Modern has been around for years, and is a format ruled by efficiency. Consequently, all the best decks – whether they are aggro, combo, midrange or control – can’t afford to be too clunky. There is a consensus amongst Modern players that Path to Exile is the best removal spell, and it seems that the Ancestral Vision decks of the format may have a chance in a format ruled by linear aggro-combo decks. Considering that Esper has access to both these cards in addition to cheap disruption, interaction, card advantage and powerful finishers; it should be a consideration at the very least when building control. Yet, similarly to some others shards and clans in Modern, it is disregarded because it isn’t a proven quantity. I think I have a spicy list that can change that.
Esper Control Decklist:
Maindeck:
Lands (24):
2x Celestial Colonnade
2x Creeping Tar Pit
4x Polluted Delta
3x Flooded Strand
2x Marsh Flats
2x Watery Grave
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Godless Shrine
2x Darkslick Shores
3x Island
2x Swamp
1x Plains
Creatures (7):
4x Snapcaster Mage
2x Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
Sorceries (17):
4x Inquisition of Kozilek
1x Thoughtseize
4x Ancestral Visions
4x Serum Visions
4x Lingering Souls
Instants (12):
4x Path to Exile
4x Smother
1x Dismember
1x Disfigure
2x Cryptic Command
Sideboard:
3x Disdainful Stroke
4x Leyline of the Void
2x Stony Silence
1x Vendilion Clique
3x Countersquall
2x Timely Reinforcements
Card choices:
Card Advantage/ Selection:
Ancestral Visions is your most important turn 1 play, at least in game 1. I play it over man-lands, Serum Visions, discard spells and removal – the only exception being casting Disfigure against a threat from Infect threat or a mana dork (I would also path an infect threat on turn 1 on the draw). The reason this deck can exist is Ancestral Vision. It allows you to one-for-one your opponent early and bury them with card advantage late. Serum Visions needs no introduction as it has been a staple of control decks in modern for years, and is the best available can-trip in the format. It also helps you to dig for lands, removal or key sideboard cards. Cryptic Command, Snapcaster Mage and Lingering Souls offer great rates and are at least 2-for-1’s, which is exactly what this deck wants. Lingering Souls and Snapcaster Mage are mostly there to buy time or remove a creature, but can also bring the beats when called upon. Cryptic Command is a great insurance plan since it can stop almost anything in the format from hitting the battlefield, and can do a great impression of Subjugator Angel if needed.
Removal:
Smother is probably the most controversial card in the deck, and understandably so. However, as I said earlier, cheap interaction in key in Modern. Victim of Night might be an overall better card but double Black puts a strain on both your manabase and life total. Also, Victim of Night does not kill Prized Amalgam, Bloodghast, Kalitas or Olivia Voldaren, which are all important cards in the Modern format. Additionally, Smother is such a clean answer to all the man-lands (since their CMC is 0), giving this deck the upper hand against GBx decks that rely on Abrupt Decay and Maelstrom Pulse. Go for the Throat was also a serious consideration but it severely weakens your Affinity and Infect match ups (Inkmoth Nexus is huge). Disfigure and Dismember serve as additional cheap interaction. Path should be a ubiquitous 4 of in control decks that have access to white, as it really is the best removal spell in the
format.
Discard:
Yes, Inquisition and Thoughtseize are Modern staples. However, they usually do not show up in Grixis Control which makes them seem like odd inclusions here. Inquisition of Kozilek shines against decks like Burn, Infect, Zooicide and Suicide Bloo, as you gain valuable information allowing you to formulate a game-plan whilst stripping their hand of threats/reach. All of this buys you time to get to your powerful late game. Thoughtseize is a one of because modern decks tend to play threats with a CMC with 3 or less, however; problematic cards like Ad Nauseam, Scapeshift, Primeval Titan, Cryptic Command, Tasigur, Become Immense and Siege Rhino need to be taken into account. Even in matches like Burn and Zooicide it does actually save you damage and gets information.
Finishers: 
Tasigur, Kalitas, Creeping Tar Pit, and Celestial Colonnade are your primary ways of closing out the game. Tasigur is great because Delve allows you to put on pressure whilst keeping up removal. In the mid to late game, Tasigur is a card advantage machine; getting cards back from your graveyard and fueling Snapcaster Mage down the line. An important thing to remember about Creeping Tar Pit is that it has unblockable so it can provide pressure even if the ground is locked up. Also, Celestial Colonnade has vigilance which means you can attack and then use it for mana – which is important to keep in mind, because it reduces the risk presented by tapping out to attack.
How to Play the Deck:
The gameplan that you’re trying to execute here is quite simple: Stay alive until turns 4-5. That is when your Ancestral Visions comes off suspend, you have access to your powerful threats and you have the mana to flash in Snapcaster Mage to flashback your cheap interaction. The turn before Visions comes off of suspend, I recommend using your resources aggressively and force your opponent to use theirs. Your finishers actually represent a fast clock and can end the game quickly so after you get ahead, try and close out the game as quickly as possible.
Match & Sideboard Guide:
My sideboard is fully dedicated to the unfavorable matches such as Dredge, Bant Eldrazi and Tron. The deck is pretty reasonable against the rest of the field, and has a decent matchup at the very least.
Infect:
Infect is one of your best matches by far because of your cheap interaction and Lingering Souls. I can see an argument for cutting the Cryptics for Countersqualls, just to drop the curve a bit, but everything else is good.
Dredge:
Dredge is one of your worst matchups and paritally why Kalitas is in the maindeck. In game 1, Path to Exile and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet are your best cards. Lingering Souls can buy you a good amount of time for Kalitas to win you the game. Just be careful of Conflagrate killing your Kalitas.
In:
4x Leyline of the Void
Out:
1x Inquisition of Kozilek
3x Ancestral Vision
Jund/ Abzan:
As usual for GBx decks, this matchup is almost 50-50 and your key cards are Ancestral Vision, Snapcaster Mage, and Lingering Souls. Boarding in Countersquall in this match isn’t great, but Liliana of the Veil is a problematic threat that can take over the game. Make sure you choose your removal carefully because Smother cannot deal with Tasigur, but it destroys Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Grim Flayer and man-lands.
In:
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Countersquall
Out:
x2: Inquisition of Kozilek
Affinity:
Similar to Infect, your matchup is quite reasonable because of the cheap removal and disruption. To top it off though you have a sideboard card that hoses the deck in the form of Stony Silence. Just make sure you put yourself into positions where you won’t lose to a top decked Galvanic Blast or a postboard Blood Moon.
In:
2x Stony Silence
Out:
2x: Ancestral Vision
Zooicide
A great matchup for you since your main removal suite of Path and Smother doesn’t care about toughness. Additionally, they don’t play a lot of Trample effects outside of Temur Battle Rage so Lingering Souls should buy you time. Since Zooicide uses its own life as a resource to power Death’s Shadow, you can usually end the game in two hits from Tasigur and/or a man-land. Speaking of their manabase, they usually have only one Forest in their sideboard so in game 1, Path to Exile will be better than Swords to Plowshares. Except, of course, for the corner case in which Swords would kill a Death’s Shadow because of the lifegain.
Burn:
Depending on how your hands line up, Burn can go either way game 1. If you can prevent their creatures from hitting you twice, you can usually win the game pretty quickly. You must realize, however; that your life total at any point in game 1 is the highest it will be from that point since there is no life gain outside of Kalitas. Postboard, Timely Reinforcements and Countersquall make this matchup a lot better.
In:
2x Timely Reinforcements
3x Countersquall
Out:
2x Ancestral Visions
1x Thoughtseize
1x Dismember
1x Cryptic Command
Tron:
Historically, Ramp is a bad matchup for Control and the same is true here. Ideally your game 1 plan is to strip their hand of ways to assemble Tron and Cryptic their key threats whilst pressuring them with Tasigur. Postboard, you get a lot of upgrades to your deck, as Countersquall and Disdainful Stroke prevent their key threats from hitting the table. Stony Silence also shuts down Expedition Map, Chromatic Sphere, Chromatic Star and Oblivion Stone.
In:
3x Disdainful Stroke
3x Countersquall
2x Stony Silence
Out:
4x Smother
1x Path to Exile
1x Disfigure
1x Dismember
1x Inquisition of Kozilek
Jeskai/ Grixis Control:
The control mirror usually favors the deck with more counterspells, but since this is more of a tap-out control deck I feel we are slightly favored here despite not having that many counterspells. Lingering Souls is your best threat in the match as it requires multiple cards out of your opponent unless they wrath the board. Also, access to discard spells in this match is quite valuable because taking cards like Snapcaster Mage gives you a huge edge. Lastly, try using Cryptic whenever you get the chance since it isn’t very good in counter wars and can be answered by Dispel or Spell Pierce.
In:
1x Vendilion Clique
3x Countersquall
Out:
1x Dismember
2x Smother
1x Path to Exile
Bant Eldrazi:
A rough match because Smother cannot touch Thought-Knot Seer, Reality Smasher or Drowner of Hope. The presence of Cavern of Souls complicates this match even further. Luckily, that is exactly why you have Disdainful Stroke in your sideboard but as mentioned before they do have Cavern so be careful. Thankfully this deck is losing popularity so you shouldn’t run into it that often.
In:
3x Disdainful Stroke
Out:
2x Smother
1x Disfigure
Skred Red:
Our latest Modern GP champ deserves a mention despite the fact that it isn’t as popular as it was the week after the GP. You mostly care about their threats that cost 4 mana or more like Pia and Kiran Nalaar and Stormbreath Dragon, but should also be wary of Blood Moon and the mighty Goblin Rabblemaster postboard.
In:
3x Disdainful Stroke
3x Countersquall
Out:
3x Smother
1x Disfigure
2x Path to Exile
GR Titan/ Titan Shift:
GR Titan/ Titan Shift is another deck that relies on finishers that cost 4 or mana in Primeval Titan, Scapeshift or Through the Breach. Your matchup game 1 isn’t stellar but it is winnable. Postboard, Disdainful Stroke is the best card in your deck.
In:
3x Disdainful Stroke
3x Countersquall
Out:
4x Smother
1x Disfigure
1x Dismember
Lantern Control:
A cool or annoying deck depending on you who ask (editor’s note: the deck is pretty fucking cool), but it is a force to be reckoned with. Game 1, you rely on your discard spells and present a fast clock as they durdle for the first few turns. Postboard, stop the milling shenanigans with Stony Silence and countering Ensnaring Bridge is your avenue to victory.
In:
3x Countersquall
2x Stony Silence
1x Vendilion Clique
2x Timely Reinforcements
Out:
4x Smother
3x Path to Exile
1x Disfigure
You must be logged in to post a comment.