Investigating Esper

Commander / EDH Artifact Investigate Tokens Value Engine WUB (Esper)

Khirgan

Land (33)

• 1x Arcane Sanctum
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Command Beacon
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Havengul Laboratory  ^Flip
• 1x Homeward Path
• 1x Inventors' Fair
• 4x Island
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Morphic Pool
• 1x Nimbus Maze
• 3x Plains
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Raffine's Tower
• 1x Scrubland
• 1x Sea of Clouds
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Vault of Champions
• 1x Watery Grave

Enchantment (7)

• 1x Agent of the Iron Throne
• 1x Candlekeep Sage
• 1x Cloud Cover
• 1x Karmic Justice
• 1x Oubliette
• 1x Smothering Tithe
• 1x Teleportation Circle

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Tezzeret the Seeker
• 1x Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Demonic Tutor

Creature (23)

• 1x Academy Manufactor
• 1x Alquist Proft, Master Sleuth
• 1x Broodstar
• 1x Cyberdrive Awakener
• 1x Delney, Streetwise Lookout
• 1x Dour Port-Mage
• 1x Ethereal Investigator
• 1x Forensic Gadgeteer
• 1x Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
• 1x Kappa Cannoneer
• 1x Leonin Elder
• 1x Lion Sash
• 1x Merchant of Truth
• 1x Mirkwood Bats
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Rebbec, Architect of Ascension
• 1x Shimmer Dragon
• 1x Skyclave Apparition
• 1x Soulherder
• 1x Tangletrove Kelp
• 1x Teysa, Opulent Oligarch
• 1x Thassa, Deep-Dwelling
• 1x Urza, Lord High Artificer

Instant (15)

• 1x Abstruse Appropriation
• 1x An Offer You Can't Refuse
• 1x Assert Authority
• 1x Clever Concealment
• 1x Dawn's Truce
• 1x Despark
• 1x Disorder in the Court
• 1x Dispatch
• 1x Dovin's Veto
• 1x Fierce Guardianship
• 1x Flare of Fortitude
• 1x Heliod's Intervention
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Void Rend
• 1x Whir of Invention

Commanders (2)

Artifact (17)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Azorius Signet
• 1x Cloudstone Curio
• 1x Conjurer's Closet
• 1x Crystal Shard
• 1x Dimir Signet
• 1x Five Hundred Year Diary
• 1x Inspiring Statuary
• 1x Mox Opal
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1x Talisman of Progress
• 1x Thousand Moons Smithy  ^Flip
• 1x Unlicensed Hearse
• 1x Vat of Rebirth

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Maybeboard

Creature (6)

• 1x Abuelo, Ancestral Echo
• 1x Displacer Kitten
• 1x James, Wandering Dad
• 1x Piper Wright, Publick Reporter
• 1x Ruthless Technomancer
• 1x Wojek Investigator

Artifact (4)

• 1x Argent Dais
• 1x Blinkmoth Urn
• 1x Clock of Omens
• 1x Essence Reliquary

Land (1)

• 1x Sanctum of Eternity

Instant (2)

• 1x Misdirection
• 1x Officious Interrogation

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Tezzeret, Betrayer of Flesh

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Esper artifact (mostly clues) themed deck. Wernog, Rider's Chaplain MVP for this for sure with Hargilde, Kindly Runechanter pretty much only adding blue. Blink Wernog, Rider's Chaplain to shit out a ton of clues and bleed your opponents down to manageable life totals, then go in for the kill with Cyberdrive Awakener / Tangletrove Kelp, a fat Broodstar, or drain them with Mirkwood Bats / Agent of the Iron Throne / Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge.

I started out thinking this would be a silly, durdle deck. But my playgroup quickly told me that the value engine can snowball to become incredibly oppressive. I now almost never get more than one clue for the Wernog, Rider's Chaplain trigger.

My playgroup has a pretty high amount of GY shenanigans, so I have a little GY hate package including Lion Sash and Unlicensed Hearse. One of the weaknesses of the deck is that it can be a little slow to get off the ground, so these also serve the additional purpose of some early blocks if needed.

The deck has a high level of redundancy and should do a pretty good job with protecting itself, so letting opponents have their fun and keeping interaction to protect your important toys or stop opponents from winning should be the main focus. It has built in draw as well with the clues being able to turn into cards, so the only thing I've noticed is how mana hungry it can be. Leaving mana up for interaction definitely is slowing the deck down. And while I'm not trying to rush to the win, being able to completely develop my boardstate a turn or two earlier is something this deck needs.

I've been actively avoiding infinite combos with this deck, so the slot that used to be Krark-Clan Ironworks is now Urza, Lord High Artificer, which serves the same purpose of turning clues into mana. Only downside is that now people will see Urza and immediately think it's that kind of deck (more specific exclusions, no one sided stax pieces here!). This opened up another slot because I was able to cut Eldrazi Displacer as well.

I've noticed that Wernog, Rider's Chaplain tends to act like a built-in rattlesnake. My experience so far is that my opponents wont want to waste removal or attack into him out for fear of just helping me get the engine online. An original cost of 2 is a great deterrent as well because, hey, go ahead and kill him. I can easily recast him. The amount of effort needed to make him unplayable is more than my opponents can typically dedicate to one person. There's a little bit of GY shenanigans as well to help keep his costs low.

Definitely one of my favorite decks I've built, so happy to answer questions about card choices or if you have any suggestions they are always super appreciated!

Date added	1 year
Last updated	3 weeks
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	10 - 0 Mythic Rares 55 - 0 Rares 20 - 0 Uncommons 5 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.00
Tokens	Clue, Construct 0/0 C, Copy Clone, Food, Gnome Soldier X/X C, Illusion X/X U, Spirit 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 WB, Treasure
Folders	My EDH Decks