With the introduction of DTK, Jeskai Flyers got its right to the skies infringed on. While the existence of
Silumgar, the Drifting Death
has been a problem since FRF, other dragons weren't widely played.
Ashcloud Phoenix
was never really a problem as it fails to decently block flyers for its manacost, and so we retained our dominance up high. The continued dominance of Abzan and the rise of GW Devotion - both very much ground-based strategies, save the occasional Wingmate Roc - made Jeskai Flyers an even more potent strategy. Sultai had Hornet Queen, but at 7 mana it often came too late unless it got whipped early.
Now however, the existence of much more splashable flyers, like Stratus Dancer,
Silumgar Sorcerer
and Thunderbreak Regent poses a real problem to our aggressive capabilities. Thunderbreak Regent is especially annoying, as it easily blocks Mantis Rider.
That said, we can use those tricks as well, and better. Stratus Dancer gives us the strong turn 2 flyer that we lacked, and even allows us to play more controlling against decks that out-aggro us. Thunderbreak Regent is as amazing for us as it is annoying, and it can replace some copies of the now more easily blocked Ashcloud Phoenix.
Not much has changed for the noncreature side of the deck.
Roast
is one of those seemingly great cards that actually doesn't fit this deck, since we're flying over all non-flyers anyway. Most of the other good DTK cards have too harsh mana costs for a 3 colour deck.
Anticipate could be great, but with the addition of Stratus Dancer in the 2-drop slot I feel it might be too slow. There are possibilities for a more controlling variant that uses
Icefall Regent
, one or both of the Ojutai, Silumgar's Scorn and Draconic Roar, but the mana might be very awkward, and the dragon instants somewhat inconsistent.
Seismic Rupture
seems to have been made for our sideboard especially, as almost all of our creatures evade it (and even
Seeker of the Way
survives thanks to its Prowess), while it cripples the always present mono-red decks, and other aggressive strategies.
Tips, tricks, and +1s are appreciated.
