So far BFZ has a couple cards I'm considering for my Jenara build:
Canopy Vista and Prairie Stream are shoe-ins, obviously. Even better for me since I don't have the ABUR duals yet but even if I did I'd probably still put them in.
I'm debating on Kiora, Master of the Depths. Right now in my testing she's replacing Solemn Simulacrum and she's doing very well. Being able to give Jenara or any other creature to protect her pseudo-vigilance is really good, and she untaps a land that you might have used to give Jenara a +1/+1 counter or equip a sword. I've also consistently been able to get 2 cards off of her -2 ability whenever I use it. The major downside to her (like all planeswalkers) is she's harder to search for and recur. But so far I'm pretty impressed.
When I first saw Greenwarden of Murasa, I thought it was pretty much an auto-include, but now I'm not so sure. One of the advantages of Eternal Witness is that because she's so cheap to cast, you often get to use the card you just got back after you play her. She's also able to be recurred by both Reveillark AND Sun Titan, and when you 'clamp her you get to draw 2 cards immediately. None of those criteria fit with the greenwarden. It's still awesome and I'm definitely going to test it more, but I'm on the fence about it as of now.
Definitely putting the lands in. Basic land types with potential to come in untapped is great and, not having original duals, I have the room.
I think Kiora is good. She provides card advantage or Pseudo-ramp. The creature untap doesn't do much without tap abilities (although it can be nice) and the fight mechanic doesn't do much, although your 3 9/9 tokens get to fight as they enter the battlefield, which is a bit of self-synergy giving you "destroy 3 target creatures and get 3 9/9 tokens, which on its own would be pretty decent. Later in the game when you are playing bombs, the fight could matter, but I'd never count on getting to ult with her. She's the kind of card that I think would flourish in this list as she does most all the things you want: Ramp, Card Advantage, and Card Quality via her creature/land search. I'm hesitant to replace Solemn Simulacrum for her though as he is guaranteed actual ramp, a card draw cantrip, and can be abused via Lark, Sun Titan, Academy Ruins, Birthing Pod, and tutored with Tezzeret, which is sometimes relevant. My biggest issue is while I love Kiora, I don't know what I'd put in for her, making adding her a bit challenging.
I'm pretty much in the same boat with the Warden. His body isn't that great at 6 mana (DEN is better, even), although his effect is great. You can't abuse him too much, so you might as well take the exile trigger when he dies. I'd always tutor E-Wit first and don't think using a 6 mana on a potential double E-Wit effect (with limited sac outlets, it becomes more unreliable) is worth a premium 6 drop slot in the list. He's definitely worth consideration to some degree and is a good card at the top of the curve if anyone was unhappy with what they currently had there. Leaves the battlefield value can be beneficial in letting him get through though, being fair. It's more a personal preference than anything, but I don't think he makes the grade for me.
Great topics though, these were the cards that I was most interested in from the set as well. Lumbering Falls also seems like an include just because manlands are pretty valuable for clutch situations and since I run 3 swords, his hexproof can be pretty relevant for him getting in for a trigger.
Yeah I'm hesitant to replace sad robot too, but I'm running out of things to replace in my list lol. Although one thing I've noticed in your list that I took out a while ago was Farhaven Elf. More often than not it's just a worse card that I was drawing late in the game when I really didn't need the mana, and I feel like the package of Solemn Simulacrum/Wood Elves/Sakura-Tribe Elder is more than enough. Although you run more high mana cards than I do so that may be reason enough.
And I totally forgot about Lumbering Falls. 4 mana is at the top of what you want to spend for man-lands, but hexproof is really that broken. I'll definitely test it.
One equipment I've been having a lot of success with lately is Umezawa's Jitte. It does pretty much everything; it deters attackers, it can kill weenies to stop Skullclamp, it can make Jenara go for lethal very easily, it gains you life, and if you can keep 2 counters on it it can almost lock some low toughness generals out of the game unless they deal with it (Kaalia, Riku, Norin, Edric, Arcum, and Animar just to name a few).
Greenwarden of Murasa sticks out to me as being worth considering. Not sure if it's better than current 6-drops, but it's a solid ability.
Kiora, Master of the Depths makes me a bit sad. I really wish that she was like Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas, with her -2 ability as a +1 instead. If that were the case I'd probably try her out in a heartbeat. As is, I don't think she's that great.
Emeria Shepherd has a super powerful ability and is also worth consideration. Her potential depends a lot on Plains count in the deck, but even when it's a different land it's still a desirable effect.
Bring to Light isn't as sweet as I want it to be, but it's still got potential, with so many spells at 3 CMC or less.
I think that's about all that sticks out to me here. Could be forgetting something.
Also, it makes me a little sad that none of the ETB Allies are really worth trying to use here.
Emeria Shepherd is okay in a heavier white deck, but I don't think that it has a place here. Realize that it effectively becomes an 8 drop with a pretty weak body to MAYBE recur a card to the field. I run about 3 basic plains, and have 2 shocks, plus 2 fetches, and will have 2 discount double check lands. That is 7 total cards with the subtext plains in the entire list and a couple ways to get them into play (ramp, etc.), which I'm not a huge fan of relying on for this card. Part of the same reason that I don't run Mistveil Plains or Emeria the Sky Ruin. It is a heavy reliance on Plains specific cards (Mistveil not as much) that this deck just doesn't have to be as reliably useful. And, if you're just getting the card back to your hand, the Greenwarden of Murasa, Den Protector, or Eternal Witness are going to be your better options and if you need the recursion to play, you have Reveillark, Karmic Guide, Body Double, and Sun Titan.
I just feel as though it is a bit outclassed by the existing recursion that is already in the deck and is also in a VERY competitive place on the curve for Bant. To run this card over Consecrated Sphinx, Elesh Norn, Avacyn, Sigarda, Avenger, Craterhoof, and probably other relevant 6-8 drops is a bit of a reach, especially since it is at its best use when you can drop Plains reliably, which this deck cannot do. I'd rather have the guaranteed recursion that the list already has rather than playing an overcosted Regrowth pinned onto a 4/4 angel token + a conditional Landfall trigger to maybe make it worthwhile.
While I mostly agree about the overall assessment of her, I think you're vastly underestimating the power of her ability to generate value.
For example, being able to chain together a number of value creatures (such as Wood Elves into Solemn Simulacrum into some Clone, into something else), to both flood the board with creatures and get a bunch of bonus value.
Like I said previously, though, it does rely on a solid number of Plains in the deck, and 7-9 is probably not enough. I feel like somewhere around 12+ would be the threshold for me to put her higher on my list of considerations. Still, worth thinking about, and possibly worth testing.
Most of the cards spoiled for Commander 2015, and unfortunately it's looking like nothing I want to add here.
I really like Mystic Confluence, I think the card is really solid, but it's a little more expensive than I'd like to have here. Think the card is a fantastic addition for more draw-go control decks, though.
I still want to put the new battle duals in here, but I've decided to way for the whole set of them, so that I can put in all 3 at once. I've been thinking I'll probably cut City of Brass, Mana Confluence, and Seaside Citadel for them. I may also cut a couple of other things to make room for a couple more basics.
dont get me wrong, the sword will make ANY creature a threat but the effects of drawing a card and dealing 2 damage has not had that high of an impact. i feel having x2 or x3 an effect from any of the etb creatures we have may outweigh the value that sofi may create. i didnt overlook the fact that my creatures also get protection from red/blue too. this just gives another reason why sofi is almost a "kill on sight" item, but i suspect the blade will draw the same attention. sofi can definite out generate blade's value over a few turns but i cant really recall a game i've lost when sofi has stayed active for a few turns.... by then i think ill already be winning. ultimately i think blades raw value is greater than sofi's long term. i will miss the protect it gives though. this may be a huge mistake but im willing to give it a try.
mirror entity. its only there for combo purposes and ive grown a little tired of that win con especially when i find myself purposely holding back from creating the loop. on top of that, skullwinder will serve as another redundant recursion + it has deathtouch which is nice. i might just end up replacing entity with blade of selves if Sword of Fire and Ice is missed and if skullwinder doesn't work out.
I really don't like that Skullwinder gives an opponent back a card as well. Doesn't even target so you can't remove the card in response. Could be worth considering, though. Blade of Selves does have a lot of potential with all the ETB creatures, that's for sure. I wish the equip and casting costs were reversed on it, though. I'm not sure how good it'll be with that 4 to equip. I'd love to hear how it works out for you, though.
Also, I know exactly how you feel about Mirror Entity/that combo in general. I got really tired of it, too.
i think the cost is fine because on a curve its the same as the other swords. the cost of equip will matter if you have mystic in your opening hand -- delayed 1 turn
turn 2 mystic
turn 3 creature
end of turn 4 activate mysitc
turn 5 equip, swing
but that value...... makes me excited to try using it on cards like Prime Speaker Zegana, Sun Titan, Terastodon ^______^. even early equip to wood elves or tribe elder :3
that's true, the cost is higher but by very little. i find jenera decks only need about 6 mana to truly take over a game and 6 mana fits perfectly with being able to cast and equip blade. the effect is good enough for it to warrant the cost -- considering the effects you may gain from just ATTACKING, its arguably better than any of the swords
to your point, repeated use of the blade is less effective because of its equip cost, but let's be honest, all we are looking for is 1 attack -- you dont even need to deal damage, does it really matter that it costs 2 more mana at that point? ill gladly pay the extra 2 mana to make copies of my etb creatures. and looking at your list, 1 swing from any of your +5 ccm creatures is all you might need to win.
I've been play testing the last few days with a proxy of blade of selves in a semi competitive group and the blade is pretty damn good. The threat level it creates is almost equal to jenera holding sword of feast and famine. you will instantly be convinced of its power when an etb creature equips and triggers the effect. I had the pleasure of equipping the blade to a sun titan and even Terastodon in some of my games.
even something simple like a mana elf attacking with blade will easily generate tons of value. if left unanswered by turn 5 a wood elves or farhaven elf can net you 6 lands!
One of the main things I don't like about it, and the Myriad mechanic in general, is that it gets much worse the fewer players you're playing with, to the point of doing literal nothing when you're down to 1v1.
With three opponents it probably generates pretty hefty value. Once one of them dies, or if you more frequently play 3 player games, the value is cut hard. And when it comes time to take out that last person, this will do absolutely nothing to help you close out the game.
Not saying that all makes it back, just voicing my qualms about the card.
I was going to post on ISB's ETB list but noticed it had been retired, so I thought I'd mention it here. Blade of Selves is an absolute house. Tutor it up with Stoneforge Mystic, equip it to the Mystic, and swing to tutor up the rest of your equipment. Even one swing with an ETB creature nets enough advantage to be worth it, and multiple swings can lock the game in for you, so that it's 'ineffectiveness' once you're down to 1v1 doesn't matter. (pitch it to a Trading Post if you're worried about it being dead at that point) I use it in my Erebos zombie devotion deck due to the simple fact that it can allow me to win out of nowhere with a Gray Merchant of Asphodel (play a Demonic Tutor, play Gray Merchant for 11, everyone nods sagely, thinking I tutored the Merchant to stay in the game, where I had actually tutored for the Blade, which I play the next turn, killing 1-2 other players and putting myself exceptionally far ahead of the survivors). If you have a Phyrexian Altar, you can sac off the tokens to fuel Jenara. It's really good in any deck with a few ETB creatures, and makes other good cards even better, so you don't need to add a 'package' to make it playable in your deck.
I had the opportunity to test out Blade of Selves recently, and honestly, I have to say that I was underwhelmed.
Every once in a while, attacking with the Blade on some value creature felt great, but the majority of the time I felt like it just didn't do enough.
I think a large part of this stems from playing mostly 3 player games, rather than 4 player. Not only does the Blade do much less in that setting, but I'd frequently take one player out quickly and be left with a dead card.
I think the Blade is fantastic for a more casual setting, especially one with larger games and less removal, but I don't really think it was a great fit for me here.
In any case, I'll be adding it to the list of card options.
At some point, when I've got the time, I'm planning to record some Cockatrice games with players I know are good, running good decks (likely people I know IRL), and put them up. I think having full games to watch would be beneficial for people reading the primer
It certainly would!
Are there any chances we're going to watch this soon? It would be of great use!
Honestly, I would have really liked to have done it already. I've just been super busy between work and real life obligations, and trying to coordinate with people who are in the same situation makes it extra difficult.
If you don't mind seeing the deck against just Cockatrice randoms, instead of known decent players, I can probably get something up sooner rather than later. Maybe during the holidays.
Honestly, I would have really liked to have done it already. I've just been super busy between work and real life obligations, and trying to coordinate with people who are in the same situation makes it extra difficult.
If you don't mind seeing the deck against just Cockatrice randoms, instead of known decent players, I can probably get something up sooner rather than later. Maybe during the holidays.
As for me, I do not mind at all because (being a newb to this format and deck in particular) it would be extremely useful to listen to your guidelines and comments on the course of the game. Such videos would better explain how the deck should be piloted in different matchups (if such a word is applicable to this format at all ), which cards should be played in the first place, which actions are the most efficient in one case or another
Tried to search for some videos with Jenara EDH decks (preferably but not necessarily multiplayer) and failed to find anything except videos in which someone plays AGAINST Jenara. So, the hand and options of the opponent playing Jenara deck are unknown
If anyone can give some links to useful Jenara deck videos, I would very much appreciate it
p.s. Excuse me for my English, it's been a long time since I practiced it (being at school)
I've been using your list to improve my Rafiq decklist and wanted to say thanks!
I see you play Reveillark and Karmic Guide but I don't see any sac outlets in the deck. Do you just play them for their one time effects or is there another way to combo with them. I suppose infinite mana and a blink enabler would do it too.
I've been using your list to improve my Rafiq decklist and wanted to say thanks!
I see you play Reveillark and Karmic Guide but I don't see any sac outlets in the deck. Do you just play them for their one time effects or is there another way to combo with them. I suppose infinite mana and a blink enabler would do it too.
IIRC he removed the Mirror Entity because he no longer wished to play the Survival-Lark/Double/Guide combo. I have to say, I feel the same way, although combo-ing off with it would be useful once in a while. The rest of the time it is just a dead card. The combo is by no means bad, though.
The displacer reminds me a lot of Mistmeadow Witch in that it costs too much mana for an effect done by another card we have. Having colorless sources is also a concern as they are typically considered a weakness in a 3-color deck since you need to be able to produce all 3 colors meaning any colorless land you run must be premium. Getting multiple activations with it won't be as easy as you think. There will always be more blue sources and it is cheaper with DEN as well. The creature coming in tapped is also a drawback. I just don't see it being strong enough in a list that is as tight as this one. The fact it costs more mana as well means it comes down earlier, but isn't as fast as it would seem. Try playing a 5 drop and blinking it on the same turn; you need 8 mana to do that. Or, alternatively, that is 3 mana you need to leave up each turn instead of 2. The difference is sizable with a Counterspell and it is sizable with this creature, even with the lower initial casting cost imo. Having to potentially leave up a colorless mana as well can hurt your ability to play spells if you're trying to bluff multiple removals (can only have 3 mana up, but need UUW to bluff both a Path to Exile and a Dissipate or Cancel, cards where the amount of colored mana available to you at the end of a turn is a huge factor.
I've been using your list to improve my Rafiq decklist and wanted to say thanks!
I see you play Reveillark and Karmic Guide but I don't see any sac outlets in the deck. Do you just play them for their one time effects or is there another way to combo with them. I suppose infinite mana and a blink enabler would do it too.
IIRC he removed the Mirror Entity because he no longer wished to play the Survival-Lark/Double/Guide combo. I have to say, I feel the same way, although combo-ing off with it would be useful once in a while. The rest of the time it is just a dead card. The combo is by no means bad, though.
The displacer reminds me a lot of Mistmeadow Witch in that it costs too much mana for an effect done by another card we have. Having colorless sources is also a concern as they are typically considered a weakness in a 3-color deck since you need to be able to produce all 3 colors meaning any colorless land you run must be premium. Getting multiple activations with it won't be as easy as you think. There will always be more blue sources and it is cheaper with DEN as well. The creature coming in tapped is also a drawback. I just don't see it being strong enough in a list that is as tight as this one. The fact it costs more mana as well means it comes down earlier, but isn't as fast as it would seem. Try playing a 5 drop and blinking it on the same turn; you need 8 mana to do that. Or, alternatively, that is 3 mana you need to leave up each turn instead of 2. The difference is sizable with a Counterspell and it is sizable with this creature, even with the lower initial casting cost imo. Having to potentially leave up a colorless mana as well can hurt your ability to play spells if you're trying to bluff multiple removals (can only have 3 mana up, but need UUW to bluff both a Path to Exile and a Dissipate or Cancel, cards where the amount of colored mana available to you at the end of a turn is a huge factor.
I would say that, for the most part, I agree with all this. There are a some things, though, that I think you may have missed.
First, the colourless requirement on it is a bit of a drawback, yes, but it's worth noting that anything that taps for mana of any colour (according to the Commander rules) is currently capable of also producing a colourless mana. You tap a City of Brass for a black, for instance, and you actually end up with a colourless. They're currently trying to decide whether or not they're going to make a Commander rules change, but currently that's how it works. Also, Sol Ring, Ancient Tomb, and Mana Crypt all make paying for colourless pretty easy, and give you multiple of it too.
Secondly, while I agree that Eldrazi Displacer is reminiscent of Mistmeadow Witch, I'd say that the Displacer is instantly way, way better purely for the fact that it brings the creature back right away, rather than at the end step. That can make a huge, huge difference. It's also worth noting that it can serve to tap down an opponent's blocker (maybe something that could block Jenara), and leave them open for an attack.
Second, the Rule 4 change is mostly unimportant here, so nothing really needs to change in response to that.
Third, with the changes to the mulligan rules, my play group has been discussing in what direction we would like to go. For the time being, we've decided to go with the prescribed Vancouver mulligan, with pitching each hand mulled instead of shuffling each one back in. After the change to the mulligan rules, I will be adding, I think, an additional land (either basic Island or Alchemist's Refuge) and/or a mana dork (Birds of Paradise or Noble Hierarch), and a Mana Crypt.
Lastly, after thinking about it long and hard, I think I'm going to try cutting Palinchron from the list. It is mostly in there as a combo piece, and removing it would mean that my only form of comboing would now be with infinite turns. This may or may not end up being a permanent change. I'm not yet sure what the second cut(s) will be.
I'll be making final decisions on this stuff soon and updating the primer accordingly.
Yeah I'm hesitant to replace sad robot too, but I'm running out of things to replace in my list lol. Although one thing I've noticed in your list that I took out a while ago was Farhaven Elf. More often than not it's just a worse card that I was drawing late in the game when I really didn't need the mana, and I feel like the package of Solemn Simulacrum/Wood Elves/Sakura-Tribe Elder is more than enough. Although you run more high mana cards than I do so that may be reason enough.
And I totally forgot about Lumbering Falls. 4 mana is at the top of what you want to spend for man-lands, but hexproof is really that broken. I'll definitely test it.
One equipment I've been having a lot of success with lately is Umezawa's Jitte. It does pretty much everything; it deters attackers, it can kill weenies to stop Skullclamp, it can make Jenara go for lethal very easily, it gains you life, and if you can keep 2 counters on it it can almost lock some low toughness generals out of the game unless they deal with it (Kaalia, Riku, Norin, Edric, Arcum, and Animar just to name a few).
UWU/W BlinkUW
BMono-Black ControlB
Commander:
GWUJenaraGWU
BGeth MBCB
RGXenagosRG
WUBSharuumWUB (retired)
Modern:
xAffinityx (starting)
Standard:
Ha! That's a good one.
Kiora, Master of the Depths makes me a bit sad. I really wish that she was like Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas, with her -2 ability as a +1 instead. If that were the case I'd probably try her out in a heartbeat. As is, I don't think she's that great.
Emeria Shepherd has a super powerful ability and is also worth consideration. Her potential depends a lot on Plains count in the deck, but even when it's a different land it's still a desirable effect.
Bring to Light isn't as sweet as I want it to be, but it's still got potential, with so many spells at 3 CMC or less.
I think that's about all that sticks out to me here. Could be forgetting something.
Also, it makes me a little sad that none of the ETB Allies are really worth trying to use here.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
I just feel as though it is a bit outclassed by the existing recursion that is already in the deck and is also in a VERY competitive place on the curve for Bant. To run this card over Consecrated Sphinx, Elesh Norn, Avacyn, Sigarda, Avenger, Craterhoof, and probably other relevant 6-8 drops is a bit of a reach, especially since it is at its best use when you can drop Plains reliably, which this deck cannot do. I'd rather have the guaranteed recursion that the list already has rather than playing an overcosted Regrowth pinned onto a 4/4 angel token + a conditional Landfall trigger to maybe make it worthwhile.
EDH:
G[cEDH] Selvala, Heart of the StormG
URW[cEDH] Narset, the Last AirmericanURW
GWUSt. Jenara, the ArchangelGWU
UBGrimgrin, Chaos MarineUB
GOmnath, Mana BaronG
URWNarset, Justice League AmericaURW
GWUBAtraxa, Countess of CountersGWUB
GWUEstrid, Enbantress PrimeGWU
For example, being able to chain together a number of value creatures (such as Wood Elves into Solemn Simulacrum into some Clone, into something else), to both flood the board with creatures and get a bunch of bonus value.
Like I said previously, though, it does rely on a solid number of Plains in the deck, and 7-9 is probably not enough. I feel like somewhere around 12+ would be the threshold for me to put her higher on my list of considerations. Still, worth thinking about, and possibly worth testing.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
I really like Mystic Confluence, I think the card is really solid, but it's a little more expensive than I'd like to have here. Think the card is a fantastic addition for more draw-go control decks, though.
I still want to put the new battle duals in here, but I've decided to way for the whole set of them, so that I can put in all 3 at once. I've been thinking I'll probably cut City of Brass, Mana Confluence, and Seaside Citadel for them. I may also cut a couple of other things to make room for a couple more basics.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
+skullwinder
+blade of selves
and from my list ill be taking out
-Sword of Fire and Ice
-mirror entity
dont get me wrong, the sword will make ANY creature a threat but the effects of drawing a card and dealing 2 damage has not had that high of an impact. i feel having x2 or x3 an effect from any of the etb creatures we have may outweigh the value that sofi may create. i didnt overlook the fact that my creatures also get protection from red/blue too. this just gives another reason why sofi is almost a "kill on sight" item, but i suspect the blade will draw the same attention. sofi can definite out generate blade's value over a few turns but i cant really recall a game i've lost when sofi has stayed active for a few turns.... by then i think ill already be winning. ultimately i think blades raw value is greater than sofi's long term. i will miss the protect it gives though. this may be a huge mistake but im willing to give it a try.
mirror entity. its only there for combo purposes and ive grown a little tired of that win con especially when i find myself purposely holding back from creating the loop. on top of that, skullwinder will serve as another redundant recursion + it has deathtouch which is nice. i might just end up replacing entity with blade of selves if Sword of Fire and Ice is missed and if skullwinder doesn't work out.
Blade of Selves does have a lot of potential with all the ETB creatures, that's for sure. I wish the equip and casting costs were reversed on it, though. I'm not sure how good it'll be with that 4 to equip. I'd love to hear how it works out for you, though.
Also, I know exactly how you feel about Mirror Entity/that combo in general. I got really tired of it, too.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
sequence with casting Blade of Selves and Sword of Fire and Ice
turn 2 sword
turn 3 creature
turn 4 equip, swing
sequence with mystic searching Blade of Selves
turn 2 mystic
turn 3 creature
end of turn 4 activate mysitc
turn 5 equip, swing
but that value...... makes me excited to try using it on cards like Prime Speaker Zegana, Sun Titan, Terastodon ^______^. even early equip to wood elves or tribe elder :3
But the higher equip cost makes it much less efficient for continued use.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
to your point, repeated use of the blade is less effective because of its equip cost, but let's be honest, all we are looking for is 1 attack -- you dont even need to deal damage, does it really matter that it costs 2 more mana at that point? ill gladly pay the extra 2 mana to make copies of my etb creatures. and looking at your list, 1 swing from any of your +5 ccm creatures is all you might need to win.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
even something simple like a mana elf attacking with blade will easily generate tons of value. if left unanswered by turn 5 a wood elves or farhaven elf can net you 6 lands!
With three opponents it probably generates pretty hefty value. Once one of them dies, or if you more frequently play 3 player games, the value is cut hard. And when it comes time to take out that last person, this will do absolutely nothing to help you close out the game.
Not saying that all makes it back, just voicing my qualms about the card.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
Every once in a while, attacking with the Blade on some value creature felt great, but the majority of the time I felt like it just didn't do enough.
I think a large part of this stems from playing mostly 3 player games, rather than 4 player. Not only does the Blade do much less in that setting, but I'd frequently take one player out quickly and be left with a dead card.
I think the Blade is fantastic for a more casual setting, especially one with larger games and less removal, but I don't really think it was a great fit for me here.
In any case, I'll be adding it to the list of card options.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
It certainly would!
Are there any chances we're going to watch this soon? It would be of great use!
If you don't mind seeing the deck against just Cockatrice randoms, instead of known decent players, I can probably get something up sooner rather than later. Maybe during the holidays.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
As for me, I do not mind at all because (being a newb to this format and deck in particular) it would be extremely useful to listen to your guidelines and comments on the course of the game. Such videos would better explain how the deck should be piloted in different matchups (if such a word is applicable to this format at all ), which cards should be played in the first place, which actions are the most efficient in one case or another
If anyone can give some links to useful Jenara deck videos, I would very much appreciate it
p.s. Excuse me for my English, it's been a long time since I practiced it (being at school)
I see you play Reveillark and Karmic Guide but I don't see any sac outlets in the deck. Do you just play them for their one time effects or is there another way to combo with them. I suppose infinite mana and a blink enabler would do it too.
Are you going to consider Eldrazi Displacer for the deck? Seems like faster but more mana intesnive Deadeye Navigator.
Retired Lists: Ghave - Hanna - Thrun - Zur
Pauper: Crypt Rats
IIRC he removed the Mirror Entity because he no longer wished to play the Survival-Lark/Double/Guide combo. I have to say, I feel the same way, although combo-ing off with it would be useful once in a while. The rest of the time it is just a dead card. The combo is by no means bad, though.
The displacer reminds me a lot of Mistmeadow Witch in that it costs too much mana for an effect done by another card we have. Having colorless sources is also a concern as they are typically considered a weakness in a 3-color deck since you need to be able to produce all 3 colors meaning any colorless land you run must be premium. Getting multiple activations with it won't be as easy as you think. There will always be more blue sources and it is cheaper with DEN as well. The creature coming in tapped is also a drawback. I just don't see it being strong enough in a list that is as tight as this one. The fact it costs more mana as well means it comes down earlier, but isn't as fast as it would seem. Try playing a 5 drop and blinking it on the same turn; you need 8 mana to do that. Or, alternatively, that is 3 mana you need to leave up each turn instead of 2. The difference is sizable with a Counterspell and it is sizable with this creature, even with the lower initial casting cost imo. Having to potentially leave up a colorless mana as well can hurt your ability to play spells if you're trying to bluff multiple removals (can only have 3 mana up, but need UUW to bluff both a Path to Exile and a Dissipate or Cancel, cards where the amount of colored mana available to you at the end of a turn is a huge factor.
EDH:
G[cEDH] Selvala, Heart of the StormG
URW[cEDH] Narset, the Last AirmericanURW
GWUSt. Jenara, the ArchangelGWU
UBGrimgrin, Chaos MarineUB
GOmnath, Mana BaronG
URWNarset, Justice League AmericaURW
GWUBAtraxa, Countess of CountersGWUB
GWUEstrid, Enbantress PrimeGWU
First, the colourless requirement on it is a bit of a drawback, yes, but it's worth noting that anything that taps for mana of any colour (according to the Commander rules) is currently capable of also producing a colourless mana. You tap a City of Brass for a black, for instance, and you actually end up with a colourless. They're currently trying to decide whether or not they're going to make a Commander rules change, but currently that's how it works. Also, Sol Ring, Ancient Tomb, and Mana Crypt all make paying for colourless pretty easy, and give you multiple of it too.
Secondly, while I agree that Eldrazi Displacer is reminiscent of Mistmeadow Witch, I'd say that the Displacer is instantly way, way better purely for the fact that it brings the creature back right away, rather than at the end step. That can make a huge, huge difference. It's also worth noting that it can serve to tap down an opponent's blocker (maybe something that could block Jenara), and leave them open for an attack.
The only other cards from this set that stick out to me at all as even being worth consideration here are: Reflector Mage, Thought-Knot Seer, and Mirrorpool.
Mirrorpool seems like it's got a lot of potential to be sweet, and it's worth noting that including it would make Eldrazi Displacer better.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
I'll have a real post about all of this in the near future.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius
First up, Prophet of Kruphix is obviously being cut from the list, and is currently slated to be replaced with one of three cards: Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir, Seedborn Muse, or Temporal Manipulation. I think for the time being it's going to be the Manipulation, but that may change.
Second, the Rule 4 change is mostly unimportant here, so nothing really needs to change in response to that.
Third, with the changes to the mulligan rules, my play group has been discussing in what direction we would like to go. For the time being, we've decided to go with the prescribed Vancouver mulligan, with pitching each hand mulled instead of shuffling each one back in. After the change to the mulligan rules, I will be adding, I think, an additional land (either basic Island or Alchemist's Refuge) and/or a mana dork (Birds of Paradise or Noble Hierarch), and a Mana Crypt.
Lastly, after thinking about it long and hard, I think I'm going to try cutting Palinchron from the list. It is mostly in there as a combo piece, and removing it would mean that my only form of comboing would now be with infinite turns. This may or may not end up being a permanent change. I'm not yet sure what the second cut(s) will be.
I'll be making final decisions on this stuff soon and updating the primer accordingly.
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Current Commanders: Derevi, Empyrial Tactician (coming soon) | [Primer] Sedris, the Traitor King | Maelstrom Wanderer | Najeela, the Blade Blossom | Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Retired Commanders: [Primer] Jenara, Asura of War | [Primer] Ghave, Guru of Spores | Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury | Saskia the Unyielding | Sydri, Galvanic Genius