The first MagicFest Online is over and the results are in. Day 1 featured 466 of some of the best that the game has to offer, and 23.4% used Keruga the Macrosage in a Jeskai Fires build.
How Keruga Jeskai Fires works
Before the release of Ikoria, Lair of Behemoths, Jeskai Fires was already a dominant build inside MTG Arena. It takes advantage of Fires of Invention to cheat Cavalier of Flame or Kenrith, the Returned King on the battlefield, ideally on turn five, and have the mana available to activate their abilities right away.
What the results of MagicFest Online show, though, is that this deck is now significantly stronger with the introduction of Companions to the game, namely Keruga, the Macrosage. The big hippo’s deck-building restriction of only including cards with converted mana cost (CMC) 3 or higher is extremely easy to achieve and the payoff is massive, pun intended. The big guys guarantee a solid play on turn five – something the deck thrives on – and the card draw he brings is a welcome addition. The best advantage is that playing Bonecrusher Giant early allows for a good early game (hehe!) despite the deck’s heavier mana curve.
Deck composition
By this point, you probably don’t need much convincing to trying the deck out. If it works for a quarter of the pro players, it will surely work for the Planeswalkers at home. Here’s what you need:
MAINBOARD
3x Bonecrusher Giant3x Cavalier Of Flame2x Kenrith, The Returned King4x Teferi, Time Raveler4x Narset, Parter Of Veils3x Narset Of The Ancient Way3x Deafening Clarion3x Elspeth Conquers Death4x Shark Typhoon4x Fires Of Invention
2x Castle Vantress4x Fabled Passage4x Hallowed Fountain2x Island2x Mountain1x Plains4x Raugrin Triome4x Steam Vents4x Sacred Foundry
SIDEBOARD
1x Bonecrusher Giant1x Elspeth Conquers Death4x Mystical Dispute1x Deafening Clarion2x Flame Sweep1x Neutralize1x Keruga, The Macrosage3x Mythos Of Illuna1x Blast Zone
Other notable decks from the MagicFest Online include Yorion, Sky Nomad, Temur Reclamation, and Rakdos Sacrifice. For more info on these, as well as deck techs, stay tuned to the MTGA section right here, on EarlyGame!
