I first put Darien together during my junior year of college (2010). It was the second EDH deck I had ever put together and I had been playing EDH for about a year before that and magic for about 2 years before that. I like to play political with most of my decks this included so this deck is not balls to the walls agro style. I’ve lost count the amount of games I’ve played with this deck. I’ve won a bunch and lost a bunch it would be unfair for me to say that I’ve won more then lost but I do like to think that over the last year or two it has increased in power a lot.
What?!?!!?!? you want to hear more about me?!??!?!?!?!
My IRL name is Darren and I have been playing magic for about 7 years now (Christ how time flies). My addiction to the game started when a friend of mine in Michigan would come round mine to hang out and we would play using his decks (he’s the one that taught me). I took about a year break from the game when I moved to CT and didn’t know anyone who played. Then I got a job at GAMESTOP and every Sunday after we closed me and the guys would go to our local comic shop and draft. When I went off to college a friend of mine introduced me to EDH and ever since then I have been hooked on the format and gave up playing standard a long time ago. I am currently spending a year in Japan teaching English and play online using cockatrice (my username is the same as my MTGS name if anyone wants to play).
Why I love playing Darien:
What’s not to love about swarming the table with a bunch of 1/1 Soldiers that suddenly turn into 6/6 soldiers through pumps? “Come at me bro” has become the motto of the deck to the point where one drunken night I got some white out covered the flavor text and painted Come at me bro over it (will be uploading a picture soon). At first I regretted it but now I love it. The deck has the ability to win out of nowhere much to the surprise of the table. It’s also very fun to show those blue green and black players that mono whites still got it (I don’t mention red here because I honestly believe that mono white is better than mono red)
What’s wrong with this guy?
He’s only white. Considered to the one of the weakest colors in the color pie, you don’t have the tutor power of black, the ramp power of green or the control power of blue. Once again it’s my personal opinion that white is still better then red though (you may think I’m wrong but there’s other threads to argue that). Only having access to white is a serious issue for us but it means that our mana base is relatively cheap and is easy for beginners to try (I like to lend this deck out to people who are just getting started into EDH). Darien aint no cheap date either his high CMC for a body that’s within bolt range is also an issue especially when you have to cast him for a fourth time in a game. Try to only summon him when you can protect him or when there’s no blue open for him to get countered
Why play Darien:
You like to have a chunk of dudes which you beef up and alpha swing people
You like to say “come at me bro” whenever Darien is out
You like the challenge of playing what’s considered one of the weaker colors
Why not play Darien:
You like to combo
You like multicolored decks
You like to pillowfort
Deck History
When I first set my eyes upon this man I was blown away by his ability “WWWHHHHAAAATTTT!!!!!!! Free dudes if someone hits me?!?!?!?!?!” I didn’t care about his mana cost (this is EDH after all) and at the time I was running a tribal soldier standard deck so I thought that he would make the perfect port over to the EDH side of things. The deck was originally heavy on the soldier theme (when I theme a deck I tend to go all out on the theme) it included bad cards that included but not limited to Veteran Swordsmith, Elite Vanguard and Palace Guard. But as I became more familiar with the deck and how to play it, I began to swap those god awful cards out for cards like Land tax and Mentor of the Meek. The deck has slowly moved away from straight soldiers to some soldiers, some angels and other creatures that generally support the game plan and help stop other players (see Spirit of the Labyrinth ect). Another issue that I ran into was that once I had Darien out no one would attack me, sounds great right? Wrong. We want people to hit us when we have Darien is out, he’s one of our main ways to generate an army. Now granted I have summoned him before just to discourage an attack. Telling the person that if he swings at me it was all coming back at him next turn is a surprisingly effective threat. So to counteract the passiveness of other players when Darien is out we hit ourselves in the face. We do this by including every land in magic that deals us damage when tapped and is also legal in the deck. These include such beauties as Ancient Tomb and City of Brass. “We’ll build our own army with blackjack and hookers…….in fact forget the army” (points go to peeps that can call where that’s from).
The soldier generation off of damage is also the reason why we’re running all the soul sisters in magic in this deck. Why you ask? Because with Darien and a soul sister out this is what happens when we get hit: opponent hits us 20, we take all of it getting hit for 20 and netting 20 dudes in the process of damage. Soul sister sees all our dudes come into play and we gain all that sweet juicy life back. It’s a semi invincible combo though; we can still die to general damage, alpha strike (you have to take the damage before you get the dudes) and then there’s the age old dies to doomblade argument. So just make sure when we’re getting hit that you take enough damage to not kill us.
Below are my reasonings behind why we run the cards we run and the ones that didnt quite make the cut (you're more then welcome to try them and post here with your results
Creatures:
Darien, King of Kjeldor: duh he’s the general we wouldn’t have a deck without him Archangel of Thune: Makes the army bigger and works very nicely with our soul sisters Auriok Champion: The best soul sister in the deck, the pro black and red make her extremely resilient Avacyn, Angel of Hope: Indestructibility is good last time I checked. Just keep some removal in hand in case she’s stolen or protect her with some Grieves. Burnished Heart: This guy is fast turning into a staple in any deck that doesn’t play green as soon as I saw him I wanted him in here. Catapult Master: being able to exile creatures on a whim is pretty awesome and generating 5 soldiers isn’t that hard. Since the ability does not have the {Tap} symbol you can use it the turn he comes out and you can use him as well Captain of the Watch: It slices it dices it does everything. Generating 3 soldiers on ETB, giving your dudes vigilance and +1+1 is really nice for this deck so that we can still block if needed. If these abilities were on separate cards it would not make the cut. Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite: Boost our dudes while making others smaller? It’s a must in any deck that uses tokens and helps fight against token decks as well. Healer of the Pride: Another soul sister, this one nets us two life instead of one but at a higher CMC, still worth a place in the deck. Hero of Bladehold: This is the only source of battle cry in the deck. I’m not a hige fan of the mechanic but since she generates us 2 dudes on the swing as well makes her worth it (the fact that I have a sexy pack foils means nothing either). Mother of Runes: we don’t have many creatures in the deck but those that we do run we want to protect and it also can be grabbed by Ranger of Eos. Mentor of the Meek: this deck likes its weenies and drawing off them is always nice especially when white is the worse color in magic for card draw. Mirror Entity: a deck MVP. This dude wins games. Swing with a bunch of 1/1’s, all of a sudden their 7/7’s Odric, Master Tactician: Being able to kill utility creatures/ generals is great while you let the rest of your army go unblocked, or just go all out and make your entire army unblocked. Ranger of Eos: being able to tutor up soul sisters or other valuable 1 drop’s like Weathered Wafarer is really nice. Serra Ascendant: what’s not to love about a 6/6 life linking flyer? Soul Warden: my second favorite soul sister simply because we have no choice but to gain the life meaning if we forget the trigger we will gain it regardless as long as it’s still your turn. Soul's Attendant: soul sister, and Ranger of Eos target nuff said Spirit of the Labyrinth: because F#*”k you blue. But seriously shutting down peoples extra draw may put a target on our head for the blue layers but the people who aren’t playing draw spells may actually try and protect it (like I said I like to play politically) also searchable with Enlightened Tutor. Stoneforge Mystic: although we don’t run much for equipment in this deck what we do run is pretty important so having a way to fetch em up is pretty useful Sun Titan: when Primeval Titan got banned this instantly took the place of top titan. Reusable recursion is amazing and we’re never sad to see him. Suture Priest: a soul sister that can also hurt other token players is a really nice way to fight them. Weathered Wayfarer: 80% of the time there will be a green player at the table and that’s where this guy really shines. Regardless being able to tutor up any land in the deck can be really nice for finding out damage lands.
Creatures that didn't make the cut:
Preeminent Captain: surprisingly this deck doesn’t actually run that many soldiers (only six!) and half of those are utility creatures that we don’t want to attack with in the first place. Field Marshal: First strike doesn’t really matter too much when we are throwing soldiers at people. The pump is nice but at the same time we would rather pay 3 more mana for Captain of the Watch to get 3 more dudes for free and vigilance. In multiplayer EDH vigilence>first strike Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: I’ve actually been debating about Thalia for a while but the fact that she makes our spells cost more as well is kinda annoying especially when the deck contains 42 noncreature spells. But then again I would also think that is a meta call as well. World Queller: One of the original 100 this card is awesome at getting rid of problem perms that white is issues with. Being able to nuke multiple planeswalkers by uttering one word is really nice. Not saying it’s a bad card it just has too slow to compete with in this deck. A nice budget alternative though. Soldier of the Pantheon: Unless you’re going the agro rout stay away from this guy. He doesn’t really do anything to support the deck and the protection from multicolored seems underwhelming in a 4 way game. Aegis of the Gods: This is another guy that I have been debating. He’s searchable with any enchantment tutor which is nice and giving yourself hexproof is actually pretty undervalued I feel. Again I would say that this guy is a meta call. Daru Warchief: Like with the Preeminent Captain there just aren’t enough actually soldiers in the deck for his soldiers cost 1 less to cast to actually matter. That and we would rather pump power over toughness. Intrepid Hero: Underwhelming, it’s almost like a Royal Assassin I just can’t tell which one is worse. Loxodon Gatekeeper: This card will literally piss off the entire table. I’ve never played with it but I’m not a fan of playing arch enemy with a mono white deck. Brimaz, King of Oreskos: I haven’t actually been able to test this guy out yet he looks promising as of now though I don’t think that he’s worth his current price tag for me to trade for him. Knight of the White Orchid: the ramp is nice and I would like to include him but I feel like there’s just no room to be able to cut him in. Haazda Shield Mate: Upkeep costs suck plain and simple, especially in a deck where mana is extremely precious to us.
Artifact choices
Akroma's Memorial: Do I really have to mention how awesome this is when you have a bunch of dudes out? Caged Sun: mana doublers are awesome with mono colored decks especially when they come with a pump Coat of Arms: we gotta be real careful with this card for while it can win us games it can also loose us games. We generally only ever play it the turn we decide to either win or at least knock out 2 players. Eldrazi Monument: Flying, Indestrucible and +1+1. What’s not to like about this? Oh the upkeep cost? Darien laughs at it. Gauntlet of Power: see Caged Sun Leonin Sun Standard: this card wins games. Repeatable pump is awesome, swing and pump baby. Lightning Greaves: A staple in most decks, this included being able to protect our good creatures is key to our overall game plan Mind's Eye: drawing cards wins games and being able to use your spare mana to draw off other peoples draws is awesome Skullclamp: So broken they banned it Legacy. This card is an MVP for this deck. Tap a pain land for mana, get a dude, use the mana to clamp him and draw 2 cards. Slate of Ancestry: wheeling for how many dudes you have is awesome especially when we can easily have 7+ dudes on the board at any one time Sol Ring: staple, nuff said. Staff of Nin: card draw plus the ability to either nuke utility creatures or hit our selfs in the face is nice. Sword of Light and Shadow: the only sword in the deck since it protects against the most commonly ran spot removal spells and being able to regowth our creatures is nice in a color where it’s a little hard Tormod's Crypt: always gotta pack a little GY hate just in case but it is also a meta call on my part. If you don’t have any GY decks in your meta then there’s a free space for you.
Artifacts that didn’t make the cut:
Jinxed Idol: this is an interesting card for while the free damage is awesome if we have Darien and a cool response to a wrath I’m not a fan of cards that just hit me I usually like them to do other things to. Whispersilk Cloak: while protecting creatures and making them unblockable is nice the unblockable is usually not needed and it’s too much mana for just shroud Sensei's Divining Top: with not reliable way to constantly shuffle our library and restricted ways to tutor for it we don’t really need this in the deck Scroll Rack: another card that I had in the original 100 with the idea to combo with Land tax but for all the games I had with it I was never able to get the dream combo online. I may put it back in the deck. It’s on the short list Swiftfoot boots: no room for it, having too much protection can be a bad thing
Enchantments:
Cathars' Crusade: although it can be a bit of a pain in the ass to keep track off (lots of dice) this card is amazing in this deck especially if we can get a chunk of soldiers at once since they would all see each other come into play. Endless Horizons: like with Coat of Arms this card can be a little risky since if our opponents blow it up all the plains exiled with it are gone. Which is why we need to play it strategically, early game grab only a few lands, say 4. Mid game grab like 9. Late game, grab them all. Land Tax: hands down the best ramp in the deck, especially brutal if you combo it with Scroll rack Martyr's Cause: having sac fodder is not hard in this deck and since the enchantment doesn’t actually target its perfect for voltron generals who like to protect themselves. Mobilization: Mana sink for dudes and gives my dudes vigilance. Testing this right now it may be cut but we’ll see. Oblivion Ring: getting rid of problem perms is always nice. If you can somehow get rid of the ring while the trigger is on the stack then the thing is exiled permanently. Righteous Aura: See Marytr’s cause, though instead of losing a dude we’re paying a mana and 2 life. I generally like Martyr’s Cause better because I can help other people out if I want (I like to play politically)
Enchantments that didn’t make the cut:
Luminarch Ascension: this in an interesting card. While to forces oppoanents to either hit you and give you dudes (don’t play without having Darien out unless its turn 2) or let you be and get one of the best mana sinks ever printed online. This will also paint a huge target on your head and once again the game turns into arch enemy. A powerful card, use at your own risk. Honor of the Pure: the single pump is not that good and it does nothing else. Not a fan of this at all though I’ve seen it in other decks. Marshal's Anthem: one of the original 100. It’s really expensive for what it does. True Conviction: one of the cards I’ve always played around with putting in the deck but I’ve just never been able to justify taking something else out for it. The abilities are nice but we would usually just prefer a straight up pump. Leyline of Sanctity: this is more of a meta call then anything but giving yourself shroud can actually protect you from a number of cards. Militia's Pride: 90% of the time we are attacking with tokens so this enchantment seems a little hit or miss on whether you would ever get value out of it
Instants:
Enlightened Tutor: having 22 targets for an instant speed tutor is really nice, especially when you play it for a turn one land tax Oblation: shuffles problem permanents away, (including generals) at the meager price of 3 mana and allowing them draw two cards. Path to Exile: a staple in generally every deck that runs white. 1 mana, exile and give them a land, some of the best spot removal in the format. Return to Dust: being able to answer problem enchantments and artifacts is an issue with mono white (short of wiping the board). I generally cast this at sorcery speed just to get full value out of it but being able to answer at instant speed if the need requires is also really nice. Rootborn Defenses: this is sweet anti wrath tech and it nets you a free dude. Combo it with a wrath during our turn to swing free. Swords to Plowshares: see Path to Exile, only it’s better since your only giving them life and not a land which is way better. Tithe: 99% of the time you won’t have the most lands in play so this card should basically read (W) instant: search your library for two plains cards and put them into your hand (can also fetch you Mistvield plains if you run it). Unexpectedly Absent: cast it for zero in response to any shuffle effect and boom you just shuffled it into their library for a measly 2 mana. On the other hand you could just cast it to postpone something so you can win.
Instants that didn't make the cut:
Condemn: a very good form of removal but it requires a creature to be attacking to be able to use it. Too much of a requirement for us, especially when you want to be taking care of creatures before their controllers can suite them up in boots and swords Angel's Grace: This card was originally in the deck but I ended up taking it out due to it never reaching its potential. It seemed that every time I needed it I didn’t have it and every time I had it I didn’t need it. Still its good tech in which you can save yourself from an alpha strike, get all the dudes and then hopefully gain a crap ton of life. Crib Swap: too much mana for what it does in my opinion especially since we already have access to some of the best spot removal in the game. Brave the Elements: this can’t protect against most wipes and I would also rather have a pump effect when swinging. Fated Retribution: this is a competitor with Rout at an instant speed wrath. I generally prefer rout to this simply because I can socery speed it at a cheaper cost if I really need to. If you have a planes walker issue in your play group then I suggest this over Rout. But as it is I don’t have any such infestation
Sorceries:
Austere Command: one of the best wraths in the format hands down. A staple in almost any deck that runs white Decree of Justice: I have never cast it for its angel cost, rather being able to get an almost uncounterable mana sink army while drawing a card at the end of an opponent’s turn is realllllllll nice. This can also be used for some emergency blockers if the need is there. Final Judgment: because sometimes you’re up against an indestructible army or someone who can recur all their creatures just as easily as you can wrath them away. Launch the Fleet: A mana sink army that also comes into play attacking is nice. keeping a close eye on this one right now since it has yet to earn its place in the deck. Martial Coup: wraths and makes dudes in the process, especially good when you have some pump on the field. Planar Cleansing: sometimes you gotta blow up the world and this is one of the best cards to do the job with. Remember the Fallen: this is a recent addition to the deck but I have yet to be disappointed with it. Getting 2 cards for 3 mana is nice I wish it could target enchantments as well though. Rout: While technically a sorcery we all know that most of the time we will be casting this at instant speed and paying the extra mana. The reason this beats Fated Retribution is simply because sometimes I can’t afford 7 mana and I can afford 5
Sorceries’ that couldn’t quite make the cut:
Wrath of God: the old school original wrath. But I like my wraths to do something other than just blow up creatures. Mass Calcify: This card competes with Rout at the 7 mana wrath slot and rout wins simple because of being able to cast at instant speed. Even though it doesn’t hit our creatures it also may wiff in being able to hit our opponent’s creatures. Hallowed Burial: this card competes with Final Judgement and the age old question of exiling vs bottom of library. I prefer the exile for this deck and it boils down to one reason; our ability to tutor for creatures is very limited where as other colors are better at and could potentially get their creatures back. While yes it can bury generals which is awesome I know a few play groups that play the house rule that if a general gets buried then they may exile it to the command zone instead. conqueror's pledge: never been a fan of this card 5 mana for 6 dudes that isn’t repeatable that doesn’t do anything else doesn’t seem that good to me. And let’s face we’re hardly ever going to kick it. Nomad’s Assembly: I was a huge fan of this card initially being able to double your army (twice) was awesome. It was in the original 100 but for while but it seemed that every time I would play it someone would wrath and then the rebound would fissle leaving me with nothing. It’s a great card just not for my meta. Devout Invocation: I’d rather just swing out with my dudes when risk waiting another turn and having them get wrathed away. Storm Herd: the life total in this deck is so temperamental that half the time when you have this card and can afford it your life total is stupidly low.
Planes walkers:
Elspeth Tirel: has the potential to gain me a lot of life, makes 3 dudes and can wrath the board of everything accept tokens is real nice. Elspeth, Knight-Errant: this is one that I get the most heat about running. She is there to pump out soldiers and if you can get her ult off it may as well be game over for the rest of the table. Elspeth, Sun's Champion: this is my fav planes walker in the deck. She makes 3 dudes on the + and can immediately wrath the board of fatties as soon as she comes in. her ult aint nothing to turn your nose up either.
Planes walkers that cant walk:
Ajani Goldmane: this guy used to be in the deck but hes basically useless unless you have an army out. Ajani Steadfast: see above and also his ult is bad for this deck Ajani Caller, of the Pride: dam how many of these are they going to make (not including the off color ones) This Planes walker is just bad and doesn’t even make soldiers. Gideon Jura: I’ve always like this guy in 60 card but in EDH making everyone attack you is a bad idea Gideon, Champion of Justice: depending on board state you could ult this guy real fast and is the next competitor for a planes walker in the deck but exiling our own stuff when you’re probably the one feeding him seems bad.
Lands:
Ancient Tomb: The best of the pain lands that we have in the deck. Combos with skull clamp and Darien effectively paying 2 mana and 2 life to draw 4 cards, next stop value town. Cavern of Souls: my suggestion would be to choose human for the creature type since a lot of the creatures are human. Either that or angels. City of Brass: another good pain land. Emeria, the Sky Ruin: being able to pop your dudes back into play for free at the beginning of your turn is awesome I would suggest running this in any mono white or 2 color deck. Forbidding Watchtower: been thinking of taking this out for a plains for a while but having access to an emergency blocker can be nice. Grand Coliseum: a nice pain land since you don’t have to actually take damage from it if you don’t want to. Nomad Stadium: the worst of the pain lands, but pain is pain. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: Suedo Cabal coffers in white seems good Reliquary Tower: believe it or not but sometimes this deck gets a huge had and if we can avoid having to discard it we’re happy. Strip Mine: Staple, nuff said Tarnished Citadel: taps for 1 colorless when darien isn’t out or taps for a white and bolts us into 3 dudes when he is my second fav pain land. Thawing Glaciers: I consider this card a staple in any deck that doesn’t run green for ramp. Sure it’s slow, but slow ramp is better than no ramp. Thespian's Stage: being able to copy our pain lands is awesome or copy someones Cabal Coffers when theres an Urbog on the field is real nice. Windbrisk Heights: Attacking with three or more creatures is real easy with this deck.
Lands that just couldn’t quite blossom:
Kjeldoran Outpost: the most recent change in the deck. This land is can be a huge strip mine target early game and getting two for oned is never nice. With it I was effectively running 37 lands not 38 so I switched it out for mobilization. Homeward Path: this card is a meta call. If you have a bunch of thieves in your meta I would totally run it but as of now I don’t have that many in mine. Ghost Quarter: once again a meta call if you have some people that like to play lands deck run it otherwise I’ve always found that Strip mine has been enough for me. Tectonic Edge: see above.
Now know the list and you know the alternative card options. Now how the hell do you pilot this beast:
Side note: This is not meant to be an agro deck. It has agro elements but in no way should you be playing it like one unless you have a god hand or are in a 1v1 situation.
OK now we got that out the way we can talk about how to run this bad boy. First things first you need to know how I like to play EDH. I like to play politics, EDH to me is about chilling out with friends and having a fun time, making and breaking agreements, threatening people and offering favor in return for mercy. I like to interact with people even if my deck doesn’t.
We have discussed some of white’s weaknesses in EDH and one of its biggest is the lack or ramp. In a world full of green if your starting had has some form of ramp in it I suggest you keep it since it’s rare in this color.
Early Game:
Generally the first couple of turns in the deck is land, pass (as it is in a lot of mono decks) if you have any ramp then I suggest you get it online asap. Having a turn one land tax can put you in a very advantageous position. Like I said above this deck is not an agro deck so we don’t want to be putting any huge targets on our heads unless we can protect ourselves (apart from a turn one Serra Ascendant you always do a turn one Serra Ascendant)
Mid Game:
This is where the deck likes to shine. There’s no rush to get Darien out but once he is out try to protect him. A lot of this deck is reactive, as always be careful not to over extend and get blown out by one wrath, I would only really start swinging if the person is defenseless or if you have some sort of pump on the board. As always if you have a soul sister play her with Darien on the field. If you have multiple soul sisters in your hand don’t play them all at one save them for when you next cast Darien (most games you will be casting him more than once). If people are refusing to hit you start insulting their mothers that has been known to work.
Late Game:
This is generally where all politics go out the window. Play your bomby spells and start beating people in the face if your get wrathed away no worries its late game and you can rebuild an army faster than most because of Darien and at this point you should have some sort of pain land or two out. Start going after the biggest threat because while we can rebuild easily it’s still doesn’t mean we lost the weakness that is mono white.
So thats it. Thats Darien, King of Kjeldor and how to play him. I hope that I have inspired you lovely people to play this interesting and unique commander.
suddenly realized that I forgot to put the General in the deck list thanks for the heads up, fixed.
I have the couple of damage prevention cards in there for when I'm against voltrons or just getting swung at when Darien isnt out
I have tried Preeminent Captain, Field Marshal and Honor of the Pure. I didn't like the captain because I was finding that a lot of the time when I had him out the soldiers I had in my hand I wanted to protect and not swing with. I took out the field marshal because I'm not a fan of the small buff and first strike generally isn't something I care about when I'm swinging with a bunch of dudes. I'd rather just make them huge with my other pump effects, I choose Captain of the Watch over him because I think that vigilance is better then first strike and she gets dudes. For honor of the pure, like I said before I'm not a huge fan of small buffs. I've been considering Thalia and Aegis for a while now but I'm not a fan of Soldier of the Pantheon gaining one life of a multicolored spell doesn't seem that good in the scope of things in EDH.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I will be typing up deck lists as soon as I an be bothered, I really only play EDH:
suddenly realized that I forgot to put the General in the deck list thanks for the heads up, fixed.
I have the couple of damage prevention cards in there for when I'm against voltrons or just getting swung at when Darien isnt out
I have tried Preeminent Captain, Field Marshal and Honor of the Pure. I didn't like the captain because I was finding that a lot of the time when I had him out the soldiers I had in my hand I wanted to protect and not swing with. I took out the field marshal because I'm not a fan of the small buff and first strike generally isn't something I care about when I'm swinging with a bunch of dudes. I'd rather just make them huge with my other pump effects, I choose Captain of the Watch over him because I think that vigilance is better then first strike and she gets dudes. For honor of the pure, like I said before I'm not a huge fan of small buffs. I've been considering Thalia and Aegis for a while now but I'm not a fan of Soldier of the Pantheon gaining one life of a multicolored spell doesn't seem that good in the scope of things in EDH.
Yeah, some of these things would be better in strict Soldier tribal or regular 60 card 4 of each constructed.
fated retribution just seems like so much mana, there you could bury with rout at instant for the same price or 2 less during your turn. What about rootborn defenses it is a unique effect so it probably makes for good EDH when it works. ranger of eos seems like the fog would often be kinda bad for you. cloudgoat ranger, conquoror's pledge, and decree of justice make pretty good soldier tokens, though I'm sure you've considered these.
-------EDIT-------
Okay I'm an idiot haha...wow >.<'
My original reply was asking why you were playing pain lands. lmao...
For some reason I thought Darien only gave you the tokens when you took damage from an opponent. Just re-read the card and now feel quite like a fool!
Very nice deck! I love Mono W in commander! This looks like a lot of fun!!
Mana Crypt, though absurdly expensive, is nuts with Darien on the field. Its drawback is entirely neutralized. You might also want Blood of the Martyr, it's super cute in this deck.
My Experience with Darien:
What?!?!!?!? you want to hear more about me?!??!?!?!?!
Why I love playing Darien:
What’s wrong with this guy?
Why play Darien:
Why not play Darien:
Deck History
The soldier generation off of damage is also the reason why we’re running all the soul sisters in magic in this deck. Why you ask? Because with Darien and a soul sister out this is what happens when we get hit: opponent hits us 20, we take all of it getting hit for 20 and netting 20 dudes in the process of damage. Soul sister sees all our dudes come into play and we gain all that sweet juicy life back. It’s a semi invincible combo though; we can still die to general damage, alpha strike (you have to take the damage before you get the dudes) and then there’s the age old dies to doomblade argument. So just make sure when we’re getting hit that you take enough damage to not kill us.
The Deck:
1x Darien, King of Kjeldor
Creatures: (21)
1x Archangel of Thune
1x Auriok Champion
1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1x Burnished heart
1x Catapult Master
1x Captain of the Watch
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Healer of the Pride
1x Hero of Bladehold
1x Mother of runes
1x Mentor of the Meek
1x Mirror Entity
1x Odric, Master Tactician
1x Serra Ascendant
1x Soul Warden
1x Soul's Attendant
1x Spirit of the Labyrinth
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Sun Titan
1x Suture Priest
1x Weathered Wayfarer
Artifacts: (14)
1x Akroma's Memorial
1x Caged Sun
1x Coat of Arms
1x Eldrazi Monument
1x Gauntlet of Power
1x Leonin Sun Standard
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Mind's Eye
1x Skullclamp
1x Slate of Ancestry
1x Sol Ring
1x Staff of Nin
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
1x Tormod's Crypt
1x Cathars' Crusade
1x Endless Horizons
1x Land Tax
1x Martyr's Cause
1x Mobilization
1x Oblivion Ring
1x Righteous Aura
Instants: (9)
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Oblation
1x Path to Exile
1x Return to Dust
1x Rootborn Defenses
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Tithe
1x Unexpectedly Absent
Sorceries: (7)
1x Austere Command
1x Decree of Justice
1x Final Judgment
1x Launch the Fleet
1x Martial Coup
1x Planar Cleansing
1x Remember the Fallen
1x Rout
Planes Walkers: (3)
1x Elspeth Tirel
1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1x Ancient Tomb
1x Cavern of Souls
1x City of Brass
1x Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1x Forbidding Watchtower
1x Grand Coliseum
1x Nomad Stadium
1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
24x Plains
1x Reliquary Tower
1x Strip Mine
1x Tarnished Citadel
1x Thawing Glaciers
1x Thespian's Stage
1x Windbrisk Heights
Card choices:
Below are my reasonings behind why we run the cards we run and the ones that didnt quite make the cut (you're more then welcome to try them and post here with your results
Creatures:
Darien, King of Kjeldor: duh he’s the general we wouldn’t have a deck without him
Archangel of Thune: Makes the army bigger and works very nicely with our soul sisters
Auriok Champion: The best soul sister in the deck, the pro black and red make her extremely resilient
Avacyn, Angel of Hope: Indestructibility is good last time I checked. Just keep some removal in hand in case she’s stolen or protect her with some Grieves.
Burnished Heart: This guy is fast turning into a staple in any deck that doesn’t play green as soon as I saw him I wanted him in here.
Catapult Master: being able to exile creatures on a whim is pretty awesome and generating 5 soldiers isn’t that hard. Since the ability does not have the {Tap} symbol you can use it the turn he comes out and you can use him as well
Captain of the Watch: It slices it dices it does everything. Generating 3 soldiers on ETB, giving your dudes vigilance and +1+1 is really nice for this deck so that we can still block if needed. If these abilities were on separate cards it would not make the cut.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite: Boost our dudes while making others smaller? It’s a must in any deck that uses tokens and helps fight against token decks as well.
Healer of the Pride: Another soul sister, this one nets us two life instead of one but at a higher CMC, still worth a place in the deck.
Hero of Bladehold: This is the only source of battle cry in the deck. I’m not a hige fan of the mechanic but since she generates us 2 dudes on the swing as well makes her worth it (the fact that I have a sexy pack foils means nothing either).
Mother of Runes: we don’t have many creatures in the deck but those that we do run we want to protect and it also can be grabbed by Ranger of Eos.
Mentor of the Meek: this deck likes its weenies and drawing off them is always nice especially when white is the worse color in magic for card draw.
Mirror Entity: a deck MVP. This dude wins games. Swing with a bunch of 1/1’s, all of a sudden their 7/7’s
Odric, Master Tactician: Being able to kill utility creatures/ generals is great while you let the rest of your army go unblocked, or just go all out and make your entire army unblocked.
Ranger of Eos: being able to tutor up soul sisters or other valuable 1 drop’s like Weathered Wafarer is really nice.
Serra Ascendant: what’s not to love about a 6/6 life linking flyer?
Soul Warden: my second favorite soul sister simply because we have no choice but to gain the life meaning if we forget the trigger we will gain it regardless as long as it’s still your turn.
Soul's Attendant: soul sister, and Ranger of Eos target nuff said
Spirit of the Labyrinth: because F#*”k you blue. But seriously shutting down peoples extra draw may put a target on our head for the blue layers but the people who aren’t playing draw spells may actually try and protect it (like I said I like to play politically) also searchable with Enlightened Tutor.
Stoneforge Mystic: although we don’t run much for equipment in this deck what we do run is pretty important so having a way to fetch em up is pretty useful
Sun Titan: when Primeval Titan got banned this instantly took the place of top titan. Reusable recursion is amazing and we’re never sad to see him.
Suture Priest: a soul sister that can also hurt other token players is a really nice way to fight them.
Weathered Wayfarer: 80% of the time there will be a green player at the table and that’s where this guy really shines. Regardless being able to tutor up any land in the deck can be really nice for finding out damage lands.
Creatures that didn't make the cut:
Field Marshal: First strike doesn’t really matter too much when we are throwing soldiers at people. The pump is nice but at the same time we would rather pay 3 more mana for Captain of the Watch to get 3 more dudes for free and vigilance. In multiplayer EDH vigilence>first strike
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: I’ve actually been debating about Thalia for a while but the fact that she makes our spells cost more as well is kinda annoying especially when the deck contains 42 noncreature spells. But then again I would also think that is a meta call as well.
World Queller: One of the original 100 this card is awesome at getting rid of problem perms that white is issues with. Being able to nuke multiple planeswalkers by uttering one word is really nice. Not saying it’s a bad card it just has too slow to compete with in this deck. A nice budget alternative though.
Soldier of the Pantheon: Unless you’re going the agro rout stay away from this guy. He doesn’t really do anything to support the deck and the protection from multicolored seems underwhelming in a 4 way game.
Aegis of the Gods: This is another guy that I have been debating. He’s searchable with any enchantment tutor which is nice and giving yourself hexproof is actually pretty undervalued I feel. Again I would say that this guy is a meta call.
Daru Warchief: Like with the Preeminent Captain there just aren’t enough actually soldiers in the deck for his soldiers cost 1 less to cast to actually matter. That and we would rather pump power over toughness.
Intrepid Hero: Underwhelming, it’s almost like a Royal Assassin I just can’t tell which one is worse.
Loxodon Gatekeeper: This card will literally piss off the entire table. I’ve never played with it but I’m not a fan of playing arch enemy with a mono white deck.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos: I haven’t actually been able to test this guy out yet he looks promising as of now though I don’t think that he’s worth his current price tag for me to trade for him.
Knight of the White Orchid: the ramp is nice and I would like to include him but I feel like there’s just no room to be able to cut him in.
Haazda Shield Mate: Upkeep costs suck plain and simple, especially in a deck where mana is extremely precious to us.
Artifact choices
Akroma's Memorial: Do I really have to mention how awesome this is when you have a bunch of dudes out?
Caged Sun: mana doublers are awesome with mono colored decks especially when they come with a pump
Coat of Arms: we gotta be real careful with this card for while it can win us games it can also loose us games. We generally only ever play it the turn we decide to either win or at least knock out 2 players.
Eldrazi Monument: Flying, Indestrucible and +1+1. What’s not to like about this? Oh the upkeep cost? Darien laughs at it.
Gauntlet of Power: see Caged Sun
Leonin Sun Standard: this card wins games. Repeatable pump is awesome, swing and pump baby.
Lightning Greaves: A staple in most decks, this included being able to protect our good creatures is key to our overall game plan
Mind's Eye: drawing cards wins games and being able to use your spare mana to draw off other peoples draws is awesome
Skullclamp: So broken they banned it Legacy. This card is an MVP for this deck. Tap a pain land for mana, get a dude, use the mana to clamp him and draw 2 cards.
Slate of Ancestry: wheeling for how many dudes you have is awesome especially when we can easily have 7+ dudes on the board at any one time
Sol Ring: staple, nuff said.
Staff of Nin: card draw plus the ability to either nuke utility creatures or hit our selfs in the face is nice.
Sword of Light and Shadow: the only sword in the deck since it protects against the most commonly ran spot removal spells and being able to regowth our creatures is nice in a color where it’s a little hard
Tormod's Crypt: always gotta pack a little GY hate just in case but it is also a meta call on my part. If you don’t have any GY decks in your meta then there’s a free space for you.
Artifacts that didn’t make the cut:
Jinxed Idol: this is an interesting card for while the free damage is awesome if we have Darien and a cool response to a wrath I’m not a fan of cards that just hit me I usually like them to do other things to.
Whispersilk Cloak: while protecting creatures and making them unblockable is nice the unblockable is usually not needed and it’s too much mana for just shroud
Sensei's Divining Top: with not reliable way to constantly shuffle our library and restricted ways to tutor for it we don’t really need this in the deck
Scroll Rack: another card that I had in the original 100 with the idea to combo with Land tax but for all the games I had with it I was never able to get the dream combo online. I may put it back in the deck. It’s on the short list
Swiftfoot boots: no room for it, having too much protection can be a bad thing
Enchantments:
Endless Horizons: like with Coat of Arms this card can be a little risky since if our opponents blow it up all the plains exiled with it are gone. Which is why we need to play it strategically, early game grab only a few lands, say 4. Mid game grab like 9. Late game, grab them all.
Land Tax: hands down the best ramp in the deck, especially brutal if you combo it with Scroll rack
Martyr's Cause: having sac fodder is not hard in this deck and since the enchantment doesn’t actually target its perfect for voltron generals who like to protect themselves.
Mobilization: Mana sink for dudes and gives my dudes vigilance. Testing this right now it may be cut but we’ll see.
Oblivion Ring: getting rid of problem perms is always nice. If you can somehow get rid of the ring while the trigger is on the stack then the thing is exiled permanently.
Righteous Aura: See Marytr’s cause, though instead of losing a dude we’re paying a mana and 2 life. I generally like Martyr’s Cause better because I can help other people out if I want (I like to play politically)
Enchantments that didn’t make the cut:
Honor of the Pure: the single pump is not that good and it does nothing else. Not a fan of this at all though I’ve seen it in other decks.
Marshal's Anthem: one of the original 100. It’s really expensive for what it does.
True Conviction: one of the cards I’ve always played around with putting in the deck but I’ve just never been able to justify taking something else out for it. The abilities are nice but we would usually just prefer a straight up pump.
Leyline of Sanctity: this is more of a meta call then anything but giving yourself shroud can actually protect you from a number of cards.
Militia's Pride: 90% of the time we are attacking with tokens so this enchantment seems a little hit or miss on whether you would ever get value out of it
Instants:
Oblation: shuffles problem permanents away, (including generals) at the meager price of 3 mana and allowing them draw two cards.
Path to Exile: a staple in generally every deck that runs white. 1 mana, exile and give them a land, some of the best spot removal in the format.
Return to Dust: being able to answer problem enchantments and artifacts is an issue with mono white (short of wiping the board). I generally cast this at sorcery speed just to get full value out of it but being able to answer at instant speed if the need requires is also really nice.
Rootborn Defenses: this is sweet anti wrath tech and it nets you a free dude. Combo it with a wrath during our turn to swing free.
Swords to Plowshares: see Path to Exile, only it’s better since your only giving them life and not a land which is way better.
Tithe: 99% of the time you won’t have the most lands in play so this card should basically read (W) instant: search your library for two plains cards and put them into your hand (can also fetch you Mistvield plains if you run it).
Unexpectedly Absent: cast it for zero in response to any shuffle effect and boom you just shuffled it into their library for a measly 2 mana. On the other hand you could just cast it to postpone something so you can win.
Instants that didn't make the cut:
Angel's Grace: This card was originally in the deck but I ended up taking it out due to it never reaching its potential. It seemed that every time I needed it I didn’t have it and every time I had it I didn’t need it. Still its good tech in which you can save yourself from an alpha strike, get all the dudes and then hopefully gain a crap ton of life.
Crib Swap: too much mana for what it does in my opinion especially since we already have access to some of the best spot removal in the game.
Brave the Elements: this can’t protect against most wipes and I would also rather have a pump effect when swinging.
Fated Retribution: this is a competitor with Rout at an instant speed wrath. I generally prefer rout to this simply because I can socery speed it at a cheaper cost if I really need to. If you have a planes walker issue in your play group then I suggest this over Rout. But as it is I don’t have any such infestation
Sorceries:
Decree of Justice: I have never cast it for its angel cost, rather being able to get an almost uncounterable mana sink army while drawing a card at the end of an opponent’s turn is realllllllll nice. This can also be used for some emergency blockers if the need is there.
Final Judgment: because sometimes you’re up against an indestructible army or someone who can recur all their creatures just as easily as you can wrath them away.
Launch the Fleet: A mana sink army that also comes into play attacking is nice. keeping a close eye on this one right now since it has yet to earn its place in the deck.
Martial Coup: wraths and makes dudes in the process, especially good when you have some pump on the field.
Planar Cleansing: sometimes you gotta blow up the world and this is one of the best cards to do the job with.
Remember the Fallen: this is a recent addition to the deck but I have yet to be disappointed with it. Getting 2 cards for 3 mana is nice I wish it could target enchantments as well though.
Rout: While technically a sorcery we all know that most of the time we will be casting this at instant speed and paying the extra mana. The reason this beats Fated Retribution is simply because sometimes I can’t afford 7 mana and I can afford 5
Sorceries’ that couldn’t quite make the cut:
Mass Calcify: This card competes with Rout at the 7 mana wrath slot and rout wins simple because of being able to cast at instant speed. Even though it doesn’t hit our creatures it also may wiff in being able to hit our opponent’s creatures.
Hallowed Burial: this card competes with Final Judgement and the age old question of exiling vs bottom of library. I prefer the exile for this deck and it boils down to one reason; our ability to tutor for creatures is very limited where as other colors are better at and could potentially get their creatures back. While yes it can bury generals which is awesome I know a few play groups that play the house rule that if a general gets buried then they may exile it to the command zone instead.
conqueror's pledge: never been a fan of this card 5 mana for 6 dudes that isn’t repeatable that doesn’t do anything else doesn’t seem that good to me. And let’s face we’re hardly ever going to kick it.
Nomad’s Assembly: I was a huge fan of this card initially being able to double your army (twice) was awesome. It was in the original 100 but for while but it seemed that every time I would play it someone would wrath and then the rebound would fissle leaving me with nothing. It’s a great card just not for my meta.
Devout Invocation: I’d rather just swing out with my dudes when risk waiting another turn and having them get wrathed away.
Storm Herd: the life total in this deck is so temperamental that half the time when you have this card and can afford it your life total is stupidly low.
Planes walkers:
Elspeth, Knight-Errant: this is one that I get the most heat about running. She is there to pump out soldiers and if you can get her ult off it may as well be game over for the rest of the table.
Elspeth, Sun's Champion: this is my fav planes walker in the deck. She makes 3 dudes on the + and can immediately wrath the board of fatties as soon as she comes in. her ult aint nothing to turn your nose up either.
Planes walkers that cant walk:
Ajani Steadfast: see above and also his ult is bad for this deck
Ajani Caller, of the Pride: dam how many of these are they going to make (not including the off color ones) This Planes walker is just bad and doesn’t even make soldiers.
Gideon Jura: I’ve always like this guy in 60 card but in EDH making everyone attack you is a bad idea
Gideon, Champion of Justice: depending on board state you could ult this guy real fast and is the next competitor for a planes walker in the deck but exiling our own stuff when you’re probably the one feeding him seems bad.
Lands:
Cavern of Souls: my suggestion would be to choose human for the creature type since a lot of the creatures are human. Either that or angels.
City of Brass: another good pain land.
Emeria, the Sky Ruin: being able to pop your dudes back into play for free at the beginning of your turn is awesome I would suggest running this in any mono white or 2 color deck.
Forbidding Watchtower: been thinking of taking this out for a plains for a while but having access to an emergency blocker can be nice.
Grand Coliseum: a nice pain land since you don’t have to actually take damage from it if you don’t want to.
Nomad Stadium: the worst of the pain lands, but pain is pain.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: Suedo Cabal coffers in white seems good
Reliquary Tower: believe it or not but sometimes this deck gets a huge had and if we can avoid having to discard it we’re happy.
Strip Mine: Staple, nuff said
Tarnished Citadel: taps for 1 colorless when darien isn’t out or taps for a white and bolts us into 3 dudes when he is my second fav pain land.
Thawing Glaciers: I consider this card a staple in any deck that doesn’t run green for ramp. Sure it’s slow, but slow ramp is better than no ramp.
Thespian's Stage: being able to copy our pain lands is awesome or copy someones Cabal Coffers when theres an Urbog on the field is real nice.
Windbrisk Heights: Attacking with three or more creatures is real easy with this deck.
Lands that just couldn’t quite blossom:
Homeward Path: this card is a meta call. If you have a bunch of thieves in your meta I would totally run it but as of now I don’t have that many in mine.
Ghost Quarter: once again a meta call if you have some people that like to play lands deck run it otherwise I’ve always found that Strip mine has been enough for me.
Tectonic Edge: see above.
Now know the list and you know the alternative card options. Now how the hell do you pilot this beast:
Side note: This is not meant to be an agro deck. It has agro elements but in no way should you be playing it like one unless you have a god hand or are in a 1v1 situation.
OK now we got that out the way we can talk about how to run this bad boy. First things first you need to know how I like to play EDH. I like to play politics, EDH to me is about chilling out with friends and having a fun time, making and breaking agreements, threatening people and offering favor in return for mercy. I like to interact with people even if my deck doesn’t.
We have discussed some of white’s weaknesses in EDH and one of its biggest is the lack or ramp. In a world full of green if your starting had has some form of ramp in it I suggest you keep it since it’s rare in this color.
Early Game:
Mid Game:
Late Game:
So thats it. Thats Darien, King of Kjeldor and how to play him. I hope that I have inspired you lovely people to play this interesting and unique commander.
Change log
November 1st 2014:
-1 Knight Captain of Eos
-1 Herald of war
-1 Path of Bravery
-1 Kjeldoran Outpost
-1 Fated Retribution
+1 Rout
+1 Mobilization
+1 Burnished Heart
+1 Mother of Runes
+1 Decree of Justice
Thraximundar Control voltron
Darien, King of Dudes The swarm
Karador, Ghost ChieftainJunk graveyard
Erebos, God of the DeadMy BIG BLACK.......deck
Zedruu the kindhearted My take on Pristaxcontrombmodruu!
Roon of the Hidden Realm Bounce house
Some of your damage prevention seems counterproductive with Darien's take damage and make tokens ability.
Some suggestions: Preeminent Captain, Field Marshal, Honor of the Pure, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Soldier of the Pantheon, Aegis of the Gods
Vintage: Dredge | Legacy: Burn, Goblins, Soldier | Standard: Mono-Red Aggro
Commander: Nicol Bolas, Sliver Overlord, Rafiq
Casual: Selesnya Saproling Smackdown, Izzet Labs, Rebel
Played since June 2004, mostly inactive June 2011 to March 2018
Other usernames include AlanFromRochester, homerthebeerbaron
MTG checklists from Alpha to Ravnica Allegiance - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/third-party-products/805324-checklists-for-everything-from-alpha-to-ravnica
suddenly realized that I forgot to put the General in the deck list thanks for the heads up, fixed.
I have the couple of damage prevention cards in there for when I'm against voltrons or just getting swung at when Darien isnt out
I have tried Preeminent Captain, Field Marshal and Honor of the Pure. I didn't like the captain because I was finding that a lot of the time when I had him out the soldiers I had in my hand I wanted to protect and not swing with. I took out the field marshal because I'm not a fan of the small buff and first strike generally isn't something I care about when I'm swinging with a bunch of dudes. I'd rather just make them huge with my other pump effects, I choose Captain of the Watch over him because I think that vigilance is better then first strike and she gets dudes. For honor of the pure, like I said before I'm not a huge fan of small buffs. I've been considering Thalia and Aegis for a while now but I'm not a fan of Soldier of the Pantheon gaining one life of a multicolored spell doesn't seem that good in the scope of things in EDH.
Thraximundar Control voltron
Darien, King of Dudes The swarm
Karador, Ghost ChieftainJunk graveyard
Erebos, God of the DeadMy BIG BLACK.......deck
Zedruu the kindhearted My take on Pristaxcontrombmodruu!
Roon of the Hidden Realm Bounce house
Yeah, some of these things would be better in strict Soldier tribal or regular 60 card 4 of each constructed.
Vintage: Dredge | Legacy: Burn, Goblins, Soldier | Standard: Mono-Red Aggro
Commander: Nicol Bolas, Sliver Overlord, Rafiq
Casual: Selesnya Saproling Smackdown, Izzet Labs, Rebel
Played since June 2004, mostly inactive June 2011 to March 2018
Other usernames include AlanFromRochester, homerthebeerbaron
MTG checklists from Alpha to Ravnica Allegiance - https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/magic-fundamentals/other-magic-products/third-party-products/805324-checklists-for-everything-from-alpha-to-ravnica
Okay I'm an idiot haha...wow >.<'
My original reply was asking why you were playing pain lands. lmao...
For some reason I thought Darien only gave you the tokens when you took damage from an opponent. Just re-read the card and now feel quite like a fool!
Very nice deck! I love Mono W in commander! This looks like a lot of fun!!