I feel like our sheer amount of targeted removal gives us the advantage against those types of "go wide" decks anyway. Not to mention sideboard Stony Silence for Affinity as well. The main reason I'm intrigued by Dusk//Dawn is the fact that it doesn't kill a single one of our own creatures (I'm on 4 Snap, 4 Queller and 2 Geist). It feels bad when you have to cast Supreme Verdict when you control Geist and/or Queller. What I can imagine would feel good, however, is casting Dusk against your Eldrazi opponent to kill a Thought-Knot and a Reality Smasher and then swinging in with the Geist you cast in a previous turn (and even your Quellers or Snapcasters). I know Grixis Shadow has Stubborn Denials in their deck but if they don't have one in their hand with mana open, Dusk seems great. For now I'm testing 2 Dusk//Dawn in the sideboard where most lists are playing Supreme Verdict and Anger.
I have not played Jeskai Nahiri, but isn't Rest in Peace a nonbo with the Nahiri/Emrakul game plan? If I understand correctly the deck's gameplan, if you have your Emrakul in hand, you want to discard/draw it with Nahiri, which will make you shuffle your graveyard in your library. Now, if you have Rest In Peace in play and Emrakul in hand, you have just lost your winning condition.
It really does not come up often. I have exiled my own RIP with Nahiri so I could discard Emrakul one or twice, but the scenario where you have RIP on the field, Emrakul in hand, Nahiri on 8 loyalty, and have to win RIGHY NOW instead of two turns later is very rare
In my opinion, after extensive testing with different lists, Geist is the way to go. Jeskai does a fantastic job of clearing the way for him to attack safely. He is also hard to remove and really only dies to Liliana or a Wrath once on the battlefield. Geist puts a clock on our opponent that lists without him can't. Sometimes even just one or two successful attacks with Geist is enough to finish our opponents out with burn.
IMO, draw-go style decks are better in esper. They used to work pre-fatal push because of how good bolt was, but thats no longer true.
The major reason to play U/R/X control is for snapcaster bolt, so if you're playing jeskai, play a deck that maximizes that, a deck that pressures lifetotal.
It doesn't have to actually play geists, but some kind of snapcaster + spellqueller + cryptic + lightning bolt shell is the way to go in these colors.
UWR delver is posting a few results recently too, but thats a bit different, IMO.
If you want to play the very long game in modern right now, play UW. They can run 4 tec edges and 4 seas to turn off the other inevitability decks in the format. Without those you just end up getting Newlamog'd or Prime Time'd.
Jeskai's gameplan should be to play a control that is more close to midrange than UW is, and then switch gears to a tempo plan versus the inevitability decks that we cannot beat in the long game. That is why Queller is shining so much in jeskai and not really anywhere else, it fits both our gameplans.
Wafo Tapa is a great player who plays the decks he enjoys, but are not necessarily the strongest.
I'd say on the contrary that Nahiri is excellent at switching gears, it's exactly why I like her as a wincon.
I have actually been thinking and writing on a video on why I think Nahiri is an underplayed card in Modern, going very in depth on the strategy around her as I think she is much harder to play than many people think. Your post is good motivation to get that video done
I am quietly excited about Settle the Wreckage, as it hits both Eldrazi Tron and Dredge hard. Both these are tricky match-ups for Jeskai, no matter how many copies of Ceremonious Rejection or Rest in Peace you pack into the sideboard. How effective this will be remains to be seen of course but I can imagine this replacing some amount of sweepers in most Queller lists and being great.
In the EldraTron match-up, one of the most difficult decisions I often encounter is whether or not to Verdict/ Dusk // Dawn for 1 or 2 'smaller creatures' or waiting for a smasher. Of course you can't afford to wait because the smasher has haste and you can't afford to let the rest of his board keep attacking, but tapping out for any verdict knowing your open to a smasher or worse is often a scary moment in a game. Settle the wreckage has the potential to regularly wreck an existing board AND the smasher the turn it's played while keeping mana open. I'm feeling this could swing more match-ups against EldraTron in jeskai's favour than Dusk // Dawn or even Supreme Verdict.
I do agree that Dusk // Dawn is sometimes a trap and often too clunky - but I view it as a sideboard card against EldraTron only, and in that light its a fine card but unfortunately still not quite good enough IMO. I do board it in against Death's Shadow but it most often feels underwhelming in that MU. I think any lists playing Dusk // Dawn would be well served dropping it for Settle the Wreckage when it's released since it hits EldraTron harder and more efficiently than Dusk // Dawn and then wrecks Dredge too. I'm sure that being instant will make it relevant in a wider range of MU's and scenarios.
On Jeskai builds and strengths;
I have to agree that Jeskai feels at it's strongest when being pro-active. I would count Nahiri as a proactive strategy, but maybe slower and less flexible than a geist/queller style. I did test Draw-go and I would imagine (as mentioned) that Esper is the better draw-go deck. However, Jeskai draw-go has more recent results than Esper (correct me if I'm wrong) so take from that what you will.
@TheAller on Nahiri. I don't play Nahiri but must say that the deck seems strong and has pedigree, and if a strong deck can be tuned for a certain meta then that's a good reason to play it. I notice bearscape is playing with Quellers, Geists, Vendillion Clique AND a Nahiri Package in his 75 at the moment, and this seems to be a good reflection of an attempt to tune a list to be able to take on a tempo role when desired either in main or side-board. I guess a more revealing question would be which MU's is Nahiri more favoured in than Queller/Geist? I probably am not qualified to answer that.
I am quietly excited about Settle the Wreckage, as it hits both Eldrazi Tron and Dredge hard. Both these are tricky match-ups for Jeskai, no matter how many copies of Ceremonious Rejection or Rest in Peace you pack into the sideboard. How effective this will be remains to be seen of course but I can imagine this replacing some amount of sweepers in most Queller lists and being great.
In the EldraTron match-up, one of the most difficult decisions I often encounter is whether or not to Verdict/ Dusk // Dawn for 1 or 2 'smaller creatures' or waiting for a smasher. Of course you can't afford to wait because the smasher has haste and you can't afford to let the rest of his board keep attacking, but tapping out for any verdict knowing your open to a smasher or worse is often a scary moment in a game. Settle the wreckage has the potential to regularly wreck an existing board AND the smasher the turn it's played while keeping mana open. I'm feeling this could swing more match-ups against EldraTron in jeskai's favour than Dusk // Dawn or even Supreme Verdict.
I do agree that Dusk // Dawn is sometimes a trap and often too clunky - but I view it as a sideboard card against EldraTron only, and in that light its a fine card but unfortunately still not quite good enough IMO. I do board it in against Death's Shadow but it most often feels underwhelming in that MU. I think any lists playing Dusk // Dawn would be well served dropping it for Settle the Wreckage when it's released since it hits EldraTron harder and more efficiently than Dusk // Dawn and then wrecks Dredge too. I'm sure that being instant will make it relevant in a wider range of MU's and scenarios.
I've been arguing for settle for this same reason in other control threads for modern. I believe that it's blowout potential can lead to some gameplay bluffs on our end. One blowout is all it takes to see a change in play. Most control decks in modern can deal with a trickle of attackers and stops the all in much better if there is a potential blowout.
The major reason I like nahiri right now is because the card itself is pretty good against grixis shadow/eldrazi/dredge/etc, matchups we don't like to see.
I feel nahiri has been left behind a little too much, though I do wonder if its actually better than queller/geist builds.
A turn 4 nahiri isn't good against every deck at every time, but the card can still do some serious lifting. I think you're a bit too harsh on it.
I'd say on the contrary that Nahiri is excellent at switching gears, it's exactly why I like her as a wincon.
I have actually been thinking and writing on a video on why I think Nahiri is an underplayed card in Modern, going very in depth on the strategy around her as I think she is much harder to play than many people think. Your post is good motivation to get that video done
Opt doesn't replace Serum Visions, but will hopefully replace those pesky Think Twices that some people are tricked into running. I'll stick with Glimmer of Genius since it's a stronger effect, but Opt might have some use specifically because it's an instant.
Red should be burn, Goblins, Dragons, draw/discard, and Standard-unplayable 5CMC cards with insane, lengthy effects that take 10 minutes to figure out what they do and another 20 to actually make their effects work on the field.
Initially I thought I would cut the 2 Logic knots and 2 Spirebluff for 4 Opt (you'd then play 1 Hallowed Fountain and 3 Steam Vents). Then I figured I would cut 2 Serum for the 2 Logic knots back. You can also go 3-3 with Opt/Serum. Ultimately it comes down to what YOU like. But I think it's correct to cut some number of Lands/Serum Visions for at least 3 Opt, if not 4
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WBC Eldrazi & Taxes CBW
UR Keep on Cantripin' (UR Phoenix) RU
WU Surprise! It's not UW Control! (UW Midrange) UW
BG The Rock, Straight BG
U Mono-Blue Fish U
RBW Mardu Pyromancer BWR
RG Rabble! Rabble! (GR Blood Moon Aggro) GR
Legacy
W Death & Taxes W
UWR Control
BR Hollow One
The major reason to play U/R/X control is for snapcaster bolt, so if you're playing jeskai, play a deck that maximizes that, a deck that pressures lifetotal.
It doesn't have to actually play geists, but some kind of snapcaster + spellqueller + cryptic + lightning bolt shell is the way to go in these colors.
UWR delver is posting a few results recently too, but thats a bit different, IMO.
Jeskai's gameplan should be to play a control that is more close to midrange than UW is, and then switch gears to a tempo plan versus the inevitability decks that we cannot beat in the long game. That is why Queller is shining so much in jeskai and not really anywhere else, it fits both our gameplans.
Wafo Tapa is a great player who plays the decks he enjoys, but are not necessarily the strongest.
I have actually been thinking and writing on a video on why I think Nahiri is an underplayed card in Modern, going very in depth on the strategy around her as I think she is much harder to play than many people think. Your post is good motivation to get that video done
I am quietly excited about Settle the Wreckage, as it hits both Eldrazi Tron and Dredge hard. Both these are tricky match-ups for Jeskai, no matter how many copies of Ceremonious Rejection or Rest in Peace you pack into the sideboard. How effective this will be remains to be seen of course but I can imagine this replacing some amount of sweepers in most Queller lists and being great.
In the EldraTron match-up, one of the most difficult decisions I often encounter is whether or not to Verdict/ Dusk // Dawn for 1 or 2 'smaller creatures' or waiting for a smasher. Of course you can't afford to wait because the smasher has haste and you can't afford to let the rest of his board keep attacking, but tapping out for any verdict knowing your open to a smasher or worse is often a scary moment in a game. Settle the wreckage has the potential to regularly wreck an existing board AND the smasher the turn it's played while keeping mana open. I'm feeling this could swing more match-ups against EldraTron in jeskai's favour than Dusk // Dawn or even Supreme Verdict.
I do agree that Dusk // Dawn is sometimes a trap and often too clunky - but I view it as a sideboard card against EldraTron only, and in that light its a fine card but unfortunately still not quite good enough IMO. I do board it in against Death's Shadow but it most often feels underwhelming in that MU. I think any lists playing Dusk // Dawn would be well served dropping it for Settle the Wreckage when it's released since it hits EldraTron harder and more efficiently than Dusk // Dawn and then wrecks Dredge too. I'm sure that being instant will make it relevant in a wider range of MU's and scenarios.
On Jeskai builds and strengths;
I have to agree that Jeskai feels at it's strongest when being pro-active. I would count Nahiri as a proactive strategy, but maybe slower and less flexible than a geist/queller style. I did test Draw-go and I would imagine (as mentioned) that Esper is the better draw-go deck. However, Jeskai draw-go has more recent results than Esper (correct me if I'm wrong) so take from that what you will.
@TheAller on Nahiri. I don't play Nahiri but must say that the deck seems strong and has pedigree, and if a strong deck can be tuned for a certain meta then that's a good reason to play it. I notice bearscape is playing with Quellers, Geists, Vendillion Clique AND a Nahiri Package in his 75 at the moment, and this seems to be a good reflection of an attempt to tune a list to be able to take on a tempo role when desired either in main or side-board. I guess a more revealing question would be which MU's is Nahiri more favoured in than Queller/Geist? I probably am not qualified to answer that.
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URW Jeskai Control
GUWRB Amulet Titan
GR Ponza
I've been arguing for settle for this same reason in other control threads for modern. I believe that it's blowout potential can lead to some gameplay bluffs on our end. One blowout is all it takes to see a change in play. Most control decks in modern can deal with a trickle of attackers and stops the all in much better if there is a potential blowout.
UWR Control
BR Hollow One
I feel nahiri has been left behind a little too much, though I do wonder if its actually better than queller/geist builds.
A turn 4 nahiri isn't good against every deck at every time, but the card can still do some serious lifting. I think you're a bit too harsh on it.
I would very much love to watch that.
UWR Control
Legacy:
W D&T