Yeah... Treasure Cruise loses you tempo, losing tempo can only be done safely when you have tempo advantage or if you have something to protect you (a creature on the board or open mana for other spells). I think only that reason makes Ingenuity win over TC.

@EssTea

Delve is such a fun mechanic.

I've played quite a few games lately, and since adding Treasure Cruise, I've been delving Dig Through Time less, and just hardcasting it. Since I'm doing it EoT, I don't really need to save mana for anything, so it makes no real difference. Thats the point of instant speed draw.

This has led to me casting Treasure Cruise for much less mana than expected. Instead of switching it for Jace's Ingenuity, I'm actually thinking of adding a second, maybe even a third copy of it!

Am I being crazy? I want opinions on this! :)

Going up to 6 draw spells certainly is a good thing in a less than 6 win con deck, you already know my opinion on Treasure Cruise though :P.

I was wondering how you managed to ''hide'' your text in your description and how you made the ''click here'' link. If you've got a link that explains some extra formatting features could you please share it? Thanks!

@EssTea

The spoiler isn't an easy code. Thankfully, Femme_Fatale has an awesome set of instructions on how to set it up on her deck, Ack! Run Hans Run! The Slivers Are Coming!.

Don't forget to add in the info that this is Shahar Shenhar's list

@Resistance

What? This list is original. I've been brewing for months, and this is the most recent version.

Lol, Resistance just look at the updates. TheHroth has been working on the deck since september :P

EssTea TheHroth I see that but know its the exact 75 Shahar uploaded when those updates were made.

@Resistance

Can you point me to his list? An exact 75 seems unlikely, hence your assumption that this is copied, which is totally understandable. Makes me feel good about my deckbuilding though, if pros are coming up with near-identical lists.

Turns out I already +1 this deck a while back. Keep up the good work!

@rocklobsterfinn

Haha thanks dude!

No Grindclocks, you disgust me!

@Kiora_Fan-01

Lmao! Maybe I could fit one into the sideboard for the mirror? :p

I know this is a silly questions but can you tell me all the uses of sorin in this deck?

@Beeone

If dropped onto an empty board, Sorin, Solemn Visitor can quickly win the game by using his -2 to get a vampire, then spamming the +1 and attacking for 3 every turn. His ult is also great against many decks, if I manage to get there and need to use it.

He excels when dropped onto a field with Elspeth, Sun's Champion though. Making a ton of 1/1 Soldiers, then making them all 2/1 lifelinkers is enough to push an opponent into the ground in almost any situation.

TL;DR, on his own he is an awesome wincon (albeit not the fastest), but with Elspeth he wrecks face.

@TheHroth

Okay. I thought of those myself I thought I just thought I was over looking something. I've been considering getting Sorin, Solemn Visitor for awhile now, but i don't know if i want to cram them into what I have now. I'll try to decide to get them after a few FNM.

@Beeone

If you're playing /, in pretty much any deck I'd try to fit him in (provided acquiring him is no issue). He's just so freaking good in this Standard right now.

This deck has been up for 7 months. What was it before it was this one?

I also expected someone to eventually make a popular esper control. I immediately noticed its potential when facing dimir control during game day in October. However, it never did that well in playtests. With the cmc of removal and counterspells being both high or riddled with conditionals, there just isn't enough oomph to deal with all the threats in the format.

I'm wondering what you hope the next few sets will bring in terms of how to upgrade this deck. I'm hoping for a more Doom Blade style removal and some other 2 cmc counterspell that can be used beyond Negate. The threats are definitely already there, we just need a better control package.

In my opinion Sorin, Solemn Visitor is very imbalanced (nuance, didn't say overpowered or broken). The strongest ultimate in standard right now, and two +1 away from it! I don't know what wizards of the coast was thinking when they made this Planeswalker. Yeah yeah yeah, people usually -2 him first, or the you need board presence for him to be beneficial talk... Still fricken imbalanced. I've lost twice to him Ulting!

@Femme_Fatale

It has always been an Esper control list, but began as a Theros block constructed list.

I agree about needing cheaper control options CMC wise. The 3CMC slot is jam-packed right now, and very colour intensive.

As great as Doom Blade would be, I'd rather see Mana Leak due to the prevalence of ETB in Abzan lists.

In a previous comment, someone mentioned using Utter End to remove a Banishing Light from one of your planeswalkers. Wouldn't the planeswalker just die as soon as it came back on the board? I was always under the impression that counters are removed from permanents when they leave the battlefield.

Anyways.. Nice list. I love esper. Hate playing against it though haha.

No, the planeswalker return with the initial loyalty counter, no matter how many it had before it left the battlefield. Any permanent that leaves the battlefield, when it returns,either from exile or graveyard, is like you cast it from your hand.

@scrotality

Normally, you would be correct. However, planeswalkers (among other permanents), enter the battlefield with their starting number of loyalty counters on them, regardless of which zone they enter the battlefield from.

Take Mistcutter Hydra and Kalonian Hydra. No matter how Kalonian Hydra enters the battlefield, it will enter with 4 +1/+1 counters. On the other hand, if you were to Cloudshift Mistcutter Hydra, then it would die from SBA's as soon as it entered the battlefield again (because it wasn't cast, so an x value couldn't be declared, so is automatically zero).

If you respond on the stack the planeswalker would keep his loyalty counters, but if you do later its too late. Ex: opponent casts Banishing Light on Sorin, Solemn Visitor and you respond with Utter End, stack resolves without Sorin being exiled.

I feel like Suspension Field or Banishing Light would be better alternatives to Valorous Stance.. Suspension Field has a wider range of targets, but isn't instant speed, and Banishing Light is just crazy...