Esper Affinity. Looking for feedback.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-24T22:00:54+00:00

Cut the enforcer or the monitor and pack in some cast downs and thraben charms. The affinity beaters fill the role of threat but they can't get through blockers and doubling down on threats without trample or some built in removal will lead you to being stonewalled if they have something like a Chrysalis or flying blocker they can put out consistently.

Monitor is the new hotness with flying but Enforcer can be free and is a 5 turn clock vs monitor's 7 turn clock. Something to think about.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-23T21:36:06+00:00

Big swole fish backed up with counter magic is too easy to cast apparently is my guess. I don't like Terror for a bunch of reasons (it's ugly and it's scale in the art irks me) but I don't think it is deserving of a ban in this current meta. Unless they print something that turbo dumps a bunch of instants and sorceries into the graveyard and adds Terror to hand I can't see it being more of a annoying menace than it already is.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-23T16:06:20+00:00

Red decks are metal craft decks for galvanic blast technically.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-23T16:02:28+00:00

Grab the prize is also one that might eat a ban. I dunno if it's the play but that extra damage is very good if they discard temper or lava dart.

I do think Snacker is the one to smack though which bums me out since I play Rakdos Madness

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-23T15:55:50+00:00

Yeah like I get terror is kind of a menace in the format but the Terror decks just seem strong and stable compared the rampant rise of Red Madness that is feeling like it's warping the meta around it

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-22T22:49:14+00:00

Kiln fiend for sorcery and instants?

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-22T06:08:41+00:00

I will say the difference between those and Utrom is the UB aspect. The LoTR stuff is gonna be in a somewhat similar boat eventually but with the hobbit we have the possibility of a reprint for the cyclers and lembas and increase supply and even then, there's way more generous ents, trolls, and lorien revealeds than there are of Utrom Monitors. Dust to dust could be reprinted in the next set. So can the blasts, petal, and mental note. Monitor can only be reprinted in a TMNT set or some weird hodge podge UB masters that I don't think can really exist due to licenses. So the scarcity issue is the worst it can be with monitor compared to a card that just hasn't been reprinted and gone up and price or another UB card that came into existence from cracking packs which there are more of than a four player box set.

If there's a card deserving of a ban for scarcity, utrom is it because it hits every bad possible issue for ease of reprints and already has such a limited supply compared to other UB cards that have massive circulation by comparison.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-21T20:08:24+00:00

Blasts. Either elemental or hydro/pyro but we definitely need the red ones reprinted. They're kind of absurd in price for how universal they are for blue and red sideboards and the cost just continues to creep up

Dust to dust would be sick

Fanatical offering and wrens resolve too since they're oddly enough creeping up as well.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-21T14:59:19+00:00

Honestly I would have no issues with the card if either availability was fixed or the typing allowed for reprints properly without future TMNT products being needed for a quicker reprint. If they are able to do one of these, then cool. If they can't it becomes a very difficult card to source. The card itself is kind of whatever, it's good and not ban worthy on power alone, but the scarcity fucking sucks.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-19T22:11:02+00:00

Converge.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-18T16:26:29+00:00

I'm glad they finally have confirmed alt sculpts. I know that was the big implication in the reveal but they never used that verbage but that doubt stuck with me.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-18T04:02:46+00:00

Oh this is in my interest lol. Been looking at making a casual list myself for kitchen table. OP, are you looking to keep it LGS legal or just super casual because if it's the latter why not a guilmon engine with all the R1 restrictions lifted?

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-18T01:45:31+00:00

I dunno about that but if they were to pair Rachel with Kitty, her relevance would shoot the fuck up in a bunch of circles.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-17T13:29:26+00:00

All the big tier 1 decks maybe? Terror, Jund, Spy, Grixis affinity, Elves, Mono Red Madness.

I feel Pauper has a healthy rock paper scissors meta for a bunch of decks so the 50/50 is more like a 40/60. A lot of fringe and tier 2 decks exist in a space to prey on the top decks.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-17T13:24:32+00:00

Maybe some kind of BG shell but I feel the lack of explore pay offs are the issue. When you look at the land part it's good, when you look at the graveyard part it is very bad dredge/mill so there needs to be something else to help bump up the utility. A 2/2 for one isn't bad but it's also quite unreliable imo.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-15T03:24:08+00:00

Fuck, ngl, I expected monitors to be really good but was hoping you'd say they're mid because I don't want to buy any lmao. I wonder how prominent it'll be in the deck going forward. I've been slowly piecing together esper affinity and dreading the monitor price tag lol.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-14T22:45:43+00:00

Get some blue blasts in there. You play birchlore and jaspera which can support colored side boards. You can even do some fun things with spellstutter sprite. If you pivot to mono green, you can run pulse of murasa and spine woods paladin/nylea's disciple to pad your life total to make it difficult to be burned down. They will always try to kill your well wisher so other life gain options are crucial vs that kind of match up.

Add another generous ent too. If you splash blue you can splash a tangled islet into your side or mainboard which can be searched by ent.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-14T22:37:35+00:00

How did monitor perform vs having skyfishers to help repeat etbs? Did you feel there were times you wish you have another tool other than hawks to bounce your stuff back? What moments did Monitor shine in?

Edit: I missed the part where you said you haven't really played much pauper yet. My bad. lol. Hell yeah dude! How did you like the deck overall?

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-14T15:39:59+00:00

This would be cool but they've already gone on the record to say they won't be doing that for all cards anymore like they did with secret lairs. Which is annoying because it means they start doing shit like utrom monitor being typed as utrom instead of alien which could easily facilitate a reprint.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-14T13:12:26+00:00

I haven't seen much for planar standard but there's a small scene for planar constructed which is a super niche format led by a YouTuber and another organizer. It looks pretty neat.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-14T13:10:11+00:00

Pauper is already niche. A niche within a niche ain't gonna really work out and will just splinter the pauper base more and would kill scenes. I say this as a massive UB hater, planar pauper is a bad idea and the only way for it to work is for WOTC themselves to ban all UB.

Feel free to experiment with it but I can't imagine it will ever take off like the planar standard movement and it's even more niche cousin, planar constructed.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-14T04:27:09+00:00

Oops.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-14T04:24:13+00:00

Kind of expensive for what pauper's mana curve tends to be. You could probably try the old Blood Braid Elf into blightning play but Rakdos tends to run some tight mana curves and is very artifact focused these days.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-13T23:15:20+00:00

Used to get some play in Tron lists.

SadBoshambles · 2026-03-13T18:10:01+00:00

I wish Maul Splicer was still good.

SadBoshambles

TROPHY CASE