MTG Salvation

When do the Surgical Extractions come in?

Have you thought of just ceding the Scapeshift match-up?

How sure are you on your removal package numbers?

Most decks have transformed that 3rd Cryptic into a Jace. I do agree that the third Cryptic is super clunky at the moment. Playing a Jace makes you able to do something early in the game and still get value.

Been losing to random Twin and GBx, I'm probably just rushing and should just slow down and grind them out a lot more, right? I feel like I've just been trying to jam Baneslayer when possible. Also, how are we supposed to deal with Kolaghan's Command in a mana efficient manner or without Cryptic?

Are the 4 Snares necessary? I feel pretty bad getting hit by all these dispels that I can't counter in sideboard games

How often does trap hit something though? I don't play against Tron much, mostly against GBx, U decks and I don't know if they play that many spells in a turn before they cast something like Karn

I've got a few questions for you since your list is substantially different than a previous list that you've posted.

How necessary is the 5th board clear in the board?
I assume that the Mindbreak Trap is for combo matchups? I guess it's good during the fight over Scapeshift/Twin, beats Storm
No more Stony Silence? I would think that it's very useful/necessary to deal with Affinity and helps against Lantern and Tron

Do you still like your sideboard as is?
The main decks that have been posted on this thread are 58 card mirrors at the moment so I've been tinkering with the sideboards before I play the deck tomorrow for the first time.

I think that the problem/concern/etc is that there isn't space for Celestial Purge in the sideboard then. Although I do understand that you're using the Oblivion Rings as functionally identical Celestial Purge

Alrighty friends, I'm going to do it. I've bought my set of Colonnades today (the last bit that I needed) and am now joining you on the Esper ride.

I've got most of the pieces for this deck but before I decide to start grinding this deck (playing with it weekly and at larger events monthly) how good is this deck?

Real talk, how real is this deck and how good is it? Assuming an experienced pilot, is this deck something like Lantern Prison where it's real and can win or is it another random MTGS modern deck that isn't competitively viable?

I want to grind one deck for about a year and is this deck something that I won't regret playing if I want to win.

I've been wanting to play Esper forever but have been on the Grixis plan for a while now

Super interested to hear your tournament report and to see an updated list

Have you guys seen GerryT's list?
It plays very much like Jund imo


1 Grim Lavamancer
4 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

3 Thought Scour
4 Serum Visions

4 Inquisition of Kozilek

1 Twisted Image
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Rise//Fall
2 Kolaghan's Command
1 Terminate
1 Dismember
1 Go for the Throat

2 Remand
1 Mana Leak


4 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Steam Vents
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
3 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Sulfur Falls

Sideboard
2 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Rise//Fall
2 Dispel
2 Vandalblast
2 Molten Rain
1 Darkblast
1 Dreadbore
3 Leyline of the Void
1 Izzet Staticaster

How are people siding with the 4 Fulminators? I'm running a pretty stock list and am pretty stumped on how to sideboard in matches, don't really know what to take out.

I haven't felt like I needed a better late game as there are so many good 2 for 1s in the deck that late game I don't feel like I run out of cards/threats. We have the superior late game against most decks excluding stuff like Tron.

Teferi is something I've been considering but the other two aren't so useful. I really haven't found myself lacking finishers as Snapcaster/Bolt gets them down low enough that we can finish the game pretty easily.

Has anyone else been experimenting with the removal package? The standard is 4 Terminate but that seems a bit suboptimal considering the non-zero number of cases where the colour requirements mean that you need to take another couple damage.

I've been experimenting with a mixture of:

Go for the Throat
Dismember
Doom Blade
Ultimate Price
Disfigure

I've been liking 2 Terminate, 1 Dismember, 1 Go for the Throat

Chapin said that he wouldn't bring in Dragon's Claws/Batterskull/Spellskite in the match-up even if he had access to them. The burn players are always bringing in Revelry to deal with it and you get to shut off one of their cards.

I'm not so big a fan of Sower since Jund is bigger now and Bolt is much more prevalent.

If Grishoalbrand gets real big, Surgical Extraction is very much a card that we can run, it removes Griselbrand in response to them going off but it's a very narrow card. Maybe Grafdigger's Cage?