Hi all!
As I said, I consider myself as an "underdog" player, a player that prefers losing a game because of his ideas/projects/decks instead of winning without creativity or something that can make me different from other players.
So today I tried my best to bring you this Esper HandLock which has already a second version with Fire implements ( with cards like Unexpected Results and Treachery) that I will post in a few days.
The main goal of the deck is to control and "spy" the opponent handsize and his draw power and play accordingly to what we see. The removal spells are mandatory because obviously not all the menaces can be stopped while they are in the opponents hand.
I'll be honest: the winning percentage is low, around 25% but it's fun watching opponents struggling with this low-used strategy, opponents that can't understand how to resolve our strange control methods. For those who love control and the handlock/milling mechanics in Magic this sure seems a good variation on the theme and a funny recipe.
Let me know how it goes !
Hope you enjoy !.
Sabotage
x4
1
Slow
x4
2
Annihilate
x3
2
Lightning Storm
x3
2
Vara's Choice
x3
3
Banish
x4
3
Cat Burglar
x3
3
Feln Bloodcaster
x4
3
Wisdom of the Elders
x4
4
Deathstrike
x3
4
Rain of Frogs
x3
4
Steward of Prophecy
x4
4
Subvert
x4
5
Time Weaver
x4
Primal Sigil
x4
Shadow Sigil
x5
Time Sigil
x4
Seat of Cunning
x4
Seat of Mystery
x4
Seat of Wisdom
x4
View Deck on Shiftstoned
main issue with these hand/deck destruction sort of decks is running out of steam, either lacking in card draw or advantage in some form... which is why i've sort of taken a liking to the idea of these Mind Link decks of late.
i'd be curious of there isn't some iteration that utilizes the card advantage of Mind Link, while also being hand destructive/controlish... but we may have to just wait until season 3 for better tools.
for example, maybe utilizing Unstable Form with a mind link on board, and then utilizing Praxis Displacer to bounce their stuff and attack their hand with Vara's Choice or Treachery in some weird iteration...
i think i may be going to deep here but there was a little buzz over Moment of Creation not too long ago. those decks usually run 4 Find the Way / Seek Power which would easily allow for some kind of 4 color strategy.
I made a preliminary MindLink/Moment list in the comment section of this deck list...
https://eternalwarcry.com/decks/details/zbtaeQ0gc40/cradle-moment
cradle would be cute but i don't think there's a way to make it work realistically. the biggest issue being the need for 2X Primal influence early, and 2X Fire/Time late... so there's probably a good deal of tweaking to be had with the dual influence sigils. Also I'm not really sure which card advantage engine is more ideal: Mind Link or Calderan Cradle or some kind of utilization of both.
but... maybe something like this?
2 Sabotage (Set1 #252)
4 Seek Power (Set1 #408)
4 Unstable Form (Set1 #189)
4 Find the Way (Set1 #513)
4 Rockslide (Set2 #189)
4 Treachery (Set1 #394)
4 Vara's Choice (Set2 #206)
4 Banish (Set2 #207)
4 Mind Link (Set2 #119)
4 Polymorph (Set1 #211)
4 Praxis Displacer (Set1 #100)
3 Rain of Frogs (Set1 #221)
4 Moment of Creation (Set2 #185)
1 Shimmerpack (Set1 #365)
3 Fire Sigil (Set1 #1)
4 Time Sigil (Set1 #63)
3 Primal Sigil (Set1 #187)
3 Shadow Sigil (Set1 #249)
4 Seat of Wisdom (Set0 #63)
4 Seat of Fury (Set0 #53)
4 Seat of Mystery (Set0 #61)
an iteration with cradle/cauldron might look like...
1 Excavate (Set1 #71)
4 Seek Power (Set1 #408)
4 Torch (Set1 #8)
1 Eilyn's Favor (Set0 #24)
4 Find the Way (Set1 #513)
3 Lightning Storm (Set1 #206)
1 Purify (Set2 #176)
1 Rockslide (Set2 #189)
4 Second Sight (Set1 #207)
4 Treachery (Set1 #394)
4 Vara's Choice (Set2 #206)
4 Banish (Set2 #207)
3 Feln Cauldron (Set1 #380)
4 Calderan Cradle (Set2 #192)
4 Praxis Displacer (Set1 #100)
4 Moment of Creation (Set2 #185)
4 Fire Sigil (Set1 #1)
4 Time Sigil (Set1 #63)
2 Primal Sigil (Set1 #187)
3 Shadow Sigil (Set1 #249)
4 Seat of Impulse (Set0 #54)
2 Seat of Fury (Set0 #53)
4 Seat of Cunning (Set0 #62)
2 Seat of Mystery (Set0 #61)
anyway, just spitballing.
---
standard mind link deck:
https://eternalwarcry.com/decks/details/MBbybibzJl0/mind-link-shimmerpack
a bit more meme:
https://eternalwarcry.com/decks/details/l7bGKAefjS8/maidens-memelink
I can tell I tried a version with Mind Link, to be honest i tried two and the results are... conflicting. Against Chalice, other control decks or tempo/combo decks, if you have the right cards at the right moments, the opponent can't do nothing at all. Otherwise, the results are really poor but as always, very funny. I tried also a version of Mind Link + Calderan Cradle but i found it a little too unbalanced because the lack of iteration between my creatures and the opponent's ones didn't allow me any space...
From the other hand, i really liked Moment of Creation since his first appearance but i haven't any copy of it, so I can't really say if it's good or not. Maybe I will try it with some foolish list like Moment of Creation + Calderan Cradle + Flamestoker because i think that their mechanics will fit well together, but as I said it's just an idea.
i've been playing around a lot with cradle since i made this post yesterday and yea i really just do not feel the card is viable in any form... it's just far too expensive and you'll have exhausted most of your early game interactivity by the time one sticks to the board.
this is the current channel brew i've been working on but it's definitely a work in progress:
https://eternalwarcry.com/decks/details/ANtqe_9xAMM/channel-the-moment
flame stoker is certainly an interesting card but presently i'm not sure there's the right deck for it at the moment. one imagines a deck where they've got the board cleared/locked down to push through the stokers... or just simply a praxis deck that wants a little more staying power (also benefitting from Dawnwalker). and of course there's the cute synergy with Shepherd's Horn, but yea i'm not really sure...
also i really hope i don't lead you astray with those decks i posted earlier and you end up wasting a bunch of crafting materials. none of those decks are ones i'd recommend but just really rough sketches that probably don't have the potential to come together.
anyway man it's just fun to brew, the playerbase isn't large enough to the point where everything has been figured out so it's still kind of exciting to screw around.
No no, don't worry, I've not the enough amount of shifstones to spend on cards right know, just grinding gauntlet.
About Flamestoker, i saw a very nice deck by Mulligan, i think FJP that he used to climb the ladder last season, that controls the board with Harsh Rule and Lighting Storm, some counter like negate and Elyin's Choice and then smash with 2/3 Flamestoker assigned at once. When it gets going it's brutal.
And last but not least i agree with you: it's just for fun and to brewing around, but if no one does it, what game will be ? That's the funniest part i think.
I'm the first one that says: "I'm not gonna blame myself if I can't win with this kind of deck because I know that others deck are more performing, but screw it, i'm gonna do it the same".
I saw on Reddit someone that said the rules to have fun brewing: Go to card collection, choose a legendary that you don't like and then build a deck around it. Simply Amazing !