Hey, everyone. I’m back with another control deck in another format. Today, I want to talk about the deck that has me excited for Standard: Esper control.

While Bant was my deck of choice for Magic 2013 Standard, Esper has the best tools for control in Theros. It was set up nicely in Return to Ravnica Block Constructed, so it isn’t too surprising that it’s my top choice.

To begin, here’s the list that took Dusty Ochoa to a second-place finish at Pro Tour Dragon’s Maze:

"Esper Control"

• Creatures (6)
• 2 Aetherling
• 2 Angel of Serenity
• 2 Obzedat, Ghost Council

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 4 Jace, Architect of Thought

• Spells (22)
• 3 Devour Flesh
• 3 Far // Away
• 4 Azorius Charm
• 4 Sphinx's Revelation
• 4 Syncopate
• 4 Supreme Verdict

• Lands (28)
• 2 Swamp
• 3 Island
• 3 Plains
• 2 Dimir Guildgate
• 2 Orzhov Guildgate
• 4 Azorius Guildgate
• 4 Godless Shrine
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 4 Watery Grave

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Detention Sphere
• 1 Devour Flesh
• 3 Dispel
• 1 Dramatic Rescue
• 1 Psychic Spiral
• 4 Psychic Strike
• 4 Sin Collector

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I think the shell should remain the same, as there are plenty of powerful early-game counters and removal spells in Ravnica. Fortunately, we don’t have to play the Guildgates; I don’t think they are up to par in Standard. It’s been about thirteen years since Coastal Tower was exciting in a W/U control deck.

Here’s how I am approaching this archetype in Standard:

"Esper Control Update"

• Creatures (1)
• 1 Aetherling

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 1 Jace, Memory Adept
• 2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
• 3 Jace, Architect of Thought

• Spells (27)
• 2 Doom Blade
• 2 Syncopate
• 3 Dissolve
• 3 Sphinx's Revelation
• 4 Azorius Charm
• 4 Far // Away
• 1 Divination
• 4 Supreme Verdict
• 4 Detention Sphere

• Lands (26)
• 3 Plains
• 5 Island
• 3 Temple of Deceit
• 3 Temple of Silence
• 4 Godless Shrine
• 4 Hallowed Fountain
• 4 Watery Grave

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Sensory Deprivation
• 2 Ratchet Bomb
• 1 Jace, Memory Adept
• 1 Aetherling
• 4 Thoughtseize
• 2 Negate
• 1 Ultimate Price
• 2 Glare of Heresy

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Upgrades from M14 and Theros

Syncopate is a fine counter to play on turn two, but I want to draw Dissolve on any other turn. It’s rare to be able to play a sorcery-speed spell and counter a spell with Syncopate. I have the ability to play a 4-drop such as Supreme Verdict or Jace, Architect of Thought and effectively use Dissolve. The extra bonus of scry is preferred over Dissipate anyway because Innistrad took away the graveyard interactions.

The Mana Base and Choosing a Third Color

It has been argued that Mutavault in control decks pressures planeswalkers, but I have never been in that situation before. Since I don’t actually win with damage, the Mutavaults haven’t been impressive. I also want all the mana I can get in control decks, so trading a land for a small creature isn’t ideal.

Since the utility lands for W/U aren’t amazing, what about adding the third color to capitalize on the good mana? The scry lands were good on the first turn to help smooth out my draw, but they also helped me find gas at the end of the game. I only play six at the moment, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I go to the full eight.

I think we need to build control differently than with the previous cycle of dual lands. Since I would prefer to not have my entire land base enter the battlefield tapped, it’s worth playing with just a light splash on the third color.

The draw of playing black was mainly for the control mirrors because Thoughtseize is very good. Since most of the sideboarded games revolve around holding up countermagic for a bomb, it’s best to see the opponent’s plan and take his or her problematic cards. If you’re playing against a nonblack Sphinx's Revelation control deck, you will have a big advantage post-board.

I don’t mind if my plan is to have my early black sources come into play tapped because I want to cast Thoughtseize in the control mirror later in the game. There are four copies because this effect is so powerful in the matchup. It’s rarely the correct play to cast Thoughtseize on turn one or two because the opponent can draw a counter in the next couple turns and counter your Jace unexpectedly.

The Removal

Remember that Detention Sphere is among the more interesting answers to opposing Jaces after the new legend rule change. If we both have a Jace, Architect of Thought in play, they will both be removed by the Sphere. This is a great reason to upgrade to Jace, Memory Adept since it will stay in play.

Since the midrange decks so far revolve around Desecration Demon or Stormbreath Dragon, I wanted some efficient removal for big creatures. Far // Away was the clear winner since the cards that made it awkward in the old Standard have rotated (Lingering Souls and Doomed Traveler). The midrange decks of today will still give control a run for its money, but Far // Away will help keep the matchup fair.

The Sideboard

Ratchet Bomb has a shot to be in the main deck, but I prefer Doom Blade because I don’t want to hit my Detention Spheres or planeswalkers against midrange. However, Ratchet Bomb is very strong against the rush of creature decks I expect at the beginning of the format. There are enough 1-drops with 2 power that it can be reasonable to kill multiple creatures.

Sensory Deprivation made the cut because I have five Islands and eight shock lands that can stop a creature on turn one. It can be overwhelming to face an aggro deck on the draw without a way to interact on the first turn. This is evident if you look at the controlling red decks with Shock in the sideboard. We lost Tragic Slip and Pillar of Flame in the rotation, so we’re left with slim pickings.

Ratchet Bomb and Supreme Verdict can kill off the sensory-deprived creature because leaving it in play creatures awkward situations with Far // Away.

I round out the removal with the new kid on the block Glare of Heresy. This is a great hoser because it’s good against midrange and aggro. I use the same card to take out an early Voice of Resurgence or a late Elspeth, Sun's Champion.

The other half of the sideboard is designed to fight control. I put plenty of anti-control cards in the sideboard because I want to board out all of the removal against Sphinx's Revelation decks. Even if there’s an unexpected threat, Detention Sphere can take care of it because I leave them in for planeswalkers.

Thoughtseize is much better than Sin Collector because it can discard planeswalkers, Detention Sphere, and Aetherling. You may think the 2/1 is good against Jace or Elspeth, but it isn’t worth the restrictive discard ability. I also want to cast Thoughtseize on turn five to see if the coast is clear to resolve a Jace.

Since I only have five counterspells in the main deck, it’s best to pack a couple Negates for old time’s sake. I was considering playing a Gainsay, but I want to be able to counter opposing Thoughtseizes.

The sideboard is topped off with a couple bombs in the form of Aetherling and Jace, Memory Adept. Since the tempo of the game will increase dramatically thanks to the proactive nature of Thoughtseize, I want extra threats to resolve. I may need to play off the top of my deck after a Sphinx's Revelation is discarded in games two and three.

This is also important because Elspeth isn’t amazing against control decks. It’s still a big threat that can close a game, but Jace’s +1 can negate the 1/1 tokens and a Detention Sphere or Glare of Heresy can take care of the planeswalker.

The threat of your opponent killing a Detention Sphere with Glare of Heresy creates some interesting interactions with Jace, Architect of Thought. Since there will be the occasional Sphere that removes two copies, a timely Glare can return the Jaces at inopportune times for the opponent.

Slaughter Games

Sphinx's Revelation Versus Divination Versus Read the Bones

Divination can be a great tool when it comes to drawing cards without spending all of your mana. Sometimes, I just want to cast it early to hit land drops to make Sphinx's Revelation more powerful. It’s not the flashiest spell in the world, but it does the job.

I think Read the Bones is a very powerful card, but Divination belongs in base-blue decks. The most important element of the aggro-versus-control matchup is stabilizing your life total, which makes the 2 life a hefty drawback. I don’t mind drawing more lands because they can be used later for Sphinx's Revelation.

The ideal deck for Read the Bones is a black midrange deck because such a deck has fewer ways to draw cards, and the extra lands are less useful since the deck lacks Sphinx's Revelation. It’s also helpful for that deck because it helps prevent the curse of the midrange deck: drawing the wrong half of your deck in Game 1. Most black control decks are filled with bombs and creature-kill; it’s generally the case you only want half of these spells.

Cards That Nearly Made the Cut

Prophetic Prism – Since we lost Think Twice, I wanted a way to cycle. It also helps fix your mana, but the light splash of the third color wasn’t strenuous enough to warrant the inclusion. I also had six scry lands to help me smooth out my draw. If you have a greedier spell-base, you should consider playing a couple copies.

Haunted Plate Mail – If you don’t like Detention Sphere as an answer to planeswalkers, you can consider this underplayed gem. I can play Supreme Verdict and then hit a planeswalker for 4 damage. The reason I eventually cut it was that I already have seven 4-drops. It’s also awkward when you play Elspeth on turn six because the 1/1 tokens mean you can’t activate it anymore. If you’re playing control without Elspeth, give this a try.

Pithing Needle – Since I already have most of the threatening planeswalkers in the set, there isn’t much reason to include this. Detention Sphere is once again a good reason to exclude it. If Xenagos, the Reveler is a big player, I could see playing a Needle or two to stop him.

Omenspeaker – This card is so close to being good. It’s still a sideboard consideration against aggressive decks. It’s worth noting it can be bounced with Far // Away for value.

Conclusion

Although the end of Innistrad Standard was very hostile toward control decks, it seems blue is poised for a comeback with Theros. A large chunk of the problematic cards have rotated, leaving us with a level playing field. Esper is going to be a serious contender for the top control deck in Standard.

If you have any comments or suggestions, don’t hesitate to post in the comments or e-mail me at kmboggemes at gmail dot com.

Thanks for reading,

Kyle