It was my semantics bit that lost the fight. GG, WP.

Alright well I think I'll post my Esper list. I made this day one of the EMN release (because I love control , It's always my first) , I didn't want to post it earlier because I was considering to use it in the tournament ( now chances are slim) , besides the other ones are more or less the same , especially Randomnames , so here it is !

Creatures (4)

1x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
1x Disciple of the Ring
1x Linvala, the Preserver
1x Emeria Shepherd

Spells (27)

3x Blessed Alliance
2x Telling Time
1x Grasp of Darkness
1x Declaration in Stone
4x Take Inventory
2x Scatter to the Winds
2x Broken Concentration
2x Spell Shrivel
2x Murder
2x Anguished Unmaking
2x Languish
1x Confirm Suspicions
2x Planar Outburst
1x Necromantic Summons

Enchantments (1)

1x Imprisoned in the Moon

Planeswalker (3)

1x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1x Sorin, Grim Nemesis

Lands (25)

4x Plains
5x Islands
4x Swamp
2x Shamblin Vent
2x Sunken Hollow
2x Prairie Stream
2x Drowned Catacombs
2x Isolated Chapel
2x Glacial Fortress

I've played 20 games in total with this deck and have won 18 of them ( 90 percent ! )
I completely agree about taking inventory. It is one of the best cards that Esper got , draw go or not. It's not uncommon that you get to play it turn two. By turn 5 you can play both take inventory plus hold up a counter. Also comparing it to Comparative Analysis ( no pun intended), even with surge you would need 6 mana at the very best to do both a counter and Analysis. Just give this card a chance , those who doubt.

Sorcery speed...

Doesn't matter , it's worth it - plus I have plenty of instants including telling time to play in it's stead if it really bothers me, like for example on turn three I have telling time , take inventory, and spell shrivel, I will obviously not cast take inventory. It's late game value is just leagues better than any other draw option in the game. But I can tell you honestly in 20 games the sorcery speed has never been a problem.

Try it out!

1 x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
1 x Disciple of the Ring

3 x Telling Time
3 x Unsubstantiate
3 x Grasp of Darkness
2 x Declaration in Stone

4 x Spell Shrivel
3 x Murder
2 x Anguished Unmaking

1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 x Comparative Analysis
2 x Languish

2 x Planar Outburst
1 x Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited

1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis
1 x Part the Waterveil


I give most of the deck building idea to divinevert. Hats off to you sir!

Esper enchantments. This deck is kind of stupid but it doesn't fear planeswalkers. This is the decklist I submitted to enter the Steam tournament. I doubt that it is competitive, especially against mill, but it's been fun to playtest it.

2 x Dead Weight
2 x Vessel of Malignity
2 x Blessed Alliance
4 x Auramancer
2 x Imprisoned in the Moon
3 x Lunar Force
2 x Oath of Liliana
2 x Anguished Unmaking
3 x Read the Bones
1 x Liliana, the Last Hope
4 x Suppression Bonds
2 x Languish
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 x Sigil of the Empty Throne
2 x Tragic Arrogance
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis
6 x Plains
2 x Island
6 x Swamp
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Sunken Hollow
2 x Prairie Stream
4 x Evolving Wilds

Tragic arrogance and like 30 enchantments?

Yes...in testing it the conflict is pretty rare, and is usually beneficial (having them keep a creature that's locked down with an enchantment, even if they sack the other creatures with whatever enchantments are on them. If Sigil is out, Tragic Arrogance can be harmful, but if Sigil is out, you don't need Tragic Arrogance. Otherwise, the only persistent enchantments are Lunar Force and Vessel of Malignity, neither of which ever stay around for long.

The only weird conflict I had was I turned an Emeria Shepard into a land with Imprisoned in the Moon, and my opponent animated it using Planar Outburst, then on the subsequent turn cast Gisela. I cast Tragic Arrogance, choosing to keep Gisela, because I wanted to keep a different planeswalker locked down, so I thought it would sac the Imprisoned land creature. But saccing it just caused it to revert to Emeria Shepard. It probably had to do with it counting as an enchantment first and not a land creature? I don't know. Live and learn.

I think Randomnames' and Light's lists are both very good for Esper Control. Although Randomnames' I think is a bit light on spot removal, but I understand the reasoning of wanting to get a sweeper off on the curve more consistently. Still, I think cards like Declaration in Stone and Grasp of Darkness are too good not to include.

Don't really like Baby Jace either, I would definitely go with Big Jace. And I have to say I'm kinda surprised that Ulamog isn't showing up in lists anymore. Is he considered too cost-heavy to be worth it now, or what?

You have to sacrifice nonland Permanents. Imprisoned makes things land.

Okay, now that decks are revealed, I can talk about Esper again. And holy **** is it ever fun.

Creature(3)
1 x Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
1 x Disciple of the Ring
1 x Archangel Avacyn

Instant(20)
2 x Blessed Alliance
3 x Telling Time
2 x Broken Concentration
2 x Scatter to the Winds
3 x Spell Shrivel
2 x Murder
2 x Anguished Unmaking
2 x Comparative Analysis
2 x Confirm Suspicions

Sorcery(6)
2 x Declaration in Stone
2 x Languish
2 x Planar Outburst

Planeswalker(5)
1 x Liliana, the Last Hope
1 x Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 x Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
1 x Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 x Sorin, Grim Nemesis

Land(26)
2 x Plains
2 x Shambling Vent
2 x Prairie Stream
2 x Sunken Hollow
5 x Island
2 x Swamp
2 x Isolated Chapel
2 x Glacial Fortress
2 x Drowned Catacomb
1 x Westvale Abbey
4 x Evolving Wilds


I play at least 2-3 hours per day with this deck. It's a **** house. It's unbelievably fun. I was underwhelmed by much of what EMN gave us, but Blessed Alliance and Lili are great includes. Plus Disciple is back .

..and in those 2-3 hours, 4-6 games are played

As long as they are all Ws, no F's given.

Contender for best deck in duels for me. Great work Divine and the others tweaking it

It really is. You can't find an overall bad match-up for this archetype. Opponents need explosive openers AND the Esper deck to struggle with mana/flood/have the wrong answers. Before Gaea was the only thing Esper feared.. not so much now thanks to Blessed Alliance (thanks Wizards.. douche bags).

****, div, just getting a fixed disciple back is a huge upgrade to your already legit Esper deck. Add in an easier to cast celestial flare and Liliana, and I don't see how you lose to anything but mana screw and possibly some ramp with GR that can recur them if they die to BA...

I'm pretty lucky, too, considering Geistramp is, if I recall correctly, the only deck playing Gaea's Revenge.

CGB's Spirits may have some bad matchups elsewhere, but that's definitely going to be a pain, too.

SteelyDanno's delerium runs a single copy and has a bunch of recursion options to dig it back from GY on top of an Eldritch Evolution to help put the first in play. Not sure how well tuned I believe the list is in general, but that type of recursion could give control some problems. Suspect counter/draw go control will fair better against it than the tap out lists, with the ability to counter Grapples/Pulses and kill the sac target in response to Evolution.

You can't kill the sac creature in response, since the sac is part of the cost. However, if I counter Eldritch, they lose the creature and don't gain anything.