i have been watching live modern coverage last weekend (SCG Modern Open Indianapolis) and this weekend (GP LA CHFB)and they covered much about the specifics about interacting with Infect.
1) Best to try and remove the infect creatures during your turn or at the end of the combat phase. Only attempt to remove the creatures during the combat phase if you know the coast is clear (tapped out, no pump spells during attack phase via Gitaxian Probe peek, they do not have blue source to tap for Dispel ect).
2) You can only take up to 4 poison counters before being in the danger zone.
3) Inkmoth Nexus is a major problem in this match up. Mainly because of the evasion.
i have been watching live modern coverage last weekend (SCG Modern Open Indianapolis) and this weekend (GP LA CHFB)and they covered much about the specifics about interacting with Infect.
1) Best to try and remove the infect creatures during your turn or at the end of the combat phase. Only attempt to remove the creatures during the combat phase if you know the coast is clear (tapped out, no pump spells during attack phase via Gitaxian Probe peek, they do not have blue source to tap for Dispel ect).
2) You can only take up to 4 poison counters before being in the danger zone.
3) Inkmoth Nexus is a major problem in this match up. Mainly because of the evasion.
Thank you. I am going to add #2 to my write up and credit you. These are all great points. Sometimes it feels wrong to tap out and try to take care of their creatures before combat because in so many other matchups you want to do the opposite, but here it's definitely right.
Two "Jeskai Tempo" decks made day two in the top 100 at GP Charlotte. I'm not sure who is playing them, what the decks include, or where they are in the standings, but hopefully they are near the top!
I fixed the Rifles! Apparently there is a HUGE difference between 6 and 10 fetchlands.
I solved the mana flood issues I was having and thedeck plays a LOT better. And I finally get consistent time to test every weekend. YAY!
I fixed the Rifles! Apparently there is a HUGE difference between 6 and 10 fetchlands.
I solved the mana flood issues I was having and thedeck plays a LOT better. And I finally get consistent time to test every weekend. YAY!
It's funny you mention that because I just did the same thing. I cut a sulfur falls for an Arid Mesa in order to flood less. Flooding is no fun for us and it's hard to find that perfect mix of fetches and non-fetches.
I'm glad to hear it's helping the deck run much more smoothly. Things that seem little can make a huge difference.
There was a great Grixis Delver tournament report on Modern Nexus today by Ryan Overdorff. It's obviously slightly different from a jeskai list, but much of the information is still relevant to our deck (if your running delver). Here is a link:
i do play a bit of grixis delver on the side and against it and it has certain intricacies that made it a different animal compared to jeskai delver although they share at least 50% of the card pool.
1) it has been mentioned before that path to exile and mana leak is bad synergy. which is why jeskai shells lean on lightning bolt and helix to only use path on the most problematic creatures. some jeskai decks run Condemn and Detention Sphere. i just run vapor snag lol but vapor snag is just plain bad in siege rhino and kitchen finks match ups.
2) thought scour is actually the worst card in grixis. its just there to fuel an early tasigur or gurmag angler. note that Chapin ran only 1 copy in his list at GP LA. he didn't top 32 but he did go at least 8-x-x i think.
3) grixis has ways to deal with planeswalkers directly esp in the tron and current nahiri match ups. dreadbore a good card despite 'pro' players *****ing about it. its either dreadbore or hero's downfall, which costs 1 mana more and will usually mean the powerful planeswalker does its dirty dead for 1 more turn. so between eating another activation and tapping out for dreadbore, which do you prefer? lol
r&d are not going to print a powerful planeswalker removal card that will slot flawlessly into modern as long as their sales strategy in standard is big flashy planeswalker cards. dreadbore is a great card for grixis and jund. its time they embrace it.
jeskai doesn't have a real solution against planeswalkers. its either burn or running creatures into them. at worst, we can side in boomerang. but it doesn't solve the problem. this is also one of the key reasons why jeskai delver/tempo is behind the curve when compared to grixis.
4) grixis has big creatures that can sneak in early via thought scour. jeskai doesn't. so far, flip Avacyn is tinkered with in the more midrangy builds. i would lean on restoration angel as the go to but she has limited interactions. she could blink snapcaster but there is a good chance you don't have the mana to flashback the spells in your graveyard because of the low mana base. i think this slot in jeskai tempo/delver builds need to be looked into. its one of the most important missing pieces in jeskai tempo/delver.
5) tron is one of our #1 bugbears especially in game 1. i think we need to bring in 8 cards from the sideboard to hate it out and its only doing so marginally because a natural tron will still wreck you. stony silence and spell snare are key cards in the match up. but that deck has so much redundancy that it could assemble tron with just ancient stirrings and the expedition maps that slip pass. crumble to dust is too slow and spreading seas just delays the inevitable. i thought about solving the problem by hard countering Karn/worldbreaker/wurmcoil/ulamog and Surgical Extraction-ing them it has worked to a certain degree but it requires you to play very conservatively (aka leave mana open after turn 2) rather than the more aggressive playstyle.
The matchup- Yet another modern boogyman that we really don't mind playing against with a tempo style deck. With that said, this matchup varies greatly based on the style of prowess deck being played. The aggressive/tempo/burn oriented lists are very slightly favored (the list I am writing about), but the slower more controlling lists are not favored before boarding. In this case we have the perfect plan to attack tron. Tron loses hard to early threats backed up by permission (counter magic). We are simply the best deck in modern at that game plan. If they natural tron by turn three they are still likely to win and that's why I only have the matchup slightly favored.
What The Opponent Often Sideboards Against Jeskai Way- The opponent will often sideboard in 1-2 spellskites, and 2-4 lightning bolts. Most tron decks will also run some sort of green life gain creature often in the form of Obstinate Baloth or Thragtusk. In the past RG Tron lists have run Pyroclasm and/or Kozilek's Return. I personally have yet to run into a list that runs Choke, but it is an option in their colors.
Sideboaring Explanation and Post Board Strategy- The idea post board is to become a straight tempo deck with large roadblocks for their strategy. It's often a good idea to mulligan aggressively to insure you have an early threat or an early Stony Silence to either attack early and often or to slow them down considerably. Spell Snare does a good job of stopping their early growth by hitting Slyvan Scrying and also protects from Pyroclasm. Deflecting Palm has been nothing short of amazing against Tron's big fatties. Once you get them down to 6-8 life and you have deflecting palm in hand they will likely just kill themselves with a wurmcoil or ulamog attack. Remember, the Deflecting Palm also stops them from gaining any life from a Wurmcoil Engine attack. This has allowed me a victory multiple times in the past. Spreading Seas obviously slows them down by hitting a tron land. Negate hits their planeswalker's as well as their ramp spells so it's very valuable post sideboard. Dispel is less valuable, but can save your team from sweepers an has become more valuable lately with more Tron decks playing lightning bolt and Warping Wale. It's important not to side out your Remands and Spell Pierces if possible because counter magic is very strong against tron due to the fact that they often only cast one spell a turn and most are non-creature spells. Finally, Stony Silence stops all of their searching artifacts and oblivion stone. It is probably the single most effective card against them. In addition, Aven Mindscensor hits a large majority of their ramp spells which search for a land.
Trends and Vital Points
-Mulligan aggressively to an early threat- Have pressure on the tron player may be the single most important aspect to winning vs losing. Having pressure forces the tron player into playing their threats into our counter magic and makes our burn spells that much better.
-Counter their ramp spells unless you are well ahead- If you have landed an early threat that hasn't been dealt with you can save your counter magic for the impact spells late in the game. However, if you were unable to get an early threat, counter their ramp spells. Most tron decks only function after getting tron so if you can slow then down you may be able to simply burn them out.
-Boros Charm stops their sweepers- All of their sweepers are damage based or destruction based so don't waste your boros charms for 4 damage unless it's directly leading to lethal damage. Oblivion stone is a strong option for tron against us and boros charm can lead to blowouts.
-Path to Exile is good against all of their creatures so don't board them out even though they have very few creatures. If you get too any you can always path your own creature.
Recap
Tron is a very straightforward matchup and we should be favored. As I said above, the make-up of the deck decides this whether your favored or not. Tron is a very redundant deck so killing them before they can start chaining large spells is the best plan of attack. Much like many decks in modern, Tron's god hands can be tough to match so there will be games they win even with the best disruption we can offer. With that said, an early clock and disruption is the best recipe to beat tron. The good news is that is exactly what we are set up to do.
i do play a bit of grixis delver on the side and against it and it has certain intricacies that made it a different animal compared to jeskai delver although they share at least 50% of the card pool.
1) it has been mentioned before that path to exile and mana leak is bad synergy. which is why jeskai shells lean on lightning bolt and helix to only use path on the most problematic creatures. some jeskai decks run Condemn and Detention Sphere. i just run vapor snag lol but vapor snag is just plain bad in siege rhino and kitchen finks match ups.
2) thought scour is actually the worst card in grixis. its just there to fuel an early tasigur or gurmag angler. note that Chapin ran only 1 copy in his list at GP LA. he didn't top 32 but he did go at least 8-x-x i think.
3) grixis has ways to deal with planeswalkers directly esp in the tron and current nahiri match ups. dreadbore a good card despite 'pro' players *****ing about it. its either dreadbore or hero's downfall, which costs 1 mana more and will usually mean the powerful planeswalker does its dirty dead for 1 more turn. so between eating another activation and tapping out for dreadbore, which do you prefer? lol
r&d are not going to print a powerful planeswalker removal card that will slot flawlessly into modern as long as their sales strategy in standard is big flashy planeswalker cards. dreadbore is a great card for grixis and jund. its time they embrace it.
jeskai doesn't have a real solution against planeswalkers. its either burn or running creatures into them. at worst, we can side in boomerang. but it doesn't solve the problem. this is also one of the key reasons why jeskai delver/tempo is behind the curve when compared to grixis.
4) grixis has big creatures that can sneak in early via thought scour. jeskai doesn't. so far, flip Avacyn is tinkered with in the more midrangy builds. i would lean on restoration angel as the go to but she has limited interactions. she could blink snapcaster but there is a good chance you don't have the mana to flashback the spells in your graveyard because of the low mana base. i think this slot in jeskai tempo/delver builds need to be looked into. its one of the most important missing pieces in jeskai tempo/delver.
5) tron is one of our #1 bugbears especially in game 1. i think we need to bring in 8 cards from the sideboard to hate it out and its only doing so marginally because a natural tron will still wreck you. stony silence and spell snare are key cards in the match up. but that deck has so much redundancy that it could assemble tron with just ancient stirrings and the expedition maps that slip pass. crumble to dust is too slow and spreading seas just delays the inevitable. i thought about solving the problem by hard countering Karn/worldbreaker/wurmcoil/ulamog and Surgical Extraction-ing them it has worked to a certain degree but it requires you to play very conservatively (aka leave mana open after turn 2) rather than the more aggressive playstyle.
that is all i have for now.
Thanks for the awesome post!
I have dabbled in grixis in the past with a grixis Rise // Fall deck, but haven't played grixis delver. I just love jeskai too much to cheat on it :). I do think grixis is a the second best choice for a delver shell in modern (maybe first, but I am biased). The access to the delve creatures gives grixis a huge boost. I also wish we had a three drop like Kolaghan's Command.
The main problem that grixis has is a lack of reach. Jeskai has access to Lightning Helix and boros charm Boros Charm which can take advantage of the early pressure that delver and swiftspear put on the opponent. Grixis has Creeping Tar-Pit and Kolaghan's Command, but these are much slower spells.
Another weakness of grixis is that it plays much more similarly to a control deck than it does to an aggro or tempo deck. Their best removal spell is Terminate which compares unfavorably to Path to Exile in most situations. I have always felt that grixis delver is kind of a worse version of a grixis control deck. When I build a deck I always ask myself if the deck is just a worse version of a current build, and I can't convince myself that grixis delver is a better deck than grixis midrange/control. It may be, I just don't have the experience with the deck.
In addition, the grixis sideboard is not as strong as the jeskai sideboard.
I don't think planewalker removal is a large issue in modern currently. There are very few walkers played in modern that aren't answered by Celestial Purge. It answers Liliana, of the Veil, Nahiri, The Harbinger, Chandra, Pyromaster, etc. We do have a problem with white and blue planeswalkers, but they are far less prevalent in the current meta.
I think in the end it comes down to a matter of preference/playstyle. If you like an aggressive/tempo approach, jeskai is likely a better choice. If you prefer a more controlling/tempo style approach grixis will most likely suite you better. Here are the pros and cons as I see it.
Jeskai Pros/Cons
-Reach with burn
-Better side board
-Access to path to exile
-Access to Geist of Saint Traft
-Mana Leak and Path are a Nonbo
-Doesn't have large/low costed threats
-Doesn't have straight planeswalker removal
-Lack of powerful 1 and 2 CMC beaters.
Grixis Pros/Cons
-Access to delve creatures
-Access to dreadbore
-Kolaghan's command is two for one and maindeck artifact hate
-Access to hand disruption spells
-Suffers greatly from graveyard hate
-Removal is weaker
-Struggles to finish games
-Weaker sideboard.
Now that I am thinking about it there seems to be a scale of delver decks on the aggro-control spectrum.
Aggressive/Tempo- Jeskai
Pure Tempo- Temur
Control/Tempo- Grixis
Of course this is not a hard or fast set of rules, but each shard seems to have a niche that they are better suited for. All three shards have pros and cons and I think all three can be highly competitive. I personally like jeskai, but that is just a personal opinion. I think grixis, temur, and jeskai can all be great delver decks.
The Matchup: Not sure on the numbers but I think I am favored against traditional Boros and Naya Burn because of Snap Helix and my more resilient threats. Nacatl burn and burning Zoo are probably favored against me game one. Post Board, I think I am favored against most Burn variants (Kira to shut down Searing Blaze, Wear Tear for Leylines of Sanctity or Punishment, and counter-magic to slow the onslaught. I believe this is a good matchup for MY personal build.
Notes: The rifles are the controlling deck in the Naya M/U as well as the Boros burn deck. My fliers are critical, as they can soar over ground blockers and apply pressure while I use removal to stabilize. Helix is the best card in this matchup. Hold onto the Helixes and try to get them to run low on gas, then out value them with Snapcaster, Chandra,and Ellie. Don't be afraid to use the Lifelink mode on Jeskai Charm to stabilize.
Sideboarding:
IN:
- 3x Kor Firewalker
2x Spell Pierce
1x Kira
Wear Tear (if you see leylines)
Out: 3x Path to Exile
2x Electrolyze
Other SB Options:
- Deflecting Palm
-Leyline of Sanctity
Timely Reinforcemnts
The Matchup: Not sure on the numbers but I think I am favored against traditional Boros and Naya Burn because of Snap Helix and my more resilient threats. Nacatl burn and burning Zoo are probably favored against me game one. Post Board, I think I am favored against most Burn variants (Kira to shut down Searing Blaze, Wear Tear for Leylines of Sanctity or Punishment, and counter-magic to slow the onslaught. I believe this is a good matchup for MY personal build.
Notes: The rifles are the controlling deck in the Naya M/U as well as the Boros burn deck. My fliers are critical, as they can soar over ground blockers and apply pressure while I use removal to stabilize. Helix is the best card in this matchup. Hold onto the Helixes and try to get them to run low on gas, then out value them with Snapcaster, Chandra,and Ellie. Don't be afraid to use the Lifelink mode on Jeskai Charm to stabilize.
Sideboarding:
IN:
- 3x Kor Firewalker
2x Spell Pierce
1x Kira
Wear Tear (if you see leylines)
Out: 3x Path to Exile
2x Electrolyze
Other SB Options:
- Deflecting Palm
-Leyline of Sanctity
Timely Reinforcemnts
I love seeing these matchup guides for different Jeskai prowess decks! Very cool GoyfyTomCat.
I definitely think your build is favored against burn with access to lightning helix and Jeskai charm. Once you side in the lot firewalkers they almost have no chance of beating you. My version is not as well equipped to handle burn but I wish it was.
It's good for the reader and the writer to post these sideboard guides. I think writing then really helps me make a game plan for each deck rather than winging it each game.
Looks good xweto! I would probably cut one distortion strike and add a remand, but that's the only change I would make. I have never personally loved elspeth and have have had mixed success with resto angel in the past. Sometimes she has been very good, and not so good. I think it has a lot to do with the make up of the rest of the deck. If it were my deck I would probably cut one of those and a land and get two remands in the deck or just cut on distortion strike and 1 four drop and add two remands. However, this is just my personal preference. There are tons of players that love elspeth and and resto so it is by no means something that needs to be done. The deck looks great just the way it is. Thanks for posting it!
I´m not really sure about restoration angel either, might try lightning angel instead, or just a spell. I really like elspeth, so I won´t cut her. That being said, I´ve been really impressed by chandra so far, which I got a couple months ago, after seeing your tappedout decklist. I will try to see how remand performs in the deck, never been a fan of it. In my experience it happens too often that I have something better to cast, or my opponent could just recast his spell. However, I will give remand antoher try. Thanks for the feedback!
There are a lot of people on here that absolutely love Elspeth so I totally understand not cutting her. I completely agree with you about Chandra as well. She has performed extremely well every time I cast her. She is just the perfect top end to an aggressive tempo strategy in my opinion.
As for remand, don't play any cards your not comfortable with. It's your deck so whatever cards you like to play and that fit your playstyle will be the best choices. Some people prefer Mana Leak, other like Deprive, some like Logic Knot, Izzet Charm, and some people just don't like counter magic that much in the deck and prefer to go a bit more aggro. Don't add Remand if you don't like the card. Play what you like and what works well for you. I was just saying what I prefer. It's always great to give cards a second chance, but if it doesn't work out or you really know that you just don't like the card, play what works for you.
I look forward to hearing how the deck works for you. It looks sweet.
Hey Guys, i've been trying to find the right Tempo deck to play my Geist of Saint Traft in as I cannot afford the snapcasters for the midrange version. Here is my Shell so far and it needs some tweaking (i've not included a Sideboard as I have no decided on one yet, Mainboard first) also to note: Steel of the Godhead I know this Only affect my Geist but that is what the deck originally is for is my geist, it is a pet card and I do not plan to remove it.
Any advice to help make this better is appreciated. I've been play testing it and I'm not sure if it has been bad draws but the deck so far ends up being just 1 creature and me drawing a lot of land or spells, if i get all spells then i sit with just Delver on the field and cant do anything, if i get all land then Stormchaser becomes useless
Hey Rafiq, first of all, really cool to see another jeskai player! To start with I would probably go down to 3 Geist of Saint Traft, so you dont get flooded with them. If this were my deck I would cut the Stormchaser Mage´s for Monastery Swiftspear, I think that card is better overall, although with delver you might want to run 3 instead of 4. Furthermore I would remove 1 remand, for 1 Spell Pierce, it is nice to have some diversity and there is nothing better than spell piercing a planeswalker. Speaking of planeswalkers, you really should try out Chandra, Pyromaster, that card fits our game plan perfectly. Lastly with those changes you would go down to around 10 creatures, which isn´t alot, so I would recommend you fit in a couple more. Lightning angel could be great to top off your curve, but you could also go for young pyromancer or my personal favorite Abbot of Keral Keep. Also I think 18 land is a little too risky in a deck with multiple cards that cost 3 or 4 mana. I would probably go with 19 or even 20 land, depending on the changes you make. Good luck and have fun playing this deck! I hope to hear more of you soon.
Thanks for the reply. Sorry if this is an obvious question but i have been looking over Chandra, Pyromaster but the only useful thing i see if the 1 damage and cannot block am i missing something else?
I did try the Young Pyromancers in the deck before i came here and i just didnt like them, normally they were something i'd hold onto till turn 3 or 4 and by then i just really wished i had a Geist to slap down instead. I was going to use Thundermaw Hellkite as a curve topper as a 1 or 2 of but someone told me i shouldn't as this was a "win more" card.
Chandra does a LOT for us. Hr +1 is really good as you say, but her 0 is great as well. We are a tempo deck. We want to land a threat and then keep up a continuous stream of protection for that threat until we can either burn the opponent out or kill them with creatures. Being able to 'draw' an additional card every turn with Chandra is powerful because she potentially draws us an additional answer every turn. Her 0 helps us stay ahead if you are ahead or helps you get back in a game if you are behind. She also has a sweet ult if she hits burn
Okay i can get behind Chandra, probably replace out Elspeth for her?
What about the rest? is there anything else obvious that i might have missed making for changes? don't even know what i am going to remove to up my land count again. I never used to run the Probes but started testing those and that's where i took land out for haha.
I can see remand isn't very popular here, i do prefer 4 serum just wasn't sure if i should try for more probes so that is an easy switch. And if i add Elspeth back in i'm down to having 1 more card to have to remove
remand is only good if you have a head start on the board and want to tempo out the opponent on turns 2-3 and 4. that is why the turn 1 delver is so potent.
modern is dominated mostly by low casting cost spells which can be recasted if you remand. which is why many of the tier 1 counterspells in modern get worst as the game goes longer. mana leak, remand and spell pierce are all bad counterspells to draw if you stall out. condescend, logic knot and deprive are way more utilitarian but have their prices to pay.
remand's popularity is also hit by abrupt decay's current popularity.
you have to admit that playing counterspells in modern is not a matter of fire and forget. many times u have to allow something to resolve because the counterspell in hand isn't good for that situation and need to find another answer instead.
Hey Guys, i've been trying to find the right Tempo deck to play my Geist of Saint Traft in as I cannot afford the snapcasters for the midrange version. Here is my Shell so far and it needs some tweaking (i've not included a Sideboard as I have no decided on one yet, Mainboard first) also to note: Steel of the Godhead I know this Only affect my Geist but that is what the deck originally is for is my geist, it is a pet card and I do not plan to remove it.
Any advice to help make this better is appreciated. I've been play testing it and I'm not sure if it has been bad draws but the deck so far ends up being just 1 creature and me drawing a lot of land or spells, if i get all spells then i sit with just Delver on the field and cant do anything, if i get all land then Stormchaser becomes useless
Welcome to the topic Rafiq!
This is a very good start for a Geist of Saint Traft deck. I can see exactly why you are having the problems you are having and I am excited that we can help. A lot of what other have said I will be repeating, but I just want to be thorough. I will start with a quick list of what I think you could do (only recommendations) and then the reasoning if you want to read it. I tend to be a little verbose sometimes. So here are my recommendations:
- 1x remand
- 1x lightning helix
- 2x steel of the godhead
- 2x stormchaser mage
- 1x geist of saint traft
- 1x Path to Exile
Your creature count was too low for a more aggressive version of the deck to start. 12 creatures works in midrange/control, but in a more aggressive/tempo version you often want 14-16 although this isn't a hard or fast rule. In addition, an early threat is key so adding swiftspear on top of delver makes a lot of your spells more valuable (serum visions, probe, distortion strike, emerge unscathed, boros charm, etc). If you don't want to run 4 you could run 2-3 and run 1-2 abbot of keral keep for the late game applications. Typically three Geist of Saint Trafts is the correct number because he has hexproof and is legendary, but if you keep steel of the godhead he seems very important so there is no problem running 4.
As for the counter magic, I think one mana counter magic is very good right now and in our deck so I think spell pierce is definitely needed. I am a huge fan of remand. I love the card and think it's much better than mana leak in a vacuum. However, it takes a very specific type of deck to utilize remand. The good news is that remand is a great card in the more aggressive version of the deck. However, it isn't great all of the time so 2 is probably enough. Adding Izzet Charm gives a great way to add counter magic to the deck while also having a spell that abbot can use. It's not the most powerful card, but it's very versatile. If you prefer a bit more consistency I would cut two remands and just add two spell pierce instead of one pierce and one izzet charm.
For other spells, I'm not a huge fan of Steel of the Godhead if you only have one good target. Distortion Strike works great if you add any of the prowess creatures. If you don't add them, I would suggest cutting it down to one steel of the godhead.
As for the planeswalker's there are a lot of people that love elspeth on her. If you like how she pairs with Geist, stick with her. I personally prefer Chandra because she fits the more aggressive strategy and is also good when we are behind. When we are ahead she clears blockers out of the way and does direct damage. When we are behind she can give us card advantage from her draw ability. Elspeth is a powerhouse all by herself. She is slightly better than Chandra when your ahead, but slightly worse when your behind. I would suggest testing both and deciding which one you prefer. I would only run one because of the 4 mana CMC.
Finally, I would add a Sulfur Falls[/s] and/or Glacial Fortress to your mana base and cut a plains and mountain. I would also add a Sacred Foundry to go up to 19 lands. Even if it means playing 61 cards I think 19 lands at 61 cards is more consistent than 18 lands at 60 cards.
It's always great to get another player on the jeskai team (especially a geist player!). I can't wait to see how your deck evolves. In the end the decision for your deck is yours and play whatever you like. These are only suggestions so don't feel bad simply saying "Curdbros I disagree with this and your crazy, but thanks for trying to help." I can't wait to see how it goes. Welcome to the topic.
went 2-2 in Standard but 4-0 in between rounds Modern!!
'round' 1: RW Burn 2-0 (favored in game one, sideboard carried me game 2)
'Round' 2: Nahiri Control 2-1: (Burn+ Chandra got me there (Yay for my foil girl))
'round' 3: Team Geist: 2-1: (Underestimated Trafty game 1 and lost the race, but sideboard 'clasms and Kira won me game 2 while Ellie + Mantis got me game 3)
'round' 4: Zoo (2-1) overwhelmed game 1, Sideboard 'clasms and countermagic controlled him games 2-3 and got me there!)
COnclusions:
1. I love Modern more than Standard
2. Chandra is bae!!
3. My transformational sideboard is great for my meta
4. I may need to work on the post board Nahiri game
Hey Guys, i've been trying to find the right Tempo deck to play my Geist of Saint Traft in as I cannot afford the snapcasters for the midrange version. Here is my Shell so far and it needs some tweaking (i've not included a Sideboard as I have no decided on one yet, Mainboard first) also to note: Steel of the Godhead I know this Only affect my Geist but that is what the deck originally is for is my geist, it is a pet card and I do not plan to remove it.
Any advice to help make this better is appreciated. I've been play testing it and I'm not sure if it has been bad draws but the deck so far ends up being just 1 creature and me drawing a lot of land or spells, if i get all spells then i sit with just Delver on the field and cant do anything, if i get all land then Stormchaser becomes useless
Welcome to the topic Rafiq!
This is a very good start for a Geist of Saint Traft deck. I can see exactly why you are having the problems you are having and I am excited that we can help. A lot of what other have said I will be repeating, but I just want to be thorough. I will start with a quick list of what I think you could do (only recommendations) and then the reasoning if you want to read it. I tend to be a little verbose sometimes. So here are my recommendations:
- 1x remand
- 1x lightning helix
- 2x steel of the godhead
- 2x stormchaser mage
- 1x geist of saint traft
- 1x Path to Exile
Your creature count was too low for a more aggressive version of the deck to start. 12 creatures works in midrange/control, but in a more aggressive/tempo version you often want 14-16 although this isn't a hard or fast rule. In addition, an early threat is key so adding swiftspear on top of delver makes a lot of your spells more valuable (serum visions, probe, distortion strike, emerge unscathed, boros charm, etc). If you don't want to run 4 you could run 2-3 and run 1-2 abbot of keral keep for the late game applications. Typically three Geist of Saint Trafts is the correct number because he has hexproof and is legendary, but if you keep steel of the godhead he seems very important so there is no problem running 4.
As for the counter magic, I think one mana counter magic is very good right now and in our deck so I think spell pierce is definitely needed. I am a huge fan of remand. I love the card and think it's much better than mana leak in a vacuum. However, it takes a very specific type of deck to utilize remand. The good news is that remand is a great card in the more aggressive version of the deck. However, it isn't great all of the time so 2 is probably enough. Adding Izzet Charm gives a great way to add counter magic to the deck while also having a spell that abbot can use. It's not the most powerful card, but it's very versatile. If you prefer a bit more consistency I would cut two remands and just add two spell pierce instead of one pierce and one izzet charm.
For other spells, I'm not a huge fan of Steel of the Godhead if you only have one good target. Distortion Strike works great if you add any of the prowess creatures. If you don't add them, I would suggest cutting it down to one steel of the godhead.
As for the planeswalker's there are a lot of people that love elspeth on her. If you like how she pairs with Geist, stick with her. I personally prefer Chandra because she fits the more aggressive strategy and is also good when we are behind. When we are ahead she clears blockers out of the way and does direct damage. When we are behind she can give us card advantage from her draw ability. Elspeth is a powerhouse all by herself. She is slightly better than Chandra when your ahead, but slightly worse when your behind. I would suggest testing both and deciding which one you prefer. I would only run one because of the 4 mana CMC.
Finally, I would add a Sulfur Falls[/s] and/or Glacial Fortress to your mana base and cut a plains and mountain. I would also add a Sacred Foundry to go up to 19 lands. Even if it means playing 61 cards I think 19 lands at 61 cards is more consistent than 18 lands at 60 cards.
It's always great to get another player on the jeskai team (especially a geist player!). I can't wait to see how your deck evolves. In the end the decision for your deck is yours and play whatever you like. These are only suggestions so don't feel bad simply saying "Curdbros I disagree with this and your crazy, but thanks for trying to help." I can't wait to see how it goes. Welcome to the topic.
Thanks for the feedback. I like most of what you have suggested i guess the only thing that i don't is the -2 Steel of the Godheads haha. I know this isn't the best card to have in the deck but i just really love the synergy between it and Geist of Saint Traft. the Lifelink as saved me many times in the past, but i know the enchantment route is not the best due to the lack of Hexproof creatures so i like the 2.
Current list i am testing due to the suggestions i have seen here are
The Distortion Strikes are a couple i have gone back and fourth on as i see the usefulness but at the same hand, it's usefulness in this list is solely on the Swiftspear as all my others (excluding Geist) have a natural evasion (Steel of the Godhead my man).
Also, I am not entirely sold on the Abbot as i don't know if the chance of whiffing on him is worth taking, might need some selling on him as many people suggest him i just don't fully see why.
The only thing as i have been testing this is again like you said the creature count is probably to low. I have run into 2 problems A) I get 0 Land and try and win off 1 Delver or 1 Swiftspear, and my Delver doesn't seem to flip reliably. or B) I get all lands and don't drop a creature for 5-6 turns. I know this could potentially just be bad luck on draws but still. I like the concept of this tempo deck i just can't seem to find the right way to make it "clique"
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i have been watching live modern coverage last weekend (SCG Modern Open Indianapolis) and this weekend (GP LA CHFB)and they covered much about the specifics about interacting with Infect.
1) Best to try and remove the infect creatures during your turn or at the end of the combat phase. Only attempt to remove the creatures during the combat phase if you know the coast is clear (tapped out, no pump spells during attack phase via Gitaxian Probe peek, they do not have blue source to tap for Dispel ect).
2) You can only take up to 4 poison counters before being in the danger zone.
3) Inkmoth Nexus is a major problem in this match up. Mainly because of the evasion.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
Thank you. I am going to add #2 to my write up and credit you. These are all great points. Sometimes it feels wrong to tap out and try to take care of their creatures before combat because in so many other matchups you want to do the opposite, but here it's definitely right.
Next up is G/R Tron
I solved the mana flood issues I was having and thedeck plays a LOT better. And I finally get consistent time to test every weekend. YAY!
It's funny you mention that because I just did the same thing. I cut a sulfur falls for an Arid Mesa in order to flood less. Flooding is no fun for us and it's hard to find that perfect mix of fetches and non-fetches.
I'm glad to hear it's helping the deck run much more smoothly. Things that seem little can make a huge difference.
http://modernnexus.com/scg-indianapolis-tournament-report-grixis-delver/
i do play a bit of grixis delver on the side and against it and it has certain intricacies that made it a different animal compared to jeskai delver although they share at least 50% of the card pool.
1) it has been mentioned before that path to exile and mana leak is bad synergy. which is why jeskai shells lean on lightning bolt and helix to only use path on the most problematic creatures. some jeskai decks run Condemn and Detention Sphere. i just run vapor snag lol but vapor snag is just plain bad in siege rhino and kitchen finks match ups.
2) thought scour is actually the worst card in grixis. its just there to fuel an early tasigur or gurmag angler. note that Chapin ran only 1 copy in his list at GP LA. he didn't top 32 but he did go at least 8-x-x i think.
3) grixis has ways to deal with planeswalkers directly esp in the tron and current nahiri match ups. dreadbore a good card despite 'pro' players *****ing about it. its either dreadbore or hero's downfall, which costs 1 mana more and will usually mean the powerful planeswalker does its dirty dead for 1 more turn. so between eating another activation and tapping out for dreadbore, which do you prefer? lol
r&d are not going to print a powerful planeswalker removal card that will slot flawlessly into modern as long as their sales strategy in standard is big flashy planeswalker cards. dreadbore is a great card for grixis and jund. its time they embrace it.
jeskai doesn't have a real solution against planeswalkers. its either burn or running creatures into them. at worst, we can side in boomerang. but it doesn't solve the problem. this is also one of the key reasons why jeskai delver/tempo is behind the curve when compared to grixis.
4) grixis has big creatures that can sneak in early via thought scour. jeskai doesn't. so far, flip Avacyn is tinkered with in the more midrangy builds. i would lean on restoration angel as the go to but she has limited interactions. she could blink snapcaster but there is a good chance you don't have the mana to flashback the spells in your graveyard because of the low mana base. i think this slot in jeskai tempo/delver builds need to be looked into. its one of the most important missing pieces in jeskai tempo/delver.
5) tron is one of our #1 bugbears especially in game 1. i think we need to bring in 8 cards from the sideboard to hate it out and its only doing so marginally because a natural tron will still wreck you. stony silence and spell snare are key cards in the match up. but that deck has so much redundancy that it could assemble tron with just ancient stirrings and the expedition maps that slip pass. crumble to dust is too slow and spreading seas just delays the inevitable. i thought about solving the problem by hard countering Karn/worldbreaker/wurmcoil/ulamog and Surgical Extraction-ing them it has worked to a certain degree but it requires you to play very conservatively (aka leave mana open after turn 2) rather than the more aggressive playstyle.
that is all i have for now.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Stormchaser Mage
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Mantis Rider
Chandra and Ellie
1 Chandra, Pyromaster (my foil girl)
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Instants and Sorceries
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Boros Charm
2 Jeskai Charm
2 Electrolyze
4 Path to Exile
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sulfur Falls
2 Island
2 Mountain
2 Plains
3 Kor Firewalker
2 Spell Pierce
1 Deflecting Palm
2 Meddling Mage
2 Rest in Peace
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Stony Silence
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
GR Tron- Joe Loosett- SCG Charlotte
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 World Breaker
2 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
4 Expedition Map
3 Oblivion Stone
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Karn Liberated
2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Sanctum of Ugin
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
1 Crumble to Dust
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Nature's Claim
2 Sudden Shock
3 Thragtusk
3 Warping Wail
The Jeskai Way
4x Delver of Secrets
3x Monastery Swiftspear
3x Geist of Saint Traft
2x Snapcaster Mage
1x Abbot of Keral Keep
1x Grim Lavamancer
Instant/Sorcery (26)
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Lightning Helix
2x Distortion Strike
1x Emerge Unscathed
3x Path to Exile
2x Remand
2x Spell Pierce
1x Izzet Charm
1x Electrolyze
1x Vapor Snag
1x Boros Charm
4x Serum Visions
2x Gitaxian Probe
1x Chandra, Pyromaster
Land (19)
4x Scalding Tarn
3x Flooded Strand
2x Seachrome Coast
2x Sulfur Falls
2x Island
1x Plains
1x Mountain
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
2x Steam Vents
1x Nahiri, the Harbinger
1x Celestial Purge
1x Dispel
1x Hallowed Moonlight
1x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Negate
1x Deflecting Palm
1x Aven Mindcensor
2x Stony Silence
1x Detention Sphere
2x Spreading Seas
1x Wear // Tear
The odds-
Pre-Board - 55/45 - Favored
Post-Board- 55/45 - Favored
The matchup- Yet another modern boogyman that we really don't mind playing against with a tempo style deck. With that said, this matchup varies greatly based on the style of prowess deck being played. The aggressive/tempo/burn oriented lists are very slightly favored (the list I am writing about), but the slower more controlling lists are not favored before boarding. In this case we have the perfect plan to attack tron. Tron loses hard to early threats backed up by permission (counter magic). We are simply the best deck in modern at that game plan. If they natural tron by turn three they are still likely to win and that's why I only have the matchup slightly favored.
Sideboarding
In- Deflecting Palm, 2x Stony Silence, Negate, Dispel, Aven Mindcensor, Spreading Seas
Out- 2x Gitaxian Probe, Boros Charm, Emerge Unscathed, Grim Lavamancer, Electrolyze, Chandra, Pyromaster
Other options- Ghost Quarter, Spell Snare, Nahiri, The Harbinger, Flashfreeze, Wear // Tear (if you suspect enchantments/multiple spellskites).
What The Opponent Often Sideboards Against Jeskai Way- The opponent will often sideboard in 1-2 spellskites, and 2-4 lightning bolts. Most tron decks will also run some sort of green life gain creature often in the form of Obstinate Baloth or Thragtusk. In the past RG Tron lists have run Pyroclasm and/or Kozilek's Return. I personally have yet to run into a list that runs Choke, but it is an option in their colors.
Sideboaring Explanation and Post Board Strategy- The idea post board is to become a straight tempo deck with large roadblocks for their strategy. It's often a good idea to mulligan aggressively to insure you have an early threat or an early Stony Silence to either attack early and often or to slow them down considerably. Spell Snare does a good job of stopping their early growth by hitting Slyvan Scrying and also protects from Pyroclasm. Deflecting Palm has been nothing short of amazing against Tron's big fatties. Once you get them down to 6-8 life and you have deflecting palm in hand they will likely just kill themselves with a wurmcoil or ulamog attack. Remember, the Deflecting Palm also stops them from gaining any life from a Wurmcoil Engine attack. This has allowed me a victory multiple times in the past. Spreading Seas obviously slows them down by hitting a tron land. Negate hits their planeswalker's as well as their ramp spells so it's very valuable post sideboard. Dispel is less valuable, but can save your team from sweepers an has become more valuable lately with more Tron decks playing lightning bolt and Warping Wale. It's important not to side out your Remands and Spell Pierces if possible because counter magic is very strong against tron due to the fact that they often only cast one spell a turn and most are non-creature spells. Finally, Stony Silence stops all of their searching artifacts and oblivion stone. It is probably the single most effective card against them. In addition, Aven Mindscensor hits a large majority of their ramp spells which search for a land.
Trends and Vital Points
-Mulligan aggressively to an early threat- Have pressure on the tron player may be the single most important aspect to winning vs losing. Having pressure forces the tron player into playing their threats into our counter magic and makes our burn spells that much better.
-Counter their ramp spells unless you are well ahead- If you have landed an early threat that hasn't been dealt with you can save your counter magic for the impact spells late in the game. However, if you were unable to get an early threat, counter their ramp spells. Most tron decks only function after getting tron so if you can slow then down you may be able to simply burn them out.
-Boros Charm stops their sweepers- All of their sweepers are damage based or destruction based so don't waste your boros charms for 4 damage unless it's directly leading to lethal damage. Oblivion stone is a strong option for tron against us and boros charm can lead to blowouts.
-Path to Exile is good against all of their creatures so don't board them out even though they have very few creatures. If you get too any you can always path your own creature.
Recap
Tron is a very straightforward matchup and we should be favored. As I said above, the make-up of the deck decides this whether your favored or not. Tron is a very redundant deck so killing them before they can start chaining large spells is the best plan of attack. Much like many decks in modern, Tron's god hands can be tough to match so there will be games they win even with the best disruption we can offer. With that said, an early clock and disruption is the best recipe to beat tron. The good news is that is exactly what we are set up to do.
Thanks for the awesome post!
I have dabbled in grixis in the past with a grixis Rise // Fall deck, but haven't played grixis delver. I just love jeskai too much to cheat on it :). I do think grixis is a the second best choice for a delver shell in modern (maybe first, but I am biased). The access to the delve creatures gives grixis a huge boost. I also wish we had a three drop like Kolaghan's Command.
The main problem that grixis has is a lack of reach. Jeskai has access to Lightning Helix and boros charm Boros Charm which can take advantage of the early pressure that delver and swiftspear put on the opponent. Grixis has Creeping Tar-Pit and Kolaghan's Command, but these are much slower spells.
Another weakness of grixis is that it plays much more similarly to a control deck than it does to an aggro or tempo deck. Their best removal spell is Terminate which compares unfavorably to Path to Exile in most situations. I have always felt that grixis delver is kind of a worse version of a grixis control deck. When I build a deck I always ask myself if the deck is just a worse version of a current build, and I can't convince myself that grixis delver is a better deck than grixis midrange/control. It may be, I just don't have the experience with the deck.
In addition, the grixis sideboard is not as strong as the jeskai sideboard.
I don't think planewalker removal is a large issue in modern currently. There are very few walkers played in modern that aren't answered by Celestial Purge. It answers Liliana, of the Veil, Nahiri, The Harbinger, Chandra, Pyromaster, etc. We do have a problem with white and blue planeswalkers, but they are far less prevalent in the current meta.
I think in the end it comes down to a matter of preference/playstyle. If you like an aggressive/tempo approach, jeskai is likely a better choice. If you prefer a more controlling/tempo style approach grixis will most likely suite you better. Here are the pros and cons as I see it.
Jeskai Pros/Cons
-Reach with burn
-Better side board
-Access to path to exile
-Access to Geist of Saint Traft
-Mana Leak and Path are a Nonbo
-Doesn't have large/low costed threats
-Doesn't have straight planeswalker removal
-Lack of powerful 1 and 2 CMC beaters.
Grixis Pros/Cons
-Access to delve creatures
-Access to dreadbore
-Kolaghan's command is two for one and maindeck artifact hate
-Access to hand disruption spells
-Suffers greatly from graveyard hate
-Removal is weaker
-Struggles to finish games
-Weaker sideboard.
Now that I am thinking about it there seems to be a scale of delver decks on the aggro-control spectrum.
Aggressive/Tempo- Jeskai
Pure Tempo- Temur
Control/Tempo- Grixis
Of course this is not a hard or fast set of rules, but each shard seems to have a niche that they are better suited for. All three shards have pros and cons and I think all three can be highly competitive. I personally like jeskai, but that is just a personal opinion. I think grixis, temur, and jeskai can all be great delver decks.
The Matchup: Not sure on the numbers but I think I am favored against traditional Boros and Naya Burn because of Snap Helix and my more resilient threats. Nacatl burn and burning Zoo are probably favored against me game one. Post Board, I think I am favored against most Burn variants (Kira to shut down Searing Blaze, Wear Tear for Leylines of Sanctity or Punishment, and counter-magic to slow the onslaught. I believe this is a good matchup for MY personal build.
Notes: The rifles are the controlling deck in the Naya M/U as well as the Boros burn deck. My fliers are critical, as they can soar over ground blockers and apply pressure while I use removal to stabilize. Helix is the best card in this matchup. Hold onto the Helixes and try to get them to run low on gas, then out value them with Snapcaster, Chandra,and Ellie. Don't be afraid to use the Lifelink mode on Jeskai Charm to stabilize.
Sideboarding:
IN:
- 3x Kor Firewalker
2x Spell Pierce
1x Kira
Wear Tear (if you see leylines)
Out: 3x Path to Exile
2x Electrolyze
Other SB Options:
- Deflecting Palm
-Leyline of Sanctity
Timely Reinforcemnts
I love seeing these matchup guides for different Jeskai prowess decks! Very cool GoyfyTomCat.
I definitely think your build is favored against burn with access to lightning helix and Jeskai charm. Once you side in the lot firewalkers they almost have no chance of beating you. My version is not as well equipped to handle burn but I wish it was.
It's good for the reader and the writer to post these sideboard guides. I think writing then really helps me make a game plan for each deck rather than winging it each game.
Looks good xweto! I would probably cut one distortion strike and add a remand, but that's the only change I would make. I have never personally loved elspeth and have have had mixed success with resto angel in the past. Sometimes she has been very good, and not so good. I think it has a lot to do with the make up of the rest of the deck. If it were my deck I would probably cut one of those and a land and get two remands in the deck or just cut on distortion strike and 1 four drop and add two remands. However, this is just my personal preference. There are tons of players that love elspeth and and resto so it is by no means something that needs to be done. The deck looks great just the way it is. Thanks for posting it!
There are a lot of people on here that absolutely love Elspeth so I totally understand not cutting her. I completely agree with you about Chandra as well. She has performed extremely well every time I cast her. She is just the perfect top end to an aggressive tempo strategy in my opinion.
As for remand, don't play any cards your not comfortable with. It's your deck so whatever cards you like to play and that fit your playstyle will be the best choices. Some people prefer Mana Leak, other like Deprive, some like Logic Knot, Izzet Charm, and some people just don't like counter magic that much in the deck and prefer to go a bit more aggro. Don't add Remand if you don't like the card. Play what you like and what works well for you. I was just saying what I prefer. It's always great to give cards a second chance, but if it doesn't work out or you really know that you just don't like the card, play what works for you.
I look forward to hearing how the deck works for you. It looks sweet.
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Stormchaser Mage
Enchantment 2
2 Steel of the Godhead
Instant 20
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Remand
2 Boros Charm
2 Emerge Unscathed
4 Serum Visions
3 Gitaxian Probe
Planeswalker 1
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Land 18
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Steam Vents
2 Island
2 Plains
2 Mountain
Any advice to help make this better is appreciated. I've been play testing it and I'm not sure if it has been bad draws but the deck so far ends up being just 1 creature and me drawing a lot of land or spells, if i get all spells then i sit with just Delver on the field and cant do anything, if i get all land then Stormchaser becomes useless
Thanks for the reply. Sorry if this is an obvious question but i have been looking over Chandra, Pyromaster but the only useful thing i see if the 1 damage and cannot block am i missing something else?
I did try the Young Pyromancers in the deck before i came here and i just didnt like them, normally they were something i'd hold onto till turn 3 or 4 and by then i just really wished i had a Geist to slap down instead. I was going to use Thundermaw Hellkite as a curve topper as a 1 or 2 of but someone told me i shouldn't as this was a "win more" card.
What about the rest? is there anything else obvious that i might have missed making for changes? don't even know what i am going to remove to up my land count again. I never used to run the Probes but started testing those and that's where i took land out for haha.
4 delver of secrets
3 monastery swiftspear
3 geist of saint traft
2 lightning angel
instant 21
4 path to exile
4 lightning bolt
4 lightning helix
4 remand
2 boros charm
2 emerge unscathed
1 spell pierce
3 serum visions
3 gitaxian probe
enchantment 2
2 steel of the godhead
planeswalker 1
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
land 18
4 flooded strand
4 polluted delta
2 hallowed fountain
2 steam vents
2 island
2 plains
2 mountain
modern is dominated mostly by low casting cost spells which can be recasted if you remand. which is why many of the tier 1 counterspells in modern get worst as the game goes longer. mana leak, remand and spell pierce are all bad counterspells to draw if you stall out. condescend, logic knot and deprive are way more utilitarian but have their prices to pay.
remand's popularity is also hit by abrupt decay's current popularity.
you have to admit that playing counterspells in modern is not a matter of fire and forget. many times u have to allow something to resolve because the counterspell in hand isn't good for that situation and need to find another answer instead.
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
Welcome to the topic Rafiq!
This is a very good start for a Geist of Saint Traft deck. I can see exactly why you are having the problems you are having and I am excited that we can help. A lot of what other have said I will be repeating, but I just want to be thorough. I will start with a quick list of what I think you could do (only recommendations) and then the reasoning if you want to read it. I tend to be a little verbose sometimes. So here are my recommendations:
- 1x remand
- 1x lightning helix
- 2x steel of the godhead
- 2x stormchaser mage
- 1x geist of saint traft
- 1x Path to Exile
+ 1x Izzet Charm
+ 1x Spell Pierce
+ 2-4x Monastery Swiftspear
+ 2x Distortion Strike
+ 1-2x Abbot of Keral Keep
Your creature count was too low for a more aggressive version of the deck to start. 12 creatures works in midrange/control, but in a more aggressive/tempo version you often want 14-16 although this isn't a hard or fast rule. In addition, an early threat is key so adding swiftspear on top of delver makes a lot of your spells more valuable (serum visions, probe, distortion strike, emerge unscathed, boros charm, etc). If you don't want to run 4 you could run 2-3 and run 1-2 abbot of keral keep for the late game applications. Typically three Geist of Saint Trafts is the correct number because he has hexproof and is legendary, but if you keep steel of the godhead he seems very important so there is no problem running 4.
As for the counter magic, I think one mana counter magic is very good right now and in our deck so I think spell pierce is definitely needed. I am a huge fan of remand. I love the card and think it's much better than mana leak in a vacuum. However, it takes a very specific type of deck to utilize remand. The good news is that remand is a great card in the more aggressive version of the deck. However, it isn't great all of the time so 2 is probably enough. Adding Izzet Charm gives a great way to add counter magic to the deck while also having a spell that abbot can use. It's not the most powerful card, but it's very versatile. If you prefer a bit more consistency I would cut two remands and just add two spell pierce instead of one pierce and one izzet charm.
For other spells, I'm not a huge fan of Steel of the Godhead if you only have one good target. Distortion Strike works great if you add any of the prowess creatures. If you don't add them, I would suggest cutting it down to one steel of the godhead.
As for the planeswalker's there are a lot of people that love elspeth on her. If you like how she pairs with Geist, stick with her. I personally prefer Chandra because she fits the more aggressive strategy and is also good when we are behind. When we are ahead she clears blockers out of the way and does direct damage. When we are behind she can give us card advantage from her draw ability. Elspeth is a powerhouse all by herself. She is slightly better than Chandra when your ahead, but slightly worse when your behind. I would suggest testing both and deciding which one you prefer. I would only run one because of the 4 mana CMC.
Finally, I would add a Sulfur Falls[/s] and/or Glacial Fortress to your mana base and cut a plains and mountain. I would also add a Sacred Foundry to go up to 19 lands. Even if it means playing 61 cards I think 19 lands at 61 cards is more consistent than 18 lands at 60 cards.
It's always great to get another player on the jeskai team (especially a geist player!). I can't wait to see how your deck evolves. In the end the decision for your deck is yours and play whatever you like. These are only suggestions so don't feel bad simply saying "Curdbros I disagree with this and your crazy, but thanks for trying to help." I can't wait to see how it goes. Welcome to the topic.
'round' 1: RW Burn 2-0 (favored in game one, sideboard carried me game 2)
'Round' 2: Nahiri Control 2-1: (Burn+ Chandra got me there (Yay for my foil girl))
'round' 3: Team Geist: 2-1: (Underestimated Trafty game 1 and lost the race, but sideboard 'clasms and Kira won me game 2 while Ellie + Mantis got me game 3)
'round' 4: Zoo (2-1) overwhelmed game 1, Sideboard 'clasms and countermagic controlled him games 2-3 and got me there!)
COnclusions:
1. I love Modern more than Standard
2. Chandra is bae!!
3. My transformational sideboard is great for my meta
4. I may need to work on the post board Nahiri game
could you elaborate more about the nahiri control games?
Active thread contributor of Jeskai Prowess Tempo
Thanks for the feedback. I like most of what you have suggested i guess the only thing that i don't is the -2 Steel of the Godheads haha. I know this isn't the best card to have in the deck but i just really love the synergy between it and Geist of Saint Traft. the Lifelink as saved me many times in the past, but i know the enchantment route is not the best due to the lack of Hexproof creatures so i like the 2.
Current list i am testing due to the suggestions i have seen here are
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Stormchaser Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
Instants 15
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
3 Remand
3 Path to Exile
1 Spell Pierce
1 Boros Charm
2 Emerge Unscathed
2 Steel of the Godhead
Planeswalker 1
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Sorcery 8
4 Serum Visions
2 Gitaxian Probe
2 Distortion Strike
Land 19
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Plains
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Glacial Fortress
The Distortion Strikes are a couple i have gone back and fourth on as i see the usefulness but at the same hand, it's usefulness in this list is solely on the Swiftspear as all my others (excluding Geist) have a natural evasion (Steel of the Godhead my man).
Also, I am not entirely sold on the Abbot as i don't know if the chance of whiffing on him is worth taking, might need some selling on him as many people suggest him i just don't fully see why.
The only thing as i have been testing this is again like you said the creature count is probably to low. I have run into 2 problems A) I get 0 Land and try and win off 1 Delver or 1 Swiftspear, and my Delver doesn't seem to flip reliably. or B) I get all lands and don't drop a creature for 5-6 turns. I know this could potentially just be bad luck on draws but still. I like the concept of this tempo deck i just can't seem to find the right way to make it "clique"