Completed Jeskai Ascendancy Combo.
Welcome to my Jeskai Combo deck. This has been a long time work in progress and this is likely the final revised version of it.
Some background: The deck originated from a friend borrowing the old modern Jeskai Asc. combo deck and then creating the basic back-bone for this one upon the release of SOI and Thing in the Ice. I decided that I would pick it up and try it. With little experience and major problems with its original form, tournament was not viable for it. After over a month of play testing, I believe this is the most viable iteration for tournament, at least for my local meta.
Part 1: The Concept
This deck is not a linear combo deck. Although, there is a single goal, getting to that goal is almost never simple- like it is in many combo decks. The deck looks, and can play like a Storm deck, but instead of Storming, you are using can-trips, and netting-mana (Jeskai Triggers, Manamorphose) to search for all the pieces of the combo.
Part 2: How to Go Off
The combo relies on having a copy of Sprout Swarm in hand, Mana Rocks (Bird, Caryatid), other creatures (Young EZ, Elementals) and at least 1 copy of Jeskai Ascendancy in Play.
Tap Land, Creatures, or floating mana to kick-start the Convoke-Buyback on Sprout Swarm, Trigger Jeskai Ascendancy, Untap those creatures, get a GREEN Sprout-ling, then repeat the process until you have 5 creatures that are not mana-rocks tapping to cast the Convoke-Buyback of Sprout Swarm. Then, begin to tap your mana rocks for "infinite mana".
say 47 Billion.
This will create, 47 Billion triggers of Jeskai, 47 Billion mana of your choice and 47 billion sprout-lings. At this point, you may attempt to try to attack with a Bird of Paradise or something that doesn't have summoning sickness.
Part 3: Combo Win Conditions
With "infinite" mana, creatures and sprout swarm in hand, you can now use Jeskai Ascendancy's looting condition effectively.
i.) 2 Cards in hand -- Sprout Swarm, Other Card -- cast sprout swarm against immediately after you've gone "infinite" to begin looting for either, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn or Grapeshot. I believe the safest option is Emrakul
ii.) 1 Card in hand -- Sprout Swarm -- In this case, you only have Sprout Swarm in hand. If you are using it to trigger Jeskai Ascendancy Loots, you will have virtually no cards in hand 0 cards in hand. This means any card you loot for will by default hit your graveyard. This can be okay, because Emrakul will shuffle your graveyard into your library.
You will be able to "infinitely" shuffle your graveyard into your Library, you can technically do this until the last card NOT in your graveyard is Emrakul (the only card in your library is Emrakul, everything else aside from permanents is in your graveyard). Although cheesy, it is legal. You may do this down to X amount of cards left in your library but you will not know if Emrakul is on top, you must be careful not to mill yourself out.
The earliest the combo can go off is Turn 3 on the nuts. The most consistent the deck will go off is Turn 4 thru 6.
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Main Board
Lands & Mana Base
We have Strands and Heaths for fetching the 1-of's we have in our deck.
Breeding Pool - This the first land you should fetch as it gets Blue for Jeskai and Green for Birds, and Sprout Swarm.
Other Land combinations are simply for getting Jeskai out, as you will likely not need to be focused on colors as much. Keeping up multiple blue up can be useful for Can-trips. Red or Green are secondary to this; to keep up for Young Ez and Manamorpohse.
Mana Confluence helps with the ensuring your colors curve out; this is used sparingly.
Creatures
Birds of Paradise - Get out ASAP (Turn 1 if possible) as your combo's speed relies on it. Always Fetch-Shock for green for the bird
Sylvan Caryatid - Although slower, a much safer Mana rock, you can expect a Turn 3 Jeskai Asc. instead of Turn 2, but it is safer and won't hurt as much.
Young Pyromancer - A very useful and flexable card in this deck. It can come out Turn 2, Trigger off of the many can-trips and produce creatures that can be used for Convoke-Buyback to combo off; slower.
Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - Usually the last card you play, a win condition. NEVER keep this in hand if you can get rid of it, and you should always mulligan if it's in your opening hand.
Instant/Sorcery Spells
Cerulean Wisps - This card can be used on a mana-rock to pay for itself and can be used to net mana off of Jeskai Asc.
Manamorphose - This card is extremely important The card can allow you to net mana, and combo off in the most awkward ways. The lines are not always clear, but with this card, you can combo off in unexpected ways. I usually Float Blue-Green or Blue-Red; anything else isn't as useful.
Sprout Swarm - You're combo piece, able to convoke-buyback with it and infinitely create 1/1 Sprout-lings. Attempt to keep this card safe. If you have multiple in hand, hard cast the extra copy(ies) for an extra green creature(s).
Gitaxian Probe - Can-trip and Trigger, I usually pay the 2 life for it unless against Aggro decks, then I consider the blue. Great against infect.
Serum Visions - Can-trip and the scrys are invaluable to your strategy to make the combo happen. Make sure not to crack a fetch land after you top a scry(s).
Simic Charm - The most recent addition, primarily used to stop the removal of Jeskai or an important mana-rock. Remember that if you respond to a spell with it and give your permanents hex-proof, that spell will now have an illegal target and will fizzle -- never allow your opponent to take this back, even if its an FNM, this is extremely important, other options are very situational.
Enchantments
Jeskai Ascendancy - You're primary piece of the combo, used to untap your creatures, give them +1/+1 and the ability to loot and mold your hand to make your deck go off. The triggers must be resolved before the spell that triggered it resolves; you can not adjust where this trigger is on the stack. Remember that it's last effect is a may ability. Loot carefully.
Side Board
This sideboard is really just a show of what i'm doing with the deck and not really a recommendation.
Thing in the Ice / View From Above - IF you are playing against Aggro or Infect, you may want to side these in for blocks and/or as a win condition. This will kept you massively to slow the game down, and getting its FLIP isn't hard with things like Gitaxian Probe and other Can-trips. Do not forget the +1/+1 triggers from Jeskai can end up winning you the game. Natural Affinity will also allow you to "soft reset" the game by turning lands into creatures and then flipping TITI to bounce all lands.
Natural Affinity - Used very situationally to create creature for blocking, creatures for attacking but most of all; creatures to untap with Jeskai Triggers and net mana. They can win you games on occasions but they are not very consistent do to the midrange mana costs involved to get it going.
Slaughter Games - A great card against linear one-man-show decks. Decks such as Living End, Storm, Scapeshift are going to struggle against this card.
Destructive Revelry - Very situational.
Beck / Call - This card is still very good in the deck but is not always safe because the ability forces you to Draw, which although it is unlikely you will ever mill yourself out with Emrakul.
Maybeboard
Glittering Wish - Obvious tutor for the Jeskai is very powerful, but since it goes to your hand, you can't depend on a fast Jeskai route with it.
Pia and Kiran - They slow the game down and give you convoke creatures to push the combo to critical mass.
Electrolyze - Can-trip, and burn for putting down small but important pieces of an opponents plan. The cost is not worth its place in the mainboard, maybe sideboard.
Grapeshot - A secondary win condition to Emrakul, but because it is counter-able, it is not as safe. This is probably on it's way out.
