The Jeskai utilize speed and cunning to defeat their foes. The Jeskai Tempo deck is made to win the Jeskai Way. While some decks use speed and some decks use power to go “over the top” of their opponent, this deck utilizes combat tricks, speed, and prowess to go “through and around“ the opponent.
The deck functions as an tempo deck that functions closer to the aggro end of the spectrum. As a tempo deck, it presents early threats that constantly pressure the opponent while keeping the way clear for said threats to finish the game. Unlike the typical tempo deck, this deck does not depend solely on counters and removal to clear the way, but the prowess mechanic, protection, pump, and unblockable abilities to vanquish the foes with a few precise and fatal strike. The deck can be made to be extremely aggressive...or a few more "tricks" can be used...but we will always be an aggressive deck with just enough interaction to keep the opponent on their back foot.
History of Jeskai Tempo/Delver
The first form of jeskai tempo to gain prominance in the modern format was referred to as BOREMANDOS for "Boros" + "Remand". The deck functioned much like the deck does today. Ideally the deck starts by casting an early efficient threat followed by utilizing counter magic and removal to protect said threat and to remove any blockers in the threats way. The deck then finishes off the game with multiple threats or reach via burn damage. The core of Boremandos deck was the following:
The remainder of the deck is made up of additional burn, removal, counter magic, and bounce spells to maintain the decks gameplan.
During Grand Prix Columbus in 2012 the deck became a known commodity when Max Tietze gave the deck one of its most prominent finishes with a top 4 finish. Shahar Shenhar and Chris Piland also played the deck to a top 8 finish in Grand Prix Columbus in 2012. Shahar Shenhar again played the deck again in Pro Tour Return to Ravnica with a top 64 finish. Dan Jordan finished 11th at Pro Tour Return to Ravnica with the "Boremandos" deck.
Here is a link to a deck tech with Shahar Shenhar during Pro Tour Return to Ravnica-
BoRemandos was played and was a tier 2 deck for several years until the printing of Eidolon of the Great Revel. At this point burn took over most of the meta share as the go to aggressive deck in the format.
The Khans of Tarkir block was released on September 26th 2014 and it was the first set in magic's history that actually specifically dealt with the jeskai UWR shard. The printing of Mantis Rider and Monastery Swiftspear during the Khans block. and gave jeskai delver/tempo a much needed shot in the arm. Jeskai Charm was also printed which is often utilized in prowess style decks. In addition to mantis rider the "prowess mechanic" was introduced and quickly became an evergreen mechanic.
The printing of Treasure Cruise almost immediatly shot URx Delver decks (including Jeskai) to prominence in modern again. Unfortunately treasure cruise proved to be too good and many thought delver decks were becoming too good and treasure cruise was banned in modern. This took a very large chunk of the Delver decks out of the modern meta. In addition, Gitaxian Probe was banned in January 2017 taking another important Delver/Prowess card away from jeskai. There are basically three distinct ages of the jeskai delver deck- the Boremandos days of 2011-2014. The Treasure Cruise days from late 2014 until the banning in 2015. Finally, from 2015 to present day (without probe now). Since we have had several bannings we have come to a point where the Delver deck has once again progessed to a new age of deck including three different play styles or game plans which include Pure Aggro/Prowess, Pure Tempo/Prowess, and Midrange/Control. Those will be discussed in detail below.
The Deck- "The Jeskai Way".
Jeskai Way by CurdBros (November 2017 - Mainboard Only)
A) Constantly pressure the opponent with early efficient threats
B) Inflict large "chunks" of damage (far higher than the threats initial mana cost would suggest)
C) Do so while utilizing disruption (counter magic, removal, bounce) to keep the board clear and opponent on the defensive.
D) Utilize direct damage/evasion to finish the game if necessary.
The following is a brief view of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the differing gameplans that can be utilized under the jeskai tempo/delver umbrella - thanks to GoyfTomcat1 for the basis of this part.
Each build has its own strengths and weaknesses:
All In Prowess:
Pros:
1. Most explosive of the builds
2. Utilizes the prowess mechanic almost like a combo deck, in that it can "go off" very quickly and win in 1-2 turns with a good draw.
3. Fully embraces the Prowess mechanic and also tends rely more heavily on burn damage.
Cons:
1. Can be very draw dependent
2. Using slots for cards like Mishra's Bauble, gut shot, etc limits the number of slots for removal (but this can be played around)
3. Late game the deck loses its explosiveness
Tempo (Jeskai Way) Prowess
Pros:
1. Has very good aggro-control game (a decent matchup in game one against most decks)
2. Can be tuned for almost any meta
3. Great against combo decks and aggro decks.
4. Excellent sideboard options
Cons:
1.Creatures like Delver can be removed easily, making it fragile on bad mulligans etc
2. A very complicated deck with a number of lines and interaction.
3. Can be draw dependent (ei- drawing removal when a threat is needed)
3. Has a less powerful late-game spells and has a hard time coming back from behind.
Mentor/Young P (Midrange) Delver/Prowess
Pros:
1. Has a higher general power level per card.
2. Has a higher curve and therefore has access to some great Planeswalkers
4. Has a better midrange matchup as it can keep up with the value of Jund/ Junk throughout the game.
Cons:
1. Slower set up than All-in or "Jeskai Way" Prowess, but makes up for this with more control/ permission spells
2. Doesn't apply pressure as well and therefore has a worse combo matchup and Tron matchup.
I will touch on each of these styles in the deck section, but following is the common creatures, spells, walkers, artifacts, etc found in each of the decks.
Now let us get into the creation of the deck.
Core Strategy and Strengths of Jeskai Shard
Just like the jeskai mages and monks around the multiverse the Jeskai Tempo decks are built around efficiency and cunning. Every card is meant to inflict maximum damage with the least cost. The deck plays out as an aggro-conrol/tempo deck that attacks on a different angle than most decks in the format. Like most tempo decks, jeskai tempo utilizes early efficient threats along with removal spells and counter magic to maintain control on the battlefield. While maintaining control of the battlefield, the deck presents a very efficient threat(s) and reach that can win the game at any point.
A major strength of the jeskai tempo/delver/prowess deck that differs from other shards of delver decks (grixis, sultai, temur) is the reach the deck has to end the game. Much of this reach is in the form of burn spells such as Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Boros Charm, Electrolyze, Forked Bolt, Jeskai Charm, etc. This gives jeskai a leg up on other delver/tempo decks in modern as the jeskai tempo can end games quickly even if tempo is lost.
The final benefit of the deck is the synergy between all of the cards. As stated earlier, efficiency is very important aspect of this deck. All of the instant/sorcery spells either cause direct damage, pump our creatures, protect our creatures, or clear the way for our creatures. Many do several at the same time (or provide us the ability to choose which we prefer at any given moment). In addition, many of the spells replace themselves by drawing another card. This means that most of the draws we have are live at all times (especially if we have a threat). The burn spells can be used as removal, additional prowess triggers, and reach to finish the game off by going directly to the opponent’s face. Finally, if we are forced to block, the protection spells can allow our smaller creatures to soak up a large portion of damage and remain on board to attack next turn.
The Creatures
The creatures in this deck tend to meet three important criteria:
They all get larger or more powerful by casting non-creature or instant/sorcery spells (thus, they are all stronger in decks with large quantities of non-creature spells).
They all have a casting cost of 3 or less
They can attack for large chunks of damage.
There are actually many creatures that meet these requirements (some more powerful than others); and each fits better in different builds. The following is a "breakdown" of the best potential "Jeskai Way" creature options. The first and the namesake for many of these decks is Delver of Secrets
Delver of Secrets - The single most important card in the tempo deck and the namesake of most of the decks in this deck style. The classic blue tempo one drop. No creature in the history of the game has provided more damage for tempo decks. He can flip on turn two and provide an evasive (flying) 3/2 insect beater that can do enough damage to end the game on his own.
Monastery Swiftspear- Jeskai’s front line attacker. Swiftspear is a prime definition of what we are trying to accomplish. It is buffed by all of our spells and can attack early and often.
Stormchaser Mage - Prowess, Flying, AND Haste...what's not to love? The 1 power can be a downside, but cards like Twisted Image can make this a powerful option (and the 3 toughness means any spell puts the Mage out of bolt range. Very few decks want 4 copies of this card, but it is a great addition to multiple Jeskia Prowess decks based on pure power, efficiency, speed, and evasion.
Kiln Fiend - This elemental can do all the damage needed by its self. Although Kiln Fiend is less evasive than some of the other options in the deck, it makes up for this with sheer power. It is buffed an additional +3 with every instant/sorcery spell we cast and when it becomes unblockable, it often ends the game on its own.
Abbot of Keral Keep - This addition via Origins is a powerful card. For 2-mana, you get card advantage (which can be set up with cards like Serum Visions and Telling Time), a 2/1 body AND prowess. This is a lot of value for a little bit of mana. You can use it to dig, help fix mana (and keep you from getting land screwed), and to trigger prowess with a spell off the top of the deck! Versatile, powerful, and efficient.
Snapcaster Mage - Snapcaster Mage is possibly the best creature in modern and is almost assuredly the best blue creature in modern. He offers card advantage in a single card. Simply the best source of card advantage a creature can offer. He is an honorary Jeskai member.
Geist of Saint Traft - My personal favorite creature and a favorite of tempo player’s since his induction. Hexproof gives Geist the ultimate protection from removal spells. In addition, he offers the most efficient source of damage a three drop can offer (he attacks for 6 damage with the angel). His only weakness is his 2/2 stats. However, in this deck he is often unblockable or protected from the colors of the opponents deck all but removing his only weakness. He is possibly the best creature for this deck.
Soul Scar Mage - A new addition to the jeskai clan from Amonket. This wizard does a great job of giving the deck another great early prowess option that is hard to kill (2 toughness). Soul Scar Mage's ability to utilize -1/-1 counters gives the jeskai delver/tempo deck a huge bonus against some of our harder grindy matchups like GBx decks. The fact that this mage is also a human and a wizard helps decks run Cavern of Souls and other tribal support.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest - A true Jeskai Master and the Jeskai Khan. He makes all of our threats deadly on their own by offering double strike as an ability. Shu Yun offers a perfect top end to the creature suite by making other threats more powerful or ending the game on his own. With a single spell and two additional red/white mana he can attack for 8 damage on his own.
Bedlam Reveler- This horror gave the tempo prowess deck the top end well dreamed of. Card advantage on a stick and prowess to boot. Reveler doesn't come without risk though. He depends highly on casting spells early proactively so he can be cast for a fairly low casting cost. The risk is well worth the reward as there is simply no other top end spell that can be cast for 2 mana and offers a prowess body and 3 shiny new cards.
Other options:
Mantis Rider - A powerful and evasive Jeskai beater is exactly what we are looking for in this deck. If your meta calls for a few more threats the insect riding monk is a super option. He is the definition of an efficient creature- 3/3 flyier with vigiliance and haste for only three mana fits the tone of the Jeskai Way perfectly.
Young Pyromancer - This young fire starter synergizes wonderfully with a deck full of instants and sorceries. While the pyromancer doesn’t fit into the more aggressive strategy , she fits wonderfully in the more control/tempo oriented Monastery Mentor Jeskai Way deck that will be presented later.
Monastery Mentor - The mentor and teacher of the Jeskai Clan. He teaches the jeskai way to the future tempo creatures of the world. He has the single best synergy with a deck full of non-creature spells and can take control of a game all by himself. He can be included in exchange for Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest if you want a slightly more controlled top end. He is also the central focus of the Monastery Mentor Jeskai Way deck.
Grim Lavamancer - This red wizard offers a large amount of value and efficiency to the deck. By allowing us to utilize the large amount of low costed spells in our graveyard as additional damage/removal, he is as efficient as they come. While he may be a little slow for the unblockable version (which may not be the case), he fits perfectly into the more controlling Monastery Mentor version of the deck.
Spell Queller- A great tempo option that can add disruption to the deck while also adding another threat.
Hazoret, the Fervant- This god is a great top end to the super aggressive version of the deck. She can also dump any dead lands to deal direct damage.
Steppe Lynx - While not as powerful in this deck due to the low number of lands played, this cat can still make a potent turn one attacker.
Enigma Drake - This drake is another great option for budget builds that really concentrate on casting as many spells as possible. The 4 toughness in combination with flying makes this drake a very robust and powerful option that is hard to kill. This one can end games very quickly.
Cryptic Serpent - The blue "Tasigur" is a large fatty that can be cast for UU on most occasions. The serpent is also great in budget builds and fits wonderfully in decks with the drake listed above.
Nivix Cyclops - Nivix Cyclops is a great budget option for the deck. He is somewhat expensive, however, he can hit for a ton of damage.
Crackling Drake- Enigma drake's big brother also includes our cards that have been exiled and doesn't die to bolt.
Wee Dragnouts - The little engines that could. These tiny fliers offer another evasive option that triggers on instants/sorceries. They are another great budget option.
Curious Homunculus - This card is a tough nut to crack. The front of the card lends to a more midrange prowess build, but the back offers a great 3/4 prowess body. It takes a little work to make this one work, but this crazy looking guy can really pay off if you can make it work.
The Spells
The spells in the deck function as the engine of the deck. They spells are utilized to allow the threats of the deck to perform at their highest level. The spells utilized need to fit two of these three criteria:
They offer utility. Each spell should help our threats in multiple ways. Whether it be to pump, protect, or creature direct damage, each spell can be utilized in multiple ways.
They offer efficiency. The idea for the deck actually came from the idea of utilizing the rebound effect with prowess triggers. The rebound effect offers a free prowess trigger while also making our threats unblockble or giving them protection from a color. The burn spells offer direct damage and removal and the charm(s) offer several options inherently.
They offer card advantage. Cantrips are great for the deck because they can trigger prowess while not losing any card advantage. Cards like Remand and Electrolyze can also be utilized to gain actual card advantage while providing a trigger and effect.
The most important spells in the deck follow.
Lightning Bolt - The single best instant in the modern format. Three damage that can go directly to the face or act as removal for most early threats in the modern format all for the low cost of one red mana. If your deck plays red mana this is a must have 4 of.
Lightning Helix - The single most efficient life swing in modern. This instant offers a 6 life swing for one red and one white mana. While this is a personal preference it helps with many of the aggro matchups in the format.
Path to Exile - The single best removal spell in modern. What our bolts and helixes cannot kill, the path to exile can kill. The drawback of offering the opponent an additional mana is somewhat mitigated in this deck given that the game should end somewhat quickly.
Distortion Strike - This card single handedly started the creation of this deck. It offers our threat a pump of one power (often two with prowess) and, most importantly, makes them unblockable for a single blue mana. In addition, it is cast FOR FREE at the beginning of the next upkeep. The key word is that it is CAST for free offering another prowess trigger.
Slip Through Space - A cantrip that offers unblock ability; Sign us up. It's pretty straight foward and exactly what we are looking for.
Emerge Unscathed - This is probably the most efficient spell in the deck. It can protect our threats from removal and/or offer a type of unblockability if the creatures on the other side share a color. This is the card that a player must learn to utilize wisely. When you do it can create large blow outs or momentum swings in your favor.
Gitaxian Probe - A basically free prowess trigger that does not cause a loss in card advantage. In addition, it gives very important information about the opponents hand. A minimum of three of these should be in the deck, but four it preferable. ***BANNED***
Serum Visions -The best cantrip in modern. Serum Visions maybe the most important card in the deck. With our low land count, this helps smooth out our draws while triggering prowess/abilities. In addition, if you are playing delver this helps to insure he transforms into an insectile aberration. Also, if you choose to play Reforge the Soul this can insure that you can cast the card for it’s miracle cost.
Remand - Remand is the premier tempo counter spell. It provides a loss in tempo to our opponent while providing our deck with card advantage. It can also be utilized to bounce back any spell that is countered by our opponent that we would like to keep.
Boros Charm - The best of the Ravnica charms. Double Strike can make a single threat leathal. Four damage can provide the reach we need to finish the game or kill a pesky planeswalker. Finally, the indestructible clause helps us protect our threats from sweepers and removal. A great utility spell for the deck.
Sleight of Hand - Possibly the second best blue cantrip in the modern format. This card not only gives great card selection, but unlike serum visions, it gives you a card right away when it is cast. Sleight of hand is a great option for the low CMC decks and is utilized to ensure land drops and to ensure that the player doesn't flood.
Vapor Snag - This card can take the place of Path to Exile if you find that giving the land to the opponent is becoming a problem. Vapor snag is a perfect tempo bounce card and it does one point of damage just to top it off.
Censor - This new counter spell from Amonket fits great into the more aggressive decks that still want counter magic in the deck. It is also a great choice for decks utilizing Bedlam Reveler. Censor is a very powerful early game counter magic spell and can easily be cycled in the late game to add to the graveyard instant and sorcery count.
Electrolyze - Electrolyze is a perfect spell for the more controlling version of the deck. It does it all. It offers direct damage, triggers prowess/abilities, and draws a card.
Other options:
Izzet Charm - Izzet charm is another perfect utility spell for the deck. It offers a looting option to smooth out our draws and tigger prowess/abilities. In addition, it offers an additional semi-counter spell and possible removal for a smaller creature.
Jeskai Charm - Although slightly highly costed, jeskai charm is a very powerful option. The four damage can end the game, the +1/+1 pump can buff creatures and give life gain in aggro matchups, and bouncing a blocker clears the way for our attackers.
Haze of Rage - This one is a personal favorite of mine. It pumps all of our creatures power for two mana, but can also be bought back (put back in our hand after casting) in the late game for only two mana. In addition it has storm! Although the storm copies don’t trigger prowess, it is still a very powerful pump spell for the Monastery Mentor version of the deck.
Reforge the Soul - Of all of the miracle cards from Avacyn Restored, this is the most overlooked. Because this deck utilizes its cards more quickly, reforge the soul gives a great card draw option that is much more beneficial to our deck than the opponents in most cases. This is a powerful option that can be replaced with other draw cards if you prefer something a little less volatile.
Defiant Strike - This card works very well as a pump spell that offers card advantage. It is an especially good option for a budget form of the deck.
Perilous Research - If your prefer more lands in the deck to be comfortable, perilous research is a great card to add card draw to the deck while protecting against flooding.
Tormenting Voice - This card is another draw engine that can help smooth out our draws and prevent flooding and mana screw.
Compulsive Research - Although this card is more costly, it can function as a card draw spell for the deck that can protect against flooding.
Gut Shot and Mutagenic Growth- If you prefer hyper aggressive, these are more phyrexian mana spells that trigger prowess/abilities. Both fit very well into the decks strategy.
Manamorphose, Quicken, etc. - For a more aggressive version all cantrips make great options because they are free prowess/ability triggers. I feel that there is a critical mass of cantrips the deck can handle before becoming a light on power, but all cantrips are possible options for the deck.
Twisted Image - This card works very well with kiln fiend and monastery swiftspear. It also replaces itself which is always a plus. Possibly most importantly, it can kill opposing Spellskites which are a real problem for this deck.
Telling Time, Sleight of Hand - These setups spells are also options to smooth out our strategy. They can help flip delvers and hit miracle triggers.
Other Permanents - Planeswalkers, Aritfacts, Enchantments
While the deck tends to focus heavily on creatures and instant/sorcery spells; there are other permanents that can work in "Jeskai Way" decks. In order to "fit" or have synergy with the deck, the other options in the deck need to meet two criteria:
They trigger prowess/abilities (all artifacts, enchantments, and planewalkers trigger prowess)
They add to the main strategy to the deck. These spells should either offer continued card advantage and/or continued means to "clearing the way" for our creatures. They must offer card advantage because we typically play our spells quickly. If they do not add card advantage they need to continue to clear the way for our threats or make our threats very powerful on their own right.
There are a few great cards that meet these criteria.
Chandra, Pyromaster - Chandra makes the perfect planeswalker for the strategy. She can clear away blockers and, most importantly, she semi-card advantage for our low costed spells. At four mana she is at the top of the curve, but she is a great option.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant - Another lady that can top out our curve with power. The most beneficial mode she offers will be the +3/+3 and flying. This makes Geist of Saint Traft a killing machine.
Saheeli Rai - The third powerful woman on our list is the most unique. She works extremely well with snapcaster mage and bedlam reveler and offers additional deck manipulation and direct damage. While we can't utilize her ultimate, she is the least costly planeswalker at 1RU.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - Gideon dominated his time in standard and is a great option for the jeskai tempo decks either at the top of the curve, but more likely out of the sideboard. Because this gideon can dominate an empty board it is a great option against the GBx opponents. He can pump all of our early plays with an emblem or come down on an empty board and start making an army of 2/2 allys.
Outpost Siege - Much like Chandra, outpost siege can give the deck a repeatable source of card advantage. An enchantment is also much harder to kill than a planeswalker.
Swords of all varieties - All of the swords make great options for our deck. The deck almost always attacks with one or two threats and protection is highly valued in our strategy. All of the swords make great curve toppers that make our threats even more threatening.
Jeskai Ascendancy - This card can exponentially boost the craziness of the deck. While I haven't perfected it yet; potentially adding 1-2 Ascendancies in any list can make the list that much more explosive (and help us dig to the exact cards we are looking for).
Hero's Blade - This is a great card if your list includes several legends like Geist of Saint Traft and Shu Yun. Adds huge boosts and equips for free to them...of course while also triggering Prowess.
The Utility Lands
While the deck utilizes many of the well known Jeskai Lands (Scalding Tarn, Hallowed Fountain, Steam Vents, Sacred Foundry, Sulfur Falls, etc.); there are also several utility lands that we can take advantage of. Because the Jeskai Way functions on a low mana curve the utility lands that our colors offer can often be too slow. However, there are some great options to add power and utility to the Jeskai Way. These include lands that:
Pump our creatures
Provide Haste to our threats
Can untap oour threats
Make our threats "un-counterable"
Are a threat all their own.
While not all "utility" lands in our colors work well, below is a list I've found to be very effective.
Slayer’s Stronghold - The Jeskai Way has no double costed cards (unless you include planewalkers) so one non-color producing land is acceptable. Slayer’s stronghold offers a great utility be making any game in which our threats are constantly removed a possible win. The threats gain haste, vigilance and +2/+0. Slayer’s stronghold is probably the best utility land for The Jeskai Way.
Faerie Conclave - This is a highly under-utilized man land that many blue decks would benefit from. I think it is the only manland that fits in our build. Faerie Conclave is a great way to get some late game reach into our deck without increasing the average converted mana cost. This is a must in my opinion.
Cavern of Souls - An uncounterable Geist of Saint Traft basically spells the end for most blue based control decks. Because a vast majority of our creatures are humans and because the deck has no double costed (RR, WW, UU, etc) spells, cavern of souls becomes a great option to add another angle to the deck.
Hall of the Bandit Lord - While this card may be a little on the "slow" side (coming into play untapped), giving a Kiln Fiend, Shu Yun, or Geist of Saint Traft haste can end a game the same turn they are cast.
Celestial Colonnade - This does not fit the "Jeskai Way" deck, but does play well in the "Monestary Mentor’s Jeskai Way" deck.
Wandering Fumarole - This also does not fit the "Jeskai Way" deck easily, but is the easiest manland to include in any of the decks because U and R are the basis of our deck.
Needle Spires - This one is a very powerful option in the planeswalker heavy builds.
Sideboard Options
Because the sideboard is always adjusting with the meta, I will only go over the main options that rarely ever leave the sideboard regardless of the meta. We will discuss sideboard options at length during the discussion and they will be added to the primer when needed.
Wear/Tear - This is a great utility card that helps a lot of our worst matchups. This card can kill Blood Moon, Splinter Twin, Cranial Plating, Daybreak Coronet, Sword of Fire and Ice, etc. A must have for the sideboard.
Meddling Mage - An often overlooked creature in modern, this wizard can stop combo matchups in their tracks. Because the Jeskai Way has multiple ways to protect our creatures, Meddling Mage becomes a very powerful combo hater.
Deflecting Palm - This is the definition of a jeskai spell. This spell works well in any aggressive matchup to swing the tempo. It also protects against Emrukal attacks and combo finishes such as Dragonfire from ad nauseum and flesh/blood from Jeskai Ascendancy.
Dispel, Counterflux, Negate - All of these cards help win counter wars. Counterflux is great verses storm and splinter twin. All of these counter spells are pretty straight forward.
Mirran Crusader - This knight offers a near unbeatable threat against all of the Abzan and Rock decks.
Spellskite - Although spellskite is great against us, it is also great on our side. This artifact creature helps with splinter twin, boggles, infect, and can protect our other threats from removal. Spellskite is a great utility card for our sideboard.
Spreading Seas - As utility lands continue to become more popular in modern, we need a way to deal with them. Tectonic Edge is not the best option because of the deck’s low land count. On the other hand, spreading seas is a great option. It triggers prowess and replaces itself. It is also a great spell against to remove tron lands.
Stony Silence - We don’t run many artifacts and Tron and Affinity do. If your meta includes a lot of artifacts, stony silence is a great option.
Shadow of Doubt, Aven Mindcensor - These are different in play but offer a similar nerf to any deck that searches their library. Scapeshift has a very tough time with both of these spells, but any deck that runs a large number of fetch lands can also be affected by these spells.
Izzet Statiscaster - Izzet Staticaster is a great sideboard card against token decks. She is also very good at taking out mana dorks or adding the 1 additional damage to make lightning bolts effective at killing creatures with 4 toughness.
Combust - This card is a great option against splinter twin as well as pesky angels that pop up in control lists. The uncounterable clause makes it a perfect sideboard option.
Celestial Purge - Purge gets rid of problem permanents in most fringe decks. It hits Liliana of the Veil, Pyromancer’s ascension, Bloodmoon, as well as any other black or red permanent you can think of. This is another great “catch-some” answer for the sideboard.
Blessed Alliance - A great way to fight against linear/big creature decks and offers life gain. Great option.
Surgical Extraction - This is likely the best option for the jeskai tempo decks against graveyard based strategies. The cost of 2 life and no mana fits perfectly in a deck like jeskai tempo with a very low CMC curve and a high importance on casting instants and sorceries.
Other Options:
Engineered Explosives - This artifact is a great catch-all for permanents that are tough to deal with. Although EE may be a little slow, it is still a very powerful sideboard option. Monastery Mentor loves Engineered Explosives, unless the opponent plays them.
Kor Firewalker - A fireproof anti-burn beater. If your meta is full of burn decks, he basically says “burn player- you lose. Good Game.” In all seriousness, Kor Firewalker is probably the card that a burn opponent fears most.
Flashfreeze - While flashfreeze is somewhat narrow, it still counters a lot of problem permanents for our deck. Any red removal spell as well as all of the large green creatures are outright countered.
Relic of Progenitus, Tormod’s Crypt, Rest in Peace - These are our best option for graveyard hate. Rest in Peace does nerf our snapcaster mage’s ability so remember that when you side it in.
Grafdigger’s Cage - Cage has lost some potency given the ban of Birthing pod, but it is still a great option against reanimator and Chord of Calling decks
Sample Decklists
Below are a few sample decklists the fall under what is considered to be a "Jeskai Way" deck (i.e. Prowess Tempo). Of course, as we build a community, more and more lists will be added:
Jeskai Way by CurdBros (Dec 2016 - Mainboard Only)
Simply put, Jeskai Delver/Tempo decks are built to be possibly the most aggressive form of Tempo deck there is in modern...kill quickly, kill efficiently, all while keeping the opponent on their heels...Amazing creatures have been recently printed that have unbelievable synergies with spells of the past that have allowed for a viable, competitive deck to be built with a focus on Tempo and Efficiency.
Hopefully together we can build a community that can bring this deck to the forefront of the Modern meta. It's only a matter of time before the Cunning of the Dragon rises above all.
**Thank you to Fat_Buddha for the amazing Banner**
**Thank you to GoyfTomcat1, StevomatUWR, Need_More_DPS, Mazeron, MrTzoulis,RutherJC19, JeskaiMage, D90Dennis, ThreeCr4zy, Ebrosef, Rainar, Ronyx Bladewing, and Force of Ill and all the others for helping create a great topic and for sharing lists**
Posting testing results shortly; however one of my biggest findings is that Shu Yun is much stronger than I initially anticipated. He shines in this deck. The Doublestrike ability is triggered far more often than I thought at first. It's like having an extra spell in your hand any time he is on board.
One area I would like to improve upon is card draw...what would be the best potential "card draw" or "card advantage" spells that would work in a deck like this? Any help/ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Great ideas Pokerbob. I have tried defiant strike in the past and it works well, I just could find a slot for it. I might take out one distortion strike or gitaxian probe for it. I also thought about tormenting voice. I will give that a try. I was also thinking about Telling Time because it's an instant, but again it's not really creating card advantage, more selection. There is a true lack of card drawing spells in modern since the demise of Treasure Cruise.
I have thought about Curiosity as an option, but it seems a bit situational (I would hate to draw it without a threat). I will give all of your options a try in testing. I also tested with Perilous Research and an additional land in the deck to protect against flooding and because the deck can function on three lands, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
Thank you for your help and thanks for being the first to post on the primer/forum! I can't wait to hear what other think.
I like the deck which got me tinkering with some ideas for a blend of this with Blistercoil Weird + Paradise Mantle. The deck isn't as defensive as your build but it's been a lot of fun. I was looking at the weird as a possible 1cc prowess creature in place of Delver of Secrets which pushed it in this direction.
I'm looking forward to seeing how your deck evolves.
Thanks Jay. Very cool list. If you don't mind I would like to add it to the primer as another option. This deck can definitely be built as a more aggressive strategy. I think your list looks like a great example of that.
I have been working on a list with Puresteel Paladin and 0 costed equipment, swords, cheap spells, etc, but haven't created a competitive list yet. I think sometimes people forget that artifacts, enchantments, and planes walkers trigger prowess.
Thanks for posting and providing your awesome list.
I really want to get into to modern and play Delver of Secrets. I guess my timing is not the best !!!
In any case, a new delver deck will emerge and I am rooting for this one since I also think Geist is awesome.
As mentioned in the primer and from personal experience, the problem of this deck is the lack of refueling of cards: we need to spend cards to make our threats good.
While rebound is a good out, I found it insufficient in my testing since I ran out of things to do when my opponents more impactful spells come into play after turn 4 and on.
I started out with the kiln fiend but I was a bit disappointed that everything in the deck was so fragile. More Prowess might be the answer to that.
I haven't optimized the mana base yet but this is the list I will test next:
I decided to maximize cantrip effects this time around, and traded the power of fiend for the speed and resilience of swiftspear. Never tried Shu Yun so I'm taking him out for a spin.
The mana base is clunky as is and I'll keep working on it. Haven't tested it yet but I will soon !
I really want to get into to modern and play Delver of Secrets. I guess my timing is not the best !!!
In any case, a new delver deck will emerge and I am rooting for this one since I also think Geist is awesome.
As mentioned in the primer and from personal experience, the problem of this deck is the lack of refueling of cards: we need to spend cards to make our threats good.
While rebound is a good out, I found it insufficient in my testing since I ran out of things to do when my opponents more impactful spells come into play after turn 4 and on.
I started out with the kiln fiend but I was a bit disappointed that everything in the deck was so fragile. More Prowess might be the answer to that.
I haven't optimized the mana base yet but this is the list I will test next:
I decided to maximize cantrip effects this time around, and traded the power of fiend for the speed and resilience of swiftspear. Never tried Shu Yun so I'm taking him out for a spin.
The mana base is clunky as is and I'll keep working on it. Haven't tested it yet but I will soon !
Let me know what you think !
We are glad to have you! I have always loved delver decks myself, but like to play something a little more unique. I totally agree with you about card draw. After we lost Treasure Cruise we really lost the only true card draw spell in modern that was worth it's cost. I have scoured gatherer several times to find card draw spells, but none of them have fit the deck just yet. Hopefully they print something soon. All of the spells that replace themselves are great in our deck, but we do need something that actually nets us cards.
Your list looks great. I am really glad to hear someone else is testing a similar deck. Kiln fiend is the most fragile creature in the deck, but also offers the highest upside. I have had numerous free wins off of an early kiln fiend. When I play the deck people always ask why I don't play 4 Kiln Fiend and I answer with basically what you said above. While he is a beater, he is very fragile. In a deck that relies on resilient and evasive threats we need threats that can be protected. Please let me know how the Boros Charms go for you. I had two in the deck for the longest time, but felt like they sometimes were stuck in my hand waiting to use the indestructible clause. I guess if I had more I could just hit them for 4 in the face.
Thanks for posting the list and I can't wait to see how your testing goes and how the deck evolves. It's always fun to get in on the base level and work together to build the best "Jeskai Way" deck we can. Thanks again for posting you list and we look forward to hearing from you in the future.
The mana base is always evolving based on deck changes, but I always make sure to include at least one sulfur falls and glacial fortress and/or seachrome coast to avoid Choke and Boil. Fetches are also very good in our deck because our life total doesn't matter as much as some other decks because we typically win somewhat quickly. Also we have no double costed spells (UU, RR, WW) so we can fetch for basics fairly easily.
I have been playing around with ideas that are repeatable ways to trigger unblockable. These include Thassa, God of the Sea and Break Through the Line. I will keep everyone posted if either work out well.
These will probably work better in teh more controlling Monastery Mentor's Jeskai Way version of the deck, but they were worth a look in both.
Testing results against Abzan (Jesse Hampton's deck from the Pro Tour) are to follow.
As I have stated in the past, the main weakness to the deck is re-filling the hand. I have been testing scarscale ritual. It has been testing very well due to the fact that the prowess mechanic nullifies the downside and with Geist of Saint Traft being hexproof the -1/-1 is also somewhat nullified because he can't be killed. It is only the true card advantage spell that has been consistently performing well.
I am also planning on testing ideas unbound and reforge the soul. I have played reforge the soul and when it is good it is great, but when it's bad, its very bad so I would prefer something a little more consistent. However, I will test everything to find the correct card for the deck. So far scarscale ritual shows potential.
Please let me know what you think of scarscale ritual and if you have any experience with the card. Thanks in advance!
With all of the discussion of the ban list recently I wondered what affect any unbannings would have no this deck. First, while an unbanning of ancestral vision doesn't seem like it would affect our deck, it may possibly help the deck more than any other unban. Fury Charm is something I have thought about running in the recent past to deal with opposing spellskites, but also offer a pump spell that offers the rare ability of trample in our colors. In addition, this would also allow us to make the ancestral visions two turns faster and offer the cards advantage our deck needs. It's something to think about and something I will be testing.
An unbanning of Dig Through Time would also be helpful to our deck by allowing us to utilize all of our cantrips/pump spells as utility and delver them away for cards advantage and selection in the late game.
I would be very happy to see either Dig Through Time or Ancestral Vision come off the ban list. Do I think this will happen? I actually do expect one of these spells to become unbanned in the near future. Most likely Ancestral Vision. With that said, WOTC never ceases to amaze me with their ban choices and the rare unban choices here or there. Until then we can keep on brewing with what we have!
-3 pre-sided games and 4 post-sided games. I won't write every single play (bc my notes are not great), but will go over the major plays to keep it a readable length.
The Jeskai Way vs Abzan (Jesse Hampton version from Pro Tour Fate Reforged)
Game 1 - On the play
This was a very long game which doesn't typically go well against the Abzan decks. I had a turn one delver, turn two monastery swiftspear, and a turn three kiln fiend. All of these died to removal fairly quickly. I was able to remand a liliana and snapcaster remand a seige rhino. I finally landed a Geist of Saint Traft that couldn't be removed and got through twice with an emerge unscathed because all he had tarmogofy and a stirring wildwood to block. In the mid game I cast two scarscale rituals which really helped by having a huge advantage on card quantity. I won with only 2 life to spare, but this game gave me confidence that we can win the long games and games in which multiple seige rhinos were cast. It also showed the power of scarscale ritual, especially with Geist when he is unblockable.
Game 2 - On the draw (1-0)
This game was another very long affair, which is unusual for our deck. This time the outcome was not favorable. I started with early delver beats after he flipped on turn three. He was able to remove the delver and a shu yun, the silent tempest. I flooded slightly and two siege rhino's buried me.
Game 3 - On the play (1-1)
This was a quick one for a change. I had turn one Delver which flipped on turn two into a turn two Kiln Fiend. He made a mistake by trying to abrupt decay the kiln fiend on my attack phase, but I had emerge unscathed to save him. A boros charm finished him off on turn 4.
I side a little differently than most because there are very few cards that are terrible in most matchups with emerge unscathed against affinity being the lone exception.
Game 4- on the draw (2-1)
This game was a good one for our new cards. I put a Faerie Conclave into the deck to add a little more insurance if we flood or have all of our threats removed and it was very helpful this game. The first three turns went as scripted. He thoughtseized my monastery swiftspear. He then played inquisition on my Shu Yun leaving me with no threats at the time. He then played a Liliana on turn three which started to deplete my hand even more. However, I had played my Faerie Conclave on turn two. He drew several lands and ticked up Liliana, but I was able to kill her after several attacks with the Conclave. I drew into Spellskie and Shu Yun. He played a Goyf and a scavenging ooze that grew to four. I had a Shu Yun and spellskite. He cast decay on my shu yun which was redirected to spellskite and attacked me down to 4. I was able to distortion strike the Shu Yun and use his double strike ability for the win.
Game 5 - on the draw (3-1)
He started with an inquistion taking my delver and seeing that I had two swiftspears as well. I started the game strong with two swiftspears but they were killed by a maelstrom pulse on turn three. On turn 4 I was able to land a Geist of Saint Traft with an emerge unscathed in hand. He played Lingering Souls. Because I had probed him earlier I knew he had a goyf and land in hand. I top decked an engineered explosives, attacked and played the emerge unscathed on Geist because I had to be aggressive to win the game at this point. He flashed back the Souls and played another souls that he drew. I played the explosives and killed the tokens and attacked with Geist putting him to 2 and passed with a land in hand. He played his Goyf and flashed back the second souls. I drew a kiln fiend, played it and passed. He attacked with the goyf because I was at 4 life and I chumped. I drew the one lightning helix in my deck and sent it to his face for the win.
Game 6 - on the draw (4-1)
This one started similar to some of the others. I kept a one land hand with visions, probe, and delver. He attacked my hand with thought seize and inquisition. This is typically a good idea because our deck doesn't function well without threats. He took the delver and Geist on turns one and two. I played a serum visions and probe to get a few threats on the top of the deck if at all possible. He played a tarmogoyf and was left with lands, tasigur and lingering souls in hand. I played a Shu Yun and passed with Azorious Charm,Distortion Strike, and Path to Exile in hand. He attacked with Goyf and played tasigur and then decayed (his draw) my shu yun. I drew a land and passed. He attached with goyf and the souls tokens and I cast azorious charm putting goyf back on top of his deck and pathed his tasigur. I drew a delver and lightning bolt, but it was too little too late.
Game 7 - on the play (4-2)
Finally on the play again where we are comfortable. This game was more text book than the rest. I started with swiftspear, snapcaster, lightning bolt, emerge unscathed, glacial fortress, and scalding tarn which is a very good hand for us. I fetched steam vents, played swifspear, and attacked. He didn't have any hand distruption on his first turn for a change. I played drew serum visions, played it, attacked him and passed. He played scooge to get a blocker on the board. I bolted it on the end of turn to have snap bolt available. I drew and played probe to see that he had no turn three play with linguring souls, seige rhino and lands. I went ahead and snap bolted him and attacked. He drew a dismember for my swiftspear which I regretted not holding up emerge unscathed. I drew Shu Yun and played him. He played a Siege Rhino, but this only got him back to 12 life. I played a land and and attacked. I played emerge unscathed on Shu and gave him double strike for exactly 12 with snapcaster. These are the type of easy wins we get sometimes
All in all a 6-2 record was better than I had expected, but this is a decent matchup for the Jeskai Way deck. Because it is creature based, the unblockable abilities are very good against the deck. If they have a ton of early hand disruption and we can't protect our threats, they can win. The major takeaways were
-Shu, Yun the Silent Tempest is very good in this deck as a finisher.
-Emerge Unscathed is a great combat trick that many don't see coming
-Engineered Explosives is great in the current token heavy meta.
-I will probably keep Faerie Conclave in for more testing.
-This is a favored matchup pre and post sideboard, but not highly favorable (probably 55%-60%)
-Azorious Charm is most likely very good in a meta full of Abzan and Burn.
I will continue to update with any testing/changes to the deck. I would love to hear if anyone else has been testing their builds of the deck and to hear what your best and worst matchups have been so far. Thanks for reading
Does anything strike anyone as terribly wrong ? I really haven't tested this and won't have the opportunity to test until I actually go and play on the FNM. It will be my first modern experience !!
A few things I'm still uncomfortable with:
- is spell snare maindeck worth right now ?
- I would like to fit lightning helix somewhere in the 75
- I would like to fit some life gain somewhere in the 75
- Is my sideboard too counterspell heavy and the wrong counters ? Should I have spell pierce and mana leak in there ??
- should I add more path to exile ?
On Scarscale Ritual: I don't like it in theory. When you want to draw the most is when you need threats and that's when it doesn't work. Again, this is in theory. If it's working for you, great !!!
Does anything strike anyone as terribly wrong ? I really haven't tested this and won't have the opportunity to test until I actually go and play on the FNM. It will be my first modern experience !!
A few things I'm still uncomfortable with:
- is spell snare maindeck worth right now ?
- I would like to fit lightning helix somewhere in the 75
- I would like to fit some life gain somewhere in the 75
- Is my sideboard too counterspell heavy and the wrong counters ? Should I have spell pierce and mana leak in there ??
- should I add more path to exile ?
On Scarscale Ritual: I don't like it in theory. When you want to draw the most is when you need threats and that's when it doesn't work. Again, this is in theory. If it's working for you, great !!!
Thank you for any advice in advance !!
I think your list looks great.
I agree with you on scarscale ritual. It was great when I had a threat, but was really a win more card. I prefer my card draw options be able to get me back into games that I am behind on or help me break open a stalled game. Maybe they will unban Ancestral Vision and I can try it out with Fury Charm.
As for your questions, here is what I personally think:
I don't think you need any dedicated life gain in the main deck, but you will need some in the sideboard for burn. I would suggest a Timely Reinforcements. You do have a lot of counter spells in the sideboard that are good against burn so you can take that approach, but it's hard to keep up with them without some life gain.
I will address the last three questions with what I would do if I were playing the deck. I would probably cut one or two Boros Charm, one Emerge Unscathed, and both Elspeth, Knight Errants. I would add one Monastery Swiftspear, two Lightning Helix, possibly one more Path to Exile or Valorous Stance, and one Chandra, Pyromaster. I have never been a fan of Elspeth in these types of decks because she feels like win more card. I have always been partial to Chandra, but that's personal preference. Elspeth has proven to be a great card so if you like here keep one in the deck. Boros charms always seem to get stuck in my hand a bit so I wouldn't suggest more than three, especially since you have protection offered by emerge unscathed. I suggest cutting on emerge unscathed because you need a creature for it to work so you never want more than one in hand.
As for the sideboard, it looks very good. I think your counterspell choices are perfect. I would highly suggest one or two Deflecting Palms. They fit the aggressive plan very well and are very good against infect, burn, affinity, bloom titan, tron, boggles, zoo, reanimator (goryo's), and any emrukal deck. It has been the best card in my sideboard for the weird decks you might see and against many decks that are typically problems for our deck. I would also add an additional Path to Exile or Valorous Stance. I would probably cut one rest in peace and shattering spree since you already have removal and artifact hate.
All in all your list looks great. I think you will do very well. All of my suggestions are just personal opinions/suggestions. If the deck has been testing well as you have it and your comfortable with it, you could take the 75 you have listed above and it would be great. Best of luck and keep us posted on how you do!
Fury Charm fits very well with our strategy and also allows us to add Ancestral Vision to our list. I'm not sure how well this will end up working, but it's worth a try. I will update with testing results if they look promising.
Great points you make there. I'm considering making room for the third path after all. I still don't see space for life gain though. I want to have 3x anti-grave and 3x anti-artifact hate in the 75 for sure. I have too many counters so I'll cut the counterflux for path.
I like having 4-ofs in the main deck for know since I want to know what they can do.
I wish I could make space for timely reinforcements and deflecting palm. Maybe once I know the meta !
If I end up going to a game this week I'll post here about it.
This is my current sideboarding plans with the same list as above:
I have slightly different beliefs when it comes to deck building. I rarely play 4 of's because I like a variety of threats and answers. It lowers consistency and adds power. Neither is better or worse, just preference. I would prefer to have at least one Combust in the sideboard given all the twin running around lately, but that is also a personal preference.
Your sideboard plan looks great. I don't see any glaring problems with your list or plan at all. It sounds like you have tested/planned very well and you will be very well prepared. Because this deck is not played a bunch you will surprise a ton of your opponents. I think your in great shape. Best of luck at the event!
One mana counter spells are very powerful in this deck because we start with a very fast clock forcing the opponents hand. With all the Lingering Souls going around, Spell Pierce becomes very good. Lingering Souls is really not a huge problem with all of our protection and unblockable spells. I have added a Grim Lavamancer and removed one Monastery Swiftspear to help with the aggressive strategies in game one.
So I went to an 18 person tournament with the plan I described above. I toped 8 and then got my butt kicked right away. Not bad for my first modern event !!
Game 1 vs Gtron: 2 - 1
Didn't have a plan against this deck. First game I had a good hand and aggroed it out fast. Second game had a slow hand and couldn't contain him. Third game, boros charms to respond to his pyroclasms everytime was on the money !
Sideboarding: -4 gitaxian probes -4 emerge unscathed +1 shattering Spree + 1 wear /tear +2 dispel +2 negate +1 path +1 supreme verdict. No idea if this is correct, but spellskites are a pain !
Game 2 vs Blue moon 2 - 1
Again, deck I don't know and have no plan against. First game he had bad mana or something so I win and only see goyfs, cryptic and snapcasters. Second game I learn what Blue moon is about and vedalken shackles and blood moon keep me in check while I get beaten by goyfs. In the third game I drew my sideboard cards and had answers to everything. RIPs turn off goofs and snapcasters. Just like in the game against Tron, Elspeth resolved is a nightmare for them.
Sideboarding: sided in 12 cards since I had no idea what was going on ! +2 negate +2 dispel +2 wear/tear +3 RIP +1 Shattering spree + 1 path +1 supreme verdict - 4 emerge unscathed -4 serum visons -2 snapcaster -1 probe -1 boros charm
Game 3 vs Twin 0 - 2
First game mana screwed, second game mana flood. Also a misplay in the second game in terms of land drop sequencing. Against an unforgiving deck such as twin it means defeat.
Game 4 vs Boros burn 0 - 2
I knew I hadn't boarded properly for this match and so I just ate it bad both games. Also don't know how to play against it with the sideboard plan I had.
Game 5 vs weird mono red aggro deck 2 - 1
Don't know what I'm up against and I keep a one land hand with delver. Second land comes too late so I die. I see tons of creatures so I bring in removal. Second game I have a good hand and race him although it was close. Third game I had a really good hand so I kill him fast.
Sideboarding: -4 probes +1 path +2 electrolyze +1 supreme verdict
top 8 game vs Abzan
First game he has an amazing hand and destroys me. Second game I have an amazing game and kill him on turn four. Third game, we fight a lot, I managed to get RIP in play neutralizing lingering souls and goyfs but then started to mana flood and his top decks are just so good that I lose.
General observations:
- disappointed with emerge unscathed, almost always wanted it to be something else and boarded it out a lot.
- Elspeth is da bomb !!!! When ppl stabilize against me, she distabilizes everything again !
- my sideboard was good and RIPs are awesome against any goyf deck
- 4 boros charms felt like too few !!!
- serum visions is kind of meh, boarded it out a lot. On the other hand, probe game 1 is great and against any decks with counterspells.
Your deck looks great. I do think your right that you don't qualify as a Jeskai Prowess Unblockable deck, but that's not a bad thing, just a slightly different deck. Your definetly a Jeskai Delver build. I have been typing on the jeskai delver forums for awhile now and everyone there will love your build.
I think you have done a great job with the deck. I also think your mix of paths and stances is perfect. If you want my personal preferences or opinion I would probably cut one Elespth, one Boros Charm, and one Electrolyze and get the [card]Serum Visions[cards] back into the deck. They help to smooth out draws and help with the opener's that are short on land. I also prefer [card]Chandra, Pyromaster[card], but that is purely personal preference so if you like Elspeth definitely keep her in the deck.
There were several cards spoiled today with some great news for this deck! None of the exact cards spoiled fit in the deck, but they did show that Rebound will be returning as the jeskai, or in this case, the UW mechanic in Dragons of Tarkir. As you know this set functions very well with the rebound mechanic and was made to exploit (no pun intended with the new mechanic in Dragons of Tarkir) the rebound mechanic.
I am really excited to see if any of the new cards with rebound will be cost effective enough and powerful enough to make it into modern and hopefully in the the Jeskai Prowess Unblockable deck!
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The Jeskai utilize speed and cunning to defeat their foes. The Jeskai Tempo deck is made to win the Jeskai Way. While some decks use speed and some decks use power to go “over the top” of their opponent, this deck utilizes combat tricks, speed, and prowess to go “through and around“ the opponent.
The deck functions as an tempo deck that functions closer to the aggro end of the spectrum. As a tempo deck, it presents early threats that constantly pressure the opponent while keeping the way clear for said threats to finish the game. Unlike the typical tempo deck, this deck does not depend solely on counters and removal to clear the way, but the prowess mechanic, protection, pump, and unblockable abilities to vanquish the foes with a few precise and fatal strike. The deck can be made to be extremely aggressive...or a few more "tricks" can be used...but we will always be an aggressive deck with just enough interaction to keep the opponent on their back foot.
History of Jeskai Tempo/Delver
The first form of jeskai tempo to gain prominance in the modern format was referred to as BOREMANDOS for "Boros" + "Remand". The deck functioned much like the deck does today. Ideally the deck starts by casting an early efficient threat followed by utilizing counter magic and removal to protect said threat and to remove any blockers in the threats way. The deck then finishes off the game with multiple threats or reach via burn damage. The core of Boremandos deck was the following:
Delver of Secrets
Steppe Lynx
Geist of Saint Traft
Snapcaster Mage
Lightning Bolt
Lightning Helix
Path to Exile
Serum Visions
Remand
The remainder of the deck is made up of additional burn, removal, counter magic, and bounce spells to maintain the decks gameplan.
During Grand Prix Columbus in 2012 the deck became a known commodity when Max Tietze gave the deck one of its most prominent finishes with a top 4 finish. Shahar Shenhar and Chris Piland also played the deck to a top 8 finish in Grand Prix Columbus in 2012. Shahar Shenhar again played the deck again in Pro Tour Return to Ravnica with a top 64 finish. Dan Jordan finished 11th at Pro Tour Return to Ravnica with the "Boremandos" deck.
Here is a link to a deck tech with Shahar Shenhar during Pro Tour Return to Ravnica-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlXFSp5wDgE
BoRemandos was played and was a tier 2 deck for several years until the printing of Eidolon of the Great Revel. At this point burn took over most of the meta share as the go to aggressive deck in the format.
The Khans of Tarkir block was released on September 26th 2014 and it was the first set in magic's history that actually specifically dealt with the jeskai UWR shard. The printing of Mantis Rider and Monastery Swiftspear during the Khans block. and gave jeskai delver/tempo a much needed shot in the arm. Jeskai Charm was also printed which is often utilized in prowess style decks. In addition to mantis rider the "prowess mechanic" was introduced and quickly became an evergreen mechanic.
The printing of Treasure Cruise almost immediatly shot URx Delver decks (including Jeskai) to prominence in modern again. Unfortunately treasure cruise proved to be too good and many thought delver decks were becoming too good and treasure cruise was banned in modern. This took a very large chunk of the Delver decks out of the modern meta. In addition, Gitaxian Probe was banned in January 2017 taking another important Delver/Prowess card away from jeskai. There are basically three distinct ages of the jeskai delver deck- the Boremandos days of 2011-2014. The Treasure Cruise days from late 2014 until the banning in 2015. Finally, from 2015 to present day (without probe now). Since we have had several bannings we have come to a point where the Delver deck has once again progessed to a new age of deck including three different play styles or game plans which include Pure Aggro/Prowess, Pure Tempo/Prowess, and Midrange/Control. Those will be discussed in detail below.
The Deck- "The Jeskai Way".
Jeskai Way by CurdBros (November 2017 - Mainboard Only)
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Swiftspear
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Bedlam Reveler
1 Spell Queller
Instant/Sorcery
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
1 Boros Charm
3 Serum Visions
3 Opt
3 Path to Exile
2 Spell Pierce
3 Remand
2 Vapor Snag
1 Echoing Truth
1 Distortion Strike
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa
2 Spirebluff Canal
1 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Seachrome Coast
1 Plains
1 Island
1 Mountain
The Gameplan
The basic gameplan is as follows:
A) Constantly pressure the opponent with early efficient threats
B) Inflict large "chunks" of damage (far higher than the threats initial mana cost would suggest)
C) Do so while utilizing disruption (counter magic, removal, bounce) to keep the board clear and opponent on the defensive.
D) Utilize direct damage/evasion to finish the game if necessary.
The following is a brief view of the strengths and weaknesses of each of the differing gameplans that can be utilized under the jeskai tempo/delver umbrella - thanks to GoyfTomcat1 for the basis of this part.
Each build has its own strengths and weaknesses:
All In Prowess:
Pros:
1. Most explosive of the builds
2. Utilizes the prowess mechanic almost like a combo deck, in that it can "go off" very quickly and win in 1-2 turns with a good draw.
3. Fully embraces the Prowess mechanic and also tends rely more heavily on burn damage.
Cons:
1. Can be very draw dependent
2. Using slots for cards like Mishra's Bauble, gut shot, etc limits the number of slots for removal (but this can be played around)
3. Late game the deck loses its explosiveness
Tempo (Jeskai Way) Prowess
Pros:
1. Has very good aggro-control game (a decent matchup in game one against most decks)
2. Can be tuned for almost any meta
3. Great against combo decks and aggro decks.
4. Excellent sideboard options
Cons:
1.Creatures like Delver can be removed easily, making it fragile on bad mulligans etc
2. A very complicated deck with a number of lines and interaction.
3. Can be draw dependent (ei- drawing removal when a threat is needed)
3. Has a less powerful late-game spells and has a hard time coming back from behind.
Mentor/Young P (Midrange) Delver/Prowess
Pros:
1. Has a higher general power level per card.
2. Has a higher curve and therefore has access to some great Planeswalkers
4. Has a better midrange matchup as it can keep up with the value of Jund/ Junk throughout the game.
Cons:
1. Slower set up than All-in or "Jeskai Way" Prowess, but makes up for this with more control/ permission spells
2. Doesn't apply pressure as well and therefore has a worse combo matchup and Tron matchup.
I will touch on each of these styles in the deck section, but following is the common creatures, spells, walkers, artifacts, etc found in each of the decks.
Now let us get into the creation of the deck.
Core Strategy and Strengths of Jeskai Shard
Just like the jeskai mages and monks around the multiverse the Jeskai Tempo decks are built around efficiency and cunning. Every card is meant to inflict maximum damage with the least cost. The deck plays out as an aggro-conrol/tempo deck that attacks on a different angle than most decks in the format. Like most tempo decks, jeskai tempo utilizes early efficient threats along with removal spells and counter magic to maintain control on the battlefield. While maintaining control of the battlefield, the deck presents a very efficient threat(s) and reach that can win the game at any point.
A major strength of the jeskai tempo/delver/prowess deck that differs from other shards of delver decks (grixis, sultai, temur) is the reach the deck has to end the game. Much of this reach is in the form of burn spells such as Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Boros Charm, Electrolyze, Forked Bolt, Jeskai Charm, etc. This gives jeskai a leg up on other delver/tempo decks in modern as the jeskai tempo can end games quickly even if tempo is lost.
The final benefit of the deck is the synergy between all of the cards. As stated earlier, efficiency is very important aspect of this deck. All of the instant/sorcery spells either cause direct damage, pump our creatures, protect our creatures, or clear the way for our creatures. Many do several at the same time (or provide us the ability to choose which we prefer at any given moment). In addition, many of the spells replace themselves by drawing another card. This means that most of the draws we have are live at all times (especially if we have a threat). The burn spells can be used as removal, additional prowess triggers, and reach to finish the game off by going directly to the opponent’s face. Finally, if we are forced to block, the protection spells can allow our smaller creatures to soak up a large portion of damage and remain on board to attack next turn.
The Creatures
The creatures in this deck tend to meet three important criteria:
There are actually many creatures that meet these requirements (some more powerful than others); and each fits better in different builds. The following is a "breakdown" of the best potential "Jeskai Way" creature options. The first and the namesake for many of these decks is Delver of Secrets
Delver of Secrets - The single most important card in the tempo deck and the namesake of most of the decks in this deck style. The classic blue tempo one drop. No creature in the history of the game has provided more damage for tempo decks. He can flip on turn two and provide an evasive (flying) 3/2 insect beater that can do enough damage to end the game on his own.
Monastery Swiftspear- Jeskai’s front line attacker. Swiftspear is a prime definition of what we are trying to accomplish. It is buffed by all of our spells and can attack early and often.
Stormchaser Mage - Prowess, Flying, AND Haste...what's not to love? The 1 power can be a downside, but cards like Twisted Image can make this a powerful option (and the 3 toughness means any spell puts the Mage out of bolt range. Very few decks want 4 copies of this card, but it is a great addition to multiple Jeskia Prowess decks based on pure power, efficiency, speed, and evasion.
Kiln Fiend - This elemental can do all the damage needed by its self. Although Kiln Fiend is less evasive than some of the other options in the deck, it makes up for this with sheer power. It is buffed an additional +3 with every instant/sorcery spell we cast and when it becomes unblockable, it often ends the game on its own.
Abbot of Keral Keep - This addition via Origins is a powerful card. For 2-mana, you get card advantage (which can be set up with cards like Serum Visions and Telling Time), a 2/1 body AND prowess. This is a lot of value for a little bit of mana. You can use it to dig, help fix mana (and keep you from getting land screwed), and to trigger prowess with a spell off the top of the deck! Versatile, powerful, and efficient.
Snapcaster Mage - Snapcaster Mage is possibly the best creature in modern and is almost assuredly the best blue creature in modern. He offers card advantage in a single card. Simply the best source of card advantage a creature can offer. He is an honorary Jeskai member.
Geist of Saint Traft - My personal favorite creature and a favorite of tempo player’s since his induction. Hexproof gives Geist the ultimate protection from removal spells. In addition, he offers the most efficient source of damage a three drop can offer (he attacks for 6 damage with the angel). His only weakness is his 2/2 stats. However, in this deck he is often unblockable or protected from the colors of the opponents deck all but removing his only weakness. He is possibly the best creature for this deck.
Soul Scar Mage - A new addition to the jeskai clan from Amonket. This wizard does a great job of giving the deck another great early prowess option that is hard to kill (2 toughness). Soul Scar Mage's ability to utilize -1/-1 counters gives the jeskai delver/tempo deck a huge bonus against some of our harder grindy matchups like GBx decks. The fact that this mage is also a human and a wizard helps decks run Cavern of Souls and other tribal support.
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest - A true Jeskai Master and the Jeskai Khan. He makes all of our threats deadly on their own by offering double strike as an ability. Shu Yun offers a perfect top end to the creature suite by making other threats more powerful or ending the game on his own. With a single spell and two additional red/white mana he can attack for 8 damage on his own.
Bedlam Reveler- This horror gave the tempo prowess deck the top end well dreamed of. Card advantage on a stick and prowess to boot. Reveler doesn't come without risk though. He depends highly on casting spells early proactively so he can be cast for a fairly low casting cost. The risk is well worth the reward as there is simply no other top end spell that can be cast for 2 mana and offers a prowess body and 3 shiny new cards.
Other options:
Mantis Rider - A powerful and evasive Jeskai beater is exactly what we are looking for in this deck. If your meta calls for a few more threats the insect riding monk is a super option. He is the definition of an efficient creature- 3/3 flyier with vigiliance and haste for only three mana fits the tone of the Jeskai Way perfectly.
Young Pyromancer - This young fire starter synergizes wonderfully with a deck full of instants and sorceries. While the pyromancer doesn’t fit into the more aggressive strategy , she fits wonderfully in the more control/tempo oriented Monastery Mentor Jeskai Way deck that will be presented later.
Monastery Mentor - The mentor and teacher of the Jeskai Clan. He teaches the jeskai way to the future tempo creatures of the world. He has the single best synergy with a deck full of non-creature spells and can take control of a game all by himself. He can be included in exchange for Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest if you want a slightly more controlled top end. He is also the central focus of the Monastery Mentor Jeskai Way deck.
Grim Lavamancer - This red wizard offers a large amount of value and efficiency to the deck. By allowing us to utilize the large amount of low costed spells in our graveyard as additional damage/removal, he is as efficient as they come. While he may be a little slow for the unblockable version (which may not be the case), he fits perfectly into the more controlling Monastery Mentor version of the deck.
Spell Queller- A great tempo option that can add disruption to the deck while also adding another threat.
Hazoret, the Fervant- This god is a great top end to the super aggressive version of the deck. She can also dump any dead lands to deal direct damage.
Steppe Lynx - While not as powerful in this deck due to the low number of lands played, this cat can still make a potent turn one attacker.
Enigma Drake - This drake is another great option for budget builds that really concentrate on casting as many spells as possible. The 4 toughness in combination with flying makes this drake a very robust and powerful option that is hard to kill. This one can end games very quickly.
Cryptic Serpent - The blue "Tasigur" is a large fatty that can be cast for UU on most occasions. The serpent is also great in budget builds and fits wonderfully in decks with the drake listed above.
Nivix Cyclops - Nivix Cyclops is a great budget option for the deck. He is somewhat expensive, however, he can hit for a ton of damage.
Crackling Drake- Enigma drake's big brother also includes our cards that have been exiled and doesn't die to bolt.
Wee Dragnouts - The little engines that could. These tiny fliers offer another evasive option that triggers on instants/sorceries. They are another great budget option.
Curious Homunculus - This card is a tough nut to crack. The front of the card lends to a more midrange prowess build, but the back offers a great 3/4 prowess body. It takes a little work to make this one work, but this crazy looking guy can really pay off if you can make it work.
The Spells
The spells in the deck function as the engine of the deck. They spells are utilized to allow the threats of the deck to perform at their highest level. The spells utilized need to fit two of these three criteria:
The most important spells in the deck follow.
Lightning Bolt - The single best instant in the modern format. Three damage that can go directly to the face or act as removal for most early threats in the modern format all for the low cost of one red mana. If your deck plays red mana this is a must have 4 of.
Lightning Helix - The single most efficient life swing in modern. This instant offers a 6 life swing for one red and one white mana. While this is a personal preference it helps with many of the aggro matchups in the format.
Path to Exile - The single best removal spell in modern. What our bolts and helixes cannot kill, the path to exile can kill. The drawback of offering the opponent an additional mana is somewhat mitigated in this deck given that the game should end somewhat quickly.
Distortion Strike - This card single handedly started the creation of this deck. It offers our threat a pump of one power (often two with prowess) and, most importantly, makes them unblockable for a single blue mana. In addition, it is cast FOR FREE at the beginning of the next upkeep. The key word is that it is CAST for free offering another prowess trigger.
Slip Through Space - A cantrip that offers unblock ability; Sign us up. It's pretty straight foward and exactly what we are looking for.
Emerge Unscathed - This is probably the most efficient spell in the deck. It can protect our threats from removal and/or offer a type of unblockability if the creatures on the other side share a color. This is the card that a player must learn to utilize wisely. When you do it can create large blow outs or momentum swings in your favor.
Gitaxian Probe - A basically free prowess trigger that does not cause a loss in card advantage. In addition, it gives very important information about the opponents hand. A minimum of three of these should be in the deck, but four it preferable. ***BANNED***
Serum Visions -The best cantrip in modern. Serum Visions maybe the most important card in the deck. With our low land count, this helps smooth out our draws while triggering prowess/abilities. In addition, if you are playing delver this helps to insure he transforms into an insectile aberration. Also, if you choose to play Reforge the Soul this can insure that you can cast the card for it’s miracle cost.
Remand - Remand is the premier tempo counter spell. It provides a loss in tempo to our opponent while providing our deck with card advantage. It can also be utilized to bounce back any spell that is countered by our opponent that we would like to keep.
Boros Charm - The best of the Ravnica charms. Double Strike can make a single threat leathal. Four damage can provide the reach we need to finish the game or kill a pesky planeswalker. Finally, the indestructible clause helps us protect our threats from sweepers and removal. A great utility spell for the deck.
Sleight of Hand - Possibly the second best blue cantrip in the modern format. This card not only gives great card selection, but unlike serum visions, it gives you a card right away when it is cast. Sleight of hand is a great option for the low CMC decks and is utilized to ensure land drops and to ensure that the player doesn't flood.
Vapor Snag - This card can take the place of Path to Exile if you find that giving the land to the opponent is becoming a problem. Vapor snag is a perfect tempo bounce card and it does one point of damage just to top it off.
Spell Pierce, Spell Snare, Mana Leak, Deprive, Dispel - All of these counter spells are options as well. Whichever you prefer for your build and your meta will work.
Censor - This new counter spell from Amonket fits great into the more aggressive decks that still want counter magic in the deck. It is also a great choice for decks utilizing Bedlam Reveler. Censor is a very powerful early game counter magic spell and can easily be cycled in the late game to add to the graveyard instant and sorcery count.
Electrolyze - Electrolyze is a perfect spell for the more controlling version of the deck. It does it all. It offers direct damage, triggers prowess/abilities, and draws a card.
Other options:
Izzet Charm - Izzet charm is another perfect utility spell for the deck. It offers a looting option to smooth out our draws and tigger prowess/abilities. In addition, it offers an additional semi-counter spell and possible removal for a smaller creature.
Jeskai Charm - Although slightly highly costed, jeskai charm is a very powerful option. The four damage can end the game, the +1/+1 pump can buff creatures and give life gain in aggro matchups, and bouncing a blocker clears the way for our attackers.
Haze of Rage - This one is a personal favorite of mine. It pumps all of our creatures power for two mana, but can also be bought back (put back in our hand after casting) in the late game for only two mana. In addition it has storm! Although the storm copies don’t trigger prowess, it is still a very powerful pump spell for the Monastery Mentor version of the deck.
Reforge the Soul - Of all of the miracle cards from Avacyn Restored, this is the most overlooked. Because this deck utilizes its cards more quickly, reforge the soul gives a great card draw option that is much more beneficial to our deck than the opponents in most cases. This is a powerful option that can be replaced with other draw cards if you prefer something a little less volatile.
Defiant Strike - This card works very well as a pump spell that offers card advantage. It is an especially good option for a budget form of the deck.
Perilous Research - If your prefer more lands in the deck to be comfortable, perilous research is a great card to add card draw to the deck while protecting against flooding.
Tormenting Voice - This card is another draw engine that can help smooth out our draws and prevent flooding and mana screw.
Compulsive Research - Although this card is more costly, it can function as a card draw spell for the deck that can protect against flooding.
Gut Shot and Mutagenic Growth- If you prefer hyper aggressive, these are more phyrexian mana spells that trigger prowess/abilities. Both fit very well into the decks strategy.
Manamorphose, Quicken, etc. - For a more aggressive version all cantrips make great options because they are free prowess/ability triggers. I feel that there is a critical mass of cantrips the deck can handle before becoming a light on power, but all cantrips are possible options for the deck.
Twisted Image - This card works very well with kiln fiend and monastery swiftspear. It also replaces itself which is always a plus. Possibly most importantly, it can kill opposing Spellskites which are a real problem for this deck.
Telling Time, Sleight of Hand - These setups spells are also options to smooth out our strategy. They can help flip delvers and hit miracle triggers.
Other Permanents - Planeswalkers, Aritfacts, Enchantments
While the deck tends to focus heavily on creatures and instant/sorcery spells; there are other permanents that can work in "Jeskai Way" decks. In order to "fit" or have synergy with the deck, the other options in the deck need to meet two criteria:
There are a few great cards that meet these criteria.
Chandra, Pyromaster - Chandra makes the perfect planeswalker for the strategy. She can clear away blockers and, most importantly, she semi-card advantage for our low costed spells. At four mana she is at the top of the curve, but she is a great option.
Elspeth, Knight-Errant - Another lady that can top out our curve with power. The most beneficial mode she offers will be the +3/+3 and flying. This makes Geist of Saint Traft a killing machine.
Saheeli Rai - The third powerful woman on our list is the most unique. She works extremely well with snapcaster mage and bedlam reveler and offers additional deck manipulation and direct damage. While we can't utilize her ultimate, she is the least costly planeswalker at 1RU.
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar - Gideon dominated his time in standard and is a great option for the jeskai tempo decks either at the top of the curve, but more likely out of the sideboard. Because this gideon can dominate an empty board it is a great option against the GBx opponents. He can pump all of our early plays with an emblem or come down on an empty board and start making an army of 2/2 allys.
Outpost Siege - Much like Chandra, outpost siege can give the deck a repeatable source of card advantage. An enchantment is also much harder to kill than a planeswalker.
Swords of all varieties - All of the swords make great options for our deck. The deck almost always attacks with one or two threats and protection is highly valued in our strategy. All of the swords make great curve toppers that make our threats even more threatening.
Jeskai Ascendancy - This card can exponentially boost the craziness of the deck. While I haven't perfected it yet; potentially adding 1-2 Ascendancies in any list can make the list that much more explosive (and help us dig to the exact cards we are looking for).
Hero's Blade - This is a great card if your list includes several legends like Geist of Saint Traft and Shu Yun. Adds huge boosts and equips for free to them...of course while also triggering Prowess.
The Utility Lands
While the deck utilizes many of the well known Jeskai Lands (Scalding Tarn, Hallowed Fountain, Steam Vents, Sacred Foundry, Sulfur Falls, etc.); there are also several utility lands that we can take advantage of. Because the Jeskai Way functions on a low mana curve the utility lands that our colors offer can often be too slow. However, there are some great options to add power and utility to the Jeskai Way. These include lands that:
While not all "utility" lands in our colors work well, below is a list I've found to be very effective.
Slayer’s Stronghold - The Jeskai Way has no double costed cards (unless you include planewalkers) so one non-color producing land is acceptable. Slayer’s stronghold offers a great utility be making any game in which our threats are constantly removed a possible win. The threats gain haste, vigilance and +2/+0. Slayer’s stronghold is probably the best utility land for The Jeskai Way.
Faerie Conclave - This is a highly under-utilized man land that many blue decks would benefit from. I think it is the only manland that fits in our build. Faerie Conclave is a great way to get some late game reach into our deck without increasing the average converted mana cost. This is a must in my opinion.
Cavern of Souls - An uncounterable Geist of Saint Traft basically spells the end for most blue based control decks. Because a vast majority of our creatures are humans and because the deck has no double costed (RR, WW, UU, etc) spells, cavern of souls becomes a great option to add another angle to the deck.
Hall of the Bandit Lord - While this card may be a little on the "slow" side (coming into play untapped), giving a Kiln Fiend, Shu Yun, or Geist of Saint Traft haste can end a game the same turn they are cast.
Eganjo Castle, Minamo, School at Water’s Edge, Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep[/card]- Although these are a little narrow, they do help Geist and Shu Yun survive attacks if they are blockable. If you also play Vendilion Clique this card can be a great option.
Celestial Colonnade - This does not fit the "Jeskai Way" deck, but does play well in the "Monestary Mentor’s Jeskai Way" deck.
Wandering Fumarole - This also does not fit the "Jeskai Way" deck easily, but is the easiest manland to include in any of the decks because U and R are the basis of our deck.
Needle Spires - This one is a very powerful option in the planeswalker heavy builds.
Sideboard Options
Because the sideboard is always adjusting with the meta, I will only go over the main options that rarely ever leave the sideboard regardless of the meta. We will discuss sideboard options at length during the discussion and they will be added to the primer when needed.
Wear/Tear - This is a great utility card that helps a lot of our worst matchups. This card can kill Blood Moon, Splinter Twin, Cranial Plating, Daybreak Coronet, Sword of Fire and Ice, etc. A must have for the sideboard.
Meddling Mage - An often overlooked creature in modern, this wizard can stop combo matchups in their tracks. Because the Jeskai Way has multiple ways to protect our creatures, Meddling Mage becomes a very powerful combo hater.
Deflecting Palm - This is the definition of a jeskai spell. This spell works well in any aggressive matchup to swing the tempo. It also protects against Emrukal attacks and combo finishes such as Dragonfire from ad nauseum and flesh/blood from Jeskai Ascendancy.
Dispel, Counterflux, Negate - All of these cards help win counter wars. Counterflux is great verses storm and splinter twin. All of these counter spells are pretty straight forward.
Mirran Crusader - This knight offers a near unbeatable threat against all of the Abzan and Rock decks.
Spellskite - Although spellskite is great against us, it is also great on our side. This artifact creature helps with splinter twin, boggles, infect, and can protect our other threats from removal. Spellskite is a great utility card for our sideboard.
Spreading Seas - As utility lands continue to become more popular in modern, we need a way to deal with them. Tectonic Edge is not the best option because of the deck’s low land count. On the other hand, spreading seas is a great option. It triggers prowess and replaces itself. It is also a great spell against to remove tron lands.
Stony Silence - We don’t run many artifacts and Tron and Affinity do. If your meta includes a lot of artifacts, stony silence is a great option.
Shadow of Doubt, Aven Mindcensor - These are different in play but offer a similar nerf to any deck that searches their library. Scapeshift has a very tough time with both of these spells, but any deck that runs a large number of fetch lands can also be affected by these spells.
Izzet Statiscaster - Izzet Staticaster is a great sideboard card against token decks. She is also very good at taking out mana dorks or adding the 1 additional damage to make lightning bolts effective at killing creatures with 4 toughness.
Combust - This card is a great option against splinter twin as well as pesky angels that pop up in control lists. The uncounterable clause makes it a perfect sideboard option.
Celestial Purge - Purge gets rid of problem permanents in most fringe decks. It hits Liliana of the Veil, Pyromancer’s ascension, Bloodmoon, as well as any other black or red permanent you can think of. This is another great “catch-some” answer for the sideboard.
Blessed Alliance - A great way to fight against linear/big creature decks and offers life gain. Great option.
Surgical Extraction - This is likely the best option for the jeskai tempo decks against graveyard based strategies. The cost of 2 life and no mana fits perfectly in a deck like jeskai tempo with a very low CMC curve and a high importance on casting instants and sorceries.
Other Options:
Engineered Explosives - This artifact is a great catch-all for permanents that are tough to deal with. Although EE may be a little slow, it is still a very powerful sideboard option. Monastery Mentor loves Engineered Explosives, unless the opponent plays them.
Kor Firewalker - A fireproof anti-burn beater. If your meta is full of burn decks, he basically says “burn player- you lose. Good Game.” In all seriousness, Kor Firewalker is probably the card that a burn opponent fears most.
Flashfreeze - While flashfreeze is somewhat narrow, it still counters a lot of problem permanents for our deck. Any red removal spell as well as all of the large green creatures are outright countered.
Smash to Smithereens, Shattering Spree - If you see a ton of affinity, play these.
Relic of Progenitus, Tormod’s Crypt, Rest in Peace - These are our best option for graveyard hate. Rest in Peace does nerf our snapcaster mage’s ability so remember that when you side it in.
Grafdigger’s Cage - Cage has lost some potency given the ban of Birthing pod, but it is still a great option against reanimator and Chord of Calling decks
Sample Decklists
Below are a few sample decklists the fall under what is considered to be a "Jeskai Way" deck (i.e. Prowess Tempo). Of course, as we build a community, more and more lists will be added:
Jeskai Way by CurdBros (Dec 2016 - Mainboard Only)
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Monastery Mentor
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Bedlam Reveler
Instant/Sorcery
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
1 Boros Charm
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Serum Visions
2 Slip Through Space
3 Path to Exile
2 Remand
1 Spell Pierce
1 Unsubstantiate
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
1 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
3 Spirebluff Canal
2 Seachrome Coast
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
Jeskai Aggro by ASD (October 2016)
4x Monastery Swiftspear
4x Snapcaster Mage
4x Stormchaser Mage
4x Mantis Rider
Spells
4x Gitaxian Probe
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Mutagenic Growth
4x Serum Visions
4x Vapor Snag
4x Lightning Helix
2x Unsubstantiate
2x Arid Mesa
2x Flooded Strand
2x Scalding Tarn
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Steam Vents
2x Seachrome Coast
4x Spirebluff Canal
1x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
Jeskai Delver by Mazeron - 05/01/2017
2 Young Pyromancer
2 Enigma Drake
2 Bedlam Reveler
1 Cryptic Serpent
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
3 Vapor Snag
2 Lightning Helix
3 Remand
2 Deprive
1 Negate
3 Thought Scour
1 Smuggler's Copter
4 Spirebluff Canal
1 Inspiring Vantage
4 Flooded Strand
2 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Island
1 Plains
2 Mountain
Jeskai Prowess/Delver by Mr Tzoulis 05/01/2017
3x Flooded Strand
1x Hallowed Fountain
2x Inspiring Vantage
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
3x Scalding Tarn
2x Seachrome Coast
2x Spirebluff Canal
1x Steam Vents
Sorcery (5)
1x Forked Bolt
4x Serum Visions
Instant (20)
1x Electrolyze
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Lightning Helix
3x Path to Exile
3x Remand
2x Spell Pierce
3x Thought Scour
2x Vapor Snag
1x Bedlam Reveler
2x Cryptic Serpent
4x Delver of Secrets
2x Enigma Drake
3x Monastery Swiftspear
3x Snapcaster Mage
2x Soul-Scar Mage
1x Anger of the Gods
1x Bedlam Reveler
2x Blood Moon
2x Deflecting Palm
1x Dispel
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Grafdigger's Cage
1x Izzet Staticaster
2x Surgical Extraction
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Wear / Tear
Jeskai Prowess by Need_More_DPS on 04/28/2017
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Mantis Rider
3 Young Pyromancer
2 Bedlam Reveler
1 Deprive
3 Vapor Snag
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Lightning Helix
1 Logic Knot
1 Negate
3 Path to Exile
4 Remand
2 Smuggler's Copter
1 Saheeli Rai
4 Flooded Strand
1 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Inspiring Vantage
4 Spirebluff Canal
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
Summary
Simply put, Jeskai Delver/Tempo decks are built to be possibly the most aggressive form of Tempo deck there is in modern...kill quickly, kill efficiently, all while keeping the opponent on their heels...Amazing creatures have been recently printed that have unbelievable synergies with spells of the past that have allowed for a viable, competitive deck to be built with a focus on Tempo and Efficiency.
Hopefully together we can build a community that can bring this deck to the forefront of the Modern meta. It's only a matter of time before the Cunning of the Dragon rises above all.
**Thank you to Fat_Buddha for the amazing Banner**
**Thank you to GoyfTomcat1, StevomatUWR, Need_More_DPS, Mazeron, MrTzoulis,RutherJC19, JeskaiMage, D90Dennis, ThreeCr4zy, Ebrosef, Rainar, Ronyx Bladewing, and Force of Ill and all the others for helping create a great topic and for sharing lists**
Or you can have your creatures draw cards either when they die, enter the battlefield, do damage...something.
Defiant Strike almost looks like what this deck wants.
Could even go with card selection like Izzet Charm or Tormenting Voice
Currently offering 2 non-foil Kolighan's Command for a Date Stamped foil!
convert bulk into good cards? PucaTrade - https://pucatrade.com/invite/gift/21195
Ebay - decks/Promos/DVDs
Trade thread (constantly updated)
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I have thought about Curiosity as an option, but it seems a bit situational (I would hate to draw it without a threat). I will give all of your options a try in testing. I also tested with Perilous Research and an additional land in the deck to protect against flooding and because the deck can function on three lands, but it wasn't what I was looking for.
Thank you for your help and thanks for being the first to post on the primer/forum! I can't wait to hear what other think.
I'm looking forward to seeing how your deck evolves.
Take it easy
Jay
2x Flooded Strand
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
3x Sacred Foundry
3x Scalding Tarn
3x Seachrome Coast
2x Steam Vents
4x Distortion Strike
2x Faithless Looting
3x Gitaxian Probe
4x Serum Visions
4x Sleight of Hand
Instant (8)
3x Lightning Bolt
3x Manamorphose
2x Path to Exile
4x Blistercoil Weird
2x Geist of Saint Traft
3x Kiln Fiend
4x Monastery Swiftspear
2x Seeker of the Way
Artifact (3)
3x Paradise Mantle
I have been working on a list with Puresteel Paladin and 0 costed equipment, swords, cheap spells, etc, but haven't created a competitive list yet. I think sometimes people forget that artifacts, enchantments, and planes walkers trigger prowess.
Thanks for posting and providing your awesome list.
I really want to get into to modern and play Delver of Secrets. I guess my timing is not the best !!!
In any case, a new delver deck will emerge and I am rooting for this one since I also think Geist is awesome.
As mentioned in the primer and from personal experience, the problem of this deck is the lack of refueling of cards: we need to spend cards to make our threats good.
While rebound is a good out, I found it insufficient in my testing since I ran out of things to do when my opponents more impactful spells come into play after turn 4 and on.
I started out with the kiln fiend but I was a bit disappointed that everything in the deck was so fragile. More Prowess might be the answer to that.
I haven't optimized the mana base yet but this is the list I will test next:
2x Flooded Strand
1x Glacial Fortress
3x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
2x Polluted Delta
4x Scalding Tarn
3x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
4x Delver of Secrets
4x Monastery Swiftspear
3x Geist of Saint Traft
2x Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest
2x Snapcaster Mage
Instants 18
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Boros Charm
4x Emerge Unscathed
2x Path to Exile
4x Remand
4x Gitaxian Probe
4x Serum Visions
I decided to maximize cantrip effects this time around, and traded the power of fiend for the speed and resilience of swiftspear. Never tried Shu Yun so I'm taking him out for a spin.
The mana base is clunky as is and I'll keep working on it. Haven't tested it yet but I will soon !
Let me know what you think !
What Class Are You?
We are glad to have you! I have always loved delver decks myself, but like to play something a little more unique. I totally agree with you about card draw. After we lost Treasure Cruise we really lost the only true card draw spell in modern that was worth it's cost. I have scoured gatherer several times to find card draw spells, but none of them have fit the deck just yet. Hopefully they print something soon. All of the spells that replace themselves are great in our deck, but we do need something that actually nets us cards.
Your list looks great. I am really glad to hear someone else is testing a similar deck. Kiln fiend is the most fragile creature in the deck, but also offers the highest upside. I have had numerous free wins off of an early kiln fiend. When I play the deck people always ask why I don't play 4 Kiln Fiend and I answer with basically what you said above. While he is a beater, he is very fragile. In a deck that relies on resilient and evasive threats we need threats that can be protected. Please let me know how the Boros Charms go for you. I had two in the deck for the longest time, but felt like they sometimes were stuck in my hand waiting to use the indestructible clause. I guess if I had more I could just hit them for 4 in the face.
Thanks for posting the list and I can't wait to see how your testing goes and how the deck evolves. It's always fun to get in on the base level and work together to build the best "Jeskai Way" deck we can. Thanks again for posting you list and we look forward to hearing from you in the future.
These will probably work better in teh more controlling Monastery Mentor's Jeskai Way version of the deck, but they were worth a look in both.
Testing results against Abzan (Jesse Hampton's deck from the Pro Tour) are to follow.
I am also planning on testing ideas unbound and reforge the soul. I have played reforge the soul and when it is good it is great, but when it's bad, its very bad so I would prefer something a little more consistent. However, I will test everything to find the correct card for the deck. So far scarscale ritual shows potential.
Please let me know what you think of scarscale ritual and if you have any experience with the card. Thanks in advance!
An unbanning of Dig Through Time would also be helpful to our deck by allowing us to utilize all of our cantrips/pump spells as utility and delver them away for cards advantage and selection in the late game.
I would be very happy to see either Dig Through Time or Ancestral Vision come off the ban list. Do I think this will happen? I actually do expect one of these spells to become unbanned in the near future. Most likely Ancestral Vision. With that said, WOTC never ceases to amaze me with their ban choices and the rare unban choices here or there. Until then we can keep on brewing with what we have!
-3 pre-sided games and 4 post-sided games. I won't write every single play (bc my notes are not great), but will go over the major plays to keep it a readable length.
The Jeskai Way vs Abzan (Jesse Hampton version from Pro Tour Fate Reforged)
Game 1 - On the play
This was a very long game which doesn't typically go well against the Abzan decks. I had a turn one delver, turn two monastery swiftspear, and a turn three kiln fiend. All of these died to removal fairly quickly. I was able to remand a liliana and snapcaster remand a seige rhino. I finally landed a Geist of Saint Traft that couldn't be removed and got through twice with an emerge unscathed because all he had tarmogofy and a stirring wildwood to block. In the mid game I cast two scarscale rituals which really helped by having a huge advantage on card quantity. I won with only 2 life to spare, but this game gave me confidence that we can win the long games and games in which multiple seige rhinos were cast. It also showed the power of scarscale ritual, especially with Geist when he is unblockable.
Game 2 - On the draw (1-0)
This game was another very long affair, which is unusual for our deck. This time the outcome was not favorable. I started with early delver beats after he flipped on turn three. He was able to remove the delver and a shu yun, the silent tempest. I flooded slightly and two siege rhino's buried me.
Game 3 - On the play (1-1)
This was a quick one for a change. I had turn one Delver which flipped on turn two into a turn two Kiln Fiend. He made a mistake by trying to abrupt decay the kiln fiend on my attack phase, but I had emerge unscathed to save him. A boros charm finished him off on turn 4.
Post Board-
In- Spellskite, Azorius Charm, Engineered Explosives, Izzet Staticaster, Twisted Image.
Out- Geist of Saint Traft, 2x Remand, Gitaxian Probe, Lightning Helix.
I side a little differently than most because there are very few cards that are terrible in most matchups with emerge unscathed against affinity being the lone exception.
Game 4- on the draw (2-1)
This game was a good one for our new cards. I put a Faerie Conclave into the deck to add a little more insurance if we flood or have all of our threats removed and it was very helpful this game. The first three turns went as scripted. He thoughtseized my monastery swiftspear. He then played inquisition on my Shu Yun leaving me with no threats at the time. He then played a Liliana on turn three which started to deplete my hand even more. However, I had played my Faerie Conclave on turn two. He drew several lands and ticked up Liliana, but I was able to kill her after several attacks with the Conclave. I drew into Spellskie and Shu Yun. He played a Goyf and a scavenging ooze that grew to four. I had a Shu Yun and spellskite. He cast decay on my shu yun which was redirected to spellskite and attacked me down to 4. I was able to distortion strike the Shu Yun and use his double strike ability for the win.
Game 5 - on the draw (3-1)
He started with an inquistion taking my delver and seeing that I had two swiftspears as well. I started the game strong with two swiftspears but they were killed by a maelstrom pulse on turn three. On turn 4 I was able to land a Geist of Saint Traft with an emerge unscathed in hand. He played Lingering Souls. Because I had probed him earlier I knew he had a goyf and land in hand. I top decked an engineered explosives, attacked and played the emerge unscathed on Geist because I had to be aggressive to win the game at this point. He flashed back the Souls and played another souls that he drew. I played the explosives and killed the tokens and attacked with Geist putting him to 2 and passed with a land in hand. He played his Goyf and flashed back the second souls. I drew a kiln fiend, played it and passed. He attacked with the goyf because I was at 4 life and I chumped. I drew the one lightning helix in my deck and sent it to his face for the win.
Game 6 - on the draw (4-1)
This one started similar to some of the others. I kept a one land hand with visions, probe, and delver. He attacked my hand with thought seize and inquisition. This is typically a good idea because our deck doesn't function well without threats. He took the delver and Geist on turns one and two. I played a serum visions and probe to get a few threats on the top of the deck if at all possible. He played a tarmogoyf and was left with lands, tasigur and lingering souls in hand. I played a Shu Yun and passed with Azorious Charm,Distortion Strike, and Path to Exile in hand. He attacked with Goyf and played tasigur and then decayed (his draw) my shu yun. I drew a land and passed. He attached with goyf and the souls tokens and I cast azorious charm putting goyf back on top of his deck and pathed his tasigur. I drew a delver and lightning bolt, but it was too little too late.
Game 7 - on the play (4-2)
Finally on the play again where we are comfortable. This game was more text book than the rest. I started with swiftspear, snapcaster, lightning bolt, emerge unscathed, glacial fortress, and scalding tarn which is a very good hand for us. I fetched steam vents, played swifspear, and attacked. He didn't have any hand distruption on his first turn for a change. I played drew serum visions, played it, attacked him and passed. He played scooge to get a blocker on the board. I bolted it on the end of turn to have snap bolt available. I drew and played probe to see that he had no turn three play with linguring souls, seige rhino and lands. I went ahead and snap bolted him and attacked. He drew a dismember for my swiftspear which I regretted not holding up emerge unscathed. I drew Shu Yun and played him. He played a Siege Rhino, but this only got him back to 12 life. I played a land and and attacked. I played emerge unscathed on Shu and gave him double strike for exactly 12 with snapcaster. These are the type of easy wins we get sometimes
All in all a 6-2 record was better than I had expected, but this is a decent matchup for the Jeskai Way deck. Because it is creature based, the unblockable abilities are very good against the deck. If they have a ton of early hand disruption and we can't protect our threats, they can win. The major takeaways were
-Shu, Yun the Silent Tempest is very good in this deck as a finisher.
-Emerge Unscathed is a great combat trick that many don't see coming
-Engineered Explosives is great in the current token heavy meta.
-I will probably keep Faerie Conclave in for more testing.
-This is a favored matchup pre and post sideboard, but not highly favorable (probably 55%-60%)
-Azorious Charm is most likely very good in a meta full of Abzan and Burn.
I will continue to update with any testing/changes to the deck. I would love to hear if anyone else has been testing their builds of the deck and to hear what your best and worst matchups have been so far. Thanks for reading
Could you please post the list you were using ?
I'm considering bringing the following 75 into an unknown meta:
3x Flooded Strand
1x Glacial Fortress
3x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Mountain
2x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
3x Scalding Tarn
3x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
Creatures
4x Delver of Secrets
3x Geist of Saint Traft
2x Monastery Swiftspear
2x Snapcaster Mage
2x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Instants/Sorceries
4x Boros Charm
4x Emerge Unscathed
4x Gitaxian Probe
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Path to Exile
4x Remand
4x Serum Visions
2x Spell Snare
1x Counterflux
2x Dispel
2x Electrolyze
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Negate
3x Rest in Peace
1x Shattering Spree
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Wear / Tear
Link to deck @ TappedOut.net
Does anything strike anyone as terribly wrong ? I really haven't tested this and won't have the opportunity to test until I actually go and play on the FNM. It will be my first modern experience !!
A few things I'm still uncomfortable with:
- is spell snare maindeck worth right now ?
- I would like to fit lightning helix somewhere in the 75
- I would like to fit some life gain somewhere in the 75
- Is my sideboard too counterspell heavy and the wrong counters ? Should I have spell pierce and mana leak in there ??
- should I add more path to exile ?
On Scarscale Ritual: I don't like it in theory. When you want to draw the most is when you need threats and that's when it doesn't work. Again, this is in theory. If it's working for you, great !!!
Thank you for any advice in advance !!
What Class Are You?
I think your list looks great.
I agree with you on scarscale ritual. It was great when I had a threat, but was really a win more card. I prefer my card draw options be able to get me back into games that I am behind on or help me break open a stalled game. Maybe they will unban Ancestral Vision and I can try it out with Fury Charm.
As for your questions, here is what I personally think:
Spell Snare is a great card currently. It hits a ton of problem cards like Tarmogoyf, Cranial Plating, Daybreak Coronet, Pyromancers Ascension, Scavenging Ooze, and tons of the counter spells like Remand, and Mana Leak.
I don't think you need any dedicated life gain in the main deck, but you will need some in the sideboard for burn. I would suggest a Timely Reinforcements. You do have a lot of counter spells in the sideboard that are good against burn so you can take that approach, but it's hard to keep up with them without some life gain.
I will address the last three questions with what I would do if I were playing the deck. I would probably cut one or two Boros Charm, one Emerge Unscathed, and both Elspeth, Knight Errants. I would add one Monastery Swiftspear, two Lightning Helix, possibly one more Path to Exile or Valorous Stance, and one Chandra, Pyromaster. I have never been a fan of Elspeth in these types of decks because she feels like win more card. I have always been partial to Chandra, but that's personal preference. Elspeth has proven to be a great card so if you like here keep one in the deck. Boros charms always seem to get stuck in my hand a bit so I wouldn't suggest more than three, especially since you have protection offered by emerge unscathed. I suggest cutting on emerge unscathed because you need a creature for it to work so you never want more than one in hand.
As for the sideboard, it looks very good. I think your counterspell choices are perfect. I would highly suggest one or two Deflecting Palms. They fit the aggressive plan very well and are very good against infect, burn, affinity, bloom titan, tron, boggles, zoo, reanimator (goryo's), and any emrukal deck. It has been the best card in my sideboard for the weird decks you might see and against many decks that are typically problems for our deck. I would also add an additional Path to Exile or Valorous Stance. I would probably cut one rest in peace and shattering spree since you already have removal and artifact hate.
All in all your list looks great. I think you will do very well. All of my suggestions are just personal opinions/suggestions. If the deck has been testing well as you have it and your comfortable with it, you could take the 75 you have listed above and it would be great. Best of luck and keep us posted on how you do!
I will post my current list separately.
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Kiln Fiend
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest
Instant/Sorcery
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Serum Visions
2 Distortion Strike
3 Emerge Unscathed
1 Artful Dodge
1 Boros Charm
2 Path to Exile
2 Remand
1 Spell Snare
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa
2 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Slayer’s Stronghold
1 Mana Confluence
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Cavern of Souls
4 Delver of Secrets
3 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Kiln Fiend
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest
Instant/Sorcery
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Serum Visions
3 Distortion Strike
3 Emerge Unscathed
1 Boros Charm
2 Path to Exile
2 Remand
2 Ancestral Vision
2 Fury Charm
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa
2 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Slayer’s Stronghold
1 Mana Confluence
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Cavern of Souls
Fury Charm fits very well with our strategy and also allows us to add Ancestral Vision to our list. I'm not sure how well this will end up working, but it's worth a try. I will update with testing results if they look promising.
Thanks for looking!
Great points you make there. I'm considering making room for the third path after all. I still don't see space for life gain though. I want to have 3x anti-grave and 3x anti-artifact hate in the 75 for sure. I have too many counters so I'll cut the counterflux for path.
I like having 4-ofs in the main deck for know since I want to know what they can do.
I wish I could make space for timely reinforcements and deflecting palm. Maybe once I know the meta !
If I end up going to a game this week I'll post here about it.
This is my current sideboarding plans with the same list as above:
1x Path to Exile
2x Dispel
2x Electrolyze
1x Engineered Explosives
2x Negate
3x Rest in Peace
1x Shattering Spree
1x Supreme Verdict
2x Wear / Tear
Affinity
-4 emerge unscathed , - 4 probe
+2 wear//Tear, + 1 EE, + 1 path, +2 electrolyze, +1 Supreme Verdict, +1 shattering spree
Infect
-2 Elspeth, -2 remand, -4 boros charm
+2 electrolyze, +2 Dispel, +2 negate, +2 wear//tear
Burn
-1 remand, -2 path, -4 probe, -2 Elspeth
+2 electrolyze, +2 Dispel, +2 negate, +2 wear//tear, +1 EE
Twin
-4 Boros Charm, -1 Serum visions
+2 Dispel, +1 path, +2 negate
Abzan
-4 Serum Visions, -4 Probe, -1 Boros Charm
+ 3 Rest in Peace, +2 negate, +1 Supreme Verdict, +2 electrolyze, +1 path
Amulet Bloom
-2 elspeth, -4 Emerge unscathed, -1 serum visions
+2 dispel, +2 negate, +2 wear//tear, +1 path
Anything glaringly wrong ??
What Class Are You?
I have slightly different beliefs when it comes to deck building. I rarely play 4 of's because I like a variety of threats and answers. It lowers consistency and adds power. Neither is better or worse, just preference. I would prefer to have at least one Combust in the sideboard given all the twin running around lately, but that is also a personal preference.
Your sideboard plan looks great. I don't see any glaring problems with your list or plan at all. It sounds like you have tested/planned very well and you will be very well prepared. Because this deck is not played a bunch you will surprise a ton of your opponents. I think your in great shape. Best of luck at the event!
Here is my current list:
4 Delver of Secrets
1 Grim Lavamancer
3 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Kiln Fiend
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest
Instant/Sorcery
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
3 Gitaxian Probe
3 Serum Visions
2 Distortion Strike
3 Emerge Unscathed
1 Artful Dodge
1 Boros Charm
2 Path to Exile
1 Remand
1 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa
2 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Slayer’s Stronghold
1 Mana Confluence
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Cavern of Souls
One mana counter spells are very powerful in this deck because we start with a very fast clock forcing the opponents hand. With all the Lingering Souls going around, Spell Pierce becomes very good. Lingering Souls is really not a huge problem with all of our protection and unblockable spells. I have added a Grim Lavamancer and removed one Monastery Swiftspear to help with the aggressive strategies in game one.
Other ideas I have been testing are an additional Path to Exile and a Monastery Mentor. I would remove one Geist of Saint Traft and one Lightning Helix. I will let everyone know if these changes are beneficial after an ample amount of testing.
So I went to an 18 person tournament with the plan I described above. I toped 8 and then got my butt kicked right away. Not bad for my first modern event !!
Game 1 vs Gtron: 2 - 1
Didn't have a plan against this deck. First game I had a good hand and aggroed it out fast. Second game had a slow hand and couldn't contain him. Third game, boros charms to respond to his pyroclasms everytime was on the money !
Sideboarding: -4 gitaxian probes -4 emerge unscathed +1 shattering Spree + 1 wear /tear +2 dispel +2 negate +1 path +1 supreme verdict. No idea if this is correct, but spellskites are a pain !
Game 2 vs Blue moon 2 - 1
Again, deck I don't know and have no plan against. First game he had bad mana or something so I win and only see goyfs, cryptic and snapcasters. Second game I learn what Blue moon is about and vedalken shackles and blood moon keep me in check while I get beaten by goyfs. In the third game I drew my sideboard cards and had answers to everything. RIPs turn off goofs and snapcasters. Just like in the game against Tron, Elspeth resolved is a nightmare for them.
Sideboarding: sided in 12 cards since I had no idea what was going on ! +2 negate +2 dispel +2 wear/tear +3 RIP +1 Shattering spree + 1 path +1 supreme verdict - 4 emerge unscathed -4 serum visons -2 snapcaster -1 probe -1 boros charm
Game 3 vs Twin 0 - 2
First game mana screwed, second game mana flood. Also a misplay in the second game in terms of land drop sequencing. Against an unforgiving deck such as twin it means defeat.
Game 4 vs Boros burn 0 - 2
I knew I hadn't boarded properly for this match and so I just ate it bad both games. Also don't know how to play against it with the sideboard plan I had.
Game 5 vs weird mono red aggro deck 2 - 1
Don't know what I'm up against and I keep a one land hand with delver. Second land comes too late so I die. I see tons of creatures so I bring in removal. Second game I have a good hand and race him although it was close. Third game I had a really good hand so I kill him fast.
Sideboarding: -4 probes +1 path +2 electrolyze +1 supreme verdict
top 8 game vs Abzan
First game he has an amazing hand and destroys me. Second game I have an amazing game and kill him on turn four. Third game, we fight a lot, I managed to get RIP in play neutralizing lingering souls and goyfs but then started to mana flood and his top decks are just so good that I lose.
General observations:
- disappointed with emerge unscathed, almost always wanted it to be something else and boarded it out a lot.
- Elspeth is da bomb !!!! When ppl stabilize against me, she distabilizes everything again !
- my sideboard was good and RIPs are awesome against any goyf deck
- 4 boros charms felt like too few !!!
- serum visions is kind of meh, boarded it out a lot. On the other hand, probe game 1 is great and against any decks with counterspells.
I'll be testing this next:
3x Flooded Strand
1x Glacial Fortress
3x Hallowed Fountain
1x Island
1x Mountain
2x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
3x Scalding Tarn
3x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
4x Remand
4x Boros Charm
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Path to Exile
2x Lightning Helix
2x Electrolyze
2x Spell Snare
2x Valorous Stance
4x Gitaxian Probe
4x Delver of Secrets
3x Geist of Saint Traft
2x Monastery Swiftspear
2x Snapcaster Mage
1x Grim Lavamancer
Planeswalker
2x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Not sure on the right mix of paths/stances at this point but I do know that I want more FIRE in the deck !
Thoughts ? I am no longer qualifying as Jeskai prowess unblockable at this point ?
What Class Are You?
Also thanks for the update.
Your deck looks great. I do think your right that you don't qualify as a Jeskai Prowess Unblockable deck, but that's not a bad thing, just a slightly different deck. Your definetly a Jeskai Delver build. I have been typing on the jeskai delver forums for awhile now and everyone there will love your build.
I think you have done a great job with the deck. I also think your mix of paths and stances is perfect. If you want my personal preferences or opinion I would probably cut one Elespth, one Boros Charm, and one Electrolyze and get the [card]Serum Visions[cards] back into the deck. They help to smooth out draws and help with the opener's that are short on land. I also prefer [card]Chandra, Pyromaster[card], but that is purely personal preference so if you like Elspeth definitely keep her in the deck.
All in all, I think you deck looks great.
I am really excited to see if any of the new cards with rebound will be cost effective enough and powerful enough to make it into modern and hopefully in the the Jeskai Prowess Unblockable deck!