I've done some testing with this deck, and what you said here is very true. This deck is extremely difficult to play correctly. The 8 cantrips (Dragon Mantle and Defiant Strike are particularly difficult to know when to use.
Jeskai colors did not show up in the Top 16, whether in the form of Heroic Combo, Aggro, Tempo, or even 4-color Ascendancy.
Is that a surprise?
Not a surprise when stockJeskai tempo and any deck susceptible to 1 for 1 removal were all bad choices for the weekend/this meta,outside of a deck with so much protection like Tom Ross. Atm Tokens/Going Wide and innate 2 for 1s (Roc/Sarkhan/Sorin/Rhino to a degree, are where you want to be.
Well, I think erase is just so good right now in so many matchups that it's going to be a while. There's a lot of courser of kruphix, banishing light, whip of erebos, random bestow creatures in aggro lists and the like.
And anger of the gods is just backbreaking in a lot of matchups too, so it's kinda unlikely IMO. What I will say, is that jeskai ascendancy is a very good card in isolation, so there's almost certainly going to be a great ascendancy list with no combo whatsoever. I have felt for a while that the springleaf drums and retraction helixes have actually been holding the ascendancy lists back from becoming more robust and resilient decks that don't need to combo off at all, and can consistently win without the ascendancy.
Well, I think erase is just so good right now in so many matchups that it's going to be a while. There's a lot of courser of kruphix, banishing light, whip of erebos, random bestow creatures in aggro lists and the like.
And anger of the gods is just backbreaking in a lot of matchups too, so it's kinda unlikely IMO. What I will say, is that jeskai ascendancy is a very good card in isolation, so there's almost certainly going to be a great ascendancy list with no combo whatsoever. I have felt for a while that the springleaf drums and retraction helixes have actually been holding the ascendancy lists back from becoming more robust and resilient decks that don't need to combo off at all, and can consistently win without the ascendancy.
Erase is a really good card right now. Abzan, Jeskai and Mardu can all play it and those clans make powerful decks.
I do think it's more fun to combo and just trying to beat down with creatures isn't going to be powerful enough. Without a combo Jeskai Ascendancy is limp.
People who snap pick this deck to play forget one thing, this is a HARD deck to play.
Yeah just like most Combo, Aggro-Combo and Control decks this deck takes a lot of practice to pilot correctly, you have to know what you're doing, when to do it, and exactly in what order to do it. Only people who will be a threat when playing this deck are people who've done significant practicing and test playing.
NeCRoW, that's only for infinite creatures. To just make something arbitrarily large, crusader can be replaced by any 2 creatures.
Creature A has helix. You tap Creatue B and drum for mana. Tap A for helix to bounce drum. Play drum with the mana it made. Ascendancy triggers, untapping both.
This gives you 2 arbitrarily large creatures and a looting engine to draw into whatever else you need so long as you will have the mana to cast with. For example, another creature and another helix lets you bounce their stuff as would another ascendancy.
It is still a 4+ card combo. However, the crusader is interchangeable. It is just the most ideal one since it can be used to go off and kill with just an ascendancy or ascendancy and drum on board and can make its own second creature to go off with.
NeCRoW, that's only for infinite creatures. To just make something arbitrarily large, crusader can be replaced by any 2 creatures.
Creature A has helix. You tap Creatue B and drum for mana. Tap A for helix to bounce drum. Play drum with the mana it made. Ascendancy triggers, untapping both.
This gives you 2 arbitrarily large creatures and a looting engine to draw into whatever else you need so long as you will have the mana to cast with. For example, another creature and another helix lets you bounce their stuff as would another ascendancy.
It is still a 4+ card combo. However, the crusader is interchangeable. It is just the most ideal one since it can be used to go off and kill with just an ascendancy or ascendancy and drum on board and can make its own second creature to go off with.
Yeah, my point is that it's still a four-card combo... sigh...
Let's put it this way - if an extremely skilled player (that dedicates many hours to the deck) or a pro is sitting across me with this deck - only then I'd be worried.
I didn't say that it wasn't, just that there were some interchangeable pieces. I am not among those who are about to declare the deck unbeatable or anything close to that. Having interchangeable pieces makes it more flexible. However, it is still a lot of pieces to gather together and can be stopped at any of a number of junctions. The ones who spaz out I suspect are predominantly those who see "infinite" and immediately freak out.
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I've done some testing with this deck, and what you said here is very true. This deck is extremely difficult to play correctly. The 8 cantrips (Dragon Mantle and Defiant Strike are particularly difficult to know when to use.
Is that a surprise?
Not a surprise when stockJeskai tempo and any deck susceptible to 1 for 1 removal were all bad choices for the weekend/this meta,outside of a deck with so much protection like Tom Ross. Atm Tokens/Going Wide and innate 2 for 1s (Roc/Sarkhan/Sorin/Rhino to a degree, are where you want to be.
-Commander-
UBGMill, Sidisi, and Other ShenanigansGBU
WUBRGShingeki no TazriGRBUW
Answer: no.
Ok in that case the question becomes: How long do decks keep the enchantment hate clogging up their sideboards?
And anger of the gods is just backbreaking in a lot of matchups too, so it's kinda unlikely IMO. What I will say, is that jeskai ascendancy is a very good card in isolation, so there's almost certainly going to be a great ascendancy list with no combo whatsoever. I have felt for a while that the springleaf drums and retraction helixes have actually been holding the ascendancy lists back from becoming more robust and resilient decks that don't need to combo off at all, and can consistently win without the ascendancy.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the engine doesn't work without all these pieces?
Retraction Helix + Akroan Crusader + Jeskai Ascendancy + Springleaf Drum
Erase is a really good card right now. Abzan, Jeskai and Mardu can all play it and those clans make powerful decks.
Temur gets to play Stubborn Denial and Sultai has access to Sultai Charm.
I do think it's more fun to combo and just trying to beat down with creatures isn't going to be powerful enough. Without a combo Jeskai Ascendancy is limp.
Yeah just like most Combo, Aggro-Combo and Control decks this deck takes a lot of practice to pilot correctly, you have to know what you're doing, when to do it, and exactly in what order to do it. Only people who will be a threat when playing this deck are people who've done significant practicing and test playing.
Creature A has helix. You tap Creatue B and drum for mana. Tap A for helix to bounce drum. Play drum with the mana it made. Ascendancy triggers, untapping both.
This gives you 2 arbitrarily large creatures and a looting engine to draw into whatever else you need so long as you will have the mana to cast with. For example, another creature and another helix lets you bounce their stuff as would another ascendancy.
It is still a 4+ card combo. However, the crusader is interchangeable. It is just the most ideal one since it can be used to go off and kill with just an ascendancy or ascendancy and drum on board and can make its own second creature to go off with.
Yeah, my point is that it's still a four-card combo... sigh...
Let's put it this way - if an extremely skilled player (that dedicates many hours to the deck) or a pro is sitting across me with this deck - only then I'd be worried.