Modern Esper Control
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Variability
| Date | View Decklist | Player | Event | Place | Record | Uniqueness | Colors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16 | View | ZKG | Modern League 2026-01-16 | — | 5-0 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 14 | View | Andeloth | Modern League 2026-01-14 | — | 5-0 | Spicy · band 9 of 10 · 9 | |
| Jan 14 | View | TekiAkuma | Modern League 2026-01-14 | — | 5-0 | Typical · band 2 of 10 · 2 | |
| Jan 13 | View | DB_cntrlfreak_ttv | Modern Challenge 64 | 14th | 4-2 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 13 | View | Makoobi | Modern League 2026-01-13 | — | 5-0 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 13 | View | ChaoticMTG | Modern League 2026-01-13 | — | 5-0 | Spicy · band 9 of 10 · 9 | |
| Jan 12 | View | oosunq | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-12 | 11th | — | Adapted · band 6 of 10 · 6 | |
| Jan 12 | View | TekiAkuma | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-12 | 28th | — | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 12 | View | TekiAkuma | Modern Challenge 32 | 28th | 3-3 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 11 | View | Parrotlet | Modern Challenge 32 | 18th | 3-3 | Spicy · band 9 of 10 · 9 | |
| Jan 11 | View | SlavSlays | Modern League 2026-01-11 | — | 5-0 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 10 | View | Terminus0 | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-10 | 8th | 4-3 | Familiar · band 3 of 10 · 3 | |
| Jan 10 | View | Dreddybajs | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-10 | 25th | 2-3 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 10 | View | ETBJezus | Modern Challenge 32 | 25th | 3-3 | Stock · band 1 of 10 · 1 | |
| Jan 10 | View | ETBJezus | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-10 | 25th | — | Stock · band 1 of 10 · 1 | |
| Jan 10 | View | SuperCow12653 | Modern Challenge 64 2026-01-10 | 27th | 4-3 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 9 | View | aspiringspike | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-09 | 1st | 8-1 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 9 | View | hermanomlg | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-09 | 21st | 2-3 | Familiar · band 3 of 10 · 3 | |
| Jan 9 | View | Parrotlet | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-09 | 22nd | 2-2 | Adapted · band 6 of 10 · 6 | |
| Jan 8 | View | _Babbuja_ | Modern Challenge 64 | 31st | 3-3 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 7 | View | oosunq | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-07 | 2nd | 7-2 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 6 | View | TekiAkuma | Modern Challenge 64 2026-01-06 | 14th | — | Adapted · band 6 of 10 · 6 | |
| Jan 6 | View | Spezzagatti23 | Modern League 2026-01-06 | — | 5-0 | Distinct · band 7 of 10 · 7 | |
| Jan 4 | View | TekiAkuma | Modern Challenge 32 | 9th | — | Tuned · band 5 of 10 · 5 | |
| Jan 4 | View | TekiAkuma | Modern Challenge 32 2026-01-04 | 9th | — | Tuned · band 5 of 10 · 5 |
Esper Control has slipped from ~1.6% to 0.6% of the Modern metagame over the last 90 days.
Meta share, last 90 days
Slipped from ~1.6% to 0.6% · trend line is 3-week smoothed
Approaches, last 90 days
Weekly breakdown of lists by automatically detected approach
Typical Modern Esper Control maindeck cards
Maindeck adoption across 79 decklists in the last 90 days. Click a row to filter decklists.
| Card | Avg copies | % |
|---|---|---|
| Island | 2.8 | 99% |
| Flooded Strand | 3.2 | 89% |
| Counterspell | 3.9 | 81% |
| Sink into Stupor | 1.7 | 80% |
| Force of Negation | 2.3 | 78% |
| Spell Snare | 2.5 | 78% |
| Undercity Sewers | 2.1 | 71% |
| Wan Shi Tong, Librarian | 2.4 | 71% |
| Polluted Delta | 3.9 | 70% |
| Subtlety | 2.9 | 70% |
| Watery Grave | 2.5 | 67% |
| Fatal Push | 4.0 | 66% |
| Swamp | 1.1 | 66% |
| Orcish Bowmasters | 3.8 | 63% |
| Sheoldred's Edict | 1.9 | 62% |
| Cling to Dust | 1.6 | 59% |
| Scalding Tarn | 1.2 | 56% |
| Hallowed Fountain | 1.7 | 49% |
| Consult the Star Charts | 3.1 | 44% |
| Kaito, Bane of Nightmares | 1.3 | 44% |
| Meticulous Archive | 1.5 | 44% |
| Otawara, Soaring City | 1.0 | 44% |
| Quantum Riddler | 3.2 | 43% |
| Marsh Flats | 1.5 | 39% |
| Psychic Frog | 4.0 | 38% |
| Thoughtseize | 3.0 | 35% |
| Snapcaster Mage | 2.1 | 34% |
| Field of Ruin | 4.0 | 33% |
| Misty Rainforest | 1.8 | 33% |
| Plains | 2.0 | 33% |
| Prismatic Ending | 3.6 | 30% |
| Darkslick Shores | 1.5 | 29% |
| Solitude | 3.8 | 29% |
| Teferi, Time Raveler | 3.8 | 28% |
| Drown in the Loch | 1.6 | 25% |
| Orim's Chant | 3.9 | 25% |
| Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student | 1.8 | 25% |
| Arid Mesa | 2.8 | 23% |
| Day's Undoing | 1.9 | 22% |
| Narset, Parter of Veils | 3.9 | 22% |
Typical Modern Esper Control sideboard
Built from sideboard adoption across 79 decklists in the last 90 days.
Full sideboard card play rate
Per-card sideboard adoption across 79 decklists in the last 90 days. Click a row to filter decklists.
| Card | Avg copies | % |
|---|---|---|
| Mystical Dispute | 2.7 | 94% |
| Consign to Memory | 3.6 | 92% |
| Engineered Explosives | 1.7 | 44% |
| Nihil Spellbomb | 1.4 | 37% |
| Harbinger of the Seas | 2.1 | 35% |
| High Noon | 1.9 | 34% |
| Toxic Deluge | 1.1 | 29% |
| Break the Ice | 2.2 | 23% |
| Stern Scolding | 1.4 | 20% |
| Dress Down | 1.5 | 19% |
| Ghost Vacuum | 1.3 | 18% |
| Celestial Purge | 1.7 | 16% |
| Damping Sphere | 1.5 | 16% |
| Rest in Peace | 1.8 | 16% |
| Soul-Guide Lantern | 2.6 | 16% |
| Requiting Hex | 1.3 | 15% |
| Pest Control | 1.6 | 14% |
| Strategic Betrayal | 1.0 | 13% |
| Thoughtseize | 1.4 | 13% |
| Surgical Extraction | 1.1 | 11% |
| Temporary Lockdown | 1.0 | 10% |
| The Meathook Massacre | 1.1 | 10% |
| Damnation | 1.6 | 9% |
| Pithing Needle | 1.0 | 9% |
| Force of Despair | 1.8 | 8% |
| Graveyard Trespasser | 1.5 | 8% |
| Wear/Tear | 1.8 | 8% |
| Flusterstorm | 1.0 | 6% |
| Kaheera, the Orphanguard | 1.0 | 6% |
| Wrath of the Skies | 1.8 | 6% |
| Ashiok, Dream Render | 1.0 | 5% |
| Chalice of the Void | 1.8 | 5% |
| March of Otherworldly Light | 2.3 | 5% |
| Stony Silence | 2.0 | 5% |
| Teferi, Time Raveler | 1.0 | 5% |
| Commandeer | 2.0 | 4% |
| Hallowed Moonlight | 1.7 | 4% |
| Kaito, Bane of Nightmares | 1.0 | 4% |
| Orim's Chant | 2.3 | 4% |
| Void Mirror | 1.3 | 4% |
Esper Control Modern FAQ
Is Esper Control good in Modern right now?
Yes — Esper Control is 0.6% of Modern decklists in the last two weeks (up 15% vs the prior window), with 1 Top 8. Best recent finish: 3rd (7-2) at Modern Challenge 64 on Jul 25, 2026.
What are the key cards in Modern Esper Control?
The most-played cards are Counterspell (81% of lists), Sink into Stupor (80% of lists), and Force of Negation (78% of lists) over the last 90 days. Most lists are Stock (32); variants add Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student (16), Wrath of the Skies (10), and Stock Up (8).
What's a typical Modern Esper Control sideboard?
The most common Modern Esper Control sideboard cards over the last 90 days: Mystical Dispute (94% of lists), Consign to Memory (92% of lists), Engineered Explosives (44% of lists), and Nihil Spellbomb (37% of lists).
Are there different builds of Modern Esper Control?
Yes — builds vary a lot across recent lists. Recent lists split into Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student, Wrath of the Skies, Stock Up, and Stock approaches.
What does Uniqueness mean?
Uniqueness rates each list from band 1 (Stock) through band 10 (Unique). Higher means a list is more unusual vs recent peers of this strategy.
How many Modern Esper Control decklists are there?
Decklist Data tracks 440 Modern Esper Control decklists all-time (11 in the last 14 days) from Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO) Challenges and Leagues. New results are indexed automatically — latest Esper Control result Jul 26, 2026.