Esper is a deck I’ve wanted to play for a while now, at least since Pro Tour: San Diego. I didn’t pull the trigger, mostly because I didn’t want to take a chance alone, which is almost always a mistake. But if you think about it, that’s how a lot of people become very successful. They take a chance when no one else wants to do so, and they believe in whatever chance they are taking. I recently attended a Standard tournament in Boston, looking to test out my Esper Flare deck that I brewed up a week earlier, after playing it on MTGO.
You see, I have a theory: when everyone is doing one thing, take a step back and see what you can do to beat the system. For Standard, it seemed that everyone was playing Jund and UW Control. I figured if I could make a deck that was not only good against both UW and Jund, but also a deck that was good in general, I would have a good chance of winning the tournament. What I mean by a “good deck in general” is that I’d have to avoid playing cards in the main deck such as Spreading Seas, Celestial Purge, Flashfreeze, and so on, just to beat Jund. Before I go any further, take a look at the list I played.
Esper Flare
4 Baneslayer Angel
1 Gideon Jura
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Jace Beleren
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Liliana Vess
2 Day of Judgment
4 Esper Charm
3 Essence Scatter
1 Everflowing Chalice
2 Fieldmist Borderpost
1 Martial Coup
2 Mind Rot
1 Mind Spring
2 Mistvein Borderpost
1 Negate
3 Oblivion Ring
2 Path to Exile
1 Rise from the Grave
4 Arcane Sanctum
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Creeping Tar Pit
3 Glacial Fortress
4 Island
4 Marsh Flats
2 Plains
3 Swamp
Sideboard:
1 Day of Judgment
3 Duress
2 Flashfreeze
2 Haunting Echoes
1 Jace Beleren
4 Kor Firewalker
1 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Malakir Bloodwitch
The deck’s goal is to gain card advantage while limiting the amount of resources your opponent has, making the game more skill-intensive for him to play. Anyone who is pretty good at Magic understands how to win games when they have a full hand of cards, and they understand that the goal is to reduce their opponent’s life total to zero. However, when you make their resources more limited, and make them decide on the fly if it is more profitable to attack you or your Planeswalker, things will get tricky for them.
This deck is one of the most difficult decks to play against in the format, since it can do so many different things. Some questions that your opponent must answer could include:
1.) Should I play one more creature to put extra pressure on, or should I play around Day of Judgment / Martial Coup?
2.) Should I try to hold cards in my hand so I can protect my good spell from a discard effect?
3.) Should I attack my opponent or his Planeswalker?
4.) Should I play around Negate/Essence Scatter, or do I need to simply go for it right now?
All of these questions should run through your opponent’s head during the match, and since this deck has basically been around for a week (rather than much longer like Jund), players will tend to make more mistakes against you. This deck is also difficult to play from the controller’s side, so make sure to practice with the deck before your tournament. This is one of the reasons I wanted to try it out before Grand Prix: DC.
Speaking of GP: DC, it will most likely be the largest North American GP ever held, and you have to expect a few things:
1.) Players will be playing a lot of Jund, which means if you decide to play Jund you should expect a lot of mirror matches, matches that are, in my opinion, pretty random.
2.) Players will figure out that Jund and UW will be the two most popular decks, and they’ll have a lot of main deck or sideboard hate cards against those decks.
3.) Players will come with their homebrews, so try to be prepared for as much as you can. By this, I mean that it’s good to have a few sideboard cards that are pretty good against a bunch of decks, rather than sideboard cards that are great against a certain deck. Realistically, you should almost always be bringing in at least four cards in this Standard format to tune your deck against whatever you are facing.
The list I posted above was the list I played a while ago. However, there were a few changes I wanted to make, since I felt I learned a lot from playing 10 rounds at the tournament.
Here is the updated list of Esper Flare
Creatures (5)
Planeswalkers (6)
Lands (25)
Spells (24)
- 3 Oblivion Ring
- 1 Mind Shatter
- 1 Mind Spring
- 2 Negate
- 4 Esper Charm
- 1 Martial Coup
- 3 Path to Exile
- 2 Mistvein Borderpost
- 2 Fieldmist Borderpost
- 1 Rise from the Grave
- 2 Day of Judgment
- 1 Everflowing Chalice
- 1 Consuming Vapors
Sideboard
As you can see, I’ve made a few changes to the deck. Let’s take a look at them!
The first change was removing the Essence Scatters. They were just too narrow and too reactive to warrant a slot in the deck. If more people start playing Ranger of Eos, then maybe we can put them back in, but only Naya really plays them and you already have good creature control main deck with additional removal in the board. I also took out the two Mind Rots, since that was the card I probably boarded out the most. Since the discard was really good, I figured I would add a Mind Shatter, since it’s more powerful than Mind Rot, and better late-game. It can even be better early game if you happen to get a mana accelerator in the early turns.
I decided to add 1 Path to Exile for more spot removal against man lands, and for instant speed removal against Polymorph decks.
I added 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant as an additional threat, along with the ability to protect your other Planeswalkers by making 1/1s to block.
I added 1 Negate, since the way the format is looking it is better to counter non-creature spells than creature spells. It is also very good to have against Polymorph and UW Control.
There’s now 1 Consuming Vapors. This is just another card advantage option. It is good verse basically every deck, and it deserves and slot in the main deck.
And there’s the 1 Mind Shatter, which took the place of the 2 Mind Rots.
The sideboard changed a little too, which I will get to later, but for now let me go over each card in the deck and its purpose.
The Mana
There are 25 lands in the deck, and 5 additional mana sources, making for a total of 30. This might seem like a lot, but in all honesty, with all the card drawing and five man lands, I wouldn’t cut any.
9 basic lands and 4 fetchlands:
The breakdown I chose was 4 Island, 3 Swamp, and 2 Plains. I wanted enough basic lands to make my Borderposts playable on turn 1, and since I also have 4 Marsh Flats to help out with this, it’s fine. The mana overall is pretty good, since you have so many duals, fetchlands, and Borderposts that you shouldn’t be color screwed.
4 Arcane Sanctum:
Clearly very important to the deck, since it produces any mana you need. It is a slight drawback that it enters the battlefield tapped, but it doesn’t really mess up your curve.
3 Glacial Fortress:
This is another nice card to help out the mana, but I only decided to play three since I feel the mana is at a point where it is so good that I don’t want to risk having too many tapped lands, and thus fall behind against the aggro decks.
5 man lands:
The man lands are both a win condition and mana source. My breakdown is currently 4 Celestial Colonnade and 1 Creeping Tar Pit. Both are really solid, and a great way to kill Planeswalkers.
4 Borderposts:
The breakdown on this is two and two, so you don’t get wrecked by Maelstrom Pulse. You can play a Borderpost on turn 1 or hold it until turn 3 so you can ramp. Just play a few games with the deck beforehand, to get some experience with this decision.
1 Everflowing Chalice:
This was a last minute addition to the deck, and I was real happy with it. A deck like this can almost always use its mana, so being able to drop it on turn 2 or turn 6 should help out. I would play more if the deck wasn’t so color intensive, but since it is I am only playing one.
Now that half the deck is gone, let’s focus on the spells.
The Creatures
4 Baneslayer Angel and 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria:
First of all, don’t worry about the deck only having five creatures, because you have many other ways to win. Man lands, Planeswalkers, Martial Coup, or Rise from the Grave provide you with lots of ways to win the game. I’m generally against combo decks or decks with very few win conditions, because when I play a game of Magic, not only do I want many options, I also don’t want my opponent to know what I’m thinking. If you are playing a deck that kills with Fireball and only Fireball, your opponent knows your game plan, and that is giving him an advantage. Not only do I want multiple ways to win, I also want a back-up plan, and having other ways to win is the first step in a back-up plan.
The Baneslayer Angels are here because they are the best creature in Standard, and with a few counters, along with discard spells, you are able to protect them. Some of the creature decks don’t run many removal spells, and the Red decks will often have to use two burn spells to kill it, which is fine since that means the burn spells aren’t being aimed at you.
The Iona is basically an “I Win” card against a bunch of decks, and is not that hard to cast. You have lots of lands, and with Borderposts and the Chalice and the times your Baneslayer gets Path to Exiled, it should be possible to hit nine mana. Against Jund, name Black most of the time, since it shuts off their removal, unless you are at something like two life, and you just bounced back his Siege-Gang Commander. Also, against Jund you can randomly discard it and get it back with a Rise from the Grave on turn 5. If you think it’s too slow after boarding against some decks, just side it out (for example, against Mono Red).
The Planeswalkers
1 Gideon Jura:
I like Gideon a lot. It protects you for a few turns, since you can just have the creatures attack it, and it also provides extra removal for the deck. When I mentioned earlier about the man lands being able to kill Planeswalkers, Gideon does the same thing, turning into a 6/6 when you need it. Gideon was very good for me, but since it’s another five-drop and the deck has many five-drops, I would only play it as a one-of.
1 Jace Beleren:
I like this version of Jace, since it’s cheaper in mana cost and can come down before other people play the four-drop Jace. His abilities are also really good, since this deck likes to draw cards. I’ve not used the ultimate ability yet with this deck, but I can see it happening, since games with this deck can sometimes go long. There are games where you drop a fast Baneslayer and win, but every game is different and you need to play as best as you can. This deck isn’t like Jund, where you can make ten play mistakes on a regular basis and still win.
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor:
This Jace is really good, as everyone knows. I’ve not too much to say about it, other than it combos well with Lilana Vess since you can bounce a guy and make him discard it if they have no other cards in hand; tutor up a card with Vess and then Brainstorm to draw it; or combo nicely with Marsh Flats to shuffle away the cards you don’t want.
1 Liliana Vess:
I like Vess because I do have a few one-ofs in the deck, and it is nice to tutor for what you need. It is also another massive card advantage card that shines in Control on Control match-ups.
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant:
I added Elspeth after the tournament, since the planeswalkers were really good for me, and Elspeth was good against me so I figured to add it in. Elspeth makes the Jund match-up better, since it is another main deck answer to their man lands. Remember, if you need the extra mana, you can make a guy then Path it.
Removal and Other
We have a good amount of removal in the deck, and it comes from varied forms, which I really like. The list currently has:
2 Day of Judgment:
Day is good in almost any match-up, except random ones such as Time Sieve combo.
3 Path to Exile, 3 Oblivion Ring, and 1 Martial Coup:
Used in many different ways.
Aside from that, many other cards work in many different scenarios. Let’s take a look at the sideboarding plans:
-2 Day of Judgment
-3 Path to Exile
-1 Consuming Vapors
-1 Rise from the Grave
-1 Martial Coup
-2 Baneslayer Angel
+3 Duress
+2 Haunting Echoes
+1 Jace Beleren
+4 Kor Firewalker
In this match-up, we bring in ten cards with only six of them being really good. However, the match-up with this deck is in your favor. Game 1 is rough, as you have a good amount of cards that basically do nothing against them. After board, you get more discard and Haunting Echoes, which is game breaking, with the fourth Jace coming in too. You want to bring in the Kor Firewalkers so you have more pressure. In this match-up, you want to stop the Howling Mine, and you have a few ways to do it. You just need to get a Duress, Oblivion Ring, or Negate and things should be fine. I thought about bringing in Celestial Purge against their Time Sieve, but I think that is too narrow.
Jund
Your match-up against Jund is good. Game 1, aside from when they get a nut draw on the play, you should win. Their only really chance besides that is by winning with man lands, since our deck only has a few instant speed removal spells game 1. You do have Oblivion Ring and Path for their Sprouting Thrinax, which is good, and lots of card drawing to combat their Blightnings.
After game 1, you want to bring in eight cards:
+4 Kor Firewalker
+2 Celestial Purge
+2 Smother
-2 Day of Judgment
-2 Negate
-3 Oblivion Ring
-1 Liliana Vess
You could change the way you sideboard against them; you might want Duress, depending on how you think they are going to board and what version of Jund they are running. Oblivion Ring should stay in if you know they have planeswalkers, so it can all change. I would suggest you board this way after game 1, and then if it goes to game 3, re-evaluate.
U/W Control
I feel this is your best match-up, since game 1 is good for you, and then after board it only gets better. Having access to Duress and Haunting Echoes in a control match-up is great, and Esper Charm really shines here. I would board like this:
+1 Jace Beleren
+3 Duress
+2 Haunting Echoes
-1 Rise from the Grave
-1 Consuming Vapors
-2 Day of Judgment
-1 Path to Exile
-1 Fieldmist Borderpost
Mono Red
This is a match-up that is rough game 1, but it gets much better after board. When I say it’s rough game 1, it basically comes down to their draw. If they win the roll and get a nut draw, you are most likely going to lose, but if their draw is just average, you can easily win since you have creature control and Baneslayer, which is game breaking. Your boarding for this match-up should look something like this:
+4 Kor Firewalker
+2 Smother
+2 Celestial Purge
-3 Oblivion Ring
-1 Mind Shatter
-1 Mind Spring
-1 Liliana Vess
-1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
This match-up is good, since their combo doesn’t even matter. Game 1 you have so many ways to either stop the combo or have an answer to it if it resolves. Then after board you get to bring in more cards that are tough for them to play against: Duress and Haunting Echoes. Here is how sideboarding should look:
+3 Duress
+2 Haunting Echoes
+1 Jace Beleren
+2 Smother
-1 Rise from the Grave
-1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
-1 Gideon Jura
-1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
-1 Liliana Vess
-1 Everflowing Chalice
-1 Baneslayer Angel
-1 Martial Coup
Again, you might want to change it up a bit and leave in the Martial Coup; it all depends on how you feel during the match.
UWR Super Friends
I think you have a good match-up against the Super Friends, due to the Black. Esper Charm, Duress, and Haunting Echoes put you over the top here. You want to bring in:
+1 Jace Beleren
+3 Duress
+2 Haunting Echoes
And maybe Smother, if you think they are bringing in Meddling Mage.
Mythic Bant
This deck is just another creature deck, which is good for us. You want to bring in:
+2 Smother
+1 Day of Judgment
+1 Jace Beleren
-1 Rise from the Grave
-1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
-1 Mind Shatter
-1 Liliana Vess
In conclusion, it would be cool if you guys play this deck, but to be honest, a lot of you won’t. This is fine, but the ones who do decide to play the deck at Grand Prix: DC should search me out at the tournament, and ask me any questions you may have. I’ll also be looking in the forums. There is a good chance I’ll play this at the GP.
Thanks for reading!
Gerard