Standard: Esper Control - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

With the still recent bans on Standard, the format has opened up to new possibilities. In my last article I mentioned some decks that could take the spotlight in the format now that Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, Reckoner Bankbuster and Invoke Despair are no longer an issue.

In today's article, I bring a list that appeared more recently and that proved to be strong, the Esper Control.

But is this a good time for the Control archetype to shine again in Standard? Esper Legends, Mono-Red Aggro, Selesnya Enchantments, Orzhov Midrange, all these decks show great potential in the new Metagame, but they all also rely heavily on creatures.

And Esper Control is a deck that brings together the best answers in that color combination to face them.

Mana Base

Standard's current mana base greatly favors building decks with three or more colors, and the Esper combination has access to the best utility lands.

Support Spells

The deck has a great removal package, being able to interact with basically all threats in the format. Void Rend is a card I've always liked in Standard, but I've always seen it as an underrated card.

In the card advantage part, Memory Deluge is perfect, being able to be reused and searching for answers efficiently. The Celestus is a good tech which is another card that, I believe, should be played more often, serving as a ramp and being able to loot unnecessary land or even a Deluge.

Sunset Revelry plays very well against aggro, and Silver Scrutiny is a very interesting one-off card. Siphon Insight is excellent on the mirror and against midranges, sapping the opponent's resources and generating value for you.

And when it comes to counterspells, Esper is also well-equipped. Blue was one of the great differentials of Grixis Midrange, which, for a long time, was the best deck in the format, and Esper is no different.

Winconditions

A good Control deck doesn't need a lot of winconditions. The Wandering Emperor is the strongest card of its type available in the format currently, and once the game has been controlled, it is almost impossible to deal with.

As with all classic Control, an ideal should contain enough land drops for at least a few turns and early game interactions. Standard is a format where the first turns are critical, so it is imperative that you have ways to deal with the opponent's threats in them, or you will end up being run over.

Chrome Host Seedshark and Sheoldred, The Apocalypse are for matchups where a more Midrange plan is needed. Sheoldred is still a powerful creature in the format and can win the game by herself, while Seedshark can populate the board quickly with our spells.

Temporary Lockdown is a great way to deal with Enchantments post-side and can serve well against other aggro decks.

Duress is indispensable in any deck with black right now, and the extra copies of Revelry, Insight, Negate and Disdainful Stroke can help in a wide variety of match ups, especially in higher attrition games.

Vs. Mono-Red Aggro

The most popular deck in the format. Fast and efficient, Mono-Red is a real threat, and can end the game quickly. The strategy in this match up is to guarantee survival in the first turns until the opponent spends most of their resources, opening up space for you to control the board once and for all.

In the post-side, the Wanderer loses some of its impact due to cards like Nahiri's Warcrafting and Lithomantic Barrage and that's where Sheoldred and Seedshark come in. Sunset Revelry shines brightly in this game.

IN

OUT

Vs. Esper Legends

In this matchup, sweepers are very strong, as well as counterspells. The opponent can generate a lot of value while putting pressure on the board, and without early interactions, the game can get very tricky. Keep the Control plan and always play in response to the opponent's actions.

IN

OUT

In grind-oriented matchups like this one, I tend to add an extra card and play with 61 cards on the post-side. If you don't have problems with this, I recommend also adding a copy of Negate.

Vs. Selesnya Enchantments

Enchantments is a deck that grows quickly as the match progresses. So, interacting with the opponent in the early turns is a huge deal here. Once again, Farewell and Sunfall shine, granting victory most of the time, but until you can cast them you need to stay alive.

Beware of Calix, as this is an absurdly strong card that can get the game out of control quickly.

IN

OUT

Vs. Orzhov Breach

This is another tricky match. Breach the Multiverse can still do a lot of damage against a deck without creatures and the opponent's other threats are quite powerful, but the Control plan is still strong here.

Invasion of Gobakhan and Duress can be problematic post-side.

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Vs. Esper Control

Mirrors are slow matches, full of dead cards, where counterspells and card advantage are decisive factors. Some Esper lists run Teferi, Temporal Pilgrim or even some creatures in the main deck.

Prefer hands that can draw more cards and interact with your opponent's planeswalkers and spells. On the post-side, Siphon Insight is an insane card which can win some games.

IN

OUT

Esper Control is a powerful deck that proves to be a viable option for the current Metagame, bringing efficient responses and a very solid game plan. The list is quite versatile and, depending on the Metagame you're facing, can incorporate other elements and approaches. Teferi is a good alternate plan, and it's a card that hasn't been explored much in the format yet.

Sunset Revelry, The Celestus and Silver Scrutiny are flexible slots, and you can swap them for whatever you see fit. I don't recommend using many creatures in the maindeck and I would even say that this is not really the idea of the deck.

If you prefer a more Midrange approach. I recommend choosing Esper Legends or Orzhov Breach which are good representatives of this archetype.

Coming to the end of another article, I hope you enjoyed it. Leave your questions, comments, suggestions and/or criticisms in the comments!