Well curdbros,
You make some valid points I guess I haven’t considered. Since I have never had a top 8 finish I would like to win.
Honestly I’d just like to be able to finish better than 2-2 51% of the time.
I play in a very causal/competitive shop. Most people have tier 1 decks but just enjoy trying different spicy card. Only 2 guys are Uber obsessed with winning. Everyone else is pretty chill and just plays for fun.
I feel since I have been playing such a short time, I have had the most fun playing a new deck every 10 weeks or so.(elves,burn,mill,storm,U/R prowess,boros dwarves, now Jeskai tempo)
This is my first 3 color deck I’ve played and it is by far my favorite. It is also the hardest deck To pilot, that I have played.
I really appreciate the deck of the week segments you post, and all of the match write-up on this forum. They have been a huge help to me.
I ordered 2 vexing devils to finish my playset,4 restoration angels and 2 Kikki-jikki mirror breakers.
Gonna add the combo to my deck and see how it plays this weekend.
That sounds like a perfect environment for a local game store. It's great to have such a great store in your area. I am also in your boat. I prefer to try to go 3-1 each week, but 2-2 is fine along with an occasional 4-0 (very occasional). I say definitely give the combo a try. That't the only way to find out what you really like. Jeskai decks can be very tough to pilot effectively so practice really makes perfect. You will notice that good jeskai players often do very well on almost all occasions. It really is the poster child for a 3-1 deck. It's not like a combo deck or super aggro deck that can spike and go 4-0 just by matchups so it really demands playing well and knowing the format. I say whenever you are feeling like you want to interact and have some fun run the jeskai list, but whenever the meta is right for your elves deck, mill deck, or storm deck break that out and get a 4-0 finish. That's not to say jeskai can't go 4-0 any given week, it's just not going to have many 70/30 matchups. Most matchups are 55/45 for jeskai.
I'm really glad you like the matchup of the week. I will have to be more diligent about posting those. I will post one later today when I get out of the office and can play a few games with my brother. Keep us posted on how your deck evolves. It's always great to hear from others who play a similar style deck and it's also nice just to hear people who are doing well and enjoying the game no matter what they play.
Hi everyone. I have a matchup of the week discussion to try this week. This week's discussion is a fun one because it's a deck that is near and dear to our hearts.
Matchup of the Week- UR Wizards
Overview- I haven't had a ton of play against this deck ,but the few times I have played against the deck it has been a fun matchup. It's like a legacy light matchup. It's one of the few matchups that can out tempo us. Due to this fact I like to play the more midrange/control role against them. If we can stay alive we will likely win the game. Bedlam Reveler is GREAT in this matchup. The card advantage really helps beat them in the late game. We have a lot of removal for their threats and all of their threats have 3 toughness or less. Geist of Saint Traft is also a great option in this matchup because they have very few powerful blockers and depend on removal.
Sideboard- Because most of their threats have 1 toughness, Izzet Staticaster is a great option post board. Dispel and Negate are great additions and if you have Spell Snare and/or Spell Pierce in your sideboard they are also great options. If you have any planeswalkers in your board they can be very helpful too - Chandra, Pyromaster, Jace, the Mindsculpter, Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, etc are basically all good options. They also depend on small chunks of damage so any life gain such as Blessed Alliance and Lightning Helix can be very good in this matchup. Lastly, because they have several creature lands and have multiple one drops this makes Engineered Explosives a sneaky addition that can really do some major damage.
Odds- I would classify this matchup as a classic 50/50. I think we do get better post board with more powerful options then they have so it's likely 55/45 post board. Per usual, the die roll matters a lot in this matchup, but I think more important is the role we take in the matchup. My personal deck is rather aggressive, but in order to have the best chance of winning in this matchup I need to utilize my burn as removal for the most part and utilize the top end threats like Geist and Revler to finish the opponent off.
thanks for the insight, that is really helpful!
I played only twice against the deck and the game was actually decided whether or not I drew electrolyze and helix - or not.
Is there already a discussion on the matchup against bgx or other midrange Decks? I would be very interested in that - so far I dont't feel too confident sideboarding against them.
thanks for the insight, that is really helpful!
I played only twice against the deck and the game was actually decided whether or not I drew electrolyze and helix - or not.
Is there already a discussion on the matchup against bgx or other midrange Decks? I would be very interested in that - so far I dont't feel too confident sideboarding against them.
Thanks SantaLorenzo. I'm glad if any of the information is helpful. You heard him ladies and gents we have a bonus matchup of the week this week- BGx midrange. It would be great to hear from everyone else to help SantaLorenzo out. Because we all run slightly different decks it's great to hear from multiple different people on the matchup. Without further adieu:
Matchup of the week bonus edition- BGx midrange.
Overview- This is the quintessential modern matchup. Ever since GP Balboa in 2012 I believe this has been probably the single most fun matchup to play and watch in all of modern. Unfortunately, it has long been considered a very tough matchup for jeskai, but that was moreso the control version. I actually started brewing this idea back in the boremandos (boros remand) days in order to make this particular matchup better. Jund is simply the best at "out valuing" the opponent and tearing their hand apart. They can struggle against a good tempo start with early threats because much of their power level comes from their late game cards. Bedlam Reveler made a HUGE difference in this matchup for me. He can't be killed by fatal push, he can't be taken with Inquisition of Kozilek and can deal with a lot of their larger threats. In addition, the card advantage he offers in the late game is key to winning. Hazoret, the Fervant is also a great late game option against Jund. If you are crazy like myself and run a copy of Distortion Strike, Emerge Unscathed, and/or Slip Through Space they can be very effective against jund as well. As for game one it really often comes down to a grind fest and the ability of the pilot makes a lot of difference. I would say the matchup in game one is 45/55 in their favor, but is definitely winnable.
Sideboard- Jund's strength comes from the power level of each card as well as the fact that there is no single way to hose them from the sideboard. This can be a very tough matchup to side against. We have some great options in the sideboard, but with GBx being seen a lot less in the last year we typically have less options in our board. Some of the best options are:
Celestial Purge- This is a classic sideboard card and does major work against jund.
Rest in Peace- Jund often deals with the graveyard and this can really hurt them. However, snapcaster mage is one of our best options in the matchup so this can be a double edged sword. Also if you run reveler you likely don't have rest in peace in your board like myself. Other graveyard hate such as leyline of the void, etc can also be useful.
Engineered Explosives- This one isn't great against jund, but it can help with a board full of goyfs/bobs and can also deal with the Raging Ravines which can be very tough for us to deal with efficiently.
Echoing Truth- This is more of a mainboard option, but it is great against most creature decks that play a bunch of 4 ofs like goyf.
Pia and Kiran Nalaar- This one is often overlooked because it's a 4 drop, but jund has a tough time dealing with fliers and multiple creaturs. If there is a lot jund in your area this can be a good sideboard option.
Settle the Wreckage- Jund kills via creature damage and settle can be a great way to get a 2 for 1 or 3-1 and get some value back.
Planeswalkers- Planeswalkers can be a great way to get a little more late game value back. I prefer Chandra, Pyromaster, but most value based planewalkers can be very good- Elspeth, Jace, Chandra, Torch of Defiance, etc. These are much better when you are on the play in post board games so play accordingly.
Cryptic Command- Again, this is often a mainboard card, not a sideboard card, but it can be very useful against jund.
Deflecting Palm- I personally rarely side these in, but if you are a more burn oriented version of jeskai prowess these can be back breaking.
Post board games- This is a very skill intensive matchup and can really come down to one or two key plays. Bloodbraid Elf is super tough for us to deal with and can often flip a game we are winning into a losing position. Our gameplan against them will be to land an early threat and remove any threats they land with our paths, bolts, vapor snag, etc. Sometimes Jund can take a lot of damage from their mana base. Make sure to keep an eye on life totals because you may be best served sending burn to their face and playing moreso like a burn deck, especially in game one. If burn and early threats don't work out, we have to lean heavily on card advantage. This can be very hard to accomplish given the power level and value of their cards, but cards like Snapcater Mage, Bedlam Reveler, Cryptic Command, Chandra, Pyromaster, Jace, the Mindsculpter etc can give us the card advantage to bury them in spells.
Unfortunately there is no sideboard answer to a jund deck, but that is what makes is such a fun deck to play against. I'm sure I missed something so I can't wait to hear what others think of the matchup. Jund is my single favorite deck to play against.
Hi Dzung,
Welcome to the forum. I like that you're using spicy cards like Conclave, Distortion Strike and Browbeat. I tried all these cards in the past
A Browbeat with instant speed would be a nice thing to find in the Ravnica set!
I finally sold my old Geists and bought 3 new ones. After 2 years of being the MVP in my deck and my favorite creature I just had to buy the best looking version.
This weekend I played quite a lot of Magic.
Friday I went to FNM and played three rounds. First round I won against UR Wizards 2-0, second round I beat Mardu Pyromancer 2-0 and round 3 I managed to beat yet another Mardu Pyromancer 2-1 which made me quite happy since I thought the match-up isn't great. Geist was great against Wizards (just as CurdBros wrote) and with Helixes is wasn't hard to win the race. Rest in Peace was awesome against Mardu Pyro. The one game I lost was just because of Blood Moon.
With that 3-0 went home and looked forward to the PPTQ on Saturday...
I attached the decklist.
Round 1 started with a Leyline of Sanctity on my opponent's side and I feared the worst: Bogles. But the PPTQ started with a surprise because I played against Enchantment Prison. First game I was able to get him to 1 life when his lock was complete. By then he had Runed Halo, 2 Leylines (a lot of other enchantments) and Sphere of Safety (pay 10 mana to attack) in play and had already played Enduring Ideal so I had to scoop. However, game 2 & 3 he had to take mulligans and I drew Wear//Tear so he lost quickly.
Result 2-1
Round 2 started with a Leyline of the Void on my opponent's side...I was facing Bridgevine. He spammed the board with returning creatures and I couldn't win the race. I was always one step behind my opponent and died. Second game I played Rest in Peace but he had the answer in hand: a creature with Evoke W that destroys enchantments. When I died he was still at 18 life -_- It felt like I would have needed 3 Angers in my SB to have a chance.
Result 0-2
Round 3 I got a good match-up: Burn. I drew enough Helixes and was able to counter two burn spells with Spell Pierce in the first game and a Boros Charm with Spell Snare from my SB in the second game when I was already on 4 life. Geist finished the game for me.
Result 2-0
Round 4 I played against Jeskai Control. These games went very long and were pretty grindy. Me: Play land, go. Opponent: Plays land, go. That went on for so many turns. Everything happened during End Steps. However, all my Burn spells ate away his life points and Geist and Gideon were too much for him to handle. In the second game Disdainful Stroke countered his huge Secure the Wastes and my Vendilion Clique from SB took away his Settle the Wreckage. In the end I won both games pretty clearly still having more than 14 life points.
Result 2-0
So, with a 3-1 I went into round 5 and I needed to win this round for a chance to get into the Top 8. Unfortunately my opponent played the best deck in Modern (imho): Hardened Scales Affinity. If you don't know how insane the deck is please watch this video. First game I attacked him twice with a flipped Delver to 14 and was at 18 life when he attacked me for 21 damage (unblockable since he could move the counters and I didn't have enough blockers for all his creatures)! Before sideboarding I think it's nearly impossible to win. So I boarded in 9 cards: Spell Snare, Rejection, 2x Stony, 2x RiP (counters can only be moved when the creatures die), Palm, Wear//Tear, Anger!
Second game Stony Silence shut him down pretty good in combination with counter spells and I was able to win. Third game I had to take a mulligan and he was too fast even with a Stony Silence in play. RiP came to late. Killing his creature wouldn't have achieved anything so I went for direct damage with burn but he was faster. Just like during the game against Bridgevine I would have won drawing a single Anger. I am seriously concidering to play 2 or even 3 Angers in my SB from now on since it's good against Humans too.
Result 1-2
Standing 3-2 I decided to spend the rest of the day with my family and went home, skipping round 6. All in all it was a very fun experience
I think that in the current meta a lot the cards recommended by CurdBros in his BGx midrange post are very good SB choices that would have helped during the PPTQ. I could have needed Entrancing Melody against Hardened Scales and Settle the Wreckage against Bridgevine...
Welcome Dzung! I love your deck. It's got some serious spice. It really takes the original idea of the deck and runs with it. I personally love Distortion Strike and Slip Through Space. I think now with Assassin's Trohpy, Jund and Abzan will definitely see an uptick. Emerge Unscathed, Distortion Strike, and Slip Through Space really shine in those matchups. I am very interested to hear how Browbeat works out for you. If both options are good then you can't lose. I would like to see some copies of Opt in the deck list. Although I love distortion strike I would likely cut one copy and possibly the peek to get two copies of opt in the deck. However, this is not necessary by any means. It wouldn't change much just gives a bit more consistency.
StevoMatUWR- Thanks for the write up. You must have played pretty well to get through some of those matchups. My play group just built the hardened scales affinity deck so we can test against it. I haven't played against it much yet, but from the looks of it on camera it looks like the real deal. The scariest part is that it all but negates a lot of our removal. We may be forced to race them. I'm not sure yet. Once I get about 20 games against it under my belt I will let you guys know what I think.
Also, those are the only Geist of Saint Trafts I play. The art is simply way better than other options.
On another topic; Wow- Assassin's Trophy. Get ready to play against a lot of Jund and Abzan in the coming months. This card is crazy good. I think SantaLorenzo saw the future coming and warned us about GBx midrange :). Also break out your Spell Snares!
Assassin's Trophy is absurd.
However, I like how creative people are making up names for it. Sphinx's Petrification and Path to Decay are my favorites so far
Sad fact: Since it reads "an opponent controls" we can't even really turn it against them with Swerve. Guess I'll have to always include at least one Spell Snare in my main board when this card becomes legal...
Unfortunetly, I don't think Ionize is playable in modern at least for our purposes. i think it is the best three CMC conter spell we can play at this point which means it may see some play. I wish it would deal damage to a creature as well. Then it would actually be very playable in my opinion. I don't see how Kologhan's Command can exist and this can't hit creatures. This kinda of reminds me of the original Izzet Charm. If damage mode on that card could hit the player too then izzet charm would be a one of in a ton of UR decks. However, in it's current iteration it just isn't playable.
I am willing to be wrong on this one and I hope I am, but I'm not sold yet. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a good split card and/or model card.
EDIT- Well my dreams have been shattered. Both of the izzet split cards are not even closet to playable in modern (at least in a tempo style deck). I guess I will keep my hopes up for some kind of model spell or possibly a decent jump-start card, however, izzet typically doesn't get anything near what other guilds get in terms or power level. Wizards has long been scared to give izzet anything decent.
Now this is a card that might see some definite play in our deck-
I REALLY like this card and I think it will play better than it reads even though it reads like a pretty powerful card. It's especially good with snap and reveler. What do you all think?
Mission Briefing is absolutely bonkers in my opinion.
It can definitely see myself playing 2 of this card mainboard as it basically is a mix of snapcaster mage + serum visions, kind off.
You get to play the best spell in your yard and you basically get to scry 2.
It's not a 2 mana counterspell but damn the utility is good. Getting rid of 2 lands in the late game? No problem.
Flashing back bolt and leaving geist and snapcaster on top? Easy.
I think this card could really do well in our deck, I would probably start with 2 copies.
BTW, maybe I will get around to a small tournament report from GP prague where I went 4-3 and dropped.
I tend to agree Mazeron. I really think this one is going to take some slots in the maindeck. I will start with two copies and go from there. I will be testing around 7:30 local time (in about an hour and a half) and I will let you guys/gals my first impressions.
I look forward to reading your tournament report. 4-3 at a GP is very respectable. I would be very happy to end the day above .500. The best players in the world only win 65% of games. People often forget that they have byes in most tournaments (which are well earned) that slightly skew their average finish.
Mazeron, I've been waiting for that tournament report from GP prague all this time
What do you guys think about the two new creatures Crackling Drake and Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice?
Personally I think the card draw for Drake is nice and the fact that it still gets buffed by instants which were already re-used with Snapcaster, but the mana cost is too difficult to manage with a three-colored deck that runs 22 lands max. It's a very nice addition for UR Aggro decks though.
I really like Aurelia though. She doesn't have flash or haste (our most liked keywords), but trample and vigilance are huge. Being able to go through tokens and to block after attacking are both important to win races. She could be insane in a Jeskai midrange deck together with Dragonlord Ojutai
Anyways, she's yet another competitioner for the 1-2 CMC4 slots in my deck and I'll definitely try her over Restoration Angel.
I really like Crackling Drake. I may give one of these a try at my top end, especially if Jund and Abzan begin to pick up. I also like Aurelia. I have a fond place for her because I won my return to ravnica pre-release with a copy of her. I thought GoyfTomcat would love the new aurelia. I think both deserve consideration and testing.
I think the cracking drake will be very good in UR decks. I updated my Jeskai Superfriends deck when Ral Zarek was spoiled and the drake is perfect for it. I won't talk about the deck on here because it's not a delver or prowess deck, but I will probably do a primer soon for it. It's a lot of fun and can be competitive.
I still have my fingers crossed for a good model Izzet spell.
I'd love to see that Jeskai Superfriends list though. Can't you hide it in a spoiler for those of us who are interested?
Regarding Aurelia, I also thought that GofyTomcat1 must love her.
She has the same problem like Hero of Bladehold for example. She is a 4-drop with a very strong body and good abilities but she has no enter-the-battlefield ability. You spend four mana to cast her and if your opponent has removal (which likely costs 2 mana) you've "achieved nothing" and she looks like a bad play. However, if your opponent can't answer her she can win you the game. Well, only testing will show how well she works in our various builds...
There is another topic I'd like to discuss:
During numerous matched I played with my current deck I found that my deck works better when I have a 5th and maybe even a 6th "Bolt". By Bolt I mean another burn spell for 1 mana. During the PPTQ last week however the 2 Burst Lightnings felt underwhelming and I often sided them out. So I wanted to ask which card could be best for that purpose. Here are the candidates: Forked Bolt - deals with several mana dorks or tokens at once; sorcery speed makes it a bad flashback target Pillar of Flame - deals with Voice, Reshaper, Arcbound Worker, small Hangarback, Finks; sorcery speed makes it a bad flashback target Magma Spray - deals with Voice, Reshaper, Arcbound Worker, small Hangarback, Finks; can't go face or attack PWs Burst Lightning - instant speed and potential to do 4 dmg; not good to answer the above mentioned creatures
I played Forked Bolt in the past but it feels redundant in the same deck with Electrolyze. I also played Pillar in the past but the sorcery speed with the biggest turn off with this one. Did any of you ever play Magma Spray? How big is the flaw not to be able to go upstairs? Maybe Vapor Snag is best Bolt no. 5? Maybe I am not seeing things clearly because I had no good answer to my opponents Arcbound Workers during the PPTQ?
Anyways, I am thankful for any suggestions. (btw for problematic Artifact decks I bought 1 Shatterstorm which I'll add to my SB)
I'm excited for both Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice and a little uncommon called Invert//Invent. The last one can work really good with Swiftspear/Stormchaser (even with Aurelia). I'll definitely build a deck closer to my delver deck when probe was legal. With Mutagenic Growths and the occasional double strike from Boros Charm.
Mission Briefing can also help delver flips, but I suppose this will need more testing.
So just as a thought experiment, I tried updating one of the first decklists I ever posted in this group to 2018 standards. Here is the old list from two years ago:
Note the addition of more selection in the form of opt, a vastly refined mana base, and the inclusion of new tech (Unsubstantiate, Opt, Torch of Defiance) that had not yet been printed two years ago.It's interesting to see how much I have grown in the 2 years since I first joined this group and I want to thank all of you for your input and thoughts during that time. I salute you, fellow Jeskai mages.
Mr.Tzoulis- That is a great point about Invert // Invent. I didn't even think of that. It may be really cool and do some serious damage.
As for mission briefing my testing last night did show that the card is super powerful. Here is what I have found so far in terms or pros and cons:
Pros
-Digs very deep
-Helps set up delver flips/miracle triggers
-Multiple times I found an answer that I needed utilizing MB
-Spell for Bedlam Reveler and Snapcaster Mage (and possibly the new drake)
Cons
-UU casting cost. I found several times that trying to play MB into Opt is tough early to have three blue sources.
-No card advantage on it's own. This isn't to bad, but it makes it a pretty poor early play.
Basically I found that the card plays extremely similar to what I expected. It's great in a late game/grindy matchup and is decent in the mid game. Consistency is super important to our deck so I do think this will be a 1 or 2 of in almost all UR tempo/midrange/control decks. To be honest we tested against UW control and included this card in the control deck and it was even better in the control deck so I think control players will be very happy with it. I personally will be playing 1 copy for the foreseeable future and will continue to test two copies to see if that is better.
Stevomat- I would love to share the list. It's in it's infancy, but here it is:
It hasn't been tested enough for me to say it's close to correct, but it's a ton of fun to play. I really want another copy of the new Ral Zarek so I may cut something to add another copy.
My current Jeskai list, bounce spells have become very good in the format with all the creatures that get cheated into play for cheap. Also dropped Delver it just didn't fit here but hopefully there is some uncommon still to come that might be good in GRN.
As for the SB some things not listed that I've tried Pyroclasm its good but not always great, Hallowed Moonlight great vs Bridgevine and other cheat into play creature decks and Hushwing Gryff great vs Humans and G/W value decks. And while I've only just added it to the SB Nix seems like it can do some works vs unfair decks.
Good Call Gofytomcat. The deck has really evolved over the past couple of years. I loved the deck and played it the entire time, but Opt really gave us the kick we needed after the Gitaxian Probe ban. I need to get a copy of Unsubstantiate back into the deck. I love the card and with all of the UW control going around, it's nice to have a semi answer to Supreme Verdict. We also salute you for your tireless efforts helping all of us.
Jinholic- That looks like a killer deck. If you manage to get a Clout of Dominus on Mantis Rider or Lightning Angel you basically win. My only concern is that you don't have any early threats. Against creature decks you should dominate. However, against combo decks you will have a tough time without an early clock. With that said, unsubtantiate lets you draw the game out long enough to get some threats down. I would probably say cut a couple of clout of dominus and possibly add a copy or two of Cryptic Command or possibly Negate to help against the more spell heavy matchups. Or you could just leave it as is and make your sideboard heavy against the unfair decks. I have never actually seen the card Nix so I will have to think about that one.
Great call on Hallowed Moonlight. I didn't think about how good that card is against the bridgevine decks. I have Surgical Extraction, but hallowed moonlight is much better against the bridge decks.
Also when you have a bunch threats with vigilance Savor the Moment becomes a neat card. It's a bit cute but with all of the threats with vigilance it would be fun to try. It's one of my pet cards (that's why I built a second deck to play it). I wouldn't recommend adding it to the deck as it is, but it's something to keep in mind.
@CurdBros - Yeah I had delvers as more threats but they almost never flipped and most games I'd win by just casting Riders and Angels while answering what my opp did. I've also had more counter magic The unsubs have been Mana Leak then Remand, I started hating leak as any game that goes long they turn to dead cards the remands just came out to test the unsubs but maybe I should just drop the snags for the unsubs and readd the Remands.
My SB always changes as 15 slots are not enough in this modern environment atm. I've had Negate, Flashfreeze and Spell Pierce in there at points. Also we will need to start using more Spell Snares soon with Trophy coming.
Wow, Mission Briefing went up from 5 to 8 Euros today on Magiccardmarket! Magic Aids rated it higher than Assassin's Trophy in his newest video. I wish I also had a crew to playtest this card.
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That sounds like a perfect environment for a local game store. It's great to have such a great store in your area. I am also in your boat. I prefer to try to go 3-1 each week, but 2-2 is fine along with an occasional 4-0 (very occasional). I say definitely give the combo a try. That't the only way to find out what you really like. Jeskai decks can be very tough to pilot effectively so practice really makes perfect. You will notice that good jeskai players often do very well on almost all occasions. It really is the poster child for a 3-1 deck. It's not like a combo deck or super aggro deck that can spike and go 4-0 just by matchups so it really demands playing well and knowing the format. I say whenever you are feeling like you want to interact and have some fun run the jeskai list, but whenever the meta is right for your elves deck, mill deck, or storm deck break that out and get a 4-0 finish. That's not to say jeskai can't go 4-0 any given week, it's just not going to have many 70/30 matchups. Most matchups are 55/45 for jeskai.
I'm really glad you like the matchup of the week. I will have to be more diligent about posting those. I will post one later today when I get out of the office and can play a few games with my brother. Keep us posted on how your deck evolves. It's always great to hear from others who play a similar style deck and it's also nice just to hear people who are doing well and enjoying the game no matter what they play.
2x Arid Mesa
4x Celestial Colonnade
2x Field of Ruin
4x Flooded Strand
1x Hallowed Fountain
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
2x Scalding Tarn
2x Steam Vents
2x Sulfur Falls
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Lightning Helix
4x Path to Exile
4x Unsubstantiate
2x Archangel Avacyn
4x Geist of Saint Traft
3x Restoration Angel
4x Snapcaster Mage
2x Vendilion Clique
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2x Anger of the Gods
1x Celestial Purge
2x Damping Sphere
2x Dispel
1x Izzet Staticaster
1x Negate
2x Relic of Progenitus
2x Stony Silence
1x Wear
Matchup of the Week- UR Wizards
Overview- I haven't had a ton of play against this deck ,but the few times I have played against the deck it has been a fun matchup. It's like a legacy light matchup. It's one of the few matchups that can out tempo us. Due to this fact I like to play the more midrange/control role against them. If we can stay alive we will likely win the game. Bedlam Reveler is GREAT in this matchup. The card advantage really helps beat them in the late game. We have a lot of removal for their threats and all of their threats have 3 toughness or less. Geist of Saint Traft is also a great option in this matchup because they have very few powerful blockers and depend on removal.
Sideboard- Because most of their threats have 1 toughness, Izzet Staticaster is a great option post board. Dispel and Negate are great additions and if you have Spell Snare and/or Spell Pierce in your sideboard they are also great options. If you have any planeswalkers in your board they can be very helpful too - Chandra, Pyromaster, Jace, the Mindsculpter, Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, etc are basically all good options. They also depend on small chunks of damage so any life gain such as Blessed Alliance and Lightning Helix can be very good in this matchup. Lastly, because they have several creature lands and have multiple one drops this makes Engineered Explosives a sneaky addition that can really do some major damage.
Odds- I would classify this matchup as a classic 50/50. I think we do get better post board with more powerful options then they have so it's likely 55/45 post board. Per usual, the die roll matters a lot in this matchup, but I think more important is the role we take in the matchup. My personal deck is rather aggressive, but in order to have the best chance of winning in this matchup I need to utilize my burn as removal for the most part and utilize the top end threats like Geist and Revler to finish the opponent off.
thanks for the insight, that is really helpful!
I played only twice against the deck and the game was actually decided whether or not I drew electrolyze and helix - or not.
Is there already a discussion on the matchup against bgx or other midrange Decks? I would be very interested in that - so far I dont't feel too confident sideboarding against them.
Thanks SantaLorenzo. I'm glad if any of the information is helpful. You heard him ladies and gents we have a bonus matchup of the week this week- BGx midrange. It would be great to hear from everyone else to help SantaLorenzo out. Because we all run slightly different decks it's great to hear from multiple different people on the matchup. Without further adieu:
Matchup of the week bonus edition- BGx midrange.
Overview- This is the quintessential modern matchup. Ever since GP Balboa in 2012 I believe this has been probably the single most fun matchup to play and watch in all of modern. Unfortunately, it has long been considered a very tough matchup for jeskai, but that was moreso the control version. I actually started brewing this idea back in the boremandos (boros remand) days in order to make this particular matchup better. Jund is simply the best at "out valuing" the opponent and tearing their hand apart. They can struggle against a good tempo start with early threats because much of their power level comes from their late game cards. Bedlam Reveler made a HUGE difference in this matchup for me. He can't be killed by fatal push, he can't be taken with Inquisition of Kozilek and can deal with a lot of their larger threats. In addition, the card advantage he offers in the late game is key to winning. Hazoret, the Fervant is also a great late game option against Jund. If you are crazy like myself and run a copy of Distortion Strike, Emerge Unscathed, and/or Slip Through Space they can be very effective against jund as well. As for game one it really often comes down to a grind fest and the ability of the pilot makes a lot of difference. I would say the matchup in game one is 45/55 in their favor, but is definitely winnable.
Sideboard- Jund's strength comes from the power level of each card as well as the fact that there is no single way to hose them from the sideboard. This can be a very tough matchup to side against. We have some great options in the sideboard, but with GBx being seen a lot less in the last year we typically have less options in our board. Some of the best options are:
Celestial Purge- This is a classic sideboard card and does major work against jund.
Rest in Peace- Jund often deals with the graveyard and this can really hurt them. However, snapcaster mage is one of our best options in the matchup so this can be a double edged sword. Also if you run reveler you likely don't have rest in peace in your board like myself. Other graveyard hate such as leyline of the void, etc can also be useful.
Threads of Disloyalty/Entrancing Melody- Stealing a goyf or big scooge can flip a game in our favor.
Engineered Explosives- This one isn't great against jund, but it can help with a board full of goyfs/bobs and can also deal with the Raging Ravines which can be very tough for us to deal with efficiently.
Echoing Truth- This is more of a mainboard option, but it is great against most creature decks that play a bunch of 4 ofs like goyf.
Pia and Kiran Nalaar- This one is often overlooked because it's a 4 drop, but jund has a tough time dealing with fliers and multiple creaturs. If there is a lot jund in your area this can be a good sideboard option.
Settle the Wreckage- Jund kills via creature damage and settle can be a great way to get a 2 for 1 or 3-1 and get some value back.
Spell Snare- Because many of their best cards are two drops (Tarmogoyf, Dark Confidant, Terminate, Collective Brutality), spell snare becomes a very good mainboard option.
Planeswalkers- Planeswalkers can be a great way to get a little more late game value back. I prefer Chandra, Pyromaster, but most value based planewalkers can be very good- Elspeth, Jace, Chandra, Torch of Defiance, etc. These are much better when you are on the play in post board games so play accordingly.
Bedlam Revler and Hazoret, the Fervant- As was stated earlier, these are great options against jund in the late game.
Cryptic Command- Again, this is often a mainboard card, not a sideboard card, but it can be very useful against jund.
Deflecting Palm- I personally rarely side these in, but if you are a more burn oriented version of jeskai prowess these can be back breaking.
Post board games- This is a very skill intensive matchup and can really come down to one or two key plays. Bloodbraid Elf is super tough for us to deal with and can often flip a game we are winning into a losing position. Our gameplan against them will be to land an early threat and remove any threats they land with our paths, bolts, vapor snag, etc. Sometimes Jund can take a lot of damage from their mana base. Make sure to keep an eye on life totals because you may be best served sending burn to their face and playing moreso like a burn deck, especially in game one. If burn and early threats don't work out, we have to lean heavily on card advantage. This can be very hard to accomplish given the power level and value of their cards, but cards like Snapcater Mage, Bedlam Reveler, Cryptic Command, Chandra, Pyromaster, Jace, the Mindsculpter etc can give us the card advantage to bury them in spells.
Unfortunately there is no sideboard answer to a jund deck, but that is what makes is such a fun deck to play against. I'm sure I missed something so I can't wait to hear what others think of the matchup. Jund is my single favorite deck to play against.
Welcome to the forum. I like that you're using spicy cards like Conclave, Distortion Strike and Browbeat. I tried all these cards in the past
A Browbeat with instant speed would be a nice thing to find in the Ravnica set!
I finally sold my old Geists and bought 3 new ones. After 2 years of being the MVP in my deck and my favorite creature I just had to buy the best looking version.
This weekend I played quite a lot of Magic.
Friday I went to FNM and played three rounds. First round I won against UR Wizards 2-0, second round I beat Mardu Pyromancer 2-0 and round 3 I managed to beat yet another Mardu Pyromancer 2-1 which made me quite happy since I thought the match-up isn't great. Geist was great against Wizards (just as CurdBros wrote) and with Helixes is wasn't hard to win the race. Rest in Peace was awesome against Mardu Pyro. The one game I lost was just because of Blood Moon.
With that 3-0 went home and looked forward to the PPTQ on Saturday...
I attached the decklist.
Round 1 started with a Leyline of Sanctity on my opponent's side and I feared the worst: Bogles. But the PPTQ started with a surprise because I played against Enchantment Prison. First game I was able to get him to 1 life when his lock was complete. By then he had Runed Halo, 2 Leylines (a lot of other enchantments) and Sphere of Safety (pay 10 mana to attack) in play and had already played Enduring Ideal so I had to scoop. However, game 2 & 3 he had to take mulligans and I drew Wear//Tear so he lost quickly.
Result 2-1
Round 2 started with a Leyline of the Void on my opponent's side...I was facing Bridgevine. He spammed the board with returning creatures and I couldn't win the race. I was always one step behind my opponent and died. Second game I played Rest in Peace but he had the answer in hand: a creature with Evoke W that destroys enchantments. When I died he was still at 18 life -_- It felt like I would have needed 3 Angers in my SB to have a chance.
Result 0-2
Round 3 I got a good match-up: Burn. I drew enough Helixes and was able to counter two burn spells with Spell Pierce in the first game and a Boros Charm with Spell Snare from my SB in the second game when I was already on 4 life. Geist finished the game for me.
Result 2-0
Round 4 I played against Jeskai Control. These games went very long and were pretty grindy. Me: Play land, go. Opponent: Plays land, go. That went on for so many turns. Everything happened during End Steps. However, all my Burn spells ate away his life points and Geist and Gideon were too much for him to handle. In the second game Disdainful Stroke countered his huge Secure the Wastes and my Vendilion Clique from SB took away his Settle the Wreckage. In the end I won both games pretty clearly still having more than 14 life points.
Result 2-0
So, with a 3-1 I went into round 5 and I needed to win this round for a chance to get into the Top 8. Unfortunately my opponent played the best deck in Modern (imho): Hardened Scales Affinity. If you don't know how insane the deck is please watch this video. First game I attacked him twice with a flipped Delver to 14 and was at 18 life when he attacked me for 21 damage (unblockable since he could move the counters and I didn't have enough blockers for all his creatures)! Before sideboarding I think it's nearly impossible to win. So I boarded in 9 cards: Spell Snare, Rejection, 2x Stony, 2x RiP (counters can only be moved when the creatures die), Palm, Wear//Tear, Anger!
Second game Stony Silence shut him down pretty good in combination with counter spells and I was able to win. Third game I had to take a mulligan and he was too fast even with a Stony Silence in play. RiP came to late. Killing his creature wouldn't have achieved anything so I went for direct damage with burn but he was faster. Just like during the game against Bridgevine I would have won drawing a single Anger. I am seriously concidering to play 2 or even 3 Angers in my SB from now on since it's good against Humans too.
Result 1-2
Standing 3-2 I decided to spend the rest of the day with my family and went home, skipping round 6. All in all it was a very fun experience
I think that in the current meta a lot the cards recommended by CurdBros in his BGx midrange post are very good SB choices that would have helped during the PPTQ. I could have needed Entrancing Melody against Hardened Scales and Settle the Wreckage against Bridgevine...
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Steel of the Godhead
4 Remand
4 Serum Visions
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Electrolyze
4 Path to Exile
22 lands
StevoMatUWR- Thanks for the write up. You must have played pretty well to get through some of those matchups. My play group just built the hardened scales affinity deck so we can test against it. I haven't played against it much yet, but from the looks of it on camera it looks like the real deal. The scariest part is that it all but negates a lot of our removal. We may be forced to race them. I'm not sure yet. Once I get about 20 games against it under my belt I will let you guys know what I think.
Also, those are the only Geist of Saint Trafts I play. The art is simply way better than other options.
On another topic; Wow- Assassin's Trophy. Get ready to play against a lot of Jund and Abzan in the coming months. This card is crazy good. I think SantaLorenzo saw the future coming and warned us about GBx midrange :). Also break out your Spell Snares!
However, I like how creative people are making up names for it. Sphinx's Petrification and Path to Decay are my favorites so far
Sad fact: Since it reads "an opponent controls" we can't even really turn it against them with Swerve. Guess I'll have to always include at least one Spell Snare in my main board when this card becomes legal...
I like that there's no UU in it's casting cost and 2 damage sounds good too. I'll test 1-2 copies main I think.
I am willing to be wrong on this one and I hope I am, but I'm not sold yet. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a good split card and/or model card.
EDIT- Well my dreams have been shattered. Both of the izzet split cards are not even closet to playable in modern (at least in a tempo style deck). I guess I will keep my hopes up for some kind of model spell or possibly a decent jump-start card, however, izzet typically doesn't get anything near what other guilds get in terms or power level. Wizards has long been scared to give izzet anything decent.
I REALLY like this card and I think it will play better than it reads even though it reads like a pretty powerful card. It's especially good with snap and reveler. What do you all think?
I tend to agree Mazeron. I really think this one is going to take some slots in the maindeck. I will start with two copies and go from there. I will be testing around 7:30 local time (in about an hour and a half) and I will let you guys/gals my first impressions.
I look forward to reading your tournament report. 4-3 at a GP is very respectable. I would be very happy to end the day above .500. The best players in the world only win 65% of games. People often forget that they have byes in most tournaments (which are well earned) that slightly skew their average finish.
What do you guys think about the two new creatures Crackling Drake and Aurelia, Exemplar of Justice?
Personally I think the card draw for Drake is nice and the fact that it still gets buffed by instants which were already re-used with Snapcaster, but the mana cost is too difficult to manage with a three-colored deck that runs 22 lands max. It's a very nice addition for UR Aggro decks though.
I really like Aurelia though. She doesn't have flash or haste (our most liked keywords), but trample and vigilance are huge. Being able to go through tokens and to block after attacking are both important to win races. She could be insane in a Jeskai midrange deck together with Dragonlord Ojutai
Anyways, she's yet another competitioner for the 1-2 CMC4 slots in my deck and I'll definitely try her over Restoration Angel.
I think the cracking drake will be very good in UR decks. I updated my Jeskai Superfriends deck when Ral Zarek was spoiled and the drake is perfect for it. I won't talk about the deck on here because it's not a delver or prowess deck, but I will probably do a primer soon for it. It's a lot of fun and can be competitive.
I still have my fingers crossed for a good model Izzet spell.
I'd love to see that Jeskai Superfriends list though. Can't you hide it in a spoiler for those of us who are interested?
Regarding Aurelia, I also thought that GofyTomcat1 must love her.
She has the same problem like Hero of Bladehold for example. She is a 4-drop with a very strong body and good abilities but she has no enter-the-battlefield ability. You spend four mana to cast her and if your opponent has removal (which likely costs 2 mana) you've "achieved nothing" and she looks like a bad play. However, if your opponent can't answer her she can win you the game. Well, only testing will show how well she works in our various builds...
There is another topic I'd like to discuss:
During numerous matched I played with my current deck I found that my deck works better when I have a 5th and maybe even a 6th "Bolt". By Bolt I mean another burn spell for 1 mana. During the PPTQ last week however the 2 Burst Lightnings felt underwhelming and I often sided them out. So I wanted to ask which card could be best for that purpose. Here are the candidates:
Forked Bolt - deals with several mana dorks or tokens at once; sorcery speed makes it a bad flashback target
Pillar of Flame - deals with Voice, Reshaper, Arcbound Worker, small Hangarback, Finks; sorcery speed makes it a bad flashback target
Magma Spray - deals with Voice, Reshaper, Arcbound Worker, small Hangarback, Finks; can't go face or attack PWs
Burst Lightning - instant speed and potential to do 4 dmg; not good to answer the above mentioned creatures
I played Forked Bolt in the past but it feels redundant in the same deck with Electrolyze. I also played Pillar in the past but the sorcery speed with the biggest turn off with this one. Did any of you ever play Magma Spray? How big is the flaw not to be able to go upstairs? Maybe Vapor Snag is best Bolt no. 5? Maybe I am not seeing things clearly because I had no good answer to my opponents Arcbound Workers during the PPTQ?
Anyways, I am thankful for any suggestions. (btw for problematic Artifact decks I bought 1 Shatterstorm which I'll add to my SB)
Mission Briefing can also help delver flips, but I suppose this will need more testing.
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Lightning Angel
The Girls:
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Burn:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Boros Charm
3 Jeskai Charm
Permission
3 Remand
1 Spell Snare
4 Path to Exile
2 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn (finally got my first one)
4 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Steam Vents
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Wandering Fumarole
2 Island
2 Mountain
2 Plains
2 Reflector Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Valorous Stance
2 Crumble to Dust
3 Rending Volley
2 Wear
1 Spell Snare
2 Spell Pierce
And here is the list as it stands today.
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Geist of Saint Traft
4 Lightning Angel
The Girls:
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Burn:
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Electrolyze
Interaction
4 Unsubstantiate
4 Path to Exile
Cantrip:
4 Opt
2 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn (finally got my first one)
4 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
3 Celestial Colonnade
2 Field of Ruin
2 Steam Vents
1 Sacred Foundry
2 Sulfur Falls
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Keranos, God of Storms
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Damping Sphere
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Wear
3 Negate
Note the addition of more selection in the form of opt, a vastly refined mana base, and the inclusion of new tech (Unsubstantiate, Opt, Torch of Defiance) that had not yet been printed two years ago.It's interesting to see how much I have grown in the 2 years since I first joined this group and I want to thank all of you for your input and thoughts during that time. I salute you, fellow Jeskai mages.
As for mission briefing my testing last night did show that the card is super powerful. Here is what I have found so far in terms or pros and cons:
Pros
-Digs very deep
-Helps set up delver flips/miracle triggers
-Multiple times I found an answer that I needed utilizing MB
-Spell for Bedlam Reveler and Snapcaster Mage (and possibly the new drake)
Cons
-UU casting cost. I found several times that trying to play MB into Opt is tough early to have three blue sources.
-No card advantage on it's own. This isn't to bad, but it makes it a pretty poor early play.
Basically I found that the card plays extremely similar to what I expected. It's great in a late game/grindy matchup and is decent in the mid game. Consistency is super important to our deck so I do think this will be a 1 or 2 of in almost all UR tempo/midrange/control decks. To be honest we tested against UW control and included this card in the control deck and it was even better in the control deck so I think control players will be very happy with it. I personally will be playing 1 copy for the foreseeable future and will continue to test two copies to see if that is better.
Stevomat- I would love to share the list. It's in it's infancy, but here it is:
2 Mission Briefing
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
4 Opt
2 Cryptic Command
2 Remand
1 Negate
1 Spell Snare
3 Path to Exile
1 Settle The Wreckage
3 Savor the Moment
2 Temporal Mastery
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
1 Ral Zarek
1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Flooded Strand
2 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Cascade Bluffs
2 Sulfur Falls
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Celestial Colonnade
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
It hasn't been tested enough for me to say it's close to correct, but it's a ton of fun to play. I really want another copy of the new Ral Zarek so I may cut something to add another copy.
4x Arid Mesa
1x Desolate Lighthouse
4x Flooded Strand
2x Hallowed Fountain
2x Inspiring Vantage
2x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
3x Spirebluff Canal
2x Steam Vents
4x Lightning Bolt
2x Lightning Helix
4x Opt
4x Path to Exile
3x Unsubstantiate
2x Vapor Snag
4x Lightning Angel
4x Mantis Rider
4x Stormchaser Mage
4x Clout of the Dominus
2x Celestial Purge
2x Ceremonious Rejection
2x Damping Sphere
1x Detention Sphere
2x Dispel
1x Izzet Staticaster
2x Nix
1x Rest in Peace
1x Stony Silence
1x Wear
As for the SB some things not listed that I've tried Pyroclasm its good but not always great, Hallowed Moonlight great vs Bridgevine and other cheat into play creature decks and Hushwing Gryff great vs Humans and G/W value decks. And while I've only just added it to the SB Nix seems like it can do some works vs unfair decks.
Jinholic- That looks like a killer deck. If you manage to get a Clout of Dominus on Mantis Rider or Lightning Angel you basically win. My only concern is that you don't have any early threats. Against creature decks you should dominate. However, against combo decks you will have a tough time without an early clock. With that said, unsubtantiate lets you draw the game out long enough to get some threats down. I would probably say cut a couple of clout of dominus and possibly add a copy or two of Cryptic Command or possibly Negate to help against the more spell heavy matchups. Or you could just leave it as is and make your sideboard heavy against the unfair decks. I have never actually seen the card Nix so I will have to think about that one.
Great call on Hallowed Moonlight. I didn't think about how good that card is against the bridgevine decks. I have Surgical Extraction, but hallowed moonlight is much better against the bridge decks.
Also when you have a bunch threats with vigilance Savor the Moment becomes a neat card. It's a bit cute but with all of the threats with vigilance it would be fun to try. It's one of my pet cards (that's why I built a second deck to play it). I wouldn't recommend adding it to the deck as it is, but it's something to keep in mind.
My SB always changes as 15 slots are not enough in this modern environment atm. I've had Negate, Flashfreeze and Spell Pierce in there at points. Also we will need to start using more Spell Snares soon with Trophy coming.