Glorious write-up! I usually play Grixis but Esper feels like everything I like to be doing with this new set. I’ve been tinkering with a Rakdos midrange deck but otherwise I’ve been playing 100% Esper.

I’ve been main-boarding several Unmoored Egos and it has been a house so far. There are no match-ups left in standard where it doesn’t have a useful target. It’s the simplest way to handle Nexus, Carny T is a good target, Benalia, Heroic, Teferi and Niv’s. If you have extras you can be proactive about protecting your stuff by dumping Eldest, or get cute and remove Dive Downs. Having Thought Erasure gives you the jump on their plans, but I found myself too far into Dimir and Grixis with that plan so I cut those recently, but is something to think about. Unmooring combined with the sweeper package we have, I’ve found I can preemptively neuter most game plans early, sweep up, then start tightening the vice. Since I’m traditionally in Grixis, this plan appeals to me, and it has been working quite nicely in Esper so far.

My play style also makes me care less about playing perfectly on curve in favor of utility, so I want to argue for the Field of Ruin inclusion. Most major archetypes have a land they’re leaning on some, and getting rid of it can be a major change in the pace of the game, since most people think of lands as somewhat safe. Getting rid of Azcanta in control and Nexus can be back-breaking. You hit Legion’s in WW/WR aggro, and now I expect to see Hadana’s Climb bumping around. Sweep the Carny T and see them grinning about recurring it? What’s that? Oh where did your Memorial to Folly go? The only real “whiff” is against mono blue, burn, and Drakes. The first two decks require post-board games anyways, and I haven’t come close to losing to drakes yet, so I’d rather be pre-tech’d for matches where I’m close to even pre-board and just win game 1.