An approach to classic control in Esper

[so_not]

On Wall of Omens: Omens comes down on turn 2, draws a card. On the other hand finks comes down whole turn later and you need double white(whitch can be huge in 3c deck). Omens has greater butt and save more lifes in progres than finkse. On turn 3 I want to make diferent stuff than to throw twigs on oponent. Omens is better in protecting PWs and is not semidead draw like finkse against control. Finkse will not kill anyone and if you want to wrath as soon as possible, you would wrath your creature as well. And concerning defense I prefere twodrop.

I am not trying to convince that finkse is bad card and that omens is better. But if you are pure kontrol = you are not going to atack for first 10 turns, finkse does not bring too much value. It shines in agrokontrol decks and even agro decks that can support it's manacost would propably use it.

I was trying to refer your own thumb rule about card advantage (not compare the cards otherwise) but apparently failed miserably

[Doks]

Any new changes to the list or any progress made in general?

I have been playing a significant amount of UWx control versions on Cockatrice / MWS against friends with different decks and right now I don't know if black is the colour to go for a splash. The cards black provides are obviously pretty strong:

- Lingering Souls / Mystical Tutor for their flashback
- Demonic Tutor
- Shriekmaw
- Vindicate
- Baleful Strix
- Volrath's Stronghold / Sorin 2.0 (if you think you can utilize them by playing more creatures)
- Single target spot removal + discard

At first glance, this looks like a ton already, but I have the feeling that these cards "only" strengthen the mid to late game where UWx in general already shines. Black feels like trying to make the deck better where it already is pretty good.

I have played an equal number of games with both UWb and UWr and in the current meta, I found R to be much more useful.

Besides strong control cards like Ajani Vengeant, Grim Lavamancer, Ruination/Blood Moon (if you go this route) and Flametongue Kavu I found single target burn (that sometimes even brings utility and card advantage like Fire // Ice, Arc Trail, Helix, Magma Jet, Forked Bolt etc.) and cheap "mass" removal like Pyroclasm, Whipflare and Firespout to be too good (remember: in the current creature based meta) to not run.

Red gives UWx what it misses desperately: a stronger early game. There is almost nothing better than to burn the enemies T1 mana elf and slow them down heavily. It also kills almost every utility creature and eot Lightning Bolt killing the enemy Jace TMS (and burning Planeswalkers in general) is just a super strong play.


Am I missing something that makes black so much better than red?

[Genesis]

Any new changes to the list or any progress made in general?

I have been playing a significant amount of UWx control versions on Cockatrice / MWS against friends with different decks and right now I don't know if black is the colour to go for a splash. The cards black provides are obviously pretty strong:

- Lingering Souls / Mystical Tutor for their flashback
- Demonic Tutor
- Shriekmaw
- Vindicate
- Baleful Strix
- Volrath's Stronghold / Sorin 2.0 (if you think you can utilize them by playing more creatures)
- Single target spot removal + discard

At first glance, this looks like a ton already, but I have the feeling that these cards "only" strengthen the mid to late game where UWx in general already shines. Black feels like trying to make the deck better where it already is pretty good.

I have played an equal number of games with both UWb and UWr and in the current meta, I found R to be much more useful.

Besides strong control cards like Ajani Vengeant, Grim Lavamancer, Ruination/Blood Moon (if you go this route) and Flametongue Kavu I found single target burn (that sometimes even brings utility and card advantage like Fire // Ice, Arc Trail, Helix, Magma Jet, Forked Bolt etc.) and cheap "mass" removal like Pyroclasm, Whipflare and Firespout to be too good (remember: in the current creature based meta) to not run.

Red gives UWx what it misses desperately: a stronger early game. There is almost nothing better than to burn the enemies T1 mana elf and slow them down heavily. It also kills almost every utility creature and eot Lightning Bolt killing the enemy Jace TMS (and burning Planeswalkers in general) is just a super strong play.


Am I missing something that makes black so much better than red?

I have also played both version and right now i'm playing esper instead uwr. What i didn't like about uwr was burn, while it was good sometimes it failed to do it's job in midgame when you are facing bigger creatures and you are staring your lightning bolt in hand and wishing it would be go for throat or other "real" removal instead of burn. Yes, you can burn little dudes and shoot burn to head but if we are control deck, burning opponent alive isn't our plan a really. Just imagine facing a Titan, you have to resolve / have two burn spells instead of one removal to get rid of it. Same is true for some litte bigger dudes what one 2-3 dmg spells can't kill. I don't know what your meta is looking like, if there is tons of aggro then uwr maybe be better there but when you are facing control you wish you would be playing esper instead.

[SpoCk0nd0pe]

Any new changes to the list or any progress made in general?

I did not look into this for quite some time because it's really hard finding opponents in MWS.

Cards I would definitely work in:

Baleful Strix
Supreme Verdict
Lingering Souls

Cards I'd strongly favor:

Exclude
Entreat the angles
Porphyry Notes (did not test it, but it seems like it could steal some tempo)

I'd maybe cut:

Remand
Gitaxian Probe
Coalition Relic
Engineered Explosives
Crucible of Worlds


About black vs red as third color:
Genesis already pointed some things out. But even on the level of individual card choices I think black is stronger for control in highlander:
Vindicate and Recoil are of the few things hitting plainswalkers
Consuming Vapors > Flametongue Kavu
Go for the throat/Dismember > Lightning Bolt/Chain lightning
Baleful Strix, Sorin 2.0 and Damnation have no equivalents in control power in red

[coldcrow]

Black is good if you go for a combo/control artifact approach. Tutors, cheap discard, Obeyline, Sharuum make it worthwhile.

Red is way better for a pure control angle. Superior burn/utility spells and nonbasic hate if applicable.

[Nastaboi]

You might want to check out my list from ladder tournament. I'd change a card or two now, but I liked the approach: low curve, all cheap counters, few creatures, no acceleration, only single caster black spells. Manabase have been bent to support Shackles, I'd make room for couple of more plains if I feared Blood Moon more.

[SpoCk0nd0pe]

Thanks Nastaboi

Would you include the 1 mana counterspell and the 1 mana discard package again?

[Nastaboi]

Yes, I would play them again. Discard spells make often impossible to fetch basics early on, but they are very powerful to make it up.