What's wrong with modern esper control?
Modern forum
Posted on Feb. 11, 2015, 1:50 a.m. by Deadpool213
I've Been Playing Modern for a while and while I mostly play top tier decks... I cant help wanting to play esper control as it is my pet deck. Esper control is currently a tier 2/3 deck and I'm just wandering why that is. The deck has a lot of good match ups and some pretty sweet sb board tech. the only problem ive encountered with the deck is that a lot of you're best answers are a little to slow and mana intensive. Would like to hear everyone else's opinion.
bijschjdbcd says... #4
Playing against Junk loam and had 8 mana with 3 Cryptics in hand.
March 21, 2015 10:16 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #5
Yo I made it... Am I late?
Esper is a good deck. There are some really threat light builds, but the most recent one I saw was full of cantrips and monastery mentors. Literally churning out tokens like a mother bitch.
My cryptics are not bent, but my goyfs, bobs, bayous, badlands, wastelands and Lilliana's are... I am a bad gnarlicide. Deal with it.
For the record: I got home from Africa and my wife wants another baby... Needless to say I have been, "busy".
March 22, 2015 12:01 a.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #6
Looks like you'll find yourself out of money with lingerie shopping ;)
March 22, 2015 12:03 a.m.
gnarlicide says... #7
Lol, I am out of money from buying a modern/legacy Jund deck, 2x competitive EDH decks (Nekusar and Damia, respectively), promo-ing out my standard UB control deck and buying all the cards to make either an Esper deck or a Sultai control deck in modern...
Since I have no money for jimmy hats, we figured we would plan on another kid.
Lol, jk. Job promotions rule. I bought those cards since the "I got promoted" post from a while back. Mo money, mo competitive decklists
March 22, 2015 12:09 a.m.
CanadianShinobi says... #8
Esper Mentor is, quite frankly, an underrated deck. It plays more of a tempo game than a control, but it can give anything a run for its money. Fair warning the deck is not kind to just picking it up. You really need to think about your plays.
I've been testing, tweaking and generally staring at the list in mute frustration trying to learn it inside and out. One of the harder aspects of the deck is trying to sideboard properly.
March 22, 2015 10:04 a.m.
Femme_Fatale says... #9
gnarlicide, if I was your wife, I'd look at you, and I'd just shake my head right now. Just shake my head.
March 22, 2015 10:41 a.m.
If people would actually keep themselves up to date on the metagame on their own rather than just using expired information from pro's several months ago, they would realize that esper Midrange as actually tier 1-1.5, and jeskai control is basically unplayable in comparison, having ZERO showings in competitive tournaments in the last 2 months.
Same goes for sultai control, it blows jeskai out of the water in every way and is roughly the same level as esper depending on the matchup.
Jeskai midrange has had 3 showings at shit tier tournaments BARELY making it to the top 8. http://www.mtgtop8.com/archetype?a=181&meta=57&f=MO
While jeskai control is currently being played less than living end, which is almost never played in modern due to its frustrating mulligans(similar to bogles).
Infact, even bogles has had better showings: http://www.mtgtop8.com/archetype?a=299&meta=57&f=MO
But by comparison, esper and sultai midrange has showed insanely good tournament showings, being one of the most consistently winning decks in the format with 2 first place showings, and 2 placings in God Series. Hell, these people were brothers(check last name) for christ sake, there placing was obviously not just luck:
http://www.mtgtop8.com/archetype?a=187&meta=57&f=MO
March 22, 2015 12:42 p.m.
@CanadianShinobi I agree totaly. I have been playing Esper Mentor for about 3-4 weeks now and it's been great, but I have found that I SB very little or a whole lot. Some MU's I bring in 7-8 cards while other MU's are just 1-2 cards. I'v been brweing with the new cards from Dragons and Myth Realized has been really good in the deck. The deck is even more of a tapout-control/tempo deck now since I threw out my Remand.
anyway, it's super fun to play and have been doing well for me so far.
March 22, 2015 1:06 p.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #12
"If people would actually keep themselves up to date on the metagame..."
Says the gentleman using MtGTop8.com for his metagame information, or, in fact, any online source. The percentages offered by really any online site are not to be completely trusted. They are reasonable, but never exact.
I wasn't saying that Jeskai is good. It really isn't. It's downright bad, and I agree with you. However, it is a better deck than Esper Control.
The "Esper Midrange" decks you are speaking of are actually Esper Mentor decks, which are very, very different from pure Esper Control.
Sultai Control is a very good deck.
Finally, I'll point out that Yuuki Matsumoto and Yuuki Ichikawa are not brothers.
March 22, 2015 1:09 p.m.
@GlistenerAgent: The Yuuki's are not brothers, they are Bro's!
March 22, 2015 1:12 p.m.
being played twice and placing twice isn't that convincing at all.
March 22, 2015 1:17 p.m.
bijschjdbcd says... #15
As far asi am aware Sultai Control/Midrange isn't really an archetype but a deck that Gerard Fabiano pkayed to 1st place at a GP.
Esper Control works, Jam a bunch of good spells in a deck and it will be good. Whether Jeskai or Esper is better is strictly metagame dependent.
March 22, 2015 5:30 p.m.
CanadianShinobi says... #16
bijschjdbcd sadly Esper control is a little awkward to work well, but it's nice to see an Esper deck (Esper Mentor) emerge from all of this. And I strongly suspect that Gerard Fabiano was on to something with Sultai Control/Midrange. It's powerful. Modern is slow to change, but full of potential. It's sorta a curse and blessing at the same time.
March 22, 2015 5:38 p.m.
bijschjdbcd says... #17
I agree. Bug is underrepresented, It gets to play with some of the best cards in the format.
Esper mentor is a sweet deck.
March 22, 2015 6:03 p.m.
There is a guy at my shop running BUG Delver and he is doing really well. You lack the free counterspells but they are not really that important in Modern compared to Legacy.
The combination of cards like Abrupt Decay, Murderous Cut, Stubborn Denial, Deprive, Slaughter Pact, Liliana of the Veil and hand disruption backed up by creatures like Delver of Secrets Flip, Tarmogoyf, Snapcaster Mage and Tasigur, the Golden Fang is super strong. The deck is fast and resilient, it's like a tempo version of the Junk/Jund decks and the addition of blue makes the deck stronger(IMO). I'd be playing it myself if I had the Goyfs and Lilys.
March 22, 2015 6:42 p.m.
GlistenerAgent says... #21
I'd be playing it if I could stomach playing Delver.
March 22, 2015 6:44 p.m.
gnarlicide says... #22
Do you have a list available... I have all those cards. I am wondering what the numbers would look like.
March 22, 2015 6:45 p.m.
I'm not sure what numbers he is running. He plays BUG Delver in Legacy and more or less ported the deck over but went up to around 20-21 lands iirc and added the most mana efficient modern versions of cards to his deck.
Caleb Durward did a artical on his version of BUG Delver as well as some vidios:
I'm not super in love with his deck. But droppin the 2 Thragtusk, 1 Pulse, 1 Dismember and 4 lands for 4 Delvers, 2 Deprive and 1-2 SPact's. Would get you closer to the deck he is running. I think it's faster, has better disruption and let's you tap lower without to much fear.
But it's all preference and I don't have the guys decklist so this is mostly from memory having been thrashed by him :)
March 22, 2015 6:58 p.m.
AmphionNattergal says... #24
What do you guys think about this sort of Esper Deck? Esper Control
GlistenerAgent says... #1
But actually, please arrest me. My Cryptic Commands are a bit bent from all the hand shuffling I do, and I've recently had trouble drawing them because they hate me so much.
They play really hard-to-get. The triple-blue should have been a sign.
Summoning gnarlicide if he isn't dead.
March 21, 2015 10:14 p.m.