Aggro Combo with Jeskai Ascension

Last time, I promised I would finally show a deck with Defiant Strike that wasn't a mere rehash of unplayable Theros block lists. Interestingly, this one plays like an odd mixture of aggro and combo, with a low curve of critters, but also lots of drawing effects, many triggered abilities to keep track of, and the ability to finish games with a glorious barrage of spells. Supporting it all, we have one of the more intriguing cards from Khans: Jeskai Ascendancy.

Let's have a look at the list:

KTK Jeskai Ascendancy Aggro

Creature (12)

4x Akroan Crusader

3x Monastery Swiftspear

3x Phalanx Leader

2x Vanguard of Brimaz

Enchantment (11)

1x Bident of Thassa

4x Dragon Mantle

4x Jeskai Ascendancy

2x Stratus Walk

Instant (12)

4x Defiant Strike

4x Raise the Alarm

4x Retraction Helix

Sorcery (4)

3x Launch the Fleet

1x Void Snare

Land (21)

4x Battlefield Forge

2x Flooded Strand

1x Island

3x Mana Confluence

4x Mystic Monastery

3x Plains

4x Shivan Reef

As you can see, this is a different animal from the White and Boros heroic lists. The creature count has been trimmed to include only the strongest Heroic triggers, plus Monastery Swiftspear, because that little guy turns out to be great in a list like this. The basic idea is to use Jeskai Ascendancy with cheap cantrips that happen to trigger heroic to overrun an opponent, possibly from an empty board. At this point, we are already familiar with Defiant Strike and Dragon Mantle, but the real breakout here is a hidden gem from Born of the Gods: Retraction Helix. This card does it all: trigger heroic, gain tempo, and even cantrip when returning a Dragon Mantle, but when you have a Jeskai Ascendancy on the table, it becomes downright obscene. Each new spell lets you untap creatures and (thanks to the Helix) return a new nonland permanent to hand, which is good to empty an opposing board, but also lets you play the same Dragon Mantle over an over, to grow and Heroic your creatures, while drawing and looting through your deck. 

The deck is a blast to play, as you see a lot of cards, and need to take careful decisions about the order in which you play spells and activate triggers, as well as take educated guesses about the top of your library when going off. Even when you don't get the combo pieces together, you can make a decent impression of an aggresive player and attack with cheap creatures. The mana is painful, as we don't want too many lands but really need to be able to play creatures costing WW, followed by enchantments costing URW, hopefully without killing ourselves in the process - but I think the payoff is well worth it.