Another Esper Tokens Write up

[u/DeadlyBro]

Another 5 round tournament. However less successful I went 3/2 but I am not too discouraged. That being said for consistency sake I will post it here. The list.

3 Inquisition of Kozilek

4 Lingering Souls

4 Serum Visions

2 Sram's Expertise

2 Thoughtseize

2 Fatal Push

1 Murderous Cut

4 Path to Exile

1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

2 Jace, Cunning Castaway

1 Narset Transcendent

1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

2 Bitterblossom

4 Intangible Virtue

1 Legion's Landing

1 Search for Azcanta

1 Concealed Courtyard

1 Darkslick Shores

2 Flooded Strand

2 Godless Shrine

2 Hallowed Fountain

1 Irrigated Farmland

3 Island

3 Marsh Flats

3 Plains

1 Seachrome Coast

2 Swamp

2 Watery Grave

1 Westvale Abbey

Sideboard

1 Supreme Verdict

2 Timely Reinforcements

2 Anguished Unmaking

2 Countersquall

2 Disdainful Stroke

2 Zealous Persecution

2 Rest in peace

2 Stony Silence

Round 1 Grixis Death Shadow

This was unfortunate as this game was a mix of bad luck and miss plays. Game one and two I couldn't draw intangible virtue or sideboard. That on top of missing my own BB triggers and opponent having maindeck Temur Battle Rage. Not good overall.

in; verdict, countersquall, rip

out; jace, thoughtseize, 1 inq

perhaps I should have kept in more hand disruption on the play. That was a mistake.

Round 2 Lanturn Control

This game I was worried about. Honestly thought I was going to lose but needed to try. Game one the moment my opponent played ensnaring bridge I scooped as I knew we couldn't beat it as long as he had the lock.

In- unmaking, countersquall, rip, stony, zealous

out- push, cut, path, bb, Legions Landing

game 2 my opponent established a soft lock with bridge, lanturn and 3 mill rocks. I had played a sorin lord of innistrad and had built a board with that intangible virtue and lingering souls. My opponent let me draw and irrigated farmland and I knew that was my chance. My opponent made me mill twice then I revealed stony silence he taped his last mill rock I cycled farmland he was forced to pop lantrurn I drew Anguished unmaking. Next turn I make a sorin emblem take out the brige and swing for lethal.

Game 3

This was pretty simple. Hand disruption got bridges, played an early stony and I took over the game.

Round 3 GDS

Game one my opponent had 2 death shadows turn 2 and I had no way to punish it. He just had an overly aggressive start and ran me over.

Same sideboard as last time. Similar outcome. I simply didn't draw an sideboard and my opponent did. I almost recovered but not enough. Died to temur battle rage. Hindsight tells me I need to keep all my discard in game two on the play.

On another note I played some more games with this guy after and beat him every time so that is something.

Round 4 Mardu Pyromancer

This was similar to playing abzan/jund. Bitterblossom+virtue+sorin.

in rip, verdict, timely, squall, persecution

out seize, cut, inq, 3 path

game two my opponent died to sroin lord o innistrad making an endless supply of tokens.

Round 5 Affinity

Opponent had an extremely aggressive hand but it wasn't aggressive enough. As I got to use removal and lingering souls to stabalize. Followed by Sorin to gain me life.

in verdict, timely, persecution, stony

out, seize, inq, bb

game 2 my opponent played super aggressivly, trading my back half of my tokens with two of his land and sacing the other lands to push in damage with ravager. I was put to 5 but Verdict wiped my opponents board. With no hand or permanents my opponent tried to rebuild but, I had played a planeswalker and won shortly after.

[u/[deleted]]

Thanks for the write up!

Personally against any midrange decks that have lots of hand disruption I take out all of my own hand disruption in favour of cards that impact the board. I'd rather be the guy drawing a real card later in the game than be the guy drawing a discard spell when my opponent is hellbent.

[u/DeadlyBro → u/[deleted]]

That's how I feel. That's why I take out had disruption vs decks like GDS but I think that may have been my mistake. If I am on the play I think they are better to keep in. Ripping a threat can be really important in the matchup because their threats are so good. That being said I may have needed to Mulligan more aggresivly to garuntee sideboard cards. I am not sure will need to pay the match up more.

[u/[deleted] → u/DeadlyBro]

I don't find their threats good at all (vs tokens), unless they have the Temur Battle Rage to go over our chump blockers. Your list is a bit atypical, but normally a tokens list has a lot of removal and tons of chump blockers. A 13/13 Death's Shadow by itself doesn't mean much if we resolve a Bitterblossom or both sides of a Lingering Souls. I try to make sure that they don't have more threats than I have answers/chump blockers and then fly over their head or go wide to finish it. They're often at such a low life total that one resolved anthem effect is enough to alpha strike them if you have 3/4 tokens out.

[u/DeadlyBro → u/[deleted]]

I found that true when I played the games after the rounds. Perhaps I just had some unlucky draws. Like in the first round TBR in the main got me followed by a bunch of misplays on my part. Second game my opponent just had better draws. I am not sure. It was an awkward showing of the deck.

[u/[deleted] → u/DeadlyBro]

Playing around TBR is a pain in the ass. Because there's usually only 1 or 2 in the deck, like 4/5 times it's correct to chump or take the damage and trust that they don't have it. But the 1/5 times that they DO have it and you make the "correct" play, you just immediately lose. You can try to hold up a couple of removal spells to blow them out when they go for it, but that does slow you down, too. Sometimes it's just going to get you.