What do you think of the Dwarves? I'm uncertain about them as I'm concerned about blowing up people's mana base. However, both work with Illusionist's Bracers and, at the very least, this lowers my mana curve.
I just picked up the Battlements in a trade. Since I'm not running Seer's Sundial anymore, this seemed like the least impactful non-basic left in the mix. Moving haste to my mana base should enable me to cull some of my dedicated haste cards in favor of others.
1) What are your thoughts on Mana Flare as a budget alternative to other mana doublers?
2) What do you think of Dwarven Miner/Dwarven Blastminer for this deck?
3) How many haste enablers would you recommend in this deck?
1) What are your thoughts on Mana Flare as a budget alternative to other mana doublers?
2) What do you think of Dwarven Miner/Dwarven Blastminer for this deck?
3) How many haste enablers would you recommend in this deck?
1) What are your thoughts on Mana Flare as a budget alternative to other mana doublers?
2) What do you think of Dwarven Miner/Dwarven Blastminer for this deck?
3) How many haste enablers would you recommend in this deck?
1. I think the only way I'd play a Mana Flare is if I got a forign one so I could jedi mind trick my opponents into thinking it only worked for my lands. I've played the card a for a bit in a group hug deck and it's goind to have the effect of speeding up your games significantly and generally benefit the player with the biggest most powerful cards in their deck; which is usally not the monored deck.
I'm very adverse to playing things that help my opponents. You spend mana and a card and they get a benefit for free, no way is that fine. I don't even play Giere Reach Sanitarium. It's a very cheap card though so maybe give it a try and see what you think.
2. They are okay. Either or both are pretty resonable if you find yourself lacking a way to deal with powerful nonbasic lands. They have small easily destructible bodies so expect them to be killed quickly. Killing a players land will also draw significant ire and you should be prepared to take some retribution for sniping a karoo. I wouldn't rate either of them as all stars, but for cheap creatures with a repeatable ability, it's certainly a powerful effect.
3. I play 3 nonland haste enablers and 2 lands that can grant haste. I used to play 3 back when I originally made the deck. Three is probably a good number that would be fine in you're list.
So, I wanted to ask you guys. Do you win with Jaya much?
I'm finding that she really lags behind the rest of my playgroup in terms of power. I win sometimes with Godo or a Phoenix and a Sword, or sometimes I'll eke out wins with Jaya's third ability or Blasphemous Act and Repercussion, but more often than not, I see some creature Jaya can't easily answer (that the rest of my deck is also ill-equipped to handle) and I just lose to it. Things like a fourth turn Realm Seekers, or someone playing Xenagos, God of Revels and creatures (not even something like Scourge of the Throne, which can pretty much kill you in the same turn with Xenagos). Or, someone's Shu Yun deck with a pile of instants.
My group is pretty casual; we generally eschew most game-ending combos, and usually we can answer each other's threats, but... it feels lacking in Jaya. Like, I'll be able to answer small durdles, but when it comes to 'real' threats, I'm just grasping at straws.
Anyone else finding that their Jaya deck underperforms?
So far my Jaya deck hasn't won a game out of the nine I've played. It has the worst record among my decks.
On the other hand, most of those games felt close. Many were against competitive(ish) opposing decks. At least one I suspect I lost because of a misplay.
I do pretty well with Jaya in my group. If I get focused on early, there's not a whole lot I can do about that. If I don't, I can generally accumulate enough resources for a couple big plays to finish off a weakened table. I frequently either win or lose a turn before I would have lost or won, respectively. My regular group has gotten a little more wise to what the deck can do so I don't get many surprise wins there and in a lot of pickup games people are understandably wary of the foiled out deck, but I still do well enough.
The deck was not designed as a particularly competitive deck, so I've always been happy with where it sits. It's rare for me to feel like I didn't at least impact the game in some way with this deck, even if I didn't win.
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Like with many things, it depends on the meta. Sometimes you can't answer every creature... but this is a social multiplayer format, after all. You have to play the players, not just the cards. Make deals. Form alliances and ceasefires if you need to, even temporary ones. For example, "I can get rid of their Rhystic Study if you don't attack me this turn," or "I can wheel if you bounce their Ulamog."
One strategy I've heard about that seems to work is "always be in second place". Play conservative. Don't do anything too disruptive too fast. If another player is pulling ahead, use that opportunity to get the whole table to hit them hard.
My play group is pretty casual and I never dominate, but I almost always have a big impact on the board and have a shot at winning even if I don't manage to pull it off.
So, I wanted to ask you guys. Do you win with Jaya much?
I'm finding that she really lags behind the rest of my playgroup in terms of power. I win sometimes with Godo or a Phoenix and a Sword, or sometimes I'll eke out wins with Jaya's third ability or Blasphemous Act and Repercussion, but more often than not, I see some creature Jaya can't easily answer (that the rest of my deck is also ill-equipped to handle) and I just lose to it. Things like a fourth turn Realm Seekers, or someone playing Xenagos, God of Revels and creatures (not even something like Scourge of the Throne, which can pretty much kill you in the same turn with Xenagos). Or, someone's Shu Yun deck with a pile of instants.
My group is pretty casual; we generally eschew most game-ending combos, and usually we can answer each other's threats, but... it feels lacking in Jaya. Like, I'll be able to answer small durdles, but when it comes to 'real' threats, I'm just grasping at straws.
Anyone else finding that their Jaya deck underperforms?
I've been on a bit of a slump with my own Jaya deck recently, but I feel that the factors in that have been that my local group removed our softban on infinite combos and "you win the game" cards which has led to games just ending out of nowhere; not really the best meta for a grindy red deck.
But you say you're having trouble in a group that doesn't have game-ending combos. It's a good idea to look at your deck and see if changing a few cards could help things. Shu Yun should be one of generals most afraid of facing Jaya;she comes down the same turn as him and can kill him at will. Just playing a Maze of Ith can really help vs big boys like Xenegod and Realm Seekers.
But you say you're having trouble in a group that doesn't have game-ending combos. It's a good idea to look at your deck and see if changing a few cards could help things. Shu Yun should be one of generals most afraid of facing Jaya;she comes down the same turn as him and can kill him at will. Just playing a Maze of Ith can really help vs big boys like Xenegod and Realm Seekers.
But you say you're having trouble in a group that doesn't have game-ending combos. It's a good idea to look at your deck and see if changing a few cards could help things. Shu Yun should be one of generals most afraid of facing Jaya;she comes down the same turn as him and can kill him at will. Just playing a Maze of Ith can really help vs big boys like Xenegod and Realm Seekers.
I play Chasm (because I feel like it's really good with Jaya and a way to keep Jaya alive, like a protection from red sword or Darksteel Plate). I often use it to stall, but, I find I just pay out life until I lose. People always seem to have answers for Jaya.
I could also play Maze of Ith and/or Mystifying Maze. I don't know; it always feels like I'm doing it wrong in some way; short on mana, short on cards, or short on effective answers.
For reference, my current list is below. I know there are some kinks to work out (Inferno Titan isn't really pulling its weight, and some of the odd choices are still in the testing phase, like Hanweir Garrison)
I was inspired by this primer years ago, and I've played this deck since then, though my build has diverged greatly from what is discussed here. I've intentionally kept the power levels down because it is my designated casual deck, I also play a very competitive Derevi tempo list, and by far my win ratio is much higher with Jaya than Derevi even though Derevi is much more focused, and powerful.
Concerning your list it seems there are some discord with your card choices. I see that you're running alot of card filtering which I consider to be card disadvantage, in a deck such as Jaya that is already weak in card draw. It seems like a bad idea.
Also the new pseudo card draw for red in the form of commune with lava and prophetic flamespeaker, I've discovered to be in discord with a deck like Jaya as well, where you want cards in your hand and not just a chance to cast a card.
Another detail I'd like to point out is that you run all three mana doublers (gauntlet, gauntlet, sun) but your mountain count is quite low, has that been problematic for you? In a list such as yours I would suggest the medium mana rocks like worn powerstone, thran dynamo, and gilded lotus as opposed to doublers. And since you run Braids of fire the monoliths wouldn't be a bad idea either, though I would also run voltaic key with that package as well.
I would suggest cuts as follows:
sword of the animist for Journeyer's kite, its more mana intensive, but its card advantage, and it doesn't require a creature to attack
I prefer the old Kozelik over new one, but some people don't like how he shuffles the grave
The other cards you can substitute bigger mana rocks for; worn powerstone, thran dynamo, gilded lotus, grim monolith, mana vault, basalt monolith, rolling earthquake, and all is dust. As well as better card advantage like Tamiyo's journal, or staff of nin. I like to run mana rocks, and x casting board wipes that do damage to players, it adds up over time, keeping constant pressure on the game, and people are less salty if you deal damage to everything, and not just them.
I think you mentioned, a few posts back that you had problems dealing with big ceatures, I would suggest cutting some of the smaller creatures for instant speed threaten effects which are highly under rated since they allow you to also mess with other people's combat phases, and 2 for 1 an attacking player. Its not very impressive, unless you adopt a rattle snake philosophy, more often than not I have to talk my way out of situations by showing them a card that I tell that I perfer not to waste on him. Some times it works, some times they force my hand, and sometimes I'm just take it on the chin.
I'm just trying to help, so please read take my words with a grain of salt, my play style is probably very different from yours.
I agree with the general card draw philosophy presented in the previous post. I dislike Faithless Looting/Wild Guess/Tormenting Voice since they give no card advantage AND take up a card spot in your hand until you pay mana to get cycle them out. However, I think Commune with Lava has a big enough impact that it is worth it. Staff of Nin is excellent and I also run Outpost Siege. Tamiyo's Journal is not worth it unless you can do more than just draw cards with the clue tokens. You'd be better off with Illuminated Folio, which hasn't even made it into my ultra budget list (but might if Sandstone Oracle doesn't work out for me).
Other than Grab the Reins (which enables you to steal AND sac), I'm not a fan of Threaten effects in Jaya's deck. I run 10 of them in my Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs deck, but I also have devoted several sac outlets to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who is currently running Heartless Hidetsugu in his deck.
Actually I miss read Commune with Lava, I didn't realize it was until the end of your next turn, that makes a difference, I might replace Tamiyo's journal with one of those.
What do you guys think of Runehorn Hellkite? Imo it's pretty good. You can fuel Jaya by discarding it and later in the game you can wheel at instant speed. 5/5 flyer for 6 ins't terrible either.
I was definitely considering this guy, I think we need as many wheel effects as possible, eventhough his cost is a bit high, it synergizes well with Jaya, as well as other wheel effects in the deck.
As soon as I saw Runehorn Hellkite, I knew that this deck would be the perfect for him. He's espcially nice in Jaya because you can discard him and skip having to put him in play and risk eating an exile. I'm thinking about trying out Divergent Transformations also. Not quite as good as chaos warp, but it also hits 2 things.
@Sinis I can see how you're able to deal easily with weenie durdles, but fall on hard times vs a few large creatures. I cannot recommend enough All is Dust and Ugin, the spirit Dragon as large scale sweepers that get the things that even Jaya can't reach. In that same vein, Karn Liberated can also pick off pesky enchantments, like Xenegod.
My own Jaya deck plays a handful of anti-creature cards that I originally slotted into the deck as a means of counteracting myself getting beatdown early by the first player to drop a 6/6 and looking for a defenseless player to attack. The current package is:
My own experience has been that Meekstone and Forcefield tend to not be that efective, which will lead to them being dropped soon; but Portcullis is insanely good and can just halt certain decks in their tracks.
Rings of Brightheart is another card you may want; it can allow you to ramp by copying fetchlands as well as copying planeswalker abilities and allowing Jaya to burn 6 toughness creatures on her own.
A few large creatures can be welcome in a mono deck, espcially one with mana doublers. Something like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger can kill Xenagod and other fat creatures while presenting a scary attacker or just a good wall to divert aggression away from you.
Wheelydargon is definitely going to get an opportunity in my Jaya deck. Wheels are great, and I like this a little more than Magus of the Wheel - Runehorn Hellkite costs more to activate, but he doesn't need to be in play.
Seeing as it's going to go quick, here are thoughts on new C16 stuff. Even if four color as a theme limits the amount of goodies for Jaya, there are some gems.
Charging Cinderhorn - Nah. It's pretty fragile for something that only does damage.
Divergent Transformations - Probably best used aimed at your own tokens, with removal as a backup plan. Getting more expensive as a game wears on is not terrible and the base 4 cmc in a 4-player game is pretty cheap. I don't know how many creatures I actually want to polymorph into, but it's definitely playable in the right deck.
Frenzied Fugue - Decent card. Outside of the obvious threaten applications, you can use it to share a land with someone else in a pinch. It has an amusing interaction with equipment where you and the owner get to fight over it, too. Probably more of a fun card than a powerful one, but it will have its moments.
Goblin Spymaster - The end step token production is weird, and Jaya is usually going to be able to kill anything that you would want swinging into you. Not the deck for this one.
Runehorn Hellkite - Most solid card of the set for Jaya. It's a GY based wheel that can be played as a 5/5 flyer in a pinch. Definitely worth a shot.
Armory Automaton - Bad unless you're in a very equipment heavy meta, at which point it upgrades to not good. Haste is abundant here and ups the chance you get at least one swing out of this guy, but it's otherwise more or less a one turn tax effect.
Boompile - Eh. It's cute enough, but there are enough artifact sweepers out there that are more reliable.
Conqueror's Flail - Probably the second best card here, obviously because of that second ability. Shutting down interaction on your turn is a very powerful effect and has virtually no risk of backfiring, unlike something like City of Solitude.
Ash Barrens - Neat card, but pretty bad for mono-R.
Overall, Runehorn Dragon seems like the easiest inclusion and Conqueror's Flail is a very powerful card, especially if you're in a more counter heavy meta.
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Generally, I try to avoid Wheel of Fate (and Magus of the Wheel) because they telegraph that the wheel is coming. Wheel of Fate is particularly bad in that it telegraphs several turns in advance. It's just going to tell you opponent that they should try to play whatever the best card(s) in their hands is at the time, because they are going to lose it otherwise.
HOWEVER, Myrmadillo; you may want to consider playing Wheel of Fate in your own budget version of Jaya. Telegraphing a draw 7 isn't ideal, but a draw 7; even a slow one, is probably going to be a big step up in power over something like Browbeat or Sorcerer's Strongbox.
Blinkmoth Urn is a card I've never played, but I'd be wary of it for two reasons.
1.) It effects all players as long as it is untapped, so you're probably going to be helping out your opponent a fair bit with it, especially if you commonly see people fielding artifact heavy decks. I don't want to tap my 5 lands so somebody else at the table can untap with a bunch of free mana.
2.) You really need to have 4 or more artifacts in play to make it somewhat resonable, having less then that means you'd be getting better milage out of a generic manarock.
If you have 3 artifacts + Urn then you get 4 mana on your next turn, not too bad if nobody else is getting a bunch of free mana off it.
2 artifacts + Urn is just a gilded lotus that comes into play tapped.
Less then that and it's just a way overcosted and slower version of Sisay's Ring
Overall, it just seem like a card that alot has to go right for it to be good. It'd probably be good in a bant clue deck or a deck that could flood out servo tokens; I'm quite skeptical of it being all that good in monored.
I agree with Zygous the slow wheels are really bad, there aren't many other options but I'd avoid playing them if I could, I ran Magus for a while, but I also had plenty of haste enablers as well, so he just became a bad reforge soul.
I ran Blinkmoth Urn in my Karn deck, even in such a broken set up it was usually bad, the reason is artifacts are so prevalent in edh that you're most likely going to give some one a boost from your investment, worse yet they get that benefit before you do. There aren't many ways to tap down the Urn other wise it would be half way decent.
Cathartic Reunion is only filling a flex spot right now. I also have a copy of Dragon Mage that I'm not currently running.
Re: Blinkmoth Urn
In my play group, I've actually been amazed at how many times I've drawn my artifact hate (Vandalblast and Viashino Heretic) and had little to no targets, which is why I was considering Blinkmoth Urn. I often have a stack of artifacts in play, but one PriceBane of Progress and it becomes a terrible draw. I've considered running Icy Manipulator for defense, which would synergize well with the Urn. That said, it would make my artifacts higher priority targets and it's probably too inconsistent since I'd need to have several artifacts in play.
Rage Thrower => Dwarven Blastminer
Kamahl, Pit Fighter => Dwarven Miner
What do you think of the Dwarves? I'm uncertain about them as I'm concerned about blowing up people's mana base. However, both work with Illusionist's Bracers and, at the very least, this lowers my mana curve.
Butcher's Cleaver => Tormod's Crypt
The only humans left on my list are Jaya and Kumano. Since I now own Loxodon Warhammer, it's time to cut this sub-optimal equipment.
Ghost Town => Hanweir Battlements
I just picked up the Battlements in a trade. Since I'm not running Seer's Sundial anymore, this seemed like the least impactful non-basic left in the mix. Moving haste to my mana base should enable me to cull some of my dedicated haste cards in favor of others.
Hammer of Purphoros => Cathartic Reunion
How many haste cards would you recommend in this deck? I currently have Hanweir Battlements, Flamekin Village, Swiftfoot Boots, and Fervor (which survives artifact wipes, unlike the Hammer). In the long run, I'm hoping to replace Fervor with Anger.
I'm only testing Cathartic Reunion at this point. While I think Tormenting Voice is better for 1v1 in 60 card decks, I think Cathartic Reunion is substantially higher impact, making it a better option for multiplayer Commander. Long term, I plan to remove either Cathartic Reunion or Sandstone Oracle, whichever under performs.
So here's newly updated deck:
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
Creatures (16)
1 Firewing Phoenix
1 Kuldotha Phoenix
1 Magma Phoenix
1 Shard Phoenix
1 Skarrgan Firebird
1 Charmbreaker Devils
1 Dwarven Blastminer
1 Dwarven Miner
1 Duplicant
1 Heartless Hidetsugu
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Kumano, Master Yamabushi
1 Malignus
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Viashino Heretic
Equipment (5)
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Illusionist's Bracers
1 Loxodon Warhammer
1 Magebane Armor
1 Swiftfoot Boots
Miscellaneous Permanents (5)
1 Aligned Hedron Network
1 Distorting Lens
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Sun Droplet
1 Trading Post
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Fire Diamond
1 Mind Stone
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Pristine Talisman
1 Unstable Obelisk
1 Worn Powerstone
1 Hedron Archive
1 Dreamstone Hedron
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Expedition Map
Card Draw & Filtering (9)
1 Cathartic Reunion
1 Commune with Lava
1 Crystal Ball
1 Endbringer (creature)
1 Mindmoil
1 Outpost Siege
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Sandstone Oracle
1 Staff of Nin
Instants/Sorceries/One-Shots (11)
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Brittle Effigy (artifact)
1 Fissure
1 Grab the Reins
1 Mana Geyser
1 Devil's Play
1 Rolling Thunder
1 Reverberate
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Wild Ricochet
1 Vandalblast
1 Fervor
1 Pyrohemia
1 Vicious Shadows
Lands (38)
1 Blasted Landscape
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Smoldering Crater
1 Dormant Volcano
1 Buried Ruin
1 Haunted Fengraf
1 Flamekin Village
1 Hanweir Battlments
1 Kher Keep
1 Spinerock Knoll
1 Encroaching Wastes
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Mage-Ring Network
1 Temple of the False God
24 Mountain
Watch List - Cards under consideration for removal.
Heartless Hidetsugu
Dwarven Miner/Dwarven Blastminer
Illusionist's Bracers
Cathartic Reunion
Sandstone Oracle
Grab the Reins
Fervor
For now, I'm going to leave Heartless Hidetsugu in the deck because he combos well with many of the same cards as Jaya, namely: Loxodon Warhammer, Glacial Chasm, Sun Droplet, and, to a lesser extent, Illusionist's Bracers.
I plan to replace Illusionist's Bracers if/when I manage to trade for Repercussion and/or Gratuitous Violence.
Budget Modern: GStompyG | R8-WhackR
Also, to anyone in general:
1) What are your thoughts on Mana Flare as a budget alternative to other mana doublers?
2) What do you think of Dwarven Miner/Dwarven Blastminer for this deck?
3) How many haste enablers would you recommend in this deck?
Budget Modern: GStompyG | R8-WhackR
1. I think it's risky. It means that everyone gets more mana, not just you or the people playing Red. I honestly think it's worth it to spend a little more for Gauntlet of Power or Extraplanar Lens.
2. They're not great. They don't impact the board immediately and they're an easy target for removal that your opponents don't feel bad for killing. Wasteland and Strip Mine are still the gold standard for land destruction, but if those are out of your budget, may I suggest Tectonic Edge or even Encroaching Wastes? If you're looking for creature-based land destruction, I would suggest Goblin Ruinblaster, Ravenous Baboons or Avalanche Riders. For repeatable land destruction, Shivan Harvest.
3. At least three. Anger, Lightning Greaves, Fervor, Hammer of Purphoros, Swiftfoot Boots are all good.
1. I think the only way I'd play a Mana Flare is if I got a forign one so I could jedi mind trick my opponents into thinking it only worked for my lands. I've played the card a for a bit in a group hug deck and it's goind to have the effect of speeding up your games significantly and generally benefit the player with the biggest most powerful cards in their deck; which is usally not the monored deck.
I'm very adverse to playing things that help my opponents. You spend mana and a card and they get a benefit for free, no way is that fine. I don't even play Giere Reach Sanitarium. It's a very cheap card though so maybe give it a try and see what you think.
2. They are okay. Either or both are pretty resonable if you find yourself lacking a way to deal with powerful nonbasic lands. They have small easily destructible bodies so expect them to be killed quickly. Killing a players land will also draw significant ire and you should be prepared to take some retribution for sniping a karoo. I wouldn't rate either of them as all stars, but for cheap creatures with a repeatable ability, it's certainly a powerful effect.
3. I play 3 nonland haste enablers and 2 lands that can grant haste. I used to play 3 back when I originally made the deck. Three is probably a good number that would be fine in you're list.
I'm finding that she really lags behind the rest of my playgroup in terms of power. I win sometimes with Godo or a Phoenix and a Sword, or sometimes I'll eke out wins with Jaya's third ability or Blasphemous Act and Repercussion, but more often than not, I see some creature Jaya can't easily answer (that the rest of my deck is also ill-equipped to handle) and I just lose to it. Things like a fourth turn Realm Seekers, or someone playing Xenagos, God of Revels and creatures (not even something like Scourge of the Throne, which can pretty much kill you in the same turn with Xenagos). Or, someone's Shu Yun deck with a pile of instants.
My group is pretty casual; we generally eschew most game-ending combos, and usually we can answer each other's threats, but... it feels lacking in Jaya. Like, I'll be able to answer small durdles, but when it comes to 'real' threats, I'm just grasping at straws.
Anyone else finding that their Jaya deck underperforms?
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On the other hand, most of those games felt close. Many were against competitive(ish) opposing decks. At least one I suspect I lost because of a misplay.
The deck was not designed as a particularly competitive deck, so I've always been happy with where it sits. It's rare for me to feel like I didn't at least impact the game in some way with this deck, even if I didn't win.
One strategy I've heard about that seems to work is "always be in second place". Play conservative. Don't do anything too disruptive too fast. If another player is pulling ahead, use that opportunity to get the whole table to hit them hard.
My play group is pretty casual and I never dominate, but I almost always have a big impact on the board and have a shot at winning even if I don't manage to pull it off.
Budget Modern: GStompyG | R8-WhackR
I've been on a bit of a slump with my own Jaya deck recently, but I feel that the factors in that have been that my local group removed our softban on infinite combos and "you win the game" cards which has led to games just ending out of nowhere; not really the best meta for a grindy red deck.
But you say you're having trouble in a group that doesn't have game-ending combos. It's a good idea to look at your deck and see if changing a few cards could help things. Shu Yun should be one of generals most afraid of facing Jaya;she comes down the same turn as him and can kill him at will. Just playing a Maze of Ith can really help vs big boys like Xenegod and Realm Seekers.
Glacial Chasm is pretty cheap, too.
I play Chasm (because I feel like it's really good with Jaya and a way to keep Jaya alive, like a protection from red sword or Darksteel Plate). I often use it to stall, but, I find I just pay out life until I lose. People always seem to have answers for Jaya.
I could also play Maze of Ith and/or Mystifying Maze. I don't know; it always feels like I'm doing it wrong in some way; short on mana, short on cards, or short on effective answers.
For reference, my current list is below. I know there are some kinks to work out (Inferno Titan isn't really pulling its weight, and some of the odd choices are still in the testing phase, like Hanweir Garrison)
1 Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
//Creatures
1 Goblin Welder
1 Magus of the Wheel
1 Prophetic Flamespeaker
1 Hanweir Garrison
1 Rummaging Goblin
1 Goblin Matron
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Firewing Phoenix
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Anger
1 Magma Phoenix
1 Hoarding Dragon
1 Shard Phoenix
1 Skarrgan Firebird
1 Inferno Titan
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Akroma, Angel of Fury
1 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
//Artifacts
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Expedition Map
1 Sol Ring
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Skullclamp
1 Sword of the Animist
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mindstone
1 Fire Diamond
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Unstable Obelisk
1 Hedron Archive
1 Gauntlet of Might
1 Gauntlet of Power
1 Batterskull
1 Caged Sun
1 Akroma's Memorial
1 Braid of Fire
1 Repercussion
1 Gratuitous Violence
//Sorcery
1 Faithless Looting
1 Gamble
1 Shattering Spree
1 Vandalblast
1 Tormenting Voice
1 Wild Guess
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Blasphemous Act
//Instants
1 Chaos Warp
1 Commune with Lava
//Planeswalkers
1 Chandra Ablaze
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
//Land
1 Kher Keep
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Thespian's Stage
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Temple of the False God
1 Haunted Fengraf
1 Strip Mine
1 Inventor's Fair
1 Arcane Lighthouse
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Flamekin Village
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Terrain Generator
1 Thawing Glaciers
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Buried Ruin
1 Homeward Path
1 Smoldering Crater
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Hanweir Battlements
1 Vesuva
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Glacial Chasm
17 Mountain
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Concerning your list it seems there are some discord with your card choices. I see that you're running alot of card filtering which I consider to be card disadvantage, in a deck such as Jaya that is already weak in card draw. It seems like a bad idea.
Also the new pseudo card draw for red in the form of commune with lava and prophetic flamespeaker, I've discovered to be in discord with a deck like Jaya as well, where you want cards in your hand and not just a chance to cast a card.
Another detail I'd like to point out is that you run all three mana doublers (gauntlet, gauntlet, sun) but your mountain count is quite low, has that been problematic for you? In a list such as yours I would suggest the medium mana rocks like worn powerstone, thran dynamo, and gilded lotus as opposed to doublers. And since you run Braids of fire the monoliths wouldn't be a bad idea either, though I would also run voltaic key with that package as well.
I would suggest cuts as follows:
sword of the animist for Journeyer's kite, its more mana intensive, but its card advantage, and it doesn't require a creature to attack
I prefer the old Kozelik over new one, but some people don't like how he shuffles the grave
The other cards you can substitute bigger mana rocks for; worn powerstone, thran dynamo, gilded lotus, grim monolith, mana vault, basalt monolith, rolling earthquake, and all is dust. As well as better card advantage like Tamiyo's journal, or staff of nin. I like to run mana rocks, and x casting board wipes that do damage to players, it adds up over time, keeping constant pressure on the game, and people are less salty if you deal damage to everything, and not just them.
I think you mentioned, a few posts back that you had problems dealing with big ceatures, I would suggest cutting some of the smaller creatures for instant speed threaten effects which are highly under rated since they allow you to also mess with other people's combat phases, and 2 for 1 an attacking player. Its not very impressive, unless you adopt a rattle snake philosophy, more often than not I have to talk my way out of situations by showing them a card that I tell that I perfer not to waste on him. Some times it works, some times they force my hand, and sometimes I'm just take it on the chin.
I'm just trying to help, so please read take my words with a grain of salt, my play style is probably very different from yours.
RIP Karn EDH
Other than Grab the Reins (which enables you to steal AND sac), I'm not a fan of Threaten effects in Jaya's deck. I run 10 of them in my Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs deck, but I also have devoted several sac outlets to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Keep in mind, this is coming from a guy who is currently running Heartless Hidetsugu in his deck.
Budget Modern: GStompyG | R8-WhackR
RIP Karn EDH
RIP Karn EDH
@Sinis I can see how you're able to deal easily with weenie durdles, but fall on hard times vs a few large creatures. I cannot recommend enough All is Dust and Ugin, the spirit Dragon as large scale sweepers that get the things that even Jaya can't reach. In that same vein, Karn Liberated can also pick off pesky enchantments, like Xenegod.
My own Jaya deck plays a handful of anti-creature cards that I originally slotted into the deck as a means of counteracting myself getting beatdown early by the first player to drop a 6/6 and looking for a defenseless player to attack. The current package is:
My own experience has been that Meekstone and Forcefield tend to not be that efective, which will lead to them being dropped soon; but Portcullis is insanely good and can just halt certain decks in their tracks.
Rings of Brightheart is another card you may want; it can allow you to ramp by copying fetchlands as well as copying planeswalker abilities and allowing Jaya to burn 6 toughness creatures on her own.
A few large creatures can be welcome in a mono deck, espcially one with mana doublers. Something like Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger can kill Xenagod and other fat creatures while presenting a scary attacker or just a good wall to divert aggression away from you.
Charging Cinderhorn - Nah. It's pretty fragile for something that only does damage.
Divergent Transformations - Probably best used aimed at your own tokens, with removal as a backup plan. Getting more expensive as a game wears on is not terrible and the base 4 cmc in a 4-player game is pretty cheap. I don't know how many creatures I actually want to polymorph into, but it's definitely playable in the right deck.
Frenzied Fugue - Decent card. Outside of the obvious threaten applications, you can use it to share a land with someone else in a pinch. It has an amusing interaction with equipment where you and the owner get to fight over it, too. Probably more of a fun card than a powerful one, but it will have its moments.
Goblin Spymaster - The end step token production is weird, and Jaya is usually going to be able to kill anything that you would want swinging into you. Not the deck for this one.
Runehorn Hellkite - Most solid card of the set for Jaya. It's a GY based wheel that can be played as a 5/5 flyer in a pinch. Definitely worth a shot.
Armory Automaton - Bad unless you're in a very equipment heavy meta, at which point it upgrades to not good. Haste is abundant here and ups the chance you get at least one swing out of this guy, but it's otherwise more or less a one turn tax effect.
Boompile - Eh. It's cute enough, but there are enough artifact sweepers out there that are more reliable.
Conqueror's Flail - Probably the second best card here, obviously because of that second ability. Shutting down interaction on your turn is a very powerful effect and has virtually no risk of backfiring, unlike something like City of Solitude.
Crystalline Crawler - Too slow in a mono colored deck.
Prismatic Geoscope - Terrible in a mono colored deck.
Ash Barrens - Neat card, but pretty bad for mono-R.
Overall, Runehorn Dragon seems like the easiest inclusion and Conqueror's Flail is a very powerful card, especially if you're in a more counter heavy meta.
Budget Modern: GStompyG | R8-WhackR
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HOWEVER, Myrmadillo; you may want to consider playing Wheel of Fate in your own budget version of Jaya. Telegraphing a draw 7 isn't ideal, but a draw 7; even a slow one, is probably going to be a big step up in power over something like Browbeat or Sorcerer's Strongbox.
Blinkmoth Urn is a card I've never played, but I'd be wary of it for two reasons.
1.) It effects all players as long as it is untapped, so you're probably going to be helping out your opponent a fair bit with it, especially if you commonly see people fielding artifact heavy decks. I don't want to tap my 5 lands so somebody else at the table can untap with a bunch of free mana.
2.) You really need to have 4 or more artifacts in play to make it somewhat resonable, having less then that means you'd be getting better milage out of a generic manarock.
If you have 3 artifacts + Urn then you get 4 mana on your next turn, not too bad if nobody else is getting a bunch of free mana off it.
2 artifacts + Urn is just a gilded lotus that comes into play tapped.
Less then that and it's just a way overcosted and slower version of Sisay's Ring
Overall, it just seem like a card that alot has to go right for it to be good. It'd probably be good in a bant clue deck or a deck that could flood out servo tokens; I'm quite skeptical of it being all that good in monored.
I ran Blinkmoth Urn in my Karn deck, even in such a broken set up it was usually bad, the reason is artifacts are so prevalent in edh that you're most likely going to give some one a boost from your investment, worse yet they get that benefit before you do. There aren't many ways to tap down the Urn other wise it would be half way decent.
RIP Karn EDH
How do you think Dragon Mage and Runehorn Hellkite stack up against Wheel of Fate and Magus of the Wheel? Which ones are the best?
My list no longer contains Browbeat or Sorcerer's Strongbox. My current card draw package (excluding my phoenixes) is:
1 Cathartic Reunion
1 Commune with Lava
1 Crystal Ball
1 Endbringer (creature)
1 Mindmoil
1 Outpost Siege
1 Reforge the Soul
1 Sandstone Oracle
1 Staff of Nin
Cathartic Reunion is only filling a flex spot right now. I also have a copy of Dragon Mage that I'm not currently running.
Re: Blinkmoth Urn
In my play group, I've actually been amazed at how many times I've drawn my artifact hate (Vandalblast and Viashino Heretic) and had little to no targets, which is why I was considering Blinkmoth Urn. I often have a stack of artifacts in play, but one
PriceBane of Progress and it becomes a terrible draw. I've considered running Icy Manipulator for defense, which would synergize well with the Urn. That said, it would make my artifacts higher priority targets and it's probably too inconsistent since I'd need to have several artifacts in play.Budget Modern: GStompyG | R8-WhackR