This deck is meant to be a Jeskai/America Control shell with Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest at it's helm to reward us for playing a high amount of spells and noncreature permanents. Comments and Suggestions are always welcome. If you feel anything is missing please comment and let me know!
Card Descriptions:
Commander:
Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest - The head of the deck, with a high amount of spells, his prowess triggers and double strike triggers let us push heavy for damage, aiming to end with commander daamage or deal lethal blows if opponents are already low enough.
Sunforger Package:
Sunforger - Simply an amazing card with the addition of blue, orignally started in y R/W/U Zedruu list and immediately fell in love with the power. One of the best cards in the deck with many interesting tutor lines and "soft-locks."
Boros Charm - An amazing search with Sunforger in response to a board wipe by either your opponent or yourself, can swing the game in your favor if played correctly, the double strike also works well with Shu Yun, effectively saving you two mana.
Counterflux - Another counterspell found by sunforger, nice to have around even without the search due to it being an un-counterable counterspell. Sometimes you need to deny somebody a big threat and cannot allow them to resolve it no matter what. This spell just says NO.
Dawn Charm - A counterspell for numerous sac spells and fireball spells. Also works as a surprise fog when searched for potentially baiting somebody into swinging all out just to be denied. Regeneration is always nice too for regenerating Shu Yun if needed.
Emerge Unscathed - Has rebound, so generally not a good sunforger target, but can be found in an emergency to save Shu Yun, or in order to push through damage. When cast from the hand, if used correctly, we can almost guarantee 16 damage from Shu Yun over two turns.
Enlightened Tutor - If not being used to find Sunforger, it can be tutored for by Sunforger to search for another vital enchantment or artifact to help further secure our board.
Gods Willing
- Another spell to push damage or protect Shu Yun if needed. The Scry 1 is really useful to filter away additional lands or bad cards.
Hindering Light
- Can be searched for in order to protect Sunforger or Shu Yun if they are being targeted. Also cantrips, which is really handy for keeping a full hand and many spells available for Prowess.
Ojutai's Command - A spell with multiple choices, which is always good. Has amazing synergy capabilities with Snapcaster Mage while also having the ability to cantrip. Being limited to countering only creatures isn't too relevant due to the nature of EDH casting a lot of commanders.
Path to Exile - An amazing cheap removal spell that stops problems from ever coming back at the expense of a land. Generally tutored for if being attacked by a singular creature.
Render Silent
- An amazing counterspell to stop players from winning via a combo. Sometimes people need to be told to sit down and shut up. This spell does it. Has the potential to soft lock when used with Mistveil Plains.
Return to Dust - Arguably one of the best artifact/ enchantment removal spells white has access to. Exile completely shuts down many artifact combo decks if used effectively. Only tutor for during your main phase unless the situation is urgent.
Suffocating Blast
- Another counterspell that can often be used as a two-for-one trade. Be cautious though, you cannot cast this if there is not creature to be targeted by its 3 damage.
Swords to Plowshares - Fills essentially the same slot as Path to Exile. Has situations where it may be better in the case of an opponent being locked out of one color. The life gain is marginal considering we aim to win via commander damage.
Tithe - A mini Land Tax of sorts that allow us to find Mistveil Plains and a shockland for early and efficient mana fixing.
Turn / Burn - Only half of the spell is tutored for, but two damage still remains relevant. Often looking to cast it from our hand for the full effect to remove creatures with "leaving play" triggers.
Mistveil Plains - Not quite searchable with Sunforger, but still a huge lock enabler in the deck if used correctly. Easily searched for with Tithe and allows us to loop any spell in our deck that can be tutored. Best used with Dawn Charm, Boros Charm, and
Render Silent
.
Instants:
Arcane Denial - A cheap and effective counterspell that is "fair" in the fact that your opponents draw cards, but also cantrips as well, keeping our hand full.
Capsize - An amazing card, essentially an auto-include in any blue heavy deck. Buyback allows us to enable Prowess several times a turn and reove troublesome blockers to push through with Shu Yun.
Counterspell - A cheap, hard counter to protect Shu Yun, or stop opposing threats, all around a solid choice in any blue deck.
Cyclonic Rift - Another near auto-include in any deck splashing blue. The insane advantage gained from resolving and overloaded Cyclonic Rift has the potential to win you the game outright.
Defy Gravity
- Another awesome way to win with Shu Yun. Being able to use it twice for lethal pushes in one turn with
Jeskai Ascendancy
or over the course of two turns. Can also be used defensively to block enemy fliers in emergency situations.
Dig Through Time - An amazing source of card draw. Delve makes this card over the top and pushes it into raw card advantage. Has amazing synergy with an early Land Tax.
Frantic Search - An awesome draw spell for Shu Yun. Allows us to trigger prowess, untap lands, and use the pump spells or removal we just drew into.
Mystical Tutor - Amazing tutor for finding our win conditions or finding Terminus during the upkeep for miracle triggers in emergency situations.
Sphinx's Revelation - Mid / Late game powerhouse card draw that can work wonders for keeping a full hand. Provides wonderful card advantage and lifegain, even better if we copy it.
Stubborn Denial - A nice counter to protect Shu Yun, the ferocious triggers with Shu Yun on the table, making this a nice one mana hard counter for enemy removal and answers. Not being able to hit creatures is made up for with our high number of targeted creature removal.
Swan Song - Another good cheap hard counter for removal and answers to Shu Yun, the creature is hardly relevant, as it dies to Shu Yun swings, and more often than not, Shu Yun will be unblockable.
Sorceries:
Artful Dodge
- A key Shu Yun tech, was missing in my original list, but found that it works wonders, refer to
Defy Gravity
for reasons.
Austere Command - Another card with many choices, has potential to board wipe opponents while keeping your board state intact.
Compulsive Research
- An amazing source of card advantage. Late game, lands are easily discarded as they become less useful. Has synergy with an early Land Tax for pitching lands.
Day of Judgment - Cheap efficient board wipe, give us potential to regenerate Shu Yun with Dawn Charm
Deep Analysis - Another good source of card draw. Four cards from one. Keeping a full hand is vital for Shu Yun and control.
Distortion Strike
- One of our win conditions with Shu Yun. Essentially a guaranteed 20 damage over the course of two turns.
Divine Reckoning - A card I have recently found out to be amazing with Shu Yun. Being able to keep Shu Yun alive, trigger prowess, and double strike can often remove the enemy's chosen creature after a swing with Shu Yun assuming they dont want to take 8+ damage to the face.
Gitaxian Probe - Essentially a free cantrip that allows up to be more confident in swinging for lethal with Shu Yun after seeing an opponent's hand. Can be fun with Snapcaster Mage for pushing lethal numbers.
Supreme Verdict - Board wipe that cannot be countered. Works much like Counterflux clearing the board with nearly no response to stop it.
Teleportal
- Another lesser copy of
Distortion Strike
. Can be overloaded if we manage to assemble our large numbers of tokens for a major swing.
Ponder - Early card manipulation, or a late cantrip for getting vital prowess triggers to go lethal with Shu Yun. Allows us to set up card combinations and shuffle away bad draws early.
Preordain - Another top deck manipulation card that sets up for Shu Yun, and late game pushes for damage.
Terminus - A board wipe that gets around cards such as Fleecemane Lion and Avacyn, Angel of Hope. Works wonder with Mystical Tutor to guarantee a miracle trigger.
Treasure Cruise - In a similar situation as Dig Through Time. Essentially an Ancestral Recall when delve is used. Also has synergy with Land Tax when discarding lands.
Enchantments:
Aqueous Form - An amazing enchantment that keeps Shu Yun unblockable while also filtering our top card every time he attacks to help us draw additional gas and attempt to limit dead draws.
Chained to the Rocks
- A one mana Oblivion Ring that replaces our Condemn for an answer of removal that can be used and trigger prowess instead of waiting for an opponent to make a move, its proactive and not reactive, which helps our tempo plays.
Jeskai Ascendancy
- A wonderful source of card draw and essentially works as double trigger prowess for Shu Yun, and gives all of our tokens Prowess if we mange to produce them. Another card that works well with Land Tax, exchanging new cards for useless lands late.
Land Tax - A great paly in order to pull lands and thin our deck. Fills our hand and graveyard for cards with Delve, discard effects, and most importantly
Wild Research
. Also helps us hit consistent land drops.
Madcap Skills - An enchantment that gives a huge damage boost and serves as another easy way to win early with Shu Yun. Amazing Synergy with Divine Reckoning, often worth tutoring for with Enlightened Tutor
Myth Realized - A value card that gets bigger naturally over the game, can scare away enemies, and gives us a place to empty our extra mana as the game goes later.
Artifact:
Chromatic Lantern - A mana rock that helps us get past Shu Yun's tricky double strike cost. Smooths out our mana problems associated with most counterspells costing double blue mana.
Darksteel Plate - Keeps Shu Yun alive, and allows him to swing for damage after a board wipe for essentially guaranteed damage.
Runechanter's Pike - A card that was in the original list that has made its way back in after cutting a few enchantments, allows for some insane damage if used at the right time.
Swiftfoot Boots - A better choice than Lightning Greaves for the deck due to its "voltron" nature and Shu Yun's targeted ability.
Creatures:
Monastery Mentor - A wonderful card that can get out of control very quickly. We run a high amount of noncreature spells, so it's not uncommon to gain several prowess tokens to go big with a well timed
Teleportal
.
Ojutai Exemplars - Once again, another creature that loves noncreature spells. Has multiple relevant triggers. Tapping allows us to push damage, first strike and lifelink gives us a form of sustain, the flicker effect allows us to keep him safe if need be.
Soulfire Grand Master - Provides a nice lifelink to a few spells such as
Suffocating Blast
. But more so than anything gives us another way to recycle spells such as Dawn Charm and
Render Silent
for very potent soft-locks.
Snapcaster Mage - Much like Charmbreaker Devils Reusing spells is always amazing. Has synergy with Ojutai's Command and can really surprise people with flash.
Stoneforge Mystic - A way to find Sunforger, one of the most powerful cards we have access to. Can also find Darksteel Plate or Swiftfoot Boots if the situation arises.
Stonehewer Giant - Another tutor for Sunforger with a sizeable body for giving double strike via Shu Yun.
Talrand, Sky Summoner - Generates a sizable board presence with the high amount of instants and sorceries that the deck runs. Flying drakes crowding the board provides safety and potential for high burst with
Jeskai Ascendancy
and
Jeskai Charm
Thassa, God of the Sea - One of the best gods in general, and nearly mandatory for Shu Yun. We aren't likely to have devotion for her, but she does offer us a repeatable source of unblockable along with topdeck filtering. Very solid choice.
Young Pyromancer - Refer to Talrand, Sky Summoner. Adding tokens to instant and sorcery spells is always good.
Planeswalkers:
Elspeth, Knight-Errant - An awesome planeswalker that supports our token strategy. but more so, our strategy of voltron. Giving Shu Yun +3/+3 and evasion is a high amount of value, and can seal some games.
Lands: All lands are self explanatory. Have shocks, checks, basics, and Reliquary Tower.
Thanks for looking over the decklist! Once again, any comments, questions, or suggestion are welcome and encouraged to improve the deck to be even better!
