures and other blue decks. Even against Affinity it's only OK, which is why I originally abandoned it. Against any deck where the tokens can't trade easily, it's basically an expensive Fog with flashback (Think Etched Champion, Arcbound Ravager, Steel Overseer, etc.). Now, Infect or UWR can fold from just a single copy.
Secure is the better card if you find yourself casting it on x = 1-3 fairly frequently (aka WSZ for 1 or 2 tokens), but I find that in the majority of games where I cast WSZ, I'm casting it for 1 or 2 in the early game to trade with some stuff, and when it's finishing the games, x = 5 or 6 more often than not.
I still haven't played with the card yet, since I'm in the middle of a League, but the more I think about it the more I think WSZ as a finisher has mostly always been a "win-more". If you're casting it to finish your opponent, you've made it to the late game and oftentimes could very well just keep going off with Revelations and draw spells. I think it's the defensive WSZ that's more critical, and Secure may actually be a good card against all the random blitz decks in the format, Affinity withholding. I think the green Company decks will be the only matchups where you need to go bigger with WSZ. I guess we'll see.
Hallowed burial was great. Only dropped one game tonight vs Merfolk but went 4-0
The game I lost was because hallowed burial got spell pierced and cursecatched
LOL! I was going to reply to the first sentence with: "Didn't you feel like it was just strictly worse than Wrath of God", but apparently you got hit by Cursecather. I think Kitchen Finks as a card and Dredgevine as a deck are about the only reason to run Hallowed Burial?
There is also the bogles matchup which burial is an all star as it will make all their enchantments die and then they will have to find more threats which gives up breathing room to lock the game up
oh man. Instant speed sign in blood for an extra colorless mana. UB control got a sick new toy. If only they had some kind of reasonable, repeatable life gain that didn't die to bolt. Like, if It had a 4 toughness butt. And maybe a relevant ability.
I'm hoping to start hitting up Magic tournaments a few times a week as opposed to once or twice a month. Once you have the deck, it's a pretty cheap hobby. Hooray for being in a new city and having a consistent schedule!
Hoping to hit up a win a box tomorrow, which is my first Modern event in quite a while. As of right now, I can't figure out what I want to cut from my maindeck, so I'll be trying a 61 with the usual suspects, 1 Remand, 1 Condemn, 1 Secure the Wastes, and the 2 Negate in the main. SB I'm missing some cards that I want - looking at 2 Wrath, 3 Leyline, 2 Clique, 1 Dispel, 2 Baneslayer, 1 Engineered Explosives, 2 Runed Halo, 2 Anguished Unmaking.
My goal is to get a good hundred matches in before GP Indi at the end of August.
Foils are on-order from SCG. I'm gonna start with 2 main 1 side, cutting my shadow of doubt slots in the main.
Private Mod Note
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Yes, I am a local area mod. WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Primary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
3 Polluted Delta
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Drowned Catacomb
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Swamp
3 Island
2 Plains
4 Esper Charm
4 Path to Exile
3 Blessed Alliance
4 Think Twice
4 Spell Snare
1 Negate
3 Cryptic Command
2 Logic Knot
1 Sphinx's Revelation
2 Watery Grave
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Remand
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 White Sun's Zenith
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Bribery
4 Condemn
2 Negate
2 Dispel
1 Celestial Purge
The mana base and the sideboard are work in progress.
I am feeling really good on testing against midrange and in control mirror, but i'm feeling really bad against aggro like Zoo and the likes.
I would appreciate some advice on how to play against fast decks and more importantly what type of hands are keeps and when to mulligan.
The best advice I can give on keep or mulligan in a general sense is that this deck should mulligan anything that doesn't do anything until T3-4, the main exception being hands with Think Twice and Esper Charm (which I still don't know whether to keep or not, but I've been keeping -- you just get there sometimes, and sometimes your opponent keeps a marginal one too). On mulls, especially with 5- cards, I tend to keep hands that have 2-3 lands and either ways to draw out of it or removal/counters (or a mix). With Leyline in the deck post board, I am more likely to mull a marginal 7 (without Leyline) since the upside of mulling is so high. On the flipside, I'm more likely to keep a hand if it has a Leyline in it.
I'd say my "best" 7 is Colonnade, 2x Fetches, Path, Think Twice, Logic Knot, random spell (hopefully Esper Charm, Anticipate, or Snare).
As for the deck being somewhat poor against aggro, don't feel bad about it -- I think aggro in general is a bad matchup for Esper. Burn, Zoo, Goblins, etc. Things that are aggro-combo aren't as bad, ranging from even to favorable (Infect and Affinity respectively). Something like like Suicide Zoo or Delver/Fae, basically Aggro with splashes of other archetypes (Combo and Control respectively), can be good or bad depending on your list -- mainboard Condemns and more Verdicts tend to swing these matchups in your favor while making you poorer against combo decks like Storm and AdNaus.
Edit: At least, this is my personal experience given my playstyle and preferences.
UWB Esper Draw-Go Control (clicky)
UW Azorius Control (clicky)
Currently pursuing a degree in Biochemistry.
EDH: I've decided I don't like multiplayer formats.
The game I lost was because hallowed burial got spell pierced and cursecatched, but also I resolved it twice against both allies and against 4 color coco.
The 4th deck was 4 color jeskai / marsh nahiri control
Lingering souls did exactly what I thought it would do. Harassed nahiri. Souls was good in every other match also, defensively
Secure the waste felt REALLY nice and at times unfair. The power vs mana ratios vs wsz are all theorycrafting. They are technically correct on paper, but tonight I just tossed outnswcure the wastes to not die, then flashed it back later for an arbitrary amount. What most people don't consider is that, on an empty board (which we achieve often) you don't need a 20 power one hit lol turn. 6 power of 1/1 dudes is absolutely fine
Spell Burst, Secure the Wastes and Lingering Souls were all stars tonight. Definitely sold on the list. I'll be trying to make it to event tomorrow, so maybe ill make up an event report when I get back.
Tonight originally was a thought experiment for myself, to prove that Teachings was the superior build, but the deck played flawlessly tonight. Ended up convincing myself just the opposite. As much as I adore teachings, ill be shelving it for the time being. I think the most exciting thing is that we are about to get a couple new toys in the form of Blessed Alliance, Collective Brutality, Summary Dismissal. Even without those, the deck feels VERY strong. Only time will tell, but I do believe were on to something.
As for now, I'm going to assume this is wafo, or at least someone from his team piloting a wafo designed deck.
There's a couple giveaways. Mainly the engineered explosives and logic knots. And the old jeskai list in the deck history.
This set has two absolutely delicious new cards for control in Modern, but for very different decks: one for a more traditional UB style build, and one that's exactly what the doctor ordered for beating up on agro if you're in esper colors.
Yes, I am a local area mod.WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVEPrimary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
I don't know if it's Wafo, and honestly don't care too much. The guy's been basically playing the same deck as us and absolutely cleaning up on MODO. The main reason I suspect it is is the UWR list that's running Think twice and Revelation. Basically as soon as Chapin wrote about Wafo's list and the deck became known, people automatically cut Think Twice and shifted the deck towards a Flash build. I've never heard of another player doing well with that original UWR Control build, just Chapin and Wafo.
Meh, I played maindeck Lingering Souls last year and it was underwhelming. It's only good in select matchups, and a lot of the ones where you assume it's broken it's really not. I think it's definitely a sideboard card. You basically only want it against blitz decks with a lot of small creatures and other blue decks. Even against Affinity it's only OK, which is why I originally abandoned it. Against any deck where the tokens can't trade easily, it's basically an expensive Fog with flashback (Think Etched Champion, Arcbound Ravager, Steel Overseer, etc.). Now, Infect or UWR can fold from just a single copy.
I still haven't played with the card yet, since I'm in the middle of a League, but the more I think about it the more I think WSZ as a finisher has mostly always been a "win-more". If you're casting it to finish your opponent, you've made it to the late game and oftentimes could very well just keep going off with Revelations and draw spells. I think it's the defensive WSZ that's more critical, and Secure may actually be a good card against all the random blitz decks in the format, Affinity withholding. I think the green Company decks will be the only matchups where you need to go bigger with WSZ. I guess we'll see.
LOL! I was going to reply to the first sentence with: "Didn't you feel like it was just strictly worse than Wrath of God", but apparently you got hit by Cursecather.
Esper draw go Control!
Twitch stream: http://www.twitch.tv/pimpdonny
What if he comes in playing something that isn't control? Like Infect?
UWB Esper Draw-Go Control (clicky)
UW Azorius Control (clicky)
Currently pursuing a degree in Biochemistry.
EDH: I've decided I don't like multiplayer formats.
Esper draw go Control!
Twitch stream: http://www.twitch.tv/pimpdonny
I think he meant Batterskull.
UWB Esper Draw-Go Control (clicky)
UW Azorius Control (clicky)
Currently pursuing a degree in Biochemistry.
EDH: I've decided I don't like multiplayer formats.
Hoping to hit up a win a box tomorrow, which is my first Modern event in quite a while. As of right now, I can't figure out what I want to cut from my maindeck, so I'll be trying a 61 with the usual suspects, 1 Remand, 1 Condemn, 1 Secure the Wastes, and the 2 Negate in the main. SB I'm missing some cards that I want - looking at 2 Wrath, 3 Leyline, 2 Clique, 1 Dispel, 2 Baneslayer, 1 Engineered Explosives, 2 Runed Halo, 2 Anguished Unmaking.
My goal is to get a good hundred matches in before GP Indi at the end of August.
Modern - Esper Draw-Go (Best finish - 12-3, 45th at GP Charlotte 2015), Jeskai Control, UR Breach Moon
Tomorrow it's win a box time thought.
Same list as Friday , the exact mr. Cafioulette 75.
Which card is that?
I think he's talking about Blessed Alliance.
Modern - Esper Draw-Go (Best finish - 12-3, 45th at GP Charlotte 2015), Jeskai Control, UR Breach Moon
Foils are on-order from SCG. I'm gonna start with 2 main 1 side, cutting my shadow of doubt slots in the main.
Yes, I am a local area mod.WELP. GOOD LIFE CHANGES ALL HAPPEN AT ONCE AND SOME ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVEPrimary Decks:
Modern: Esper Draw-Go
Legacy: RUG Lands
EDH: Sidisi turn-3 storm
Lingering souls was so fantastic. Engineered exp. not bad here either. Won both games with a secure for 6 on an empty board.
Added the 4th colonnade minus one watery grave