[MTG] Budget Esper Control

[Kenny_C.002]

I've been running this on mtgo lately as a budget deck (costed about 4 tickets online, IRL it would cost about 10 bucks at most, with only 3 uncommons and 3 dollar rares). This is the rough outline for this standard legal deck post rotation (and unlikely to change...):

Creatures
4 Sanctum Gargoyle
2 ethersworn shieldmage
3 esperzoa (uncommon)
2 Parasitic strix
3 tidehollow strix
2 Faerie Mechanist
3 Glassdust Hulk

Spells
3 scourglass (rare)
4 executioner's capsule
3 conjurer's capsule
1 dispeller's capsule
2 Agony Warp
2 Essence scatter
2 cancel

Lands
3 esper panorama
3 terramorphic expanse
8 island
5 plains
5 swamp

Sideboard:
2 Agony warp
4 Duress
1 conjurer's capsule
4 doom blade
1 essence scatter
2 negate
1 tidehollow strix

This is a pretty decent starter deck into how control works, I think, so I'll just leave it at that. Have fun pwning newbies with this. :3

Modifications: Shieldmages are possible cards to add, but they tend to be redundant late game. Glassdust hulks can win you games alone, but I tend not to rely on him much because he's got a hefty mana cost for a deck that wants to play mostly EOT spells. it's not as good as poor man's faeries in terms of aggressiveness combined with control, though.

 

[kohei]

How much would Tidehollow Scullers cost?
They're awesome, to a point being a near necessity in Esper colored decks. Hand removal and a bear rolled in one is never bad.

Also I maybe thinking too much of Esper Beatdown, but is the "standard" Esper setup of 17 lands and 8 Borderposts alright in this?

Plus, Borderposts + Thopter Foundry + Glassdust Hulk/Glaze Fiend creates explosive damage, too good to pass down.

 

[Kenny_C.002]

Scullers are dollar uncommons, so I didn't include them. They are viable as creatures though. The only real issue with these guys is that duress is better for the most part, since scullers doesn't take away the card permanently (only until opponent has removal). For the most part I find duress better suited for the job. Oh do note that scullers are better in the beatdown decks than duress. :3

I try to keep CIPT stuff at the minimum specifically because the cost of CIPT is a bit high when you need to hit 2 mana on turn 2 to counter some nasty creature to slow down bleeding, and doesn't permit T1 duress.

Esper beatdown is an interesting idea. I think that you'd want to have ~4 borderposts for that case, since you'd really want to curve out with homoculus --> T2 creature --> T3 creature.

Glassdust hulk is more of a midrange card IMO. If you want to go esper midrange, 4-6 borderposts with a set up similar to what I have would be pretty good. :)

 

[DonRoyale]

Are you unable to run Arcane Sanctum, or is it that you can't afford it?

Panoramas are a bit meh imo. The Sanctums would do much better...and they're even worth buying the structure deck for if you ask me; because, IIRC, you get two of the tri-lands in them, plus all the other stuff you might find use for, in this deck or elsewhere.

 

[Kenny_C.002]

Trilands cost nearly a dollar, so I took that into consideration for building the deck. The major problem with trilands is simply the fact that they enter the battlefield tapped. First turn's ok, but from 2nd to about 6th turn, you need the mana from your land drops in order to not stay behind. If I were to run them, I'd run them as a 2-of.

The deck was originally a pauper deck, which is why it ran such weird cards. XD