critchkn
09-08-2015, 07:11 AM
Jeskai Ascedancy Combo
This deck is built around the UWR enchantment from Khans of Tarkir, Jeskai Ascendancy. It's primary purpose is to take advantage of the enchantment by casting cheap cantrips to loot multiple Fatestitcher into the graveyard, and pump your creatures with each non-creature spell you cast, eventually killing your opponent with lethal damage.
Jeskai Ascendancy:
CMC: 3 (UWR)
enchantment
When you cast a non creature spell, untap your creatures. They get +1/+1 until end of turn.
When you cast a non creature spell, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card (loot).
The deck:
4 Fatestitcher
2 monastery mentor
4 Jeskai Ascendancy
4 brainstorm
4 ponder
4 Preordain
4 Dig through Time
4 Thoughtscour
4 Force of will
2 daze
4 lotus petal
1 Dack Fayden
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 volcanic island
3 tundra
2 island
4 flooded strand
3 scalding tarn
Sideboard:
2 Wear//Tear
2 swords to plowshares
2 surgical extraction
3 pyroblast
2 flusterstorm
2 misdirection
2 pyroclasm
The combo:
Step 1: Resolve an ascendancy as soon as possible. This is possible as early as turn 1, with a land into double lotus petal. However, that line is very aggressive and leaves you open to counter magic.
Step 2: get a fatestitcher into the graveyard. This also can be done a couple ways. You can "get lucky" off a blind thoughtscour and mill one over off the instant speed draw spell. You can loot one into the graveyard off an ascendancy trigger if you choose to. Or you can get one into the graveyard through dack faydens +1 (draw 2 then discard 2), or a brainstorm setting the top of your deck for an easy thoughtscour mill.
Step 3: "UNEARTH" Fatestitcher. This is an ability of the creature which reads "U: Play Fatestitcher from the graveyard. It gains haste until the end of turn. If an effect would remove Fatestitcher from the field, or at end of turn, exile it instead. Unearth only as a sorcery."
Step 4: if you don't have any untapped mana, tap Fatestitcher to untap a land you control. Then cast a non creature spell, preferably Brainstorm or, if you have a Dig in hand and enough cards in the graveyard for delve, cast Gitaxian probe using life instead of mana. This allows you to untap your Fatestitcher with a mana up, allowing you to untap the second blue needed for dig through time.
Step 5: Rinse and repeat step four, using the Unearth ability on every Fatestitcher you put into the graveyard. Once you get multiples onto the battlefield, start using one to tap down your opponents board to limit their interaction capabilities. Continue this process until your ascendancy has pumped your creatures up enough to hit for lethal damage.
Gameplay:
Typically, this deck is capable of a consistent turn 4 kill, with the possibility of comboing off earlier with an assortment of lotus petal for mana acceleration and some lucky loots off your Ascendany triggers.
A solid 7 card opener looks like this:
1 land of any type
1 fetch land
3 cantrips
* BEST BEING:
*Brainstorm
*Thoughtscour
* Ponder
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
1 Daze
The above hand I'd keep against most opponents in a game 1 situation. This gives you the possibility of a end of turn Dig through time at your opponents end step.
Mulligans: from my experience, this deck is darn near mulligan proof. One Landers are fine for the most part as long as the rest of the hand is solid. Only time I find myself sending it back, is when I have multiples of digs or ascendancy or Fatestitcher in hand.
As with any combo deck, you're soft to permission magic. Use Gitaxian probes to gain knowledge of your opponents hand so you can make the best decision when deciding when to stick your ascendancy. Rarely does jamming it work in this format.
REMEMBER:
1. The first ability of Jeskai ascendancy is a must. If I'm not mistaken, it's not a trigger that can be missed or neglected.
2. Any non creature spell that you cast will trigger ascendancy, this includes Lotus Petal and even Dack Fayden.
3. Monastery mentor is a win con by itself. With the cantrips in the deck, prowess and the monks that will flood the board make for a quick clock. If you have an ascendancy on the field, the double +1s can kill after only a few cantrips.
Card Selection:
Jeskai Ascendancy: namesake of the deck and as such, your win con. Auto 4 of in every main deck.
Fatestitcher: 3-4, this allows for you to kill the easiest. His tap ability works on both your Permanente and your opponents.
Monastery Mentor: 2-3, an upgrade over Young Pyromancer. The monk tokens from MM trump those of the elementals from YP because of prowess.
Force of will: 4, Self explanatory.
Daze: 2-3, I chose daze personally because it's another free counter spell that can also counter creatures if need be, unlike spell pierce.
Dig: best card selection spell in the game.
Brainstorm: best draw spell in the game
Ponder, thoughtscour and preordain: allow us to reset the top of our deck after a brainstorm if we don't have a fetch land. Allows us to get through our deck blistering fast and fill up our yard for fast digs.
Dack Fayden: 1, I go back and forth on this card all the time. Part of me thinks it and the fourth preordain should be 2 faithless looting. Nonetheless, he has a relevant +1 that helps US get through our deck fast.
Flusterstorm: amazing card to bring in for matches that require more permission to stick an ascendancy.
Pyroblast: can be used to kill delvers, counter opponents counter magic and even be used to continue the combo. It can target any spell or permanent, doesn't have to just be blue. Only destroys or counters if it is blue however.
Misdirection: our answer to abrupt decay. We can't counter abrupt decay, but we can redirect it at a different permanent, preferably an opponents permanent.
Pyroclasm: good vs delver, I usually bring it in for the elves matchup as they tend to sometimes be a bit faster, and a well timed clasm breaks their backs.
Closing:
Well there You have it. I've played this deck for a bit now and I love it. It really feels like it's right on the cusp of tier 1, although that may be my personal bias lol
Feel free to give advice on the deck, tips and tactics I may have forgot to add, and let's make this deck a household name :D
I will edit for matchup at a later date.
This deck is built around the UWR enchantment from Khans of Tarkir, Jeskai Ascendancy. It's primary purpose is to take advantage of the enchantment by casting cheap cantrips to loot multiple Fatestitcher into the graveyard, and pump your creatures with each non-creature spell you cast, eventually killing your opponent with lethal damage.
Jeskai Ascendancy:
CMC: 3 (UWR)
enchantment
When you cast a non creature spell, untap your creatures. They get +1/+1 until end of turn.
When you cast a non creature spell, you may draw a card. If you do, discard a card (loot).
The deck:
4 Fatestitcher
2 monastery mentor
4 Jeskai Ascendancy
4 brainstorm
4 ponder
4 Preordain
4 Dig through Time
4 Thoughtscour
4 Force of will
2 daze
4 lotus petal
1 Dack Fayden
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 volcanic island
3 tundra
2 island
4 flooded strand
3 scalding tarn
Sideboard:
2 Wear//Tear
2 swords to plowshares
2 surgical extraction
3 pyroblast
2 flusterstorm
2 misdirection
2 pyroclasm
The combo:
Step 1: Resolve an ascendancy as soon as possible. This is possible as early as turn 1, with a land into double lotus petal. However, that line is very aggressive and leaves you open to counter magic.
Step 2: get a fatestitcher into the graveyard. This also can be done a couple ways. You can "get lucky" off a blind thoughtscour and mill one over off the instant speed draw spell. You can loot one into the graveyard off an ascendancy trigger if you choose to. Or you can get one into the graveyard through dack faydens +1 (draw 2 then discard 2), or a brainstorm setting the top of your deck for an easy thoughtscour mill.
Step 3: "UNEARTH" Fatestitcher. This is an ability of the creature which reads "U: Play Fatestitcher from the graveyard. It gains haste until the end of turn. If an effect would remove Fatestitcher from the field, or at end of turn, exile it instead. Unearth only as a sorcery."
Step 4: if you don't have any untapped mana, tap Fatestitcher to untap a land you control. Then cast a non creature spell, preferably Brainstorm or, if you have a Dig in hand and enough cards in the graveyard for delve, cast Gitaxian probe using life instead of mana. This allows you to untap your Fatestitcher with a mana up, allowing you to untap the second blue needed for dig through time.
Step 5: Rinse and repeat step four, using the Unearth ability on every Fatestitcher you put into the graveyard. Once you get multiples onto the battlefield, start using one to tap down your opponents board to limit their interaction capabilities. Continue this process until your ascendancy has pumped your creatures up enough to hit for lethal damage.
Gameplay:
Typically, this deck is capable of a consistent turn 4 kill, with the possibility of comboing off earlier with an assortment of lotus petal for mana acceleration and some lucky loots off your Ascendany triggers.
A solid 7 card opener looks like this:
1 land of any type
1 fetch land
3 cantrips
* BEST BEING:
*Brainstorm
*Thoughtscour
* Ponder
1 Jeskai Ascendancy
1 Daze
The above hand I'd keep against most opponents in a game 1 situation. This gives you the possibility of a end of turn Dig through time at your opponents end step.
Mulligans: from my experience, this deck is darn near mulligan proof. One Landers are fine for the most part as long as the rest of the hand is solid. Only time I find myself sending it back, is when I have multiples of digs or ascendancy or Fatestitcher in hand.
As with any combo deck, you're soft to permission magic. Use Gitaxian probes to gain knowledge of your opponents hand so you can make the best decision when deciding when to stick your ascendancy. Rarely does jamming it work in this format.
REMEMBER:
1. The first ability of Jeskai ascendancy is a must. If I'm not mistaken, it's not a trigger that can be missed or neglected.
2. Any non creature spell that you cast will trigger ascendancy, this includes Lotus Petal and even Dack Fayden.
3. Monastery mentor is a win con by itself. With the cantrips in the deck, prowess and the monks that will flood the board make for a quick clock. If you have an ascendancy on the field, the double +1s can kill after only a few cantrips.
Card Selection:
Jeskai Ascendancy: namesake of the deck and as such, your win con. Auto 4 of in every main deck.
Fatestitcher: 3-4, this allows for you to kill the easiest. His tap ability works on both your Permanente and your opponents.
Monastery Mentor: 2-3, an upgrade over Young Pyromancer. The monk tokens from MM trump those of the elementals from YP because of prowess.
Force of will: 4, Self explanatory.
Daze: 2-3, I chose daze personally because it's another free counter spell that can also counter creatures if need be, unlike spell pierce.
Dig: best card selection spell in the game.
Brainstorm: best draw spell in the game
Ponder, thoughtscour and preordain: allow us to reset the top of our deck after a brainstorm if we don't have a fetch land. Allows us to get through our deck blistering fast and fill up our yard for fast digs.
Dack Fayden: 1, I go back and forth on this card all the time. Part of me thinks it and the fourth preordain should be 2 faithless looting. Nonetheless, he has a relevant +1 that helps US get through our deck fast.
Flusterstorm: amazing card to bring in for matches that require more permission to stick an ascendancy.
Pyroblast: can be used to kill delvers, counter opponents counter magic and even be used to continue the combo. It can target any spell or permanent, doesn't have to just be blue. Only destroys or counters if it is blue however.
Misdirection: our answer to abrupt decay. We can't counter abrupt decay, but we can redirect it at a different permanent, preferably an opponents permanent.
Pyroclasm: good vs delver, I usually bring it in for the elves matchup as they tend to sometimes be a bit faster, and a well timed clasm breaks their backs.
Closing:
Well there You have it. I've played this deck for a bit now and I love it. It really feels like it's right on the cusp of tier 1, although that may be my personal bias lol
Feel free to give advice on the deck, tips and tactics I may have forgot to add, and let's make this deck a household name :D
I will edit for matchup at a later date.