One of the biggest questions when Sensei’s Divining Top was banned was would happen to the control archetype now that the format’s premier control deck had disappeared. Miracles has surprisingly put up a fair amount of good results post ban with newer lists incorporating Portent as a substitute for Sensei’s Divining Top, but other control decks have begun to reemerge. Miracles had previously pushed other control decks out of the format, but now those decks could be poised to make a comeback.
One such deck is Esper Deathblade. Deathrite Shaman is one of the best cards in Legacy, and Esper Deathblade was one of the top decks in Legacy a few years ago. It played some of the most individually powerful cards in the format. It was a no-nonsense deck that played the best and most efficient spells. It had all the tools needed to play control, but could just as easily dominate the board with an early True-Name Nemesis or Batterskull.
The breakout deck of MKM Series Frankfurt was Bant Deathblade, posting an impressive 64% win rate between its eleven pilots. Although it shares similarities with the Esper version, Bant is a different animal. This article will serve to outline the differences between the two, explain how to distinguish them from one another in game, and how to combat them.
Bant Deathblade
Esper Deathblade
| Creatures (12) 4 Deathrite Shaman 2 True-Name Nemesis 2 Snapcaster Mage 4 Stoneforge Mystic Spells (26) 4 Thoughtseize 2 Counterspell 4 Force of Will 4 Brainstorm 4 Ponder 4 Swords to Plowshares 1 Umezawa's Jitte 1 Batterskull 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor | Lands (22) 2 Island 1 Swamp 1 Plains 3 Underground Sea 3 Tundra 1 Tropical Island 1 Scrubland 4 Polluted Delta 4 Flooded Strand 2 Misty Rainforest |
Bant Deathblade is much more of a tempo deck. Utilizing additional mana dorks in the form of Noble Hierarch it strives to play True-Name Nemesis or Leovold, Emissary of Trest on turn two. Four copies of Daze are used in addition to Force of Will in order to support this plan. The combination of Noble Hierarch, True-Name Nemesis, and Daze leads to some fast starts, and makes for a very powerful early game.
What Esper Deathblade loses in speed it makes up for in resiliency and sheer power. All of its cards are high impact and, with the potential exception of Thoughtseize, it has no really bad top decks in the grindy matchups.
The Esper version also fares better against most combo decks. Instead of Daze, which is often easy for experienced combo players to play around, it packs a full set of Thoughtseizes, two copies of Counterspell, and a pair of Snapcaster Mages. It also plays Ponder over Noble Hierarch, making it easier to find your pieces of disruption when you need them.
There is also the black-heavier version of Esper Deathblade which utilizes cards such as Baleful Strix, Liliana of the Veil, Hymn to Tourach, and Tombstalker. This version can rarely afford to play as many basic lands, which is something to look out for when trying to discern which build your opponent is on.
Noble Hierarch vs. Ponder
Esper Deathblade is a control deck and is thus much more concerned with maintaining a high power level in order to excel in the late game. Because of how mana efficient its answers are it’s in no rush to get ahead on the board. Ponder helps reduce variance, allowing the Esper player to find its lands early on and specific answers later. Bant Deathblade on the other hand is much more about getting ahead on tempo and on the board as early as possible. Noble Hierarch is therefore essential to its game plan.
Wasteland vs. Basic Lands
Bant Deathblade uses Wasteland to further its tempo advantage in the early turns of the game. This allows the Bant player to get even more ahead on the board and also keeps Daze live longer. Esper Deathblade however can’t afford to mess around with Wasteland when what it really wants is a stable mana development that lets it reach the part of the game where it knows it’s favored to win. Instead it plays the classic “Jace mana base” with two Island, one Plains, and one Swamp. The ability to search for these lands makes you less vulnerable to Wasteland when it matters most—in the early turns of the game.
In Bant Deathblade, green is no longer just a splash, but a main color. Whereas Esper Deathblade often only plays a single green source to enable Deathrite Shaman, most Bant lists play three copies of Tropical Island. If you see it in multiples, or even if it’s just their first land drop, be prepared to play around Daze. If your opponent plays their turn one Deathrite Shaman off of a basic Swamp and follows it up with a Tundra on the other hand, it’s probably safe to just jam your spells without fear of having them get dazed.
Daze vs. Thoughtseize
Daze loses a lot of value quickly, but can be tremendously effective when your opponent is low on mana. Thoughtseize trades one-for-one with the best card in your opponent’s hand. It’s a very flexible answer that also provides you with information and synergizes well with Snapcaster Mage. Both cards do little in the late game.
True-Name Nemesis vs. Snapcaster Mage
Bant Deathblade is largely built around maximizing the power of True-Name Nemesis. It can be one of the scariest cards for other creature decks to play against, especially if it’s paired with an equipment. Esper Deathblade still employs a couple of copies of True-Name Nemesis, but it is nowhere near as central to its strategy. Rather than having the full playset it uses a pair of Snapcaster Mages to gain that extra bit of value and to serve as additional answers to whatever you might come up against.
Beating Deathblade
Bant and Esper Deathblade have a lot in common and share many cards between each other. Any fair deck that wants to beat them needs a plan for dealing with the equipment. Against the Bant version you need to make sure you don’t fall too far behind so that you’re able to stabilize in time. Sweepers such as Toxic Deluge are better here because a turn one Noble Hierarch means you’re very likely to get at least a two-for-one out of the deal.
Esper Deathblade can be difficult to attack due to how efficient and non-linear it is. One approach to beating them if you want to play fair is to play something that is capable of beating them in the long game and preferably isn’t vulnerable to creature removal, i.e. BUG Control or anything with Punishing Fire. Another way is to attack their mana. While they do play a respectable number of lands, they’re still a four color deck with a mana curve that is fairly high by Legacy’s standards. Life from the Loam plus Wasteland can do a real number on them and is difficult for them to interact with outside of Deathrite Shaman. A resolved Blood Moon can sometimes spell game over as soon as it hits the battlefield.
Wrap up
That’s going to be it for today. I hope this article left you a little more prepared to play against Deathblade. I’m off to prepare for Grand Prix Vegas, where I expect to see a few Deathblade players, and hope to see many of you!
Until next time.
Sandro is a Magic player from Stockholm, Sweden. He’s been playing Goblins in Legacy for years. Follow him on Twitter @SandroRajalin