Draven Jinx Discard Aggro Deck Guide

Hello everyone, Sorry here. Discard aggro has made a comeback after the buff Jinx received in Patch 3.19. With a completely new meta, it’s time for a newly updated guide.

Draven Jinx has the ability to swarm the board with low-cost units early on in the game. With cards like Jury-Rig and Flame Chompers!, your discard cards help you set up a wide board.

A wide board of units means you’re capable of exerting early, aggressive pressure. Both Arena Battlecaster and Vision empower your board, setting up a powerful swing. Another card that benefits from a wide board is Crowd Favorite, which sets up a strong Overwhelm unit on turn 4/5 that is difficult for the opponent to deal with.

Once Jinx is leveled, she becomes the main threat your opponent needs to deal with. Her ability to create a Super Mega Death Rocket! is part of your burn plan to close out the game.

Finally, Augmented Experimenter is a great tool to deal damage to a unit and refill your hand which provides you with more plays to make.

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Techs and Options

• Forge Chief
  an early unit that provides you with 1 spell mana if it strikes. You can fit it in the deck by cutting 1 Arena Battlecaster, Rummage, and an Augmented Experimenter.
• Reborn Grenadier
  Acts as a Discard Fodder that puts a lot of board pressure for one turn only. This can affect the size of your Crowd Favorite as you’ll lose him to the ephemeral keyword. You can cut a Rummage and Survival Skill.
• Legion Rearguard
  Powerful 1-drop to maximize early damage. Similar to Forge Chief you can cut Arena Battlecaster, Rummage, and an Augmented Experimenter.
• Mystic Shot
  It helps as either a burn tool or to kill off a pesky unit making it difficult for you to swing. Don’t run more than two copies of Mystic Shot. Cut a Rummage and an Augmented Experimenter.

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General Tips

• Use your Discard synergies efficiently. This deck has many synergies between ‘Discard effects’ (Poro Cannon, Zaunite Urchin, Draven’s Spinning Axe, Get Excited, Rummage, Augmented Experimenter) and ‘Discard fodder’ (Jury-Rig, Vision, Flame Chompers, Draven’s Spinning Axe). Try to maximize these synergies while putting a lot of pressure on the opponent.
  
• Avoid trading too early. Because you want to capitalize on your board-wide synergies (Arena Battlecaster, Vision, Crowd Favorite) it is not in your interest to trade before you’ve activated those synergies. Outside of specific circumstances, you should avoid blocking as much as possible. It’ is okay not to attack in the first few turns if it means losing your board without pushing a significant amount of damage. It’s fine to skip an attack turn if it means you’re able to set up a stronger attack on the upcoming attack turn.
• Jinx’s Death Rocket. It’s crucial that you’re able to create a Super Mega Death Rocket to help you burn down your opponent’s Nexus. Make sure you’re able to empty your hand when Jinx is on the board. In some cases, you might be forced to discard powerful cards like Augmented Experiment or Get Excited to generate your rocket. This is usually worth it if Jinx remains alive and gives you an additional draw.

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General mulligan tips:

Find an early unit and a discard fodder, such as a Jury-Rig or Flame Chomper. You need to have the ability to go wide on the board. If you already have a Crowd Favorite in hand, you’ll need to find cards that allow you to go wide quickly, like Poro Cannon or House Spider.

Jinx can be a keep if you already have a good early curve and you’re able to set up an early level-up.

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Matchups

Teemo Zoe – favored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, Crowd Favorite, Jinx, Poro Cannon

• You’re against a deck that relies on elusive units to deal Nexus damage. You’ll have to try racing them and forcing your opponent to use their elusive units as blockers.
• Poro Cannon can create Daring Poros that can slow down your opponent by blocking their elusive units.
• Try to set up a wide board and use Arena Battlecaster or Vision to put pressure on the opponent.
• Your opponent doesn’t have reliable answers for a Crowd Favorite. However, Zoe can create an Equinox through Supercool Starchart.
• Your opponent doesn’t have the tools to deal with Jinx’s burn and Get Excited!
• Unlike Draven Jinx, Teemo Zoe lacks the ability to burn you down. Outside of Pokey Stick, they don’t have the ability to damage the Nexus once their attack is over.

Quinn Vayne – favored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, House Spider, Draven, Crowd Favorite, Poro Cannon

• With a wide board, you can unleash a lot of early aggression on Quinn Vayne.
• If you have a Crowd Favorite in hand, don’t sacrifice your units for theirs until you have him on the board.
• Vision can catch your opponent off-guard and allow you to squeeze additional damage toward the Nexus.
• Survival Skills can be a powerful tool to keep cards like Crowd Favorite or Jinx alive.
• Jinx can be killed by challenger units or Fish Fight.

Annie Jhin – favored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, House Spider, Draven, Poro Cannon

• Your ability to go wide on the board allows you to keep up with your opponent’s aggression.
• Draven’s Axes allow you to trade with high-health units such as Solari Sunhawk and Boomcrew Rookie.
• Your opponent cannot deal with Jinx once she hits the board. Outside of Noxian Fervour, they don’t have the means of killing her and you can set up a Super Mega Death Rocket to kill their units and burn down their Nexus.
• You’ll need to kill Jhin before he levels up. In most cases, the game should be over before Jhin levels; however, a Get Excited + Super Mega Death Rocket can kill Jhin.
• If you’re ahead on the board, try saving a Get Excited to interrupt a Noxian Fervour from dealing Nexus damage.

Ziggs Taliyah- favored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, House Spider, Draven, Crowd Favorite, Poro Cannon

• Your opponent cannot keep up with a wide board of units, especially with a Flame Chomper pulling away a blocker.
• Hexplosive Minefield can halt your Crowd Favorite from attacking but your opponent doesn’t have a reliable answer to kill it on spot.
• Rite of the Arcane can kill your Jinx; try to at least get a Super Mega Death Rocket before she dies.
• You’ll need to close out the game before your opponent sets up a Taliyah Overwhelm win condition.

Pantheon Varus – favored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, Draven, House Spider, Crowd Favorite, Poro Cannon

• Your opponent cannot keep up with your swarm capability. Draven can put a lot of pressure and with a Vision or Flame Chomper, you’re able to push a lot of early damage.
• Their best way to kill Jinx is through Furious Wielder.
• Pantheon Varus doesn’t run tools to interrupt your burn damage. Guiding Touch is their only healing card to keep them in the game.
• A leveled Pantheon could potentially generate the life steal keyword. Try to close out the game before he’s leveled or at least have a Get Excited ready to end the game before Pantheon strikes.

Draven Jinx – even

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, Draven, House Spider, Crowd Favorite, Poro Cannon

• You both are capable of going wide on the board. You can pull away a 1-power unit with a Flame Chomper to pave the way for other units to hit the Nexus. Pulling away the 1-power unit means your Flame Chomper will remain alive and you’ll be able to use that Chomper for a future turn.
• A buffy Crowd Favorite can turn the course of the game in your favor. Overwhelm damage can put you ahead and force your opponent to expend resources to deal with it.
• Do not play Jinx unless you can level her on the same turn with a burst or fast-speed spell. An unleveled Jinx can be killed by a Get Excited or Augmented Experemintor.

Trundle Tryndamere – unfavored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, House Spider, Draven, Crowd Favorite, Jinx,

• Trundle Tryndamere runs numerous AOE damage cards like Avalanche, Blighted Ravine, and Withering Wail to wipe out your board.
• In this matchup, Crowd Favorite is your best bet to put pressure on the board. Flash Freeze can buy your opponent time to reach the late stage of the game.
• Vengeance can be an immediate answer to your Jinx. Make sure to at least generate a Super Mega Death Rocket from Jinx before she dies. Keep in mind your opponent can kill an attacking Jinx by blocking and freezing her.

Heimerdinger Jayce – unfavored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, Crowd Favorite, Jinx, Poro Cannon, Flame Chompers!

• This is a tough matchup. Your opponent has the ability to keep your early aggression under control with spells like Vile Feast and Mystic Shot.
• You’ll have to set up a powerful Crowd Favorite on turn 4/5 and start dealing overwhelm damage.
• Don’t play Jinx until you’re able to level her up. Your opponent has the removal spells capable of killing her on the spot, and you want to at least get a Super Mega Death Rocket!

Annie Twisted Fate – unfavored

Mulligan for: Zaunite Urchin, Jury-Rig, House Spider, Crowd Favorite, Draven

• Difficult match due to your opponent’s cheap removal spells that keep your board in check.
• Twisted Fate’s Red Card and Make it Rain can completely destroy your low-health board.
• Play Jinx once you’re ready to level her up. Most likely, your opponent is saving a Ravenous Flock or Disintegrate to deal with her.
• Your best bet is to try to squeeze out some unit damage before switching to the burn plan. TF Annie does not have the tools to deal with any of your burn cards.

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Closing Words

Jinx’s buff in Patch 3.19 brought Discard aggro back on the map. The archetype has been performing well and has forced the meta to adapt to it.

The upcoming Worlds tournament qualifier will certainly have Discard aggro as a consideration in the player’s lineup.