Way too versatile for pretty cheap and most decks besides gbx have to water down their game plan to board in enchantment hate
I've been a huge halo proponent for over a year now and I win more with halo in my deck
At WORST its WWsorcery: remove target creature from the game, for the rest of this game, your opponent may not cast creatures with the same name as the exiled creature.
At best it is WWenchantment: you can't lose the game
I also love when they flicker out a halo to swing in, I just name flicker on the way back in and then deal with the ground creature, its happened a bunch of times where they cast flcikr for damage and it ends up being more valuable then to not have blinked at all, I won't leave home with out at least 3 in the 75 for esper.
So I'm going over my SB plans and I'm noticing more and more just how often I bring in runed halo. Is it psycho to play 2 main instead of my 2 condemn...
I currently play a mainboard split of 1x Halo and 1x Condemn, with the same split in the sb. I might cut my 2x Remand for another Condemn/Halo and a 3rd Logic Knot in the main. Not sure, since I really want 4 mainboard 2-mana counters (for the purpose of stopping t3 threats from hitting the field, permanently or not).
Edit: I saw an interesting choice from a UR Fae list -- they put the Remands in the sideboard instead of main. Does that have any merit? They would be good catchall cards against matchups like Tron and control.
I also love when they flicker out a halo to swing in, I just name flicker on the way back in and then deal with the ground creature, its happened a bunch of times where they cast flcikr for damage and it ends up being more valuable then to not have blinked at all, I won't leave home with out at least 3 in the 75 for esper.
I assume you're referring to Flickerwisp out of Death and Taxes?
Academy ruins + engineered explosives is a thing apparently. I know someone has touched on that here before but wow. Affinity / zoo ,etc? Check. Hate for lantern, thopter, Liliana, etc? Check
Not sure how Jund forces anything through academy+exp. except for tec edging the academy. I'm pretty sure they are light on land hate, and hat also leaves them wide open to colonnade
Getting bored playing with Nahiri and want to switch to something more controlling.
Have been trying UWBr with Bolts and Helixes because I'm having a hard time letting them go. They're both extremely efficient two-way offense/defense cards that allow for the flexible gameplan I like to develop.
How does straight esper compensate for the loss of these two?
Getting bored playing with Nahiri and want to switch to something more controlling.
Have been trying UWBr with Bolts and Helixes because I'm having a hard time letting them go. They're both extremely efficient two-way offense/defense cards that allow for the flexible gameplan I like to develop.
How does straight esper compensate for the loss of these two?
It doesn't. Unless you qualify raw card advantage as an upside, which most do.
Personally I've switched to jeskai for the bolt reasons you mentioned / flexibility / access to crumble to dust.
It plays almost exactly the same. 4 think twice, electrolyZes are esper charm (not exactly, but they are a can tripping 2 for one). Run Sphinx revs; ignore Av etc.
I'm in love. I LOVE the flexibility of controlling the whole game but winding up in a tight spot and being able to go cryptic your whole team, bounce your man land end of turn, bolt you, snap, bolt you. Untap. Swing with snapcaster and colonnade, game. (12 damage there, very easy to hit if you've incidentally bolted or electrolyzed them previously or if they've shocked / thoughtseized themselves. It's insane
Academy ruins + engineered explosives is a thing apparently. I know someone has touched on that here before but wow. Affinity / zoo ,etc? Check. Hate for lantern, thopter, Liliana, etc? Check
Not sure how Jund forces anything through academy+exp. except for tec edging the academy. I'm pretty sure they are light on land hate, and hat also leaves them wide open to colonnade
Edit: I'm sure they just use scooZe. Either way
Jund boards in Fulminator Mage against our Colonnades too. The likelihood of drawing both EE and Academy Ruins before we are dead seems very low, but it would be amazing if we did get it online!
We have at least one slot for a utility land, be it ghost quarter, etc. in a deck full of electrolyze / bolt / path / runed halo / pithing needle in board, I'm not really concerned about opposing man lands, so playing an academy ruins there really isn't causing me any grief.
In conjunction with that, engineered explosives is just a good card in modern, specifically in 3 color decks. Good against a very wide and varied portion of the meta. Obviously good against zoo and affinity and the like, but also good against lantern / ensnaring bridge decks, boggles / infect/ prison decks / blood moon, Liliana , it's just all around good.
So I think of it as "I'm not losing anything by having academy ruins, I'm only opening myself up to an awesome loop with another good card I would already run ANYWAY even if ruins weren't in the deck". Something that will probably only ever matter in long Grindy games, but against Jund or lantern I can definitely see myself being glad I have it.
Hello once again, my fellow Esper mages! I apologize for not uploading my results at the GPT from about a month ago, and I probably won't because I forgot them (apart from the fact that I didn't do to well), but I was at TCG States, so I can post my results from that if anyone is interested. I am also going to GP Charlotte, so I will definitely do my best to remember everything that happens there. And now, for the current list that I feel like running. As per usual, I will also post the link to my list on TappedOut, in case I mess up posting the list here.
I'm a little sick right now, so please excuse me if I take the lazy route and not split up the cards into sections like Removal, Card Advantage etc. I have also been considering some other cards for both the main/sideboard as well, but have not added them for space reasons. Those cards are;
2x Engineered Explosives - EE has been a card that I have considered for some time, but I have never actually tried, and it's not something that I would throw in the side for a event like a GP without some testing, but it is a card that I would put in given some valid reasoning.
1x Condemn - I have definitely liked running a singleton of our fifth "Path to Exile" for some time, but have been a little wary about running more than that. Five spot removal spells (I don't entirely count Runed Halo, because it is much more than that),and I haven't really needed more than five. But I can run it if the meta shows signs of deck like Zoo appearing to be prevalent at the GP.
1x Dispel - I have run two Dispels in the side for a good while, and while I do like having two, I needed to cut one for space in the side.
1x Remand - I have been swapping back and forth from anywhere between two to no remands in the seventy-five, since my overall opinion of Remand is meh. But I will probably run it if more blue decks appear to be prevalent at the GP.
1x Anguished Unmaking - As much as I like the flexibility of the card, I haven't been able to test it out for as much as I wanted to, and since I have no space for said card, it has not made the seventy-five.
1x Vendilion Clique - I have run two Clique before, but I have never felt like I needed the second that much. However, if the meta appears to have a good amount of combo/Tron, then I will probably play the second.
1x Leyline of Sanctity - I ran two in the side at both the GPT and TCG States, and I liked it in the matchups that I brought it in for. Sadly, the only decks I played against where I sided it in was Burn (I initally added it also for Lantern, Storm, Ad Nauseum and Jund), but I have been relatively impressed so far, but I do miss my Timely Reinforcements a little. That being said, I am not sure if I should run three or two (i don't have a fourth Leyline, sadly).
1x Baneslayer Angel - Like Dispel, I used to run two Angels, but had to cut one for room. I really like running two, though, so if I find a good enough reason to, I probably will.
Also, does anybody have any advice for the Storm matchup? In case anybody dosen't remember, I despise Storm with a fiery passion, and absolutely hate losing to it... which seems to happen every time I play against them, and it frustrates me to no end.
EDIT: I have also been considering swapping out Thoughtseize for either Inquisition of Kozilek or Duress, since I have sideboarded Thoughtseize in against matchups where having hand disruption was good, but I was in a position where the life loss would cause me to go too low and put me in a more precarious position than I was currently in.
Been testing most of the morning, engineered explosives is REALLY good against the field in modern. I'm a guy who never cuts down past 3 verdicts, but I'm not at 2 verdicts main to put an EE main, with the extra EE and extra verdict in board.
EE is just nuts You have to use the original art though; the modern masters art doesn't work as good. Trust me
Is EE part of the reason that you went down to 2 Paths in your last couple lists? I feel like we rarely see fewer than 4 Paths in any list, and would be interested to hear how that went in your testing.
Is EE part of the reason that you went down to 2 Paths in your last couple lists? I feel like we rarely see fewer than 4 Paths in any list, and would be interested to hear how that went in your testing.
Went down to 2 paths for a variety of reasons.
A) I like mana leak right now
b) runed halo is a suitable path replacement in matchups where you want lots of paths
C) with 4 bolts and 4 electrolyze and 2 runed halo I haven't found myself needing all the paths, especially with snapcaster flashing back bolts and stuff. If stuff gets out of hand halo does the job of path and then some.
Also again, mana leak is hot right now.
Academy ruins isn't ee number 3, it's EE number 3 ,4,5,6,7 etc.
Academy ruins isn't ee number 3, it's EE number 3 ,4,5,6,7 etc.
Right, but drawing an early Academy Ruins by itself doesn't do a thing against an army of 1cmc cards. 5-7 EEs is overkill lol, and an early one by itself is normally all that's necessary to destroy their momentum and start controlling the game.
Academy ruins isn't ee number 3, it's EE number 3 ,4,5,6,7 etc.
Right, but drawing an early Academy Ruins by itself doesn't do a thing against an army of 1cmc cards. 5-7 EEs is overkill lol, and an early one by itself is normally all that's necessary to destroy their momentum and start controlling the game.
Ok so you're right actually, BUT, consider this, I personally am not sold on the value of a singleton ghost quarter or something like that in this list, so it's gonna be academy ruins, Desolate lighthouse, or maybe Mystifying Maze
Been testing most of the morning, engineered explosives is REALLY good against the field in modern. I'm a guy who never cuts down past 3 verdicts, but I'm not at 2 verdicts main to put an EE main, with the extra EE and extra verdict in board.
EE is just nuts You have to use the original art though; the modern masters art doesn't work as good. Trust me
I have to step in here and correct this heresy--The correct art to use for engineered explosives is the modern masters foil. Anything less is unbecoming of a true connoisseur.
If you're running one utility lands, viable options are the following IMO:'
blighted cataract--not great, not terrible as a 26th card. blighted fen--gives an out to boggles. Probably slightly better than cataract. More useful if your deck includes no runed halo in the 75. calciform pools If you're playing blue mirrors, this is a bit better. cavern of souls For blue mirrors that are more tempo-based, or if you're a fan of teferi, mage of zhalfir. creeping tar pit If planeswalkers are an issue in your metagame desert Good against URx decks because it hits snapcaster. Also beats up on death and taxes. Powerful in multiples, but requires tanking hits. gemstone caverns If your metagame has a lot of fast combo, having this on the draw can be relevant in order to access relevant mana earlier. Very narrow card choice. mistveil plains If you have random stuff like marty-proc in your metagame, or the enchantments combo deck, or mill. only play if you have runed halo/leylines in the mainboard to trigger it, otherwise you have to activate colonnades too often to make this viable. mystifying maze Similar utility as desert, but not good against etb value dudes. nephalia drownyard if you have lots of coco or other decks where milling is frequently a win con orzhova, the church of deals Grindy. Some of you didn't know this card existed, and are about to order foils. You're the sadists who thought WSZ was too clean of a kill. prahv, spires of order Big brother to mystifying maze. Can "counter" burn spells. Relevant against things like ad nauseum combo. very narrow, but it makes burn have an awkward time playing through the late game, and hoses most control-hoser cards. quicksand Another option similar to desert, but with different upsides and downsides. radiant fountain straight up lifegain. shambling vent Manland version of lifegain. Better in attrition, worse against zoo decks. urborg, tomb of yawgmoth Color fixing: black vault of the archangel If you're on sorins/lingering souls in the board, this enhances the token package. Also makes cats/snaps better in grindy matchups.
this is a fairly comprehensive list of viable utility lands that aren't land-destruction focused. Maze or Prahv is probably best in general because they *also* hit manlands semi-efficiently.
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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
Disregard my comments; I thought you were running a 2EE/1 Ruins split out of the board in which case I was suggesting to just run a third EE over the Ruins. Ruins looks nice with your sideboard plan though for sure.
Desert looks spicy against a lot of field right now for Esper, and it even hits Inkmoth and Blinkmoth Nexus sometimes which are huge GQ targets. I always seem to lose against some dumb lone x/1 creature, in which case Desert would be fantastic. It's almost a Night of Souls' Betrayal without filling and slots in the deck. Prahv and Maze look nice as well. I may have to give a few of these a spin lol.
Way too versatile for pretty cheap and most decks besides gbx have to water down their game plan to board in enchantment hate
I've been a huge halo proponent for over a year now and I win more with halo in my deck
At WORST its WWsorcery: remove target creature from the game, for the rest of this game, your opponent may not cast creatures with the same name as the exiled creature.
At best it is WWenchantment: you can't lose the game
Esper draw go Control!
Twitch stream: http://www.twitch.tv/pimpdonny
I currently play a mainboard split of 1x Halo and 1x Condemn, with the same split in the sb. I might cut my 2x Remand for another Condemn/Halo and a 3rd Logic Knot in the main. Not sure, since I really want 4 mainboard 2-mana counters (for the purpose of stopping t3 threats from hitting the field, permanently or not).
Edit: I saw an interesting choice from a UR Fae list -- they put the Remands in the sideboard instead of main. Does that have any merit? They would be good catchall cards against matchups like Tron and control.
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.
I assume you're referring to Flickerwisp out of Death and Taxes?
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.
4x scalding tarn
4x flooded strand
2x hallowed fountain
1x steam vents
1x sacred foundry
3x island
2x plains
1x mountain
3x sulfur falls
1x academy ruins
2x negate
2x mana leak
4x cryptic command
2x path to exile
2x runed halo
2x supreme verdict
1x engineered explosives
4x think twice
4x electrolyze
2x sphinx's revelation
3x snapcaster Mage
1x Keranos, God of storms
1x white sun's zenith
3x crumble to dust
2x engineered explosives
1x runed halo
1x oblivion ring
3x leyline of sanctity
2x Grafdigger's cage
1x negate
1x counterflux
1x pithing needle
Academy ruins + engineered explosives is a thing apparently. I know someone has touched on that here before but wow. Affinity / zoo ,etc? Check. Hate for lantern, thopter, Liliana, etc? Check
Not sure how Jund forces anything through academy+exp. except for tec edging the academy. I'm pretty sure they are light on land hate, and hat also leaves them wide open to colonnade
Edit: I'm sure they just use scooZe. Either way
Have been trying UWBr with Bolts and Helixes because I'm having a hard time letting them go. They're both extremely efficient two-way offense/defense cards that allow for the flexible gameplan I like to develop.
How does straight esper compensate for the loss of these two?
It doesn't. Unless you qualify raw card advantage as an upside, which most do.
Personally I've switched to jeskai for the bolt reasons you mentioned / flexibility / access to crumble to dust.
It plays almost exactly the same. 4 think twice, electrolyZes are esper charm (not exactly, but they are a can tripping 2 for one). Run Sphinx revs; ignore Av etc.
I'm in love. I LOVE the flexibility of controlling the whole game but winding up in a tight spot and being able to go cryptic your whole team, bounce your man land end of turn, bolt you, snap, bolt you. Untap. Swing with snapcaster and colonnade, game. (12 damage there, very easy to hit if you've incidentally bolted or electrolyzed them previously or if they've shocked / thoughtseized themselves. It's insane
Jund boards in Fulminator Mage against our Colonnades too. The likelihood of drawing both EE and Academy Ruins before we are dead seems very low, but it would be amazing if we did get it online!
We have at least one slot for a utility land, be it ghost quarter, etc. in a deck full of electrolyze / bolt / path / runed halo / pithing needle in board, I'm not really concerned about opposing man lands, so playing an academy ruins there really isn't causing me any grief.
In conjunction with that, engineered explosives is just a good card in modern, specifically in 3 color decks. Good against a very wide and varied portion of the meta. Obviously good against zoo and affinity and the like, but also good against lantern / ensnaring bridge decks, boggles / infect/ prison decks / blood moon, Liliana , it's just all around good.
So I think of it as "I'm not losing anything by having academy ruins, I'm only opening myself up to an awesome loop with another good card I would already run ANYWAY even if ruins weren't in the deck". Something that will probably only ever matter in long Grindy games, but against Jund or lantern I can definitely see myself being glad I have it.
TappedOut link; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/03-01-16-esper-control-modern/
And here's the list;
1x Condemn
4x Cryptic Command
4x Esper Charm
4x Flooded Strand
2x Ghost Quarter
2x Glacial Fortress
1x Godless Shrine
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Hallowed Fountain
3x Island
2x Logic Knot
1x Negate
4x Path to Exile
2x Plains
3x Polluted Delta
1x Remand
1x Runed Halo
2x Snapcaster Mage
4x Spell Snare
2x Sphinx's Revelation
3x Supreme Verdict
1x Swamp
4x Think Twice
2x Watery Grave
1x White Sun's Zenith
1x Celestial Purge
1x Dispel
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
2x Leyline of Sanctity
2x Rest in Peace
1x Runed Halo
2x Stony Silence
2x Thoughtseize
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Wrath of God
I'm a little sick right now, so please excuse me if I take the lazy route and not split up the cards into sections like Removal, Card Advantage etc. I have also been considering some other cards for both the main/sideboard as well, but have not added them for space reasons. Those cards are;
2x Engineered Explosives - EE has been a card that I have considered for some time, but I have never actually tried, and it's not something that I would throw in the side for a event like a GP without some testing, but it is a card that I would put in given some valid reasoning.
1x Condemn - I have definitely liked running a singleton of our fifth "Path to Exile" for some time, but have been a little wary about running more than that. Five spot removal spells (I don't entirely count Runed Halo, because it is much more than that),and I haven't really needed more than five. But I can run it if the meta shows signs of deck like Zoo appearing to be prevalent at the GP.
1x Dispel - I have run two Dispels in the side for a good while, and while I do like having two, I needed to cut one for space in the side.
1x Remand - I have been swapping back and forth from anywhere between two to no remands in the seventy-five, since my overall opinion of Remand is meh. But I will probably run it if more blue decks appear to be prevalent at the GP.
1x Anguished Unmaking - As much as I like the flexibility of the card, I haven't been able to test it out for as much as I wanted to, and since I have no space for said card, it has not made the seventy-five.
1x Vendilion Clique - I have run two Clique before, but I have never felt like I needed the second that much. However, if the meta appears to have a good amount of combo/Tron, then I will probably play the second.
1x Leyline of Sanctity - I ran two in the side at both the GPT and TCG States, and I liked it in the matchups that I brought it in for. Sadly, the only decks I played against where I sided it in was Burn (I initally added it also for Lantern, Storm, Ad Nauseum and Jund), but I have been relatively impressed so far, but I do miss my Timely Reinforcements a little. That being said, I am not sure if I should run three or two (i don't have a fourth Leyline, sadly).
1x Baneslayer Angel - Like Dispel, I used to run two Angels, but had to cut one for room. I really like running two, though, so if I find a good enough reason to, I probably will.
Also, does anybody have any advice for the Storm matchup? In case anybody dosen't remember, I despise Storm with a fiery passion, and absolutely hate losing to it... which seems to happen every time I play against them, and it frustrates me to no end.
EDIT: I have also been considering swapping out Thoughtseize for either Inquisition of Kozilek or Duress, since I have sideboarded Thoughtseize in against matchups where having hand disruption was good, but I was in a position where the life loss would cause me to go too low and put me in a more precarious position than I was currently in.
EE is just nuts You have to use the original art though; the modern masters art doesn't work as good. Trust me
Went down to 2 paths for a variety of reasons.
A) I like mana leak right now
b) runed halo is a suitable path replacement in matchups where you want lots of paths
C) with 4 bolts and 4 electrolyze and 2 runed halo I haven't found myself needing all the paths, especially with snapcaster flashing back bolts and stuff. If stuff gets out of hand halo does the job of path and then some.
Also again, mana leak is hot right now.
Academy ruins isn't ee number 3, it's EE number 3 ,4,5,6,7 etc.
Right, but drawing an early Academy Ruins by itself doesn't do a thing against an army of 1cmc cards. 5-7 EEs is overkill lol, and an early one by itself is normally all that's necessary to destroy their momentum and start controlling the game.
Ok so you're right actually, BUT, consider this, I personally am not sold on the value of a singleton ghost quarter or something like that in this list, so it's gonna be academy ruins, Desolate lighthouse, or maybe Mystifying Maze
What were you suggesting specifically?
I have to step in here and correct this heresy--The correct art to use for engineered explosives is the modern masters foil. Anything less is unbecoming of a true connoisseur.
If you're running one utility lands, viable options are the following IMO:'
blighted cataract--not great, not terrible as a 26th card.
blighted fen--gives an out to boggles. Probably slightly better than cataract. More useful if your deck includes no runed halo in the 75.
calciform pools If you're playing blue mirrors, this is a bit better.
cavern of souls For blue mirrors that are more tempo-based, or if you're a fan of teferi, mage of zhalfir.
creeping tar pit If planeswalkers are an issue in your metagame
desert Good against URx decks because it hits snapcaster. Also beats up on death and taxes. Powerful in multiples, but requires tanking hits.
gemstone caverns If your metagame has a lot of fast combo, having this on the draw can be relevant in order to access relevant mana earlier. Very narrow card choice.
mistveil plains If you have random stuff like marty-proc in your metagame, or the enchantments combo deck, or mill. only play if you have runed halo/leylines in the mainboard to trigger it, otherwise you have to activate colonnades too often to make this viable.
mystifying maze Similar utility as desert, but not good against etb value dudes.
nephalia drownyard if you have lots of coco or other decks where milling is frequently a win con
orzhova, the church of deals Grindy. Some of you didn't know this card existed, and are about to order foils. You're the sadists who thought WSZ was too clean of a kill.
prahv, spires of order Big brother to mystifying maze. Can "counter" burn spells. Relevant against things like ad nauseum combo. very narrow, but it makes burn have an awkward time playing through the late game, and hoses most control-hoser cards.
quicksand Another option similar to desert, but with different upsides and downsides.
radiant fountain straight up lifegain.
shambling vent Manland version of lifegain. Better in attrition, worse against zoo decks.
urborg, tomb of yawgmoth Color fixing: black
vault of the archangel If you're on sorins/lingering souls in the board, this enhances the token package. Also makes cats/snaps better in grindy matchups.
this is a fairly comprehensive list of viable utility lands that aren't land-destruction focused. Maze or Prahv is probably best in general because they *also* hit manlands semi-efficiently.
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
Desert looks spicy against a lot of field right now for Esper, and it even hits Inkmoth and Blinkmoth Nexus sometimes which are huge GQ targets. I always seem to lose against some dumb lone x/1 creature, in which case Desert would be fantastic. It's almost a Night of Souls' Betrayal without filling and slots in the deck. Prahv and Maze look nice as well. I may have to give a few of these a spin lol.