Esper Combo

[Void]

I've been working on this deck for sometime now and it's been a rather big chore to tinker out the problems.

I've gotten most of the help from MTGNews while it was still up and now I am looking else where for help since MTGSally doesn't like to comment on rogue builds.

Spells:
[deck]1 Raise Dead
2 Path to Exile
2 Serum Visions
3 Remand
1 Consume Spirit
1 Diabolic Revelation
1 Profane Command
1 Exsanguinate
1 Blue Sun’s Zenith
4 Gifts Ungiven[/deck]

Artifacts:
[deck]4 Fieldmist Borderpost
1 Crucible of the Worlds
2 Gilded Lotus[/deck]

Enchantments:
[deck]3 Freed from the Real[/deck]

Creatures:
[deck]4 Weathered Wayfarer
3 Synod Artificer
3 Drift of Phantasms[/deck]

Lands:
[deck]2 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Arid Mesa
2 Watery Grave
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Godless Shrine
2 Sunken Ruins
1 Mystic Gate
1 Fetid Heath
5 Island
2 Swamp
1 Academy
Ruins[/deck]

Sideboard:
[deck]1 Condemn
1 Thoughtseize
1 Techtonic Edge
1 Ghostly Quarter
1 Black Sun’s Zenith
1 Damnation
1 Duress
1 Negate
1 Dispel
1 Disenchant
1 Go for the Throat
1 Echoing Truth
1 Echoing Decay
1 Paladin en-Vec
1 Cranial Extraction[/deck]

As for stats on the deck: I don't have a whole lot.

The deck strugles against aggro and it's variants. The deck does okay against control and becomes a race against other combo decks.

Any help is welcomed at this point.

[Yannaria]

so, correct me if I'm wrong, the goal is to enchant the untapper, get out a Lotus, and then generate infinity mana to kill them with one of your X spells?

[Void]

You got it.

[Yannaria]

it seems pretty sketchy to hope that your Synod artificer sticks around for 2 whole turns (yours and your opponents) before being useful. Lotus seems a little sketchy, because you have no way to get it back if they throw it in the yard with gifts. you can always search another one with Revelation, so it doesn't seem that bad.
I would honestly pack a 1 or 2 of snapcaster mage to fetch with Gifts and to recur some of your earlier disruption if you need it.

It would also help your aggro matchup, because Path - SCM, Path is pretty good against most of the aggro decks in Modern right now.

[Void]

Thanks, Yanni. I hadn't considered SCM prior.

I do have one way to get Lotus back from the yard and that is Academy Ruins, but that is more late game.

[Yannaria]

oh I didn't see ruins.

well you're playing a long game anyway, you're not storm, so if you're in a position to go for a gifts package of Lotus, Ruins, SCM, and another Gifts, you're probably very far ahead and going to win.
also a couple Merchant Scrolls might be beneficial. They can search out your Gifts, Blue Sun's Zenith, Path, and anything else you may need.

[Void]

Merchant Scroll would be good for this deck, but at this point cutting cards is not an easy options for me.

I was thinking of cutting 1 Remand, 1 Freed from the Real and 1 Synod Artificer for 2 SCM and 1 Scroll.

Another card that I had looked as and was running in the orignal buid was Augur of Bolas, but the card doesn't seem optimal for the deck, but it did help against the aggro with it's 3 toughness.

[Yannaria]

Augur doesn't seem worth it.

I'd cut 1 Fieldmist Border Post, 1 Synod Artificer (Freed from the reel is harder to recur than this guy, don't cut any), and 1 Remand for 2 Snapcaster Mage and a Merchant Scroll.
Scroll can only get you USZ and Gifts, but having 5 gifts seems good.

[Void]

Fair enough on Augur. It's ability is rather weak. It was more for defense against the aggro, but SCM with Path would work great as well.

The cuts you suggested do look better and I will run the newer build next time I get chance too.

Thank you for the help Yanni.

[Yannaria]

I'm also not sold on Fieldmist border post. It doesn't ramp you, and your mana should be good enough, you have access to shocks/fetches/filters. I feel like those four slots could be used to give you some more breathing room against rougher matchups like Aggro.
It might be better suited as some cheap counter spells like Spell Snare or Spell Pierce.

[Void]

The primary reason for the Borderposts is for the synergy with Weathered Wayfarer, but I see your point on how they could be putting a damper on the deck.

[Yannaria]

do they really have any synergy? They don't net you mana, it only seems that they'd be filtering and that just seems... subpar.

[Void]

The synergy is paying 1 mana and returning a land to hand to play borderpost which allows Wayfarer to be used more efficentily since you are now a land behind, but not behind on mana.

[Yannaria]

The synergy is paying 1 mana and returning a land to hand to play borderpost which allows Wayfarer to be used more efficentily since you are now a land behind, but not behind on mana.

I mean that seems really clunky and the spots could probably be used much more efficently.