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Thread: Esper Mentor

  1. #41
    Predictor of Miracles
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    Playing your list online this week with the following changes:
    -2 SCM, +2 Baby Jace and -1 Elspeth in the SB for +1 Bitterblossom (don't like Elspeth much)
    Baby Jace has been absolutely incredible for me in testing, but makes the pierces and likely the second counterspell a bit worse as well

  2. #42
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    This deck has been tearing my booty hole up online.
    Rest in peace, Grandpa Morphling.

    Nemeses Slain:4

  3. #43
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by TheArchitect View Post
    Bitterblossom is currently the top card on my of "things I want to try in this deck". It will probably just be a 1 of, but I am not sure if its a maindeck card, or a sideboard card. As a miracles player, bitterblossom is one of is one of my least favorite cards to see.
    Such a great card that's so underappreciated right now. I don't think I've seen a single copy since I started playing the game again a few months ago.

  4. #44

    Re: Esper Mentor

    with Batterskull it's like the best card around.

    They survive Pyroclasm, Terminus, StP and everything nut enchantment hate.. Batterskull can even be bounced.

  5. #45

    Re: Esper Mentor

    So, it's not a build like anything else in this thread and perhaps it doesn't belong here, but I'm going to post it here. If I need to, I'll start a new thread, but for now I need criticisms and suggestions. I plan on playing this tomorrow at a win-a-box tournament.

    4 DRS
    2 SFM
    3 Mentor

    2 L. Souls
    1 Bitterblossom
    1 BSkull
    1 Jitte
    3 StP
    1 Reality Shift
    1 ADecay
    1 Toxic Deluge

    1 JtMS
    3 DTT
    4 Brainstorm
    2 Ponder
    3 Probe
    2 Spell Pierce
    3 Therapy
    3 FoW

    1 Swamp
    1 Plains
    2 Island
    1 Trop
    1 Scrubland
    2 USea
    2 Tundra
    2 Marsh Flats
    4 Delta
    4 Strand

    I'm going to post my sideboard, but it isn't what I would play in an open meta. It's for my local meta.

    1 FoW
    1 Therapy
    1 Spell Pierce
    1 Flusterstorm
    2 Surgical Extraction
    1 Timely Reinforcements
    1 ZP
    2 Vendilion Clique
    1 EE
    1 ADecay
    1 Pithing Needle
    1 Disenchant
    1 Containment Priest

    From my phone. I do my best, dammit!

  6. #46

    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by Minniehajj View Post
    Playing your list online this week with the following changes:
    -2 SCM, +2 Baby Jace and -1 Elspeth in the SB for +1 Bitterblossom (don't like Elspeth much)
    Baby Jace has been absolutely incredible for me in testing, but makes the pierces and likely the second counterspell a bit worse as well
    Are you also playing JtMS md? Baby Jace seems good everywhere except Miracles and DnT, and I think you need the interaction of Snapcaster Mage to play well against Miracles.

  7. #47
    Predictor of Miracles
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by princeofperasia View Post
    Are you also playing JtMS md? Baby Jace seems good everywhere except Miracles and DnT, and I think you need the interaction of Snapcaster Mage to play well against Miracles.
    I am indeed playing the maindexk Jace, and I agree with that assessment, so it's possible I will need an additional sideboard slot devoted to miracles, but as I'm the only miracles player at my locals, that's the skew I wanted to test. So far Baby Jace has been incredible

  8. #48

    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by Minniehajj View Post
    Baby Jace has been absolutely incredible for me in testing, but makes the pierces and likely the second counterspell a bit worse as well
    Probably want to turn some of those pierces/counterspells into Dazes if you're going to play Baby Jace. It's just as bad as a flashback target, but at least it synergizes with the looting ability.

    This deck seems like it gets to 3-4 mana pretty reliably, though. Not sure why you wouldn't just play SCM. I think of Baby Jace as an option for decks that can't reliably snap back spells (i.e. Delver).

  9. #49
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by iostream View Post
    Probably want to turn some of those pierces/counterspells into Dazes if you're going to play Baby Jace. It's just as bad as a flashback target, but at least it synergizes with the looting ability.

    This deck seems like it gets to 3-4 mana pretty reliably, though. Not sure why you wouldn't just play SCM. I think of Baby Jace as an option for decks that can't reliably snap back spells (i.e. Delver).
    Baby Jace helps fuel dig, and doesn't clash with other graveyard synergy and while it gets to 3-4 mana just fine, I wanted to test out other shells with Jace instead of scm and this seems just fine compared to having scm. I'm testing 2 thought seize and 2 Jace instead of 2 scm and 2 spell pierce, for the reasons you mentioned, and my win percentage went way up. Undefeated with that configuration over 3 days of non stop testing online. While our life total gets quite low, it's not that bad when we are grinding our opponent to dust

  10. #50
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    It looks like another list, very similar to mine, did well this weekend at the IQ: http://sales.starcitygames.com//deck...p?DeckID=91764

    I don't care for the changes to the SB he made, but the changes to the landbase are things I have tried in the past and did work well. Its possible that the basic swamp has no place in the deck, but cavern does.

    Also, in like 10ish games testing with Baby Jace, I am very unimpressed. I'll keep trying him, but so far I would stick with snapcaster.

  11. #51
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by TheArchitect View Post
    It looks like another list, very similar to mine, did well this weekend at the IQ: http://sales.starcitygames.com//deck...p?DeckID=91764

    I don't care for the changes to the SB he made, but the changes to the landbase are things I have tried in the past and did work well. Its possible that the basic swamp has no place in the deck, but cavern does.

    Also, in like 10ish games testing with Baby Jace, I am very unimpressed. I'll keep trying him, but so far I would stick with snapcaster.
    What did you dislike about it? I agree in further testing that it's not as good and scm is always going to be strong. Not sure about mana base changes. Also, any word on Bitterblossom

  12. #52

    Re: Esper Mentor

    In the list I posted above, Bitterblossom has been strong. It builds momentum early. My best line was:

    Turn 1: fetch land, DRS.
    Turn 2: fetch land, Souls.
    Turn 3: fetch land, Bitterblossom, flashback Souls.

    Quite insane.

    From my phone. I do my best, dammit!

  13. #53

    Re: Esper Mentor

    I played the list from last scg iq at my LGS. Few changes to the SBm including a Bitterblossom over elspeth, and a 61st card main in tasigur (had him as a placeholder for a card i needed borrowing, forgot to remove him when i got the card.)

    I played against Prisonstompy soldiers r1 (2-1) a homebrew that actually was quite bad. Only won on the back of zealous Ps that wrecked him g2 and 3.

    R2 was against a D&T player, not much resistance was put up and won quite handely 2-0. Even though you do tend to go lower than what is desired in life total, its not too imposible to stabilize and win.

    R3 I beat a Miracles player, it seemed like i drew much better than him both games, another 2-0. I wrecked him so hard it wasnt even funny. (well it was but still:D)

    R4 was against Stürm. He managed to draw like a boss and win game 1, but game 2+3 he was hated out. 2-1 and 4-0 for the night.

    R5 I beat Omnitell. He wins g1, but g2+3 feels really ok. He gets gready game 3 and decides not to massacre prior to s&t because he knows about my mm in hand. He did not know that i had a canonist in hand, and that + my board was plenty enough to take him out on my turn. 5-0 for the night.

    R6 i lost 2 exacties and topdecket 1outers game 2+3. Oh well, cant win em all, so 5-1 and a first place after swiss, we dont play top 4/8 on weekdays due to time restrictions.


    Thoughts:
    BBlossom: Really shined
    Baby Jace: Def needs to try him out, he seems like a solid fit
    4 basics is needed, often played dual-less which was awesome

    Deck is deffo for real, a tier1/DTB contender soon for sure.

  14. #54
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by jedi_gof View Post

    R6 i lost 2 exacties and topdecket 1outers game 2+3. Oh well, cant win em all, so 5-1 and a first place after swiss, we dont play top 4/8 on weekdays due to time restrictions.

    What did you play against?

  15. #55

    Re: Esper Mentor

    RUG Delver:-)

  16. #56

    Re: Esper Mentor

    I ran a list very close Evan Flynn's decklist that won the Scg IQ a few weeks back. It felt very strong. I went 3-1 and the loss was close.

    I was wondering what people think about adding 1 Cavern of Souls to the deck, Naming human will cover Snaps and Mentors. Allowing you to resolve them and then save counters for the counter war over removal and then making tokens in the process. That said the Cavern is narrow as it only helps cast 6 cards. It is nearly a colorless land for the rest of the deck. So I worry about using it for that reason. Has anyone tried it and what did they think?

    Also How do people feel about baleful strix? I have mixed feelings about it myself. Is nice that it is blue for fow, it cantrips, makes for good flash backs with cabal therapy. In addition to being a good delver and goyf blocker.

  17. #57
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    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by Tantarus View Post
    I ran a list very close Evan Flynn's decklist that won the Scg IQ a few weeks back. It felt very strong. I went 3-1 and the loss was close.

    I was wondering what people think about adding 1 Cavern of Souls to the deck, Naming human will cover Snaps and Mentors. Allowing you to resolve them and then save counters for the counter war over removal and then making tokens in the process. That said the Cavern is narrow as it only helps cast 6 cards. It is nearly a colorless land for the rest of the deck. So I worry about using it for that reason. Has anyone tried it and what did they think?

    Also How do people feel about baleful strix? I have mixed feelings about it myself. Is nice that it is blue for fow, it cantrips, makes for good flash backs with cabal therapy. In addition to being a good delver and goyf blocker.
    Cavern felt weird. You can't really replace a land with it due to being a very colored mana intensive deck, but it's a strong effect. Having discard clear the way for mentor and snap is more viable IMO. As for strix, it's always done its job very well for me you described it's merits quite well

  18. #58

    Re: Esper Mentor

    Cavern of Souls feels like one of the weaker cards in my decklist but I have not had it create many issues with casting my spells. It has been great a couple of times but most of the time it is just a colorless land and just feels average compared to the other powerful cards in the deck. However, it has not been weak enough or disappointing/frustrating enough to warrant replacing it in my list.

  19. #59

    Re: Esper Mentor

    Quote Originally Posted by Berserking Now View Post
    However, it has not been weak enough or disappointing/frustrating enough to warrant replacing it in my list.
    Do you run it as one of the 19 land, or in a spells spot?

  20. #60

    Re: Esper Mentor

    It is one of the 19 lands. My current land configuration is:

    1 Cavern of Souls
    2 Island
    1 Plains
    1 Swamp
    1 Marsh Flats
    4 Polluted Delta
    4 Flooded Strand
    3 Tundra
    2 Underground Sea

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