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By: Plainswalker83, Plainswalker83
May 06 2015 12:00pm
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     I have played pretty much every format on MTGO with the exception of Vintage. (Though I hope to get there some day, with the help of Joe of course) but I recently decided that I wanted to really start to accomplish more with my time and energy and get to the MOCS. (Magic Online Championship Series) If I wanted to do that I needed buckle down and focus. I knew the two formats to work on would be Limited and Standard. Thanks to the countless Limited material on this site and beyond I was already able to place decently in a few drafts and it helps when I pull bomb money rares. Standard though is a format that I have played since it was called Type 2. I always enjoyed it but also dismissed it as the least important of the formats. Now I have jumped headlong into it.

     I have already talked about the vast amount of standard decks that are good solid choices to grind out but the meta has shifted slightly. As of right now everything points to Esper Dragons being "The Best" Deck in Standard. What that means is either you play a deck that can beat it or you really shouldn't bother. Here is a list that made Top 8 of SCG Cleveland.

     As you can see the deck is just full of good cards but it is also synergistic. I won't go into too much depth on why the deck is good the pros have already and continue to do so. So what beats the bogey man of the format? Well just this past weekend at SCG Cleveland Ross Merriam won it all with this:

     This deck only splashes green for Dromoka's Command but honestly that is all it needs. The Command is such a powerful tool for Heroic that it gave this deck a powerful shot in the arm. It adds removal and multiple heroic triggers making this deck even more of a nightmare to face. The other reason he was able to get past Esper Dragons was because of Treasure Cruise. Now that there are 8 fetches Cruise is more apt to cast only 1 mana giving the heroic player a steady stream of cantrips and protection spells to get them out of trouble. In fact in the match I saw, Ross solely on the back of card advantage with Treasure Cruise and Ordeal of Thassa. The deck that got second in the open also has some dragons in it and it is a deck that I think will still be very strong moving forward.

    There are 3 Haven of the Spirit Dragon missing from the lands and as far as I can tell there were only 14 cards in the board. A lot of times this deck can just be play some dragons and fliers and beat up your opponent. Or it can play the midrange game very well with the all but forgotten Courser of Kruphix and Sylvan Caryatid. Either way this deck has great removal, reach, sweet creatures, and great Planeswalkers.

    So I should be playing one of those decks right? I just spent time saying that they are strong and well positioned but I want to pick something that I know very well and have built in paper as well. So for me the deck of choice at least for now is Jeskai Tokens. My friend and yours, Calmlittlebuddy recently mentioned a little test play session that we had and posted the videos in his article which can be seen here. It is a combination of a few lists that I have been working and here it is.

    There are a few differences from the stock list that has been floating around the interweb so let me explain my decisions.

     First the creature split, I knew I wanted some number of Seeker of the Way but I recently squeezed in a Mantis Rider mainly as a way to put pressure on the big green decks and have a pretty sweet flying threat. Seeker is there as a way to help combat some of the other hyper aggressive decks like Atarka Sligh or Mono Red. Even if he lives for a couple of turns he usually gains you enough life to keep you in the game.

     Second I wanted to talk about why there are 3 Disdainful Stroke in the main board. The answer is quite simple, when I saw LSV and Eric Froehlich do it I knew I wanted to test it. After I tested it, I loved it. Most decks have a target for the counter even Red aggro has Stoke the Flames. Also that gave me some room to play with in the sideboard as well.

      Lastly you can see that there are no Hordeling Outburst or Lightning Strike. With the addition of Dragon Fodder I did not really need the clunky 3 drop so I added Secure the Wastes as well. Having another instant speed token maker is exactly what this deck needed along with the spell that took Strike's place, Anticipate. I just said that instants make this deck better so having an instant card drawing spell really makes this deck even more efficient. 

     The rest of the deck is pretty normal with nothing too crazy except for the sideboard. Ever since Yuuya Watanabe first built the deck there was always a controlling transformational sideboard but I am going very heavy on the control when I side. I have a few reasons for that.

     First tokens historically has a tough match up against decks like Abzan Midrange/Control and UB or Esper Dragons. In order for me to beat them I wanted to add in more counter magic and the Planeswalkers to balance the playing field. There are certain decks that just can't beat a resolved Elspeth, Sun's Champion which is an added bonus. Narset Transcendent has been another sweet card for me in testing. I know a lot of Pros talk down on the former Jeskai Khan but there is no greater feeling than rebounding a Treasure Cruise or Dig Through Time (Right CLB?) It also helps that her tick up also is about 55% to draw a card after boarding. (Which is pretty sweet) I have also learned that sometimes she just invokes fear in your opponent and they spent turns attacking her instead of you which effectively gains you life and gives you precious time to mount the comeback you need.

    I also wanted a bit more non situational counterspells so I added 2 Dissolves to go with the lone Negate. It is very unexpected and really helps to stop things like Bile Blight and Virulent Plague (which is pretty brutal against the token strategy...) I also have the sweepers which are pretty normal. Anger of the Gods is getting much better due to Deathmist Raptor and Den Protector rising in popularity. End Hostilities is needed to fight against dragons of all varieties and other swarms of creatures.

     Last but not least is the addition of Dragonlord Ojutai. When he first came out I actually wasn't that impressed but man is he amazing! I definitely want 2 or maybe even 3. Not only is he hexproof while untapped (with which Jeskai Ascendancy can be all the time) but he also lives through Anger and gives you card advantage when he hits your opponent.

     I will be testing this extensively and there will be videos coming. I am also going to work towards build UW Dragons/Control and possibly even Esper Dragons itself. As I mentioned MOCS is a goal of mine but I will take anything I can get. I just want to be more serious about Magic and this site and writing has really helped me do that. I want to thank all of those that have helped me test, lent me cards, or just commented on an article. Until next time!

14 Comments

Jeskai Tokens by MichelleWong at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 15:32
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Hi Marcus,

This article got my attention because I am a Jeskai Tokens player. It is the only Standard deck I play.

I like your article and I agree with most of your comments. I am interested to see your feedback as you continue to test this deck and the archetype. I wish you success and fun with it.

My feedback on the archetype is the following:

1. The golden age for this deck has passed. It is sad but true. I am not saying the deck is not competitive, I am saying that we are now fighting "uphill battles" whereas before we were on even playing ground. Before Dragons of Tarkir, we were living in a golden age and life was a lot better for us Jeskai Tokens players. It is true that we received a few new great cards from Dragons (Dragon Fodder and Secure the Wastes and Anticipate) and we can now remove the clunky Hordeling Outburst as a result, but the reality is that our aggro opponents became a LOT better, and our control opponents also became a LOT better. And we, on the other hand, only moved only a little ahead (and of course Virulent Plague impacted us more than any other deck, and can single-handedly cost us matches if we don't stop it). It is only our midrange opponents (like Siege Rhino / Surrak / Raptor players) that we still have a decent matchup against because we are more explosive than they are as the game progresses (we can outpace even the hugely card advantage oriented versions of the midrange decks). Midrange players don't put enough early pressure on us, and we can chump block them until we have set ourselves up.

2. That being said, it is not all doom and gloom. We do have 3 key strengths. The first is that we are the biggest SNOWBALL deck in the format, which makes us the most explosive of all decks. The longer the game goes on, the more likely we will be exploding at an exponential rate, not at a linear rate! This is why I love this deck. The second strength is that it is easy for us to recover from mass removal, often recovering immediately at instant speed with Secure the Wastes! The third strength is that we are less vulnerable to spot removal due to all of our tokens. So we have the combined strength of being less vulnerable to spot removal AND mass removal AND we are the biggest snowballer, and no other deck can claim that.

3. Our biggest weakness is that the deck is VERY reliant on Jeskai Ascendancy. There is a massive difference between a game with Ascendancy appearing/resolving/staying, versus a game when this does not happen. Jeskai Ascendancy has the advantage in that it is the No.1 "snowball card" in the whole of standard. But it has the disadvantage that if the Ascendancy is countered, or removed, or simply never appears in time, the deck can flounder. And you can expect most opponents to sideboard in cards to handle your Ascendancy (for example, it is a correct decision for your opponent to board in cards like Erase and the like, because of how important the Ascendancy is for us).

4. When deciding whether to mulligan, bear in mind Point 3 above (ie. Do I have Ascendancy or not, or if not do I have Anticipate?). I am not saying that you should mulligan until you find Ascendancy, I am saying that a hand without Ascendancy (or a way to find it soon) is a lot worse than a hand with it.

5. The Treasure Cruises are awesome and I use 3 copies pre-board, but they frequently suffers from the problem that it takes time to fill our graveyard, and we often don't have the luxury to go on cruises when our faces are being beaten by Mono Red/Atarka Red at lightning fast speeds, without any mass removal of our own to buy time. Cruise is a great card for securing wins when we have stabilised, but I find that I may be dead before I find what I need via a Cruise. Our deck is cruel and unusual, in that our Jeskai Ascendancy has the power to draw and discard cards to find what we need and get great card quality, but often we are desperate to find a Jeskai Ascendancy, and so we can't even loot. And we have few cards in our graveyard, so we can't even Cruise!!

6. Seekers of the Way are very important. I respectfully disagree with your decision to play a Mantis Rider over a Seeker. I am passionately against your decision with every fibre of my being. Yes it's true that the Seekers die to removal frequently, but so do Mantis Riders. Against Aggro opponents, Seekers are so important to our goal to stay alive (unchecked and he will swing the game in favour of Jeskai), and against Control opponents the Seekers are important to place early pressure and to give us a threat which cannot be ignored. In addition, Mantis Riders compete with Jeskai Ascendancy as a 3-drop, and their casting cost of 3 colored mana means they are often not even 3 drops, but 4 drops in reality. We already have a decent matchup against green midrange, so why are you worried so much about improving that matchup even more?

7. I am a big fan of a lone BRIMAZ, which can be used in the main board and can be removed sometimes post-board. Why? Because he can surprise an opponent and turn the game around fast. If he doesn't appear in Game 1, then our opponents will think that they don't need to prepare for him and they might side-out spot-removal cards like Hero's Downfall. Then you slam Brimaz down on Turn 3 and cause havoc. He also is a token generator. And unlike the Mantis Rider, he is actually a 3 drop (not a 4 drop as explained above). Having one copy alone will mean that you never need to worry about the Legendary rule. I recommend you test him and see if you have the same feedback as me.

8. I also have good feedback with a lone Jeskai Charm. Why? Because all options on the card are decent, and against a red player, the third option (+1/+1 and lifelink) can suddenly steal the whole game because of the life gain which can place you out of reach of their burn. One is enough though - no need to go too wild with multiple copies. I recommend you test it and see if you have the same feedback as me.

9. I agree with your decision not to use Monastery Mentor. Many players use him in Jeskai Tokens, but he is slow against Aggro, and he is a SNOWBALL card. And why do we need another snowball card when we surely have enough snowballing going on already. We don't need to 'win more'!

10. I am really interested to hear your further experiences and feedback, which may differ from mine. Specifically, I would like to know what strategies you found to be successful against the Dragon Control matchups. For example, do you just run out Ascendancy as quickly as possible and hope and pray that they don't have a counter? Or play more reactively and hope and pray that they don't out-control/draw you?

This was a really good by JXClaytor at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 15:33
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This was a really good comment, makes me wish you had wrote an article about the tokens deck and its challenges moving forward.

I concur. by Joe Fiorini at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 16:10
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I concur.

Great input! by Plainswalker83 at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 15:47
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Thanks for your in depth comment. Since putting up that article my list has already changed due to the massive testing I have been doing both in paper and on MTGO. I agree with most of your points but will disagree on the decks "Golden Age" being over. It is true that it will be tougher going forward but I think the players that really know and understand the deck will really thrive because of it. I am now on 4 Seekers main and in my board I have Ojutai's Exemplars and Dragonlord Ojutai to bring in when I bring in Sweepers or morph to a more controlling route with Planeswalkers etc. Of course there are really bad match-ups, one being anything with Dromoka's command but we can put up some very good games against Esper Dragons and Abzan decks. I would never go below 4 Treasure Cruise except when I take out a Cruise and board in a Dig Through Time. I suggest you shoot me a message on MTGO sometime and we can go over my new list which I will be talking about very soon. (hopefully with videos)
Once again thank you for you very well thought out comment.

Exemplars by Rerepete at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 18:24
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Ojutai Exemplars is one of my pet cards. It seems to have been incredibly overlooked (dissed) by the pros. Once resolved, it is incredibly difficult to deal with.

Also have you tried Nyx-Fleece Ram or Wall of Essence for your aggro match-ups?

It is good by Plainswalker83 at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 21:29
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Exemplars has been very good in testing thus far. I bring it in when I side in Anger and my other control package. I have not tried out Ram or Wall because the Aggro match up does not worry me so much as does the deck with a ton of sweepers.

I was only to Point 2 and I by Procrastination at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 20:11
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I was only to Point 2 and I also thought this would have been a great article!

Regarding Monastery Mentor - you mention not needing another snowball card, but when discussing Ascendancy, you state that only having 4 copies hampers the deck. While Mentor is not providing the same effect as JA, isn't having multiple snowballing options still a good thing?

Some great discussion going on here; glad to see the Pure Community working on a deck together!

I think there's a decent by CalmLittleBuddy at Thu, 05/07/2015 - 18:17
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I think there's a decent chance for Jeskai Tokens to stay in the top 5 decks. It needs to be played and tweaked to be more of a 'toolbox' deck. To play it well, you need to ask "How do I win games without Jeskai Ascendancy in my hand?"

That can be designing ways to increase card draw to put it into your hand, or attack on a different axis. I'm a big fan of 'one of's post board. I think the token strategy can get wrecked by a few Black cards (especially Virulent Plague), so there needs to be other tricks up the sleeve. With White and Blue, there's a ton of powerful cards that still synergize well with JA, and a few that win on their own.

Also, the meta game is cyclical. Already the Esper decks are losing ground to solid value strategies. In time, it will veer back toward mid-rangey.

I think the main issue with tokens is that players can sideboard against it the same way they would against Red Aggro strategies, so there's never an 'easy match up' where the opponent has zero answers. Player always have cards for Red, which gives them half the answers for tokens. Plus enchantment hate is at a premium as well, so the Ascendancy has a high chance of being got.

The deck is also not easy to play correctly. Especially when to loot and when to not loot. I see a lot of mistakes being made there.

I think it's still a Tier 1 deck, more so than Heroic. Heroic just has a lot more favorable match ups right now. That won't last.

Thanks by MichelleWong at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 16:51
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Thanks Marcus for your comments. Please add me as a Buddy on Magic Online (my name is Michelle_Wong), and we can share ideas about Jeskai Tokens. I would really like to join a huge Standard premier tournament event with you (or even a Daily), and we can share feedback on what decks we faced, what tech was good etc.

I am happy that you do not believe that the Golden Age for us is over, and I wish I could agree but I still stick to my comments. I believe that in light of the current meta, we have moved from being a Tier 1 deck to a Tier 2 deck (or perhaps somewhere in between). We are not rogue. We are competitive, but perhaps it's more suited to Friday Night Magic rather than with the pros on Magic Online (many pros do a tonne of testing on Magic Online, and it is filled with an endless supply of sharks all desperate for their 4-0 and 3-1 results). I don't think it's fair to say that we are a Tier 1 deck on the same par as Atarka Aggro or Dragons Control. This is my opinion with respect to all.

It is a fascinating archetype - we are essentially a combo deck, with some aggro, midrange and control elements thrown in to the mix! In the current environment which is dominated by the ultra-aggro and the ultra-control decks, being a combo deck is not a good place to be. We are essentially between a rock and a hard place. If the Magic Online meta becomes dominated by midrange players, then I will agree that a bright new golden age will dawn for us. But I don't see that happening at all, let alone any time soon.

For this reason, I feel less enthusiastic about joining Standard tournament queues nowadays, because I think "Why should I bother fighting uphill battles when my opponents can just cruise along?" Yes I might win if things go well, but I feel that we must swim upstream in the present meta, and I don't like this feeling.

You may be right about 4 x Treasure Cruise instead of 3 x Treasure Cruise. I used to play 4 copies main deck, but then so many times I would have multiples sitting in my hand early (not being able to cast either one efficiently), and then being in the awkward position early game to have to pay 4 mana approximately so to cast them (which I of course would not do unless absolutely desperate). In short, I found that too many times drawing multiple Cruises early were CLUNKY, whereas a Lightning Strike may have been just what the doctor ordered to keep me alive. I am happy with my decision of 3 x Cruise main, and 1 in board, with all respect to everyone.

I also add 4 x Flooded Strands (not 3 as per the typical build) in order to help fuel Cruises a bit better. If you are running 4 Cruises main, and have Dig in the sideboard, then the 4th copy of Flooded Strand might also help you. I do not regret my decision in that regard.

We will have to catch up by Plainswalker83 at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 21:12
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We will have to catch up online sometime because I am not experiencing the negatives you are mentioning. I have won many games without ascendancy even out and especially after board. The 3 Disdainful Stroke help a lot as well. As I said I will be putting up videos but also I play the deck in paper and win FNM or place 2nd more often than not. I also use Tokens to top bigger tournaments. I will admit it is now harder but this deck rewards those who really have experience with the deck and it pays off in that way. As for Atarka Red and Esper Dragons, I mentioned Esper can be winnable depending on our build of Tokens and the board. Atarka Red I feel is a very good match up. Our Tokens kill pretty much all of their creatures and the life gain from seeker is valuable. After board we get sweepers and Negate to thwart their offense and then can take over the game. I added you and look forward to comparing lists.

Monastery Mentor by MichelleWong at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 21:54
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@ Procrastination. You stated that "Regarding Monastery Mentor - you mention not needing another snowball card, but when discussing Ascendancy, you state that only having 4 copies hampers the deck. While Mentor is not providing the same effect as JA, isn't having multiple snowballing options still a good thing?"

Your reasoning makes sense, and I see where you are coming from. The Mentor would definitely help in a game where you could not find an Ascendancy or keep the Ascendancy on the battle. But there are several disadvantages to adding a Mentor. Firstly, it is much easier for the opponent to remove than an Ascendancy is (or than another threat is such as Secure the Wastes). Keep in mind that lands are generally the hardest permanents to remove, followed by enchantments and artifacts, followed by multiple creatures, followed by a lone creature, followed by a lone creature which is also an enchantment or artifact, which is the easiest of all to remove. Now, Mentor is a lone 2 toughness creature for 3 mana unless you have some backup to Prowess it. Your opponent could just Lightning Strike it or Savage Slash it or Hero's Downfall etc, and you have not come much closer to achieving your goal which is to explode before the opponent kills you.

What is worse, being a creature, the Mentor does not activate Ascendancy or the prowess ability of the Seeker. For example, you can be in a really super board situation with an Ascendancy out, 2 Seekers of the Way on the battlefield and maybe 2 tokens also, and only a Mentor or two in your hand. In situations like this, you cast the Mentor, then pass. The Seekers' prowess does not get activated, so they don't get bigger or lifelink, the Ascendancy abilities don't get activated, so the tokens don't get bigger, you don't get to untap your creatures, you don't get to loot, and because you were not able to loot, you may draw 2 lands in the next 2 draws and then it's GG. In scenarios like this, by trying to snowball off more, you actually did not snowball off at ALL! So in this case, it wasn't even a WIN MORE card, it was a LOSE MORE card. In such a situation you would infinitely prefer to see a Cruise or an Anticipate or a Secure the Wastes.

I am not saying that it's wrong to add Mentors because they can provide an excellent backup to Ascendancy when needed and they can snowball for wins, I am just explaining the risks and why it can actually make your deck weaker and less explosive. I find it hard to justify taking out a Secure the Wastes to add a Mentor. I could be easily convinced to splash one Mentor, because splashing one won't cause as many awkward scenarios like the one described above, and it will keep opponents off balance. For example, if your opponent sees a Mentor in the first game, they might assume that you have 4 copies, and their sideboard choices could consequently be wrong. Or they might not see it in the first game, and assume you don't have it at all, and they might board out cards accordingly and then realise that they weren't prepared for the Mentor. I am a big fan of one-of's for this reason!

@ Rerepeat, yes I like Fleece Nyx Ram as sideboard tools against Mono Red/Atarka Red, but I have never used Wall of Essence (and I don't plan to because I don't think it's strong enough).

@ Plainswalker83. I am surprised by your comment that you don't feel Ascendancy is so critical to winning. I am glad to hear your experience and I don't discount it, but it is not mine at all. For example, your opponent casts Courser of Kruphix, then the Jeskai player plays Goblin Fodder. The Courser player plays Siege Rhino, and the Jeskai player then plays Raise the Alarm or Secure the Wastes. And so on and so forth until death do us part. Without Ascendancy, our opponents will quickly run us over with higher quality cards and we will flounder. To be fair, Treasure Cruises help immensely in these types of situations to balance out the power when we lack the Ascendancy. However, the safest route to victory is to get an Ascendancy on the board in my opinion, then "go off" from there.

It is important to remember by Plainswalker83 at Wed, 05/06/2015 - 21:56
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It is important to remember that this deck was 1 match away from the top 8 of the Pro Tour in the hands of Efro. This deck has serious play to it and can shift modes from aggro to control and be good at both. As I said I would need to see your list but I pack plenty of removal/burn/counter in mine to make my deck better able to beat decks that can be a tougher match up. So let's compare lists on MTGO

I'm telling you I think by CalmLittleBuddy at Thu, 05/07/2015 - 18:20
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I'm telling you I think you're getting closer to a good 75 than most who are playing the deck, at least online. So many powerful choices. Like I said in a previous comment, the 'toolbox' approach, especially post sideboard is, in my opinion, the way to go. Which probably means it's the wrong way to go!

Great stuff as usual. See you at the shuffle hut.

Thanks! by Plainswalker83 at Fri, 05/08/2015 - 08:59
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Really appreciate it, look forward to one of our "Late night" testing sessions