Magic the Gathering - Khans of Tarkir Jeskai Monks Intro Pack Deck Review

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

The Blue/Red/White Intro Pack for Khans of Tarkir is Jeskai Monks. Is it one of the better of the five Intro Packs for the set? Let's take a look at the list and find out.

JESKAI MONKS DECK LIST

Lands (26)
2 Mystic Monastery
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
1 Tranquil Cove
1 Wind-scarred Crag
8 Island
6 Mountain
7 Plains



Creatures (20)
1 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Jeskai Elder
1 Leaping Master
1 Jeskai Student
2 Seeker Of The Way
2 Jeskai Windscout
2 Bloodfire Expert
1 Bloodfire Mentor
1 Alabaster Kirin
1 Highspire Mantis
1 Whirlwind Adept
1 Tireless Missionaries
1 Serra Angel
1 Sage Of The Inward Eye
1 Warden Of The Eye
1 Riverwheel Aerialists

Other spells (14)
1 Void Snare
1 Oppressive Rays
1 Lightning Strike
2 Jeskai Banner
1 Crippling Chill
1 Divination
1 Solemn Offering
1 Winterflame
1 Jeskai Charm
1 Weave Fate
1 Smite The Monstrous
1 Lava Axe
1 Flying Crane Technique

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Improving the Deck:

What this deck is missing is the best offensive creature that Jeskai has: Mantis Rider. Four copies of that is paramount to making this strategy work, a 3/3 with flying, vigilance, and haste is awesome. There are some good creatures here. Monastery Swiftspear is probably the very best card printed with Prowess, and she's become a Standard and Modern staple. You want four copies of her. Seeker of the Way is also solid, gaining Lifelink along with the +1/+1 from his ability, making him at least a 3/3 with Lifelink with only a single Prowess trigger - on a 1W 2/2 that's very good. I'd max out his copies.

Highspire Mantis while a 4-drop that's not the greatest creature in the world is a 3/3 with Flying and Trample. It's okay, and a couple more copies will help the decks cause. Riverwheel Aerialists is too high on the curve to be relevant most of the time in Constructed, Tireless Missionaries is a poor inclusion, and the Jeskai Windscouts are outclassed by Mantis Rider. I'd keep Serra Angel in just because she is a classic card that isn't hurting anyone, at least until you find a more powerful creature to replace her - there aren't many in this set.

Bloodfire Expert, Bloodfire Mentor, and Alabaster Kirin all have their places in Limited, but they're awfully weak for Constructed. They can easily go to make the room that you'll need. Leaping Master does nothing for me and Jeskai Elder would be far better if you just drew a card without the discard attached. Jeskai Student is okay, but you're better off with 4 Monastery Swiftspears than a 1W 1/3, even with Prowess.

The other spells in the deck aren't bad. Obviously you want 4 copies of Lightning Strike, so the 2 Banners (mediocre as they are even in Limited) can go as well as something like Crippling Chill. The Chill is good in Limited but the 3 guaranteed damage is better. I don't like Winterflame much and would prefer more Jeskai Charms instead - it's far superior. Divination and Weave Fate are card draw - the latter being at instant speed, but Jeskai Ascendancy is better at helping you draw while ditching cards you don't need, while also improving upon the Prowess Mechanic. Flying Crane Technique is an awesome bomb I'd leave in just because people may not expect it. Lava Axe is a bit unnecessary if you max out on Jeskai Charms, 4 direct damage for 3 mana is a lot better than 5 for 5 mana.

I'd probably max out the Void Snares for tempo and perhaps acquire a couple of Mindswipes for a permission spell that also burns the opponent. These changes make this more of a traditional UWR deck without losing the aggressive spirit of Jeskai.

If you're really willing to spend on this deck, check out Monastery Mentor and Soulfire Grand Master. The Master makes 1/1 tokens every time you cast a non creature spell and himself has prowess. Soulfire Grand Master gives your instant and sorcery spells lifelink, meaning your burn spells also gain you life. The Grand Master can also help you reuse spells for 4 mana (2 U/R U/R).

Jeskai decks have become quite popular and there have been quite a few winning lists to check out. Namely, there are the more creature based Jeskai Wins and the more token-based Jeskai Tokens. This Intro Pack is a nice way to be introduced to the Jeskai mechanics, even if it's not the best overall value of the five Khans intro packs.