Jeskai Ascendency Combo

[Valendras]

Rich updated his list earlier today if y'all want the new version? (He's a friend of mine, we go to school & play together 😊)

[edahl]

rich updated his list earlier today if y'all want the new version? (he's a friend of mine, we go to school & play together 😊)

give iiit!

Edit: Please :)

[Valendras]

Straight from his Facebook 😊 I'm sure he wouldn't mind (I know he wouldn't actually lol, I asked him)

[HSCK]

Interesting indeed, I think 5 is the right number too, but Izzet Charm and triple MD Pyroblast seems a bit risky.

[EviL668-2]

I think this is a better read!

Lands

1 Arid Mesa
2 Faerie Conclave
4 Flooded Strand
1 Island
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Tundra
3 Volcanic Island

Spells

4 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
4 Force of Will
4 Gitaxian Probe
2 Izzet Charm
4 Jeskai Ascendancy
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Ponder
3 Pyroblast
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Thought Scour
4 Treasure Cruise

Creatures

4 Fatestitcher
3 Young Pyromancer

Sideboard

SB: 4 Wear // Tear
SB: 1 Pyroblast
SB: 3 Kor Firewalker
SB: 1 Hydroblast
SB: 1 Plains
SB: 3 Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 Tormod's Crypt

[cab0747]

Interesting indeed, I think 5 is the right number too, but Izzet Charm and triple MD Pyroblast seems a bit risky.

Pyroblast keeps you going: It can target a non-blue permanent but only destroys the permanent if it is blue. So, you can cast it targeting a forest (unlike Red Elemental Blast), the spell will resolve, but the forest will not be destroyed.

Granted, it isn't great when you are looking to dig into an Ascendency, but once you are going, it won't hold you back.

[HSCK]

I think the issue is what is it doing while you're getting ready to combo, but I guess in the matches you don't need it it doesn't matter too much?

[rufus]

...
Granted, it isn't great when you are looking to dig into an Ascendency, but once you are going, it won't hold you back.

Like Lightning Bolt, Pyroblast is the sort of card that you expect to do work before the combo comes on-line. In decks that have a draw-go approach, there are too many good things to counter. You can also cast pyroblast to get Young Pyromancer tokens. Once you're going off, you would, of course, much rather see cantrips, but it's better than a land.

[enzee]

Man.. all these changes seem fine, but Drew Levin's counter top version just looked very strong in his videos. I tried playtesting it a bit yesterday, it's pretty tough to just pick up and play if you aren't experienced, but the power is definitely there.
It really helps shore up some of the bad matchups we have. He goes down to 1 life and then combos off without an ascendancy in play to start the turn (finds it and then goes off). But, he had delayed his opponent so much that he then had 6 mana on that turn, so it was easy.

My point being, with ascendancy costing 3 mana, you have to do something to stall your opponent while you build up your manabase and top/counterbalance is perfect for this. Not only does it help you dig to find the ascendancy, but locks some decks out of the game.

Oh, and btw, his match where he blind flips a fatestitcher to counter JTMS and his opponent just immediately scoops is one of the funniest things I've seen in weeks.

[cab0747]

Like Lightning Bolt, Pyroblast is the sort of card that you expect to do work before the combo comes on-line. In decks that have a draw-go approach, there are too many good things to counter. You can also cast pyroblast to get Young Pyromancer tokens. Once you're going off, you would, of course, much rather see cantrips, but it's better than a land.

Exactly. It has uses (especially right now) and even when there is not a blue permanent/spell it can still be used to trigger ascendency to pump creatures, loot, and create tokens. Three may seem a bit high, but Rich is moderately intelligent I am sure he has thought about this number quite a bit. Give 3 a shot, if it hinders you too much, then cut one and continue testing, I would guess.

[thecrav]

Man.. all these changes seem fine, but Drew Levin's counter top version just looked very strong in his videos. I tried playtesting it a bit yesterday, it's pretty tough to just pick up and play if you aren't experienced, but the power is definitely there.
It really helps shore up some of the bad matchups we have. He goes down to 1 life and then combos off without an ascendancy in play to start the turn (finds it and then goes off). But, he had delayed his opponent so much that he then had 6 mana on that turn, so it was easy.

My point being, with ascendancy costing 3 mana, you have to do something to stall your opponent while you build up your manabase and top/counterbalance is perfect for this. Not only does it help you dig to find the ascendancy, but locks some decks out of the game.

Oh, and btw, his match where he blind flips a fatestitcher to counter JTMS and his opponent just immediately scoops is one of the funniest things I've seen in weeks.

I played against him testing this deck. I can't see the video to see if I'm one of his victims but the deck was indeed quite cool. The biggest advantage he had against me was that I didn't see any of the combo game 1. As a result, my sideboarding was all kinds of not-right. One word of warning: He tweeted at me that while he thought the deck was really cool, it might not be playable on MTGO due to the number of triggers you have to go through, especially if your opponent doesn't see the combo and concede.

[TraxDaMax]

The list I played last sunday to a terrible 1-4 didn't have Fatestitcher a)because I underestimated it b) don't have any
Going over the situations that occured, I realized that I suck and should have played it. CB/top was awesome for me all day. And sometimes really just hid what we are trying to do game 1.
The match I won was hilariously by bashing with doped up Elemental tokens and game 2 with RiP+Helm. I combo'ed 0 times with Conclave which leaves me biased about it.
One game vs Jund I got the infinite chain going with double top, but once in declare attackers it got Pyroblasted.
Obviously if I would have had Fatestitcher in my list I would have been able to return it aswell and create 2 deadly attackers. Lesson learned.
Levin's list looks good, only I recommend 4 top's. You always want them.

[iostream]

I really like Levin's list, except I'm not sure about his suggestion at the end of the article to cut 3 Probe, 1 Pyroblast for 4 YP. I like Pyromancer, but it seems like cuts could be made elsewhere since you need a critical mass of cantrips to start going off with Ascendancy. 4 CB looked awkward for him in several matches, so I might shave 1 of those, and honestly 20 lands is a lot - definitely think you could cut 1-2 of those.

[Pastorofmuppets]

Has anyone tested Wind Zendikon yet?

[Darklingske]

Brad Nelson posted some video's yesterday in which he plays with Zendikon against D&T. It's premiumcontent, so not yet visible.

[midgetaddict]

Took this list to my local legacy tournament tonight:

1x Arid Mesa
4x Brainstorm
1x Dig through time
2x Faerie Conclave
4x Fatestitcher
4x Flooded Strand
4x Force of Will
4x Gitaxian Probe
1x Island
4x Jeskai Ascendancy
2x Lightning Bolt
1x Mountain
3x Ponder
2x Pyroblast
4x Scalding Tarn
2x Swords to Plowshares
4x Thought scour
4x Treasure Cruise
3x Tundra
3x Volcanic Island
3x Young Pyromancer

SB:
2x Hydroblast
2x Kor Firewalker
2x Meddling Mage
2x Pithing Needle
1x Plains
1x Sulfur Elemental
3x Surgical Extraction
2x Wear // Tear

Record: 4-1 in matches

Swiss:

Death and Taxes: 2-1
Goblin Prison: 0-2
Foodchain: 2-0
Infect: 2-0

Top 8:

Miricles: 2-1

Top 4: Split

Death and Taxes: 2-1

He took game 1 after I decided not to FoW his turn 1 Mom and drew a bun of my removal. I was able to stick an Ascendency, be he had a revoker on Fatestitcher and a Plow for my Faerie Conclave and lethal on board. Game 2 I was able to control his board and combo'd off pretty quickly. Game 3 I had a turn 3 Sulfur Elemental which killed his Thalia, The next turn he played his 2nd and 3rd Vial, and I drew Ascendency and looted into Pithing Needle; the game ended soon after.

Out:
1x Dig through time
2x Pyroblast
2x Gitaxian Probe
1x Thought scour

In:
2x Pithing Needle
1x Plains
1x Sulfur Elemental
2x Wear // Tear

Goblin Prison: 0-2

He was able to get down a Blood Moon and a Chalice on 2; no outs. In game two he had a Chalice on 1, Chalice on 2, Blood Moon, Magus of the Moon, Red Cap, and Rabble Master. I had hard cast a couple Fatestickers and was only taking two a turn from the Redcap. I had fetched for my island and managed to naturally draw my planes. I managed to put an ascendency in play and attempted to go off the following turn after he played a Mogg Fanatic. I casted a brain storm into the chalice, looted into a Wear // Tear for his chalice and Blood Moon, and Hydro blasted his Magus of the Moon, but then fizzled. I ended up attacking for 8 but I should have animated my conclave and got in for 10 to make his ancient tombs unusable. I topdecked a Fatesticher and he had too many blockers so I could only put him to two with my Fairie Conclave. This match up seemed terrible but I think I could have taken game 2 if not for some mistakes. No reason to take out the blood moon effects when you have your basics and hard casted fatestichers.

Out:
2x Pyroblast
1x Dig through time
2x Gitaxian Probe
2x Thought scour

In:

2x Hydroblast
2x Kor Firewalker
1x Plains
2x Wear // Tear

I think I probably should have cut the mountain, since his deck runs no wastelands.

Food Chain: 2-0

Both games were won through Young Pyromancer, removal, and counter spells. We both kept each other's combo off the table, but I was beating down with a growing army of 1/1s.

Out:
2x Gitaxian Probe

In:
2x Wear // Tear

Infect: 2-0

In game 1 he made the mistake of crop rotating away his trop instead of a pendlehaven so his Invigorates and Daze were uncastable while Young Pyromancer took over the game. Game 2 I played an early Young Pyromancer and counter or removed every threat he played.

Out:
2x Gitaxian Probe
2x Thought scour

In:
2x Wear // Tear
2x Pithing Needle

I brought in 4 cards to deal with Nexus. It may be over kill, but it was the best threat he had.

Top 8: Miricles: 2-1

Game 1 was very long and I managed to get him to 3 with 5 cards left in my library before he played an Entreat for 7 that I could not answer. Game 2 I managed to get in a lot of damage with an early young pyromancer, when he answered it I played a second which killed him. In game 3 I started the game with two wear // tear in hand. Once he played a counter balance I bated a FoW with a dig through time and was able to play the wear // tear into an Ascendency. He played another counter balance on his turn, which I wear // teared as well. I then began to combo one creature at a time over a few turns in order to force him to use all his spot removal until I had a fatesticher he could not answer.

Out:
2x Swords to Plowshares
2x Gitaxian Probe
2x Thought scour

In:
2x Meddling Mage
2x Pithing Needle
2x Wear // Tear

Overall I am very happy with the deck. The only update I would make at the moment would be to swap the mountain and the plains. The sideboard could probably use some work, but that will come with more reps with the deck. I am not sure if I sideboarded correctly and would love some feed back.

Thanks for reading.

[VsTheWorld]

I really like Levin's list, except I'm not sure about his suggestion at the end of the article to cut 3 Probe, 1 Pyroblast for 4 YP. I like Pyromancer, but it seems like cuts could be made elsewhere since you need a critical mass of cantrips to start going off with Ascendancy. 4 CB looked awkward for him in several matches, so I might shave 1 of those, and honestly 20 lands is a lot - definitely think you could cut 1-2 of those.

Agreed. The list I'm working with right now and played last night cut down to 3 each CB/top, 19 lands, and 3 Fatestitchers to play 3 Pyromancers and the 2nd MD Pyroblast.

[Packofrats]

I'm playing this at an iq this weekend. I played it in modern yesterday but will go into the iq only good fishing and a little cockatrice. Any thoughts on side boarding? I'm playing Brad Nelson's list from yesterday's video. No counter top.

I'm thinking of a transformational board into delver/yp since it's the same shell.

[HSCK]

My advice would be to not play Nelson's variant. A lot of the power of this deck comes from its ability to be a control deck, pushing it to be like Storm takes away that avenue.

[rufus]

...

I'm thinking of a transformational board into delver/yp since it's the same shell.

That seems like 'danger of cool things' territory. It could certainly make sense as metagame plan if you're adding generically strong elements - say swapping out delvers for stifles - in specific match-ups, but transforming in the hope that your opponent will overcommit to answers really only makes sense if one of the game plans is good enough to force an opponent to commit heavily to an answer - say by mulliganing into specific cards.