Beast, this deck is great. I beat the AI for my daily 100 and 60 gold 2:0 and it took me just 1 hour!

This has been doing ok :

Esper Big Butt Fliers, A megabeast of a dec.

1 x Jace, vryn's prodigy
2 x Reprisal
3 x telling time
1 x disperse
3 x reave soul

4 x Eldrazi Skyspawner
2 x Scatter to the winds
3 x Read the Bones
1 x Roil Spout

1 x Kytheon's Irregulars
1 x Languish
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

1 x Disciple of the Ring
2 x Guardian of Tazeem
2 x Planar Outburst
2 x Angelic Edict
1 x Ob nixilis Reignited

2 x Drowner of Hope
1 x Kothophed, Soul Hoarder

1 x Emeria Shepherd

3 x plains
3 x islands
3 x swamps
2 x vents
2 x stream
2 x hollow
2 x catacomb
2 x chapel
2 x fortress
4 x wilds



Basically this deck can play the control game or can ramp into t4 5 drop vs decks that might not be prepared for it /ramp it's been tested for a game or 10 and it performs pretty well. You have early removal and bodies to delay aggro; and your later drops just dominate them; Ramp has difficulty dealing with your big guys that can come in before the Moss on the play. Would prefer to be casting Dragonlord Ojutai over Guardian of Tazeem though

So, I'm trying to plan my Esper deck ready for the update. Here's the list so far (assuming we get all the cards, which at this point I think just Void Shatter is the only TBC):

Planeswalkers (4)
1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Jace, Unraveler of Secrets

Creatures (8)
2 x Thing in the Ice
2 x Gilt-Leaf Winnower
1 x Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 x Oblivion Sower
1 x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
1 x Archangel Avacyn

Spells (20)
3 x Telling Time
3 x Void Shatter
3 x Inspiration
2 x Scatter to the Winds
2 x Oblivion Strike
2 x Anguished Unmaking
2 x Planar Outburst
2 x Celestial Flare
1 x Declaration in Stone

25 Land

Leaving 3 spaces free.

So looking at the removal/counter package, a lack or permanents rules out Angelic Purge. Celestial Flare I feel is still a must to deal with Gaea/Crusher, while still being effective in other situations. I've contemplated Grasp of Darkness but that double is a little off putting, though I may still opt into a pair. I'm also not sure on whether to include Languish: I guess with vamps and humans being more viable we're going to see more wide boards, but I'm expecting to see more ramp than anything else. In an ideal world it would be in the sideboard. It also doesn't play well with TitI.

Creature wise Avacyn made the cut despite the fact I'm unlikely to transform her all that often. 4/4 Flash, Flying, Vigilance for 5 is too good to pass up. I'm on the fence about Kalitas: my removal is mainly exile/counter based but at worst it's still a Rhox War Monk.

I'm taking Inspiration as my second draw spell over the other options because it's instant and there is a decent element of draw-go to the deck.

Other considerations have been:

Epiphany: it just seems so win more. By the time you're investing enough mana to make it relevant you should be winning anyway. It wants to be DTT, but comes up way short.

Broken Concentration. Madness is barely relevant to this deck, but a 3 CMC unconditional counter is still nice. I'm already running 5 such spells though and I think there needs to be a balance between removal/counter/draw and I think I'm in a nice place with the current mix.

Going Abzan and giving this up entirely. Sigh.

Is Reflector Mage not coming to Duels? Because that card would be a perfect fit for the deck...

I have my doubts that we're getting Reflector Mage, but even if we did, it's more of a tempo play. I'd rather just remove the threat entirely.

I'm thinking I might fall back on Part the Waterveil ATM. There's a part of me that wants to run Behold the Beyond just to have a tutor, but I thought better of it.

Nice

I'd barely change anything, maybe the Inspirations for another thing, I hate them, pretty overcosted...Pore over the pages is much better imo, even as a sorcery...just cast it with 6 mana...btw, I don't like all your counters being UU, I'd really put the shrivels back instead of shatters...Scatters are nice for the previsible Vents

And definitely one Drowner for a Winnower

Good news Esper fans

these colors are OP

Oath of Jace and Anguished Unmaking put it over the top.

if you live past the 4th turn it is kinda like playing Tron.

-f

Seeing some cheesey synergy between

Sphinx's Tutelage

And

Forgotten Creation

Might try and test it in my esper mill/control decks.

I wouldn't even go that far.

There are many more mana efficient ways to mill cards and to select the ones you need to kill whatever the other person does.

I love sweepers so much I splash red only for Radiant Flames and better draws/

Oath of Jace is so good! I've had games where I'd have 1-2 planeswalkers in play and just locking my opponent out of the game by consistently drawing into gas. Jumped up to rank 40 with this Esper Control build, GXx Eldrazi Ramp and UR Prowess/Thopters.

To be fair I only tried it out in 1 game in my mill deck, but I was very willing to take out forgotten creation when it sat in my hand for multiple turns till I didn't want to use my mama for anything else, but at that point it was 1 of 3 cards in hand haha

Yep, seeing that now that I've played it lol.

New Jace, Unraveler of Secrets is definitely a really nice addition though.

This is probably the best Almost-Superfriends deck I have done

Flickr Friends

1 x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
3 x Telling Time
2 x Thing in the Ice
2 x Declaration in Stone
3 x Disperse
2 x Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim

1 x Wild-Field Scarecrow
2 x Anguished Unmaking
1 x Lily
2 x Oath of Jace
2 x Call the Gatewatch
3 x Reflector mage

2 x Languish
1 x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 x Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
1 x Archangel Avacyn
2 x Planar Outburst
1 x Possessed Skaab

1 x Linvala, the Preserver
1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis

3 x Plains
2 x Island
3 x Swamp

2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Sunken Hollow
2 x Prairie Stream
2 x Drowned Catacomb
2 x Isolated Chapel
2 x Glacial Fortress
4 x Evolving Wilds


The plan is A: to find and deploy your PWs, of course.

Plan B: play the control/beatdown/bounce plan. Disperse and Jace are awesome with Mages, Skaab, Avacyn and Linvala.

Most of the creatures are awesome per se, Kalitas (the only >2 CC without ETB effect creature) can go past Languish and dominate, also he triggers and survives Avacyn, goes well with Linvala, Oby, skaab etc

Sorin in particular has surprised me...with another PW and an Oath in the field, he tends to do absurd damage...also, Telling Times combs ok with him

I just made this and have barely played half a dozen games, but I predict this deck is at least Tier 2, if not better...feels pretty powerful

Here is an experimental build I just came up with today. I only tested it a few times and maybe I've just been lucky, but it has been performing a lot better than I expected, so I wanted to share it.


Esper Crats

Creatures (27):
2 x Hanweir Militia Captain
3 x Carrier Thrall
2 x Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
2 x Wild-Field Scarecrow
3 x Pious Evangel
4 x Eldrazi Skyspawner
3 x Nantuko Husk
3 x Whirler Rogue
2 x Smothering Abomination
1 x Archangel Avacyn
2 x Reaper of Flight Moonsilver


Other spells (8):
3 x Sinister Concoction
2 x Declaration in Stone
2 x Anguished Unmaking
1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis


Lands (25):
3 x Plains
2 x Island
4 x Swamp
2 x Sunken Hollow
2 x Prairie Stream
2 x Westvale Abbey
2 x Drowned Catacomb
2 x Isolated Chapel
2 x Glacial Fortress
4 x Evolving Wilds



This build is still very clunky but I think it has potential. Its main problem right now I think is the manabase, although so far it has been running OK. Whirler Rogue is a great card in this shell and to a lesser extent so is Eldrazi Skyspawner but I'm not totally sure yet if it's worth going three colors just for those two.

Reaper of Flight Moonsilver is a card that I think has potential in a crats list, but it requires you to have delirium online. For this reason I am running Sinister Concoction which I think is a good card regardless of whether or not you are going for the delirium plan. However since this is not enough to enable delirium consistently, I am also running 2 copies of Wild-Field Scarecrow which I think is a very meh card, although it does help fix our mana. If you can get delirium online though Reaper is a better alternative to Nantuko Husk in the late game as it has built-in evasion and thus does not necessarily rely on Rogue to close the game.

What I think makes the deck really interesting is that it can basically win simply in a go wide strategy and if necessary switch to a crats strategy at any point in the game.

Wincons for the go wide strategy are Hanweir Militia Captain and Westvale Abbey. What's great about these cards is that they also synergize towards their own win condition and also can help for the crats strategy. I was especially surprised by Hanweir Militia Captain as once transformed it works just as well as Husk with Whirler Rogue.

For the crats strategy the usual Nantuko Husk and Reaper of Flight Moonsilver are the obvious wincons and we can use Smothering Abomination to dig for some cards when we run out of gas.

Pious Evangel is I think the central card of the deck as it is great in both strategies. You can just leave it face up to profit from a lot of lifegain just by playing your token generating creatures, and when the time is right you can flip it and go for the sac plan. I thought it was a bit too expensive and required a bit too much work to flip, but by playing this deck I realized that its face up side is also very valuable and there is no urge to flip it. Really awesome card all around.

If you have any suggestions or advice to improve this deck, please let me know.

Edit: Swapped 1 Liliana for 1 Skyspawner to ease the mana requirements a little bit. is hard to get in the early game and Liliana doesn't do too much for this deck anyway.

Here's the Esper control deck I have been having some good results rank 9 so far.

2 Glacial Fortress
2 Isolated Chapel
2 Shambling Vent
9 Island
5 Swamp
5 Plains

2 Thing in Ice
1 Jace, Vyrn's Prodigy
2 Gilt-leaf Winnomer
1 Archangel Avacyn
1 Oblivion Sower
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 Reflector Mage

2 Planar Outburst
2 Languish
3 Telling Time
3 Inspiration
3 Spell Shrivel
2 Scatter to the Winds
1 Ob Nixlis Reignited
1 Jace, unraveler of secrets
1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
1 Gideon Ally of Zendikar
2 Celestial Flare
2 Anguished Unmaking
2 Declration in Stone

Speaking of superfriends, that last campaign battle was a blast. I played against a guy who tried building it and totally ran over those useless oaths

I am getting close to the right list which i shall post at the proper time.

turns out Declaration in Stone is a very good card despite being a sorcery.

I have 5 slots for 2 drop white removal cards

going with 2 Gideon's Reproach 1 Celestial Flare and 2 Declaration in Stone

trying to see if the new jace is worth a 5 drop spot. my favorite card Disciple of the Ring is bugged now.
I really think they hosed her intentionally. she was the best control card in the game and an amazing finisher.

New Jace is 100% worth it in control running Blue, been an absolute superstar in my Jeskai and Azorius builds. Regarding the removal package though, I'm not sure if it's worth swapping Flare for Reprisal. There's a lot of aggro pumping to 4 power/going tall atm, so the card has gained more value than it did in BFZ where it's only targets were Hexproof (also said targets are now heavily beaten by this aggro/midrange meta).

I'm curious to see everyone's Esper lists, I haven't found one I'm happy with atm. Just feels like nerfed Abzan (less wincons) or nerfed Jeskai (slower clock, less use for TITI). Tried coming up with something with Rabble last night and just though "this list is better as Orzhov/Dimir", adding the third color just because made the decks weaker.

As per the discussion of the value of Thought Harvester, a deck. Not sure about the proper mana base yet, suggestions are welcome. I do know this deck probably wants at least 25 lands, being effectively 4 color.

Esper Processors

1 x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2 x Declaration in Stone
2 x Alchemist's Vial
2 x Spatial Contortion
2 x Bearer of Silence
2 x Dimensional Infiltrator

2 x Matter Reshaper
2 x Eldrazi Displacer
2 x Anguished Unmaking
2 x Wasteland Strangler
3 x Eldrazi Skyspawner

3 x Ulamog's Nullifier
2 x Thought-Knot Seer
2 x Thought Harvester

2 x Reality Smasher
2 x Ulamog's Reclaimer
1 x Jace, Unraveler of Secrets

1 x Endbringer


The idea is to make use of the plentiful exile effects in the deck to process for value. There are several interesting ETB processors that can combo off with Eldrazi Displacer for truly crazy shenanigans, as long as there are cards in opponent's exile.

That's pretty cool. I want to test this later.. it's a totally different direction than I went.

I wish there were more hours in the day.