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Standard Esper Midrange Guide by Mogged
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This past week, I was able to reach the top 8 of the Standard Challenge, achieving a perfect Swiss record with the trusty old Esper Midrange.
This deck has been the boogeyman of Standard whenever Fable was not legal. Today, I will be expanding on its card choices and presenting a comprehensive sideboard guide for the most popular matchups.
Updated Version
This is the list I played at the latest MTGO Challenge where I reached the top 8.
My version differs from stock Esper by abandoning Sheoldred and having only instant speed spells excluding the 3 drops and Dennick.
$364/114.36 Tix
Maindeck (60)
| Creature [16] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Dennick, Pious Apprentice | $0.69 | |
| 4 Raffine, Scheming Seer | $5.99 | |
| 2 Ertai Resurrected | $0.99 | |
| 4 Faerie Mastermind | $13.99 | |
| 2 Lord Skitter, Sewer King | $3.49 | |
| Instant [12] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3 Make Disappear | $0.49 | |
| 3 Cut Down | $1.49 | |
| 4 Go for the Throat | $1.49 | |
| 2 Virtue of Loyalty | $15.99 | |
| Enchantment [4] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Wedding Announcement | $12.99 | |
| Planeswalker [2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2 The Wandering Emperor | $27.99 | |
| Land [26] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 Shattered Sanctum | $21.99 | |
| 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire | $10.99 | |
| 1 Otawara, Soaring City | $24.99 | |
| 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire | $12.99 | |
| 3 Raffine's Tower | $15.99 | |
| 2 Adarkar Wastes | $7.49 | |
| 2 Caves of Koilos | $0.69 | |
| 2 Underground River | $2.79 | |
| 4 Darkslick Shores | $1.99 | |
| 3 Seachrome Coast | $4.99 | |
| 2 Restless Fortress | $0.69 | |
| 1 Island | $0.01 | |
| Sideboard [15] | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 The Wandering Emperor | $27.99 | |
| 1 Knockout Blow | $0.35 | |
| 2 Destroy Evil | $1.99 | |
| 1 Cut Down | $1.49 | |
| 1 Loran of the Third Path | $5.49 | |
| 1 Gix's Command | $1.79 | |
| 2 Razorlash Transmogrant | $0.49 | |
| 1 Anoint with Affliction | $0.35 | |
| 2 Duress | $0.35 | |
| 1 Negate | $0.35 | |
| 2 Disdainful Stroke | $0.35 | |
$84.93 Tix @cardhoarder
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Similar Decks
Proxies
Archetype Analysis
Magic online format
Apprentice and MWS .dec
Card Choices
Why No Sheoldred?
Sheoldred has defined this metagame more than any other card. Every deck has to adapt to its existence, and there is an abundance of answers in almost every deck, with the main purpose being to target it.
Black decks have been stocked with four Go for the Throat. Meanwhile, white decks that don't include black either play Ossification or Leyline Binding. Even Mono-Red always includes a number of Nahiri's Warcrafting/Witchstalker's Frenzy.
The role of Sheoldred in Esper Midrange is honestly a bit counterintuitive to the plan. Although it offers a different threat than going wide, tapping out after turn 3 carries a lot of risk. Having Sheoldred immediately answered pushes Esper Midrange away from its strength of staying ahead of tempo and getting very small incremental advantages, slowly suffocating the opponent.
Compared to Wandering Emperor and Ertai, and combined with the fact that every deck is very well-prepared, I currently choose not to include Sheoldred in the 75.
Everything is Instant Speed (*Almost)
I think the strength of Esper Midrange lies in how well it can snowball its 3 drops. Your 3 drops don't really need another card to win the game on their own if you keep your opponent in check. Compare Topiary Stomped to Wedding Announcement: Topiary Stomper makes your 5+ drops better while not being too impactful on its own. Wedding, on the other hand, only slightly improves your other cards. However, if you keep a clean board, it will either help you stay interactive or give you some inevitability.
For that reason, I want the maximum amount of agency. Being able to choose between interacting or presenting a threat can be game-changing. It also improves your answers, because open mana represents board pressure through The Wandering Emperor, Virtue of Loyalty, and Faerie Mastermind. This can cause opponents to rush into making errors.
New additions from Wilds of Eldraine
Virtue of Loyalty
This card shines with low copies, offering a very powerful option for your go-wide plan. It may not be often that paying 5 mana for that effect is worth it, or that your board can support it, but when it happens, it might be exactly what can turn a loss into a win.
Lord skitter, Sewer King
Lord Skitter is akin to a wedding announcement that becomes more challenging, yet more vulnerable to interaction. It also becomes more impactful in faster-paced games. The exile from the graveyard utility is another element that the deck has been missing. This card is extraordinarily powerful.
5 Tips to Better Navigate the Deck
Tip #1: Raffine
Raffine often wins on its own, so be sure to pair it with interaction. This means prioritizing answers over threats when conniving, while sometimes keeping a second Raffine as backup.
Tip #2: One card is enough to ruin our game plan
The Esper deck wins slowly but loses quickly. A single card is enough to ruin our game plan. Keep that card in mind so you can sequence your plays and decide where to direct counters and removal. For instance, Domain Ramp has Sunfall, and black midrange decks have Sheoldred or Glissa, which you should keep track of. This is extremely important. Sometimes, you need to hold your removal against something else and respect Sheoldred, but at other times, you can simply ignore her and aim for a tempo win. Games are highly dynamic, and you don't always have to respond to her. For example, Dennick and Raffine often defeat Sheoldred, even though Sheoldred is supposed to be a counter to Raffine.
Tip #3: Ertai + Faerie Masterming
Ertai has many uses and can be used as either a last-resort answer or a tempo play. It combines well with Faerie Mastermind, triggering its ability.
Tip #4: Visualize
Play a lot of games and take pauses in the early rounds. This deck is very hard to pilot and every situation will be different. Visualizing your next turns is very important, and mirrors are especially complicated.
Tip #5: The payoff of patience
Dennick is great against the enchantment side of Virtue of Persistence. Sometimes in slow games, I refuse to cast Dennick before my opponent casts Virtue of Persistence, as Dennick can completely neutralize it.
Sideboard guide
Mirror
I think most of the games in this match-up will drag a little, as both players are trying to play around stuff. The wedding is probably the best card in this match-up.
On the Play
On the Draw
Esper Legends
Azorius Soldiers
Soldiers have a plan similar to ours, but our black removal line-up is better against them than their counters are against us, which makes the match-up favored.
Monored aggro
This is a slightly favored matchup because of Wandering Emperor and Dennick. Keep fast hands with a play for both turn 2 and turn 3.
Ramp
This matchup is also slightly favored. Mastermind with counters is very effective against those kinds of tap-out ramp decks.
Esper control/Bant control
I think this matchup is even. Our game 1 looks weaker, but post-board, we are favored.
Golgari Midrange
This matchup is slightly favored. Glissa and Sheoldred from their side always force us to have our removal, but the rest of their deck isn't very effective against our tokens.
Selesnya enchantments
I think this is an even matchup. Too many things can go wrong, such as a fast start from them, or an unanswered wedding, or hallowed haunting.
Monoblue
This is a very favored matchup for us. It is really hard for them to either stick Djinn or resolve a flow of knowledge against our defenses.
Final words
Esper Midrange is especially strong right now if you master it, without Fable around there is no straightforward way to beat it