Double Strike: Standard Jeskai Flamehold

Note: This article was translated from Chinese by AI and may contain errors. Read the original Chinese version.

Before We Start

In the current Standard environment, the new set’s Jeskai singles are quite active. Izzet Prowess has Cori-Steel Cutter pumping out Monks off consecutive spells, and Jeskai Control has Shiko, Paragon of the Way and Rediscover the Way. But the Humans in this color combination haven’t really shown up anywhere. Let’s find them a job this time!

Card Analysis

The three-color rare creatures in the Jeskai colors this time are the following two:

Flamehold Grappler
Creature | Human Monk
First strike
When this creature enters, copy the next spell you cast this turn. You may choose new targets for the copy. (A copy of a permanent spell becomes a token.)

Narset, Jeskai Waymaster
Legendary Creature | Human Monk
At the beginning of your end step, you may discard your hand. If you do, draw cards equal to the number of spells you’ve cast this turn.

Flamehold Grappler’s enter-the-battlefield ability copies your next spell (whether or not it is a creature spell), and the body is a 3/3 first striker, which is plenty strong. The catch is that its three mana cost squeezes the mana you can pay for that next spell, so you usually need turn four or later to get its full value. Narset, Jeskai Waymaster draws you a new hand based on how many spells you cast this turn. The more spells you cast on your turn, the more cards you can redraw at end of turn, and just casting her already draws you at least one. Because her ability is optional, you have less to think about regarding when to play her compared to Flamehold Grappler, and just using her as a three-drop on curve is perfectly fine. Both Flamehold Grappler and Narset ask you to actively cast spells back to back, so they clearly suit more aggressive decks. The decklist is as follows:

Decklist

The best spell to pair with Flamehold Grappler is Slickshot Show-Off, which can plot and also fits the chain-casting plan. Plot it on turn two, then slam Flamehold Grappler on turn three to copy it. Not only does it make it hard for the opponent’s spot removal to keep up, but two Show-Offs on the battlefield also put you in very high lethal range. Unless the opponent removes them right away, they often die the very next turn.

The rest of the creature and spell structure is broadly in line with Izzet Prowess. It runs Monastery Swiftspear and Stormchaser’s Talent, without Cori-Steel Cutter, for 18 creatures in total.

The spells likewise mostly follow Izzet Prowess, made up of efficient one-mana spells: Sleight of Hand, Opt, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, and Spell Pierce. On top of that, Sheltered by Ghosts is added as an all-purpose answer and a finisher in life-total races.

Gameplay Demo

The video shows how powerful the Flamehold Grappler and Slickshot Show-Off combination is. Since the base is Izzet Prowess, the explosiveness is still quite high even if you don’t draw this combo. Even when you draw Flamehold Grappler alone, using it to copy a one-mana spell isn’t bad. The spot that needs more deliberation is whether to play Flamehold Grappler when you can’t profit from the copy effect, and that comes down to the pilot’s wisdom.

Conclusion

I originally intended this deck to be a bit more midrange, but the test results weren’t great. To keep up with the power level of the current Standard environment, it can only lean toward either a faster aggro deck or a slower control deck, which is honestly a real shame. For readers who have prowess pieces from older sets but can’t get or don’t want to use Cori-Steel Cutter, I believe this deck will be a decent direction to reference.