Standard: Jeskai Oculus - Deck Tech and Sideboard Guide

Jeskai Oculus, as the name suggests, centers around Abhorrent Oculus. This incredible creature has a lot of potential when it stays on the board, but needs a particular setup to even get there in the first place.

This deck's main strategy is putting Oculus in play in a very simple way: by discarding it into the graveyard and then Reanimating it with Helping Hand. Like so, this creature can enter the board on turn 3 and create even more value as the match goes on.

Winternight Stories is another way this list can put Oculus in the graveyard, but your main way to loot is actually through creatures that also add more value to this strategy in their own way.

Marauding Mako, for instance, is an early game threat that interacts nicely with the rest of the deck, as it becomes more powerful when you loot. Fear of Missing Out, on the other side, heavily affects your combat phases because of its Delirium, particularly if Oculus is already on your board.

Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant is a recent addition to this list. It is both a way to loot and, when it transforms, a way to Reanimate other cards, as it lets you bring back to the board up to two or three creatures from the graveyard. Its Chapter 1 can also kill the opponent because it deals damage to them directly.

Proft's Eidetic Memory is another card in this list that interacts really well with the main strategy. It creates extra value whenever you draw a card, as it turns each of them into firepower. It also lets you keep as many cards in your hand as you want. This deck doesn't play many removals, but, because of its color combination, you can actually play more of them in this list than in the Azorius version.

Why Play Jeskai Oculus?

Standard is still adapting to the recent changes, so it's still changing. While it does, it should have a lot of space for new decks, as well as space for them to become tier 1 strategies. Jeskai Oculus in particular is an efficient strategy that doesn't rely exclusively on its main game plan to win.

The other creatures in it are strong enough to do that by themselves. Furthermore, like a few other decks, it won't lose too many pieces to rotation and wasn't affected by the recent bans.

Mulligan

This deck prefers opening hands that can put threats on the board early on, particularly Abhorrent Oculus. So, stay away from hands that can't do this or don't have creatures.

This hand is a bit greedy, but this greed could easily reward you with two Mako and two creatures to feed it in play. It is also heavier on the board early on. If your opponent plays many removals, this plan could fail, but it's worth the risk. You can keep it, but be careful.

This hand has more interactions and a decent turn 1 threat, but can't interact with Mako, which could be dangerous. You should mulligan it.

This is your ideal opening hand, as it lets you put pressure on the opponent from the very first turn and put Oculus in play on turn 3 with some decent backup to protect it. If you're playing first, it is even better.

This sideboard has great answers for many meta matchups. More specifically, it has cards to deal with graveyards, cards to deal with graveyard hates, cards to deal with problematic creatures (such as Sheoldred, the Apocalypse), and cards to clear the board.

Now, let's see how you can use this sideboard in 5 different matchups - the five main Standard matchups right now.

Vs. Izzet Cauldron

Vivi Ornitier is still one of the most important cards in Standard right now. Recently, it brought Cauldron Combo, which can be quite aggressive but defensive as well, back into the spotlight.

Agatha's Soul Cauldron is definitely quite scary, but don't worry because Oculus has tools to handle this deck. In this matchup, you need to put an Abhorrent in play early on or put pressure on your opponent as fast as you can while you deal with their biggest threats.

Don't let them play out their strategies, as this will make this matchup a lot harder.

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Dimir Midrange

Dimir quickly became the most popular deck in the format after the recent bans and is extremely problematic nowadays. It plays the right tools to control the game completely, and creatures strong enough to end the match rather fast.

Avoid greedy plays and opening hands that are too obvious, as Dimir plays many removals and can easily deal with your creatures. Try to focus on your aggro game plan instead of Reanimating Oculus, and only use these resources when you're sure you're safe.

Post-side, your opponent will be able to play powerful graveyard hates, so be ready to deal with this or play around it.

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Azorius Control

This is probably your worst matchup in the entire meta. Azorius Control enjoys facing decks like Jeskai Oculus because it is more than ready to deal with them.

Game 1 will be quite hard, but game 2 will be a bit better, albeit still somewhat complex. You'll need to deal with counters, many removals, and their terrible global spells. You must be careful with their Lay Down Arms because it'll exile your Oculus early on. Finally, keep in mind that your opponent can also use Rest in Peace post-side.

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Gruul Aggro

This matchup is a bit simpler, but you still need to be careful. You need to stick an Oculus in play at the right time to stabilize the board and disrupt your opponent. After that, you'll be able to deal with their threats more safely, so just let Abhorrent do its job on the board to tip the scales in your favor all at once.

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Boros Convoke

Against Boros, you should use the same game plan you'll use against Gruul Aggro: play it safe. This deck puts many creatures in play and can deal lethal damage quite fast. Be sure to keep a board wipe in your hand early on, and be careful with your life points.

A 5/5 on turn 3 can make this matchup more balanced, and Marauding Mako is a great block when you're feeding it with loot.

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Jeskai Oculus is very interesting, as well as versatile in terms of deckbuilding. You can focus on the graveyard strategy or add more aggression or control - it's all up to you. So, feel free to build your own list. Just remember we studied a specific list to write this article.

You can start with this version and, as you feel more comfortable and confident, change it according to your metagame.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!