The thing is, Modern is a brewers paradise already, people just dont want to actually do it.
Grindfather? Lantern? Heck, KCI was essentially a brew as of January this year no?
Scaled Affinity? Same thing, its a growth of Green Scaled decks from last year.
If people want to see the 'brewers paradise' you have to get out of your local, and get onto MTGO. I see EVERYTHING from week to week to week, its different decks. Do the big hitter's show up a lot? Of course! Do fringe decks show up? You know it, every week.
From Junk, to BW Tokens, to Jund, to Red to LITERALLY anything and everything that is Modern, I've played against it this year.
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Dec 26, 20182
idSurge posted a message on The State of Modern Thread (B&R 26/11/2018)Posted in: Modern Archives -
Feb 10, 20156
CurdBros posted a message on Jeskai Tempo /Delver/Prowess ("The Jeskai Way" )Posted in: Deck Creation (Modern)
Also featured on Reconstructed on Wizards.com- http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/reconstructed/around-world-30-decks-2015-05-26
The Jeskai Geist God father Great Nate also featured our list on his MTG YouTube Channel here-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGI-CMhcHvA. Please subscribe to Nate.
** As of 10/2016, some great aggressive versions are available such as https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/493176#online **
The Jeskai utilize speed and cunning to defeat their foes. The Jeskai Tempo deck is made to win the Jeskai Way. While some decks use speed and some decks use power to go “over the top” of their opponent, this deck utilizes combat tricks, speed, and prowess to go “through and around“ the opponent.
The deck functions as an tempo deck that functions closer to the aggro end of the spectrum. As a tempo deck, it presents early threats that constantly pressure the opponent while keeping the way clear for said threats to finish the game. Unlike the typical tempo deck, this deck does not depend solely on counters and removal to clear the way, but the prowess mechanic, protection, pump, and unblockable abilities to vanquish the foes with a few precise and fatal strike. The deck can be made to be extremely aggressive...or a few more "tricks" can be used...but we will always be an aggressive deck with just enough interaction to keep the opponent on their back foot.
History of Jeskai Tempo/Delver
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 Deck- "The Jeskai Way".
Jeskai Way by CurdBros (November 2017 - Mainboard Only)
The Gameplan
The basic gameplan is as follows:
A) Constantly pressure the opponent with early efficient threats
B) Inflict large "chunks" of damage (far higher than the threats initial mana cost would suggest)
C) Do so while utilizing disruption (counter magic, removal, bounce) to keep the board clear and opponent on the defensive.
D) Utilize direct damage/evasion to finish the game if necessary.
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.
Now let us get into the creation of the deck.
Core Strategy and Strengths of Jeskai Shard
Just like the jeskai mages and monks around the multiverse the Jeskai Tempo decks are built around efficiency and cunning. Every card is meant to inflict maximum damage with the least cost. The deck plays out as an aggro-conrol/tempo deck that attacks on a different angle than most decks in the format. Like most tempo decks, jeskai tempo utilizes early efficient threats along with removal spells and counter magic to maintain control on the battlefield. While maintaining control of the battlefield, the deck presents a very efficient threat(s) and reach that can win the game at any point.
A major strength of the jeskai tempo/delver/prowess deck that differs from other shards of delver decks (grixis, sultai, temur) is the reach the deck has to end the game. Much of this reach is in the form of burn spells such as Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Boros Charm, Electrolyze, Forked Bolt, Jeskai Charm, etc. This gives jeskai a leg up on other delver/tempo decks in modern as the jeskai tempo can end games quickly even if tempo is lost.
The final benefit of the deck is the synergy between all of the cards. As stated earlier, efficiency is very important aspect of this deck. All of the instant/sorcery spells either cause direct damage, pump our creatures, protect our creatures, or clear the way for our creatures. Many do several at the same time (or provide us the ability to choose which we prefer at any given moment). In addition, many of the spells replace themselves by drawing another card. This means that most of the draws we have are live at all times (especially if we have a threat). The burn spells can be used as removal, additional prowess triggers, and reach to finish the game off by going directly to the opponent’s face. Finally, if we are forced to block, the protection spells can allow our smaller creatures to soak up a large portion of damage and remain on board to attack next turn.
The Creatures
The creatures in this deck tend to meet three important criteria:
- They all get larger or more powerful by casting non-creature or instant/sorcery spells (thus, they are all stronger in decks with large quantities of non-creature spells).
- They all have a casting cost of 3 or less
- They can attack for large chunks of damage.
There are actually many creatures that meet these requirements (some more powerful than others); and each fits better in different builds. The following is a "breakdown" of the best potential "Jeskai Way" creature options. The first and the namesake for many of these decks is Delver of Secrets
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.
The Spells
The spells in the deck function as the engine of the deck. They spells are utilized to allow the threats of the deck to perform at their highest level. The spells utilized need to fit two of these three criteria:
- They offer utility. Each spell should help our threats in multiple ways. Whether it be to pump, protect, or creature direct damage, each spell can be utilized in multiple ways.
- They offer efficiency. The idea for the deck actually came from the idea of utilizing the rebound effect with prowess triggers. The rebound effect offers a free prowess trigger while also making our threats unblockble or giving them protection from a color. The burn spells offer direct damage and removal and the charm(s) offer several options inherently.
- They offer card advantage. Cantrips are great for the deck because they can trigger prowess while not losing any card advantage. Cards like Remand and Electrolyze can also be utilized to gain actual card advantage while providing a trigger and effect.
The most important spells in the deck follow.
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.
Other Permanents - Planeswalkers, Aritfacts, Enchantments
While the deck tends to focus heavily on creatures and instant/sorcery spells; there are other permanents that can work in "Jeskai Way" decks. In order to "fit" or have synergy with the deck, the other options in the deck need to meet two criteria:
- They trigger prowess/abilities (all artifacts, enchantments, and planewalkers trigger prowess)
- They add to the main strategy to the deck. These spells should either offer continued card advantage and/or continued means to "clearing the way" for our creatures. They must offer card advantage because we typically play our spells quickly. If they do not add card advantage they need to continue to clear the way for our threats or make our threats very powerful on their own right.
There are a few great cards that meet these criteria.
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.
The Utility Lands
While the deck utilizes many of the well known Jeskai Lands (Scalding Tarn, Hallowed Fountain, Steam Vents, Sacred Foundry, Sulfur Falls, etc.); there are also several utility lands that we can take advantage of. Because the Jeskai Way functions on a low mana curve the utility lands that our colors offer can often be too slow. However, there are some great options to add power and utility to the Jeskai Way. These include lands that:
- Pump our creatures
- Provide Haste to our threats
- Can untap oour threats
- Make our threats "un-counterable"
- Are a threat all their own.
While not all "utility" lands in our colors work well, below is a list I've found to be very effective.
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.
Sideboard Options
Because the sideboard is always adjusting with the meta, I will only go over the main options that rarely ever leave the sideboard regardless of the meta. We will discuss sideboard options at length during the discussion and they will be added to the primer when needed.
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
Sample Decklists
Below are a few sample decklists the fall under what is considered to be a "Jeskai Way" deck (i.e. Prowess Tempo). Of course, as we build a community, more and more lists will be added:
Jeskai Way by CurdBros (Dec 2016 - Mainboard Only)
Jeskai Aggro by ASD (October 2016)
DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards Creatures
4x Monastery Swiftspear
4x Snapcaster Mage
4x Stormchaser Mage
4x Mantis Rider
Spells
4x Gitaxian Probe
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Mutagenic Growth
4x Serum Visions
4x Vapor Snag
4x Lightning Helix
2x UnsubstantiateLands
2x Arid Mesa
2x Flooded Strand
2x Scalding Tarn
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Steam Vents
2x Seachrome Coast
4x Spirebluff Canal
1x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
Jeskai Delver by Mazeron - 05/01/2017
Jeskai Prowess/Delver by Mr Tzoulis 05/01/2017
DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards Land (19)
3x Flooded Strand
1x Hallowed Fountain
2x Inspiring Vantage
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
3x Scalding Tarn
2x Seachrome Coast
2x Spirebluff Canal
1x Steam Vents
Sorcery (5)
1x Forked Bolt
4x Serum Visions
Instant (20)
1x Electrolyze
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Lightning Helix
3x Path to Exile
3x Remand
2x Spell Pierce
3x Thought Scour
2x Vapor SnagCreature (17)
1x Bedlam Reveler
2x Cryptic Serpent
4x Delver of Secrets
2x Enigma Drake
3x Monastery Swiftspear
3x Snapcaster Mage
2x Soul-Scar MageSideboard (15)
1x Anger of the Gods
1x Bedlam Reveler
2x Blood Moon
2x Deflecting Palm
1x Dispel
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Izzet Staticaster
2x Surgical Extraction
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Wear / Tear
Jeskai Prowess by Need_More_DPS on 04/28/2017
Summary
Simply put, Jeskai Delver/Tempo decks are built to be possibly the most aggressive form of Tempo deck there is in modern...kill quickly, kill efficiently, all while keeping the opponent on their heels...Amazing creatures have been recently printed that have unbelievable synergies with spells of the past that have allowed for a viable, competitive deck to be built with a focus on Tempo and Efficiency.
Hopefully together we can build a community that can bring this deck to the forefront of the Modern meta. It's only a matter of time before the Cunning of the Dragon rises above all.
**Thank you to Fat_Buddha for the amazing Banner**
**Thank you to GoyfTomcat1, StevomatUWR, Need_More_DPS, Mazeron, MrTzoulis,RutherJC19, JeskaiMage, D90Dennis, ThreeCr4zy, Ebrosef, Rainar, Ronyx Bladewing, and Force of Ill and all the others for helping create a great topic and for sharing lists**
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Dec 8, 20181
Colt47 posted a message on Ultimate Masters Box Pulls!Posted in: Magic GeneralQuote from NephilimRayne »Just watched my cousin open his box - suffice to say he is severely unhappy.
Raging Ravine
Lavaclaw Reaches
Celestial Colonnade
Maelstrom Pulse
Platinum Emperion
Glen, Elenda Archmage
Talrand, Sky Summoner
Visions of Beyond
Spoils of the Vault
BitterBlossom
Pattern of REbirth
Golgari Grave Troll
Noble Heirarch
Woodfall Primus
Containment Priest
Daybreak Coronet
Sublime Archangel
Reveillark
Through the Breach
Seismic Assault
Balefire Dragon
Squee, Goblin Nabob
2 foil rares: Squee and Maelstrom
Box topper: Kitchen Finks
I have never seen a person so dejected and angry. I can't say I blame him one point. That box should never exist, period.
The problem isn't the box, the problem is that they are charging people too much for randomly distributed goods. I'm still sorting through all the changes that are going on and my recent experiences with how arena plays, but the reason they are stopping masters sets is due to the target audience of the sets and the goals moving forward. The thing people do not actively realize is that the people who buy these masters products get diminishing returns each time they print them. The cards are expensive on the secondary market, but that is because the cards are highly controlled, not because of demand and supply alone.
The strategy wizards of the coast has with older cards is to reprint the cards until the audience that wants those cards has them, then stop. They don't want the prices on big name cards in modern or legacy dropping to the point that people who play standard can readily pick them up, because they want those people playing Magic Version 3, not Magic Version 2. -
Dec 8, 20182
headminerve posted a message on The State of Modern Thread (B&R 26/11/2018)Posted in: Modern ArchivesIt's quotes like these that really make me laugh. I don't understand the lack in large part of the community simply understanding how degenerate "free" really is.
Cool down a bit. I can also laugh at how alarming you sound. By the way, PF isn't "free", it's a piece of an engine with Grove, closer to Foundry + Sword than what the lacking community describes as free.
I would run Punishing Fire into Hollow One, Phoenix Decks, Mardu, Ponza, Dredge, Jeskai, etc.
My question was being honest, not naive. I can imagine just as much as you where it could belong, but I expect more than "I slam the card here, and I break the format there". It's superficial and doesn't help me figure out the power of the card.
In Hollow One, we cut Bolts for PF, then we raise the mana curve, which lets us with a ton of 2 cmc spells. H1's plan is mostly to kill fast, so how PF can be a useful tool there ?
In UR Titi, we don't want 2 cmc spells at all. Must force Groves. And we want to hit hard, not grind. I fail to see how PF is backbreaking in the shell.
In monoR Phoenix, I can see the card be good. Grove doesn't hurt the manabase, but it hurts the burn plan a bit.
In Mardu, I can see the power of the card, and it would help a fair Midrange deck, but must force Groves.
In Ponza, can you tell me what bad MUs it fixes ?
In Dredge, what do you cut for PF ?
In Jeskai, well it could help a fair Control deck, but must force Groves, then is it really better than Lightning Helix ?
Overall is the PF engine (which requires to force Groves at times) better than Fatal Push, Assassin's Trophy, Snapcaster Mage, and all many good removal spells we got in so many years ? Does this additional removal spell really break the format ? In Legacy, PF goes along with Loam, can it be different in Modern ?
I'm asking real questions here, can I expect elaborate answers in a respectful mood ? I would accept a "damn that's a tough topic to figure out" as well. -
Dec 7, 20182
StevomatUWR posted a message on Jeskai Tempo /Delver/Prowess ("The Jeskai Way" )Just came back from FNM were I played my Jeskai Black Delver for the first time!Posted in: Deck Creation (Modern)
(Btw, can anyone come up with a cool name for the deck? Dark Jeskai Delver?)
Anyways, the deck is almost the same as the one I am using on MTGO. I just don't have a Sorin yet so I used little Gideon again. SB is also a little bit different.
DeckMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards Creatures (14)
4 Delver of Secrets
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Vendilion Clique
Planeswalkers (1)
1 Gideon of the Trials
Instants&Sorceries (23)
4 Serum Visions
1 Forked Bolt
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Path to Exile
2 Spell Pierce
2 Remand
1 Echoing Truth
2 Kolaghan's CommandEnchantments (1)
1 Search for Azcanta
Lands (21)
2 Arid Mesa
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Steam Vents
1 Watery Grave
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Spirebluff Canal
1 Inspiring Vantage
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Eiganjo CastleSideboard
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Dispel
1 Spell Snare
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Celestial Purge
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
1 Deflecting Palm
1 Wear/Tear
1 Sulfur Elemental
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Unmoored Ego
So, here's how it went:
First of all, unfortunately I didn't play against UW Spirits
Quick note: I lost the die roles for all 4 matches and always had to be on the draw.
Round 1 vs Grixis Control
Basically my opponent couldn't find an answer to Geist in both games. Azcanta helped closing out both games by finding several burn spells and counters.
Fairly easy 2:0
Round 2 vs Jund
I was waiting for this match-up for weeks because the Jund player in my LGS is one of the best players who almost always goes 4-0.
Game 1 I tried my luck with a turn 3 Geist, knowing that he could easily remove my Delver and destroy me with Lilly but he had no Lilly and lost.
Game 2 was won by Kalitas who gained him 10 life over two turns while dealing 10 damage. It took too long until I found Path and I couldn't recover.
Game 3 was weird. I drew no creatures, only Paths, Purge and all my burn and burned him out.
Pretty interesting 2:1 where all three games went completely different
Round 3 vs Sultai Midrange
Game 1 resulted in a damage race of 2 Goyf against Delver and Geist. 5 direct damage with Bolt + K-Command won me the race. Was risky though. If my opponent could have countered one of these two spells he would have won on the next turn.
Game 2 he outvalued me with 2 Tireless Trackers and by chaining Snappys and Cryptics together. Unmoored Ego had removed all his Goyfs and I had Purge in hand but a Tireless Tracker beat me to death.
Game 3 I played 2 Delvers during the first two turns and he didn't find an answer fast enough after they flipped. Echoing Truth on his Tasigur stopped his offense and Helix and Bolt finished him.
Grindy 2:1
Round 4 vs Dredge
The only other player with 9 points was of course on an unfair deck
Game 1 I had no chance in hell. 2 Chills, 3 Bloodghasts and 2 Amalgams killed me in 4 turns.
But I came prepared!
I boarded in 2x RiP, 2x Anger, 1x Surgical, 1x Unmoored Ego, and 1x Spell Snare
Game 2 Ego took his Bloodghasts, Surgical took his Amalgams and he could only cast Stinkweed Imps. I played my Figure of Destiny and got it to 8/8 over two turns. I was already at 5 life but had 2 Helixes in hand. In the end I was able to remove his blockers with Helixes and beat him to pulp with my flying Kithkin
Game 3 I resolved RiP on T3 with 2 Bloodghasts already in play. I followed up with a Geist and won the race easily with my burn. My opponent told me that he took out Nature's Claim again after the second game because he only saw Unmoored Ego and Surgical. That mistake has cost him dearly.
Very satisfying 2:1
So, after a week on MTGO (10-2) and an FNM (4-0) I can only repeat myself: Come to dark side and join Jeskai Black - it's awesome! -
Nov 22, 2018
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StevomatUWR posted a message on Jeskai Tempo /Delver/Prowess ("The Jeskai Way" )Hi guys,Posted in: Deck Creation (Modern)
I hope you don't mind if change the topic to something completely different
Like always after a few week with the same deck I grew a bit tired and thought of something new to try out. Funnily enough I ended up trying out a very old idea from 2012... Back then Shahar Shenhar placed 5-8 in a GP with over 1000 players with this deck. Boremandos is pretty similar to what some of us are playing to this day but what I was really interested in trying out was his SB plan!
I am just playing it mainboar atm on MTGO. I made room for this package:
1 Watery Grave
3 Gifts Ungiven
1 Unburial Rites
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Iona, Shield of Emeria
Of course it's good to also include 1 Vendilion Clique, 1 Izzet Charm or Faithless Looting and 1 Nahiri, the Harbinger to support the game plan.
What I like about this is that the cards used for the "combo" are all good cards on their own (unlike Madcap Experiment or Felidar Guardian for example). A Gifts Ungiven can always be used for value, for example by selecting Snapcaster, Bolt, Helix, Path.
So far I only played a few matches. I was a bit underwhelmed by Iona's performance because so many opponents play 2-3 colors and can just chump block her. Since she doesn't have haste she's also pretty slow. Elesh Norn is great SB option against many decks. But in the mainboard I want something aggressive that deals tons of damage like Geist to support my still agressive game plan. I think I found exactly the right card:
This illustration is by far the best if you ask me
She starts hitting for 6 in the air with trample the turn you bring her back from the grave and still block, and she's very hard to remove (only by Path, Terminus, Jace bounce but against UW Control it's hard to resolve a Gifts anyways).
What do you guys think about this whole idea? It's a bit slow in the current Modern meta but our deck is pretty good at stalling the opponent. -
Nov 21, 20183
MrTzoulis posted a message on Jeskai Tempo /Delver/Prowess ("The Jeskai Way" )The only things I'd change is the mana base. 8 shocklands is asking for trouble against other aggressive decks. Also, 7 basics are 4 too many.Posted in: Deck Creation (Modern)
Sideboardwise, the latest "tech" I tried before playing the Izzet Phoenix deck, was 2 Thing in the Ice. It demolishes any go-wide deck. I'd try the in place of Solemnities, since they cover more match-ups than them (those you have them for included).Plus your infect and affinity matchup is absurd. Your burn matchup is bad because of your mana base and no spell pierces in the main. Move to a 3-4 shockland, 3 basics, 4-5 fastland mana base and it should be improved. That said, it's a 50-50 match-up imo.
@CurdBros I'm on the reveler train, drakes are bad against fast decks(and oftentimes color requirements can be a pain), while revelers have dual functionality: late game power/grind and card velocity. I'm testing atm 4 swiftspears/4 titi/4 phoenix/3 revelers and so far it's been better. I have 2 drakes in the SB, along with 2 Firemind's Research.
Surgical is epic with snapcasters, but trap is better when you have to remove the whole graveyard (like dredge/bridgevine even phoenix decks) and not one out of a few combo pieces. I'll probably never play trap in a delver/snapcaster deck, but in the izzet deck? Trap all the way.
Now, for the specific match-up of UWR Delver vs Izzet/whatever Phoenix, game one is preeety tough. They have around 10 ways to deal with your creatures (not counting TiTi) that can be used as burn when needed. My advice? Slow the down as much as possible. The most important cards are Manamorphose and looting. (sidenote: looting on T1 is a mistake, it should be done only when 2 phoenixes are getting dumped or are looking for lands.) Casting 3 spells in a turn is trivial, so try to contain TiTi before it flips, preferably sorcery speed. The name of the game is tempo, you wont control them, try to harmstring them, so they need to spend their turns casting cantrips.
Sideboarding against them is weird... With my current sideboard I could side in 2 angers, 1 dispel/1 spell pierce/1 negate, 2 blood moons, 2 drakes and 2 firemind's research. Drakes and research are a must imo. Angers and counters not so much, maybe just the dispel. Blood Moons are good because delver has a preety greedy manabase.
With how i'd sideboard against delver out of the way, now how I'd sideboard against phoenix decks: Surgicals/RiP slows them down, but such interaction is heavily expected and not really detrimental. Path/Purge are awesome, anger is meh at best. At all times try to snipe with counters either looting or manamorphose.
That's all i could think of at this time
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Nov 21, 2018
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CurdBros posted a message on Jeskai Tempo /Delver/Prowess ("The Jeskai Way" )Posted in: Deck Creation (Modern)Quote from JeskaiMage »Hello everyone! I have been following this thread for a while now, and decided to make an MTGS account. This is my take on Jeskai Delver:
Solemnity is my tech against Infect, Hardened Scales, Affinity, and Humans.
Any help/advice you could give me is greatly appreciated!
Welcome to the forums! It's always great to hear from another jeskai delver player. I really love your list. If you have been following for awhile then you know I am a fan of Unsubstantiate. It's a great game one card that can easily be replaced post board.
I like the solemity tech. I don't know if it's fast enough but I have never played it so I am really a bad source of information regarding the card. It's really awesome tech for multiple decks.
The spell package in our decks are nearly identical. The creatures are a bit different, but all in all our decks are somewhat similar. Therefore, I don't have anything I would suggest changing. It looks awesome to me. Welcome to the jeskai delver/prowess team! - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
1
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Seasoned Pyromancer
4 Spell Queller
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Faithless Looting
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Opt
3 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Pierce
1 Echoing Truth
3 Lightning Helix
4 Force of Negation
1 Arid Mesa
1 Field of Ruin
1 Fiery Islet
3 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Sunbaked Canyon
Sideboard:
1 Alpine Moon
1 Abrade
1 Deflecting Palm
4 Rest In Peace
1 Stony Silence
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Narset, Parter of Veils
1 Wear // Tear
Like you guys, I love Teferi, and I am very high on FoN with it and Queller. Queller is also impressive. Geist just gets chump blocked, so I’d rather side it in grindier matchups. Along with Queller, Seasoned Pyro fills that spot in the curve quite well. As for the side, 4 RIP is absolutely required in this modern, despite the anti-synergy with snapcaster. Thanks for any advice and all your work in the archetype!
1
Enchantment
Whenever a player plays a land card, that player discards a card.
1
The art being old, nonmagic art delegitimizes this card quite a bit. Sure, there are some possibilities like the artist being contracted to WotC, but when has art been reused for a card? Especially a card "leaked" by some reddit user. This whole thing seems very phony.
1
Every white deck? Company can't afford to play equipment (misses on CoCo), uwr and uw can't afford to cut slots, and it's too slow in stuff like uwr tempo and mardu pyro. SFM only powers up decks like taxes, abzan, and other lacking decks. And to argue that humans/spirits could play it? There is no way that humans could run a non-human maindeck, and spirits can't play another noncreature for CoCo.
1
On another topic, remember this boegeyman?
1
I have some questions about the manabase for a more experienced player. Running a delver manabase with 18 lands often leads to screw, and fetches only exaggerate that problem by thinning your deck. In your opinion, would replacing fetchlands with fastlands (Spirebluff Canal, Inspiring Vantage, and Seachrome Coast) be beneficial to the deck?
I barely managed to go to modern night this week, I got 3-1!
Match 1: Faeries (2-0)
Game 1: T3 Delver flip, rode it out to victory. This deck was more of an control version, not the kind with cliques and more cliques.
SB: -2Vendilion Clique, +2Anger of the Gods
Bitterblossom is annoying, so the ability to reset a board is great. Clique is okay, but not great here.
Game 2: Snapcaster double bolt a kalitas, eke out a win with burn spells past 1/1 faeries.
Match 2: TitanShift (2-0)
Game 1: Played geist t3, remanded scapeshift, won because opponent couldn't find interaction.
SB: I don't have hate for this matchup, so I ran it back out.
Game 2: Opponent can't find Titan or scapeshift despite ramping to 8 lands, easy win.
Matches 3 and 4 coming soon!
Match 3: BridgeVine (0-2)
Game 1: Opponent gets the nut hand, attacks with 2 Vengevines t2. I scoop to a t3 kill (I had no interaction)
SB:-4 Remand +2 Rest in Peace +2 Anger of the Gods
Game 2: I don't draw RiP, opponent goes for a slower strategy with fatal push and discard. Lose in 7 turns.
Match 4: Taxes (2-1)
Game 1: I get stuck under a Crucible of Worlds, Leonin Arbiter, and Ghost Quarter lock. Scoop.
SB: -4 Remand +2 Anger of the Gods +2 Abrade
Anger kills armies of weenies, Abrade can be spot removal or take out a vial. (I'm not sure about abrade though. Maybe it's bad because of Thalia's tax.)
G2: No lock, got kill with Geist after removing Thalia.
G3: Mana screwed opponent, I win with flipped delver. That's variance for you, I guess.
1
1
I went a solid 6-5, but didn't feel satisfied with the deck. I was living off the top of my library, which is a feeling I never like. I prefer consistency and boring games, with my deck doing what it was supposed to. Spell Pierce was cut to make room for the Commands, and I really misssed them. Maybe there is some other way to get that versatility.
On a different topic, the primer at the beginning of this forum needs updating. If it's ok with you, CurdBros, I want to add some of the fantastic new cards that have been printed and get rid of some outdated cards and strategies. (COUGHCOUGHgitaxianprobeCOUGHCOUGH)
Of course, I won't do it if CurdBros doesen't want me to, but I am definitely willing to work with anyone on this project.
Please leave suggestions for new strategies and cards for me to include in the primer!
1
Glad to hear about it!
I can't really bring myself to splash another color to an already clunky manabase.
Sure, fetches can find your black sources, and Kolaghan's Command is a fantastic card, but something feels.. off with the deck. I can't really explain it. The playstyle is the same, but I don't like it in my testing so far.
1
I have been testing on untap.in and have come to the conclusion:
-2 Unsubstantiate
+2 Spell Queller
Unsubstantiate was only ever a strictly worse remand for me, the creature bounce was never really important.
Spell Queller takes scapeshift, kci, random humans/spirits weenies, and whatever else it needs to take.
For me the change has really worked well.