Has anyone played Jeskai Mentor? I played with a Jeskai Saheeli for a change, and Mentor felt great as a sideboard card. I like Jeskai tempo style of play, but the deck feels a little under powered against many of the tier decks.
I also enjoy mono white, and have tried a few variations like those that Stevomat has been playing.
Here is what I played recently, the deck performed surprisingly well.
Going forward I think Hex Parasite could be in the main deck. I really like Relic of Progenitus too, could go up to three or four copies. Aven Mindcensor can win games. I love Force of Virtue, it is such a fun card to play with.
I did not want to play Thalia maindeck, as it taxes us too much. Not sure if that is even needed. I will cut the main deck Gideon, Ally of Zendikar. I want to try Brimaz, King of Oreskos in the main too.
I would not side in Pithing Needle against Aether Vial decks. This seems to be a little loose as it is only great in the opening hand. Could you explain your thought process on this?
Planeswalkers are a problem and unfortunately I do not have any great options for them. You already have two copies of Celestial Purge. I would keep the Detention Sphere in even if it dies to a removal spell. Assassin's Trophy gives us a land which can be beneficial.
I agree adding Force of Negation to the deck. I just built this and I still miss some key cards.
I played against dredge, devoted combo, infect and vannifair combo.
I have no idea how I beat dredge. This match seems to be really hard. I could see adding a third Ashiok, Dream Render to the sideboard as it works really well against many other decks too. Maybe Surgical Extraction too, but not sure.
Matches against creature decks are really fun. They have a hard time to assemble the combo, but you have a hard time winning as well.
Against infect I hold up several removals all the time and felt there was no danger at any point. Turn one Grim Lavamancer was crazy good.
I won two games with Celestial Colonnade. I can see playing less or no copies at all. For now I will play three copies and see how it goes.
I have not played against eldrazi tron, but would probably keep Brazen Borrower in. Chalice of the Void is something I would be worried about. You could bounce it end of turn and have at least one turn where you can use your removal.
I recently bought some cards and started playing Jeskai tempo. Sorry if this goes a bit off topic as I have not played Delver. Still this topic has been interesting to read and I like the Delver deck a lot too.
I wanted to build a deck similar to Hoogland's version. Below is what I played yesterday and went 4-0 at a LGS. Games were super fun and tough. I really like this style of deck.
As you can see the manabase is still missing a few pieces, but is somewhat playable.
The new double cards feel really good. They add so much value and work really well in most situations.
I LOVE Court Hussar. That is the reason to play the UW version and the card I miss most on mono white. Maybe Supreme Verdict is too important for the strategy to ignore. Death's Shadow is a real thing. My hope is that Giant Killer does some work there. Ranger-Captain of Eos can help a bit too. Many times they only have a few threats and tutor + sac enables you to use any removal you choose.
The more I think of it, Charming Prince will be cut for now as I try the SFM package. I will post a list later on, but now it is still a bit of a mess and I need to try how different cards feel.
GerantDePhares thank you so much for your posts. It was a pleasure to read.
The reasoning for card choices makes sense, and I agree with almost all of them. This is a tap out style deck that aims to play the long game. All cards should support that plan. I also dislike counterspells and like your sideboard a lot more. I think Damping Sphere is too good to pass right now and would include a few copies.
I have enjoyed Emeria always and play it now and then at the LGS. I went 4-0 last time with a lot of fun and grindy matches. I did not even have the SFM package lol.
I know the UW build is the traditional one and maybe the best one too. I have enjoyed playing the mono white version a little more and will continue testing with that.
My build included Ranger-Captain of Eos and Charming Prince. I like Thraben Inspector (too much) and have been playing it as a four of. Kami has also been good as a one of. It creates really awkward situations for the opponent. Now I want to try Giant Killer as the main one drop and maybe play one Thraben and one Kami.
I think Ranger-Captain of Eos is a great card. It might not work good enough on the traditional build, where you just don't have enough slots for it. It offers so much in one card that I don't think I can let it go.
Charming Prince felt good too. Scry was surprisingly useful ability to have. This might have to be cut though. Does it offer enough? On the empty board argument, it might not.
First post, but have been reading this forum for some time. Emeria is one of my pet decks, and I really enjoy playing it. I have mostly played the traditional UW version, but now running a mono white version.
I do not have a lot of competitive experience with the deck, mostly LGS games and some with my friends. I do have a few GP trips, and know modern pretty well. There has been a lot of good discussions here, I want to thank that first.
UW version
Like mentioned here by few, the traditional Court Hussar, Spreading Seas package does not seem to be that good anymore. Do not get me wrong here, I LOVE Court Hussar It is basically the reason I want to play this deck.
However, I feel that the UW version does not have the advantages, that would justify the splash for blue. Supreme Verdict is great, but not necessary. I think Teferi can be good, playing a little bit similar role like Gideon of the Trials. Not game changing but supporting our own game plan.
About the deck
Also I want to clarify that I think this is a control deck. Not a midrange deck. This is the reason I think Spell Queller and Resto are not a good fit for this deck. If you want to run Queller/Resto/Teferi, then a tempo or midrange build is better. Maybe a traditional creature based UW, or Jeskai tempo type of deck.
Emeria is not Tier1 deck, and will always struggle with Big mana and some combo decks. This is why I do not think adding Spell Queller will make much difference. Also I think we are a tap out deck, and the idea of holding up counterspell does not appeal to me. Having two copies of Dovin's Veto will not save you from Tron or Valakut.
Having said all this, I think the UW version with these interactive cards might work, I have not tested it out. If you like it, play it.
To sum it up, I think you have to be prepared to lose certain matchups with this deck. Magic is very much a luck based game and we should focus on the long games that go back and forth and reward good gameplay.
Card choices and the reasoning for them
Kami of False Hope I really like this one. Works well with the captain. Cannot be removed easily from the game. Hex Parasite I think Planeswalkers are one of the worst enemies for Emeria, because we have no reach. Get this early and opponent will have hard time tapping out for Jace or others. This card also has utility against many other decks, like Hardened Scales.
I think Charming Prince is good. Do not underestimate the Scry 2 function. Default mode is blink a wall to draw or gain life against aggro.
Ranger-Captain of Eos is great. This card offers so much different lines to make your opponents life hard. Very tricky and rewarding card to play. It always creates value and can guarantee a resolved board wipe or Sun Titan. One game against Death Shadow he attacked with two DS. I blocked one and sac RCoE. Then I path the other one. Opponent could not do anything. Just one example of this card working even in combat.
Winds of Abandon This card is great. It is exactly what works with our gameplan. We play crappy creatures and grind value until we jam Sun Titan or wrath the board.
Having ANY creatures in the battlefield when your opponent has none is great. I had a game against Bant Midrange with SFM and all the swords.
Even though all the swords stayed in the battlefield, it took him many turns to rebuild. That game lasted for 45 minutes and was great.
Removal suite
I am not sure about the correct numbers, if there are any. I run 4 copies of Path, but I can see running less. Then again, sometimes you want to use Path as a ramp spell. Maybe running less is just a mistake. I can see running 2-3 Winds of Abandon and/or 2-3 copies of Wrath of God.
Other card choices
I really like Gideon Jura This dude just works wonders against many decks. It is the perfect five drop before Sun Titan. With Kami, it gives your opponent no good options. Cataclysmic Gearhulk This is one of my pet cards, and I think it is really good here. You can blink it with Charming Prince or Flickerwisp too.
Cards I am not sure about
Crucible of Worlds I can see zero copies as being correct. Also having 4-5 fetches is probably better with Crucible. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar I do not think this is a good card for the deck. It is four mana and just does not do enough. You cannot get it back with Sun Titan Gideon of the Trials This has not been as good as I wanted it to be. I can see cutting it. Flickerwisp I know, this has always been a four of in the deck. However, it needs to have a target to be good. Modern is very interactive with all the removal and discard. Playing a 3/1 for three does not feel great. On the other hand having a decent flyer is surprisingly valuable at times.
Going forward
I think Stoneforge Mystic would be great in this deck. It works well with the gameplan. All our creatures are just bumbs in the road for the opponent. We do not care if SFM gets killed.
If it sticks, you can blink it with Charming Prince / Flickerwisp. You can get the swords back later with Sun Titan. We want to play the long game and survive enough turns.
After that sometimes we draw only crappy creatures, and having a Batterskull or Sword of Light and Shadow will make any creature a lot better.
Also Flickerwisp might be slighly better with the ability to blink Batterskull.
I can see cutting a copy of Wall of Omens and Thraben Inspector to make room for SFM packate. I do not own any, so I have not tried it yet.
I will try one copy of Giant Killer Tutorable removal, that can be played as a tapper.
On the removal suite, I have tried Hallowed Burial before. This has clear advantages and it is worth consideration. Cleansing Nova might be better in the sideboard.
Sideboard
This is a work in progress, as there are so many good options. We have the best possible cards in modern, so pick your favorites.
I think Aura of Silence might be worth including, if all the Urza shenanigans rise.
I appreciate all comments. I have some bias against many cards, like the above mentioned BB. On BB, I do not think it works on this deck, because we are a tap out style deck. I see it missing a lot more, than getting value.
I also enjoy mono white, and have tried a few variations like those that Stevomat has been playing.
Here is what I played recently, the deck performed surprisingly well.
3 Thraben Inspector
3 Giant Killer
4 Giver of Runes
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Ranger-Captain of Eos
2 Aven Mindcensor
Spells - 13
4 Path to Exile
2 Relic of Progenitus
4 Force of Virtue
1 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
4 Field of Ruin
2 Castle Ardenvale
17 Plains
3 Mirran Crusader
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Rest in Peace
1 Hex Parasite
2 Celestial Purge
1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Going forward I think Hex Parasite could be in the main deck. I really like Relic of Progenitus too, could go up to three or four copies. Aven Mindcensor can win games. I love Force of Virtue, it is such a fun card to play with.
I did not want to play Thalia maindeck, as it taxes us too much. Not sure if that is even needed. I will cut the main deck Gideon, Ally of Zendikar. I want to try Brimaz, King of Oreskos in the main too.
I would not side in Pithing Needle against Aether Vial decks. This seems to be a little loose as it is only great in the opening hand. Could you explain your thought process on this?
Planeswalkers are a problem and unfortunately I do not have any great options for them. You already have two copies of Celestial Purge. I would keep the Detention Sphere in even if it dies to a removal spell. Assassin's Trophy gives us a land which can be beneficial.
I agree adding Force of Negation to the deck. I just built this and I still miss some key cards.
I played against dredge, devoted combo, infect and vannifair combo.
I have no idea how I beat dredge. This match seems to be really hard. I could see adding a third Ashiok, Dream Render to the sideboard as it works really well against many other decks too. Maybe Surgical Extraction too, but not sure.
Matches against creature decks are really fun. They have a hard time to assemble the combo, but you have a hard time winning as well.
Against infect I hold up several removals all the time and felt there was no danger at any point. Turn one Grim Lavamancer was crazy good.
I won two games with Celestial Colonnade. I can see playing less or no copies at all. For now I will play three copies and see how it goes.
I have not played against eldrazi tron, but would probably keep Brazen Borrower in. Chalice of the Void is something I would be worried about. You could bounce it end of turn and have at least one turn where you can use your removal.
I wanted to build a deck similar to Hoogland's version. Below is what I played yesterday and went 4-0 at a LGS. Games were super fun and tough. I really like this style of deck.
As you can see the manabase is still missing a few pieces, but is somewhat playable.
The new double cards feel really good. They add so much value and work really well in most situations.
For future I want to cut Restoration Angel and Cryptic Command. They feel too slow and just bad cards overall. I will try a 3/3/3 split with Brazen Borrower, Bonecrusher Giant and Teferi, Time Raveler.
Sideboard was a pile of cards I own. That can be upgraded a lot too.
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Spell Queller
2 Brazen Borrower
3 Bonecrusher Giant
1 Restoration Angel
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Helix
4 Opt
1 Spell Snare
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 The Royal Scions
2 Cryptic Command
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Steam Vents
1 Spirebluff Canal
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Inspiring Vantage
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Ashiok, Dream Render
2 Celestial Purge
2 Dovin's Veto
2 Dispel
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Wear // Tear
I LOVE Court Hussar. That is the reason to play the UW version and the card I miss most on mono white. Maybe Supreme Verdict is too important for the strategy to ignore. Death's Shadow is a real thing. My hope is that Giant Killer does some work there. Ranger-Captain of Eos can help a bit too. Many times they only have a few threats and tutor + sac enables you to use any removal you choose.
The more I think of it, Charming Prince will be cut for now as I try the SFM package. I will post a list later on, but now it is still a bit of a mess and I need to try how different cards feel.
Oh Solemn Simulacrum I have never liked. Too expensive. On the sideboard options Kor Firewalker is a reasonable option.
The reasoning for card choices makes sense, and I agree with almost all of them. This is a tap out style deck that aims to play the long game. All cards should support that plan. I also dislike counterspells and like your sideboard a lot more. I think Damping Sphere is too good to pass right now and would include a few copies.
I have enjoyed Emeria always and play it now and then at the LGS. I went 4-0 last time with a lot of fun and grindy matches. I did not even have the SFM package lol.
I know the UW build is the traditional one and maybe the best one too. I have enjoyed playing the mono white version a little more and will continue testing with that.
My build included Ranger-Captain of Eos and Charming Prince. I like Thraben Inspector (too much) and have been playing it as a four of. Kami has also been good as a one of. It creates really awkward situations for the opponent. Now I want to try Giant Killer as the main one drop and maybe play one Thraben and one Kami.
I think Ranger-Captain of Eos is a great card. It might not work good enough on the traditional build, where you just don't have enough slots for it. It offers so much in one card that I don't think I can let it go.
Charming Prince felt good too. Scry was surprisingly useful ability to have. This might have to be cut though. Does it offer enough? On the empty board argument, it might not.
1 Kami of False Hope
1 Hex Parasite
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Charming Prince
4 Wall of Omens
4 Ranger-Captain of Eos
4 Flickerwisp
1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
3 Sun Titan
4 Path to Exile
2 Winds of Abandon
1 Gideon of the Trials
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Wrath of God
1 Gideon Jura
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Field of Ruin
3 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Windswept Heath
12 Plains
3 Stony Silence
2 Celestial Purge
2 Damping Sphere
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Cleansing Nova
2 Runed Halo
2 Aura of Silence
2 Remorseful Cleric
I do not have a lot of competitive experience with the deck, mostly LGS games and some with my friends. I do have a few GP trips, and know modern pretty well. There has been a lot of good discussions here, I want to thank that first.
UW version
Like mentioned here by few, the traditional Court Hussar, Spreading Seas package does not seem to be that good anymore. Do not get me wrong here, I LOVE Court Hussar It is basically the reason I want to play this deck.
However, I feel that the UW version does not have the advantages, that would justify the splash for blue. Supreme Verdict is great, but not necessary. I think Teferi can be good, playing a little bit similar role like Gideon of the Trials. Not game changing but supporting our own game plan.
About the deck
Also I want to clarify that I think this is a control deck. Not a midrange deck. This is the reason I think Spell Queller and Resto are not a good fit for this deck. If you want to run Queller/Resto/Teferi, then a tempo or midrange build is better. Maybe a traditional creature based UW, or Jeskai tempo type of deck.
Emeria is not Tier1 deck, and will always struggle with Big mana and some combo decks. This is why I do not think adding Spell Queller will make much difference. Also I think we are a tap out deck, and the idea of holding up counterspell does not appeal to me. Having two copies of Dovin's Veto will not save you from Tron or Valakut.
Having said all this, I think the UW version with these interactive cards might work, I have not tested it out. If you like it, play it.
To sum it up, I think you have to be prepared to lose certain matchups with this deck. Magic is very much a luck based game and we should focus on the long games that go back and forth and reward good gameplay.
Card choices and the reasoning for them
Kami of False Hope I really like this one. Works well with the captain. Cannot be removed easily from the game.
Hex Parasite I think Planeswalkers are one of the worst enemies for Emeria, because we have no reach. Get this early and opponent will have hard time tapping out for Jace or others. This card also has utility against many other decks, like Hardened Scales.
I think Charming Prince is good. Do not underestimate the Scry 2 function. Default mode is blink a wall to draw or gain life against aggro.
Ranger-Captain of Eos is great. This card offers so much different lines to make your opponents life hard. Very tricky and rewarding card to play. It always creates value and can guarantee a resolved board wipe or Sun Titan. One game against Death Shadow he attacked with two DS. I blocked one and sac RCoE. Then I path the other one. Opponent could not do anything. Just one example of this card working even in combat.
Winds of Abandon This card is great. It is exactly what works with our gameplan. We play crappy creatures and grind value until we jam Sun Titan or wrath the board.
Having ANY creatures in the battlefield when your opponent has none is great. I had a game against Bant Midrange with SFM and all the swords.
Even though all the swords stayed in the battlefield, it took him many turns to rebuild. That game lasted for 45 minutes and was great.
Removal suite
I am not sure about the correct numbers, if there are any. I run 4 copies of Path, but I can see running less. Then again, sometimes you want to use Path as a ramp spell. Maybe running less is just a mistake. I can see running 2-3 Winds of Abandon and/or 2-3 copies of Wrath of God.
Other card choices
I really like Gideon Jura This dude just works wonders against many decks. It is the perfect five drop before Sun Titan. With Kami, it gives your opponent no good options.
Cataclysmic Gearhulk This is one of my pet cards, and I think it is really good here. You can blink it with Charming Prince or Flickerwisp too.
Cards I am not sure about
Crucible of Worlds I can see zero copies as being correct. Also having 4-5 fetches is probably better with Crucible.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar I do not think this is a good card for the deck. It is four mana and just does not do enough. You cannot get it back with Sun Titan
Gideon of the Trials This has not been as good as I wanted it to be. I can see cutting it.
Flickerwisp I know, this has always been a four of in the deck. However, it needs to have a target to be good. Modern is very interactive with all the removal and discard. Playing a 3/1 for three does not feel great. On the other hand having a decent flyer is surprisingly valuable at times.
Going forward
I think Stoneforge Mystic would be great in this deck. It works well with the gameplan. All our creatures are just bumbs in the road for the opponent. We do not care if SFM gets killed.
If it sticks, you can blink it with Charming Prince / Flickerwisp. You can get the swords back later with Sun Titan. We want to play the long game and survive enough turns.
After that sometimes we draw only crappy creatures, and having a Batterskull or Sword of Light and Shadow will make any creature a lot better.
Also Flickerwisp might be slighly better with the ability to blink Batterskull.
I can see cutting a copy of Wall of Omens and Thraben Inspector to make room for SFM packate. I do not own any, so I have not tried it yet.
I will try one copy of Giant Killer Tutorable removal, that can be played as a tapper.
On the removal suite, I have tried Hallowed Burial before. This has clear advantages and it is worth consideration. Cleansing Nova might be better in the sideboard.
Sideboard
This is a work in progress, as there are so many good options. We have the best possible cards in modern, so pick your favorites.
I think Aura of Silence might be worth including, if all the Urza shenanigans rise.
I appreciate all comments. I have some bias against many cards, like the above mentioned BB. On BB, I do not think it works on this deck, because we are a tap out style deck. I see it missing a lot more, than getting value.