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Esper Prowess - Frontier Format

Unknown Tempo WUB (Esper)

JimmyDPawn


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Maybeboard


This is my first attempt at building a deck for the new Frontier format (M15 and after). The idea with this deck is to stall and tempo the opponent enough for the various 'growing' creatures to finish them off.

Card of NotePrimary Threats Monastery Mentor Seeker of the Way Myth Realized

These three creatures all have slightly different advantages and disadvantages. The Seeker's Lifelink and early play allows you to race more easily, also sometimes being bigger than other creatures of similar speed. The Mentor can quickly spiral out of control, only needing to produce a few tokens before being able to kill your opponent. The Myth grows and stays large, unlike the two prowess dudes, and also is resistant to certain types of removal.

Removal/Control Ruinous Path Grasp of Darkness Ultimate Price Duress Transgress the Mind Anguished Unmaking Grip of the Roil The removal is varied, until I've seen more of the current meta. I've tried to keep the mana costs lower, to allow multiple cast for prowess. Grip is only of note because it both has a reduced cost and draws you an extra card.

Draw/Support Treasure Cruise Secure the Wastes
Westvale Abbey   Sorin, Solemn Visitor Anticipate Slip Through Space These are some odds and ends that I'm trying out. Sorin is useful if you have several tokens from the Mentor or Secure the Wastes, or can lock out slower creature decks. Secure has use in offence and defense, or as a 1 mana instant-speed prowess trigger if required. With multiple way to produce tokens, Westvale Abbey gives an alternate win con that opponents have to watch out for. Anticipate, Slip Through Space, and Treasure Cruise let you keep cycling cards through your hand, usually with extra prowess value.

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Well, the first night with this deck went fairly well. I went 3-1 with it, losing only to a super low curve Jeskai Artifact deck with Ensoul Artifacts and Shrapnel Blasts. The other three were midrange-ish decks, (4-color Abzan, Mardu Dragons, and BW Eldrazi) and for the most part, these felt fair, neither heavily advantaged or disadvantaged. A few things did come to light, and I'm planning on tweaking it before I go again tonight. The deck can snowball quickly with just a few small spells at the right time. The sources of life-gain allow to race more effectively than the creature count would suggest. Slip Through Space is a nice idea, but it often sat in my hand for a long while, and the ability for people to respond to it at instant speed was a real detriment. Basically, every game, I was sideboarding in some number of Dispel and Negate; the amount of removal was much higher than I expected. While I only faced it one round myself, I saw a lot of people running Dromoka's Command at other tables, so I think I'm going to reduce the number of Myth Realizeds for the time being. Two Westvale Abbey  Flips was bit greedy, and I found I wasn’t using the triggers as often as I expected, and I was drawing a lot more land than I needed, so for now I’m going to cut one Abbey. Ruinous Path is often a little slow for me, so I’m cutting one of those from the main. Finally, to make up for the loss of some removal, evasion, and a threat, I’m trying out 2 Niblis of Frost, which can fill all of those roles to some degree. It may end up being too slow, but I won’t know till I’ve tested it out a bit.

-1 Westvale Abbey  Flip -2 Slip Through Space -1 Ruinous Path -1 Myth Realized +2 Dispel +2 Niblis of Frost

Sideboard and lands I'm going to take a look at as well, but I'll have to finish that tonight.

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Date added 8 years
Last updated 8 years
Legality

This deck is Unknown legal.

Rarity (main - side)

5 - 2 Mythic Rares

27 - 2 Rares

7 - 5 Uncommons

16 - 6 Commons

Cards 60
Avg. CMC 2.58
Tokens Clue, Emblem Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Human Cleric 1/1 BW, Monk 1/1 W, Vampire 2/2 B, Warrior 1/1 W
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