Jhoira of the Ghitu EDH Primer
Challenges and Articles forum
Posted on April 12, 2015, 1:33 p.m. by truble
Comprehensive Jhoira EDH Primer
Welcome to my Jhoira of the Ghitu EDH deck building guide!
Jhoira of the Ghitu Alter by Marta Molina
I will be going over what I like about Jhoira EDH, different ways to play Jhoira EDH, important cards in the deck, and common problems for it. After reading this article you should be able to go and brew up your own version of the deck that fits your play style.
If you google Jhoira Primer you get one or two random old articles on how to build a Jhoira deck, an article from Star City Games called Why Playing Jhoira is a Bad Idea, and forums with titles like How Hated are Jhoira Decks?. There is not that much out there that helps a Commander player build a current and up to date multiplayer Jhoira list. In fact, most of the things you find discourage you from building a Jhoira list Until now!
I have been playing Jhoira in EDH for over 4 years now, and would consider myself to be one of the preeminent Jhoira experts. I have looked over most every card that is commonly played in the deck and settled in on a list that I think is best situated to play in a tuned multiplayer setting. Whenever a new set is released I update my list to include new cards that improve its overall strength. But I dont want you to focus on my card choices. I want you to understand the thought processes that went into building the deck so that you can go out and create your own list.
My goal from the start was to take a general that I liked and make the best possible deck I could with that general. No, Jhoira is not the most powerful general there is (not even close), but that doesnt mean that we cant strive to tune our list until it reaches its maximum potential. With a well built Jhoira list you should feel comfortable sitting down at all but the most cutthroat EDH tables.
I picked Jhoira because I wanted a deck that synergized well with its general, was blue, and wasnt being played in my playgroup. Jhoira stuck out to me because she was cheap (3 cmc), and created an easy way to play high casting cost (fun) creatures and spells. (I actually started on Skullbriar, the Walking Grave and ended up getting rid of him because I didnt like how linear the deck felt)
I want to take a second to address the common hate that you may face as a Jhoira player. Many people go out of their way to insult you and focus you during games. There is a stigma attached to Jhoira because she commonly runs Mass Land Destruction (MLD). MLD elicits a guttural response since some players use it to restart the game when things are not going well. Because of this, players think that this is the only use for MLD. This is not the case. Our deck is simply a deck with a two card combo in it (just like many decks). We suspend a MLD card and a large creature so that the creature can kill people while there are no other cards in play. For us MLD is just a combo piece. Try not to validate this negativity. Be a kind and positive player in EDH games to that you dont add to the hate.
Before we go any further, lets go over what the general does:
Jhoira of the Ghitu by Kev Walker
She is a 2/2 for 
. Her ability costs 
and it can be activated the turn she is cast. Her ability allows you to suspend any card in your hand with 4 time counters on it. This ability is most often used to cast large creatures or spells that would otherwise be to expensive to cast. Think Blightsteel Colossus or Enter the Infinite.You can activate this ability at instant speed, even if the card you want to suspend is not an instant.
Jhoiras ability and suspend are often a point of contention in EDH games so lets go over some of the finer points. Take a second to read the above excerpt from the comprehensive rules. There are a few things I want to point out:
- If it is a creature it gains haste when you cast it
- If you cant cast it, it just stays in exile the rest of the game (you might not be able to cast it if the ability that casts it when the last counter is removed is stifled, or if it has no legal targets, or if you cant pay an extra cost (such as Thalia, Guardian of Thraben's)
- When you remove the last time counter you cast it, this means that things like Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre get to trigger their abilities because they were cast, and it also means that it can be countered
- You choose targets when it is cast, not when it is suspended
- You have to cast it when the last time counter is removed even if you dont want to anymore
If you think Jhoira might be the general for you, please continue reading as we go over what it takes to make a successful Jhoira EDH deck.
Part I - Who Are You?
Jhoira of the Ghitu Alter by LXu777
As with most EDH decks there are a few different ways to build Jhoira. Personally I see 4 variations.
- Control
- Combo
- Combo Control
- I dont ever want to cast my general
I will go over each of the versions and talk about the variations below:
Control
The control variant of the deck is slow. Very slow. The deck plays cards that control the board like counterspells, mass removal, spot removal and other protection. The deck plays very few massive creatures since it doesnt need them right away. They build up their mana base and try to live while they wait for the late game. When the time is right they try to go off with multiple counters in hand. They almost always win with a MLD card and a massive creature in tandem. Control variants sometimes run other combos in their list just in case they need a backup way to win.
Combo
The raw combo deck is reminiscent of a 1-v-1 deck. The goal of the combo deck is to win as fast as possible. They play many mana rocks and a lot of wincons to ensure they can suspend something as soon as possible. The combo deck will rush out Jhoira in the first two turns and work towards pulling off the combo within the first five turns of the game. The issue with the combo deck is that all three opponents have an opportunity to stop you from winning the game early and then the rest of the game you are stuck trying to get back into the game. I used to play the raw combo variant but moved away from it towards combo control for more resilience.
Combo Control
Combo Control is a nice mix of both elements. Instead of rushing out Jhoira you wait until you have five mana and a counter. This gives you the best chance of being able to suspend something. The deck plays a decent number of wincons, but less mana rocks. It wants to win in the mid game. Sometimes the deck wins by simply suspending 3 or 4 large creatures and taking over the game with them. Often the deck will suspend a wincon and then cast the MLD with the mana they have available.
I dont want to ever cast my general
I dont really know what to say about this. This version is just a UR deck that draws the hate that goes with Jhoira for no reason. It plays whatever it feels like. Moving on.
Part II - Important Cards for Jhoira
This is the main part of the guide. In this section I am going to talk about different tasks that the deck will need to achieve during the game and the various options that are available to accomplish these tasks.
Wincons
It that Betrays by Tomasz Jedruszek
This is what you all came here to see. The wincons. One of the best things about Jhoira is that you get to run giant destructive creatures! These creatures are usually very hard to cast, but in Jhoira they can be played for just two mana.
The most important thing about a wincon is that it has a high probability of wining the game post MLD. The wincon can accomplish this in a few ways. It could do damage very quickly. Avatar of Slaughter and Utvara Hellkite are two creatures that are good at this. Another way to win post MLD is to make sure you pull ahead of everyone else while you rebuild. Creatures with Annihilator are very good at this since you can use them to keep other players lands at bay. This is why most Jhoira decks run a contingent of Eldrazi. Or you can run creatures that help you advance your board like Sphinx Ambassador or Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur.
Or if you just want to win straight out you can play something that is just lethal like Blightsteel Colossus or Enter the Infinite. I have to point out here that Enter the Infinite can easily kill you when cast off suspend. If Enter the Infinite was cast in your upkeep (like when it comes off suspend) you will draw the card you put back. This will lead to you having no cards in your library when you go to draw at the start of the next turn. Oops. You need to have a way to repopulate your library so that you dont loose. Many use Laboratory Maniac to win before that happens. Personally I like to use a card that is good on its own away from the combo, so I run Timetwister.
Mass Land Destruction
Obliterate by Kev Walker
We talked about MLD briefly earlier but I want to go over it in some more detail since it is a key component in the Jhoira strategy. Without MLD your wincons are just another large creature in battlecruiser magic. What you really want is for all the other players to have nothing while you control a 10/10 with annihilator 4. You want to be the only one with a way to win the game. MLD does that for you. Your ability to hide your creatures in exile takes the balance and fairness out of MLD. It puts you way ahead.
Just so we are clear on how to use MLD to land an Eldrazi onto an empty board, I want to point out some things. If the MLD and the Eldrazi have the same number of time counters on them, the combo still works. You just have to order the triggers that remove time counters such that the MLD takes place before the wincon is cast. Keep in mind though that the other players can float mana in response so that they can kill your wincon. The second way to get your wincon out is to suspend it the turn after the MLD. This will let it come down one turn later when no one has any lands. The last way to do it is to suspend something and then manually cast the MLD the old fashion way,
The best MLD spells exile or get hands. Apocalypse and Decree of Annihilation are my favorites. Remember that you cannot counter a card when it is cycled.
Protect Yourself
Gilded Drake by Bob Eggleton
So you have suspended a giant fatty and a MLD spell. The three other opponents at the table are staring death in the face and have decided that the easiest way to deal with their fate is to kill you before you can cast your wincon. You need to be able to protect yourself. You are going to have all sorts of bad things thrown at you.
This is where the meat of your deck comes into play. You will need to be able to counter spells, protect your wincons, kill threats, and wipe the board.
Counters do two of those things. They protect your wincons and they prevent other players from accomplishing their goals. You want to play a few counters at the very least because they are such a good catch all for anything that comes up. Personally I think Negate and Deprive are very effective yet underused Counterspells in EDH. Try to stick to counters that cost 2 or less.
You also need to be able to kill threats. Many people dont play that many spot removal spells in EDH since you can count on the rest of the table to deal with most things, but you need to run a couple. Try to have removal spells that can deal with an indestructible creature. Reality Shift and Gilded Drake do this exceptionally well.
I also want to point out a particular threat that always needs to be taken out. Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir. Teferi turns off our whole engine. He must always be killed. He is the number one enemy!
Board wipes or other ways of preventing creature based decks from just overrunning you are very important. An army of small creatures may not look like much, but before long you will be nervous about dying to your own Mana Crypt.
Cards like Cyclonic Rift or Devastation Tide that set everyone back are one way of living until you cast MLD. Or you can try to kill creatures by casting cards like Chain Reaction or Blasphemous Act. Both of these cards are examples of cards that may be week in 1-v-1 but excel in multiplayer.
Some players choose to play cards like Crawlspace, Smoke, or Propaganda to keep from being swarmed. Whatever you choose you need to make sure you run enough to live through an attack.
Removing Time Counters
Temporal Mastery by Franz Vohwinkel
One cool thing about Jhoira is that there are numerous cards that remove time counters. These cards act as an accelerant, letting you bring things off suspend before the 4 turn clock is up. Timecrafting and Fury Charm are some of the better examples of these cards. You want to play a few of these cards but not to many. Playing a lot can clog up the deck so that you are drawing them when you need other types of cards.
Jhoira decks can be known for running numerous Time Walk effects. The reason for this is twofold. One, take extra turn cards like Temporal Manipulation can be suspended for just two mana, and two, these cards help bring spells of suspend faster.
Tutors
Intuition Alter by DK
Tutoring can be a touchy subject in some circles (just like MLD and taking extra turns but that didnt stop us did it?), but it is an important way for a combo deck to remain consistent. We want to be able to respond to situations as they arise.
The most notable tutors in are Personal Tutor and Mystical Tutor, but dont forget about other powerful cards like Muddle the Mixture, Merchant Scroll and Intuition. Remember to build your deck around your tutors. Try to maximize the number of things each tutor can find. For instance, when faced with the choice between Shivan Sand-Mage and Jhoira's Timebug, I chose to play Jhoira's Timebug because I could fetch it with Tezzeret the Seeker , Muddle the Mixture and Fabricate.
Other Goodstuff
Impulse by Bryan Talbot
Once you have built the core of the deck, it is time to fill in the remaining space with general goodstuff in and mana rocks. Card draw and Utility cards fall into this category. Blue offers a lot in the way of drawing cards. Fact or Fiction and Consecrated Sphinx are common choices. Be careful of playing Brainstorm in EDH. You will likely not have enough shuffle effects to make it worthwhile. Try something like Impulse or Treasure Cruise instead.
With the change to the tuck rule, general redundancy is not as important as it used to be. But that doesnt mean it cant still help out. For Jhoira, the best substitution is Quick Silver Amulet, but Show and Tell also is a strong choice.
Part III - What I chose to Play
This part of the primer could probably be skipped since I really value personalized deck building, but I wanted to show an example of a completed Jhoira deck if only for the mana base.
Below is a quick view of it. Keep in mind that I play a Cunning Wish, so I have a 10 card sideboard to get cards from. This is a tuned multiplayer list that falls under the combo control category. I try to keep hands that have a mana accelerant in them as well as some gas and then work from there. Feel free to playtest it or copy it or post on the wall suggesting card changes. Im open to anything.
You can also find the deck here: Tuned Jhoira EDH
So there you have it. A comprehensive Jhoira EDH primer. Hopefully you feel empowered to go out and build your very own list! Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!
I run Jhoira's Timebug in my list. I just didn't want to name off every card you could possibly play, I wanted to show examples and talk about what they do.
DERPLINGSUPREME says... #2
wut about Jhoira's Timebug? and Paradox Haze?
April 12, 2015 1:39 p.m.