Esper Walkers Historic

Best of One, JUN 2020

Overview: 

At its heart, this is an Esper Control deck that a bit more in line with the 'draw, go' control playstyle than the 'tap out' control decks. I say a bit, becase we do run a high number of powerful planeswalkers which usually mean tapping all, or most of our mana on a particular turn. We normally win the game with 2+ planeswalkers out on the board, as many decks have a hard time overcoming that boardstate. This deck, while powerful, is not necessarily easy to play. Control decks usually do better with a strong understanding of the meta, and knowing what needs to be answered, when, and how, will determinet he matchups. If you misuse a card like Syncopate on something that doesn't really need to be exiled, only to have a card like Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath resolve, that can be the end of the game in all honesty. Likewise, even using something like Agonizing Remorse early in the game and grabbing the incorrect threat can cost you. If the opponent has Unburial Rites and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger in hand, which do you take? Do you disrupt the enabler (Rites, as it can do the thing twice) or the target? The answer will change based on where you are in the game and what you have availalbe to you, but in a deck like our one small play like that can mean in the game. Patience, planning, and playtesting are the key to success with this deck. You may win some games quickly or early on if folks just scoop to a Teferi that stays around for a turn, but there will be games that go long and you need to be patient and have a plan for those, as we don't really have a way to pressure life totals outside of Zombie Tokens. 

As the meta shifts and changes, I will try and compile a list of decks that we have favorable or unfavorable matchups against, and some tips for those matchups. Remember this is for Best of One in its current form, so if you are playing Best of Three that may look a little different. 

Unfavorable Matchups:

Field of the Dead: Any variety of this deck is a very very bad matchup for us. The only way we really win this is by getting Teferi, Hero of Dominaria or Liliana, Dreadhorde General to ult, and that doesn't really happen fast enough to get under Field decks. One of the challenges is they can play something like Growth Spiral, and you don't really want to counter it, but the extra lands are their wincon. Most versions I have run into are Bant decks, which means they pack their own Teferi package and Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath as well. I think in Bo3 we would adjust or sideboard to better the matchup, but in Bo1 we are just not equipped for this. 

Mono Red (Fast Version): The fast versions of mono red can usually get under us and then apply burn spells to close out the game, even after we slow them down a bit. There isn't really much we can do about this, and this matchup alone is one of the reasons why I am trying to see if Oath of Kaya may have a place somewhere in the deck. 

Neutral/Push Patchups:

Nexus of Fate decks: I haven't seen this matchup enought to confidantly evaluate it. 

WUB Reanimator: This is a good deck because its almost a mirror: they have all the good removal/card draw we do, but the threats are a creature package (namely Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger) instead of planeswalkers. If you can exile that, or Unburial Rites there isn't much they can do to us, but that is a huge IF given the other spells in their deck. 

UB Tempo/Flash: If we can resolve a Teferi, Time Raveler we usually win. If we can't, they ususally win. Kinda fits the push theme perfectly. 

Favorable Matchups: 

W, UW, Tempered Steel: Maybe I've jsut been a bit lucky, but I have run over this deck just about every time I've played it. The play pattern is usually very predicatble; run out as many artifact creatures as possible before T3 or T4, then try to resolve Tempered Steel. The advantage we have is a lot of ways to interact early, whether through removal spells, Agonizing Remorse to rip TS from their hand, and enough counterspells to be pretty comfortable. The threats in this deck are Stonecoil Serpent and Make a Stand, but otherwise this is not too troublesome a deck. 

U Treasure Hunt: I've seen this a lot the past week (JUN 2020) and its a fun-looking deck. It seems to run1-2 copies of Treasure Hunt and 1 Thassa's Oracle in an effor to combo win on T4. With counterspells and hand disruption I've shredded this deck, but I could see how this deck could snatch a game if you dont have one of those two ways to stop it in time. 

B Zombies: Get rid of Cryptbreaker before it can start drawing cards and counter Murderous Rider to protect our walkers and the rest of this matchup is pretty smooth. 

Changes

This section will chronicle changes made to the deck as new cards and sets become available.

Deck Tech Breakdown 

The Walkers: 

Kaya has proven to be a great card in the deck. In Esper control decks I have built in the past I've gone back and forth on whether to include this card, and given the current environment it has more than earned its place in the deck. Being able to take care of Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath and Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger before they can escape is great, and exiling cards in the yard feels fine at worst and can be backbreaking in some matchups (looking at you Lurrus of the Dream Den ). Even the -1 ability has proven to be extremely useful, going after key cards like Cauldron Familiar and Witch's Oven in the sacrifice matchups. 

Narset is great card advantage in control decks, and I have played this card in most control decks I have built since its release. The only time I have not been happy with this card is when it draws past the 1 creature in the deck (ususally God-Eternal Kefnet or Dream Trawler ) and that just feels awful. For this deck we drop the creatures and instead focus on Liliana, Dreadhorde General as the finisher/win-con. 

I don't think either Teferi needs much introduction or explanation, but just in case there are new players looking around, here is why this card is in the deck: its one of the most meangingful control pieces to resolve, as it completey shuts out opposing instants. If this resolves and sticks around, all your other walkers will be able to land and at least get 1 ability off before the opponent can respond. This also does a great job of managing the board, whether that is boucning an opposing creature/artifact/enchantment, or even bouncing one of our own. Drawing a card off the bounce is great as well, as we win by drawing/seeing more of our deck than the opponents. 

Another all-time control piece. Draws cards: check. Bounces pesky permanents: check. Can untap two lands (which ususally means we have a spell we can use): bonus. Can be an alternative win con: yes, technically, with the emblem (but no one really wants to play that game out). I did not play this card when it was in stadard because I thought it was too strong for its environment, but I have to say it feels damn good to play this card now. 

This is how we win the game. A ton of zombies, an emblem, and away we go. The fact Liliana's zombies draw a card on the way out is incredible, and is comparable to Ugin, the Ineffible in that regard. The -4 is strong too, as it gets around creatures you wouldn't want to target or deal damage to (think Bonecrusher Giant, Ulamong, the Ceasleess Hunger, Phyrexian Obliterator to name a few). Though we have no creatures in the deck, even if we have to use this while our zombies are on the board, we at least get to draw cards from it while the opponent does not. 

The Spells: 

For a long time this was Thought Erasure. With the number of things that need to be exiled to be truly answered, this felt like the correct choice, but I could be talked in to either (Surveil on TE is super useful, to maybe it should be a split). This being more forgiving on our mana, especially on T2, does matter. In any matchup where there is not a creature threatening the board, this is usually a strong T2 play. This is also infinitely more fun to cast off a +1 from Teferi, as it becomes an instant speed version of this effect which can just break an opponent's turn. I think there is also something to be said for Specter's Shriek in this regard, but I don't love exiling a card from our end for a 1 mana discount. 

This has just been so much more useful than other common counterspells and I have been thouroughly impressed by it. Again, exiling matters and this does exactly that. It scales well (compared to things like Spell Pierce or Quench) so even if you draw it later in the game you can force an opponent into an uncomfortable position if they want/need to resolve what they are casting. This is quickly creeping up the list of my favorite counters, not just for this deck but in general. 

Sometimes you just need a good hard counter. Of the cards available in the format, I think this probably the best option, but I wouldn't fault you for running Sinister Sabotage instead. I think I value the card draw from cycling this just slightly more than Surveiling a card. 

Half-counter spell, half removal, and only cost two mana (works well after a Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, yes please! You don't really want this in your opening hand, but once you get about 3 cards in your opponent's graveyard this is fantastic. One thing to watch out for is the interaction with Kaya, Orzhov Usurper, Agonizing Remorse and Syncopate, as the exile will count against the number in the yard. This hasn't really been a significant problem, but something to keep in mind nonetheless. 

Prime removal. I need to test (craft, then test) this with Cast Down to see which I prefer, though I expect this to be the best removal for its rate in this format. Being able to remove counters has not come into play much, but any spell that has options or modes will have my attention. 

Surprisingly good card. Being able to bounce a creature, regardless of CMC, can make all the difference in the world to a control deck. Sometimes you really might need just one more turn, and bouncing a creature to counter it later, or to get one more loyalyty activation on a planeswalker can be the key to a game, and this can buy you that time. Additionally, it just feels good to destroy the Theros Titans or a Hydroid Krasis with this. 

JUNE 2020: I moved one copy to the main deck (switched out one copy of Heartless Act) to make room for this. Lately I've wanted just a tiny bit more coverage for non-creature permanents, like Shrines and Planeswalkers that resolve. It feels good so far, as it gives us a way to remove those things that doesnt stick around (when we cast Banishing Light on something, that can be removed and they get the permanent back. 

This could, and probably should, be Shatter the Sky. I dont have the wild cards currently to craft that, and there are times I don't want to give the opponent a bunch of cards if they have creatures that trigger Shatter. Either way I think you want the sweeper at 4 mana, as you might not make it to T5 for a Time Wipe or Cleansing Nova. 

The Enchantments:

This is usually our best way to deal with a planeswalker. As we are not playing a ton of counters, there is a chance our opponent can resolve them, and this is the best way to lock them down. Same can be done for other pesky permanents (industructable, things you dont want in their graveyard) and is just a fantastic upgrade from something like Conclave Tribunal or Prison Realm. 

 Another card that doesn't need much introduction, but for anyone new to the format or the game, this card should be in almost every control deck. This comes down early, smooths out your draws, and once you flip it, it becomes a great card advantage piece that is very difficult to remove. Being able to active this twice in the late game (once on your turn, then untap with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, means you should be able to find an answer to almost anything most of the time. 

A Note on Lands:

There are many do-a-thing lands you could put into the deck, but I would recommend keeping that number small. You really want lands that produce two colors, and after you have those set in place you want a few basics too just in case you get hit with something like Assassin's Trophy or Field of Ruin. I have settled on Mystic Sanctuary as getting a spell of choice back on top of the graveyard is great, and because I dont have the wild cards to craft the Castle Lands. The Castles are all very good in this deck, so any of those would be a good addition. Field of Ruin feels great when you see someone going for Field of the Dead or Maze's End, but otherwise does not impress, and I am not sure it is worth a spot in the main deck it. 

Sideboard Considerations

While this is a deck I primarily play in Best of One, it is a control deck and more easily adapted to Best of Three than some other decks. I will include a list of sideboard effects and spells that fall under those effects for those interested in building out a sideboard. This is a ROUGH DRAFT of the sideboard: the meta and your own prefernces will dictate what you play here and in what numbers, but highlighting the kinds of effects I want in the tool kit for G2 and G3"

This is great at shutting down opposing decks that want to go off and saves us from burning a bunch of counters in a back and forth. It can also serve as a check to opposing counterspells, as if they cast a non-creature spell and we cast any counter, they can't respond. Just be careful, this hits our side as well so don't overreach. 

Ends counter-wars pretty fast (unless someone is packing Narset's Reversal). Its a good 2 mana counter spell and we are in white and have access to it, so might as well run it. 

Extremely efficient removal for what it targets. Especially in decks that are trying to ramp out big threats, we may not get to some of our other removal and having this available early and at instant speed is awesome. 

If we are in the mirror, or any deck playing blue, this should probably come in. Being able to get under a T2 Uro is very nice and even if you end up casting it for 3 on another spell it can still do work. Running this along with Syncopate gives a lot of good coverage. 

Field of the Dead just exists so...

Nexus of Fate just exists so...

We have some other sweepers, and with Teferi, Time Raveler they can be at instant speed as well. The key here is the ability to exile, as it gets around indestructible or graveyard recursion. You don't necessarily want to give your opponents lands, but sometimes this is the best option to make it to the late game. 

Hits decks, exiles graveyard, and prevents searching (dont sac Fabled Passage if this is out) and comes down early. Ashiok, Nightmare Muse is a good card, but I'm not sure its good enough for the deck and I like the versatility on little Ashiok. 

Current control creature of choice (though if Torrential Gearhulk ends up coming back please tell it I called). After G1 where we strand creature removal in their hand, a lot of it will get boarded out (especially sweepers) so this is usually safe in G2 and G3 and can really just close a game by drawing a bunch of cards, brigning life total back up, and thats all we can ask for. 

Maybeboard, Wishlist, and Subs

In this section I will list other cards that may fit well into this deck. Right now, this is the deck I have based on cards I have. I am working on building the wild card haul to open more brewing options for the deck, and cards I am curious about playing in this archetype will be listed below. 

I absolutely love this card, and it is probably closest to taking a spot in the deck when I have some wildcards to spare. Replacing one Liliana with this would be ideal I think. The ability to destroy permaments (not just creatures) is great, and it is easier to cast. The ability to know what card will go to your hand on blocks (comparing Ugin's tokens dying to Liliana's) is worth noting as well. 

This seems like another card that would have a high chance of making its way into the deck given how many plansewalkers we run. Some cards look great in Standard but don't necessarily make the cut in Historic, and I think this one is definitely strong enough to make the jump, I'm just not sure what it would replace in the deck as it stands. 

Another really versatile spell. A bit of removal, a bit of life gain, gives us a good body, and mills. I'm not as high on the mill mode as some other players, and I still don't know if it is correct to mill ourselves ever really, but even if we completely ignore that mode, the rest of the card is good enough to be in the deck.

Maybe the best planeswalker removal available inthe format, but my hesitation to include this is strictly based on its interaction, or lackthereof, with Narset, Parter of Veils. Narset can't grab this, and if it gets put down at the bottom of the library it is very difficult to recover from (we lose a prime piece of removal and a body that can gain some life back). Paying BB1 on T3 might be a little greedy for this deck, but my realy concern would be wheeling this when we might otherwise need it. 

VS

Instant speed exile, particularly of a planeswalker, is very powerful. Eat is easier to cast and basically has surveil, Contempt gains life. I'm not sure which is better, I'm not sure either of these is better than having Banishing Light. I think I would lean more towards Eat to Extinction than Vraska's Contempt, but I'm still not sure if they make the deck. 

Strong card is strong. Removes someting, slows them down a turn, returns (planeswalker usually) a threat for us. I think this may be a little slow for Historic however, and I think this is less appealing when you are not bouncing it with something like Yorion, Sky Nomad. 

The appeal here is that it stops additional copies of something coming down (unlike Banishing Light), the trade-off is being one turn slower. Not sure about the cost-benefit there, maybe a split is in order. 

These cards all make the maybe list because they are modal spells in our colors. Options are best in control decks like this. Thassa's Intervention is a nice piece of additional counter magic or some card advantage, and while it is probably the most braodly useful in this deck I think it is the least interesting. Erebos's Intervention does a nice job of some really important effects, destroying a creature, gaining life, and exiling cards from opposing graveyards. Since most of what we want falls into those categories, this can be great. It scales nicely to big creatures or indestructible threats. Heliod's Intervention is on this list because artifacts and enchantmets can be a probelm, especially with the Shines deck running around. Gaining double life doesn't hurt either, as it can almost reset the game for us. 

I absolutely adore this card and so so want to find a space for it in the deck. I'm not quite sure if it is strong enough given the current state of the meta, and I don't know what I would take out to include this, but damn do I want to cast this once a game. 

A recurring theme with some options in this list, gives us creatures/threats without being a creature (which means we can hit it with Narset, Parter of Veils. The cycling is great too, as this card is never truly dead in hand.

 Another card that is good but maybe not good enough (but could take a spot in the 80-card Yorion, Sky Nomad version of this deck). Its probably a little too slow given the current meta, but as a late game you can start ripping their creatures away to play whenever, as long as you have enough other removal or disruption to keep their board empty. 

This might look crazy, but I think a 1 of might actually work. Its not impossible we deck ourselves, as a late game Liliana might not get to ultimate before we are out of cards. It also brings everything back into the library, so we get back any fallen planeswalkers and all of our spells. Given how quickly things like Narest, Parter of Veils and Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin can churn through our library, resetting the deck doesnt really slow down our ability to see good cards. 

I know, I know, this probably is not a good card...but maybe it is. Maybe just a 1 of, maybe just a sideboard piece, but I would love for this to work. Being able to counter a non-creature spell, then untap lands for another spell or Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin activation sounds great, but maybe that is just wishful thinking. 

I love this card and have fond memories of winning with this a few times. We normally win in the late game anyway, so X=10 is not out of the question for us. 

I think tutors can be incredibly powerful, and it might be worth a 1 of if you want to be able to grab that 'perefect answer' card in a pinch. I'm a little concerned about 2BB in the CMC to go get what you need, and taking a turn off (ususally) to go get what you want or need. That being said, if you are playing Best of Three, having a card like this can help you steal G1. If you can steal G1 you are in a great position, as decks like this ususally have very good matchuhps after sideboarding.

VS

These both feel strong, but I don't know that they are quite good enough to push something out of the deck as it stands. We have enough planeswalkers to reliably cast these, but its not a guarantee every single game every single time we want to cast one. Urza's Ruinous Blast does wonders at exiling things, but it doesn't exile everything, and thats kind of a problem. Plansewalkers, shrines, and opposing legendaries would all be left behind and I just dont think its good enough. Karn's Temporal Sundering is great, and I think the more likely of the two to work in the deck as is, but I still dont know it would be good enough to run. I dont know what I would take out to make room for it, and at the 6-drop I would think removing a Liliana (or Ugin if added) would be in order to keep the curve as-is, and I just dont know if this is better than either of those cards. 

Thoughts on Some Creatures

I go back and forth on whether to include some of the creatures availabe in these colors into the deck. My hesitation is two fold: one, I don't want to turn on opposing removal, and two, Narset, Parter of Veils skips past creatures and that feels so bad when it happens, because they go to the bottom of the library, and don't get shuffled back in. With that in mind, here are some creatures I would consider if I was partial to a creature or two:

If we are going to run a creature in this deck, might as well be this one right? We don't play any of the fun ways to get thise out early, but casting this late in the game wraps most games up pretty quickly. 

I think this card got over-looked while it was in Standard, and while I did play it quite a bit most times I got it on board people just scooped, so I don't know if this can muscle through opposition. The stats are no joke at 7/7 flying and can turn hexproof (at a cost), but its certainly not removal proof and I don't know if it packs the same punch as other control cards, particulalry when it hits the board. 

This is a low-key powerhouse. Great at eating an attacker, becoming unblockable on the crackback, draws cards, and is recursive if it gets destroyed or discarded/milled. You could do a lot worse for a finisher, and I would love to see this card get more credit and attention. 

This is what I have run for my control creature since it was released. The ability to copy spells is just insane, and this card is resistant to removal. It also comes down earlier than most control creatures would be able to, so even if it just slows down some attackers it more than pulls its weight.  

I know some past control decks have enjoyed this in the sideboard for G2 and G3 as a finisher, and it is a very powerful card. I think the lifegain is good and the stats are great as long as we can keep the opposing creature count low, but I think there are some other cards (mostly the cards above on this list) that are slightly better for a control deck like we have when it comes to working well with what we are already doing as opposed to just being a good card in the deck.  

I don't think I have enough rare wild cards to make a good 80 card deck, but this creature would allow most of the cards on the wishlist to find a spot in the deck somewhere, and the creature hangs out in the companion zone (away from removal/interaction) for as long as we'd like. This may be worth exploring as my collection gets stronger, and once I can justify a good 80 cards I think I will try this out. 

Thinking About the Future

If and when things like Amonket Remastered and Pioneer make their way to Arena, I don't know if Historic will stay its own format or if it will be absorbed into something bigger. Either way, there are several cards to keep an eye out for should those changes start to happen. 

This is probably the first thing I would craft upon release. It's been a staple of control decks for me since it was printed, and I would happily slot 1 copy of this straight into the main deck. This blanks a lot of removal, makes use out of opposing creatures that we have already removed, and drains the opponent directly.

This might actually be my favorite counterspell, and is probably on my short list for favorite card. In Pioneer I actually run this instead of Narset, Parter of Veils because this can draw any creature you may hit (in Esper Control, think Dream Trawler, The Scarab God, or Torrential Gearhulk) and it can grab lands if you need to get to one. Making an opponet pay 3 is also no small amount, especially later in games when they are trying to resolve a high CMC card themselves. Love this card, really hoping to see it on Arena soon. 

If its not Supreme Will for my top counterspell, it may be Censor. The cycling on this is huge, as it means even if you can't make them pay you can do something with the card, and the low cost of cycling means you can usually cast something after. I will also say, it feels oh so good to watch someone tap out and hit them with this. I don't know that it would automatically make its way into the mainboard, but it would absolutley be in consideration from the outset. 

This card can turn the game on its head as soon as X > 4. That is a lot of discard or sacrifice (or damage), and its been my experience that once you get to a point in the game where X would be lethal, we've done a good job of removing permanents for them to sacrifice and they have 1, maybe 2 cards in hand but not much more. An absolutely great late game card that doges removal (unlike a big planeswalker finisher). 

Please give me this card back. Anoter great control wincon that is extremely difficult to interact with. Given our ability to churn through our deck, tuking this 7 cards down does not really slow us down, and unlike most other wincons, this says YOU WIN THE GAME outright.

I don't know if Kaladesh was coded into Arean or if it would be added in as its own release or part of a greater Pioneer movement, but as soon as this card is available I am crafting it. Buying back a counter spell or removal spell, dropping a big blocker that usually eats another creature, you really can't ask for more. There isn't much need to explain why this card saw as much play as it did during its time in Standard.

If this becomes available, I think it would replace Chemister's Insight pretty quickly for me. The Scry 2 before drawing 2 is absoutely amazing. This was one of my favorite things to flash back with Torrential Gearhulk and I would love to have this back in the deck. 

This would be a welcome addition to the collection. I am not quite as high on this card as others, but it would still check a lot of early game threats and it makes losing a plansewalker a lot less painfull, since the revolt trigger means we can move up the CMC a bit. 

New Set Possibilities

As new sets become availbable, I will continue to re-evaluate the deck from the current build to see what may earn a spot in the deck or on the Watchlist. I will try and list the new cards against cards I think they may replace when possible, and list them with ideas or potential swaps otherwise. 

M21: 

VS

The biggest chance to make the deck as it currently stands (and based on cards revealed to date) goes to Te4eri. We lose out on an instant in the deck, but our card advantage engines that care about card type (Narset, Parter of Veils and Search for Azcanta // Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin don't restrict us to instant/sorcery, just non-creature spells. Playing this on T4, going +1 on our turn and +1 on their turn matches the card draw of Chemister's Insight, but we have to discard a card each time and we dont really benefit from cards in our own graveyard. That being said, being able to go T3feri, Te4eri, and Te5eri, sounds like a good time, and going +1 on Te4eri on our turn, then -3 on their turn, may mean all the difference in protecting another PW already on the board. 

VS VS

Ugin, the Spirit Dragon is undoubtedly powrful. The hesitation I have with including this is the mana cost (we can't ramp this out early), and the fact the minus ability will hit our permanents as well, and we need those to win. We can't really hold everything back and rely on spells until we have 9 mana. I think both Liliana, Dreadhorde General and even Ugin, the Ineffable actialy help us close games out faster, but maybe a split could work out. 

VS VS VS

This is a really tought call to make. I would say Grasp of Darkness is probably the first card out when these all match up, based on requiring BB and there are fewer things at 4 toughness with indestructible. After that, I'm honestly not sure how to rank these. Eliminate is able to grab a small PW, Cast Down can get something that gets out of hand (like an unchecked Stonecoil Serpent, and Heartless Act gets rid of creatures regardless of power, CMC, and legendary status as long as they dont have counters. 

VS

Even if Teferi, Master of Time doesn't replace CI, this almost certainly will. Drawing 3 is crazy good. I don't think Chemister's Insight survives the new set coming out, and while it has served well there are likely too many other things that are just better replacements. 

First off, I don't love the idea of giving the opponent a 4/4 flyer. Second, I don't mind it that much. Almost every removal spell we pack can take this out (even Drowned in the Loch with 0 in the GY still bops a token), and its two spells to get rid of one thing, but sometimes you just need to be able to exile something. Not sure this will stay in the deck, but I will certainly test it. 

and

Both very very good effects. Probably stick to the SB in Bo3, but that's not necessarirly a bad thing, just quite as high priority for crafting the new set.