1- Preeminent Captain + Captain of the Watch combo
2- Fast casting Captain of the Watch with Ballyrush Banneret+ Daru Warchief
3- Striking hard with Honor of the pure
4- Taking control the game with Odric
5- Brave the elements + massive attack
Yet, I'm still feeling that running just 4 removals is risky. Also, I'd like to know if there would be a better addition in the 2cmc cards instead of running kazandu and the elite inquisitor. Finally, I'm not running cmc 1 cards...
I think that ballyrush and daru warchief help me cast my creatures easily.
What do you think?
With many of the more expensive creatures cut and many of the cheap ones having few to no generic mana in their cost, Banneret really is not that effective. The Cpt. should be enough to get high cmc Soldiers onto the table.
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First of All, thanks everyone for their replies, they're quite useful to me. Keep thame coming! You are really a big help!
I liked Soltari, but it doesn't fit with my deck main idea.
Blutsau ; I think that you are right, indeed. So a took all ballyrushes out, and lowered the number of Captain of the Watch to x3 , because having one of them in the opening hand is not a good thing.
I am now considering which creatures should occupy the 1-3 cmc place. I think that Elite vanguard is an auto-include 4 off. Hada-freeblade, will not be such a threat to my enemy unless I play an other ally ( Thinking in terms of mid-late game, a 1/2 for 1 mana won't be so useful, if not having another hada, or a kazandu in game) Thats why I think that "Doomed Traveler" is such a great card. It's a 1/1 for 1 , yes, but at the beggining of the game, is a great blocker as it replaces himself with a 1/1 token with flying (thing that's quite important in this deck, because flying creatures are my biggest weakness). An other alternative which im considering to place in the place of Elite vanguard (In this case, i think i would be loosing aggresiveness) would be Deftblade elite. Its a pain in the ass to the opponent, as it regenerates himself , BUT ,it combos great with Devouring Light (which i think i'd run 4 off, I love 'em).
The decklist goes up to 62 cards, because armored ascension (I know it could be a 2:1 , but as you say, if it sticks, I win.
I think that the deck as it is now, its not so aggresive... In fact, I don't think it has many winning conditions like it used to have. However, taking out Ballyrush was a nice include. I think I'm running so many little creatures, but they're quite useful though. Maybe including Porcelain Leggionaire would be a nice inclusion... and it would 'combo' nice with Ballyrush.
I greatly appreciate the feedback! . In devouring lights I see a marvellous removal, and it combos great with Deftblade Elite, and it gets even better with kazandu and the inquisitor (both have vigilance) . But you're right, I have to focus in killing my opponents before in thinking how would i deal with their threats.
I think that indeed, a 2/2 for 3 mana is not good, but the fact that it is unblockable, and the potential chance to be pumped, makes him worth a try. I added 2 lands, so the deck now has 63 cards, but I'm running 6 cmc 1 cards. This is the deck now :
I took one Brave the elements, leaving just 3. Running 4 Oblivion Rings should be enough. Also, took an other land, leaving 21,as you did. Is 63 cards really, a lot? I mean, would it make a huge difference? Perhaps because I may have problems with my mana curve... right? I loved Mosquito guard, because drawing an elite vanguard during mid-game would be useless. But the problem is that my friend is running a kithkin deck, I don't know if it would be okay to use kithkins... what do you think?
If I just run x4 cmc 1 creatures, I'd be able to run 22 lands, leaving the deck with 60 cards... this is how it is now:
I placed Doomed Traveler instead of elite vanguard, because its 2 creatures in just 1 ... it's not an aggresive creature, but it should be enough to protect me until I play all the 'big' soldiers.
Well, it's not intended to be a White Weenie, because I rather prefered to play bigger but stronger creatures, instead of many not so strong. For you to have an idea, I can show you the 'original' deck idea, which was to play Captain of the Watch as fast as possible, with ballyrush, daru warchief, and Preeminent, along with many soldiers with colorless mana in their cmc to play better with Ballyrush Banneret and Daru Warchief.
As you can see, it's not weenie, it relies in putting good creatures, and casting the Captain of the Watch as fast as possible. However, it has many other winning possibilities... They are different decks, and I can't yet decide between the one I made with your help and this one.
Greetings, I am putting together a casual play soldier deck and had some questions regarding what should be taken out and what shouldn't be. I will give you my current deck setup and then what I have that I want to add along with what I think should be removed.
I know everyone says that I should get the standard Field Marshal cards and put them in, but I like the fact that the warchief not only buffs others, but himself, granted he has no first strike, most of the things in this deck already come with first strike as is.
I almost think I should remove the 4x Raise the Alarms, 2x Goldmeadow Harriers, and the 2x Veteran Swordsmiths for them.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, I also don't really have the money to spend to buy like $10.00+ cards each so I know there are some lands and other things out there that would help, but I don't really want to go nuts.
Preeminent Captian is definately something you should try to find a home for. I would honestly take out the stuff that really isn't relevant, like silence and griffin guide. the guide is just not all that wonderful, and silence is good in a control deck, and with isochron sceptre. You are doing neither of that.
Catapult Squad is one of the main reasons people run soldiers. He really is that good. You should try and find a home for him somewhere. Also, I see Kazandu Blademaster, but no Hada Freeblade? They are some of the best cheap-beat soldiers out there when paired together.
It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.
Preeminent Captian is definately something you should try to find a home for. I would honestly take out the stuff that really isn't relevant, like silence and griffin guide. the guide is just not all that wonderful, and silence is good in a control deck, and with isochron sceptre. You are doing neither of that.
Catapult Squad is one of the main reasons people run soldiers. He really is that good. You should try and find a home for him somewhere. Also, I see Kazandu Blademaster, but no Hada Freeblade? They are some of the best cheap-beat soldiers out there when paired together.
So here is what I have come up with, this is the final version of the deck.
The basic idea behind this deck is to get the fastest and most damaging soldiers out quickly, pump them via +1/+1, vigilance, and first strike by turn 3-4, and cheat the other creatures into play such as Captain of the Watch and additional creatures using Preeminent Captain.
If anything poses a problem, exile it.
I had two Ajani Goldmane in the deck, just for his -1 ability to give all creatures an additional +1/+1 but I wanted to give the spot to Captain of the Watch because of the creature advantage and vigilance she offers when I cheat her into play.
The basic idea behind this deck is to get the fastest and most damaging soldiers out quickly, pump them via +1/+1, vigilance, and first strike by turn 3-4, and cheat the other creatures into play such as Captain of the Watch and additional creatures using Preeminent Captain.
If anything poses a problem, exile it.
I had two Ajani Goldmane in the deck, just for his -1 ability to give all creatures an additional +1/+1 but I wanted to give the spot to Captain of the Watch because of the creature advantage and vigilance she offers when I cheat her into play.
looks pretty good, I like Captian of the watch over Ajani as well, being able to cheat into play and giving you tokens is way better.
about longbow archer- are flyers giving you a lot of trouble? He is a nice card, but you could always put precinct captain in there instead. Form what experience I have with the captain he has dominated games with the amount of tokens he makes.
Also, the 4 armoured ascension. Its a good card late game when you need to hammer in the final damage, but it is not one of the most important parts of you deck. My personal preference would be to reverse it with Honor of the Pure, so you have 4 honor and 2 ascension, as honor is a little bit quicker and more useful when you have large numbers of soldiers on the field.
It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.
looks pretty good, I like Captian of the watch over Ajani as well, being able to cheat into play and giving you tokens is way better.
about longbow archer- are flyers giving you a lot of trouble? He is a nice card, but you could always put precinct captain in there instead. Form what experience I have with the captain he has dominated games with the amount of tokens he makes.
Also, the 4 armoured ascension. Its a good card late game when you need to hammer in the final damage, but it is not one of the most important parts of you deck. My personal preference would be to reverse it with Honor of the Pure, so you have 4 honor and 2 ascension, as honor is a little bit quicker and more useful when you have large numbers of soldiers on the field.
Thanks for the reply,
Flying creatures don't really give me any problems, but Longbow Archer is in the deck simply because it is a safety net incase for whatever reason I cannot get enough creatures to swarm or if he puts down an early flyer and pumps it somehow.
But then again perhaps I do not need flying protection do to the fact I have eight removal spells.
My main concern is the destruction his deck provides, I am not sure what to remove and replace in my desk to counter this, possibly Brave the Elements somewhere? Maybe I should throw in a set of White Knight?
Mirran Crusader seems like a powerful choice - it would be strong in your deck anyway, but especially if you're up against a deck featuring a heavy dose of black.
You're running soldiers vs an aggro deck, but no Catapult Squad: Let me say now, that card is one he will HAVE to remove in order to do any real combat damage to you, so I'd definitely find room for that card. Longbow Archer is definitely worse than Catapult Squad, so try making a swap out for that.
Note that first strike + Catapult Squad is one of the best things your deck could ever have. You can actually kill a 5/5 Carrion Feeder coming at you with only Field Marshal and Catapult Squad: Simply block with the Squad, and during the first strike combat damage step, tap the two creatures to deal 2 damage to the Carrion Feeder. The Feeder takes 5 damage, doesn't deal any itself (so you keep both of your creatures) and you eliminated a threat with little effort.
A card really good with Catapult Squad is Deftblade Elite. With provoke you can make opposing lords block him and then tap a couple dudes to kill. Imagine the above scenario again, but this time you're attacking and controlling an Elite, Squad and Field Marshal: 5 damage to anything your opponent has is kind of nice in a pinch, you know? Also, do note that Provoke will kill Phantasmal Image without you having to spend a card (Provoke reads, "Target" creature an opponent controls), which is another reason to include Deftblade Elite. Losing 1 point of power from swapping out Deftblade vs Elite Vanguard is hardly a big change in the long run, IMO, especially with all the utility and longevity you gain.
Armored Ascension, against a deck with a good number of spot removal cards, is garbage. Remove it ASAP for Raise the Alarm, Elspeth, Knight Errant, etc.. It's just card disadvantage waiting to happen (he eliminates two of your cards for only 1 of his, a huge advantage on his part). Note that the more creatures you have, the less things like Geth's Verdict effects you. Elspeth is fantastic all around, but Raise the Alarm is instant speed and two creatures at once, which, well, is kind of awesome, especially when you get a lord on field (4 total power for 2 mana is nice).
And, honestly, the best way to get around someone running removal is not to use auras. You're going to lose some cards while you play, that's just how MtG works, and you don't need to run cards just to try and dodge spot removal. The best thing Brave the Elements can offer you is that if you cast it and name black, you can swing and hit your opponent without them being able to block any of your creatures. Dodging spot removal is a nice benefit if you might find you don't need the alpha strike, but evasion to damage is almost automatically better than protecting low-cost creatures. If you're going to run Brave the Elements, run it for that reason, not because your opponent might cast a Tragic Slip or give a dude -1/-1 from Festering Goblin.
Looking at the decks, you should have really no trouble in beating that zombie deck, especially if you make the above changes. Also, he's only running 17 land but is also running Grimgrin? I don't even know what to say about that, I'm sure if you include Armageddon or something he'll cry.
Mirran Crusader seems like a powerful choice - it would be strong in your deck anyway, but especially if you're up against a deck featuring a heavy dose of black.
I didn't even know he existed, I may have to try him, thanks.
You're running soldiers vs an aggro deck, but no Catapult Squad: Let me say now, that card is one he will HAVE to remove in order to do any real combat damage to you, so I'd definitely find room for that card. Longbow Archer is definitely worse than Catapult Squad, so try making a swap out for that.
Note that first strike + Catapult Squad is one of the best things your deck could ever have. You can actually kill a 5/5 Carrion Feeder coming at you with only Field Marshal and Catapult Squad: Simply block with the Squad, and during the first strike combat damage step, tap the two creatures to deal 2 damage to the Carrion Feeder. The Feeder takes 5 damage, doesn't deal any itself (so you keep both of your creatures) and you eliminated a threat with little effort.
A card really good with Catapult Squad is Deftblade Elite. With provoke you can make opposing lords block him and then tap a couple dudes to kill. Imagine the above scenario again, but this time you're attacking and controlling an Elite, Squad and Field Marshal: 5 damage to anything your opponent has is kind of nice in a pinch, you know? Also, do note that Provoke will kill Phantasmal Image without you having to spend a card (Provoke reads, "Target" creature an opponent controls), which is another reason to include Deftblade Elite. Losing 1 point of power from swapping out Deftblade vs Elite Vanguard is hardly a big change in the long run, IMO, especially with all the utility and longevity you gain.
Armored Ascension, against a deck with a good number of spot removal cards, is garbage. Remove it ASAP for Raise the Alarm, Elspeth, Knight Errant, etc.. It's just card disadvantage waiting to happen (he eliminates two of your cards for only 1 of his, a huge advantage on his part). Note that the more creatures you have, the less things like Geth's Verdict effects you. Elspeth is fantastic all around, but Raise the Alarm is instant speed and two creatures at once, which, well, is kind of awesome, especially when you get a lord on field (4 total power for 2 mana is nice).
And, honestly, the best way to get around someone running removal is not to use auras. You're going to lose some cards while you play, that's just how MtG works, and you don't need to run cards just to try and dodge spot removal. The best thing Brave the Elements can offer you is that if you cast it and name black, you can swing and hit your opponent without them being able to block any of your creatures. Dodging spot removal is a nice benefit if you might find you don't need the alpha strike, but evasion to damage is almost automatically better than protecting low-cost creatures. If you're going to run Brave the Elements, run it for that reason, not because your opponent might cast a Tragic Slip or give a dude -1/-1 from Festering Goblin.
Looking at the decks, you should have really no trouble in beating that zombie deck, especially if you make the above changes. Also, he's only running 17 land but is also running Grimgrin? I don't even know what to say about that, I'm sure if you include Armageddon or something he'll cry.
Thank you very much for your input, that was a VERY detailed response and I appreciate that a lot.
I actually had Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad sitting around I just didn't know when to use them. Would you say this deck list below is in general all round better now?
Yeah, I like the look of it a lot better now actually.
The first things to get rid of for your opponent would easily be Diregraf Captain and Lord of the Undead, especially the Lord of the Undead. In tribal, it's almost always a good idea to go after the lords, but Undead gives him card recursion/advantage as well so keeping him off of that makes Carrion Feeder and Grimgrin significantly less effective. Phantasmal Image can be killed by the provoke ability of Deftblade Elite, so you shouldn't have too much to worry about there (nor can it be returned to hand with the Lord of the Undead, so you should be safe from it).
If he actually manages to land a Grimgrin, you will have to deal with it, but Swords to Plowsharing Grimgrin after the opponent sacrifices a creature to untap him (or, hell, with that on the stack so that way he gains 1 less life but still loses the sacrifice) is hi-larious and definitely recommended.
Gravecrawler and Carrion Feeder can't block, and without lords the first one is pretty much useless so there's not much need to worry if you have first striking creatures. Festering Goblin can be an annoyance against your X/1 toughness creatures, but it shouldn't be hard to keep their toughness above 1 or keep them from taking combat damage with 8 removal spells and creatures with first strike (which, Field Marshal is the biggest target of your deck because he's ridiculous, but even without him Preeminent Captain and Kazandu Blademaster have that ability too, and even with 1 lord out several of the zombie decks creatures can't attack into you and damage your first strikers)
Anyway, outside of the lords and Grimgrin you don't have much to worry about. Lord of the Undead lets him recur cards which can be bad if he gets a good draw and you a poor one, setting up into a long game. Diregraf Captains makes his card disadvantage have an effect on life totals, which can suck in a longer game too. Phantasmal Image is pretty much dealt with unless he Tragic Slip/Festering Goblin's your Deftblade Elite, which, erm, it's probably better for you that he Slip your Deftblade than he do that to Field Marshal, etc.. I don't think you have a lot to worry about him blowing out your army considering his only targeted removal is Tragic Slip. Geth's Verdict lets you pick which puts you in a pretty good position, Festering Goblin isn't that big of a deal but yes you may lose a Squad to it if he kills it before you get out a buff effect, and lastly, Grimgrin is so ridiculously easy to deal with that you shouldn't be worried about him. He only makes you lose a creature if he attacks, and you can not only force it to block the turn he plays it with Deftblade Elite, but you've also got 8 removal spells to deal with him too. That, and at 17 lands he might wind up waiting until turn 8 before he actually draws 5 lands.
Notwithstanding, you do have anti-black cards you can use as well, like the aforementioned Mirran Crusader or even Absolute Grace, though I think the latter of the two make all but the best sports irritated.
I second the motion to add Catapult Squad. I, too, have a soldier deck, built back during Onslaught block. As soon as I got a playset of Catapult Squads, I put them in the deck, and ten years later, they're still there. Even though multiple Catapult Squads are redundant, I still can't bring myself to cut even a single copy. They're that good. Not drawing any Catapult Squads is far worse than drawing too many. If you play Catapult Squad, then your opponent will find himself unable to do anything productive in combat until he removes it.
Looking at your friend's decklist, there are literally no noncreature nonland permanents, so it's possible that Journey to Nowhere would be stronger than Oblivion Ring. It comes down a turn faster, and against this deck, you don't need the flexibility of O-Ring. Unmake might be a better option too, since it can happen at instant speed (albeit back at three mana), and again, losing the flexibility doesn't matter in this situation.
The only other possible concern is that as good as Captain of the Watch is, twenty lands might not be enough to really make him reliably castable in a timely fashion. I don't think you want to go to more lands in this deck, since it's pretty aggressive and otherwise has a low curve, so it might be best to cut what is otherwise a really strong creature, and run something like Daru Warchief or Precinct Captain instead. Might be a tough call, though, because Captain of the Watch is so powerful - it just seems like he might be a dead draw a pretty high percentage of the time, because you've got jammed on five mana.
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22 Plains
// Creatures
4 Ballyrush Banneret
4 Captain of the Watch
3 Odric, Master Tactician
3 Daru Warchief
4 Preeminent Captain
4 Elite Inquisitor
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Brave the Elements
4 Oblivion Ring
3 Armored Ascension
3 Honor of the Pure
It has a different 'winning ways' :
1- Preeminent Captain + Captain of the Watch combo
2- Fast casting Captain of the Watch with Ballyrush Banneret+ Daru Warchief
3- Striking hard with Honor of the pure
4- Taking control the game with Odric
5- Brave the elements + massive attack
Yet, I'm still feeling that running just 4 removals is risky. Also, I'd like to know if there would be a better addition in the 2cmc cards instead of running kazandu and the elite inquisitor. Finally, I'm not running cmc 1 cards...
What do you think?
spam warning.
blut
->
22 Plains
// Creatures
4 Hada Freeblade [or Champion of the Parish]
3 Elite Vanguard
4 Elite Inquisitor
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Preeminent Captain
3 Daru Warchief
2 Captain of the Watch
4 Brave the Elements
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Path to Exile
3 Honor of the Pure
What do you think?
With many of the more expensive creatures cut and many of the cheap ones having few to no generic mana in their cost, Banneret really is not that effective. The Cpt. should be enough to get high cmc Soldiers onto the table.
I liked Soltari, but it doesn't fit with my deck main idea.
Blutsau ; I think that you are right, indeed. So a took all ballyrushes out, and lowered the number of Captain of the Watch to x3 , because having one of them in the opening hand is not a good thing.
I am now considering which creatures should occupy the 1-3 cmc place. I think that Elite vanguard is an auto-include 4 off. Hada-freeblade, will not be such a threat to my enemy unless I play an other ally ( Thinking in terms of mid-late game, a 1/2 for 1 mana won't be so useful, if not having another hada, or a kazandu in game) Thats why I think that "Doomed Traveler" is such a great card. It's a 1/1 for 1 , yes, but at the beggining of the game, is a great blocker as it replaces himself with a 1/1 token with flying (thing that's quite important in this deck, because flying creatures are my biggest weakness). An other alternative which im considering to place in the place of Elite vanguard (In this case, i think i would be loosing aggresiveness) would be Deftblade elite. Its a pain in the ass to the opponent, as it regenerates himself , BUT ,it combos great with Devouring Light (which i think i'd run 4 off, I love 'em).
The decklist now would be like this :
20x Plains
//Creatures
4x Doomed Traveler
4x Deftblade Elite
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Elite Inquisitor
4x Preeminent Captain
3x Daru Warchief
3x Captain of the Watch
3x Honor of the Pure
4x Devouring Light
3x Oblivion Ring
3x Brave The Elements
3x Armored Ascension
The decklist goes up to 62 cards, because armored ascension (I know it could be a 2:1 , but as you say, if it sticks, I win.
I think that the deck as it is now, its not so aggresive... In fact, I don't think it has many winning conditions like it used to have. However, taking out Ballyrush was a nice include. I think I'm running so many little creatures, but they're quite useful though. Maybe including Porcelain Leggionaire would be a nice inclusion... and it would 'combo' nice with Ballyrush.
What do you think?
I think that indeed, a 2/2 for 3 mana is not good, but the fact that it is unblockable, and the potential chance to be pumped, makes him worth a try. I added 2 lands, so the deck now has 63 cards, but I'm running 6 cmc 1 cards. This is the deck now :
3x Elite Vanguard
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Elite Inquisitor
3x Daru Warchief
4x Preeminent Captain
3x Captain of the Watch
3x Doomed Traveler
3x Soltari Champion
3x Honor of the Pure
4x Brave the Elements
3x Armored Ascension
I think that it has improved with the collaboration i'm receiving from this forum's community.
What do you think?
If I just run x4 cmc 1 creatures, I'd be able to run 22 lands, leaving the deck with 60 cards... this is how it is now:
22x Plains
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Elite Inquisitor
3x Daru Warchief
4x Preeminent Captain
3x Captain of the Watch
4x Doomed Traveler
3x Soltari Champion
3x Honor of the Pure
4x Oblivion Ring
3x Brave the Elements
3x Armored Ascension
I placed Doomed Traveler instead of elite vanguard, because its 2 creatures in just 1 ... it's not an aggresive creature, but it should be enough to protect me until I play all the 'big' soldiers.
This is the deck as it used to be:
22x Plains
// Creatures
3x Ballyrush Banneret
4x Captain of the Watch
3x Daru Warchief
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Elite Inquisitor
4x Kazandu Blademaster
3x Porcelain Legionnaire
3x Brave the Elements
3x Armored Ascension
3x Honor of the Pure
4x Oblivion Ring
As you can see, it's not weenie, it relies in putting good creatures, and casting the Captain of the Watch as fast as possible. However, it has many other winning possibilities... They are different decks, and I can't yet decide between the one I made with your help and this one.
4 Field Marshal
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Elite Inquisitor
4 Champion of the Parish
3 Deftblade Elite
3 Catapult Squad
2 Hada Freeblade
4 Honor of the Pure
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Raise the Alarm
Artifacts:
4 Aether Vial
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Lands:
16 Plains
4 Flagstones of Trokair
I think it's pretty good, but any advice would be great!
Thanks!
4 Field Marshal
4 Crusader of Odric
4 Leonin shikari
4 Soltari Foot Soldier
4 Daru warchief
4 Captain of the Watch
4 Soltari Champion
2 Commander Eesha
2 Disenchant
4 Ghostly Prison
2 lightning greaves
Artifacts
4 Sol Ring
20 Plain
So right now I'm at 62 cards I found a cheap flyer that's decent check him out.
GUSTCLOAK HARRIER
1x Ajani Goldmane
2x Captain of the Watch
1x Odric, Master Tactician
2x Precinct Captain
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Longbow Archer
2x Veteran Swordsmith
2x Celestial Crusader
2x Goldmeadow Harrier
4x Raise the Alarm
2x Silence
Enchantments
2x Honor of the Pure
2x Armored Ascension
2x Griffin Guide
2x Journey to Nowhere
4x Oblivion Ring
4x Daru Encampment
18x Plains
Now sitting around and what I know should go in this deck are,
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Daru Warchief
I know everyone says that I should get the standard Field Marshal cards and put them in, but I like the fact that the warchief not only buffs others, but himself, granted he has no first strike, most of the things in this deck already come with first strike as is.
I almost think I should remove the 4x Raise the Alarms, 2x Goldmeadow Harriers, and the 2x Veteran Swordsmiths for them.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, I also don't really have the money to spend to buy like $10.00+ cards each so I know there are some lands and other things out there that would help, but I don't really want to go nuts.
Thank You.
W White Weenie
Catapult Squad is one of the main reasons people run soldiers. He really is that good. You should try and find a home for him somewhere. Also, I see Kazandu Blademaster, but no Hada Freeblade? They are some of the best cheap-beat soldiers out there when paired together.
So here is what I have come up with, this is the final version of the deck.
4x Elite Vanguard
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Precinct Captain
4x Longbow Archer
4x Field Marshal
2x Ajani Goldmane
Enchantments
2x Honor of the Pure
4x Armored Ascension
4x Journey to Nowhere
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
W White Weenie
4x Elite Vanguard
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Longbow Archer
4x Field Marshal
2x Captain of the Watch
2x Honor of the Pure
4x Armored Ascension
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
The basic idea behind this deck is to get the fastest and most damaging soldiers out quickly, pump them via +1/+1, vigilance, and first strike by turn 3-4, and cheat the other creatures into play such as Captain of the Watch and additional creatures using Preeminent Captain.
If anything poses a problem, exile it.
I had two Ajani Goldmane in the deck, just for his -1 ability to give all creatures an additional +1/+1 but I wanted to give the spot to Captain of the Watch because of the creature advantage and vigilance she offers when I cheat her into play.
W White Weenie
looks pretty good, I like Captian of the watch over Ajani as well, being able to cheat into play and giving you tokens is way better.
about longbow archer- are flyers giving you a lot of trouble? He is a nice card, but you could always put precinct captain in there instead. Form what experience I have with the captain he has dominated games with the amount of tokens he makes.
Also, the 4 armoured ascension. Its a good card late game when you need to hammer in the final damage, but it is not one of the most important parts of you deck. My personal preference would be to reverse it with Honor of the Pure, so you have 4 honor and 2 ascension, as honor is a little bit quicker and more useful when you have large numbers of soldiers on the field.
Thanks for the reply,
Flying creatures don't really give me any problems, but Longbow Archer is in the deck simply because it is a safety net incase for whatever reason I cannot get enough creatures to swarm or if he puts down an early flyer and pumps it somehow.
But then again perhaps I do not need flying protection do to the fact I have eight removal spells.
W White Weenie
My deck is mono-white Soldiers.
4x Elite Vanguard
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Longbow Archer
4x Field Marshal
2x Captain of the Watch
2x Honor of the Pure
4x Armored Ascension
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
My friends deck is black splashed with blue Zombies.
4x Diregraf Captain
4x Gravecrawler
4x Carrion Feeder
4x Lord of the Undead
3x Phantasmal Image
2x Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
4x Festering Goblin
4x Altar's Reap
4x Tragic Slip
4x Geth's Verdict
Sorcerys
2x Ghoulcaller's Chant
4x Drowned Catacomb
11x Swamp
2x Island
W White Weenie
Note that first strike + Catapult Squad is one of the best things your deck could ever have. You can actually kill a 5/5 Carrion Feeder coming at you with only Field Marshal and Catapult Squad: Simply block with the Squad, and during the first strike combat damage step, tap the two creatures to deal 2 damage to the Carrion Feeder. The Feeder takes 5 damage, doesn't deal any itself (so you keep both of your creatures) and you eliminated a threat with little effort.
A card really good with Catapult Squad is Deftblade Elite. With provoke you can make opposing lords block him and then tap a couple dudes to kill. Imagine the above scenario again, but this time you're attacking and controlling an Elite, Squad and Field Marshal: 5 damage to anything your opponent has is kind of nice in a pinch, you know? Also, do note that Provoke will kill Phantasmal Image without you having to spend a card (Provoke reads, "Target" creature an opponent controls), which is another reason to include Deftblade Elite. Losing 1 point of power from swapping out Deftblade vs Elite Vanguard is hardly a big change in the long run, IMO, especially with all the utility and longevity you gain.
Armored Ascension, against a deck with a good number of spot removal cards, is garbage. Remove it ASAP for Raise the Alarm, Elspeth, Knight Errant, etc.. It's just card disadvantage waiting to happen (he eliminates two of your cards for only 1 of his, a huge advantage on his part). Note that the more creatures you have, the less things like Geth's Verdict effects you. Elspeth is fantastic all around, but Raise the Alarm is instant speed and two creatures at once, which, well, is kind of awesome, especially when you get a lord on field (4 total power for 2 mana is nice).
And, honestly, the best way to get around someone running removal is not to use auras. You're going to lose some cards while you play, that's just how MtG works, and you don't need to run cards just to try and dodge spot removal. The best thing Brave the Elements can offer you is that if you cast it and name black, you can swing and hit your opponent without them being able to block any of your creatures. Dodging spot removal is a nice benefit if you might find you don't need the alpha strike, but evasion to damage is almost automatically better than protecting low-cost creatures. If you're going to run Brave the Elements, run it for that reason, not because your opponent might cast a Tragic Slip or give a dude -1/-1 from Festering Goblin.
Looking at the decks, you should have really no trouble in beating that zombie deck, especially if you make the above changes. Also, he's only running 17 land but is also running Grimgrin? I don't even know what to say about that, I'm sure if you include Armageddon or something he'll cry.
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I didn't even know he existed, I may have to try him, thanks.
Thank you very much for your input, that was a VERY detailed response and I appreciate that a lot.
I actually had Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad sitting around I just didn't know when to use them. Would you say this deck list below is in general all round better now?
4x Deftblade Elite
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Catapult Squad
4x Field Marshal
2x Captain of the Watch
2x Honor of the Pure
4x Raise the Alarm
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
I guess my main scare was that he could just blow down my army with ease, but with Catapult Squad and enough first strike/pump I should be ok.
What would you consider the most dangerous things I need to exile if they get on the field ASAP?
W White Weenie
The first things to get rid of for your opponent would easily be Diregraf Captain and Lord of the Undead, especially the Lord of the Undead. In tribal, it's almost always a good idea to go after the lords, but Undead gives him card recursion/advantage as well so keeping him off of that makes Carrion Feeder and Grimgrin significantly less effective. Phantasmal Image can be killed by the provoke ability of Deftblade Elite, so you shouldn't have too much to worry about there (nor can it be returned to hand with the Lord of the Undead, so you should be safe from it).
If he actually manages to land a Grimgrin, you will have to deal with it, but Swords to Plowsharing Grimgrin after the opponent sacrifices a creature to untap him (or, hell, with that on the stack so that way he gains 1 less life but still loses the sacrifice) is hi-larious and definitely recommended.
Gravecrawler and Carrion Feeder can't block, and without lords the first one is pretty much useless so there's not much need to worry if you have first striking creatures. Festering Goblin can be an annoyance against your X/1 toughness creatures, but it shouldn't be hard to keep their toughness above 1 or keep them from taking combat damage with 8 removal spells and creatures with first strike (which, Field Marshal is the biggest target of your deck because he's ridiculous, but even without him Preeminent Captain and Kazandu Blademaster have that ability too, and even with 1 lord out several of the zombie decks creatures can't attack into you and damage your first strikers)
Anyway, outside of the lords and Grimgrin you don't have much to worry about. Lord of the Undead lets him recur cards which can be bad if he gets a good draw and you a poor one, setting up into a long game. Diregraf Captains makes his card disadvantage have an effect on life totals, which can suck in a longer game too. Phantasmal Image is pretty much dealt with unless he Tragic Slip/Festering Goblin's your Deftblade Elite, which, erm, it's probably better for you that he Slip your Deftblade than he do that to Field Marshal, etc.. I don't think you have a lot to worry about him blowing out your army considering his only targeted removal is Tragic Slip. Geth's Verdict lets you pick which puts you in a pretty good position, Festering Goblin isn't that big of a deal but yes you may lose a Squad to it if he kills it before you get out a buff effect, and lastly, Grimgrin is so ridiculously easy to deal with that you shouldn't be worried about him. He only makes you lose a creature if he attacks, and you can not only force it to block the turn he plays it with Deftblade Elite, but you've also got 8 removal spells to deal with him too. That, and at 17 lands he might wind up waiting until turn 8 before he actually draws 5 lands.
Notwithstanding, you do have anti-black cards you can use as well, like the aforementioned Mirran Crusader or even Absolute Grace, though I think the latter of the two make all but the best sports irritated.
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The only other possible concern is that as good as Captain of the Watch is, twenty lands might not be enough to really make him reliably castable in a timely fashion. I don't think you want to go to more lands in this deck, since it's pretty aggressive and otherwise has a low curve, so it might be best to cut what is otherwise a really strong creature, and run something like Daru Warchief or Precinct Captain instead. Might be a tough call, though, because Captain of the Watch is so powerful - it just seems like he might be a dead draw a pretty high percentage of the time, because you've got jammed on five mana.