Historic 101: Thinking Twice Like Its 2011
Gameplan
By now you've either played against or have heard about my love for Control decks. For some this will just be an annoying control deck but for all the other people who played back when Time Spiral or Innistrad was legal in standard, you'll remember a card called Think Twice. This card has a soft spot for me, and this Esper deck is really just a love letter to the sweet cards that have been in my Esper control decks over the years.
Although I strongly believe that a card like Think Twice and Sphinx's Revelation are definitely dated, it won't stop me from playing these cards. You may be wondering, "what did Crim cut for this draw spell?" The answer is quite simple, Grafdigger's Cage. Did I just give up one of the best ways for a control deck to prevent nonsense from happening? Yes, I sure did. Cage stops me from casting my favorite draw spell so it had to go. Sure, we might lose to Muxus but we got to spend five mana to draw two cards along the way! This deck plays the "land, go" playstyle that I've always loved perfectly. Sphinx's Revelation used to be the premier win condition when it was in standard as most people just conceded to the raw card advantage, but in 2021, this is just a mediocre draw spell that comes packed with memories so I decided to have fun with it.
The deck is just board wipes, counterspells, and Teferi. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way so if you're looking to play a slow grindy game, this is the deck for you! The only real way of winning is Shark Typhoon or using Teferi, Hero of Dominaria's emblem and then looping Teferi until our opponents mill out. Outside of the sideboard, we do have another control finisher in Chromium, the Mutable so we really are taking a walk down a control player's memory lane!
Conclusion
If I were to build a version of control without Think Twice, I'd probably just go straight up Azorius Control. I do like what the black mana offers as we do get cards like Fatal Push and Thought Distortion to beat the other Control decks but sometimes the mana can get dicey. Think Twice is probably better replaced by a card like Frantic Inventory if I'm being honest. The Grafdigger's Cage in the main feels essential unless you're meme'ing like I am. I do believe there is an actual Esper Control deck but that'll be another episode. For right now, the draw of the black mana is to have cards like Shadows' Verdict which is huge against Jund Sacrifice, Auras, and the Death's Shadow decks.
Thanks for watching me play a bunch of cards from control's past! See you at the next video.
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-Your Friendly Neighborhood AsianAvenger
Twitter: @TheAsianAvenger || Twitch: twitch.tv/TheAsianAvenger || Email: theasianavenger@mtggoldfish.com
