I'm trying to think of any matchups where I'd want both countermagic (knot) and RiP. Struggling a bit. Storm and perhaps RB Hollow come to mind (for Cathartic), or perhaps some other GY-based combo deck. I have yet to face Grishoalbrand but maybe there, too.
I wonder why Grafdigger's is not more commonly seen in sideboards. At least we get to keep Azcanta/knots active. Doesn't work against Living End, but it's not like we're worried about that matchup.
Looks like he cut some buddy lands for 3 FoR, which might make sense given the current meta and the list's midrangey feel. His cryptics aren't castable under Blood Moon, though. I'm not a huge fan of Opt over SV, but I can see a few corner cases where you target Snap with Resto during your opponent's turn and Opt/SV are the only valid targets. I'd also rather see 2 RiP in the side, but what do I know
I played around with Resto Angel, and she does love to nom some Bloodbraids/Snappies. Good for saving a Queller, attacking Geist, reusing snap/clique/splicer, etc. I'd imagine a 3/3 first striker is pretty good when it comes down a turn before Jace.
I also found myself flashing Resto in on opponent's EOT as counter bait in control mirrors and slamming Jace after. Didn't feel too bad...I think I'll give the list a try
I'm trying to think of any matchups where I'd want both countermagic (knot) and RiP. Struggling a bit. Storm and perhaps RB Hollow come to mind (for Cathartic), or perhaps some other GY-based combo deck. I have yet to face Grishoalbrand but maybe there, too.
I wonder why Grafdigger's is not more commonly seen in sideboards. At least we get to keep Azcanta/knots active. Doesn't work against Living End, but it's not like we're worried about that matchup.
Looks like he cut some buddy lands for 3 FoR, which might make sense given the current meta and the list's midrangey feel. His cryptics aren't castable under Blood Moon, though. I'm not a huge fan of Opt over SV, but I can see a few corner cases where you target Snap with Resto during your opponent's turn and Opt/SV are the only valid targets. I'd also rather see 2 RiP in the side, but what do I know
I played around with Resto Angel, and she does love to nom some Bloodbraids/Snappies. Good for saving a Queller, attacking Geist, reusing snap/clique/splicer, etc. I'd imagine a 3/3 first striker is pretty good when it comes down a turn before Jace.
I also found myself flashing Resto in on opponent's EOT as counter bait in control mirrors and slamming Jace after. Didn't feel too bad...I think I'll give the list a try
well rip is a pretty haymaker hate card. it still valuable against decks that revolve primarily around their GY. where we wish we had some GY interaction and still play a somewhat normal game with permission spells is against decks that get incidental graveyard value. goyfs, k-command, delve threats, souls/faithless looting, traverse (delirium), etc.
before you could make a case for bringing in 1-2 RIPs in these kind of matchups for value. with knots and azcanta though, that is pretty much off the table entirely.
as for that list, im intrigued. its definitely in the midrange/flash category, which were more popular years ago.
tbh i dont believe big jeskai is particularly well positioned at the moment. so moving in this direction might be how we can stay competitive.
gideon AOZ sounds pretty sweet in that kind of shell.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
Yeah, I'm not sure we could afford to run RiP against Jund/etc midrange. They could still 2-for-1 us with Kommand, we shut off our own CA engine with Snap, and then we're down a card just from the enchantment itself. I think part of their strength is that like us, only a few of their spells rely on the GY. Even Surgical might get us killed if we don't hit anything in their hand.
I would definitely miss Gideon4 and Azcanta out of that list, but Azcanta would be worse with that many creatures and maybe the Splicers/P&K out of the side along with the Restos can play a similar role. I've been running a Gideon3 with my 4 these days as well, and he's been killer against Lantern/Burn/Mill. Surprisingly good against Tron too, shut down one big-ass creature and/or beat em up with the 4/4. The double white will often mean shocking yourself on T3, though. I think they're worth running as a pair, maybe cut a Splicer and a Bolt or...Queller?
tbh i dont believe big jeskai is particularly well positioned at the moment. so moving in this direction might be how we can stay competitive.
Any thoughts on which direction you'd move? I've been more and more coming to that same conclusion (although the 5+ Affinity pilots at my small LGS have kept me from moving off of it entirely). My inclination is either to go more tempo with Geist, trade the Bolts for a bunch of land disruption and a stable land base with UW, or just give the finger to uninteractive decks with UR Breach.
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Playing UX Mana Denial until Modern gets the answers it needs.
WUBRG Humans BRW Mardu Pyromancer UW UW "Control" UR Blue Moon
I'm finding my big J list performing well. I think I'm about 18W 4L 2D in paper matches since Jace unban. Because I'm a paper player only though my testing is much less comprehensive than others though. I can confirm that Counterflux is worth bringing in against BBE Jund though.
My current Big J list;
Jeskai Control (U/W/R): Jeskai Control
I do agree that Jeskai Tempo needs to evolve to survive though. Queller is not as good as it was, especially in paper where I'm seeing almost zero storm players. Liliana of the veil is also resolving a lot more in modern, threatening any deck that leans too heavily on Geist. I think Resto is a good place to start but, unfortunately, the 4CMC cost means you can't build your early midgame around it. Wall of omens is also well positioned at the moment. I'm not sure what this will lead to but I did like this list I saw recently;
I think I would like to test true Jeskai Midrange - that is, more creatures, more value, less emphasis on holding up mana in the first 3 turns. A shell like this with maybe Finks and P&K might be worth a go. Something like this?
I like your list Sunny and I think a lot of us can agree on Wall of Omens - the only thing I don't like is your lack of PWs in the main. They work pretty well with the Walls, don't they? Say a T2 Wall into T3 Gids into T4 Jace or whatever. Wall nullifies one creature, then hopefully Gideon gets another and Jace sticks.
I suppose Finks can act as a blocker too, but losing half of the creature can't be as good as +1 Gideon. I'm also not seeing a need for Counterflux in the side (I also tried it) when you have so many creatures that trade up/munch/block BBE, namely Resto/Finks/Snap/P&K/Wall. 90% of the time I found myself using it as a hard counter in the control mirror and against big mana, and I would think Disdainful's better suited for that role
I like your list Sunny and I think a lot of us can agree on Wall of Omens - the only thing I don't like is your lack of PWs in the main. They work pretty well with the Walls, don't they? Say a T2 Wall into T3 Gids into T4 Jace or whatever. Wall nullifies one creature, then hopefully Gideon gets another and Jace sticks.
I suppose Finks can act as a blocker too, but losing half of the creature can't be as good as +1 Gideon. I'm also not seeing a need for Counterflux in the side (I also tried it) when you have so many creatures that trade up/munch/block BBE, namely Resto/Finks/Snap/P&K/Wall. 90% of the time I found myself using it as a hard counter in the control mirror and against big mana, and I would think Disdainful's better suited for that role
I can see little Gideon making it to the list but I don't see Jace or any 4cmc walker here. The idea is tap-out until t4 then hold up mana threatening Resto or Cryptic.
Regarding Counterflux, I value its application against Storm, Ad Naus, Scapeshift (more temur lists with remand are seeing play I'm seeing, and it's good against stock GR Shift anyway), and also as a "I say No" card in a UWx mirror. I would run it with or without BBE in the format I think. You'll notice in my Big J list I run 2 and go down to 1 in the midrange list due to it being a bit more resilient vs. BBE
Disdainful Stroke is 1cmc cheaper though so I wouldn't fault you for preferring that over Flux.
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Modern Decks
------------ URW Jeskai Control GUWRB Amulet Titan GR Ponza
for the moment i am going to stay the course. big jeskai isnt the best right now, but i think there is value in sticking with what we know and just continuously tuning as new information comes in. remember the reasons for the deck being good are still there, and the metagame hasnt changed THAT much. also im not ready to give up on azcanta just yet. that card has been way too impressive for me to let it go for a less spell-heavy build.
one indicator to me to tell if my deck might not be in the right place is how often i am using cryptic command to tap the opponents creatures. sure it happens from time to time, and helps you dig to your next play. however it is the least efficient use of the card. we want cryptics to always be a clean 2-for-1.
the bolt-less version, going a little bigger on sweepers (3 verdicts w/ maindeck EE) with MD elspeth is continuing to show up in mtgo leagues.
at this point i am ready to conclude that we can support 2 Field of Ruin safely, with 3 being an option if you want to push it.
i think tempo shells with some number of geists, quellers, and maybe 1-2 value restos are going to be the safest bet right now. tempo is just about invalidating what your opponent is doing just long enough to cross the finish line, which sounds like a good strategy when the metagame is all over the place.
going more midrange with a more extensive creature package sounds cool to me. however i wouldnt run a version that doesnt have some number of jaces in the main deck. UWR flash/midrange has historically suffered from 1 problem - its powerful, but at the end of the day you are just playing a worse version of another deck. to break out of this i think having jace around needs to be at least part of the equation.
Reflector Mage is an option for the 3-drop spot if you arent big on blade splicers or finks.
cards that have been on my mind recently:
-Restoration Angel - for the obvious reasons that others have pointed out. maybe not full on midrange, but 1-2 for value with cliques and snaps.
-Dire Fleet Daredevil - no, im not kidding. i think this card is never main deck playable. however i think having some in the 75 might be a way to break open fair matchups. first-strike means it can often win in battle even when paired with burn spells, and nabbing a juicy spell from the opponent can be a devastating 2-for-1 because they cant really play around it.
-Young Pyromancer / Monastery Mentor - jeskai up to this point has largely been unable to make these cards work for various reasons. however these cards pair exceptionally well with jace because of how they offer offense + defense. using them means lowering the curve, and upping the number of cantrips. Opt being around is a better pairing with visions than Sleight of Hand(at least for us). i have no clue what a fleshed out build might end up looking like. for me i am going to find room for 1 YP in the main, and 2 in the side; just to gauge how these creatures play in a normal big jeskai shell.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
Went undefeated at FNM last week with this Jeskai tempo/control list. Its a bit different from traditional tempo lists but it works really well. Having access to FOR and Jace have helped me in many games. i was thinking of maybe finding room for a 2nd copy of electrolyze , but overall i'm very happy with how its performed so far.
Went undefeated at FNM last week with this Jeskai tempo/control list. Its a bit different from traditional tempo lists but it works really well. Having access to FOR and Jace have helped me in many games. i was thinking of maybe finding room for a 2nd copy of electrolyze , but overall i'm very happy with how its performed so far.
i think this is a fine list at the moment. you will see various lists doing a similar thing but slightly different configurations, whether it be having jaces or quellers in the board.
i noted that this was probably the safest option to be playing at the moment because you are proactive and disruptive just enough to get the game over. your mileage may vary with queller (similarly with geist).
has anyone done the math on how many non-creature spells to be playing for azcanta to reliably hit something off of an activation? intuition tells me its somewhere around 25.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
After we get Azcanta online, we have already played a number of lands, fetched a few times (likely). I have not once, in dozens of matches, whiffed on an activation. There is always something in there. :]
EDIT: And to not double post.
I really recommend Geist in the 75, as probably a 2 of at least. I actually beat Dredge on his pressure yesterday, and its all that can keep you in the game against some decks, just by the pressure he applies.
Jund with BBE is still feeling super rough, but I'm not sure what we can do about that.
Oh and Bogles with main deck leyline is the most chicken 'please dont make me play magic' deck I have every faced.
After we get Azcanta online, we have already played a number of lands, fetched a few times (likely). I have not once, in dozens of matches, whiffed on an activation. There is always something in there. :]
EDIT: And to not double post.
I really recommend Geist in the 75, as probably a 2 of at least. I actually beat Dredge on his pressure yesterday, and its all that can keep you in the game against some decks, just by the pressure he applies.
Jund with BBE is still feeling super rough, but I'm not sure what we can do about that.
Oh and Bogles with main deck leyline is the most chicken 'please dont make me play magic' deck I have every faced.
I tend to board in cliques when I'm looking to pressure the opponent, since clique also offers disruption to slow them down. I'm not sure if I'd prefer geist in those SB slots since I like the flexibility that clique offers.
As far as leyline bogles goes, I know I won last time I played since cryptic tappings don't target. I also drew secure the wastes that game though, which is one of the best cards vs them if you save your counters for rancor and daybreak coronet. Also, EE is one hell of a card once we get to sideboarding.
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Decks Modern UWRJeskai ControlRWU RWGBurnGWR Legacy UWStonebladeWU
Yeah there are for sure outs. I would have won that game if I had sequenced a bit better, considering what he had topped, but its all good. I just found it the peak of obnoxious.
yeah i mean it sucks, but i dont consider that to be the main issue.
passing over a snapcaster when you wish you could take it is annoying. yet big jeskai still runs them. that isnt saying much, but you yourself run 4 more creature spells than a stock big jeskai list - yet you still think azcanta is powerful and worth running.
at some point there has to be a cuttoff that you determine azcanta isnt good enough to run anymore. either that is because the creatures in your deck are so much better than the spells that you would basically always want to take them over a spell, or its when you arent playing enough spells to reliably hit with an activation. considering the spell base isnt that different, if you were happy to take them before then the same should be true afterwards.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
as far as i know there arent any options in our colors that offer one sided GY hate that are good enough to run main deck.
UWx thopter sword is a rough matchup, they are functionally doing some of the same stuff we are but go bigger with raw power, giving them inevitability. so its unfavorable, but not unwinnable. just have to take solace in that they do so at the expense of being softer to a large portion of the field.
going toe to toe with them late game when they assemble the combo is basically hope to get staticaster or jace AoT online then fateseal with jtms.
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Modern: UWGSnow-Bant Control BURGrixis Death's Shadow GWBCoCo Elves WCDeath and Taxes (sold)
as far as i know there arent any options in our colors that offer one sided GY hate that are good enough to run main deck.
UWx thopter sword is a rough matchup, they are functionally doing some of the same stuff we are but go bigger with raw power, giving them inevitability. so its unfavorable, but not unwinnable. just have to take solace in that they do so at the expense of being softer to a large portion of the field.
going toe to toe with them late game when they assemble the combo is basically hope to get staticaster or jace AoT online then fateseal with jtms.
Yeah, agreed. As one who spent months brewing Thopter Sword, just let them have their good matchups.
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Playing UX Mana Denial until Modern gets the answers it needs.
WUBRG Humans BRW Mardu Pyromancer UW UW "Control" UR Blue Moon
Yeah I figured I had the right idea (Staticaster came in) but I dont know, GY strategies are coming in on MTGO it feels, and I may need to sleeve up Grixis instead to run with the Jund decks, and GY abusing decks.
I'm finding my big J list performing well. I think I'm about 18W 4L 2D in paper matches since Jace unban. Because I'm a paper player only though my testing is much less comprehensive than others though. I can confirm that Counterflux is worth bringing in against BBE Jund though.
My current Big J list;
Jeskai Control (U/W/R): Jeskai Control
I do agree that Jeskai Tempo needs to evolve to survive though. Queller is not as good as it was, especially in paper where I'm seeing almost zero storm players. Liliana of the veil is also resolving a lot more in modern, threatening any deck that leans too heavily on Geist. I think Resto is a good place to start but, unfortunately, the 4CMC cost means you can't build your early midgame around it. Wall of omens is also well positioned at the moment. I'm not sure what this will lead to but I did like this list I saw recently;
I think I would like to test true Jeskai Midrange - that is, more creatures, more value, less emphasis on holding up mana in the first 3 turns. A shell like this with maybe Finks and P&K might be worth a go. Something like this?
To be honest I think a list like this is a "bad Jund". You're trying to be Jund. But you're just a worse version of that deck.
I don't see the advantage of transforming a more "traditional" Geist list into something like this, with Wall-Finks-Resto-P&K. The Resto-Finks-Wall mechanic was good some years ago, but it has lost a lot of what it had back in the day.
Wall of Omens like I said before is just not a good card for any non-control deck. You want cards that can both allow you to be the aggressor and the defender. Wall doesn't do that, therefore it's ugly whenever you need pressure (big mana, combo). It's essentially a 2 mana Reach Through Mists there. Finks is not a very good card either, 'cause it's wayyy too slow compared to Geist. These are cards that typically shine against aggressive strategies, and these are already good MUs for us.
In general, I really don't see how swapping a lot of your counterspells and removals for creatures (and losing Search for Azcanta, a powerhouse, in the process) that range from good to mediocre to bad depending on the MU would improve the overall viability of this deck.
With Geist+Burn+Counterspells I have a better MU vs uninteractive decks and vs control decks, while still having good MUs with aggressive decks and midrange decks. I just don't see the logic of such a choice. I'm not even sure that deck is better at grinding since you don't play Jace, not even in the sideboard.
You're essentially slowing the deck down, making it less able to counter and remove things, for the sake of playing some situational and overall mana intensive creatures. I might be wrong, but I don't think this is the way to go, especially since traditional Geist seems to work well for now in the current meta.
Of all the creatures that you're packing Resto is the only one I would consider as a possible addition to my playsets of Snaps and Geists. The problem is I think I have to chose between Resto and Azcanta, and I'm pretty sure I'd rather stick with Azcanta.
You may be correct in some of your assessments here. The more I think about it the more I see that walls tend to stunt aggression and slow the play down... And on since they protect Jace so well maybe it is a mistake not trying to include him. That just creates more tension at 4CMC. This list was simply inspired by the recent 5-0 list I posted, and my suspicions that wall+resto+Jace is probably an excellent package to run in the current meta.
I'll have to go back to the drawing board I think, but we are in a meta in flux, and in my mind the only certainty so far is that Jund is clearly back to tier 1, and we will need to adjust accordingly. I just don't think the queller+Geist plan lines up against that very well.
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Modern Decks
------------ URW Jeskai Control GUWRB Amulet Titan GR Ponza
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now that we run more logic knots and azcanta its very hard to justify.
Tormod's Crypt is an option thats kinda fallen out of favor. beggers cant be choosers though.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)I wonder why Grafdigger's is not more commonly seen in sideboards. At least we get to keep Azcanta/knots active. Doesn't work against Living End, but it's not like we're worried about that matchup.
What do you guys think of the new 5-0 list? Second from the top:
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/competitive-modern-constructed-league-2018-03-06
Looks like he cut some buddy lands for 3 FoR, which might make sense given the current meta and the list's midrangey feel. His cryptics aren't castable under Blood Moon, though. I'm not a huge fan of Opt over SV, but I can see a few corner cases where you target Snap with Resto during your opponent's turn and Opt/SV are the only valid targets. I'd also rather see 2 RiP in the side, but what do I know
I played around with Resto Angel, and she does love to nom some Bloodbraids/Snappies. Good for saving a Queller, attacking Geist, reusing snap/clique/splicer, etc. I'd imagine a 3/3 first striker is pretty good when it comes down a turn before Jace.
I also found myself flashing Resto in on opponent's EOT as counter bait in control mirrors and slamming Jace after. Didn't feel too bad...I think I'll give the list a try
well rip is a pretty haymaker hate card. it still valuable against decks that revolve primarily around their GY. where we wish we had some GY interaction and still play a somewhat normal game with permission spells is against decks that get incidental graveyard value. goyfs, k-command, delve threats, souls/faithless looting, traverse (delirium), etc.
before you could make a case for bringing in 1-2 RIPs in these kind of matchups for value. with knots and azcanta though, that is pretty much off the table entirely.
as for that list, im intrigued. its definitely in the midrange/flash category, which were more popular years ago.
tbh i dont believe big jeskai is particularly well positioned at the moment. so moving in this direction might be how we can stay competitive.
gideon AOZ sounds pretty sweet in that kind of shell.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)I would definitely miss Gideon4 and Azcanta out of that list, but Azcanta would be worse with that many creatures and maybe the Splicers/P&K out of the side along with the Restos can play a similar role. I've been running a Gideon3 with my 4 these days as well, and he's been killer against Lantern/Burn/Mill. Surprisingly good against Tron too, shut down one big-ass creature and/or beat em up with the 4/4. The double white will often mean shocking yourself on T3, though. I think they're worth running as a pair, maybe cut a Splicer and a Bolt or...Queller?
Any thoughts on which direction you'd move? I've been more and more coming to that same conclusion (although the 5+ Affinity pilots at my small LGS have kept me from moving off of it entirely). My inclination is either to go more tempo with Geist, trade the Bolts for a bunch of land disruption and a stable land base with UW, or just give the finger to uninteractive decks with UR Breach.
WUBRG Humans
BRW Mardu Pyromancer
UW UW "Control"
UR Blue Moon
My current Big J list;
Jeskai Control (U/W/R): Jeskai Control
Shared via TopDecked MTG https://www.topdecked.me/decks/35abff77-5284-4040-90aa-949063092097
I do agree that Jeskai Tempo needs to evolve to survive though. Queller is not as good as it was, especially in paper where I'm seeing almost zero storm players. Liliana of the veil is also resolving a lot more in modern, threatening any deck that leans too heavily on Geist. I think Resto is a good place to start but, unfortunately, the 4CMC cost means you can't build your early midgame around it. Wall of omens is also well positioned at the moment. I'm not sure what this will lead to but I did like this list I saw recently;
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/956975#online
I think I would like to test true Jeskai Midrange - that is, more creatures, more value, less emphasis on holding up mana in the first 3 turns. A shell like this with maybe Finks and P&K might be worth a go. Something like this?
Jeskai Midrange (U/W/R): Post-Jace Jeskai Midrange
Maindeck (60)
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Wall of Omens
1 Geist of Saint Traft
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
3 Restoration Angel
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Snare
2 Lightning Helix
1 Logic Knot
1 Electrolyze
3 Cryptic Command
2 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Spirebluff Canal
Sideboard (15)
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
2 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Dispel
1 Celestial Purge
2 Negate
1 Wear // Tear
1 Counterflux
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Relic of Progenitus
Shared via TopDecked MTG https://www.topdecked.me/decks/c3bc3469-314d-417c-a1f5-20b6f3aabd00
------------
URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
I suppose Finks can act as a blocker too, but losing half of the creature can't be as good as +1 Gideon. I'm also not seeing a need for Counterflux in the side (I also tried it) when you have so many creatures that trade up/munch/block BBE, namely Resto/Finks/Snap/P&K/Wall. 90% of the time I found myself using it as a hard counter in the control mirror and against big mana, and I would think Disdainful's better suited for that role
I can see little Gideon making it to the list but I don't see Jace or any 4cmc walker here. The idea is tap-out until t4 then hold up mana threatening Resto or Cryptic.
Regarding Counterflux, I value its application against Storm, Ad Naus, Scapeshift (more temur lists with remand are seeing play I'm seeing, and it's good against stock GR Shift anyway), and also as a "I say No" card in a UWx mirror. I would run it with or without BBE in the format I think. You'll notice in my Big J list I run 2 and go down to 1 in the midrange list due to it being a bit more resilient vs. BBE
Disdainful Stroke is 1cmc cheaper though so I wouldn't fault you for preferring that over Flux.
------------
URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
one indicator to me to tell if my deck might not be in the right place is how often i am using cryptic command to tap the opponents creatures. sure it happens from time to time, and helps you dig to your next play. however it is the least efficient use of the card. we want cryptics to always be a clean 2-for-1.
the bolt-less version, going a little bigger on sweepers (3 verdicts w/ maindeck EE) with MD elspeth is continuing to show up in mtgo leagues.
at this point i am ready to conclude that we can support 2 Field of Ruin safely, with 3 being an option if you want to push it.
i think tempo shells with some number of geists, quellers, and maybe 1-2 value restos are going to be the safest bet right now. tempo is just about invalidating what your opponent is doing just long enough to cross the finish line, which sounds like a good strategy when the metagame is all over the place.
going more midrange with a more extensive creature package sounds cool to me. however i wouldnt run a version that doesnt have some number of jaces in the main deck. UWR flash/midrange has historically suffered from 1 problem - its powerful, but at the end of the day you are just playing a worse version of another deck. to break out of this i think having jace around needs to be at least part of the equation.
Reflector Mage is an option for the 3-drop spot if you arent big on blade splicers or finks.
cards that have been on my mind recently:
-Restoration Angel - for the obvious reasons that others have pointed out. maybe not full on midrange, but 1-2 for value with cliques and snaps.
-Dire Fleet Daredevil - no, im not kidding. i think this card is never main deck playable. however i think having some in the 75 might be a way to break open fair matchups. first-strike means it can often win in battle even when paired with burn spells, and nabbing a juicy spell from the opponent can be a devastating 2-for-1 because they cant really play around it.
-Young Pyromancer / Monastery Mentor - jeskai up to this point has largely been unable to make these cards work for various reasons. however these cards pair exceptionally well with jace because of how they offer offense + defense. using them means lowering the curve, and upping the number of cantrips. Opt being around is a better pairing with visions than Sleight of Hand(at least for us). i have no clue what a fleshed out build might end up looking like. for me i am going to find room for 1 YP in the main, and 2 in the side; just to gauge how these creatures play in a normal big jeskai shell.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Heres the list :
3x Celestial Colonnade
2x Field of Ruin
4x Flooded Strand
2x Hallowed Fountain
3x Island
1x Mountain
1x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Steam Vents
1x Sulfur Falls
Sorcery (4)
4x Serum Visions
3x Cryptic Command
1x Electrolyze
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Lightning Helix
3x Logic Knot
4x Path to Exile
1x Spell Snare
Creature (11)
2x Geist of Saint Traft
4x Snapcaster Mage
4x Spell Queller
1x Vendilion Clique
Planeswalker (2)
2x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1x Celestial Purge
1x Ceremonious Rejection
1x Izzet staticaster
1x Disdainful Stroke
2x Dispel
1x Vendilion clique
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Negate
2x Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2x Relic of Progenitus
1x Supreme Verdict
1x Wear
-Dylanyad
i think this is a fine list at the moment. you will see various lists doing a similar thing but slightly different configurations, whether it be having jaces or quellers in the board.
i noted that this was probably the safest option to be playing at the moment because you are proactive and disruptive just enough to get the game over. your mileage may vary with queller (similarly with geist).
has anyone done the math on how many non-creature spells to be playing for azcanta to reliably hit something off of an activation? intuition tells me its somewhere around 25.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)EDIT: And to not double post.
I really recommend Geist in the 75, as probably a 2 of at least. I actually beat Dredge on his pressure yesterday, and its all that can keep you in the game against some decks, just by the pressure he applies.
Jund with BBE is still feeling super rough, but I'm not sure what we can do about that.
Oh and Bogles with main deck leyline is the most chicken 'please dont make me play magic' deck I have every faced.
Spirits
I tend to board in cliques when I'm looking to pressure the opponent, since clique also offers disruption to slow them down. I'm not sure if I'd prefer geist in those SB slots since I like the flexibility that clique offers.
As far as leyline bogles goes, I know I won last time I played since cryptic tappings don't target. I also drew secure the wastes that game though, which is one of the best cards vs them if you save your counters for rancor and daybreak coronet. Also, EE is one hell of a card once we get to sideboarding.
Modern
UWRJeskai ControlRWU
RWGBurnGWR
Legacy
UWStonebladeWU
Spirits
passing over a snapcaster when you wish you could take it is annoying. yet big jeskai still runs them. that isnt saying much, but you yourself run 4 more creature spells than a stock big jeskai list - yet you still think azcanta is powerful and worth running.
at some point there has to be a cuttoff that you determine azcanta isnt good enough to run anymore. either that is because the creatures in your deck are so much better than the spells that you would basically always want to take them over a spell, or its when you arent playing enough spells to reliably hit with an activation. considering the spell base isnt that different, if you were happy to take them before then the same should be true afterwards.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Is there a card I'm not thinking of, in our colours, that I could be using? I know the Side options we have, but is there anything we could Main?
Spirits
UWx thopter sword is a rough matchup, they are functionally doing some of the same stuff we are but go bigger with raw power, giving them inevitability. so its unfavorable, but not unwinnable. just have to take solace in that they do so at the expense of being softer to a large portion of the field.
going toe to toe with them late game when they assemble the combo is basically hope to get staticaster or jace AoT online then fateseal with jtms.
UWGSnow-Bant Control
BURGrixis Death's Shadow
GWBCoCo Elves
WCDeath and Taxes(sold)Yeah, agreed. As one who spent months brewing Thopter Sword, just let them have their good matchups.
WUBRG Humans
BRW Mardu Pyromancer
UW UW "Control"
UR Blue Moon
Spirits
You may be correct in some of your assessments here. The more I think about it the more I see that walls tend to stunt aggression and slow the play down... And on since they protect Jace so well maybe it is a mistake not trying to include him. That just creates more tension at 4CMC. This list was simply inspired by the recent 5-0 list I posted, and my suspicions that wall+resto+Jace is probably an excellent package to run in the current meta.
I'll have to go back to the drawing board I think, but we are in a meta in flux, and in my mind the only certainty so far is that Jund is clearly back to tier 1, and we will need to adjust accordingly. I just don't think the queller+Geist plan lines up against that very well.
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URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza