Was looking at adopting my sideboard to something like this:
4/3 Rest in Peace
2/3 Stony Silence
2/3 Leyline of Sanctitiy
2/3 Ghostly Prison
3 Thoughtseize
1-2 Flex Slots
I figure the strongest hate cards in the format, taking a leaf out of WR lockdowns book minus the B moon.
RIP - As they say, when people start removing grave hate from their sideboard, that's when Dredge takes off again. Good thing that RIP is very strongly positioned with Abzan CoCo, Grixis.dec, Thopter/Sword, Storm/Gifts. I've tested against Storm Gifts and I think that version is much more potent and consistent than the old UR version. But RIP completely shuts the deck down, it's not even funny. RIP is the strongest GY hate in the format imo.
Stony Silence - All artifacts, past, present and future. There will always be artifacts doing broken things in every format. Stony Silence is the real deal here.
Leyline of Sanctitiy - Shuts down Burn/Valakut/8 Rack or any discard heavy decks that are fighting on a very linear axis. Was tossing up between Timely Reinforcements and Blessed Alliance in this spot for an anti-Burn card but I think Leyline of Sanctity hoses other T1 decks like Valakut which is a more flexible card all around. Heavy handed hate card against a lot of "hard to interact with" strategies.
Ghostly Prison - This card isn't exactly as popular as the above hate cards, but I think it deserves a look. As mentioned above, there are quite a lot of creature decks that are built to get around Sweepers and come back with a huge counter punch if we tap out. These decks also play quite a low - average land count which means they want to either "cheat" things in with either Vial or Temples or play an excess amount of creature threats on a low land count. I think Ghostly Prison can change the dynamics of these match ups where it comes to a "Verdict or Bust" scenario where they could be Chording in a Selfless Spirit or EOT CoCo. Propaganda effects in theory could change the pace of the match and give us time to hit more draw steps and build more lands. Even against Eldrazi, I think it can slow them down considerably and just stacking 2 of these could be very hard for them to deal with. This is the sideboard hate card I'm currently most interested in as I haven't tested it too much but I've tested the others (RIP, Stony, Leyline) and they've all proven to be established choices.
Thoughtseize/Duress/IoK/Clique/Hand disruption - I think there still needs to be room for targeted discard in the side as a combo/mirror breaker no kikijiki. Card like Thoughtseize always come in handy and is a good reason to play Black in addition to Esper Charm which Jeskai doesn't have access to.
This leaves about 2 Flex slots left for whatever like Disenchants, Planeswalkers, Engineered Explosives, Removals, Counters, BBoV/BA, Crucible of Worlds lol
Thoughts?
I must admit, for me at least, it is interesting to see an Esper players' sideboard geared so heavily with mostly prison-style cards, especially Ghostly Prison. I don't know why I never thought of it, but with the way you explain it, it makes perfect sense to me. I am totally going to test some out once I get my hands on some. One question I do have about the prisons, and this might be a no-brainer, but I feel like asking anyway; do you bring them in against decks that still fold to Verdict, or are they just redundant in those match ups? You said that they are great against decks that have resilience against board wipes, but do/can you still bring them in against Verdict match ups?
Another thing I also find interesting is the Rest in Peace. I know that it is a great sideboard card, but when I played with them, I never liked how they turned off a lot of my own deck (Snap, TT,and Logic Knot), which is why I always leaned more on extraction effects for my graveyard hate of choice. Is there specific match ups where RiP is better than extractions (besides Dredge and Grixis)?
Another thing I find interesting is the lack of sideboard countermagic. Yes, I know that there are flex slots, but the amount of flex slots that you listed (1-2) seems a little to low IMO. Do you think that trimming down on a Thoughtseize effect and using that slot for an extra counterspell would be better? I feel like there should be more counterspells in your sideboard that doesn't take up potential flex slots. I also think that hand disruption gets better with extraction effects, and RiP gets better with counterspells, since it helps you protect the RiP against a potential removal spell on the RiP (unless it is Abrupt Decay, that is, but not everyone is running that).
I'm sorry if it seems like I am being nitpicky, but I am genuinely interested in knowing a little more in-depth some of your choices and reasoning, especially why you did not include countermagic.
Consume the Meek is super spicy. Is 5 mana worth it for being an instant-speed conditional wrath though?
In the few weeks that I have played with it, yes. The instant speed can be very relevant for two reasons;
1) you can tutor for it with Teachings.
2) a instant-speed wrath can catch your opponent off-guard quite often if they don't know you play it. One game I played against Abzan CoCo, he played CoCo at my end step, and found the remaining two pieces for the imfinite damage combo. When he started to combo off, I played Consume the Meek in response to the persist trigger and wiped the rest of his creatures, leaving him with only a 1/1 Murderous Redcap.
That being said, unless you are playing against a good amount of CoCo or Elves (Consume also gets around Ezuri, since it prevents regeneration) or are playing some amount of Teachings, I don't think that Consume is that particularly strong overall.
Hello once again, my fellow Esper mages! It is I, that one guy you may or may not remember from six or so months ago! And if not, that's cool to.
I have once again come out of lurking in the forum to share my current-ish list, as well as voice my opinion on the whole Esper Transcendent thing from a few pages back. But first, my list;
I have been testing out a one-of each of Gearhulk and Teachings, as well as the Consume the Meek in the side, and it has worked out pretty well so far, although I am going to a GPT tomorrow, so I will most likely end up cutting them for the second Rev and the third Snapcaster. This will also depend on if I manage to get any Fatal Pushes when I go to my LGS for FNM tonight. I have also been considering adding a second Dispel and cutting the EE from the side. The only times I have ever felt that the EE was useful was against Infect or Bogles, as well as bringing it in sometimes against Abzan when I'm on the draw. I might be using it wrong, or am not noticing more match-ups where it is useful, or something like that. And if anybody is interested, I will posy my results on the GPT after the event tomorrow.
Now, for my thoughts on Esper Transcendent; it is an interesting deck. I will not lie. I think it is interesting that you can play control without counterspells. I think that it is interesting that there is a control deck that aims to be proactive at its' core. I think that it is interesting that you try to mainly use planeswalkers as a grindy element, unlike a deck like Grixis that uses creatures almost exclusively. That being said, the fact that the deck runs discard rather than counterspells has its' own pros and cons, some of which can be game-losing for both discard spells and counterspells, but I assume that everybody who has discussed this also knows what they are. The same thing with planeswalkers-vs-creatures-vs-instants (WSZ, Secure etc).
But do I think that the deck is bad? No. I think that it tries to do some similar things that every control deck tries to do, but in a different way. Just like Esper Draw-Go, just like Grixis, Jeskai Nahiri, etc. If I had all of the cards for Esper Transcendent, I would totally play it for myself because I think it would be interesting to play a proactive control deck, despite the fact that it is more midrange-y than I am accustomed to, because I feel like it would be a nice experience to try and play a control deck with a different mindset, which might be able to help me even with my Esper Draw-Go play as well, since I feel like I still need to work on when I should be more proactive when I have an opening. I have played more proactive decks like Burn and Eldrazi Taxes, but they also have different mindsets when you play. I might be talking out of my a** about this, but this is how I interpret how to play a deck; by finding what mindset I should have, and then using that mindset to help me make plays.
That is my two cents on Esper Transcendent, anyway. If you have any questions about anything I said about Esper Transcendent, or about my Esper Draw-Go list, or want to know what kind of pants I like to wear, feel free to ask!
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.
Hello again, my fellow Esper mages! I would like to thank each and everyone of you who responded back with some advice for what to run at the GPT tomorrow - I apologize for it being short-notice, but I also heard about it literally an hour before I posted on the forum, so thank you for actually responding in a good amount of time, it means a lot to me! I will not go over everything (since I am posting this before I go to bed, and have to wake up in six hours), but I will try to be both thorough and concise.
I am trying out the fourth Cryptic again. I have been only running three for the past three months (insert cries of heresy here), but you all have convinced me to give it another try. I will explain my reasoning to anyone who is interested later. There are some other considerations that I am currently mulling over, and while I will share those thoughts with you, I do not expect nor need an answer for them (that is in part to both pride and necessity). I am going to post a link to the deck on TappedOut, because again, six hours of sleep, and I don't feel like typing the whole thing out again; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/03-01-16-esper-control-modern/
The changes from the previous list that I posted are -1 Deprive, +1 Cryptic main, -1 Teferi, +1 Baneslayer. Now for my thoughts;
I am still considering putting both Leylines and Disdainful Strokes in the sideboard. As previously discussed, Leylines seem like they will help out a lot in the matchups that I am worried about. I also want to try out the Strokes, since they seem pretty well-positioned in the meta atm, at least to some extent. And I am also considering another Condemn in the side. The possible changes that I am considering are as follows;
Hello once again, my fellow Esper mages! I am back once again, this time after a near mental breakdown from witnessing the banned list update. And since I am now more level-headed and am not running around proclaiming that the sky is falling, here is my official opinions on the B&R update;
Eye of Ugin; YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
Ancestral Vision; I am still not convinced that Storm or Ad Nauseum won't try to find a way to make that card work in either deck (I am assuming that it will work better in the latter, but am still paranoid about the former), but all in all, I like the idea of more control decks being in the format - or at least, as close to control as most Modern players are comfortable with being.
Sword of the Meek; An interesting choice. It will be interesting to see how people approach the deck in terms of the different variations that could possibly come out of it. Luckily for us, it seems from what people on the forum are saying that we should be pretty well-positioned to beat it, thanks to Stony Silence, Night of Soul's Betrayal and certain graveyard hate cards, so the only thing I am worried about is being able to acquire a sufficient amount of Night of Soul's Betrayal.
And now, to post my "current" decklist. The reason for the qoutation marks is because I am currently trying to configure the deck for a GPT this Saturday (I would love to read any and all feedback on my decklist, matchup analysis', etc). As per usual, in case I done goof on the list in the post, here is a link to the list on TappedOut; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/03-01-16-esper-control-modern/
Now, as previously stated, I am going to a GPT this weekend (Saturday, to be exact), and I am trying to prepare as best as I can. However, there are two issues; 1) I am worried about certain matchups that I would like to touch on, and 2) I am considering some options for the main/side, and would like an opinion on either of those subjects, assuming you feel like doing just that. First, the matchups;
I am currently worried about ThopterSword (since I currently do not own any Nights, and only own one Curse of Death's Hold), Storm (because I despise that deck, and hate to lose against it), Infect, Bogles (to some extent), Ad Nauseum, Grishoalbrand, Lantern Control and Burn. I have not played against Lantern, Ad Nauseum or Bogles yet, my Burn win percentage seems to be 40/60 atm (that is including all the times I have played against Burn), Infect seems a little worse (but it was better when I used to run Runed Halo in the main), ThopterSword is new to the meta, and therefore I have not played against it, I have played against Grishoalbrand once, and I have never won a game against Storm (a fact that infuriates me to no end). If anyone can share any insight on any of those matchups in particular, I would greatly appreciate it. And now, for the card considerations;
Cavern of Souls; This is mainly because of the predicted spike of people playing blue-based control decks. I feel like having the ability to have my Snapcasters, Cliques or Teferi resolve no matter what should be a useful tool to combat them with. And if you feel like I need to add more creatures to make it work, I currently own three Vendilion Cliques, two Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir and a playset of Snapcaster Mages.
Leyline of Sanctity; It seems like a card that I should consider, since it seems like it helps in a good amount of the matchups that I have specified. One thing that I am not certain of is do I run two or a playset? (i currently own three) I have seen people post lists with two in the main, but I have also heard that Leyline is a card you want the full playset of, so that you get it in your opener more consistently.
Runed Halo; I love this card. I really do. But I am not sure if I can afford the space to be able to run it, or what to cut for it. I currently own two.
Calciform Pools; This is kinda along the same rationale for Cavern of Souls; to help me out against control decks.
Detention Sphere; This is supposed to be Anguished Unmaking, but I don't own any yet. I have seen people recently posting lists with these kinds of Vindicate-type effects as a one-of, and am not sure if I should either. If I were to play it, it would probably be in the sideboard.
Nephalia Drownyard; This is mostly for against Lantern Control, but I don't think that I need to devote a sideboard slot just for that matchup.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant; I am mostly considering this Elspeth just so that I have another clock to side in against combo.
Jace, Architect of Thought; Jace is mostly a consideration as a poor man's Nights with potential upside.
Grave Titan; The Gravy Train has been a long-time consideration for sideboard inclusion, but like the current state of Runed Halo and Sun's Champion, I don't know if I have room for it/what to cut for it.
Disdainful Stroke; Another card that I have considered adding to the sideboard in the past, Stroke seems like a card that has some potential in the new meta. I also want to play a game where I need to draw into one, and then start singing the lyrics to " The Stroke".
Shadow of Doubt; I know the applications of the card, but I am not entirely convinced about the possible inclusion to the deck. The same could also be said about Hallowed Moonlight, but I only own SoD.
Also, and this is off-topic, but does anyone on this forum play Pauper? And if so, would you be interested in taking a look at a Grixis version of the Teachings deck that I have been brewing? I have been playing it on MTGO for a couple of months and a little bit in paper, and now would like to broaden out and get feedback on possible improvements to the deck, or if it is flat-out worse than the traditional Dimir Teachings list. Here is the list if you want to check it out; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/pauper-grixis-teachings/
And that is all that I have to say for now. And for the umpteenth time, any feedback is greatly appreciated
Yay, now my Modern deck of choice is obsolete until I completely overhaul it and throw an additional $200 at it... THANKS WOTC!
No seriously, I don't get it. I know that amalek0 was saying that they might unban Ancestral Visions to help combat against the Eldrazi decks, or something like that - I don't feel like sifting through thirty or so pages to find out his exact wording on it - but I didn't think that they would also unban Visions along with banning Eye of Ugin. But now, not only did they ban the Eye (thank GOD), but they also unban Visions! And Sword of the Meek, for some reason, but hey, let's focus on the card that makes me wish I had more money right now. They are willing to give blue decks Ancestral Visions - the poor man's Treasure Cruise (btw, I have a feeling that Storm is going to see A LOT more play now, and if it does, I'm taking a very long hiatus from Modern, because f*** that deck), but not reprint Counterspell.
...
...
...
WHYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?
The format dosen't need more good draw spells for blue, it needs better answers! It dosen't need a billion more combo decks, it needs to help solidify the existing blue counterspell decks and actually make them more competitively viable (e.g. our deck)! Personally, I am sad and a little frightened. WOTC has been making (IMO) VERY questionable decisions lately (in case you couldn't tell), and I have almost had it to here *puts hand on his nose to indicate where he has almost had it*. And if Storm and other (excuse my French) bull***** degenerate combo decks start dominating Modern -and seriously, if I wanted to play against such a high concentration of those, I would invest into Legacy - them I might just have to exclusively play Pauper. Or quit Magic. Or start betting on illegal cockfights.
They can still copy it with Ascension if it's already in the graveyard after they suspend it a second time. I'm not saying that is somthing that Storm is planning on doing, but it can come up - they still play Thought Scour, Desperate Ravings and sometimes Faithless Looting after all (although I am suspecting the latter to be played more now because of it), and Visions can give Storm more late-game presence if they need to get back into the game after attempting (and failing) to combo off, or need to set up for the combo later in the game. I, however, am focusing on the fact that Storm gets to have a turn where they start with a storm count at 1 and three extra cards, both things I would rather not let them have. Not to mention that we just left Eldrazi Winter, and I personally do not relish the thought of having to play in a format where there is yet another deck or decks that dominate the format, and worse still, it is a deck that I absolutely despise with all my heart.
Yay, now my Modern deck of choice is obsolete until I completely overhaul it and throw an additional $200 at it... THANKS WOTC!
No seriously, I don't get it. I know that amalek0 was saying that they might unban Ancestral Visions to help combat against the Eldrazi decks, or something like that - I don't feel like sifting through thirty or so pages to find out his exact wording on it - but I didn't think that they would also unban Visions along with banning Eye of Ugin. But now, not only did they ban the Eye (thank GOD), but they also unban Visions! And Sword of the Meek, for some reason, but hey, let's focus on the card that makes me wish I had more money right now. They are willing to give blue decks Ancestral Visions - the poor man's Treasure Cruise (btw, I have a feeling that Storm is going to see A LOT more play now, and if it does, I'm taking a very long hiatus from Modern, because f*** that deck), but not reprint Counterspell.
...
...
...
WHYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?
The format dosen't need more good draw spells for blue, it needs better answers! It dosen't need a billion more combo decks, it needs to help solidify the existing blue counterspell decks and actually make them more competitively viable (e.g. our deck)! Personally, I am sad and a little frightened. WOTC has been making (IMO) VERY questionable decisions lately (in case you couldn't tell), and I have almost had it to here *puts hand on his nose to indicate where he has almost had it*. And if Storm and other (excuse my French) bull***** degenerate combo decks start dominating Modern -and seriously, if I wanted to play against such a high concentration of those, I would invest into Legacy - them I might just have to exclusively play Pauper. Or quit Magic. Or start betting on illegal cockfights.
Well, this is interesting - it would appear that I have the wrong forum! It would appear that this is NOT the Esper Draw-Go forum, as I was lead to believe, but a forum on theorycrafting control decks in Modern. Silly me. I guess I'll take my leave now....
...
Nah, I'm just kidding. Hello again, my fellow Esper mages! I have returned to the utopia that is this great forum after a rather drawn-out battle with my arch-nemesis - ALLERGIES! The battle was long, arduous, and quite honestly rather irritating, but at last, I was finally able to find (and sideboard in) my playset of Circle of Protection; Bullcrap and give pollen the boot, along with the finger. And thus, here I am again! And I would like to say hello to all of the new people that have started posting here as well. I'm pretty sure that a lot of other people have posted this, but I would like to say (or rather type) it anyway; it is nice to know that there are more than just a handful of people who play this deck. Whether you are new (to control, Modern or just the game in general) or you just feeling like rebelling against the social norms of Modern and refusing to play any kind of Aggro, Midrange or unfair deck, I salute you for playing what is (IMO) the best control deck in the format. And now, I shall also share with everyone my current list that I have been attempting to run. As per usual, if I manage to FUBAR up the formatting, I will also post a link to my current list on TappedOut. It also says which cards are currently in foil, so if you are interested in that sort of thing, feel free to check it out.
I am considering swapping the Godless Shrine back to a Glacial Fortress (I originally put it in since I was testing out Doom Blade), and I want to test out the Elixir of Immortality in the sideboard. It is mostly there for against Lantern Control, but I also wanted to test it out against other grindy matchups.
I also wanted to give my two cents on Anguished Unmaking, as I have seen a lot of people doing. However, I shall try to condense my opinion into one word; OMGYESYESYESGIMMEGIMMEGIMMEGETINMYSIDEBOARDRIGHTNOWGIMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
...well, I tried.
Anyway, I really like the card. I think it deserves a spot in the sideboard as at least a 1-of. That kind of flexibility is indeeed something that we need, and I for one do not feel safe in running Detention Sphere in a world where I have to protect it from both Abrupt Decay AND basically almost every Eldrazi variant. As for the life loss? Pfft, who cares? I am using this thing on your Karn Liberated! And if you are in the situation where you end up having to use it on a Dark Confidant, then by all means do what you gotta do. But if you are in the situation where you have to use it on a Goblin Guide, then I have a question for you; WHY ARE YOU RUNNING IT MAINBOARD? This is not the meta for that to be in there - put it in the sideboard where it belongs!
Well, that's all I have to say for now. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask.
Hello again, everyone! I'm sorry for not posting in a couple of weeks, I have been busy, but I have been paying attention to (most of) what has been going on in the forum. I am going to share my current decklist and try my hand at formatting (thank you Annihilator for posting the guide for that, I immediately bookmarked it), but I will also link everyone to my deck on TappedOut in case I mess up. I also am in the process of foiling out the deck, and I keep the list on TappedOut up-to-date with what foils are in the deck, what set they are from, etc, if that interests you. And so, without further ado, my current list;
I would also talk in-depth about my experiences at FNM over the past couple of weeks, but they weren't very interesting, so I will just summarize it for you. This weekend, there were a lot more newer people playing, and I got matched up against two of them (we had enough people for five rounds, so keep that in mind). For the competitive players that I did get matched up against, I drew against Jund round 2 and won against a budget version of 8-Rack in round 4. I unfortunately could not stay for the fifth round, since by the time we were done with the fourth, it was 11:30, so I went home. The week before that, I was at the second LGS, and I went 1-3. Round one was against Grishoalbrand, round two was against G/R Tron, round two was against Burn, and round four was against G/R Eldrazi. Not much to say about either of the past couple of FNMs for me, except a couple of things;
1) I would like to say thank you again to Annihilator for making the suggestions for what to cut in my sideboard for the Surgical Extractions - I have been loving the card so far, and I can't see myself playing without it in my sideboard in the near future.
2) I am trying out more mainboard wincons. Currently I am testing with the Batterskull and the Elspeth, Sun's Champion, and have been liking them both so far.
3) I am also trying out Doom Blade as well, mostly for against Eldrazi. I am not playing Go for the Throat, even though we have a favorable matchup against Affinity, simply because I don't like siding out any removal against them. I also don't have any Go for the Throats.
4) This one seems like a weird thing to nitpick, but it is about Baneslayer Angel. I have been constantly flip-flopping between running one and two in the sideboard for... well, almost since I started playing the deck. One one hand, I can see where Baneslayer is good, and I love the card. But on the other hand, the second copy is usually one of my first considerations for cuts when I make changes to the sideboard. I'm not entirely sure if anybody else is having this same dilemma, but I would like to hear (or in this case read) your opinions nonetheless.
And here is the link to my deck on TappedOut, in case I messed up any of the formatting;
EDIT: after a grueling, tedious and banging-my-head-against-a-brick-wall-in-sheer-frustration 20 minutes, I have decided to give up trying to format my decklist properly for now and go play Pauper on MTGO.
Fixed that for you. Quote this to see what I changed in the formatting.
Huh. I never thought of doing it that way. Once again, thank you for your help Annihilator!
I just started streaming. My second stream was last night. For some reason all of the brewers come out at three in the morning. I lost to a tribal snakes deck (I would also like to mention that I was very tired and had several beers in me). Losing to tribal snakes was the greatest moment of my life. The guy was playing Mystic Snake, Mystic Genesis, and Sosuke, Son of Seshiro. He killed me with a 7/7 Ooze token from Mystic Genesis because I jammed the biggest Sphinx's Revelation I could into his open mana for the lolz. I was expecting a Mystic Snake but the Mystic Genesis tech caught me off guard. Buy your Mystic Snakes now before their price goes up. I think a new tribal snakes meta is just around the corner. SNAKE WINTER IS COMING
Hopefully you guys don't ban me from the forum for losing to tribal snakes haha. Also, congrats @TheAnnihilator0798 that is a great result. I love it when Esper players do well. I plan on streaming again tonight if anyone want to see me get rekt
I would LOVE to see you stream later! Is it possible for you to link me to it?
Hello again, everyone! I'm sorry for not posting in a couple of weeks, I have been busy, but I have been paying attention to (most of) what has been going on in the forum. I am going to share my current decklist and try my hand at formatting (thank you Annihilator for posting the guide for that, I immediately bookmarked it), but I will also link everyone to my deck on TappedOut in case I mess up. I also am in the process of foiling out the deck, and I keep the list on TappedOut up-to-date with what foils are in the deck, what set they are from, etc, if that interests you. And so, without further ado, my current list;
I would also talk in-depth about my experiences at FNM over the past couple of weeks, but they weren't very interesting, so I will just summarize it for you. This weekend, there were a lot more newer people playing, and I got matched up against two of them (we had enough people for five rounds, so keep that in mind). For the competitive players that I did get matched up against, I drew against Jund round 2 and won against a budget version of 8-Rack in round 4. I unfortunately could not stay for the fifth round, since by the time we were done with the fourth, it was 11:30, so I went home. The week before that, I was at the second LGS, and I went 1-3. Round one was against Grishoalbrand, round two was against G/R Tron, round two was against Burn, and round four was against G/R Eldrazi. Not much to say about either of the past couple of FNMs for me, except a couple of things;
1) I would like to say thank you again to Annihilator for making the suggestions for what to cut in my sideboard for the Surgical Extractions - I have been loving the card so far, and I can't see myself playing without it in my sideboard in the near future.
2) I am trying out more mainboard wincons. Currently I am testing with the Batterskull and the Elspeth, Sun's Champion, and have been liking them both so far.
3) I am also trying out Doom Blade as well, mostly for against Eldrazi. I am not playing Go for the Throat, even though we have a favorable matchup against Affinity, simply because I don't like siding out any removal against them. I also don't have any Go for the Throats.
4) This one seems like a weird thing to nitpick, but it is about Baneslayer Angel. I have been constantly flip-flopping between running one and two in the sideboard for... well, almost since I started playing the deck. One one hand, I can see where Baneslayer is good, and I love the card. But on the other hand, the second copy is usually one of my first considerations for cuts when I make changes to the sideboard. I'm not entirely sure if anybody else is having this same dilemma, but I would like to hear (or in this case read) your opinions nonetheless.
And here is the link to my deck on TappedOut, in case I messed up any of the formatting;
EDIT: after a grueling, tedious and banging-my-head-against-a-brick-wall-in-sheer-frustration 20 minutes, I have decided to give up trying to format my decklist properly for now and go play Pauper on MTGO.
If there was a decent fog with draw a card as a mode I'd be slightly more interested.
It's worth testing in this meta I suppose, though.
Angelsong
Took a bit of researching but there is something, I'll give it some testing.
I actually forgot that card existed! I will definitely test it out if either of my metas get more aggressive. I also like the Dawn Charms as well, but if I played them, it would most likely be in the sideboard since I can't cantrip it away if it is a dead card like Angelsong.
EDIT: turns out I was just being stupid.... It would appear that i CAN qoute. And I apologize if any of you find this annoying.
Shout out to Archaeomancer for being my Budget Snapcaster mage!
*AIRHORN NOISES*
I am also building this deck on a budget (Shout out to ZDEATHBLOW for making it! *MOAR AIRHORN NOISES*), and I don't care about the current meta. I'm gonna be countering and killing crap all day![/quote]</blockquote>
Amen, brother!
EDIT: I just messed up my qoute. I feel like an idiot. Stupid baby steps!
Thank you for your suggestions, Annihilator! I will definitely test them out at FNM this week. And hopefully by then, I will be able to make qoutes so that people know what I am talking about, just like everyone else is doing. However, I must resort myself to babysteps for now.
I must admit, for me at least, it is interesting to see an Esper players' sideboard geared so heavily with mostly prison-style cards, especially Ghostly Prison. I don't know why I never thought of it, but with the way you explain it, it makes perfect sense to me. I am totally going to test some out once I get my hands on some. One question I do have about the prisons, and this might be a no-brainer, but I feel like asking anyway; do you bring them in against decks that still fold to Verdict, or are they just redundant in those match ups? You said that they are great against decks that have resilience against board wipes, but do/can you still bring them in against Verdict match ups?
Another thing I also find interesting is the Rest in Peace. I know that it is a great sideboard card, but when I played with them, I never liked how they turned off a lot of my own deck (Snap, TT,and Logic Knot), which is why I always leaned more on extraction effects for my graveyard hate of choice. Is there specific match ups where RiP is better than extractions (besides Dredge and Grixis)?
Another thing I find interesting is the lack of sideboard countermagic. Yes, I know that there are flex slots, but the amount of flex slots that you listed (1-2) seems a little to low IMO. Do you think that trimming down on a Thoughtseize effect and using that slot for an extra counterspell would be better? I feel like there should be more counterspells in your sideboard that doesn't take up potential flex slots. I also think that hand disruption gets better with extraction effects, and RiP gets better with counterspells, since it helps you protect the RiP against a potential removal spell on the RiP (unless it is Abrupt Decay, that is, but not everyone is running that).
I'm sorry if it seems like I am being nitpicky, but I am genuinely interested in knowing a little more in-depth some of your choices and reasoning, especially why you did not include countermagic.
In the few weeks that I have played with it, yes. The instant speed can be very relevant for two reasons;
1) you can tutor for it with Teachings.
2) a instant-speed wrath can catch your opponent off-guard quite often if they don't know you play it. One game I played against Abzan CoCo, he played CoCo at my end step, and found the remaining two pieces for the imfinite damage combo. When he started to combo off, I played Consume the Meek in response to the persist trigger and wiped the rest of his creatures, leaving him with only a 1/1 Murderous Redcap.
That being said, unless you are playing against a good amount of CoCo or Elves (Consume also gets around Ezuri, since it prevents regeneration) or are playing some amount of Teachings, I don't think that Consume is that particularly strong overall.
I have once again come out of lurking in the forum to share my current-ish list, as well as voice my opinion on the whole Esper Transcendent thing from a few pages back. But first, my list;
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Drowned Catacomb
4 Flooded Strand
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
2 Plains
3 Polluted Delta
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Swamp
2 Watery Grave
Removal
4 Path to Exile
2 Blessed Alliance
3 Supreme Verdict
1 Anguished Unmaking
3 Spell Snare
2 Logic Knot
2 Negate
3 Cryptic Command
Card Advantage
4 Think Twice
4 Esper Charm
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Mystical Teachings
Creatures + Wincon
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Torrential Gearhulk
1 White Sun's Zenith
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Dispel
1 Extirpate
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Thoughtseize
2 Runed Halo
1 Wrath of God
1 Consume the Meek
1 Gideon Jura
And here is my list on Tappedout, in case I missed anything. I also list what I have foil there, if you are interested in that sort of thing.
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/esper-draw-go-modern/
I have been testing out a one-of each of Gearhulk and Teachings, as well as the Consume the Meek in the side, and it has worked out pretty well so far, although I am going to a GPT tomorrow, so I will most likely end up cutting them for the second Rev and the third Snapcaster. This will also depend on if I manage to get any Fatal Pushes when I go to my LGS for FNM tonight. I have also been considering adding a second Dispel and cutting the EE from the side. The only times I have ever felt that the EE was useful was against Infect or Bogles, as well as bringing it in sometimes against Abzan when I'm on the draw. I might be using it wrong, or am not noticing more match-ups where it is useful, or something like that. And if anybody is interested, I will posy my results on the GPT after the event tomorrow.
Now, for my thoughts on Esper Transcendent; it is an interesting deck. I will not lie. I think it is interesting that you can play control without counterspells. I think that it is interesting that there is a control deck that aims to be proactive at its' core. I think that it is interesting that you try to mainly use planeswalkers as a grindy element, unlike a deck like Grixis that uses creatures almost exclusively. That being said, the fact that the deck runs discard rather than counterspells has its' own pros and cons, some of which can be game-losing for both discard spells and counterspells, but I assume that everybody who has discussed this also knows what they are. The same thing with planeswalkers-vs-creatures-vs-instants (WSZ, Secure etc).
But do I think that the deck is bad? No. I think that it tries to do some similar things that every control deck tries to do, but in a different way. Just like Esper Draw-Go, just like Grixis, Jeskai Nahiri, etc. If I had all of the cards for Esper Transcendent, I would totally play it for myself because I think it would be interesting to play a proactive control deck, despite the fact that it is more midrange-y than I am accustomed to, because I feel like it would be a nice experience to try and play a control deck with a different mindset, which might be able to help me even with my Esper Draw-Go play as well, since I feel like I still need to work on when I should be more proactive when I have an opening. I have played more proactive decks like Burn and Eldrazi Taxes, but they also have different mindsets when you play. I might be talking out of my a** about this, but this is how I interpret how to play a deck; by finding what mindset I should have, and then using that mindset to help me make plays.
That is my two cents on Esper Transcendent, anyway. If you have any questions about anything I said about Esper Transcendent, or about my Esper Draw-Go list, or want to know what kind of pants I like to wear, feel free to ask!
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.
I am trying out the fourth Cryptic again. I have been only running three for the past three months (insert cries of heresy here), but you all have convinced me to give it another try. I will explain my reasoning to anyone who is interested later. There are some other considerations that I am currently mulling over, and while I will share those thoughts with you, I do not expect nor need an answer for them (that is in part to both pride and necessity). I am going to post a link to the deck on TappedOut, because again, six hours of sleep, and I don't feel like typing the whole thing out again; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/03-01-16-esper-control-modern/
The changes from the previous list that I posted are -1 Deprive, +1 Cryptic main, -1 Teferi, +1 Baneslayer. Now for my thoughts;
I am still considering putting both Leylines and Disdainful Strokes in the sideboard. As previously discussed, Leylines seem like they will help out a lot in the matchups that I am worried about. I also want to try out the Strokes, since they seem pretty well-positioned in the meta atm, at least to some extent. And I am also considering another Condemn in the side. The possible changes that I am considering are as follows;
-1 Baneslayer, -1 Timely, +2 Leyline
-1 Negate, +1 Stroke
-1 Timely or -1 Negate, +1 Condemn
Those are my thoughts for now. I will post how I did at the GPT sometime this weekend. And once again, thank you to all who gave their input!
Eye of Ugin; YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
Ancestral Vision; I am still not convinced that Storm or Ad Nauseum won't try to find a way to make that card work in either deck (I am assuming that it will work better in the latter, but am still paranoid about the former), but all in all, I like the idea of more control decks being in the format - or at least, as close to control as most Modern players are comfortable with being.
Sword of the Meek; An interesting choice. It will be interesting to see how people approach the deck in terms of the different variations that could possibly come out of it. Luckily for us, it seems from what people on the forum are saying that we should be pretty well-positioned to beat it, thanks to Stony Silence, Night of Soul's Betrayal and certain graveyard hate cards, so the only thing I am worried about is being able to acquire a sufficient amount of Night of Soul's Betrayal.
Lodestone Golem; Wait - people still play Vintage?
And now, to post my "current" decklist. The reason for the qoutation marks is because I am currently trying to configure the deck for a GPT this Saturday (I would love to read any and all feedback on my decklist, matchup analysis', etc). As per usual, in case I done goof on the list in the post, here is a link to the list on TappedOut; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/03-01-16-esper-control-modern/
And now, the list;
1 Condemn
4 Path to Exile
3 Supreme Verdict
Permission
3 Cryptic Command
2 Logic Knot
1 Deprive
2 Remand
4 Spell Snare
Card Advantage
4 Esper Charm
4 Think Twice
2 Sphinx's Revelation
Creature
1 Vendilion Cliqoe
All of the above
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 White Sun's Zenith
Lands
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Flooded Strand
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
2 Plains
3 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
2 Watery Grave
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Celestial Purge
2 Dispel
1 Negate
2 Stony Silence
2 Rest in Peace
1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
2 Thoughtseize
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Wrath of God
Now, as previously stated, I am going to a GPT this weekend (Saturday, to be exact), and I am trying to prepare as best as I can. However, there are two issues; 1) I am worried about certain matchups that I would like to touch on, and 2) I am considering some options for the main/side, and would like an opinion on either of those subjects, assuming you feel like doing just that. First, the matchups;
I am currently worried about ThopterSword (since I currently do not own any Nights, and only own one Curse of Death's Hold), Storm (because I despise that deck, and hate to lose against it), Infect, Bogles (to some extent), Ad Nauseum, Grishoalbrand, Lantern Control and Burn. I have not played against Lantern, Ad Nauseum or Bogles yet, my Burn win percentage seems to be 40/60 atm (that is including all the times I have played against Burn), Infect seems a little worse (but it was better when I used to run Runed Halo in the main), ThopterSword is new to the meta, and therefore I have not played against it, I have played against Grishoalbrand once, and I have never won a game against Storm (a fact that infuriates me to no end). If anyone can share any insight on any of those matchups in particular, I would greatly appreciate it. And now, for the card considerations;
Cavern of Souls; This is mainly because of the predicted spike of people playing blue-based control decks. I feel like having the ability to have my Snapcasters, Cliques or Teferi resolve no matter what should be a useful tool to combat them with. And if you feel like I need to add more creatures to make it work, I currently own three Vendilion Cliques, two Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir and a playset of Snapcaster Mages.
Leyline of Sanctity; It seems like a card that I should consider, since it seems like it helps in a good amount of the matchups that I have specified. One thing that I am not certain of is do I run two or a playset? (i currently own three) I have seen people post lists with two in the main, but I have also heard that Leyline is a card you want the full playset of, so that you get it in your opener more consistently.
Runed Halo; I love this card. I really do. But I am not sure if I can afford the space to be able to run it, or what to cut for it. I currently own two.
Elspeth, Sun's Champion; The same reasoning for Runed Halo.
Calciform Pools; This is kinda along the same rationale for Cavern of Souls; to help me out against control decks.
Detention Sphere; This is supposed to be Anguished Unmaking, but I don't own any yet. I have seen people recently posting lists with these kinds of Vindicate-type effects as a one-of, and am not sure if I should either. If I were to play it, it would probably be in the sideboard.
Nephalia Drownyard; This is mostly for against Lantern Control, but I don't think that I need to devote a sideboard slot just for that matchup.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant; I am mostly considering this Elspeth just so that I have another clock to side in against combo.
Jace, Architect of Thought; Jace is mostly a consideration as a poor man's Nights with potential upside.
Grave Titan; The Gravy Train has been a long-time consideration for sideboard inclusion, but like the current state of Runed Halo and Sun's Champion, I don't know if I have room for it/what to cut for it.
Disdainful Stroke; Another card that I have considered adding to the sideboard in the past, Stroke seems like a card that has some potential in the new meta. I also want to play a game where I need to draw into one, and then start singing the lyrics to " The Stroke".
Shadow of Doubt; I know the applications of the card, but I am not entirely convinced about the possible inclusion to the deck. The same could also be said about Hallowed Moonlight, but I only own SoD.
Also, and this is off-topic, but does anyone on this forum play Pauper? And if so, would you be interested in taking a look at a Grixis version of the Teachings deck that I have been brewing? I have been playing it on MTGO for a couple of months and a little bit in paper, and now would like to broaden out and get feedback on possible improvements to the deck, or if it is flat-out worse than the traditional Dimir Teachings list. Here is the list if you want to check it out; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/pauper-grixis-teachings/
And that is all that I have to say for now. And for the umpteenth time, any feedback is greatly appreciated
They can still copy it with Ascension if it's already in the graveyard after they suspend it a second time. I'm not saying that is somthing that Storm is planning on doing, but it can come up - they still play Thought Scour, Desperate Ravings and sometimes Faithless Looting after all (although I am suspecting the latter to be played more now because of it), and Visions can give Storm more late-game presence if they need to get back into the game after attempting (and failing) to combo off, or need to set up for the combo later in the game. I, however, am focusing on the fact that Storm gets to have a turn where they start with a storm count at 1 and three extra cards, both things I would rather not let them have. Not to mention that we just left Eldrazi Winter, and I personally do not relish the thought of having to play in a format where there is yet another deck or decks that dominate the format, and worse still, it is a deck that I absolutely despise with all my heart.
No seriously, I don't get it. I know that amalek0 was saying that they might unban Ancestral Visions to help combat against the Eldrazi decks, or something like that - I don't feel like sifting through thirty or so pages to find out his exact wording on it - but I didn't think that they would also unban Visions along with banning Eye of Ugin. But now, not only did they ban the Eye (thank GOD), but they also unban Visions! And Sword of the Meek, for some reason, but hey, let's focus on the card that makes me wish I had more money right now. They are willing to give blue decks Ancestral Visions - the poor man's Treasure Cruise (btw, I have a feeling that Storm is going to see A LOT more play now, and if it does, I'm taking a very long hiatus from Modern, because f*** that deck), but not reprint Counterspell.
...
...
...
WHYYYYYYYYY!?!?!?!?
The format dosen't need more good draw spells for blue, it needs better answers! It dosen't need a billion more combo decks, it needs to help solidify the existing blue counterspell decks and actually make them more competitively viable (e.g. our deck)! Personally, I am sad and a little frightened. WOTC has been making (IMO) VERY questionable decisions lately (in case you couldn't tell), and I have almost had it to here *puts hand on his nose to indicate where he has almost had it*. And if Storm and other (excuse my French) bull***** degenerate combo decks start dominating Modern -and seriously, if I wanted to play against such a high concentration of those, I would invest into Legacy - them I might just have to exclusively play Pauper. Or quit Magic. Or start betting on illegal cockfights.
Honestly, IDK what I would do.
...
Nah, I'm just kidding. Hello again, my fellow Esper mages! I have returned to the utopia that is this great forum after a rather drawn-out battle with my arch-nemesis - ALLERGIES! The battle was long, arduous, and quite honestly rather irritating, but at last, I was finally able to find (and sideboard in) my playset of Circle of Protection; Bullcrap and give pollen the boot, along with the finger. And thus, here I am again! And I would like to say hello to all of the new people that have started posting here as well. I'm pretty sure that a lot of other people have posted this, but I would like to say (or rather type) it anyway; it is nice to know that there are more than just a handful of people who play this deck. Whether you are new (to control, Modern or just the game in general) or you just feeling like rebelling against the social norms of Modern and refusing to play any kind of Aggro, Midrange or unfair deck, I salute you for playing what is (IMO) the best control deck in the format. And now, I shall also share with everyone my current list that I have been attempting to run. As per usual, if I manage to FUBAR up the formatting, I will also post a link to my current list on TappedOut. It also says which cards are currently in foil, so if you are interested in that sort of thing, feel free to check it out.
The TappedOut link; http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/03-01-16-esper-control-modern/
And the decklist;
1 Condemn
4 Path to Exile
2 Runed Halo
3 Supreme Verdict
Permission
3 Cryptic Command
1 Deprive
2 Logic Knot
1 Negate
3 Spell Snare
Card Advantage
4 Esper Charm
2 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Think Twice
Win Cons
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 White Sun's Zenith
2 Snapcaster Mage
Lands
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Flooded Strand
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Godless Shrine
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
2 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
2 Watery Grave
2 Baneslayer Angel
2 Dispel
1 Elixir of Immortality
2 Stony Silence
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Thoughtseize
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Wrath of God
I am considering swapping the Godless Shrine back to a Glacial Fortress (I originally put it in since I was testing out Doom Blade), and I want to test out the Elixir of Immortality in the sideboard. It is mostly there for against Lantern Control, but I also wanted to test it out against other grindy matchups.
I also wanted to give my two cents on Anguished Unmaking, as I have seen a lot of people doing. However, I shall try to condense my opinion into one word; OMGYESYESYESGIMMEGIMMEGIMMEGETINMYSIDEBOARDRIGHTNOWGIMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
...well, I tried.
Anyway, I really like the card. I think it deserves a spot in the sideboard as at least a 1-of. That kind of flexibility is indeeed something that we need, and I for one do not feel safe in running Detention Sphere in a world where I have to protect it from both Abrupt Decay AND basically almost every Eldrazi variant. As for the life loss? Pfft, who cares? I am using this thing on your Karn Liberated! And if you are in the situation where you end up having to use it on a Dark Confidant, then by all means do what you gotta do. But if you are in the situation where you have to use it on a Goblin Guide, then I have a question for you; WHY ARE YOU RUNNING IT MAINBOARD? This is not the meta for that to be in there - put it in the sideboard where it belongs!
Well, that's all I have to say for now. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask.
Huh. I never thought of doing it that way. Once again, thank you for your help Annihilator!
I would LOVE to see you stream later! Is it possible for you to link me to it?
4x Celestial Colonnade
1x Creeping Tar Pit
4x Flooded Strand
2x Ghost Quarter
1x Godless Shrine
2x Hallowed Fountain
3x Island
2x Plains
4x Polluted Delta
1x Swamp
2x Watery Grave
Removal
2x Comdemn
1x Doom Blade
4x Path to Exile
3x Supreme Verdict
4x Esper Charm
2x Sphinx's Revelation
4x Think Twice
Permission
3x Cryptic Command
1x Deprive
2x Logic Knot
3x Spell Snare
Wincons
1x White Sun's Zenith
1x Batterskull
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
2x Snapcaster Mage
2x Baneslayer Angel
1x Celestial Purge
1x Dispel
1x Negate
2x Stony Silence
2x Surgical Extraction
2x Thoughtseize
2x Timely Reinforcements
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Wrath of God
I would also talk in-depth about my experiences at FNM over the past couple of weeks, but they weren't very interesting, so I will just summarize it for you. This weekend, there were a lot more newer people playing, and I got matched up against two of them (we had enough people for five rounds, so keep that in mind). For the competitive players that I did get matched up against, I drew against Jund round 2 and won against a budget version of 8-Rack in round 4. I unfortunately could not stay for the fifth round, since by the time we were done with the fourth, it was 11:30, so I went home. The week before that, I was at the second LGS, and I went 1-3. Round one was against Grishoalbrand, round two was against G/R Tron, round two was against Burn, and round four was against G/R Eldrazi. Not much to say about either of the past couple of FNMs for me, except a couple of things;
1) I would like to say thank you again to Annihilator for making the suggestions for what to cut in my sideboard for the Surgical Extractions - I have been loving the card so far, and I can't see myself playing without it in my sideboard in the near future.
2) I am trying out more mainboard wincons. Currently I am testing with the Batterskull and the Elspeth, Sun's Champion, and have been liking them both so far.
3) I am also trying out Doom Blade as well, mostly for against Eldrazi. I am not playing Go for the Throat, even though we have a favorable matchup against Affinity, simply because I don't like siding out any removal against them. I also don't have any Go for the Throats.
4) This one seems like a weird thing to nitpick, but it is about Baneslayer Angel. I have been constantly flip-flopping between running one and two in the sideboard for... well, almost since I started playing the deck. One one hand, I can see where Baneslayer is good, and I love the card. But on the other hand, the second copy is usually one of my first considerations for cuts when I make changes to the sideboard. I'm not entirely sure if anybody else is having this same dilemma, but I would like to hear (or in this case read) your opinions nonetheless.
And here is the link to my deck on TappedOut, in case I messed up any of the formatting;
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/03-01-16-esper-control-modern/
EDIT: after a grueling, tedious and banging-my-head-against-a-brick-wall-in-sheer-frustration 20 minutes, I have decided to give up trying to format my decklist properly for now and go play Pauper on MTGO.
I actually forgot that card existed! I will definitely test it out if either of my metas get more aggressive. I also like the Dawn Charms as well, but if I played them, it would most likely be in the sideboard since I can't cantrip it away if it is a dead card like Angelsong.
EDIT: turns out I was just being stupid.... It would appear that i CAN qoute. And I apologize if any of you find this annoying.
I am also building this deck on a budget (Shout out to ZDEATHBLOW for making it! *MOAR AIRHORN NOISES*), and I don't care about the current meta. I'm gonna be countering and killing crap all day![/quote]</blockquote>
Amen, brother!
EDIT: I just messed up my qoute. I feel like an idiot. Stupid baby steps!