My testing in the LGS meta (where there are a lot of bolts,)necessitated the Lightning Angels over the Riders. If that changes I will switch back. (Either that or play Restoration Angel to synergize with Geist a la old school Team Geist from 2015-2016)
Hi GofyTomcat1, how are your results with this Lightning Geist deck? Do you only play it at FNMs or also online or at bigger tournaments?
I've finally said good bye to my Delvers since they're just not good enough anymore since War of the Spark and Modern Horizons.
I sold them online and I'll probably switch to Jeskai CopyCat. I've tested it online and after all these years of playing fair Magic it feels good to be able to just win on the spot. I can even play my favorite card Geist of Saint Traft in the SB
I'll also try out your deck online. I think I have all these cards on MTGO.
If anyone is interested in reading more about Jeskai CopyCat check out these articles on coolstuffinc and starcitygames.
Right after I thought about removing Abrade from my mainboard I ran into Grixis Urza twice last week. I hadn't played against that deck a ton, but I was very happy to have Abrade in my deck. I wanted to hear what you guys/gals think about that matchup. It seemed really underpowered when I played against it so I wanted to hear about how it has performed against everyone else.
I am still trying to finish the deck in paper, so it's never really been field tested properly. But I will let you know once I get the chance to run it. If you decide to run my deck on MTGO, please send me the links so I can see it in action.
Hi guys,
I ordered a lot of cards during the last days and the whole CopyCat goodness should be in the mail soon
Tomorrow at FNM I'll play my version of GofyTomcat1's Jeskai Midrange deck. Since I don't own 4 Lightning Angels my deck looks a bit different:
23 lands, lot's of removal/burn, I decided to try Fact or Fiction instead of a Chandra. Hazoret seems good in this deck as well but I've sold mine.
I can't wait to see how it goes. I'll just kill all their stuff and then I'll try to kill them... business as usual.
I played 1-2 against Jeskai Control and 0-2 against 5C Niv-Mizzet. I think my second opponent pretty much played this deck. Really hard to beat with Team Geist. Glittering Wish gets Deafening Clarion and Kambal, Kaya's Guile means even more life gain and resets my graveyard, Niv-Mizzet drew 5-7 cards each game and as a 6/6 Fry and Sinkhole can't kill him. The deck looked sweet. So, two more losses with the fair deck. But next week is payback time. I am going to deal 1 billion damage (at least once)...
It's been a while since I've commented on this thread, but I've been kinda off this deck for a while with my only recent time piloting a Jeskai deck being a Through the Breach version. I'm thinking about returning to the deck since my ventures into RUG Delver has been giving mixed results, but I wanted to look here for any ideas regarding Jeskai Midrange/Delver variants. From the looks of it we're off Delver of Secrets for the time being?
Well I played vs jund about 20-30 games today and all I can say is that if it was difficult before its superr hard now. Wrenn which is basically an upgraded bob is absolutely broken in my opinion. I predict after hogaak is eliminated that jund and E-tron will be the top decks and in fact Jund may take top bc i feel that ppl dont quite get how good wrenn really is. A 2 mana PW that ticks to 4 that alone presents insane value. I lost about 90% of the games and Im at a loss on what to even side in and out. The best card by far was thundermaw hellkite as it won me a few games. I changed my sb to include sphinx’s rev, search for azcanta, keranos. I literally played with a 30 card sideboard and just tried about everything and my list simply just cant out value them. You guys on the more aggro builds could probably go under jund but my mid range queller build gets absolutely stomped by jund its actually really disheartening. Even path to exile seems to just be a weak card as its draw back vs this new jund is so bad for us giving them a land when they are for sure gonna be on curve every turn is so terrible.
So in short, wrenn and the plague engineer will ensure delver of secrets is no longer viable as the engineer naming wizard just wipes us out completely until its taken care of and wrenns abilities are just too much value. Its bolt proof health is also very very annoying as it takes up way too many of our resources to get rid of.
EDIT: a couple of things I saw that wrenn could do is bring back cycle lands so the player can keep cycling over and over.
Is utterly back breaking when followed by a liliana and preceded by hand disruption.
Pathing junds creatures is a double edges sword and can and does come back for you in the late game.
Played 8 games vs a DRS list and wrenn outclasses DRS in every way from what it seemed like bc DRS was far more manageable and slower.
I think jund may become the best deck in the format to be honest.
@ccc1522: I can only agree. Jund is insanely powerful now. I played online with my Jeskai Delver list against a friend who's a really good Jund player (he also made it in the Top8 at MKM Series Frankfurt) and I went 0-4. Even with the CopyCat list I have difficulties beating him if I don't use Leyline of Sanctity...
@GofyTomcat1: I was able to cast FoF during 3 of the 5 games I played and it always felt great. Against Jeskai Control I might even have won the third game if I had chosen the other pile. My opponent put: Fumarole, land, Bolt, Path in one pile and Elspeth in the other pile. I chose the 4 card pile but he told me that he had no answer for Elspeth...
Regarding Remand, I just think that it's only good in decks with Inevitability like CopyCat. Team Geist doesn't really have that.
As for the SB, I think I boarded in Surgical, Disdainful Stroke, Fry, Dovin's Veto and Clique against Jeskai Control. Against 5C Niv-Mizzet I brought in Celestial Purge, Disdainful Stroke, Dovin's Veto, Clique and Ashiok.
Since there is no active Jeskai CopyCat thread I'd like to ask you all for your opinion, but since this is (except for being Jeskai) off topic I'll put my question below in a spoiler. If you're not interested please ignore this post.
I'd like to add one card that can take over the game if it's blinked with Felidar or copied with Saheeli (therefore no legendary).
A 1-of with CMC4 or CMC5 that can win even after the combo get's removed by Surgical. I'll play 1 Seasoned Pyromancer btw.
Here's my candidate: Cavalier of Gales
Pros: Saheeli Copy let's me attack for 10 in the air and double Brainstorm
Cons: UUU cost, but the deck aims for Narset on T3 so it should be possible late game.
What do you think? Would he make a good 1-of? Is CMC5 too hard with 22 lands and 9-12 redraws?
Also, in my opinion Spellskite should be better than Wall since you already draw enough cards and Spellskite can protect both combo pieces not only by blocking but also by redirecting Bolt, Path and Trophy. Do you agree or disagree?
Thanks
Since there is no active Jeskai CopyCat thread I'd like to ask you all for your opinion, but since this is (except for being Jeskai) off topic I'll put my question below in a spoiler. If you're not interested please ignore this post.
I'd like to add one card that can take over the game if it's blinked with Felidar or copied with Saheeli (therefore no legendary).
A 1-of with CMC4 or CMC5 that can win even after the combo get's removed by Surgical. I'll play 1 Seasoned Pyromancer btw.
Here's my candidate: Cavalier of Gales
Pros: Saheeli Copy let's me attack for 10 in the air and double Brainstorm
Cons: UUU cost, but the deck aims for Narset on T3 so it should be possible late game.
What do you think? Would he make a good 1-of? Is CMC5 too hard with 22 lands and 9-12 redraws?
Also, in my opinion Spellskite should be better than Wall since you already draw enough cards and Spellskite can protect both combo pieces not only by blocking but also by redirecting Bolt, Path and Trophy. Do you agree or disagree?
Thanks
As a potential one of you could run Crackling Drake as the finisher. It gains value with the copy effect and dodges bolt in the late game. It can even end the game on the spot depending on the board state and how low they are after fetches and your burn spells. As for Spellskite I'm not so sure. Is the draw effect on Wall of Omens ever come up as being extremely important? If not then I can see you replacing it for more protection if your local meta is removal heavy.
I was gone last week so I have missed a few topics.
I personally am never off of Delver of Secrets. Modern always ebbs and flows and sometimes delver is great another times he is not well positioned, but my deck just doesn't function well without him. The card is really underrated in modern and is basically the only reason to play a tempo style deck over the midrange version of Jeskai. I think if you don't like where delver is positioned right now, then the best bet is to go more all in on the midrange style deck or copycat deck. It appears that most on here agree with that assessment and are trying that currently.
My thoughts on Jund
Jund has always been the end boss for our deck. It is a super tough matchup, but the most fun matchup to play against in my opinion. There is one card that I play that I haven't seen any other lists really playing that really helps the Jund matchup - Bedlam Reveler. If you don't play reveler at the top end of the deck then jund is basically a 30-70 matchup. Reveler only gets me back to a 40-60 matchup in game one (more even if I am on the play), but it makes a world of difference. He can't be taken by Inquisition of Kozilek, he can't be killed by fatal push, and he recoups any loss in value we take over the first couple of turns. He also helps Force of Negation become much better against them since he recoups any loss in card advantage. Good jund players should always take reveler with a thoughtseize, but they typically take snapcaster if I have one. That is Reid Duke's number one rule to thoughtseize- always take the snapcaster mage. Reveler + snapcaster mage help us keep up with the value that they gain. I honestly can't imagine beating jund nearly as often without reveler
I personally haven't had anyone side in Engineered Plague against me yet. That is likely because it only hits delver and snapcaster in my deck. swiftspear lives, geist lives and still has an angel, queller lives, reveler lives and still draws cards, and snapcaster still gets a spell. Not to mention they all have different creature types (except a pre-flipped delver and snapcaster). If you are running young pyromancer, snapcaster, delver, v.clique all in the same deck then is likely game over. I watched a UR wizard match that basically ended every time the card was cast.
I have noticed that in a lot of my jund games I typically end the game by burning the opponent out. I try to keep Scavenging Ooze off the board so they can't gain life for that reason. Jund tends to hurt itself a lot in the early turns so I try to get their life total down early. That is part of the reason I like to side in Chandra, Fire Artisan against jund. She kind of gives an inevitability to the game if they don't have Assassin's Trohpy. She either gains a lot of card advantage over turns or costs them 4-5 life at minimum. This plays into my gameplan of getting ahead on life and forcing them to play uncomfortably with a lower life total.
Jund has always been a tough matchup and Wrenn and Six makes the matchup that much worse. However, with FON, Reveler, and Snacaster along with all of our other effienct spells I do think we can keep up with them while also being a huge favorite against any combo/linear style decks.
As for the more midrange style decks, I don't have a ton of experience with the deck. I really love Saheeli Rai so I would likely lean towards the copy cat deck if I had to play midrange. I think that deck is awesome with copies of Teferi and then the flash creatures along with effienct spells. I know that Jim Davis was a huge fan of that deck and has some articles and videos about the deck.
It's a super weird time in modern right now. It's a bit of a down time until hogaak is banned. There are a lot of modern tournaments coming up in the next few months so I am super excited to see where the modern meta goes and how jeskai will fit into that equation.
I have no issue with anyone dicussing other jeskai formats in this topic. We try to stick closer to delver or tempo decks, but we also have a great group of jeskai players here who like to switch into midrange/tempo/aggro/etc whenever the meta calls for that. Therefore, I have no problem with people talking about other jeskai decks like midrange and copycat. This is especially true since some of the other topics don't see much action.
I feel like the copy cat list has legs if someone really learned to gain a lot of experience with the deck. It has all the interactive elements with a combo finish and that always has always seemed to work in modern.
Curdbros thanks for the ideas for our plan vs jund. i just ordered some revelers and will be putting them in my SB in place of the shadow of doubts.
Also, I too have no problems with this board being just an all things jeskai board. from aggro to combo to tempo. All ideas can be learned from and provide good talking points on how we can advance our own game plans.
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I did want to get some opinions on the idea of adding Watcher for Tomorrow to the Copycat list in place of Wall of Omens. While less defensive than the wall we do get to see more cards while applying pressure. It even acts as an Impulse when copied by Saheeli Rai, but unfortunately it is unable to attack when it's copied (I believe, but correct me if I'm wrong). For those uninterested, like StevomatUWR has stated, please ignore this.
This is sort of a rough draft, and the Through the Breach combo in the sideboard is there because I can't make up my mind between playing either Copycat or Breach so I shoved it in there. I'm hoping to see how Watcher for Tomorrow preforms next time I play the deck as I've seen other people use the card in their Copycat lists after a quick search on mtg top 8.
Hmm it seems like a powerful engine but i would be careful since so many decks run field of ruins and other land destruction in the maindeck so thats a consideration.
But its not a bad idea to be honest. Worth a try for sure.
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@ManDolphin: I think Watcher for Tomorrow is a solid choice in the CMC2 slot. I haven't tested it yet but it seems better than Wall of Omens.
During my testing on MTGO I used 2x Lone Missionary because the meta is so aggressive and the life gain is worth a lot.
The testing has been a mixed bag so far. I had some sweet wins against Tron and Hardened Scales but also clear losses against Zoo and Jund.
Jund feels just as hard to beat with this deck -_-
One game against Jund I could have comboed but my opponent had a Plague Engineer on Cat so I would have attacked with a million 0/3 tokens...
I think the strongest card against Jund is Leyline of Sanctity. Unnecessary copies of Leyline could be discarded to Seasoned Pyromancer who also seems to fis the deck very well. Unfortunately I don't own Seasoned Pyro on MTGO.
At FNM this week I am going to run 1 Seasoned Pyro and 1 Cavalier of Gales.
Online I tried 1 Hero of Bladehold and she won me a match. If she isn't removed she basically wins next turn just like Felidar Guardian, because with Saheeli's help she can attack for 20 (2x Hero, 4x Soldier Token, 2x Battle Cry trigger).
@CurdBros: I don't think that I could win with Bedlam Reveler against the Jund player I frequently loose against. He runs 3x Nihil Spellbomb and casting Reveler for 8 seems impossible. Planeswalkers are a good bet though.
@ManDolphin: I think Watcher for Tomorrow is a solid choice in the CMC2 slot. I haven't tested it yet but it seems better than Wall of Omens.
During my testing on MTGO I used 2x Lone Missionary because the meta is so aggressive and the life gain is worth a lot.
The testing has been a mixed bag so far. I had some sweet wins against Tron and Hardened Scales but also clear losses against Zoo and Jund.
Jund feels just as hard to beat with this deck -_-
One game against Jund I could have comboed but my opponent had a Plague Engineer on Cat so I would have attacked with a million 0/3 tokens...
I think the strongest card against Jund is Leyline of Sanctity. Unnecessary copies of Leyline could be discarded to Seasoned Pyromancer who also seems to fis the deck very well. Unfortunately I don't own Seasoned Pyro on MTGO.
At FNM this week I am going to run 1 Seasoned Pyro and 1 Cavalier of Gales.
Online I tried 1 Hero of Bladehold and she won me a match. If she isn't removed she basically wins next turn just like Felidar Guardian, because with Saheeli's help she can attack for 20 (2x Hero, 4x Soldier Token, 2x Battle Cry trigger).
@CurdBros: I don't think that I could win with Bedlam Reveler against the Jund player I frequently loose against. He runs 3x Nihil Spellbomb and casting Reveler for 8 seems impossible. Planeswalkers are a good bet though.
Oh boy. I think you are correct. Reveler would not fair well against that build at all. If he is running 3 main deck nihil spellbomb then reveler definitely would not be a good answer. That basically negates both reveler and, to some extent, snapcaster mage. That build would be so tough to beat. I would almost just try to go pure aggro against that style of jund. I would even think about siding in Deflecting Palms to go pure aggro and use their goyfs and scooges against them. The jund deck I typically play against locally does not include any maindeck graveyard hate and the person rarely sides in graveyard hate because I only run two reveler and snapcaster mages. However, I do think he would benefit from siding graveyard hate in, especially when he is on the play.
You could also try to extremely control oriented post board, but you would likely need Cryptic Command to keep up.
ccc1522- You want to make sure if you are playing reveler that you have enough cantrips to be able to play reveler early enough. You don't want them to stick in your hand too long. I also tend to play a bit more aggressive especially if I have a revler in hand. You can go burn to their face or to their planeswalkers and "refill" your hand. Also Stevomat made a great point. If your local jund players are playing a lot of maindeck graveyard hate, reveler would not be great. I haven't seen too many lists online outside of major tournaments with tons of hogaak that have maindeck graveyard hate so that likely won't be a problem, but it's something to think about. Once hogaak is banned in a couple of days I am guessing most jund decks that are running maindeck graveyard hate will likely changes those slots.
As for the saheeli deck, I really need to do a little studying/practicing with the deck so I can add something worthwhile to the discussion. My first level thought on the deck would be just to stale as long as I can until hitting the combo. I also wonder if Simian Spirit Guide would fit into the deck to go a little quicker. If you can fun Cryptic Command and lots of planeswalkers to gain card advantage than the additional speed SSG gives the deck may be worth it. However, that is simply theory with no game play practice behind the idea.
That is a good point. Couple that with scooze and it could lead to issues if you dont defend against gy hate.
I have been thinking lately to go into full control post board. I am leaning on the side of running sphinx’s rev, timely reinforcements, blessed alliance post board by taking out all of my quellers and as well as siding out geist for thundermaw hellkite which has proven to be pretty good. I am even considering flashfreeze in the sideboard to help deal with jund as I really dont want to have two popular decks to fold to (E-tron).
I was using shadow of doubt but wrenn and six makes attacking their mana a lost cause now as it just ensures that they can get back on curve no matter what you do and W6 is for the most part inevitability and very dangerous as its simply takes so many resources for us to take care of it given it comes down after hand disruption. Its especially annoying that you cant bolt in response to a counter being placed on it. Its brutal that it ticks up to 4.
I have alot of trouble knowing what to side in and out in this match up and need alot of help as my meta here is full of it (which is why i always bring up jund).
That is a good point. Couple that with scooze and it could lead to issues if you dont defend against gy hate.
I have been thinking lately to go into full control post board. I am leaning on the side of running sphinx’s rev, timely reinforcements, blessed alliance post board by taking out all of my quellers and as well as siding out geist for thundermaw hellkite which has proven to be pretty good. I am even considering flashfreeze in the sideboard to help deal with jund as I really dont want to have two popular decks to fold to (E-tron).
I was using shadow of doubt but wrenn and six makes attacking their mana a lost cause now as it just ensures that they can get back on curve no matter what you do and W6 is for the most part inevitability and very dangerous as its simply takes so many resources for us to take care of it given it comes down after hand disruption. Its especially annoying that you cant bolt in response to a counter being placed on it. Its brutal that it ticks up to 4.
I have alot of trouble knowing what to side in and out in this match up and need alot of help as my meta here is full of it (which is why i always bring up jund).
Im gonna put together a new sb and post it later for ideas.
EDIT: i just remembered
Boros charm
It can one shot both lili and W6. I will be experimenting with the card in the coming days.
Boros Charm is surprisingly good against jund because it kills Liliana, Wrenn and Six, and keeps things alive.
It really depends on your mainboard in terms of what you side in and what's in the sideboard. While I like Deflecting Palm it doesn't really fit most decks gameplan. If you aren't rather aggressive in the mainboard I wouldn't suggest reveler, chandra fire artisan, or deflecting palm.
If you are a bit more midrange then siding into a more control oriented deck would definitely work. If you are running Force of Negation in the mainboard or sideboard then I love Monastery Mentor. Young Pyromancer was always great against jund or midrange style decks and Mentor has always done well there too. In addition, it fits the gameplan and doesn't require many slots in the sideboard. With Boros Charm and Force of Negation to protect Mentor I think he could be a very good option. I haven't played sphinx's revelation since return to ravnica standard when I played Jeskai midrange/control. It's a great card, but seems a bit slow for modern. I think Flashfreeze is very well positioned right now and would be a great option in your sideboard. Spectral Sailor is interesting, but probably too easy to kill. You need to keep up with their value as best you can so planeswalker's are probably a good bet. I always like to ask players who play the deck what they hate to see post sideboard. They can give you some great tips. Something like Hibernation can be a blow out if they lean heavily on goyf, scooge, and wren and six. Obviously, Cryptic Command is a great option.
In the end, it is super important to have a set gameplan against jund from the beginning. Whether that be going crazy aggro/burn or going more tempo bouncing everything, or going over the top with a control role, it's always important to know what role you are playing against them. I learn a long time ago I can't out-jund the jund deck (meaning I couldn't out value them) so I went with a new gameplan to be aggressive. and use their early life loss against them. I say give the control role a try and see how it goes. I feel like if that doesn't work you could definitely play a tempo style deck with boros charms and Force of negations to protect spell quellers and monastery mentors.
On another note, if Stoneforge Mystic is ever unbanned then Ojutai's Command immediately becomes a $5 card. It will fly under radar, but when I tested with SFM in the past ojutai's command was amazing and would be a great card in jeskai stoneblade.
Borrowed some cards from my friend and officially ran my Lightning Angel/ Geist list for the first time at an LGS event. I officially went 2-2. Thoroughly defeated Infect (2-0), lost two close games to UW control (0-2), got killed by Hive mind both times against Amulet Titan (0-2), and beat Restore Balance Superfriends (2-1).
The deck felt absolutely wonderful, with Chandra, Lightning Angel, and Geist being the all-stars of my build, and I look forward to running it more in the future.
That said, I might want some hints/ tips against UW. It's hard to tell when I should turn the corner and what to side in. My SB for the event was
Borrowed some cards from my friend and officially ran my Lightning Angel/ Geist list for the first time at an LGS event. I officially went 2-2. Thoroughly defeated Infect (2-0), lost two close games to UW control (0-2), got killed by Hive mind both times against Amulet Titan (0-2), and beat Restore Balance Superfriends (2-1).
The deck felt absolutely wonderful, with Chandra, Lightning Angel, and Geist being the all-stars of my build, and I look forward to running it more in the future.
That said, I might want some hints/ tips against UW. It's hard to tell when I should turn the corner and what to side in. My SB for the event was
The Dovin's Vetos seem like they should be very good in that meta.
As for the UW matchup, Force of Negation would be another great option. Chandra, Awakened Inferno is another great secret tech option. If you can squeeze a couple of copies of Teferi, Time Raveler that card is UW conrol's worst nightmare. Narset, Parter of Veils is also good against them, but no as good. As for your main deck, I would concentrate on landing a Geist of Saint Traft. That card is bonkers against control decks. Basically you just need a constant source of damage and some backup. Since you aren't going to out control them or win in the late game you really want to be damaging them early and often. Cards like Teferi and Geist will allow you to do that while messing with their gameplan and stranding cards in their hand. Those cards will definitely help, but the matchup is still a tough one regardless of what we add. Definitely beatable though.
It's intersting to see how Force of Negation is starting to pick up with more people thinking Hogaak will be banned. Most of the hot decks right now are playing 4 copies- Unsettled Mariner Merfolk, Blue Boggles, Bant Emphemerate, etc.
The newish meta seems to bode well for us. All of the above decks are good matchups for us and it appears Tron will likely gain share in a Hogaak less world. I am excited to see what the new meta brings. It stinks that it is one weekend to late and GP Vegas will be totally overun with Hogaak. Also having death shadow win the last GP also shows that tempo and aggro-control style decks are somewhat well positioned right now.
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I've finally said good bye to my Delvers since they're just not good enough anymore since War of the Spark and Modern Horizons.
I sold them online and I'll probably switch to Jeskai CopyCat. I've tested it online and after all these years of playing fair Magic it feels good to be able to just win on the spot. I can even play my favorite card Geist of Saint Traft in the SB
I'll also try out your deck online. I think I have all these cards on MTGO.
If anyone is interested in reading more about Jeskai CopyCat check out these articles on coolstuffinc and starcitygames.
I am still trying to finish the deck in paper, so it's never really been field tested properly. But I will let you know once I get the chance to run it. If you decide to run my deck on MTGO, please send me the links so I can see it in action.
I ordered a lot of cards during the last days and the whole CopyCat goodness should be in the mail soon
Tomorrow at FNM I'll play my version of GofyTomcat1's Jeskai Midrange deck. Since I don't own 4 Lightning Angels my deck looks a bit different:
23 lands, lot's of removal/burn, I decided to try Fact or Fiction instead of a Chandra. Hazoret seems good in this deck as well but I've sold mine.
I can't wait to see how it goes. I'll just kill all their stuff and then I'll try to kill them... business as usual.
So in short, wrenn and the plague engineer will ensure delver of secrets is no longer viable as the engineer naming wizard just wipes us out completely until its taken care of and wrenns abilities are just too much value. Its bolt proof health is also very very annoying as it takes up way too many of our resources to get rid of.
EDIT: a couple of things I saw that wrenn could do is bring back cycle lands so the player can keep cycling over and over.
Is utterly back breaking when followed by a liliana and preceded by hand disruption.
Pathing junds creatures is a double edges sword and can and does come back for you in the late game.
Played 8 games vs a DRS list and wrenn outclasses DRS in every way from what it seemed like bc DRS was far more manageable and slower.
I think jund may become the best deck in the format to be honest.
EDIT: heres a mid range list that just 5-0d perhaps i should go this route too
https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2185157#paper
RUAffinityUR
GMono Green StompyG
CEldrazi TronC
URWJeskai GeistWRU
WRBoros BurnRW
BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
1. How did the FoF play out?
2. Is there a reason for not running Remand?
3. What was your sideboard for the FNM event?
@GofyTomcat1: I was able to cast FoF during 3 of the 5 games I played and it always felt great. Against Jeskai Control I might even have won the third game if I had chosen the other pile. My opponent put: Fumarole, land, Bolt, Path in one pile and Elspeth in the other pile. I chose the 4 card pile but he told me that he had no answer for Elspeth...
Regarding Remand, I just think that it's only good in decks with Inevitability like CopyCat. Team Geist doesn't really have that.
As for the SB, I think I boarded in Surgical, Disdainful Stroke, Fry, Dovin's Veto and Clique against Jeskai Control. Against 5C Niv-Mizzet I brought in Celestial Purge, Disdainful Stroke, Dovin's Veto, Clique and Ashiok.
0-2 Wall of Omens
0-2 Seasoned Pyromancer
3-4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Felidar Guardian
and
2-3 Narset, Parter of Veils
4 Saheeli Rai
2-4 Teferi, Time Raveler
I'd like to add one card that can take over the game if it's blinked with Felidar or copied with Saheeli (therefore no legendary).
A 1-of with CMC4 or CMC5 that can win even after the combo get's removed by Surgical. I'll play 1 Seasoned Pyromancer btw.
Here's my candidate:
Cavalier of Gales
Pros: Saheeli Copy let's me attack for 10 in the air and double Brainstorm
Cons: UUU cost, but the deck aims for Narset on T3 so it should be possible late game.
What do you think? Would he make a good 1-of? Is CMC5 too hard with 22 lands and 9-12 redraws?
Also, in my opinion Spellskite should be better than Wall since you already draw enough cards and Spellskite can protect both combo pieces not only by blocking but also by redirecting Bolt, Path and Trophy. Do you agree or disagree?
Thanks
As a potential one of you could run Crackling Drake as the finisher. It gains value with the copy effect and dodges bolt in the late game. It can even end the game on the spot depending on the board state and how low they are after fetches and your burn spells. As for Spellskite I'm not so sure. Is the draw effect on Wall of Omens ever come up as being extremely important? If not then I can see you replacing it for more protection if your local meta is removal heavy.
I personally am never off of Delver of Secrets. Modern always ebbs and flows and sometimes delver is great another times he is not well positioned, but my deck just doesn't function well without him. The card is really underrated in modern and is basically the only reason to play a tempo style deck over the midrange version of Jeskai. I think if you don't like where delver is positioned right now, then the best bet is to go more all in on the midrange style deck or copycat deck. It appears that most on here agree with that assessment and are trying that currently.
My thoughts on Jund
Jund has always been the end boss for our deck. It is a super tough matchup, but the most fun matchup to play against in my opinion. There is one card that I play that I haven't seen any other lists really playing that really helps the Jund matchup - Bedlam Reveler. If you don't play reveler at the top end of the deck then jund is basically a 30-70 matchup. Reveler only gets me back to a 40-60 matchup in game one (more even if I am on the play), but it makes a world of difference. He can't be taken by Inquisition of Kozilek, he can't be killed by fatal push, and he recoups any loss in value we take over the first couple of turns. He also helps Force of Negation become much better against them since he recoups any loss in card advantage. Good jund players should always take reveler with a thoughtseize, but they typically take snapcaster if I have one. That is Reid Duke's number one rule to thoughtseize- always take the snapcaster mage. Reveler + snapcaster mage help us keep up with the value that they gain. I honestly can't imagine beating jund nearly as often without reveler
I personally haven't had anyone side in Engineered Plague against me yet. That is likely because it only hits delver and snapcaster in my deck. swiftspear lives, geist lives and still has an angel, queller lives, reveler lives and still draws cards, and snapcaster still gets a spell. Not to mention they all have different creature types (except a pre-flipped delver and snapcaster). If you are running young pyromancer, snapcaster, delver, v.clique all in the same deck then is likely game over. I watched a UR wizard match that basically ended every time the card was cast.
I have noticed that in a lot of my jund games I typically end the game by burning the opponent out. I try to keep Scavenging Ooze off the board so they can't gain life for that reason. Jund tends to hurt itself a lot in the early turns so I try to get their life total down early. That is part of the reason I like to side in Chandra, Fire Artisan against jund. She kind of gives an inevitability to the game if they don't have Assassin's Trohpy. She either gains a lot of card advantage over turns or costs them 4-5 life at minimum. This plays into my gameplan of getting ahead on life and forcing them to play uncomfortably with a lower life total.
Jund has always been a tough matchup and Wrenn and Six makes the matchup that much worse. However, with FON, Reveler, and Snacaster along with all of our other effienct spells I do think we can keep up with them while also being a huge favorite against any combo/linear style decks.
As for the more midrange style decks, I don't have a ton of experience with the deck. I really love Saheeli Rai so I would likely lean towards the copy cat deck if I had to play midrange. I think that deck is awesome with copies of Teferi and then the flash creatures along with effienct spells. I know that Jim Davis was a huge fan of that deck and has some articles and videos about the deck.
It's a super weird time in modern right now. It's a bit of a down time until hogaak is banned. There are a lot of modern tournaments coming up in the next few months so I am super excited to see where the modern meta goes and how jeskai will fit into that equation.
I feel like the copy cat list has legs if someone really learned to gain a lot of experience with the deck. It has all the interactive elements with a combo finish and that always has always seemed to work in modern.
Also, I too have no problems with this board being just an all things jeskai board. from aggro to combo to tempo. All ideas can be learned from and provide good talking points on how we can advance our own game plans.
RUAffinityUR
GMono Green StompyG
CEldrazi TronC
URWJeskai GeistWRU
WRBoros BurnRW
BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Watcher for Tomorrow
4 Felidar Guardian
Instants/Sorceries(18)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
2 Lightning Helix
4 Remand
Enchantments(1)
1 Detention Sphere
Planeswalkers(9)
4 Saheeli Rai
3 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
3 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Desolate Lighthouse
2 Alpine Moon
1 Wear // Tear
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Force of Negation
3 Through the Breach
3 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
This is sort of a rough draft, and the Through the Breach combo in the sideboard is there because I can't make up my mind between playing either Copycat or Breach so I shoved it in there. I'm hoping to see how Watcher for Tomorrow preforms next time I play the deck as I've seen other people use the card in their Copycat lists after a quick search on mtg top 8.
But its not a bad idea to be honest. Worth a try for sure.
RUAffinityUR
GMono Green StompyG
CEldrazi TronC
URWJeskai GeistWRU
WRBoros BurnRW
BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
During my testing on MTGO I used 2x Lone Missionary because the meta is so aggressive and the life gain is worth a lot.
The testing has been a mixed bag so far. I had some sweet wins against Tron and Hardened Scales but also clear losses against Zoo and Jund.
Jund feels just as hard to beat with this deck -_-
One game against Jund I could have comboed but my opponent had a Plague Engineer on Cat so I would have attacked with a million 0/3 tokens...
I think the strongest card against Jund is Leyline of Sanctity. Unnecessary copies of Leyline could be discarded to Seasoned Pyromancer who also seems to fis the deck very well. Unfortunately I don't own Seasoned Pyro on MTGO.
At FNM this week I am going to run 1 Seasoned Pyro and 1 Cavalier of Gales.
Online I tried 1 Hero of Bladehold and she won me a match. If she isn't removed she basically wins next turn just like Felidar Guardian, because with Saheeli's help she can attack for 20 (2x Hero, 4x Soldier Token, 2x Battle Cry trigger).
@CurdBros: I don't think that I could win with Bedlam Reveler against the Jund player I frequently loose against. He runs 3x Nihil Spellbomb and casting Reveler for 8 seems impossible. Planeswalkers are a good bet though.
Oh boy. I think you are correct. Reveler would not fair well against that build at all. If he is running 3 main deck nihil spellbomb then reveler definitely would not be a good answer. That basically negates both reveler and, to some extent, snapcaster mage. That build would be so tough to beat. I would almost just try to go pure aggro against that style of jund. I would even think about siding in Deflecting Palms to go pure aggro and use their goyfs and scooges against them. The jund deck I typically play against locally does not include any maindeck graveyard hate and the person rarely sides in graveyard hate because I only run two reveler and snapcaster mages. However, I do think he would benefit from siding graveyard hate in, especially when he is on the play.
You could also try to extremely control oriented post board, but you would likely need Cryptic Command to keep up.
ccc1522- You want to make sure if you are playing reveler that you have enough cantrips to be able to play reveler early enough. You don't want them to stick in your hand too long. I also tend to play a bit more aggressive especially if I have a revler in hand. You can go burn to their face or to their planeswalkers and "refill" your hand. Also Stevomat made a great point. If your local jund players are playing a lot of maindeck graveyard hate, reveler would not be great. I haven't seen too many lists online outside of major tournaments with tons of hogaak that have maindeck graveyard hate so that likely won't be a problem, but it's something to think about. Once hogaak is banned in a couple of days I am guessing most jund decks that are running maindeck graveyard hate will likely changes those slots.
As for the saheeli deck, I really need to do a little studying/practicing with the deck so I can add something worthwhile to the discussion. My first level thought on the deck would be just to stale as long as I can until hitting the combo. I also wonder if Simian Spirit Guide would fit into the deck to go a little quicker. If you can fun Cryptic Command and lots of planeswalkers to gain card advantage than the additional speed SSG gives the deck may be worth it. However, that is simply theory with no game play practice behind the idea.
I have been thinking lately to go into full control post board. I am leaning on the side of running sphinx’s rev, timely reinforcements, blessed alliance post board by taking out all of my quellers and as well as siding out geist for thundermaw hellkite which has proven to be pretty good. I am even considering flashfreeze in the sideboard to help deal with jund as I really dont want to have two popular decks to fold to (E-tron).
I was using shadow of doubt but wrenn and six makes attacking their mana a lost cause now as it just ensures that they can get back on curve no matter what you do and W6 is for the most part inevitability and very dangerous as its simply takes so many resources for us to take care of it given it comes down after hand disruption. Its especially annoying that you cant bolt in response to a counter being placed on it. Its brutal that it ticks up to 4.
I have alot of trouble knowing what to side in and out in this match up and need alot of help as my meta here is full of it (which is why i always bring up jund).
Cards I am considering now are
Bedlam Reveler
Sphinx’s revelation
Flashfreeze
Blessed alliance
Ojutai’s command
Thalia heretic cathar
Chandra, fire artisan
Direfleet daredevil
Monastery mentor
Spectral sailor
Im gonna put together a new sb and post it later for ideas.
EDIT: i just remembered
Boros charm
It can one shot both lili and W6. I will be experimenting with the card in the coming days.
RUAffinityUR
GMono Green StompyG
CEldrazi TronC
URWJeskai GeistWRU
WRBoros BurnRW
BRWMardu PyromancerWRB
Boros Charm is surprisingly good against jund because it kills Liliana, Wrenn and Six, and keeps things alive.
It really depends on your mainboard in terms of what you side in and what's in the sideboard. While I like Deflecting Palm it doesn't really fit most decks gameplan. If you aren't rather aggressive in the mainboard I wouldn't suggest reveler, chandra fire artisan, or deflecting palm.
If you are a bit more midrange then siding into a more control oriented deck would definitely work. If you are running Force of Negation in the mainboard or sideboard then I love Monastery Mentor. Young Pyromancer was always great against jund or midrange style decks and Mentor has always done well there too. In addition, it fits the gameplan and doesn't require many slots in the sideboard. With Boros Charm and Force of Negation to protect Mentor I think he could be a very good option. I haven't played sphinx's revelation since return to ravnica standard when I played Jeskai midrange/control. It's a great card, but seems a bit slow for modern. I think Flashfreeze is very well positioned right now and would be a great option in your sideboard. Spectral Sailor is interesting, but probably too easy to kill. You need to keep up with their value as best you can so planeswalker's are probably a good bet. I always like to ask players who play the deck what they hate to see post sideboard. They can give you some great tips. Something like Hibernation can be a blow out if they lean heavily on goyf, scooge, and wren and six. Obviously, Cryptic Command is a great option.
In the end, it is super important to have a set gameplan against jund from the beginning. Whether that be going crazy aggro/burn or going more tempo bouncing everything, or going over the top with a control role, it's always important to know what role you are playing against them. I learn a long time ago I can't out-jund the jund deck (meaning I couldn't out value them) so I went with a new gameplan to be aggressive. and use their early life loss against them. I say give the control role a try and see how it goes. I feel like if that doesn't work you could definitely play a tempo style deck with boros charms and Force of negations to protect spell quellers and monastery mentors.
On another note, if Stoneforge Mystic is ever unbanned then Ojutai's Command immediately becomes a $5 card. It will fly under radar, but when I tested with SFM in the past ojutai's command was amazing and would be a great card in jeskai stoneblade.
The deck felt absolutely wonderful, with Chandra, Lightning Angel, and Geist being the all-stars of my build, and I look forward to running it more in the future.
That said, I might want some hints/ tips against UW. It's hard to tell when I should turn the corner and what to side in. My SB for the event was
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Settle the Wreckage
2 RiP
2 Sudden Shock
2 Damping Spere
2 Wear // Tear
1 Baneslayer Angel
2 Dovin's veto
1 Engineered explosives
1 Chandra, Awakened Inferno
Those are some spicy matchups.
The Dovin's Vetos seem like they should be very good in that meta.
As for the UW matchup, Force of Negation would be another great option. Chandra, Awakened Inferno is another great secret tech option. If you can squeeze a couple of copies of Teferi, Time Raveler that card is UW conrol's worst nightmare. Narset, Parter of Veils is also good against them, but no as good. As for your main deck, I would concentrate on landing a Geist of Saint Traft. That card is bonkers against control decks. Basically you just need a constant source of damage and some backup. Since you aren't going to out control them or win in the late game you really want to be damaging them early and often. Cards like Teferi and Geist will allow you to do that while messing with their gameplan and stranding cards in their hand. Those cards will definitely help, but the matchup is still a tough one regardless of what we add. Definitely beatable though.
The newish meta seems to bode well for us. All of the above decks are good matchups for us and it appears Tron will likely gain share in a Hogaak less world. I am excited to see what the new meta brings. It stinks that it is one weekend to late and GP Vegas will be totally overun with Hogaak. Also having death shadow win the last GP also shows that tempo and aggro-control style decks are somewhat well positioned right now.