The Meta Game: Jeskai Still Wins

I played during Gameday last Currently Standard Competitions are filled with the following decks and key cards:

1. Jeskai
2. Abzan Mid-Range or Dredge
3. Mono-Black Aggro
4. Rabble Red
5. Temur Monsters or Walkers
6. Black-Blue Control
7. Sultai Control

I think Jeskai is still the best among them and here's the advantages and disadvantages of Jeskai:

• Jeskai: Hit with quick creatures fast and end with burn spells
• Strengths: Can be fast killers at turn 4-5 if left unchecked, my version (with Monastery Swiftspear and Titan's Strength) dishes out 10 damage by turn 2, dwindling an opponent to half life.
• Weaknesses: Prone to the bane of all aggro and burn decks - weenie mass removal (drown in sorrows and anger of the gods) and life gain (lifelink, nylea's .
• How to overcome weaknesses: Add counterspells in sideboard to counter mass removal and lifegain spells  (negate) and damage reflection for mirror match games

Lucky Bird!

Last night I dropped by a local hobby shop to meet a friend. He just bought dozens of packs from a box and didn't get much noteworthy. English versions are no longer in stock so I shelled out P200 for a pack of Japanese Khans of Tarkir. This is what I got, a $27.50 card. Not bad :)

Jeskai Tempo

I won 2nd place (the highest I've ever placed since I got back to playing the last 2 months ago) due to this deck. I revised it a little and below's the improved version:

Creatures: 16
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Mantis Rider

Non-Creature Spells: 21
4 Titan's Strength
4 Lightning Strike
3 Hordeling Outburst
4 Jeskai Charm
4 Stoke the Flames
1 Dig Through Time
1 Chandra, Pyromaster

Lands: 23
3 Battlefield Forge
3 Temple of Triumph
2 Shivan Reef
3 Temple of Epiphany
1 Mana Confluence
2 Mystic Monastery
2 Flooded Strand
4 Mountains
2 Plains
1 Islands


Sideboards: 15
2 Anger of the Gods (good VS aggro/burn decks like Rabble Red, Boros Burn, Jeskai, and Mardu)
3 Arc Lightning  (good VS aggro decks like Rabble Red, Jeskai, Mardu, and Mono-Black aggro)
2 Erase (good VS control decks or those which would play Nyx-fleece Ram, Circle of Flames)
1 Glare of Heresy (good Vs Espeth, Sorin, Siege Rhino, Wingmate Roc, Ajani, Nyx-fleece Ram)
3 Banishing Light (great VS anything without hexproof)
2 Negate (great VS planeswalkers or burn spells)
1 Deflecting Palm (good VS burn spells or anything that'll try & damage you big time, even this guy)

This deck can kill turn 4 easy if unanswered
Turn 1) Monastery Swiftspear Attacks Cum Damage: 1
Turn 2) Cast another Monastery Swiftspear, Cast Titan's Strength on one, and they both attack. Cum Damage: 8
Turn 3) Cast Jeskai Charm hitting opponent with 4 damage and attack again with both Monastery Swiftspears. Cum Damage: 16
Turn 4) Cast any burn spell and Attack.

Component Analysis:

1. Monastery Swiftspear (Quick Early Damage)
2. Seeker of the Way (Life Insurance to recover what you're losing from pain lands or from opponent's aggro)
3. Goblin Rabblemaster (Win Condition)
4. Mantis Rider (Win Condition)
5. Titan's Strength (Good player damage, brings down blockers and pumps up prowess abilities very well)
6. Lightning Strike (Good player damage, brings down blockers and pumps up prowess abilities very well)
7. Hordeling Outburst (Pumps up prowess and at the same time adds more creatures that pumps up Gobline Rabblemaster. And coz I love goblins)
8. Jeskai Charm (Game finisher at turn 4-5)
9. Stoke the Flames  (Game finisher at turn 4-5)
10. Dig Through Time (Mid-Late Game Win Condition: Dig 2 Lightning Strikes or Stoke the Flames/ Jeskai Charmto Finish opponent with 6-8 damage)
11. Chandra, Pyromaster (Late Game Win Condition: 16 damage at 1 damage per turn from turn 4 and copy a stoke or jeskai charm 3X on turn 8)

Lemme know what you think! :)

Coming Back to the Game

After 15 years, I've decided to pick-up an old hobby I used to have in high-school - playing Magic the Gathering. For those who don't know what Magic the Gathering is, here's a wikipedia definition of the game: Magic: The Gathering (MTG; also known as Magic) is a trading card game created by Richard Garfield and first published in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic was the first trading card game produced and it continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011. Magic can be played by two or more players each using a deck of 60+ printed cards or a deck of virtual cards through the Internet-based Magic: The Gathering Online or other programs.

This website/ blog will be about the competitive standard decks I commonly see in play and deck ideas I may have and would need comments and suggestions on.