MTG Standard is in a bit of a strange spot right now. Foundations promised to hugely expand the deckbuilding possibilities for the format back in November, but it wasn’t really powerful enough to have that effect. Instead, the format continues to be defined by red aggro and black midrange lists, with little wiggle room for innovation. At a time like this, an unusual deck like Esper Pixie is exactly what MTG Standard needs.
This tricksy tri-color strategy has been rapidly gathering steam in recent events, with a number of high finishes under its belt already. The best part? It doesn’t play anything like an aggro or midrange deck. This is a unique deck with a unique plan: exactly what MTG always needs more of.
Esper Pixie In MTG Standard
There are a number of Esper Pixie variants flitting about in MTG Standard right now. The one we’ll be looking at comes via serajh, who played it to a 5-0 finish in a Standard League on New Year’s Eve. The heart of the strategy lies in the titular Nurturing Pixie: a 1/1 flier that can bounce one of your other permanents on entry to become a 2/2 flier.
In a normal deck, this is a well-balanced card. You’re trading value for tempo, going down on board presence to put an above-rate threat into play. In this deck, however, it’s all upside. Esper Pixie runs a ton of cheap permanents specifically intended to be bounced and replayed for value, which makes Pixie very tasty indeed.
One permanent bouncer does not a strategy make, of course. Esper Pixie also includes Duskmourn’s Fear of Isolation, which offers a very similar service in blue. You’re paying one mana extra for only one extra health here, and the bounce is non-optional, but you want this effect enough in the deck that you’re more than happy running four.
Fear of Isolation is also an enchantment, which gives it extra synergy with the deck’s final all-star: Optimistic Scavenger. The permanents you want to bounce in this deck are pretty much all enchantments, so the amount of counters this thing can dish out in an average game is insane. Stack them on one of your early fliers and your opponent won’t be long for the world.
This is the bulk of the deck’s bounce package, but it also runs a playset of This Town Ain’t Big Enough for good measure. This lacks tempo as it isn’t a creature, but it can bounce two things at once for just two mana.
Bouncy Castle
So those are the bouncers, but what exactly are you bouncing with them? The other half of Esper Pixie is made up of the best replayable enchantments in MTG Standard. Hopeless Nightmare is a classic, letting you whittle down your opponent’s hand over time. For just one mana, you really can’t do much better than this as a starting point.
There are a surprising number of ruthless one mana enchantments. Nowhere to Run is a great removal spell for two mana, which you can bounce and reuse at instant speed. It also turns off Hexproof and Ward, which is relevant in corner cases. Mainly it’s a great way to kill Screaming Nemesis without losing access to lifegain for the rest of the game.
An interesting inclusion here is Stormchaser’s Talent. For most Talents, the power lies in the higher levels. Here, you’re more than happy to just keep it at one and bounce it for an endless stream of Prowess Otters. Like Optimistic Scavenger, these play wonderfully with the constant stream of noncreature spells you’ll be casting a lot of the time, letting you apply pressure quickly.
On top of these, Spiteful Hexmage is an easy one mana 3/2 if you can bounce its Cursed Role Aura, as well as an extra trigger for Scavenger on entry. The deck also runs Sheltered by Ghosts, which you can shift to a new target by bouncing it if need be. Mainly it’s just a great tempo tool for when you want to push in damage, however.
Throw in a couple of copies of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares and that’s Esper Pixie. It’s slightly disappointing to see such a popular card in an offbeat strategy, but it’s hard to argue against its inclusion. It’s really just that good.
A Breath Of Fresh Air
So there you have it: an unusual new option for the current Standard format. Now that the dust has settled post-Foundations, it does feel like we’re in a bit of a lull. The numbers on the big decks, according to MTG Decks, are pretty demoralizing. 17% for Dimir Midrange, 9% for Golgari Midrange, and a combined 22% for red Aggro decks like Gruul Prowess and RDW collectively. If you’re not into playing with or against those kinds of decks, it can feel a bit hopeless getting involved.
Decks like Esper Pixie help keep the spark alive, however. It may only have a sub-2% meta share at present, but its win rate is solid. The cheap disruption and removal here give the deck a fighting chance against the speedy current meta. The early fliers, which can often become behemoths with the help of Optimistic Scavenger, give the deck a combo-esque edge in certain games, too.
It’s also quite a tricky deck to interact with pre-sideboard. The deck relies mainly on enchantments to win the game, and most decks don’t pack answers to those in their main lists. Even post-board, the deck cycles through things so quickly that such answers need to be very well-timed to have an impact.
In today’s Standard Challenge, all three of the top spots went to Esper Pixie variants. These lists experimented with the likes of Entity Tracker and Bottomless Pool/Locker Room, but the core remained the same. This not only proves that the deck isn’t just a flash in the pan, but also that it has room to grow and evolve. If spicy lists like Esper Pixie continue to emerge, maybe there’s hope for MTG Standard yet.
