[Primer] Esper Draw-Go Control

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BloodyRabbit
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Post by BloodyRabbit » 4 years ago

I keep crushing with the 8-Charm variant. Fifth tournament in a row with it, fifth top8. This time I was stopped in the semifinals, unfortunately.




There are few points can I wanted to discuss:

A) I found that Drown in the Loch is an amazing card, and we want to reliably cast it. Thought Scour is a must, though. It happened in testing (while I still had Opt or Illumination) that I wasn't able to turn them on when I needed to cast one, and I usually lost the game due to that. Thanks also why I decided to reduce the number to three in favor of another Path, which is early interaction. Being able to play a Path/Push + SnapBack it on turn three is huge vs aggressive strategies.

B) Given the previous point, using a shell where Drown can be enabled by Scour but doesn't need it 100% of the time, I found out that Tasigur really merges itself well with the deck. It's a cc1 threat that makes CA, and recurring the Charms feels soooo good,

C) I Flooded way too much. Cutting a land seems fine, cause the mana curve is so damn low for a Control shell.


—-


I had 3-1-1 in the Swiss, winning against Titanshift (2-0), Old School Affinity (2-0), Cheerios (2-0), drawing with UW Mentor (very sweet list with eight Shoals/Forces) and losing to Naya Burn (1-2).

After Swiss, I won against the same Naya opponent (2-0) and I lost to G Tron in three (unfortunately my answers didn't match up well with his threats, we all know that this happens when piloting Control).

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TheAnnihilator
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Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

[mention]BloodyRabbit[/mention] Did you miss the Gearhulks? Also, in a list without Tas it's probably fine to play 2-3 Scours and not the full set.

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Post by BloodyRabbit » 4 years ago

I didn't miss them, cause I replaced Hulks with another creature that makes CA and beats down the opponent. I don't think there are other routes, either you play the first or the second. Vendilion Clique and all the 3cc flash creatures are meant to occupy a different slot.

You want 4 Scours regardless, cause when Scour is dead in the first turns (Humans, Spirits and such) you NEED it to survive unless you've got the perfect hand, but Scour (a card that I always hated) complements perfectly everything the deck does.

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TheAnnihilator
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Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

3-1, 2nd place with Esper today. Will post list and matchups later.

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A Cute Bunny
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Post by A Cute Bunny » 4 years ago

3-1 3rd place today again with Esper Karntrol but the EE I was borrowing I didn't have this time. I also put in a Blast Zone again over the 2nd Sanctuary I was running. Not having the EE lost me a match. I was so upset but otherwise the deck was great.

R1 Infect. 2-1

Game 1: Kept a decent hand. IoK shows creature, forest, botanical, 2 Mutagenic, Might and Vines took the creature and he had nothing left. Played a 3feri and he couldnt do anything else ever. He tried to go for the kill and I snap pushed it then he conceded.

Game 2: He had a t2 kill and I didnt have interaction.

Game 3: Took the creature again and beat him down with snap and spirit token.

R2 Bant Spirits. 0-2

Game 1: Had Karn but no EE. Basically we got to a point where he had double Drogskull and double Phantasmal to copy it was super annoying. I drew my Blast Zone but he had a Selfless Spirit. I was sitting on a Karn that would have got me there if I had the EE in the side. Game went on for a while longer with Cryptic Sanctuary loop until he had Wanderer on board with a Queller in hand.

Game 2: Same problem, had Karn but couldn't get an EE. Then he drew perfectly all game after opening 2 Lands 3 Quellers and a CoCo. Felt bad.

R3 Bant Control: 2-0

Game 1: 2 early discard and Karn lattice for an easy win.

Game 2: I mulled, he had a decent hand but I got a cryptic and it was great. Eventually we got to a point where I had my 2nd Karn and Lattice in hand, he had a Trophy in hand and a Logic Knot. I had a t3feri on board and we both had a bunch of lands no man lands. I didnt have enough to lattice + karn but I knew about the Trophy cuz he got it back from Ewitness. After a big I drew a man land and just started beating him down. He trophy'd my T3feri and played an Oko he topped. Oko kept him alive from man land beats and I was waiting to draw a counter to protect from his logic knot. Eventually I drew second tar pit and a snap. I ended up going for karn and lattice with enough mana at this point to snap veto. ez clap

R4 Jeskai Urza Ascendancy. 1-0-1

Game 1: lasted forever. I disrupted him early and he played a Bridge which basically locked the game in my favor. We both had Karn on board and it was kind of just draw land pass for a while until I drew Cryptic to bounce his Karn and slammed lattice which he conceded to.

Game 2: we were close to time. I mulled to 5 with 2 lands, thoughtseize, ego and logic knot. t1 TS took his goblin engineer. t2 countered his emry, t3used Ego on Urza. t4 had snactuary put back ego. t5 Ego on sword cuz I knew he had one in hand and he snuck in a foundry. Drew a snap, snap ego karn. Last turn pathed a token and attacked with Snap then we drew the game and I took the match.
I took out my 2nd mystic sanctuary for a Blast Zone again tonight and it was good but not great

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aklepatzky
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Post by aklepatzky » 4 years ago

Hi! Can anyone please comment about my list?
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2390776#paper
Im not sure of i should be playing FoR or kf im stretching the mana base too much by doing that. Theres lots of etron tron and valakut at my lgs.
Not sure if i wanna add baneslayer/geist to the side to close games faster

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Post by Jeremy4050 » 4 years ago

Hey all! I'm new to the deck and was looking to join the esper control discord, if there is one, for some more fluid and dynamic conversation. I've been playing a version with 8 charms and having a lot of fun with it. My meta has a lot of control, so I'm looking for ways to tech for that. Thanks!

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Arkmer
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Post by Arkmer » 4 years ago

[mention]aklepatzky[/mention] & [mention]Jeremy4050[/mention], the thread has sort of split into a flash camp and a planeswalker camp.

BloodyRabbit has some good results with flash control. It punishes your opponent for trying to play at sorcery speed and uses creatures with flash and either high utility to flashback (pseudo or actual). He'll have more to say about it, but basically you're countering everything or killing it if/when it slips through. When you aren't telling your opponent not to do things, you can cast creatures with Flash to get value and start an offensive.

I haven't played Esper in a week or so, but TheAnnihilator and I have good to better results on a list with more walkers though we do play fairly differently. If you go this route you can't really replace Teferi, Time Raveler; he does more than you would believe. I was on a list with 7 charms, so if that's your jive, then I would look for one of my lists from pages past. Honestly, it hasn't changed much- If you do look up my list, realize I always include some questionable things, so if you don't like the look of say Thassa, God of the Sea, then look at it as a flex spot for you to put anything you want.

If you want to tune to fight control, I would look at Bloody's list. All flash can be pretty punishing for control lists trying to play walkers, but I would caution you that if your opponent lands a Time Raveler then you are in for a very rough game. Or you can just play your own and lock each other out; if that's your strategy, then you're better off playing removal, Manlands, and counters that have other modes besides counter. If no one is running Time Raveler and you don't want to either, then it's pretty open season for you, in my opinion.

That's just my loose recommendations. T3feri is amazing and all Flash sounds pretty reliable barring T3feri.

If you want some really specific recommendations, I've liked the feel of Snapcaster x2, Cryptic x3, Archmage's Charm x4, and Force of Negation x2 as a counter suite. I generally supplement a bit in the side though as well for heavier control fights.

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Post by Jeremy4050 » 4 years ago


This is the list I've been running. I've really enjoyed the flexibility of all the modal spells,, and I haven't found any situations where drown wasnt live, even without scour. Turn 2 and 3 are generally the most likely times it won't counter, but we have enough removal and other counters that I've found it very manageable.

I think planeswalkers are a good way to win in control decks because they're harder to interact with. We have a game 1 advantage against a lot of decks by making their removal dead against us. Teferi and Jace are also just very synergistic with our general plan of drawing cards and making the game go long.

Some personal tweaks I've done and would appreciate feedback on are the fields and the secure the waste. I ran White Sun Zenith initially, but needing 3 white mana is pretty steep, in a deck that is very color intensive. I also prefer the reliability of secure from the gy with snap, vs needing to find it a second time, in the case if needing blockers or having a window for early attackers. I do recognize secure is a less strong clock in the late game, but I think that's probably negligible. Field of Ruin has actually been a nice way to fix my basics, but it is mana intensive in the early turns, and I wonder if it's too much of a strain against decks that demand early interaction. I noticed most lists don't run field, which makes me wonder how those decks would deal with Tron. Field makes such a huge difference in that match up as well as against Valakut decks.

Also wondering why Colonnade is run over as many tarpits as possible; is it just for mana fixing? Tarpit just seems so much better since it's 2 less mana to activate.

Would love an invite to the esper discord. I went a few pages back looking for a link; couldn't find it but saw it mentioned.

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Post by aklepatzky » 4 years ago

@Arkmer

I dont like archmages charm. Seems mediocre tbh. I do wanna play with some walkers: i wont cut X2 jace and i believe playing at least 1 big teferi is correct from what ive seen in most lists. I dont really see how small teferi improves our game plan. Im not too concerned about control mirrors. Im more concierne about etron tron valakut jund burn which are the most played decks at my lgs.

Thats why im looking not only for overall comments on my list but also wanted to know:
-if 2 field of ruin is too greedy
- Why people dont play fulminator Mage in the side
-is adding geist/lyra in the side worth it?

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Post by Arkmer » 4 years ago

[mention]Jeremy4050[/mention], I think the major thing you're missing is Supreme Verdict. It's good removal for any creature deck, it's card advantage, it's almost completely unfair at instant speed with T3feri, and because it has such impact you can open a few other deck slots.

In those slots you might consider Unmoored Ego for those lists that are difficult to interact with. Just name Valakut and take all 4 of them. In the past, I've gone EoT Cryptic for Bounce/Draw, untap on my turn and Ego something. It's not amazing card efficiency, but you basically just ruined their deck. Ego is strictly for those types of situations, but when it's useful it's amazingly useful. You can name Tron lands, even basic lands (why you would, I have no idea), or anything you need to be rid of. It goes well with Echoing Truth unless you're concerned about lands.

As for Colonnade vs Tar Pit, it blocks better. I personally knew I needed more White mana as well. I could see an argument for Tar Pits in a different situation, but being a good blocker in a real pinch is all I can really say apart from the mana colors.

----------------------------------
[mention]aklepatzky[/mention], it's fine not to like Archmage's Charm. I was pretty cold to it when I first saw it, then after some games it really changed my mind; entirely up to you though.

I don't think 2 Field is too greedy. Especially if you're looking to fight Tron. It's less good against Valakut though. You can play Runed Halo against Valakut, then you're just looking to protect the Halo. Or you can read my comments to Jeremy and try Unmoored Ego.

Fulminator... No idea. Try it, maybe you'll find an answer. It certainly does the thing you want it to.

T3feri is actually pretty good against Jund because it represents some card advantage, tempo, and prevents them from interacting on the stack. Also, Bloodbraid can no longer cast the cascaded card. Against everyone he stops any and all EoT plays from your opponent. There is no "on your draw step", no "before combat", none of it. If you don't find that useful, then don't play it.

If you want specific comments on your list:
  • I'm not a fan of Thoughtseize in control. I've never been able to make it work or be comfortable with it. I would only use targeted discard against Control mirrors, and even then I have gone to using Thought Distortion out of the board to randomly win games.
  • I think you have too many Snapcasters (same for Jeremy), they bring good flexibility but a mit full of them is not awesome. Think of it this way, Snapcaster adds 2cmc to every card it touches. Do you want to add four 3cmc Opts to your list? What about 6cmc Cryptics? I would err on the x2 side of them than the x4 side.
  • Damnation vs Supreme Verdict? I just assume it's availability, but it could be a choice. I don't think there is much in the way of Regeneration going around, to be honest.
  • I think Geist and Lyra are wrong here. Vendillion Clique probably fits better because it's got flash. If you're looking to dodge Valakut triggers, then Gearhulk is your bot,
At the end of this, your deck is your choice, and your meta is your meta. Both will help guide the creation of a final list that's different than others. These are just my opinions and my recommendations on my opinions. I recognize that I like playing some fairly off beat cards and lines, but I have had good experiences with them in the past; that's why I recommend them. I'm a fan of needing an effect and going to find it on gatherer then deciding if that card is cost efficiently enough to use. It's led me to Deepfire Elemental, Curse of the Cabal, March of the Machines, and many more gems forgotten by mainstream players.

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Post by GenesisEffect80 » 4 years ago

Arkmer wrote:
4 years ago
I think you have too many Snapcasters (same for Jeremy), they bring good flexibility but a mit full of them is not awesome. Think of it this way, Snapcaster adds 2cmc to every card it touches. Do you want to add four 3cmc Opts to your list? What about 6cmc Cryptics? I would err on the x2 side of them than the x4 side.
I prefer to think of Snapcasters as having modal abilities of every spell in your graveyard. Who wouldn't include a full playset of a card that had a dozen useful modes, all for an extra 2cmc, and also puts a creature on the table at instant speed?

And it's never even in consideration for a ban. Best Magic card ever. (I'm only playing 3, hehe)

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Post by aklepatzky » 4 years ago

Went 4-0 today at my lgs playing esper for the first time in my life. Beat paradoxical ascendacy urza 2-1 scapeshift 2-1 scapeshift 2-0 paradoxical ascendacyi urza 2-1. Liked my list a lot at least against those mu

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TheAnnihilator
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Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

aklepatzky wrote:
4 years ago
Hi! Can anyone please comment about my list?
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2390776#paper
Im not sure of i should be playing FoR or kf im stretching the mana base too much by doing that. Theres lots of etron tron and valakut at my lgs.
Not sure if i wanna add baneslayer/geist to the side to close games faster
From this list, I would trim a Snapcaster to 3 and play a 3rd Drown I think. Also, Supreme Verdict is definitely better than the Damnation. I figure you're playing Damnation for mana requirements, but Verdict is just so much better against Grixis Shadow, Spirits, Merfolk, etc. I also think you could afford to cut a basic Island for a Glacial Fortress to up the white source count. Otherwise, the mainboard is solid. The 2 Thoughtseize is just a meta decision, and they can always be brainstormed away with Jace+fetch late game.

In the sideboard, I feel like the Countersquall should be a Dovin's Veto. Again, it's probably due to mana considerations, but Veto is pretty easy to cast and the upside is worth it. What matchups are you playing the 3rd Force of Negation for? I don't personally like Kaya's Guile that much, so I wouldn't play one in the board -- I'd be more likely to play either another Timely Reinforcements (for Burn) or a Blessed Alliance (for Burn and Eldrazi). I also think either the 2nd Disdainful Stroke or the 2nd Ceremonious Rejection is a little overboard. I would diversify a bit and play an Unmoored Ego or two, or perhaps a Runed Halo for Eldrazi/Valakut crossover. Also, I think the 4th Path might have a place in the board, not sure yet. Finally, like you mentioned, maybe a Baneslayer Angel or Lyra Dawnbringer would be better than the Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet because it brickwalls Thought-Knots.

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Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

aklepatzky wrote:
4 years ago
@Arkmer

I dont like archmages charm. Seems mediocre tbh. I do wanna play with some walkers: i wont cut X2 jace and i believe playing at least 1 big teferi is correct from what ive seen in most lists. I dont really see how small teferi improves our game plan. Im not too concerned about control mirrors. Im more concierne about etron tron valakut jund burn which are the most played decks at my lgs.

Thats why im looking not only for overall comments on my list but also wanted to know:
-if 2 field of ruin is too greedy
- Why people dont play fulminator Mage in the side
-is adding geist/lyra in the side worth it?
T3feri is good for control matchups, Chalice of the Void and/or Blood Moon matchups, and against Aether Vial decks in my experience. I think he's fine against Jund, since the tempo is worth it and he hoses Bloodbraid Elf. T3feri is pretty bad in aggro matchups (other than playing him after your opp suspends Rift Bolt to strand it), so if you don't run into the above-listed matchups, I could see cutting T3feri.

Running field at all with Drown in the Loch and Esper Charm (and especially with Archmage's Charm as well) is definitely greedy. However, if you're lower on those cards, than 2 Fields makes sense. It's literally just for Tron at this point, though. Jund just recurs the few Raging Ravines they play with Wrenn and Six, so you have to Path/Purge them unless you can keep Wrenn off of the table, making Field a liability due to it screwing up your mana. ETron functions fine without Tron.

Fulminator Mage suffers the fact that it's very narrow, only really affecting Tron. It's not even very good against ETron, since they can easily function without Tron. At least you can Snap back Rain of Tears, but why would you want Stone Rain in a control sideboard? It's better to play Unmoored Ego in that slot, as it deals with Tron, Valakut, Amulet, Ad Naus style combo, etc.

Geist is rarely worth it imo, since it just gets brickwalled by pretty much any creature. It's also a 3-mana sorcery. I've tried it a few times and it never felt good. Clique is much better as a threat. Lyra and Baneslayer work more as a Battle of Wits than as a threat, as you can pretty much never lose in certain matchups if you untap with it, namely Burn and GDS matchups. That said, I've never been a huge fan of them either because they're 5 mana sorceries. You're probably dead if you cast it on t5, but you're also probably dead if you don't cast it because you'd be holding a dead card.

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Post by aklepatzky » 4 years ago

TheAnnihilator wrote:
4 years ago
aklepatzky wrote:
4 years ago
@Arkmer

I dont like archmages charm. Seems mediocre tbh. I do wanna play with some walkers: i wont cut X2 jace and i believe playing at least 1 big teferi is correct from what ive seen in most lists. I dont really see how small teferi improves our game plan. Im not too concerned about control mirrors. Im more concierne about etron tron valakut jund burn which are the most played decks at my lgs.

Thats why im looking not only for overall comments on my list but also wanted to know:
-if 2 field of ruin is too greedy
- Why people dont play fulminator Mage in the side
-is adding geist/lyra in the side worth it?
T3feri is good for control matchups, Chalice of the Void and/or Blood Moon matchups, and against Aether Vial decks in my experience. I think he's fine against Jund, since the tempo is worth it and he hoses Bloodbraid Elf. T3feri is pretty bad in aggro matchups (other than playing him after your opp suspends Rift Bolt to strand it), so if you don't run into the above-listed matchups, I could see cutting T3feri.

Running field at all with Drown in the Loch and Esper Charm (and especially with Archmage's Charm as well) is definitely greedy. However, if you're lower on those cards, than 2 Fields makes sense. It's literally just for Tron at this point, though. Jund just recurs the few Raging Ravines they play with Wrenn and Six, so you have to Path/Purge them unless you can keep Wrenn off of the table, making Field a liability due to it screwing up your mana. ETron functions fine without Tron.

Fulminator Mage suffers the fact that it's very narrow, only really affecting Tron. It's not even very good against ETron, since they can easily function without Tron. At least you can Snap back Rain of Tears, but why would you want Stone Rain in a control sideboard? It's better to play Unmoored Ego in that slot, as it deals with Tron, Valakut, Amulet, Ad Naus style combo, etc.

Geist is rarely worth it imo, since it just gets brickwalled by pretty much any creature. It's also a 3-mana sorcery. I've tried it a few times and it never felt good. Clique is much better as a threat. Lyra and Baneslayer work more as a Battle of Wits than as a threat, as you can pretty much never lose in certain matchups if you untap with it, namely Burn and GDS matchups. That said, I've never been a huge fan of them either because they're 5 mana sorceries. You're probably dead if you cast it on t5, but you're also probably dead if you don't cast it because you'd be holding a dead card.

Hi! I first of all thanks for your comments on my list. I just cant trim one snapcaster its one of the best cards in the game and feels so good in this control build.
With regards to for i played 2 yesterday like the list i presentes and they felt fine. I mainly put them to help fight tron valakut and problematic manlands it also has the bonus of activating revolt. I cant say for sure 2 for is not hurting me to cast my spells but definitely more testing is needed to reach to a conclusión. 2 drown seems the correct number for me i used to play 4 when i was playing ub control/faeries bit in this Shell less seems correct.
With regards to lyra/geist i believe youre correct. I prefer to play as much instant speed action as possible and with kalitas 3 kayas guile and timely burn doesnt seem that bad with this build tho i have yet to face the mu.

Youre right with fulminator i have not thought about it that way. Problem is that the cards we have to hose tron all are too slow on the draw so we need to have logic knot/force assuming they always hace t3 tron

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Post by aklepatzky » 4 years ago

TheAnnihilator wrote:
4 years ago
aklepatzky wrote:
4 years ago
Hi! Can anyone please comment about my list?
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2390776#paper
Im not sure of i should be playing FoR or kf im stretching the mana base too much by doing that. Theres lots of etron tron and valakut at my lgs.
Not sure if i wanna add baneslayer/geist to the side to close games faster
From this list, I would trim a Snapcaster to 3 and play a 3rd Drown I think. Also, Supreme Verdict is definitely better than the Damnation. I figure you're playing Damnation for mana requirements, but Verdict is just so much better against Grixis Shadow, Spirits, Merfolk, etc. I also think you could afford to cut a basic Island for a Glacial Fortress to up the white source count. Otherwise, the mainboard is solid. The 2 Thoughtseize is just a meta decision, and they can always be brainstormed away with Jace+fetch late game.

In the sideboard, I feel like the Countersquall should be a Dovin's Veto. Again, it's probably due to mana considerations, but Veto is pretty easy to cast and the upside is worth it. What matchups are you playing the 3rd Force of Negation for? I don't personally like Kaya's Guile that much, so I wouldn't play one in the board -- I'd be more likely to play either another Timely Reinforcements (for Burn) or a Blessed Alliance (for Burn and Eldrazi). I also think either the 2nd Disdainful Stroke or the 2nd Ceremonious Rejection is a little overboard. I would diversify a bit and play an Unmoored Ego or two, or perhaps a Runed Halo for Eldrazi/Valakut crossover. Also, I think the 4th Path might have a place in the board, not sure yet. Finally, like you mentioned, maybe a Baneslayer Angel or Lyra Dawnbringer would be better than the Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet because it brickwalls Thought-Knots.
I am playing damnation just cause i already have that card and because i feel my list is a bit more black oriented than others which are more white oriented (with thoughtseize main a couple of drown (which some people dont run at all) only 1 big teferi and more tar pits than colonnades) thats the reason why im also playing Countersquall instead of veto. Im only playing 2 fon btw one in the main one in the side.

Kayas guile was an all star yesterday against paradoxical ascendancy urza and it also helps the dredge burn bogles mus so for the moment im comfortable with 3 un the 75. With further testing i could cut one copy tho.

Also i could definitely cut a ceremonious or stroke for a copy of unmoored ego

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Post by aklepatzky » 4 years ago

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2390776#paper this is my list btw if Someone can teach me how to write it here with proper formatting id appreciate it

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Post by TheAnnihilator » 4 years ago

:)
aklepatzky wrote:
4 years ago
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2390776#paper this is my list btw if Someone can teach me how to write it here with proper formatting id appreciate it
Quote a comment with a decklist in it and you'll see the formatting. It's pretty simple to write up actually. Just use [ deck ] at the front and [ /deck ] at the end, but without the spaces.

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Post by GenesisEffect80 » 4 years ago

(Trying out the cool "Deck" tag for the first time!) Here's the list I'm bringing to FNM tomorrow. I'm not in love with Karn but I own the combo so no harm in giving it a try. My LGS meta tends towards aggro.



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Post by MashedPotato » 4 years ago

To one up on thought scour, has anyone considering running Glimpse the Unthinkable?
For extra one mana, it provides a solid support to have Drown in the Loch hit anything from T2 onwards, if all goes to plan.
Traditionally being a mill card, i think Glimpse could warrant running one or two as a split with thought scour. Alternatively, additional win con with flash backs later game even.

Maybe im just looking to optimistically at my binder at cards I wish I had uses for again.....
There is always a greater power

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Post by Arkmer » 4 years ago

I think part of the draw for Drown is that you can counter something on turn 2. If you're trying to Glimpse, you might have an issue.

I would look the direction of Merfolk Secretkeeper // Venture Deeper for the 4 card mill at 1cmc that comes with a body later.

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Post by BloodyRabbit » 4 years ago

Scour is good because it cantrips at one cc.

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A Cute Bunny
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Post by A Cute Bunny » 4 years ago

Did okay again tonight. Got Mana screwed twice or I would have gone undefeated :C

Round 1 Urza Ascendancy Combo: 2-0
Game 1: He mulled to six. I won the die roll and t1 Thoughtseize revealing Astrolabe, Emry, Outcome, Bauble, Strand and Strand. Took the Emry. T3 I countered another. Then t4 Karn got Lattice and after a Cryptic on t5 he conceded.
Game 2: He mulled to Five and ended up milling 3 Urza to his Emry. I had removal for it and a Sai then countered a Saheeli and did Snap + Pit beats for game.

Round 2 Temur Delver: 1-2
Game 1: Drew a really removal heavy hand to his burn heavy hand. Didn't translate over very well.
Game 2: Discard early twice destroyed his hand. 1st Karn got me Tormad's Crypt which I decided to play last minute. Ended up Exiling his yard with a Wrenn up tick on the stack. Then got a Lattice and he bolted my Karn. Played a second Karn that he Wizards Lightning then hit with a Swiftspear. I ended up drawing Jace when we both had nothing left then he conceded.
Game 3: Open 3 lands and a playable hand. Never drew another land over the course of 7 turns. Felt bad to get burned out with a bunch of Cryptics in hand.

Round 3 Mono Green Tron: 2-1
Game 1: I won the die roll and went first. Kept a medium hand cuz I thought he was on Control but he played Tron this week instead. T1 discard showed some lands and air. I took a 4 mana Karn. He ended up having a T4 Ulamog putting me down to 3 lands but wasn't able to reslove anything else the entire game. I won with Colonnade and Snap beats.
Game 2: Kept a three lander with Thoughtseize, Ego, Karn and Opt. Never saw another land and he got a 7 mana Karn out to eat my lands followed by a second which I conceded too.
Game 3: He had an early Thragtusk and nothing else. I drew Triple Snap, Tar Pit and Guile over the course of the game for the beats.

Round 4 Esper Living End: 2-0
Game 1: Countered some stuff. He snuck in a Living End after I tapped out for a T5feri. I had Cryptic loop with the T5f ult to exile his stuff then played a Jace that he conceded to.
Game 2: Basically draw go for the first two turns then I Ego'd naming Living end which he sided out. I was a bit confused but started doing Snap + Tar pit beats with T3f and some removal in hand. Weird game but easy.

GenesisEffect80
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Post by GenesisEffect80 » 4 years ago

I am amazed at all of these writeups where you guys remember what was in your opponents' hands. I don't have that kind of memory, but I'll just add that Drown in the Loch is the truth! That card did so much work for me last night it was crazy. I never felt the need to build in discard beyond Thoughtseize. Between Fetch and all the GY interaction, there's no need to jam Thought Scour into this deck. Played against Scapeshift and countered one Primeval Titan and destroyed another. That plus Unmoored Ego and we own that deck. Also punished a Heartless Summoning combo deck.

The one deck I had a lot of trouble with was a Rakdos build that abused Unearth with a bunch of annoying 3-drops, including Fulminator Mage. I really missed the Kaya's Guiles that I pulled completely out of the 75. I almost won the match against him if not for him top-decking a Fulminator the turn before I could drop my 6th land to cast Lattice with Karn already on the battlefield. The combo did win me two other games though, so I will continue to abuse it.

Timely Reinforcements felt like a bad card, like it doesn't help us stabilize in a match-specific way.

After seeing how much mileage my Rakdos opponent was getting out of Unearth, I couldn't help but wonder if there's a midrange Esper build out there that does something similar with Snaps, Quellers, Plague Engineers, etc, and runs a full playset of Teferi, Time Raveler...

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