This x1000. There are lots of great cards that synergize well with Darien, and yes Darien is a stone-cold nuts token producer with the right cards out, but he's expensive to cast and easily removed. Sure, there's protection for him, but you will not reliably draw Greaves every game to protect him. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I make sure to play any cards that have synergy with Darien, but can function on their own or are still good without him. Tarnished Citadel, Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, these are all cards that function well regardless of whether Darien is in play or not. Mindstorm Crown is up in the air but still a good example of what I'm talking about as it's drawback is complementary with Darien, otherwise I just plop it down when I've got an empty hand. Sure, there are plenty of other painlands I could run to maximize the token producing effect when Darien is in play (City of Brass, Nomad Stadium, but without him, the damage really starts to add up. Ankh of Mishra is an example of another card that does nothing but piss everyone off when Darien's in play.
To compensate for all this, I play alot of token producing cards. Some of these may seem a little underwhelming like Knight Captain of Eos, but I assure you the extra bodies help and are a great and fast way to start building up your army again after a wrath.
Hope that helps! From my experience a token-oriented build that can function independently without Darien is strong and works just fine.
I've taken my Darien deck (see link in sig) and turned it into a 'Hit me if you dare' style. The added unsurity seems to help when I can't field Darien safely.
Often opponents leave me alone and go after easier marks....until it's too late (add maniacal laugh here).
Have you considered Pristine Talisman? Doesn't seem like much at first glance, but you can easily swap out a plains for it. Gaining life is important in a Darien deck, and if you have Well Of Lost Dreams, it reads: tap, draw a card. (which is something that monowhite has trouble doing)
Also, I second Mentor of the Meek. That. Card. Is. AWESOME. That is all.
Talisman seems... ok. I am not a huge fan of 3 mana mana rocks, and they need to be very good (Darksteel Ingot, Coalition Relic) to impress me. In a deck that can hurt to play, it might find its uses.
Mentor of the Meek is a totally obvious inclusion who works perfectly in this strategy and is instantly one of the best cards in this deck. He might be better than Skullclamp in this deck. Seriously.
This x1000. There are lots of great cards that synergize well with Darien, and yes Darien is a stone-cold nuts token producer with the right cards out, but he's expensive to cast and easily removed. Sure, there's protection for him, but you will not reliably draw Greaves every game to protect him. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I make sure to play any cards that have synergy with Darien, but can function on their own or are still good without him. Tarnished Citadel, Ancient Tomb, Mana Crypt, these are all cards that function well regardless of whether Darien is in play or not. Mindstorm Crown is up in the air but still a good example of what I'm talking about as it's drawback is complementary with Darien, otherwise I just plop it down when I've got an empty hand. Sure, there are plenty of other painlands I could run to maximize the token producing effect when Darien is in play (City of Brass, Nomad Stadium, but without him, the damage really starts to add up. Ankh of Mishra is an example of another card that does nothing but piss everyone off when Darien's in play.
To compensate for all this, I play alot of token producing cards. Some of these may seem a little underwhelming like Knight Captain of Eos, but I assure you the extra bodies help and are a great and fast way to start building up your army again after a wrath.
Hope that helps! From my experience a token-oriented build that can function independently without Darien is strong and works just fine.
For the most part, I agree with you. Having your commander removed is an inherent risk towards playing EDH, and since Darien is a very powerful general, he'll often eat the removal that's specialized for generals (e.g. Spin into Myth). It is important to build a deck that can function without the general. However, don't fall into the trap of cutting powerful cards for substandard token producers such as Raise the Alarm. Still, some token producers are just fine. In particular, besides the creatures that spawn tokens, I like Cenn's Enlistment - in the late game, it turns even a topdecked land (normally a bad topdeck late) into two tokens. As well, I like Timely Reinforcements because in multiplayer, it's not hard to meet both conditions - unlike Even the Odds, it just looks for one player who meets the condition, they don't all have too.
I've taken my Darien deck (see link in sig) and turned it into a 'Hit me if you dare' style. The added unsurity seems to help when I can't field Darien safely.
Often opponents leave me alone and go after easier marks....until it's too late (add maniacal laugh here).
I actually think that's the best thing about Darien. When he's out, either your opponents don't attack you, increasing your advantage, or they do, giving you soldiers and increasing your advantage further.
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I recently tried playing my build of Darien without having Darien in play, and I agree that the ability to play as a soldier token deck independent of Darien is pretty nice.
Some of these may seem a little underwhelming like Knight Captain of Eos, but I assure you the extra bodies help and are a great and fast way to start building up your army again after a wrath.
Knight-Captain of Eos is one of my favorite cards in the deck...you can get really political with it in multiplayer games since you can exert control over combat with your "fog machine."
Knight-Captain of Eos is one of my favorite cards in the deck...you can get really political with it in multiplayer games since you can exert control over combat with your "fog machine."
Agreed. A repeatable fog is really good in any format.
MASSIVE UPDATES!
All of the new cards from Innistrad have been added, as well as some new cards. These are mostly cards that have been discussed in this thread in the past - no new tech for now. The decklist and card description are now fully up to date. Here are the changes for today:
+1 Mentor of the Meek - Instantly one of the best cards in this deck. A card advantage machine that allows you to tear through your library.
+1 Catapult Master - I've come around on this guy. Flexible, instant speed, exiling removal is too nice, even if the cost is high.
+1 Endless Horizons - This card seems pretty solid. It sucks if removed, but if I were playing against it, I'd save my permanent removal for something more threatening anyway.
+1 Caged Sun - Since I'm adding some new mana-dependant cards, having a lot of mana is nice. This card is on the edge, though.
+1 Luminarch Ascension - my feelings for this card have been elaborated in previous posts. Without Darien, it's still a powerhouse but it draws hate. With Darien, it creates a no-win situation for the opponents.
+1 Oblation - Versatile permanent and general removal which can also be used late game to draw cards. I'm never unhappy to have this card in hand.
+1 Scrying Sheets - this allows me to filter my deck, by adding...
-1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant - this is a tough cut, as I love her very much. Sadly, her first two abilities just aren't relevant and she dies before she uses the third.
-1 Raise the Alarm - This card is pretty weak, and doesn't deserve a deck spot. EDH is a format of power and this card doesn't provide it.
-1 Shared Triumph - Too many of these turn off some useful effects (Mentor, Skullclamp) and force me to run fewer actual creatures.
-1 Lich's Tomb - I've never seemed to get good mileage out of this. It needs Darien out, and only works really well when there's also a soul effect out.
Definitely liking the changes you made champion, though I'm curious about a few cards.
Enlistment Officer: I had him in my deck for a while, but there were many times where I wouldn't turn up any soldier creatures. I ended up cutting him for dependable card draw in the form of Bottled Cloister, but I often think of bringing him back. How has he played out for you? In your deck it looks like there are only 12 soldiers he can turn up, but it looks like there is a decent chance you can at least draw into one of them. The body isn't terrible, but doesn't seem worth it for the price, especially if you don't draw into any soldiers.
Preeminent Captain: So enlistment Officer I was on the fence about, but I really don't think this guy is worth running. Absolutely insane when you've got captain of the watch in your hand, but otherwise, seem's like mediocre card advantage. You'd probably only get to fire him off once or twice at most, and that's assuming you can attack into somebody which might not be favorable for you on turn 4 if people have blockers. Just my two cents. I think he would be worth it if there were many more soldier bodies in your deck. In the times that you do get to put a soldier into play (that is not captain of the watch) do you find it to be worth it since you are essentially getting a free spell? Is it hard to attack with him? Is he often a dead draw?
Militia's Pride: Another card dependent on how many actual creature cards you run in the deck. I recall you mentioning this card is sick early game, but it often seems like a dead draw late game (falls under the same issues as top-decking land/mana ramp). Would you say it's worth running and drawing into late-game some games, just for the chance to be able to play this early game and get an explosive start with the tokens?
Hour of Reckoning Surprised you're running this since I think you or Lord said it wasn't effective against other token decks, even if it is mostly one-sided. I used to run this, but when that point was made, it made me realize that if I want a wrath, I really wan't a wrath. What made you change your mind?
EDIT: Also, I think you are greatly underestimating the power of Sound the alarm. I agree 2 1/1's on their own are underwhelming, especially in EDH, but if the deck is focused on mass producing tokens and pump, then 9/10 times they will not be alone, and they will not be 1/1. Even after a wrath it's a great quick way to start building up board presence again. They wrath, I play Sound the alarm end of their turn. On my turn I play any one of my other token producing cards, and I've already got an army of 5/6 1/1s built up (and that's assuming I don't have any pump effects in play already). Also, although I've never had to use it as such, Sound the Alarm can be a great combat trick, whether it serves as a means to chump block and live another turn, or take out a key creature that they figured they could safely swing into you with.
Definitely liking the changes you made champion, though I'm curious about a few cards.
Enlistment Officer: I had him in my deck for a while, but there were many times where I wouldn't turn up any soldier creatures. I ended up cutting him for dependable card draw in the form of Bottled Cloister, but I often think of bringing him back. How has he played out for you? In your deck it looks like there are only 12 soldiers he can turn up, but it looks like there is a decent chance you can at least draw into one of them. The body isn't terrible, but doesn't seem worth it for the price, especially if you don't draw into any soldiers.
Preeminent Captain: So enlistment Officer I was on the fence about, but I really don't think this guy is worth running. Absolutely insane when you've got captain of the watch in your hand, but otherwise, seem's like mediocre card advantage. You'd probably only get to fire him off once or twice at most, and that's assuming you can attack into somebody which might not be favorable for you on turn 4 if people have blockers. Just my two cents. I think he would be worth it if there were many more soldier bodies in your deck. In the times that you do get to put a soldier into play (that is not captain of the watch) do you find it to be worth it since you are essentially getting a free spell? Is it hard to attack with him? Is he often a dead draw?
Militia's Pride: Another card dependent on how many actual creature cards you run in the deck. I recall you mentioning this card is sick early game, but it often seems like a dead draw late game (falls under the same issues as top-decking land/mana ramp). Would you say it's worth running and drawing into late-game some games, just for the chance to be able to play this early game and get an explosive start with the tokens?
Hour of Reckoning Surprised you're running this since I think you or Lord said it wasn't effective against other token decks, even if it is mostly one-sided. I used to run this, but when that point was made, it made me realize that if I want a wrath, I really wan't a wrath. What made you change your mind?
EDIT: Also, I think you are greatly underestimating the power of Sound the alarm. I agree 2 1/1's on their own are underwhelming, especially in EDH, but if the deck is focused on mass producing tokens and pump, then 9/10 times they will not be alone, and they will not be 1/1. Even after a wrath it's a great quick way to start building up board presence again. They wrath, I play Sound the alarm end of their turn. On my turn I play any one of my other token producing cards, and I've already got an army of 5/6 1/1s built up (and that's assuming I don't have any pump effects in play already). Also, although I've never had to use it as such, Sound the Alarm can be a great combat trick, whether it serves as a means to chump block and live another turn, or take out a key creature that they figured they could safely swing into you with.
Not only is that not a long list, that's not a very good list. To add cards from it, we'd need to get rid of very good cards. To heck with it: Let's go full token!
-1 Preeminent Captain
-1 Militia's Pride
-1 Enlistment Officer
+1 Raise the Alarm - I still don't like it, but it's not a bad card. Also, I just realized that this card has quite a lot of synergy with Mentor of the Meek - play Mentor turn 3, then turn 4 leave mana open, and if you don't need to do anything else, drop this and draw 2 cards.
+1 Cloudgoat Ranger - It's not a soldier, but neither is Hero of Bladehold, and this guy gives you tokens for sure (and can get in for evasive damage). Not saying that it's better than Hero but...
+1 Decree of Justice - This seems like a good card. It's 6 mana for a card and three tokens, which isn't great, but it's 8 mana for a card and 5 tokens, which is getting there. Late game, it rocks. Not something I'd keep in an opening hand though.
EDIT: Note: I kept Ballyrush Banneret and Daru Warchief in because while they do require soldiers to be effective, they can always help you - Darien is a soldier, so they reduce his mana cost. The others don't have any interaction with Darien except for Militia's Pride, and we don't want to be attacking with Darien anyway.
Anyway, as for your Hour of Reckoning, that card always seems to help more than it hurts. I don't play token decks very often, even in a more or less random metagame (Cockatrice). If you can save your own creatures and kill a majority of your opponents, that's a very good way to win the game right then and there.
Not only is that not a long list, that's not a very good list. To add cards from it, we'd need to get rid of very good cards. To heck with it: Let's go full token!
-1 Preeminent Captain
-1 Militia's Pride
-1 Enlistment Officer
+1 Raise the Alarm - I still don't like it, but it's not a bad card)
+1 Cloudgoat Ranger - It's not a soldier, but neither is Hero of Bladehold, and this guy gives you tokens for sure (and can get in for evasive damage). Not saying that it's better than Hero but...
+1 Decree of Justice - This seems like a good card. It's 6 mana for a card and three tokens, which isn't great, but it's 8 mana for a card and 5 tokens, which is getting there. Late game, it rocks. Not something I'd keep in an opening hand though.
EDIT: Note: I kept Ballyrush Banneret and Daru Warchief in because while they do require soldiers to be effective, they can always help you - Darien is a soldier, so they reduce his mana cost. The others don't have any interaction with Darien except for Militia's Pride, and we don't want to be attacking with Darien anyway.
Anyway, as for your Hour of Reckoning, that card always seems to help more than it hurts. I don't play token decks very often, even in a more or less random metagame (Cockatrice). If you can save your own creatures and kill a majority of your opponents, that's a very good way to win the game right then and there.
I'm a little surprised you don't like Rhox Pikemaster. Everytime I pull that card out, my opponents come to a grinding halt as attacking me mean I get to swarm-block. First strike swarm-blocking means I win.
I've found Gideon's Lawkeeper, Goldmeadow Harrier, and Loyal Sentry to very great utility soldiers as they stop heavy threats in there tracks (assuming they don't have hexproof or something stupid like that)
In the end, Darien is such an awesome general, as you can build a tonne of different soldier decks out of him. Good times...:)
Darien protection and punishing your opponents seems good.
Bond looks interesting, but it's better in a deck that likes to sac it's own creatures. As for Cause, I don't think the effect is worth it, as we want them to hit us and direct damage cards are very rare in this format.
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Thanks to SushiOtter at Hakai Studios for the sig. Check them out!
Maybe I'm stupid or maybe someone mentioned it but why no Platinum Emperion? You still receive damage but your life total will not change. Seems kinda broken with Darien...
Wondering if anyone's tried Haazda Shield Mate? I found it in a foil binder and it looks great.
Looking at it, I don't think it would work. Since the damage is prevented, we would not receive soldier tokens, and we certainly don't want that!
Maybe I'm stupid or maybe someone mentioned it but why no Platinum Emperion? You still receive damage but your life total will not change. Seems kinda broken with Darien...
This guy does seem pretty nuts with Darien, but even for EDH it's a really expensive safeguard. Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant Essentially do the same thing (you take damage, but gain the life back so it's like your life never changed), except they only cost 1 mana, and both are tutorable by Ranger of Eos, which is a staple in this deck. Still, I could see some decks running this card as well, it's all personal preference really.
I realize I'm bumping a rather old topic, but it is the primer, and I found a new card that I think is really sweet tech for this deck, so I figured it was worth the bump for others to know about and discuss. The card I am referring to is Sivvi's Valor. It is essentially Jade Monolith, but in instant form. There are some advantages here:
1. Since it's an instant, no one will see it coming. Compared to Jade, where they know if they deal combat damage it will be redirected to you.
2. You can play it for FREE. Since 99% of the time you will be playing this with Darien on the field, you can just tap him to pay the alternate cost of the spell. This makes the spell even MORE elusive and sneaky!
3. In 1 vs 1 games you would be using this on one of your own attacking creatures to redirect to you. In multiplayer games this becomes a lot more interesting. you can use it to save someone's creature from damage, while netting some tokens for yourself!
4. Even without Darien out, you could always use it to save a key creature from combat, at the cost of life of course.
Good find on Sivvi's Valor! I had never seen that before.
I was excited about Darien because of the new Rod of Nin from M2013. Drawing an extra card and getting an extra Soldier every turn seems pretty good for 6 mana!
In addition, one of my favorite cards in white decks that no one has discussed is Crackdown. It just owns so many decks.
I really really hope Odric is a big help for Darien's Soldiers!
I go in a slightly different, less-tribal, more-token themed deck with Darien. This, however, mean I'm very, very dependant on Darien, which isn't optimal, but I have enough "competive" edh decks, I like having one to sit back on in case I'm up against a newer player.
Don't mistake it for being a bad deck, by any means. It just gets pretty much nerfed if Darien gets tucked.
Some cards that are great for it, though: Bullwhip Angel's Trumpet Arcum's Whistle - all three are rare colourless ways to force creatures to attack. Yes, your opponent may choose not to attack you, but if you choose wisely, at least if they attack you, they're guaranteed for their creature to survive. Jade Monolith - nobody's attacking you? No biggie.
Sorry if these have been suggested already.
Have you thought about running Soul Conduit? In my games mass removal happens so often that I get 4 chances at soul sisters before I have to reanimate them and soul conduit is a decent rattlesnake card that makes having a low life total scary.
I also run resolute archangel since I'm almost NEVER above 40 in darien.
EDIT: Also think about running urborg tomb of yawgmoth/karma. It's a quick way to widdle down life totals.
Archangel of Thune is outrageous in this deck, especially with soul warden or the others.
Depends on your build. If you're running enough life-gain to justify playing cards like Well of Lost Dreams then you're probably ok running this. I only have about 4 or 5 lifegain effects in my build so the Archangel would not be as effective there.
It's too bad the primer is dead. I've seen a resurgence of interest in Darien lately.
We can make a new primer happen. We have the technology. I have a primer under my belt already, with a crappy ghost town of a Patron of the Orochi thread that nobody ventures into.
I've taken my Darien deck (see link in sig) and turned it into a 'Hit me if you dare' style. The added unsurity seems to help when I can't field Darien safely.
Often opponents leave me alone and go after easier marks....until it's too late (add maniacal laugh here).
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
Talisman seems... ok. I am not a huge fan of 3 mana mana rocks, and they need to be very good (Darksteel Ingot, Coalition Relic) to impress me. In a deck that can hurt to play, it might find its uses.
Mentor of the Meek is a totally obvious inclusion who works perfectly in this strategy and is instantly one of the best cards in this deck. He might be better than Skullclamp in this deck. Seriously.
For the most part, I agree with you. Having your commander removed is an inherent risk towards playing EDH, and since Darien is a very powerful general, he'll often eat the removal that's specialized for generals (e.g. Spin into Myth). It is important to build a deck that can function without the general. However, don't fall into the trap of cutting powerful cards for substandard token producers such as Raise the Alarm. Still, some token producers are just fine. In particular, besides the creatures that spawn tokens, I like Cenn's Enlistment - in the late game, it turns even a topdecked land (normally a bad topdeck late) into two tokens. As well, I like Timely Reinforcements because in multiplayer, it's not hard to meet both conditions - unlike Even the Odds, it just looks for one player who meets the condition, they don't all have too.
I actually think that's the best thing about Darien. When he's out, either your opponents don't attack you, increasing your advantage, or they do, giving you soldiers and increasing your advantage further.
Thanks to SushiOtter at Hakai Studios for the sig. Check them out!
Standard:
GGGRDungrove Wolf RunGGGR
Modern:
URExarchMite KikiTwinUR
EDH:
GGGOmnathGGG
WWWDarienWWW
GGGEzuriGGG
Knight-Captain of Eos is one of my favorite cards in the deck...you can get really political with it in multiplayer games since you can exert control over combat with your "fog machine."
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Agreed. A repeatable fog is really good in any format.
MASSIVE UPDATES!
All of the new cards from Innistrad have been added, as well as some new cards. These are mostly cards that have been discussed in this thread in the past - no new tech for now. The decklist and card description are now fully up to date. Here are the changes for today:
+1 Mentor of the Meek - Instantly one of the best cards in this deck. A card advantage machine that allows you to tear through your library.
+1 Catapult Master - I've come around on this guy. Flexible, instant speed, exiling removal is too nice, even if the cost is high.
+1 Endless Horizons - This card seems pretty solid. It sucks if removed, but if I were playing against it, I'd save my permanent removal for something more threatening anyway.
+1 Caged Sun - Since I'm adding some new mana-dependant cards, having a lot of mana is nice. This card is on the edge, though.
+1 Swiftfoot Boots - my deck needs more Darien protection.
+1 Darksteel Plate - see Swiftfoot Boots.
+1 Luminarch Ascension - my feelings for this card have been elaborated in previous posts. Without Darien, it's still a powerhouse but it draws hate. With Darien, it creates a no-win situation for the opponents.
+1 Oblation - Versatile permanent and general removal which can also be used late game to draw cards. I'm never unhappy to have this card in hand.
+1 Scrying Sheets - this allows me to filter my deck, by adding...
+22 Snow-Covered Plains - flavorful with Darien, and next levels people using Extraplanar Lens and snow lands.
-1 Crovax, Ascendant Hero - on paper, he seems powerful, but he never seems to do anything. Too expensive for what he does.
-1 Jinxed Idol - Good with Darien, bad without.
-1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant - this is a tough cut, as I love her very much. Sadly, her first two abilities just aren't relevant and she dies before she uses the third.
-1 Raise the Alarm - This card is pretty weak, and doesn't deserve a deck spot. EDH is a format of power and this card doesn't provide it.
-1 Shared Triumph - Too many of these turn off some useful effects (Mentor, Skullclamp) and force me to run fewer actual creatures.
-1 Well of Lost Dreams - almost worthless without a soul effect out, and just a more expensive Mentor of the Meek with one.
-1 Lich's Tomb - I've never seemed to get good mileage out of this. It needs Darien out, and only works really well when there's also a soul effect out.
-1 Veteran Swordsmith - tough cut. Something had to go.
-1 Wrath of God - another tough cut.
-1 Kabira Crossroads - it doesn't do much, and cipt can hurt if you have early plays.
-22 Plains - making way for our new snowy
overlordslands.Thanks to SushiOtter at Hakai Studios for the sig. Check them out!
Standard:
GGGRDungrove Wolf RunGGGR
Modern:
URExarchMite KikiTwinUR
EDH:
GGGOmnathGGG
WWWDarienWWW
GGGEzuriGGG
Enlistment Officer: I had him in my deck for a while, but there were many times where I wouldn't turn up any soldier creatures. I ended up cutting him for dependable card draw in the form of Bottled Cloister, but I often think of bringing him back. How has he played out for you? In your deck it looks like there are only 12 soldiers he can turn up, but it looks like there is a decent chance you can at least draw into one of them. The body isn't terrible, but doesn't seem worth it for the price, especially if you don't draw into any soldiers.
Preeminent Captain: So enlistment Officer I was on the fence about, but I really don't think this guy is worth running. Absolutely insane when you've got captain of the watch in your hand, but otherwise, seem's like mediocre card advantage. You'd probably only get to fire him off once or twice at most, and that's assuming you can attack into somebody which might not be favorable for you on turn 4 if people have blockers. Just my two cents. I think he would be worth it if there were many more soldier bodies in your deck. In the times that you do get to put a soldier into play (that is not captain of the watch) do you find it to be worth it since you are essentially getting a free spell? Is it hard to attack with him? Is he often a dead draw?
Militia's Pride: Another card dependent on how many actual creature cards you run in the deck. I recall you mentioning this card is sick early game, but it often seems like a dead draw late game (falls under the same issues as top-decking land/mana ramp). Would you say it's worth running and drawing into late-game some games, just for the chance to be able to play this early game and get an explosive start with the tokens?
Hour of Reckoning Surprised you're running this since I think you or Lord said it wasn't effective against other token decks, even if it is mostly one-sided. I used to run this, but when that point was made, it made me realize that if I want a wrath, I really wan't a wrath. What made you change your mind?
EDIT: Also, I think you are greatly underestimating the power of Sound the alarm. I agree 2 1/1's on their own are underwhelming, especially in EDH, but if the deck is focused on mass producing tokens and pump, then 9/10 times they will not be alone, and they will not be 1/1. Even after a wrath it's a great quick way to start building up board presence again. They wrath, I play Sound the alarm end of their turn. On my turn I play any one of my other token producing cards, and I've already got an army of 5/6 1/1s built up (and that's assuming I don't have any pump effects in play already). Also, although I've never had to use it as such, Sound the Alarm can be a great combat trick, whether it serves as a means to chump block and live another turn, or take out a key creature that they figured they could safely swing into you with.
I actually think you're right about a lot of this - at the moment, I'm only running 15 soldier creatures maindeck (not including Darien), and a lot of our soldiers are based off of running other soldier creatures. This was actually a concern I was having earlier, but I figured I needed more testing. However, you're right - it is a big problem. Our options then become a. to run more soldiers, or b. to cut cards dependent on running soldiers and leave only token generation and pump. I ran a magiccards.info search of all white soldiers, and found these cards worthy of potentially running (cards with asterisks are barely viable):
Catapult Squad
Cenn's Tactician*
Gideon's Avenger
Gideon's Lawkeeper
Goldmeadow Harrier
Loyal Sentry
Major Teroh*
Rhox Pikemaster*
Soltari Champion
Veteran Armorsmith*
Veteran Swordsmith
Not only is that not a long list, that's not a very good list. To add cards from it, we'd need to get rid of very good cards. To heck with it: Let's go full token!
-1 Preeminent Captain
-1 Militia's Pride
-1 Enlistment Officer
+1 Raise the Alarm - I still don't like it, but it's not a bad card. Also, I just realized that this card has quite a lot of synergy with Mentor of the Meek - play Mentor turn 3, then turn 4 leave mana open, and if you don't need to do anything else, drop this and draw 2 cards.
+1 Cloudgoat Ranger - It's not a soldier, but neither is Hero of Bladehold, and this guy gives you tokens for sure (and can get in for evasive damage). Not saying that it's better than Hero but...
+1 Decree of Justice - This seems like a good card. It's 6 mana for a card and three tokens, which isn't great, but it's 8 mana for a card and 5 tokens, which is getting there. Late game, it rocks. Not something I'd keep in an opening hand though.
EDIT: Note: I kept Ballyrush Banneret and Daru Warchief in because while they do require soldiers to be effective, they can always help you - Darien is a soldier, so they reduce his mana cost. The others don't have any interaction with Darien except for Militia's Pride, and we don't want to be attacking with Darien anyway.
Anyway, as for your Hour of Reckoning, that card always seems to help more than it hurts. I don't play token decks very often, even in a more or less random metagame (Cockatrice). If you can save your own creatures and kill a majority of your opponents, that's a very good way to win the game right then and there.
Thanks to SushiOtter at Hakai Studios for the sig. Check them out!
Standard:
GGGRDungrove Wolf RunGGGR
Modern:
URExarchMite KikiTwinUR
EDH:
GGGOmnathGGG
WWWDarienWWW
GGGEzuriGGG
I'm a little surprised you don't like Rhox Pikemaster. Everytime I pull that card out, my opponents come to a grinding halt as attacking me mean I get to swarm-block. First strike swarm-blocking means I win.
I've found Gideon's Lawkeeper, Goldmeadow Harrier, and Loyal Sentry to very great utility soldiers as they stop heavy threats in there tracks (assuming they don't have hexproof or something stupid like that)
In the end, Darien is such an awesome general, as you can build a tonne of different soldier decks out of him. Good times...:)
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
Darien protection and punishing your opponents seems good.
Bond looks interesting, but it's better in a deck that likes to sac it's own creatures. As for Cause, I don't think the effect is worth it, as we want them to hit us and direct damage cards are very rare in this format.
Thanks to SushiOtter at Hakai Studios for the sig. Check them out!
Standard:
GGGRDungrove Wolf RunGGGR
Modern:
URExarchMite KikiTwinUR
EDH:
GGGOmnathGGG
WWWDarienWWW
GGGEzuriGGG
Pauper:
WW White Weenie WW
Looking at it, I don't think it would work. Since the damage is prevented, we would not receive soldier tokens, and we certainly don't want that!
This guy does seem pretty nuts with Darien, but even for EDH it's a really expensive safeguard. Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant Essentially do the same thing (you take damage, but gain the life back so it's like your life never changed), except they only cost 1 mana, and both are tutorable by Ranger of Eos, which is a staple in this deck. Still, I could see some decks running this card as well, it's all personal preference really.
I realize I'm bumping a rather old topic, but it is the primer, and I found a new card that I think is really sweet tech for this deck, so I figured it was worth the bump for others to know about and discuss. The card I am referring to is Sivvi's Valor. It is essentially Jade Monolith, but in instant form. There are some advantages here:
1. Since it's an instant, no one will see it coming. Compared to Jade, where they know if they deal combat damage it will be redirected to you.
2. You can play it for FREE. Since 99% of the time you will be playing this with Darien on the field, you can just tap him to pay the alternate cost of the spell. This makes the spell even MORE elusive and sneaky!
3. In 1 vs 1 games you would be using this on one of your own attacking creatures to redirect to you. In multiplayer games this becomes a lot more interesting. you can use it to save someone's creature from damage, while netting some tokens for yourself!
4. Even without Darien out, you could always use it to save a key creature from combat, at the cost of life of course.
I was excited about Darien because of the new Rod of Nin from M2013. Drawing an extra card and getting an extra Soldier every turn seems pretty good for 6 mana!
In addition, one of my favorite cards in white decks that no one has discussed is Crackdown. It just owns so many decks.
I really really hope Odric is a big help for Darien's Soldiers!
Don't mistake it for being a bad deck, by any means. It just gets pretty much nerfed if Darien gets tucked.
Some cards that are great for it, though:
Bullwhip
Angel's Trumpet
Arcum's Whistle - all three are rare colourless ways to force creatures to attack. Yes, your opponent may choose not to attack you, but if you choose wisely, at least if they attack you, they're guaranteed for their creature to survive.
Jade Monolith - nobody's attacking you? No biggie.
Sorry if these have been suggested already.
I also run resolute archangel since I'm almost NEVER above 40 in darien.
EDIT: Also think about running urborg tomb of yawgmoth/karma. It's a quick way to widdle down life totals.
I think it is safe to say that this is not really being updated currently.
Signature by Inkfox Aesthetics by Xen
[Modern] Allies
UG Ezuri... since been corrupted
BRG Prossh, the Sacrifice Engine
GR Bobo, the Mad Land-chucker (retired)
GU Kruphix, Open the Valves (retired)
UU Talrand, Spell Summoner (retired)
GG Ezuri, Ready-Made Leader (retired)
Depends on your build. If you're running enough life-gain to justify playing cards like Well of Lost Dreams then you're probably ok running this. I only have about 4 or 5 lifegain effects in my build so the Archangel would not be as effective there.
It's too bad the primer is dead. I've seen a resurgence of interest in Darien lately.
In spite of being old, this list has some pretty cool ideas. I think I'll run Luminarch Ascension in my 99. I'm also considering Worship and Ajani Goldmane.