I haven't been able to test against S&T to determine any accurate information one way or the other. I'm going to be testing that particular match up starting tomorrow. As far as other A+B combo goes (painter), I again have no idea as that's non-existent here, and also only a fringe match. I can't worry about that kind of a match currently.
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The main A+B combo matchups I'd worry about is Sneak & Show and Reanimator. I much prefer to run hatebears + overload on countermagic versus them. Tapping mainphase versus A+B sucks, even if it's for discard. Reanimator can combo off 2 mana and Sneak & Show can vomit mana out of nowhere, so tapping mainphase mana is always risky imo.
I have extra countermagic, meddling mage, and 2 RIP, 1 cage in the board for reanimator. I feel good about that match. Also, I just came off playing it and still play tin fins so I am well versed in that matchup as well. Should I be running DSphere/ORing/Humility (I hate this option) to shut down S&T? I wish I could get an S&T players opinion on my best way to fight them. Like JPA or Apple's opinion.
What's the current opinion on extra cliques in the board? They seem slow for the A+B combo match and also, meddling mage seems better overall.
I've been talking a lot lately of switching to something almost UW. I don't want to go to just 2-c but I have been concerned that discard is becoming weak in the current meta (ask bug). I still like black here for a few options in the board, but Mage+Clique seems better than black discard. I have 3 days off after today. I'm going to work on it. I'm still in need of an esperboard, though. Any thoughts on my board thus far?
2 RIP
1 Cage
2 Flusterstorm
1 Swan Song
3 Meddling Mage
2 Zealous Persecution
1 Disenchant
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Pithing Needle
See any extreme weaknesses? Anyone else not like that Swan Song doesn't hit artifacts?
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Originally Posted by Arsenal
Discard is at its best against Storm, that's for sure.
I do think it's great vs a+b combo too, especially if supported also by counters and hatebears, which is something Esperblade excels at.
Honestly, I think any Combo deck is a pretty favorable matchup for Esper.
I guess straight U/W Stoneblade can experience some more trouble.
I'm on UW, so I run 1 Detention Sphere + 1 Venser, Shaper Savant as my anti-Sneak & Show tech. This is an addition to 3 Meddling Mage, 1 Disenchant, 1 Flusterstorm and 2 Swan Song that I board in.
I will be running this at GP Paris:
3underground sea
3tundra
1scrubland
4polluted delta
4flooded strand
2marsh flats
2island
1plains
1swamp
1karakas
3TNN
3snapcaster mage
4stoneforge mystic
1vendilion clique
4brainstorm
3fow
2ponder
2spell pierce
1counterspell
4swords to plowshares
3thoughtseize
1inquisition of kozilek
1supreme verdict
1batterskull
1umezawa's jitte
1sword of feast and famine
3jace,the mind sculptor
-------------------------------
1duress
2flusterstorm
1fow
2meddling mage
1vendilion clique
1notion thief
1surgical extraction
2rest in peace
1perish
1zealous persecution
1supreme verdict
1vindicate
I dont like DSphere/ORing/Humility at all in the sideboard vs Sneak Attack etc.. Esper has way better tools. I would also not play Pithing Needle. Same with Swan Song.. I would always prefer Flusterstorm over Swang Song, as its way more flexible and it can also be brought in against all the Delver decks.. An extra Vendilion Clique side has served me very well. It makes keeping the Karakas MD a better choice but more importantly it functions as yet another angle of attack versus the different combo decks + clock. I never keep TNN in against any combo decks and having 4 SFM(getting FxF),3snapcaster mages, 2meddling mages and 2 vendilion cliques is awesome against all combo decks. I have played alot vs Sneak Attack both in testing and in live tournaments and being able to attack them with all these cards( discard+counters+utility creatures ) is just too much for them.. I board like this: -4 STP,-1 Supreme Verdict, -1 Umezawa's Jitte, -3 TNN +1 Duress, +2 Flusterstorm, +1 FoW, +2 Meddling Mage, +1 Vendilion Clique, +1 Notion Thief, +1 Surgical Extraction. I have played Disenchant a lot in the past in the SB, but I dont think it is really needed in Esper. I feel like vindicate is a more solid all around choice. I'm really liking the sideboard I have now, latest addition are the 2 Rest in Peace over Nihil Spellbomb to complement the 3 GY hate slots, which I think is correct to do//
Greetings-
Good luck. Your build is ~5 cards different from mine. Hope you do well.
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Hi guys,
I have been playing with Esper Stoneblade for some weeks and I felt like it didn't fit my playstyle.
I have recently moved to UWr, however I know those lists are a bit outdated.
I'm running an standard UWb list but with 2 Izzet Charms, 1 Jace and 1 TNN in place of Thoughtseizes.
I'm running 8 fecth's and 4 islands 2-3 Plains 1 Mountains, to play Blood Moon in the side.
I also run 1 Wear / Tear and 2 Pyroblast
What are your thoughts on a list like this?
I haven't played a lot against combo since I moved to UWr, which I imagine is the MU which gets worse with the color change.
Joe Lossett has been maindecking 2 Pyroblasts in his UWr Miracles list due to the new TNN/combo meta. You could do the same I suppose without giving up too much in the non-blue matchups thanks to the dumbness of SFM-TNN.
While I'd love to add REB/Pyro in the maindeck of many decks, I feel like Miracle can afford to do so because it can filter the top of its library with Sensei's Divining Top, to avoid drawing Pyroblast in the matchups where it is bad. Blade Control doesn't usually play more than 1-2 Top :/
Went 3-0 with this at my local shop (Same as my list I've posted before with a few cards difference.).
I Won $20!
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Stoneforge Mystic
3 True Name Nemesis
1 Vendillion Clique
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
1 Counterspell
2 Ponder
2 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Supreme Verdict
4 Thoughtseize
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Swamp
4 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
4 Marsh Flats
1 Karakas
4 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
1 Scrubland
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
Board
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Zealous Persecution
2 Flusterstorm
1 Path to Exile
3 Rest in Peace
1 Humility
2 Meddling Mage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Manriki-Gusari
1 Virtures Ruin
Match 1 Sneak & Show
G1: I have a Thoughtseize opening hand, and no real disruption. He ends up getting Emrakul out real fast. And We go to game 2.
G2: I open with a Humility in hand. He show and tells revealing Emrakul, I reveal Humility. I draw a Sword of F&F and equip to my 1/1 Stoneforge and bring the beats.
G3: I open with Karakas, He forces t2 Meddling Mage. He eventually plays Blood Moon, but I have all basics. I rip apart his hand with Snapcaster + Thoughtseize and I am able to counter all of has Show and Tell and Sneak Attacks with 2 Force and 2 Pierce. Snap brings the beats.
1-0
SB: +2 Flusterstorm +1 Humility +1 Pithing Needle +2 Meddling Mage
-1 Umezawa's Jitte -2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor -1 Stoneforge Mystic -2 Swords to Plowshares
Match 2 MUD
G1: He plays turn 1 Chalice and brings in 2 Metalworkers and a Grim Monolith to get a Blightsteel out. The Blightsteel then gave me AIDS.
G2: This game I end up casting Turn 2 Stoneforge grabbing Jitte. I already have Batterskull in hand so I cast it at the end of his turn. Batterskull eventually gets Jitte and counters/discard keeps him from doing anything relevant.
G3: He tries for a turn 1 Karn. And Karn is met with Force of Will.I play Stoneforge, grabbing Batterskull, It ends up being a slow game because he keeps wasting me off white sources and I use a Pithing Needle so He can't untap his monoliths. I end up with all 4 basics out. He eventually lands a Wurmcoil Engine off the top, but I dig for a humility with Brainstorm and end up equipping the SFM with the Batterskull and smashed him in the dome.
2-0
SB: +1 Pithing Needle +1 Path to Exile +1 Humility +1 Engineered Explosives
-2 Spell Pierce -1 Swords to Plowshares -1 Sword of Feast and Famine
Match 3 Death & Taxes
G1: After a mulligan to 6 (6 lands and a Jace, Gross!) A t1 thoughtseize grabs a revoker which eventually sets up a Stoneforge/Batterskull with him having no way to deal with it.
G2: T1 Needle naming Aether Vial. True Name brings the beats while he isn't able to establish any sort of boardstate due to Zealous Persecution and Swords.
+1 Pithing Needle +1 Manriki-Gusari +1 Virtures Ruin +2 Zealous Persecution +1 Engineered Explosives
-4 Force of Will -2 Spell Pierce
3-0
Been Happy with how the deck preformed. I really like Humility against Sneak & Show. I'm most likely going to cut the Engineered Explosives in the Board for a Disenchant. I would also love to find room for the 4th True Name or a 2nd Clique. But so far I'm content with this list.
You should test against elves. I feel like you are really weak to it with your current list. Do you really like manriki? It feels bad. Congrats on the finish and on beating Sneak and Show. That matchup is balls. I hate it. I may try Humility (have Japanese ones, so why not amirite?) but I'm unsure of what to cut. Hmm. Do you think Humility could be decent against elves? Doesn't stop the aggro plan, but makes ZP better and turns off the combo. Pretty expensive as well. Probably takes a verdict slot. Lots of questions, so few answers.
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How does this deck fares against reanimator? I looked in the OP (which is, however, quite dated) and in the last pages but didn't find anything relevant.
More in general, what are the deck's most difficult matchups?
Thank you in advance.
Ignorance is strength
In general, I stuggle the most with combo, both Storm and A+B. This is primarily because we have sooo many dead cards against them Game 1; StP (maybe hits Griselbrand if you're uber lucky, and even if it does, you're still super far behind), Supreme Verdict, the SFM-TNN creature suite, etc. Lots of things have to go right for us in order to get there versus combo Game 1; drawing the correct half of our deck versus them, them not having it on the turn you do decide to tap out/low in order to deploy a threat, etc.
That is why you see many SFM-TNN decks have basically 15 sideboard cards dedicated to fight combo. We can board out all of the dead cards and bring in nearly a dozen cards that actually matter versus them. This has been my experience so far in that I almost auto-lose game 1, then go on to win games 2 and 3 off the back of my sideboard.
So, if I understand correctly, overall combo is a fair matchup since with the side you up your odds of winning above 50%, am I right?
What about the cards the you hate the most seeing in the opposite combo deck?
Ignorance is strength
It's still an uphill battle as they are siding in stuff too to deal specifically with TNN shells (Massacre) and sometimes they just have it before you can assemble threat + countermagic. Idk, I feel like it's ever so slightly in our favor for the overall match, but almost an auto-loss for game 1. That's just been my personal experience, I'm sure other Blade players may tell you the opposite.
I've tested against Elves, and it is a tough matchup indeed. I like Humility in that match The card is really solid because you can race them with an equipped creatue. They can also hit your Jitte/Sword with Abrupt Decay, so you're really leaning on finding Batterskull. However they can combo off before you can even cast any of these cards.
The Virtues Ruin I have in the board would probably become a Perish, but Due to the amount of DnT in my meta its a nice slot to have, since I never see to many elves decks.
As for Manriki, I haven't liked it. I would rather have it be Disenchant or Diabolic Edict because they are useful in a varitey of matchups where Manriki is very narrow.
Something like 45-55 pre-board and 70-30 post-board.
I just tested a lot this matchup yesterday, and we have so much hate post-board that they are usually overwhelmed.
Well combo can kill quite fast, so after you lose game 1, they are usually on the play again in game 3. Then you're always behind on mana, which is the resource you care most about, as it limits the amount of disruption you can throw at them.
As we usually board out our removal, Xantid Swarm (and to a lesser extent Dark Confidant) becomes a dangerous card. Then it depends on the type of combo deck:
-ANT can easily win with Past in Flames after a long attrition war
-TES might resolve a fast Empty the Warrens and also plays Silence. Silence is especially strong if your hand consists of only taxing counters.
-Spiral Tide is slower and SoFaF becomes stronger. Beware of their Defense Grids
-Solidarity (you probably won't face this) Try never to tap out after they hit 3 Islands, as they can usually restart their combo in response to the first counter spell of yours.
Against Sneak and Show and Reanimator I usually only care about the cards that actually put creatures into play. Also if you're playing Meddling Mage and don't name Tendrils of Agony or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
Sneak & Show may bring in Blood Moon versus us, which can either be gamebreaking or slightly annoying depending on if you had the foresight to fetch basics/have an answer like Swan Song/already have threats on board and Blood Moon doesn't matter as much/etc. I'm on UW Blade and my Sneak & Show opponent still boarded it in versus me, it was definitely annoying.
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