MTG Salvation

Keep in mind (just like the others) that this is a set preview. Similar to draft predictions in professional sports, this list is an educated guess at best. Some cards I value highly in here may turn out to not last long in the cube. Other cards that are lower down on the list (or even missed entirely!) could (well, very likely may) turn out to be great cards. Even Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round! Again, this is not intended to be gospel, set in stone or written as a review for posterity. This is simply written to be an enjoyable guess at cards I like for cubes, and hopefully it'll allow some cube managers to evaluate cards they may have otherwise overlooked and/or put some cards in perspective that may've been overhyped. Nothing more.

Voldaren Bloodcaster // Bloodbat Summoner

A cheap, evasive blood token generator.

What I Like: Not that long ago, a 2 power flying creature for 2 mana with an upside would’ve been a slam dunk on its own. Now, 2-drops have become so efficient that they really need to be overpowered or contribute strongly to specific decktypes to push out the competition. I like the 2-power flying body, and blood tokens are valuable things to have around for a lot of different black shells. It can function as a backup discard outlet, can make extra permanents in Aristocrats shells, and has decent synergy with cards like Smokestack. Decent overall value for 2 mana.

What I Don't Like: It just falls short for me for a few reasons. I really wish the blood token generation triggered off of tokens too, since sacrifice decks would really be able to abuse that aspect with a lot of support cards. As a discard outlet, it would be far more consistent if it made a blood token upon ETB instead of death, to help with earlier reanimation support. Lastly, outside of very specific situations, transforming this card is going to be really hard due to the nontoken clause.

Verdict: If you’re looking for a playable evasive aggro beater that can also provide some additional permanents, this card could play really well. Especially if you support an aggressive artifact deck that uses things like Arcbound Ravager and Disciple of the Vault kinds of cards. But I think this is a miss for most traditionally constructed cubes.

Dreamshackle Geist

A disruptive evasive beater.

What I Like: 3 power flying creatures for 3 mana are a solid baseline for attacking, and this creature provides additional value by being able to tap down blockers or lock down tapped creatures. Playing this in an aggressive deck that produce early attacking creatures will be a great fit, as resolving on T3 and immediately tapping down a blocker will help push through early damage.

What I Don't Like: The recipe for 1UU 3/1 evasive creatures has already produced some godly options. So this competes directly with cards like Vendillion Clique, True-Name Nemesis, and Brazen Borrower. In the face of that kind of competition, this card looks significantly less appealing since it’s so much worse on its own and doesn’t play nearly as well in reactive tempo shells.

Verdict: If you play a lot of U/X beatdown decks, this is a very solid option, as the creature disruption is very good support if you have other non-evasive creatures you need to push damage through with. But if your aggressive blue decks tend to be more tempo-oriented (like a lot of cube builds are) I don’t think this will push out the current competition.

Path of Peril

Darn.

What I Like: This card is like a pseudo Infest // Wrath variant that gives you the ability to sweep an early board full of tokens or small monsters for 3 mana, or the entire board and all the bigger monsters for 6. The efficiency in either mode is lacking slightly, but if you play any number of Orzhov control shells, it’s still a valuable card to have in your deck.

What I Don't Like: Each mode feels slightly meh, and I’m not sure if the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in this case. Instant speed would be amazing. A 2B main cost, or 5cc Cleave mode would’ve gone a long way. But 1BB Sorcery feels a bit rough, and the 6-mana multicolor mode is a lot of mana.

Verdict: If your playgroup plays a decent amount of Orzhov or Esper control and you’re looking for a flexible sweeper option, Path of Peril might be that card for you. But with Damn in the mix already, I think this card is slightly too cost-inefficient to break into most Orzhov sections.

Manaform Hellkite

A spells-matters curve-topper.

What I Like: 4 mana 4/4 flying is a solid baseline, and in a deck featuring a lot of proactive spells, this can represent a lot of damage if you have an opportunity to untap with it. Adding evasive Spark Elementals to your Commands and Wheels is pretty spicy, and this card can represent a TON of damage if you can do silly things like casting Time Spirals and the like with it on the board.

What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, it only triggers based on mana spent on the spells it’s looking at. So cards like Snuff Out and Fireblast that I was originally super excited to play with it don’t work. Additionally, it requires you to sacrifice the token at the beginning of THE next end step (instead of YOUR end step), so none of the tokens that you make off reactive spells will have a chance to attack. This clause hurts a lot since spell-heavy decks often feature blue as one of its colors. Lastly, this just doesn’t have the teeth (aggressively speaking) to push out cards that can apply immediate pressure, and it doesn’t guarantee any value in the face of removal, so value/midrange decks won’t be looking to play it either.

Verdict: In cubes that are deep on the spells-matter plan, this can be a powerful curve-topper in those kinds of decks. But for most cubes, I think this is a miss.

Cemetery Prowler

A good midrange monster.

What I Like: 3 mana 3/4 vigilant body is solid. Immediate and repeatable graveyard disruption is nice. Spell cost reduction is powerful. This card is pretty good in most of your matchups. The body is beastly against aggro. The mana discount is valuable against control. The graveyard disruption is good against combo. Overall, it’s a super solid package. Note that the discount applies not just to the first card you exile, so as the game progresses and you’ve exiled more cards with it, the discount will apply to multiple card types at that point.

What I Don't Like: For most green decks, the creature-heavy nature of the deck construction will somewhat limit how early the spell discount will come into play. Until you have a creature target to exile, you aren’t super likely to be able to take full advantage of the discount feature. A 2G cost would’ve gone a long way towards making this card playable in more multicolor goodstuff decks, which generally feature a wider range of card types to get a discount bonus with.

Verdict: Overall very solid. If you play the ungabunga style green beatdown decks, this is a super solid monster. If your green midrange plan is more focussed on ramp and combo/cheaty kinds of decks, this card is probably lacking the home needed to make it a consistent player for your group.

Toxrill, the Corrosive

A solid reanimator target.

What I Like: This card reminds me of a combination of Sheoldred and Verdant Force. It gives you immediate impact on your first end step, and starts killing/crippling your opponents monsters and making tokens before they have a chance to untap. In matchups where the opponent is going wide with tokens and aggressive bodies, this card will have an absurd impact. Not to mention that in decks with access to blue mana, you can also use this as a card advantage engine as soon as you’re making bodies with it.

What I Don't Like: In some matchups, the ability will be limited. The impact can be both minimal and temporary, and making bodies will be very matchup dependent. And the card draw requiring blue mana makes this card even more limited in which decks will be able to maximize the array of effects it has available.

Verdict: If you’re looking for another black reanimation target and you’re unhappy with option #3 or #4 that you’re currently using, you can give Toxrill a shot. It’s pretty devastating in certain matchups, so if tokens/go-wide aggro are giving your reanimation strategies fits, give this critter a chance to help shore up those weaknesses.

Scattered Thoughts

A new Fact or Fiction/Memory Deluge variant.

What I Like: This is a modern take on a Fact or Fiction kind of effect. You’re in full control of the cards that go to hand and get binned, so in a lot of situations, the ACS (average-case scenario) will be higher on this card, especially if the opponents are veterans that are good at making FoF splits. Also, in comparison to Memory Deluge, this card can feed the ‘yard, has a splashable casting cost, and can be cast for free with Torrential Gearhulk and still get full value.

What I Don't Like: While the ACS is often better on Thoughts, there are still quite a few things that the cards it most directly competes with can do that this one can’t. Fact or Fiction can always get you 3+ cards, so the raw card advantage is higher. It also digs deeper, so if what you need is that one specific card that wins you the game, the 1/4 split that gets you the perfect card is an option that can sometimes be better than your options with Thoughts. And of course, Memory Deluge has the flashback mode that nets two additional cards, so in traditional draw-go control, it’s likely the better option there two.

Verdict: This is a solid 4cc reactive draw spell that splits the difference between the advantages that Fact or Fiction or Memory Deluge might provide and rolls it up into a package that is more consistent and a better ACS performer. If you’re a fan of these kinds of cards and are looking for more of them, this is one of the best options available. Additionally, if you’re looking for a middle ground effect between the two existing options, this is a perfectly solid choice.

Fleeting Spirit

The newest survivable 3-power 2-drop variant.

What I Like: This is the newest take on the splashable 3-power 2-drops that have drawback options to keep them alive in situations where they’d otherwise die. The exile for first strike ability will randomly be capable of making attacks and threatening blocks that the other options would’ve be able to pull off, and flickering the body off the board protects it from everything. It’s also an additional rare white discard outlet if cards like Karmic Guide and Unburial Rites make white a small roleplayer for graveyard decks in your cube.

What I Don't Like: Of the three commonly played options for this kind of effect, I think this one is my least favorite. Hallowblade’s indestructible clause allows it to get involved in combat and still kill the opponent’s creature, making it a menace to tangle with, and the 4-life vampire doesn’t have to discard cards to keep it alive. If this could target the opponent’s ‘yard to give it first strike, it would’ve added a whole added level of value.

Verdict: If you’re in the market for another white discard outlet or a 3rd survivable 3-power 2-drop, this card will play very solidly for you. Otherwise, I think this misses the cut for most cubes that are under ~720 cards or so.

Jacob Hauken, Inspector // Hauken's Insight

A new Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy/Arcane Artisan Variant.

What I Like: The whole cube community has been comparing Jacob to JVP and Artisan since it was spoiled, and for obvious reasons. It’s a cheap fragile creature that has the ability to pseudo-loot for both card selection and eventual value. I like how robust Jacob gets when it transforms into Insight, and the impact can be incredible (both immediate value and long-term grinding value). Play it early, flip it once you have 4UU safely available, and reap the rewards.

What I Don't Like: Unlike JVP, this card can’t feed the yard for graveyard decks. And unlike Arcane Artisan, you have to wait until you have 6 mana available before dropping any threats. This card will be pretty fragile for quite a while before it gets crazy good, and if it gets blasted before you start casting free stuff with it, the impact is pretty minimal, and is effectively lost since you can’t interact with those exiled cards in other meaningful ways.

Verdict: This is my sleeper card for the set. I’m cautiously placing this card lower than where it probably belongs because I’m worried about the fragility of the body while it spends a decent amount of time not doing much. But man, when this card gets rolling, it’s going to be really hard to beat. It’s likely worth testing out because it has a really high ceiling, but I’m placing it somewhere in the ~630 range to be safe for now. But this card has the potential to be a cube monster that’s laying low during spoiler season.

Torens, Fist of the Angels

A Mentor variant for creature decks!

What I Like: Don’t get me wrong, this is no Monastery Mentor …but this card can do a lot of work in creature-heavy shells. There are so few payoff cards in this vein that the effect feels super unique. It’s a human that makes human tokens, and a single 3-power creature can turn Toren and all the future training tokens into formidable threats. It’s pretty easy for this card to spiral out of control, and in a Selesnya beatdown deck that’s loaded with affordable and efficient threats, this can add a lot to the deck’s path to success.

What I Don't Like: Selesnya is full of cards that are usually performing specific roles for the cube manager. Naturalize/Disenchant effects, beatdown creatures, ramp, combo, utility/value creatures …adding in a card that just makes creature decks make more creatures can be hard to find room for.

Verdict: This effect is both powerful and unique. If players in your playgroup like to play white/green decks that play a ton of creatures and turn them sideways, this can add a payoff card and a build-around signpost card for those kinds of decks. It’s not for every cube environment, but I expect it to perform really well in cubes that encourage its players to win with fair creature decks.

Graf Reaver

A 2-mana 3/3 that kills ‘walkers!

What I Like: The ceiling on this card can be insanely high. As a later-game play, sacrificing a Bloodghast or Gravecrawler, getting a 3/3 creature and killing a ‘walker is an insane amount of value for a 2cc card. It’s also a solid T2 beater that’s both a Zombie for Gravecrawler and a Warrior for Najella.

What I Don't Like: I expect this to be a 3-power 2-drop a lot of the time, and I don’t know how often the planeswalker bullet option will realistically show up. Without a good creature to sacrifice to it (useless token, recursive body, etc) it’s going to be a 2-for-2, which is fair and situational. The lifeloss drawback will make this feel like a Wretched Anurid a lot of the time, which just doesn’t cut it in 2021.

Verdict: I’m all for increasing the density of planeswalker removal, and the opportunity cost to do so is low on this card because it has an acceptable floor even when it’s lacking on targets. But outside of very specific situations, I think this card is going to feel quite fair when it’s played, and very underwhelming without a ‘walker target and an expendable creature to exploit. I’d include this at 630 just at face value, and perhaps smaller in cubes loaded for bear with tokens/recursive creatures for Aristocrats and a higher than average planeswalker count.

Voltaic Visionary // Volt-Charged Berserker

A 3-power 2-drop that generates card advantage!

What I Like: The play pattern on this card is great. Play a 3-power 2-drop. Attack with it until it can’t effectively turn sideways. When it runs into a roadblock, activate the ability, play the extra card, collect the card advantage, pass go, collect $200, and flip it into a 4/3 beater that can pick up attacking where the 3/1 body left off. Easy as can be.

What I Don't Like: Red’s 2cc creatures have grown deeper over the recent years, and a lot of them provide specific effects that help red is a variety of ways besides just turning sideways. While this card can generate card advantage and is a solid beater, it’s not spectacular at either role. The 1-toughness will render it an inefficient attacker pretty early on, and it has to take a turn off in order to get back on track. There exist better forms of attacking power and better ways to generate card advantage among its competition. Time will tell if the hybrid of both modes that VV embodies will ultimately prove out.

Verdict: If you’re at all unhappy with any of your red 2’s, this is likely worth a spin. I would be happy including this at 630 or 720, and is likely worth a test even in smaller cubes if you dislike any of your current options that aren’t critical roleplayers.

Concealing Curtains // Revealing Eye

A Steel Wall // Vendillion Clique hybrid!

What I Like: The 0/4 body is a good defender against aggressive decks in the early game, and then it transforms into a 3/4 creature with evasion that can disrupt the opponent’s hand! If you play defensive/controlling black decks at all, this can be a really good card. Providing you with early defense, a good midgame body, a halfway-reasonable win condition, and disruption that can peel the opponent’s curve-topping bombs and hopefully replace them with something easier to deal with.

What I Don't Like: It takes a very specific kind of deck to want both halves of this card. Aggro wants the disruptive 3/4 with evasion, but doesn’t want to spend early mana/development on a 0/4 …at all. And this is no Clique, you have to frontload the disruptive cost, so the opponent can untap and draw an unknown card on the turn after you disrupt them, leaving your defenses down if you activate it on curve. So it needs to be played in a deck that wants the early wall and can wait until the later stages of the game to transform it. Which pretty much relegates it to control decks in the cube format, and black control is good, but it’s not usually popular enough to warrant a ton of dedicated slots for it.

Verdict: If you play a lot of black control and have room for another dedicated tool, I think this card looks really good. I’d play it at 630+ for sure, and I’d test it in smaller lists where black control is a really popular archetype.

Cemetery Gatekeeper

A new Eidolon variant!

What I Like: A splashable 2/1 first strike that has the ability to disrupt graveyards and shock players. The floor is acceptable. As a 2/1 first strike, it can attack into most creatures and apply pressure through the red zone even if the disruptive shocking fails. The strongest use for this card will be exiling a land from a graveyard on curve, and turning this into a 2-mana Zo-Zu the Punisher with first strike. It’s absolutely backbreaking as an Ankh of Mishra on legs. It also has the ability to exile an early instant to punish reactive control decks, or an early sorcery to combat storm combo.

What I Don't Like: When it doesn’t disrupt the ‘yard and shock players, it’s a pretty disappointing card. If you don’t support Storm combo (which this guy can punish hard) or have an above-average density of fetchlands, I think this will be a Youthful Knight too often to be super exciting.

Verdict: I ranked this card where I did because in some windows it’s super busted. Additionally, in cubes that play a multiple fetchland package and/or heavily support storm, it’s going to be too good to leave out. I think this is a ~630 card for most traditionally constructed cubes, but in some specific builds, it has a chance to be a staple.

Welcoming Vampire

A new Mentor of the Meek variant.

What I Like: A 2/3 flying body is a big improvement over the plain 2/2 body of MotM. Unlike Mentor, Vampire draws the cards for free too, so you don’t have to spend any additional mana to generate your card advantage. The once per turn limitation can stop some of the spicier shenanigans, but as a face value effect, drawing for free is a bigger upside. Additionally, if you can create any creatures on the opponent’s turn, you can draw a card on their turn too, so something like an Ophiomancer with a sacrifice outlet can draw 2 cards per turn cycle. Mentor is a strong tool for decks that produce recursive bodies and tokens on the cheap and on demand.

What I Don't Like: White’s 3cc creature suite is pretty stacked, and most of the cards there are roleplayers for specific decktypes. Finding a card for a goodstuff small creature deck support card will be tough for a lot of lists.

Verdict: I’d be eyeing this card for my list in the 630-720 range, or in cubes that have a lot of ways to produce cheap/free creatures on demand on either player’s turn. A completely solid option anywhere else though, don’t sleep on this effect. Drawing extra cards for free when you don’t need to change your gameplan in order to make it work is going to be good everywhere.

Thirst for Discovery

A Compulsive Research variant!

What I Like: The biggest issue I’ve had with Compulsive Research historically has been the sorcery-speed. Upgrading the effect to an instant is a big deal, even at the cost of limiting the discard option to a basic land. Not much else to say. If you’re looking for a 3cc draw/discard option, this is likely going to be the new standard moving forward.

What I Don't Like: I love drafting greedy manabases that are loaded with nonbasic lands. This card might be harder for me to use than the average drafter since my basic land count is often very, very low.

Verdict: Despite the basic land restriction, I like this card more than Compulsive Research, and by quite a bit. I’d consider this for myself somewhere in the 630-720 range, and perhaps in smaller cubes that play a lot of 2-color decks with fair manabases.

Ulvenwald Oddity // Ulvenwald Behemoth

A big hastey beater with trample!

What I Like: A 4/4 trample for 4 mana with haste is nothing to scoff at. It applies pressure very well through the vast majority of defensive bodies on the board at that time, and is very good at clearing ‘walkers because of that combination of effects. As the game progresses and you get access to more mana, you can transform it into an 8/8 monster of a threat that will close games out quick. This provides midrange decks with powerful endgame monsters without having to sacrifice midgame pressure in order to access it.

What I Don't Like: This card is no Questing Beast, and I question the need for two different 4-power 4/4 haste monsters in green.

Verdict: This would be a new go-to favorite of mine in ungabunga green, since it doesn’t have to sacrifice the potential late game flood protection that true ramp decks have since this is such a beastly end game monster when you’re flooded. It still provides great pressure as a 4-drop, and is a very spicy addition to midrange green. I would include this at 630 for sure, and smaller cubes that play that style of green as a primary green deck should find room for it.

Sorin the Mirthless

A 4cc value ‘walker in black.

What I Like: This card has a very familiar recipe for a successful ‘walker. It resolves, puts a decent body on the board, and leaves behind a ‘planeswalker that generates card advantage while working towards a game-ending ultimate. The 2/3 flying lifelink body produced by the {-2} is no joke. It’s valuable on both offense and defense, and has synergy with Sorin’s first ability. The {+1} ability is worth a card, and unlike Dark Confidant’s similar trigger, this card gives you the option. Meaning you don’t have to deal massive damage to yourself or reveal a critical card if you don’t want to. And the ultimate pretty much wins the game on the spot in most situations, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice.

What I Don't Like: This card does exactly what I would expect a modern 4cc ‘walker to do. My hesitation with it is exactly where its best fit will be. The {+1} ability is best suited for a low-to-the-ground aggressive deck, but the rest of the card doesn’t suit that shell perfectly. Control may have to opt not to draw too often because of the higher average mana value of its spells, so it’s not optimal there either. It’s perfect for a black midrange deck, but do I really want to add in a card that’s only really going to shine in midrange? I don’t think I do.

Verdict: I would test this card at 630 for sure. It’s a good solid black ‘walker, and it will perform solidly if you elect to play it. I’m just not sure it has an ideal home in enough decks to justify it in smaller lists.

Ascendant Packleader

A nice green 2-power 1-drop!

What I Like: This is a good aggressive creature. It has the floor of being a 2-power 1-drop at the very least. If you play the card later in the game, it might resolve as a 3-power creature if you already have a curve-topper on the board. And it will grow immediately when you play higher mana value spells. I love the fact that it triggers based on mana value, so when you cast Snuff Out, Fireblast, and Force of Will this card will grow, even when played for free!

What I Don't Like: If you don’t play aggressively slanted green decks, this card won’t have a home for you.

Verdict: If you play green in your aggro decks, this card is an immediate must-play card. Most super small lists don’t support decks where this card is ideal, so it’s likely not a card for 360-card cubes. But if you support green aggro in any cube size, probably in the 450-540 range, this card should go in.

Dread Fugue

A very solid 1cc discard spell.

What I Like: This card is to Inquisition of Kozilek what Burst Lightning is to Lightning Bolt. Is Inquisition better? Yes. Is Dread Fugue still a great cube card? Absolutely. There are only a couple of cards that can peel all of your opponent’s most powerful early plays from their hand regardless of their card type. That list includes Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek, and …that’s it. So this card is in elite company when you want to make proactive plays that can pull Moxes, cheap spells, and early threats from the opponent’s hand. Plus, this card has kicker (sorry, I meant Cleave) that allows it to hit any card if you pay the 2B. So unlike Inquisition, this card isn’t limited to only hitting small cards when topdecked later on. Don’t sleep on the Cleave ability, it adds a lot of value to the card.

What I Don't Like: In cubes with a less volatile early game (like unpowered cubes or fairer cubes that focus more on midgame interaction and combat) the range of critical targets for this card shrinks quite a bit. It’s a much more powerful card the faster, leaner, and more powerful the rest of the cube is.

Verdict: In a lean, explosive, powered cube, I think this card is likely worth testing, and may very well be a new staple 1cc discard spell. In fairer unpowered lists, it might be relegated to 450+ cubes, but it’ll still be quite good. This spell excites me, and I think it’s going to be very strong for years to come.

The first form of jeskai tempo to gain prominance in the modern format was referred to as BOREMANDOS for "Boros" + "Remand". The deck functioned much like the deck does today. Ideally the deck starts by casting an early efficient threat followed by utilizing counter magic and removal to protect said threat and to remove any blockers in the threats way. The deck then finishes off the game with multiple threats or reach via burn damage. The core of Boremandos deck was the following:

Delver of Secrets
Steppe Lynx
Geist of Saint Traft
Snapcaster Mage

Lightning Bolt
Lightning Helix
Path to Exile
Serum Visions
Remand

The remainder of the deck is made up of additional burn, removal, counter magic, and bounce spells to maintain the decks gameplan.

During Grand Prix Columbus in 2012 the deck became a known commodity when Max Tietze gave the deck one of its most prominent finishes with a top 4 finish. Shahar Shenhar and Chris Piland also played the deck to a top 8 finish in Grand Prix Columbus in 2012. Shahar Shenhar again played the deck again in Pro Tour Return to Ravnica with a top 64 finish. Dan Jordan finished 11th at Pro Tour Return to Ravnica with the "Boremandos" deck.

Here is a link to a deck tech with Shahar Shenhar during Pro Tour Return to Ravnica-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlXFSp5wDgE

BoRemandos was played and was a tier 2 deck for several years until the printing of Eidolon of the Great Revel. At this point burn took over most of the meta share as the go to aggressive deck in the format.

The Khans of Tarkir block was released on September 26th 2014 and it was the first set in magic's history that actually specifically dealt with the jeskai UWR shard. The printing of Mantis Rider and Monastery Swiftspear during the Khans block. and gave jeskai delver/tempo a much needed shot in the arm. Jeskai Charm was also printed which is often utilized in prowess style decks. In addition to mantis rider the "prowess mechanic" was introduced and quickly became an evergreen mechanic.

The printing of Treasure Cruise almost immediatly shot URx Delver decks (including Jeskai) to prominence in modern again. Unfortunately treasure cruise proved to be too good and many thought delver decks were becoming too good and treasure cruise was banned in modern. This took a very large chunk of the Delver decks out of the modern meta. In addition, Gitaxian Probe was banned in January 2017 taking another important Delver/Prowess card away from jeskai. There are basically three distinct ages of the jeskai delver deck- the Boremandos days of 2011-2014. The Treasure Cruise days from late 2014 until the banning in 2015. Finally, from 2015 to present day (without probe now). Since we have had several bannings we have come to a point where the Delver deck has once again progessed to a new age of deck including three different play styles or game plans which include Pure Aggro/Prowess, Pure Tempo/Prowess, and Midrange/Control. Those will be discussed in detail below.

The following is a brief view of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the differing gameplans that can be utilized under the jeskai tempo/delver umbrella - thanks to GoyfTomcat1 for the basis of this part.

Each build has its own strengths and weaknesses:

All In Prowess:

Pros:
1. Most explosive of the builds
2. Utilizes the prowess mechanic almost like a combo deck, in that it can "go off" very quickly and win in 1-2 turns with a good draw.
3. Fully embraces the Prowess mechanic and also tends rely more heavily on burn damage.

Cons:
1. Can be very draw dependent
2. Using slots for cards like Mishra's Bauble, gut shot, etc limits the number of slots for removal (but this can be played around)
3. Late game the deck loses its explosiveness

Tempo (Jeskai Way) Prowess

Pros:
1. Has very good aggro-control game (a decent matchup in game one against most decks)
2. Can be tuned for almost any meta
3. Great against combo decks and aggro decks.
4. Excellent sideboard options

Cons:

1.Creatures like Delver can be removed easily, making it fragile on bad mulligans etc
2. A very complicated deck with a number of lines and interaction.
3. Can be draw dependent (ei- drawing removal when a threat is needed)
3. Has a less powerful late-game spells and has a hard time coming back from behind.

Mentor/Young P (Midrange) Delver/Prowess

Pros:
1. Has a higher general power level per card.
2. Has a higher curve and therefore has access to some great Planeswalkers
4. Has a better midrange matchup as it can keep up with the value of Jund/ Junk throughout the game.

Cons:
1. Slower set up than All-in or "Jeskai Way" Prowess, but makes up for this with more control/ permission spells
2. Doesn't apply pressure as well and therefore has a worse combo matchup and Tron matchup.

I will touch on each of these styles in the deck section, but following is the common creatures, spells, walkers, artifacts, etc found in each of the decks.

Delver of Secrets - The single most important card in the tempo deck and the namesake of most of the decks in this deck style. The classic blue tempo one drop. No creature in the history of the game has provided more damage for tempo decks. He can flip on turn two and provide an evasive (flying) 3/2 insect beater that can do enough damage to end the game on his own.

Monastery Swiftspear- Jeskai’s front line attacker. Swiftspear is a prime definition of what we are trying to accomplish. It is buffed by all of our spells and can attack early and often.

Stormchaser Mage - Prowess, Flying, AND Haste...what's not to love? The 1 power can be a downside, but cards like Twisted Image can make this a powerful option (and the 3 toughness means any spell puts the Mage out of bolt range. Very few decks want 4 copies of this card, but it is a great addition to multiple Jeskia Prowess decks based on pure power, efficiency, speed, and evasion.

Kiln Fiend - This elemental can do all the damage needed by its self. Although Kiln Fiend is less evasive than some of the other options in the deck, it makes up for this with sheer power. It is buffed an additional +3 with every instant/sorcery spell we cast and when it becomes unblockable, it often ends the game on its own.

Abbot of Keral Keep - This addition via Origins is a powerful card. For 2-mana, you get card advantage (which can be set up with cards like Serum Visions and Telling Time), a 2/1 body AND prowess. This is a lot of value for a little bit of mana. You can use it to dig, help fix mana (and keep you from getting land screwed), and to trigger prowess with a spell off the top of the deck! Versatile, powerful, and efficient.

Snapcaster Mage - Snapcaster Mage is possibly the best creature in modern and is almost assuredly the best blue creature in modern. He offers card advantage in a single card. Simply the best source of card advantage a creature can offer. He is an honorary Jeskai member.

Geist of Saint Traft - My personal favorite creature and a favorite of tempo player’s since his induction. Hexproof gives Geist the ultimate protection from removal spells. In addition, he offers the most efficient source of damage a three drop can offer (he attacks for 6 damage with the angel). His only weakness is his 2/2 stats. However, in this deck he is often unblockable or protected from the colors of the opponents deck all but removing his only weakness. He is possibly the best creature for this deck.

Soul Scar Mage - A new addition to the jeskai clan from Amonket. This wizard does a great job of giving the deck another great early prowess option that is hard to kill (2 toughness). Soul Scar Mage's ability to utilize -1/-1 counters gives the jeskai delver/tempo deck a huge bonus against some of our harder grindy matchups like GBx decks. The fact that this mage is also a human and a wizard helps decks run Cavern of Souls and other tribal support.

Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest - A true Jeskai Master and the Jeskai Khan. He makes all of our threats deadly on their own by offering double strike as an ability. Shu Yun offers a perfect top end to the creature suite by making other threats more powerful or ending the game on his own. With a single spell and two additional red/white mana he can attack for 8 damage on his own.

Bedlam Reveler- This horror gave the tempo prowess deck the top end well dreamed of. Card advantage on a stick and prowess to boot. Reveler doesn't come without risk though. He depends highly on casting spells early proactively so he can be cast for a fairly low casting cost. The risk is well worth the reward as there is simply no other top end spell that can be cast for 2 mana and offers a prowess body and 3 shiny new cards.

Other options:

Mantis Rider - A powerful and evasive Jeskai beater is exactly what we are looking for in this deck. If your meta calls for a few more threats the insect riding monk is a super option. He is the definition of an efficient creature- 3/3 flyier with vigiliance and haste for only three mana fits the tone of the Jeskai Way perfectly.

Young Pyromancer - This young fire starter synergizes wonderfully with a deck full of instants and sorceries. While the pyromancer doesn’t fit into the more aggressive strategy , she fits wonderfully in the more control/tempo oriented Monastery Mentor Jeskai Way deck that will be presented later.

Monastery Mentor - The mentor and teacher of the Jeskai Clan. He teaches the jeskai way to the future tempo creatures of the world. He has the single best synergy with a deck full of non-creature spells and can take control of a game all by himself. He can be included in exchange for Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest if you want a slightly more controlled top end. He is also the central focus of the Monastery Mentor Jeskai Way deck.

Grim Lavamancer - This red wizard offers a large amount of value and efficiency to the deck. By allowing us to utilize the large amount of low costed spells in our graveyard as additional damage/removal, he is as efficient as they come. While he may be a little slow for the unblockable version (which may not be the case), he fits perfectly into the more controlling Monastery Mentor version of the deck.

Spell Queller- A great tempo option that can add disruption to the deck while also adding another threat.

Hazoret, the Fervant- This god is a great top end to the super aggressive version of the deck. She can also dump any dead lands to deal direct damage.

Steppe Lynx - While not as powerful in this deck due to the low number of lands played, this cat can still make a potent turn one attacker.

Enigma Drake - This drake is another great option for budget builds that really concentrate on casting as many spells as possible. The 4 toughness in combination with flying makes this drake a very robust and powerful option that is hard to kill. This one can end games very quickly.

Cryptic Serpent - The blue "Tasigur" is a large fatty that can be cast for UU on most occasions. The serpent is also great in budget builds and fits wonderfully in decks with the drake listed above.

Nivix Cyclops - Nivix Cyclops is a great budget option for the deck. He is somewhat expensive, however, he can hit for a ton of damage.

Crackling Drake- Enigma drake's big brother also includes our cards that have been exiled and doesn't die to bolt.

Wee Dragnouts - The little engines that could. These tiny fliers offer another evasive option that triggers on instants/sorceries. They are another great budget option.

Curious Homunculus - This card is a tough nut to crack. The front of the card lends to a more midrange prowess build, but the back offers a great 3/4 prowess body. It takes a little work to make this one work, but this crazy looking guy can really pay off if you can make it work.

Lightning Bolt - The single best instant in the modern format. Three damage that can go directly to the face or act as removal for most early threats in the modern format all for the low cost of one red mana. If your deck plays red mana this is a must have 4 of.

Lightning Helix - The single most efficient life swing in modern. This instant offers a 6 life swing for one red and one white mana. While this is a personal preference it helps with many of the aggro matchups in the format.

Path to Exile - The single best removal spell in modern. What our bolts and helixes cannot kill, the path to exile can kill. The drawback of offering the opponent an additional mana is somewhat mitigated in this deck given that the game should end somewhat quickly.

Distortion Strike - This card single handedly started the creation of this deck. It offers our threat a pump of one power (often two with prowess) and, most importantly, makes them unblockable for a single blue mana. In addition, it is cast FOR FREE at the beginning of the next upkeep. The key word is that it is CAST for free offering another prowess trigger.

Slip Through Space - A cantrip that offers unblock ability; Sign us up. It's pretty straight foward and exactly what we are looking for.

Emerge Unscathed - This is probably the most efficient spell in the deck. It can protect our threats from removal and/or offer a type of unblockability if the creatures on the other side share a color. This is the card that a player must learn to utilize wisely. When you do it can create large blow outs or momentum swings in your favor.

Gitaxian Probe - A basically free prowess trigger that does not cause a loss in card advantage. In addition, it gives very important information about the opponents hand. A minimum of three of these should be in the deck, but four it preferable. ***BANNED***

Serum Visions -The best cantrip in modern. Serum Visions maybe the most important card in the deck. With our low land count, this helps smooth out our draws while triggering prowess/abilities. In addition, if you are playing delver this helps to insure he transforms into an insectile aberration. Also, if you choose to play Reforge the Soul this can insure that you can cast the card for it’s miracle cost.

Remand - Remand is the premier tempo counter spell. It provides a loss in tempo to our opponent while providing our deck with card advantage. It can also be utilized to bounce back any spell that is countered by our opponent that we would like to keep.

Boros Charm - The best of the Ravnica charms. Double Strike can make a single threat leathal. Four damage can provide the reach we need to finish the game or kill a pesky planeswalker. Finally, the indestructible clause helps us protect our threats from sweepers and removal. A great utility spell for the deck.

Sleight of Hand - Possibly the second best blue cantrip in the modern format. This card not only gives great card selection, but unlike serum visions, it gives you a card right away when it is cast. Sleight of hand is a great option for the low CMC decks and is utilized to ensure land drops and to ensure that the player doesn't flood.

Vapor Snag - This card can take the place of Path to Exile if you find that giving the land to the opponent is becoming a problem. Vapor snag is a perfect tempo bounce card and it does one point of damage just to top it off.

Spell Pierce, Spell Snare, Mana Leak, Deprive, Dispel - All of these counter spells are options as well. Whichever you prefer for your build and your meta will work.

Censor - This new counter spell from Amonket fits great into the more aggressive decks that still want counter magic in the deck. It is also a great choice for decks utilizing Bedlam Reveler. Censor is a very powerful early game counter magic spell and can easily be cycled in the late game to add to the graveyard instant and sorcery count.

Electrolyze - Electrolyze is a perfect spell for the more controlling version of the deck. It does it all. It offers direct damage, triggers prowess/abilities, and draws a card.

Other options:

Izzet Charm - Izzet charm is another perfect utility spell for the deck. It offers a looting option to smooth out our draws and tigger prowess/abilities. In addition, it offers an additional semi-counter spell and possible removal for a smaller creature.

Jeskai Charm - Although slightly highly costed, jeskai charm is a very powerful option. The four damage can end the game, the +1/+1 pump can buff creatures and give life gain in aggro matchups, and bouncing a blocker clears the way for our attackers.

Haze of Rage - This one is a personal favorite of mine. It pumps all of our creatures power for two mana, but can also be bought back (put back in our hand after casting) in the late game for only two mana. In addition it has storm! Although the storm copies don’t trigger prowess, it is still a very powerful pump spell for the Monastery Mentor version of the deck.

Reforge the Soul - Of all of the miracle cards from Avacyn Restored, this is the most overlooked. Because this deck utilizes its cards more quickly, reforge the soul gives a great card draw option that is much more beneficial to our deck than the opponents in most cases. This is a powerful option that can be replaced with other draw cards if you prefer something a little less volatile.

Defiant Strike - This card works very well as a pump spell that offers card advantage. It is an especially good option for a budget form of the deck.

Perilous Research - If your prefer more lands in the deck to be comfortable, perilous research is a great card to add card draw to the deck while protecting against flooding.

Tormenting Voice - This card is another draw engine that can help smooth out our draws and prevent flooding and mana screw.

Compulsive Research - Although this card is more costly, it can function as a card draw spell for the deck that can protect against flooding.

Gut Shot and Mutagenic Growth- If you prefer hyper aggressive, these are more phyrexian mana spells that trigger prowess/abilities. Both fit very well into the decks strategy.

Manamorphose, Quicken, etc. - For a more aggressive version all cantrips make great options because they are free prowess/ability triggers. I feel that there is a critical mass of cantrips the deck can handle before becoming a light on power, but all cantrips are possible options for the deck.

Twisted Image - This card works very well with kiln fiend and monastery swiftspear. It also replaces itself which is always a plus. Possibly most importantly, it can kill opposing Spellskites which are a real problem for this deck.

Telling Time, Sleight of Hand - These setups spells are also options to smooth out our strategy. They can help flip delvers and hit miracle triggers.

Chandra, Pyromaster - Chandra makes the perfect planeswalker for the strategy. She can clear away blockers and, most importantly, she semi-card advantage for our low costed spells. At four mana she is at the top of the curve, but she is a great option.

Elspeth, Knight-Errant - Another lady that can top out our curve with power. The most beneficial mode she offers will be the +3/+3 and flying. This makes Geist of Saint Traft a killing machine.

Saheeli Rai - The third powerful woman on our list is the most unique. She works extremely well with snapcaster mage and bedlam reveler and offers additional deck manipulation and direct damage. While we can't utilize her ultimate, she is the least costly planeswalker at 1RU.

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - Gideon dominated his time in standard and is a great option for the jeskai tempo decks either at the top of the curve, but more likely out of the sideboard. Because this gideon can dominate an empty board it is a great option against the GBx opponents. He can pump all of our early plays with an emblem or come down on an empty board and start making an army of 2/2 allys.

Outpost Siege - Much like Chandra, outpost siege can give the deck a repeatable source of card advantage. An enchantment is also much harder to kill than a planeswalker.

Swords of all varieties - All of the swords make great options for our deck. The deck almost always attacks with one or two threats and protection is highly valued in our strategy. All of the swords make great curve toppers that make our threats even more threatening.

Jeskai Ascendancy - This card can exponentially boost the craziness of the deck. While I haven't perfected it yet; potentially adding 1-2 Ascendancies in any list can make the list that much more explosive (and help us dig to the exact cards we are looking for).

Hero's Blade - This is a great card if your list includes several legends like Geist of Saint Traft and Shu Yun. Adds huge boosts and equips for free to them...of course while also triggering Prowess.

Slayer’s Stronghold - The Jeskai Way has no double costed cards (unless you include planewalkers) so one non-color producing land is acceptable. Slayer’s stronghold offers a great utility be making any game in which our threats are constantly removed a possible win. The threats gain haste, vigilance and +2/+0. Slayer’s stronghold is probably the best utility land for The Jeskai Way.

Faerie Conclave - This is a highly under-utilized man land that many blue decks would benefit from. I think it is the only manland that fits in our build. Faerie Conclave is a great way to get some late game reach into our deck without increasing the average converted mana cost. This is a must in my opinion.

Cavern of Souls - An uncounterable Geist of Saint Traft basically spells the end for most blue based control decks. Because a vast majority of our creatures are humans and because the deck has no double costed (RR, WW, UU, etc) spells, cavern of souls becomes a great option to add another angle to the deck.

Hall of the Bandit Lord - While this card may be a little on the "slow" side (coming into play untapped), giving a Kiln Fiend, Shu Yun, or Geist of Saint Traft haste can end a game the same turn they are cast.

Eganjo Castle, Minamo, School at Water’s Edge, Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep[/card]- Although these are a little narrow, they do help Geist and Shu Yun survive attacks if they are blockable. If you also play Vendilion Clique this card can be a great option.

Celestial Colonnade - This does not fit the "Jeskai Way" deck, but does play well in the "Monestary Mentor’s Jeskai Way" deck.

Wandering Fumarole - This also does not fit the "Jeskai Way" deck easily, but is the easiest manland to include in any of the decks because U and R are the basis of our deck.

Needle Spires - This one is a very powerful option in the planeswalker heavy builds.

Wear/Tear - This is a great utility card that helps a lot of our worst matchups. This card can kill Blood Moon, Splinter Twin, Cranial Plating, Daybreak Coronet, Sword of Fire and Ice, etc. A must have for the sideboard.

Meddling Mage - An often overlooked creature in modern, this wizard can stop combo matchups in their tracks. Because the Jeskai Way has multiple ways to protect our creatures, Meddling Mage becomes a very powerful combo hater.

Deflecting Palm - This is the definition of a jeskai spell. This spell works well in any aggressive matchup to swing the tempo. It also protects against Emrukal attacks and combo finishes such as Dragonfire from ad nauseum and flesh/blood from Jeskai Ascendancy.

Dispel, Counterflux, Negate - All of these cards help win counter wars. Counterflux is great verses storm and splinter twin. All of these counter spells are pretty straight forward.

Mirran Crusader - This knight offers a near unbeatable threat against all of the Abzan and Rock decks.

Spellskite - Although spellskite is great against us, it is also great on our side. This artifact creature helps with splinter twin, boggles, infect, and can protect our other threats from removal. Spellskite is a great utility card for our sideboard.

Spreading Seas - As utility lands continue to become more popular in modern, we need a way to deal with them. Tectonic Edge is not the best option because of the deck’s low land count. On the other hand, spreading seas is a great option. It triggers prowess and replaces itself. It is also a great spell against to remove tron lands.

Stony Silence - We don’t run many artifacts and Tron and Affinity do. If your meta includes a lot of artifacts, stony silence is a great option.

Shadow of Doubt, Aven Mindcensor - These are different in play but offer a similar nerf to any deck that searches their library. Scapeshift has a very tough time with both of these spells, but any deck that runs a large number of fetch lands can also be affected by these spells.

Izzet Statiscaster - Izzet Staticaster is a great sideboard card against token decks. She is also very good at taking out mana dorks or adding the 1 additional damage to make lightning bolts effective at killing creatures with 4 toughness.

Combust - This card is a great option against splinter twin as well as pesky angels that pop up in control lists. The uncounterable clause makes it a perfect sideboard option.

Celestial Purge - Purge gets rid of problem permanents in most fringe decks. It hits Liliana of the Veil, Pyromancer’s ascension, Bloodmoon, as well as any other black or red permanent you can think of. This is another great “catch-some” answer for the sideboard.

Blessed Alliance - A great way to fight against linear/big creature decks and offers life gain. Great option.

Surgical Extraction - This is likely the best option for the jeskai tempo decks against graveyard based strategies. The cost of 2 life and no mana fits perfectly in a deck like jeskai tempo with a very low CMC curve and a high importance on casting instants and sorceries.

Other Options:

Engineered Explosives - This artifact is a great catch-all for permanents that are tough to deal with. Although EE may be a little slow, it is still a very powerful sideboard option. Monastery Mentor loves Engineered Explosives, unless the opponent plays them.

Kor Firewalker - A fireproof anti-burn beater. If your meta is full of burn decks, he basically says “burn player- you lose. Good Game.” In all seriousness, Kor Firewalker is probably the card that a burn opponent fears most.

Flashfreeze - While flashfreeze is somewhat narrow, it still counters a lot of problem permanents for our deck. Any red removal spell as well as all of the large green creatures are outright countered.

Smash to Smithereens, Shattering Spree - If you see a ton of affinity, play these.

Relic of Progenitus, Tormod’s Crypt, Rest in Peace - These are our best option for graveyard hate. Rest in Peace does nerf our snapcaster mage’s ability so remember that when you side it in.

Grafdigger’s Cage - Cage has lost some potency given the ban of Birthing pod, but it is still a great option against reanimator and Chord of Calling decks

Jeskai Way by CurdBros (Dec 2016 - Mainboard Only)


Jeskai Aggro by ASD (October 2016)



Jeskai Delver by Mazeron - 05/01/2017



Jeskai Prowess/Delver by Mr Tzoulis 05/01/2017



Jeskai Prowess by Need_More_DPS on 04/28/2017