Can Esper Control win with Mindsplice? Includes a battle with CGB! | MTG Arena Standard MKM

[@igkewg]

I love how you explain your thoughts process in every of your videos btw.

[@BullingdonMTG]

Thank you! It means a lot. I'm glad you enjoy it!

[@codydewees5825]

40:40 my jaw dropped at that ending!! epic battle

[@BullingdonMTG]

I was literally on the edge of my seat! One thing I missed in the moment though was that their last draw was literally their last card. When they left on top with their last surveil I thought I was done for, but of course now I realize that they had to! That was quite a finish.

[@jediag02]

Well played. Love your commentaries, your deck concepts and thoughtful plays, and your beard is enviable. I'm a sub for sure, thanks for sharing your content!

[@BullingdonMTG]

Thanks for the wonderful comment! It really means a lot, especially from someone with such a keen eye for facial hair! Welcome to the channel!

[@vertigo3743]

great content man! i love that top mythic gameplay With explainations

[@BullingdonMTG]

Thanks for the nice comment! It means a lot, and I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@thebigmammoo]

Well done! Just came across your content and am enjoying your gameplay, design aesthetics, and deckbuilding choices. It's also nice to see when original decks can do well in ranked. Keep up the great work!

[@BullingdonMTG]

Thank you! Such a nice comment, I really appreciate it. Glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@TheGreygoose87]

I love CGB Salt 🧂 😂😂😂😂

[@BullingdonMTG]

Same here! I was hoping he'd post a video with his side of the duel so I could hear his reaction to that Farewell at the end, but no sign of it yet.

[@lancesims8627]

Love this for you, no hate on cgb but dude knows whats up and you syraight outplayed him gg

[@BullingdonMTG]

Thank you! I'm a big fan of his, and he's a great player, but I do think I got the better of him this game. Of course, that Farewell at the end was a lucky draw, but he had some really good luck earlier, so I call it even on that front.

[@lancesims8627]

@@BullingdonMTG agree it was lucky but that is how the game works great job up to that point dope seeing your thought process makes me look at the game different

[@joaopedrosilva116]

Nice to see a control mage rage quit to Farewell 😂😂😂

[@BullingdonMTG]

Even as a fellow control mage myself, I was giddy at that!

[@Good4u2munchon]

Final game you couldve decked them instead of playing white sun, got lucky!

[@BullingdonMTG]

I thought I was just short of being able to get their whole library with Robbery, but I may have missed it. That would have been an awesome way to win. I still can't believe they almost did get 5 spells off of one draw. I was on the edge of my seat during that sequence. The strangest thing is they left a land on top with their last spell -- they could have had one more chance at it.

[@codydewees5825]

why do you think cgb scooped when he can hard cast breach next turn?

[@BullingdonMTG]

I have no idea. Certainly in the moment I still considered myself the underdog given his hand. I suspect it was just frustration at how well my removal had lined up through the game. I was really hoping the match would make it into one of his videos so I could hear his side, but alas it never did.

[@LordZurkov]

Memory Deluge seems like a serious nonbo with Mindsplice. I suppose it's offset by Robbery becoming ridiculous post-mindsplice, but it still feels really awkward to have a card that just randomly becomes pretty mediocre once your gameplan comes online. Why do you have Takenuma in the deck if there isn't anything for it to hit? Related: my policy for any deck that can search for basics is to run enough to cover the pips of any spell in the deck to avoid situations like your Field of Ruin play in game 3.

[@BullingdonMTG]

Thanks for the great comment! It's wonderful to have a strong player watching closely enough to have some good, nuanced feedback on the deck and gameplay. It's true that Deluge is at its worst with an active Mindsplice, but the deck typically doesn't need much help if you can get to the point where you have a Mindsplice with a few counters on it. I'm much more concerned with _before_ that point, and Deluge is great for getting to and setting up the situation where it's no longer good. Plus, it's full worst-case scenario is draw 4 for 4, which is not _that_ bad -- good enough that I personally prefer it to something like Scrutiny that is amazing with a Mindsplice but less good without one. It's definitely debatable though, I could see swapping it or using a split. You are spot on about Takenuma -- I had copied the mana base from a previous Esper deck. I actually noticed the same thing and took it out somewhere in the middle of recording the games, so it's not in the final list.

[@LordZurkov]

Yeah, I agree with your assessment that it's better than Scrutiny. The hard part is getting to the point where you can safely get Mindsplice online, so leaning into it too much is win-more. But even aside from the nonbo, I'm still not sure about Deluge. Oftentimes you ended up needing to choose between Mindsplice and Deluge because they're both 4-drops. I suspect you'd be better served by a cheaper card selection option like Sleight of Hand or Impulse or The Celestus or something. I've seen Experimental Augury pull some serious weight in other Mindsplice decks. It's good for finding Mindsplice or answers when you need them, but also buffs the discount if you play it afterward.

[@BullingdonMTG]

Yeah, that's a great point on the mana value conflict. Quick Study could work well in that sense, though I agree that Augury is really interesting here. That could be worth a try. Coincidentally I just posted a video of a very different deck that makes good use of Augury, so it's top of mind. Thanks again!

[@Morax024]

I think memory is not too good here

[@BullingdonMTG]

It's true that it's at its worst when you have a Mindsplice active, but even then it's still "draw 4" for 4 mana, which is not a bad card. But once you have Mindsplice going, so much of the deck is so good that I'm not bothered with Deluge getting worse. What I do like is how good it is when you are still trying to set up that scenario -- it shines in finding your Mindsplice, or your payoff, or the removal you need to live long enough to get there. Either way, it's a good point. Another commenter below had similar feedback, and suggested using card draw that doesn't compete at 4CMC with Mindsplice, which I think is a good idea. It could be you two are right and I should let go of Deluge to try something else. It's certainly worth considering. Thanks for the comment!

[@Morax024]

@@BullingdonMTG makes sense enuf.. btw nice video bruh

[@BullingdonMTG]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.