Esper - Meticulous Perfection | Magic: The Gathering Lore

Welcome to Part 4 in our 5 part series exploring the shards of Alara in Magic: The Gathering's Multiverse. This episode highlights the cold, sharp, filigree world of Esper whose sphinxes prognosticate and whose mages command power over artifice.
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“This video is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.”

[@mauriciovillegas7285]

The difference between Esper and Phyrexia is the ethics: in Esper it's an honor and a prestige mark to have modifications, it is done willingly; in Phyrexia it's imposed.

[@jessebecerra4669]

Was just thinking about how similar they are to Phyrexia

[@llewelynshingler2173]

Could Jin-Gitaxias get a following by putting up a "Free Upgrades" sign?

[@d3gvsdo]

is esper now the only plane (or subplane) that focuses artifice without even been touched by the glistening oil?

[@mauriciovillegas7285]

@@d3gvsdo There's Kaladesh, where it's a different philosophy... and Kamigawa that has a balance between artifacts, and enchantments...

[@monkaeyes]

But in a way, you could argue that it being honourable makes it imposed.

[@styrax7280]

Ah, this bring's back fond memories of some of MTGs most beautiful artworks

[@TheLorebrarians]

The golden age of illustrations

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

From 2001 to 2013 MtG had the golden age of good art, with consistent amazing works.

[@ndefied3594]

Chippy's Esper basic lands were absolutely amazing and had the most flavour out of all

[@Vengeanceisours]

The Shards block is what got me back into MTG. I'm all about the stories behind each plane, and how they sometimes overlap each other.

[@nategraham6946]

I have a feeling Jin-Gitaxius would love Esper, as it very much seems like Phyrexia and completion.

[@Devilish420]

He'd love it so much that he'll convince Elesh Norn that he'll handle this shard of Alara but will secretly covent it and will definitely want to experiment with Etherium

[@camb06]

Jin-Gitaxius is one of the gems of my Esper deck. I couldn’t keep him out of there.

[@TheVigLebowski]

Thanks for giving Esper some love. This is my favorite color combo to play with. I love the mechanics that go along with Esper and I’m a huge fan of artifacts. Great video

[@DarkenRaul1]

Love this series! Any chance you’ll do one on the clans of Tarkir?

[@TheLorebrarians]

It could be near on the horizon ;)

[@LysergicHouseplant]

Please do a video diving into the lore and history of the many Rats in Magic the gathering!! Your videos are top quality and are such a great escape from the mundane

[@patrickbartholomay6513]

I love Esper, thanks for making this!

[@Arohan71]

Wooo! My favorite shard!

[@pixelgoat7317]

My words exactly! (Makes happy cyber-sphinx noises)

[@Arohan71]

@@pixelgoat7317 Something I noticed with the deep dive. Man, Esper is going to be SO easy for Phyrexia to compleat. They're half way to the same thinking already anyway.

[@pixelgoat7317]

@@Arohan71 Wow, you're so right! Just replace Etherium with oil and...gross Phyrexian metal XD

[@Devilish420]

@@pixelgoat7317 Or better yet, New Phyrexia will somehow combine glistening oil with etherium to make Glistening Etherium

[@Devilish420]

@@Arohan71 Esper + Phyrexia = a match made in Metal

[@MagusFlorren]

Thanks for this video! Well spoken and very compelling stuff. These Esper Sphinx are SO WILD looking.

[@hectormorales4090]

Oh yeah, another great video... another great take on the shards. Love it! Please keep it up!!!

[@bert_gimspon]

Esper is the best Combo and the best Lore. So good...

[@T4N7]

I didn't know all those details about the creation of Etherium but now it makes sense y something specifically from the WUB demi-plane can produce mana of any colour cuz it was forge but putting 5 minerals with 5 different colours of mana into a pot n smelting it all together. Neat. This was the most informative of the Alara more videos so far. N that is saying something cuz the others were highly informative but I didn't really learn anything new from those videos that also made me change how I look at something I alrdy knew about. Thx

[@jdogx211]

That red crystal, isn't it sacred to the Gargantuans on Naya and June's Dragons!? If they want it, there's gonna be a WAR for it!

[@itslexactually]

Ask Breya… she knows

[@RyanNerdyGoober]

2:43 Just noticed the Grixis Island next to the Esper Plains… 😅

[@Devilish420]

yaay finally Esper in all it's glory is being explained. the best shard of all Alara

[@spooky_zen]

been playin esper twilight prophet for years by far my favriot deck. Leir, Nightmare Shepherd, twilight prophet and a bunch of split cards and creatures with interesting abilities. a close to even split of creatures and spells with recursion inmind. always run 2 teferi hero of dom aswell

[@pixelgoat7317]

I love Esper! I actually submitted a landscape drawing of Esper to my drawing class and got a 100 on it :3 ....My main Commander deck is a Raffine, Scheming Seer deck that I converted the Obscura Operations deck into with a whole casserole of artifact sphinxes and other Esper bread-and-butters like Esper Sentinel and Ethersworn Canonist. I'm also obsessed with sphinxes :3 ...Brother's War also gave me a whole kitchen sink's worth of Prototype & Unearth artifact creatures too!

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

Another amazing video I'll be sure to keep rewatching for inspiration from this day forward! Small pet peeve, you say a few times, including at the start, that the esper lack ingenuity due to the missing red but then you keep complimenting their ingenuity throughout the video. Might want to comb through the vocabulary a bit more in the next one. 😅 To reiterate, everything else was spectacular!

[@nicholasmahaffey6285]

Geez I miss planechase and can’t wait to get back into it with the next set! Any chance you’ll do a grixis video?

[@troyubanks5131]

Have you done a theros video yet?

[@brunolins1330]

Who is (are?) Sen Triplets in Esper's story?

[@llewelynshingler2173]

Is this the most otherworldly of the shards?

[@itslexactually]

Arguably Grixis is more so, but Esper is one of the two without green.

[@llewelynshingler2173]

@@itslexactually I suppose both are plantless. Isn't Grixis Black and its Allied colours, making a Necromantic ecosystem?

[@auroram8511]

So far, I feel I'm most aligned with Naya.... Does anyone identify with Esper?

[@communistcrooner]

Esper is going to be the only plane to willingly join New Phyrexia

[@mauriciovillegas7285]

I predicted that from day 1, but the difference is the ethics on compleating people against their will...

[@hexiocene]

I doubt that, with the introduction of the other forms of mana, Esper and it's people are most likely changed after the conflux. Their hegemonic ideals will diminish over time as they realize that they are all part of Alara. Plus, they already have their own views of perfection and beauty, and Phyrexia is not it. Also, lets not forget that in the art for Invasion of Alara, you see some people of esper actually fighting with the rest of the people of Alara. I will admit though, the architects of will definitely would join Phyrexia, they seem like the type.

[@cybermainstream]

No one gonna talk about how he spelled Explained as Explaned?

[@TheLorebrarians]

A play on "Plane Explained"

[@CosmicErrata]

Vedalkens da best.

[@sir_spooky_idiot]

i feel like esper and phryrexia would be friends

[@Hollowbarista]

Sounds and looks much like Phyrexia. Lol!

[@Devilish420]

Who knows, maybe new phyrexia will come across this magnificent shard of Alara and will respect Esper in all it's majesty.

[@ir0nleviathan577]

Esper, a.k.a. Diet Phyrexia. Lets be real, these guys would join Elesh Norn in a non-existent heartbeat.

[@monkaeyes]

Wooo! My least favourite shard!

[@Devilish420]

you must be a Jund Stan

[@monkaeyes]

@@Devilish420 you’re god damn right.

[@Devilish420]

@@monkaeyes called it, lol.