[Important! Some cards have not been uploaded to Tappedout.net and therefore are being substituted as of right now by a equivalent counterpart.]
Visions of Beyond is actually Treasure Cruise from Khans of Tarkir. For 7U at sorcery speed, draw 3 cards. It has the keyword, Delve. (Each card you exile from your graveyard while casting this spell pays for 1.)
Mana Leak is actually Distainful Stroke from Khans of Tarkir. For 1U at instant speed, counter target spell with converted mana cost 4 or greater.
I have not added in lands yet into the equation yet. For now I have substituted in mountains. I will do so very soon.
I have not added in a sideboard yet. I will do so very soon.
TL:DR - Esper Control (UWB) created by Vietilicious
Discard Effects -> Counterspells -> Elspeth, SC.
Board Wipe if needed. Draw cards when opportunity comes. Not a tap-out deck; instead keep mana open for counter play. Still in brewing phase but is most definitely competitive.
.(About Me and About Esper Control Post Khans of Tarkir. Also this is quite a long description so sit tight and enjoy!).
Hello, my name is Vietilicious, and this is my take on Esper Control after standard rotation. Just incase you forgot or don't remember what sets are rotating out, it will be Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash, Dragon's Maze, and Magic 2014. Khans of Tarkir will be available as a beginning of a new set of cards as well as a new fresh take to standard.
I choose to work on Esper Control because I love to draw cards and manipulate the game in such a way where late game bombs will dominate the battlefield. Such is the case in my current standard deck, U/W Control, which I have been playing since Return to Ravnica came out two years ago. Khans of Tarkir pushes for tri-color enemy wedges. Doing my research on the previous "wedge" set, the Alara Block, I noticed many people reminiscing that it was a slow format. I suspect that Khans of Tarkir will be a slow format as well. The overall lower "power-level" of the cards (compared to Return to Ravnica, Innistrad, and New Phyrexia) reinforce this notion.
The deck itself is a throwback to "reactive" control by keeping mana open for counterplay on opponent turns, but at the same time, being "proactive" by making early turn discard effects to wreck the opponents hand. By using targeted discard early, Esper Control can plan out the midgame usage of counterplay by allowing opponents to keep spells that will either be insignificant in the face of targeted removal or counterspells. Since the graveyard will fill up fairly fast if our spells are primarily used to stem the early tide, Treasure Cruise, a fantastic addition to the delve mechanic, will refill our hand and potentially be a sorcery speed ancestral recall depending on how many cards were exiled as an alternative cost. Sorin, Solemn Visitor is a new planeswalker that is needed for lifegain primarily but can also double up as a token producer. I am hoping to replace him with something more substantial but cannot think of any better ideas.
I hope you will enjoy discussing with me and hopefully add some insight or ideas to improve this deck.
