ModernStandard

The Jeskai Way

I have played a lot of Modern.

I’ve played Jund type decks mostly, but have sampled some of every deck in the format over my time streaming. Earlier this year, while preparing for GP Boston, I committed to an archetype which was new to me; an aggressive UWR deck full of burn spells and featuring [card]Geist of Saint Traft[/card]. I had pursued the Jeskai wedge before picking up this deck, having played a bunch of games vs UWR Control, and testing the UWR Twin deck personally as a potential option for Boston. Once I played some games with the near final build of UWR Geist that was developed by Jason Clark and Larry Swasey, I knew it was what I was meant to play.

I was winning a lot of games because I was able to remain flexible with my planning and timing. Almost all of the threats are deployed at instant speed and are all individually potent. When the cards get played together in the deck, they become even more deadly. The deck is able to get running right off the first land drop, with each card adding velocity and card advantage while effectively disrupting the opposing game plan. The deck took all of us that piloted it in Boston to a Day 2 finish, and Larry almost to Top 8.

There was something about the way that the deck won games that appealed to me, but I couldn’t really put my finger on it. Thankfully, Wizards of the Coast helped solve that problem with the release of the most recent set; Khans of Tarkir.

“How do you win a fight? Be smarter than the other guy.” – Mark Rosewater describing the Jeskai Philosophy

Considering the UWR Wedge in the context of a martial arts clan makes sense when you apply it to the Geist deck, as it represents the concepts of agility, precision, and focus perfectly aligned to dismantle your opponent. With Wizards of the Coast creating an entire wedge of cards designed along this philosophy, there were bound to be some updates to come for the deck, right? Here are the cards we have considered.

[card]Jeskai Charm[/card] – This was the first card that I wanted to try out. All of the modes seemed relevant at one point of the game or another. 4 damage is a lot, especially with the rest of the deck often dealing damage directly. Also of interest is an additional way to deal with creatures that often get out of range from burn, like [card]Tarmogoyf[/card], large Oozes, or even Angels. Using the Lifelink mode with a Geist and Angel attacking can represent a 16 point life swing, and all of these things get even more relevant with the Snapcaster effect. Being able to use one mode the first time, and a second one when you flash it back feels exactly like cheating.

[card]Dig Through Time[/card] – Instant Speed card draw and premium selection seems exactly what the deck wants to be doing on paper. The Pro Tour has shown us that this is the breakout card of the tournament, and its power is impossible to ignore. My initial concerns revolve around the tension between Delve and [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card], as the two don’t play well together. Is this the reload card that #TeamGeist has been waiting for? Only time will tell.

[card]Flooded Strand[/card] – Undoubtedly the most subtle but also most important addition to the deck is the missing fetchland. One of the major concerns that we have always had is finding basic Island and basic Plains in time to get around [card]Blood Moon[/card]. [card]Flooded Strand[/card] does both of these things, while also getting any shock land you might require.

Here is the list that I ran this week on stream:

[deck title=UWR #TeamGeist]
[Lands]
2 Arid Mesa
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Mountain
2 Island
1 Plains
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Vendilion Clique
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Keranos, God of Storms
3 Restoration Angel
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Remand
4 Lightning Helix
2 Electrolyze
1 Dig Through Time
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
1 Anger of the Gods
3 Aven Mindcensor
1 Batterskull
2 Counterflux
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Magma Spray
1 Pulse of the Fields
1 Negate
2 Wear // Tear
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I opted to also try out [card]Cavern of Souls[/card] over [card]Moorland Haunt[/card], as a way to combat the rise of Blue decks, and it would not be at odds with Delve off of [card]Dig Through Time[/card] like Haunt would be. In the end, I definitely think that Cavern is a stinky pile, and [card]Dig Through Time[/card] might just be more trouble than it’s worth. More testing of Dig is coming, but for now I’m undecided.

After watching the Pro Tour, one of the major decks to find success was a Jeskai Aggro/Tempo/Burn deck. When I watched the deck play out on camera, it became very clear that The Jeskai Way was poised to run rampant all over Standard, just as it has been in Modern. I engaged the #TeamGeist brain trust and the consensus was that the Jeskai decks were very much the second coming of Geist. We all instantly started scouring for lists. Noted Canadian Curmudgeon, Phil Samms, had a particularly interesting one.

[deck title=Jeskai Burn – Phil Samms]
[Lands]
4 Mystic Monastery
3 Temple of Triumph
3 Temple of Epiphany
3 Flooded Strand
3 Battlefield Forge
3 Mountain
2 Shivan Reef
2 Island
2 Plains
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
3 Seeker of the Way
4 Mantis Rider
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Keranos, God of Storms
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
4 Jeskai Charm
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Stoke the Flames
2 Dig Through Time
2 Banishing Light
1 Deflecting Palm
1 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
1 God’s Willing
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 End Hostilities
3 Disdainful Stroke
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Negate
2 Pillar of Light
1 Narset, Enlightened Master
1 Deflecting Palm
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I played with this deck this week, and I think this is the best Keranos deck I have ever played. Not only that, but the wealth of burn spells give you a higher level of reach in the mid to late game than people are expecting. Having 3 cards in hand that can easily represent over half of your starting life total can be daunting for your opponent. What stands out to me in particular with this version is the excellent sideboard plan to move into a true Jeskai Control deck. Elspeth is still a nearly unbeatable magic card. Supporting her with wraths and removal spells only serves to further this statement.

The only card that really stood out to me as an underperformer in my games was [card]Goblin Rabblemaster[/card]. It very often simply ate a burn spell, and otherwise often was relegated to the sideboard. I know that I’m not the only person who has considered cutting him altogether, as this weekend’s SCG Standard Open was won by a Jeskai list that clearly shared my opinion. [Editor’s note: Article was submitted before recent cheating allegations concerning Trevor Humphries.]

[deck title=Jeskai Aggro – Trevor Humphries]
[Lands]
4 Temple of Triumph
2 Flooded Strand
2 Island
2 Plains
3 Mountain
3 Shivan Reef
3 Battlefield Forge
4 Temple of Epiphany
2 Mystic Monastery
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
3 Seeker of the Way
4 Mantis Rider
1 Narset, Enlightened Master
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]
[Other Spells]
4 Jeskai Charm
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
3 Dig Through Time
4 Stoke the Flames
2 Banishing Light
4 Lightning Strike
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Magma Jet
[/Other Spells]
[Sideboard]
3 Disdainful Stroke
2 End Hostilities
1 Ashcloud Phoenix
1 Narset, Enlightened Master
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Fated Conflagration
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Dissolve
2 Negate
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I like a lot of what’s going on here, and I will likely look to this list as a comparison point moving forward. [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card] and [card]Mantis Rider[/card] both do a great job of playing both offense and defense, and vigilance plays very well with the convoke spells. I might even start to look at other Convoke spells to play in this list such as [card]Devouring Light[/card] as it can sometimes be almost free to cast just as [card]Stoke the Flames[/card] is currently. Both of these cards playing well with Elspeth also speak to the direction that I will inevitably take the list.

This week it’s Temur week on the stream, as we battle with Kibler’s list from GP Los Angeles in a Standard Daily on Monday, and then are joined by Pedro Carvalho on Wednesday as we battle with his 7-3 Temur list from the Pro Tour! Tune in around 8:30 PM EST and don’t miss a single beat of the action!

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