I'm back with another Tiny Leader theme deck! My new list is all about recruiting tiny soldiers to push through damage with Anax and Cymede's heroic ability. I initially built the deck to take advantage of our general's special ability, mostly through obvious heroic triggers and auras but then I slowly started integrating token producers such as Hordeling Outburst, Raise the Alarm and Gather the Townsfolk. While these seemed like a step in the right directions, they didn't quite mesh as well nor did they offer any kind of answer to the deck's main weakness: board wipes. So I started digging deeper and found a couple of really neat cards that not only convinced me of going the soldier route, but also gave the deck some legs post-wipe. Enter: Rise of the Hobgoblins and Goblin Trenches. Both are absolutely AWESOME token generators! The former should most likely be played in response to a board wipe, allowing us to refill the board with enough soldiers to come back swinging while the latter helps s cycle through excess land in the mid to late game when boros notoriously start to lose steam.
Veteran's Armaments could/should be really disgusting here, and plays nicely with our general's ability to grant trample.
Now, I realize that there's a few non-soldier creatures in the list but the deck is all about speed and cards like Figure of Destiny, Monastery Swiftspear and Accorder Paladin are too good to pass up. Pyreheart Wolf is debatable but it survives a board wipe and makes my little guys that much harder to block. The deck wants to swarm and outnumber and I could see the Wolf playing a big part in that. If I were to replace it, it would be with either Veteran Swordsmith or Field Marshal but while the boost is nice I'm not completely convinced that they would be better than wolfie.
This list is looking awesome! It looks like a lot of fun. I just decided to convert my lackluster Anax & Cymede deck into a Tiny Leaders deck. I'm really excited about this list.
Do tiny leaders decks only have a 9 card sideboard usually, or is that a typo?
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As for the sideboard, they are supposed to be 10 cards, I'm just not sure what the final card should be at the moment. For the rest of the deck, I want to make room for Field Marshal, Legion's Initiative, and possibly Goblin Legionnaire.
Because you need to target your own guys so much and quality removal is everywhere in this format, I think you need more protection effects. Apostle's Blessing, Shelter, and Center Soul all come to mind. Redeem and Blades of Velis Vel are pretty good multi-target spells.
Champion of the Parish would do really well in this deck, you've got a lot of humans and he's also a Soldier.
I'm not sure if you're aware, but Overloading a spell causes it to no longer have a "target," so Weapon Surge only triggers Heroic if you don't overload it. Not a big deal but worth mentioning.
Favored Hoplite strikes me as a pretty bleh card. Only a 1/2 that requires Heroic triggers to be worthwhile? Heroic creatures need to be decent without a trigger to be considered IMO, except maybe Crusader 'cause that's such a sweet upside.
Browbeat is probably the best of them, but I still can't bring myself to like cards that give my opponent a choice like that.
Why Ethereal Armor? You're not running a lot of enchantments. If you're just in it for the buff and first strike, Wolf Umbra would probably be better.
I'm a big fan of Peacekeeper in white sideboards, Ezuri just can't handle it and he's terrifyingly fast.
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Hey PopeJP. Thank you so much for your comments. You're probably right about the protection but there's only so much space. Having said that, Legion's Initiative will replace Curse of Stalked Prey. It is quite versatile and it's ability to save my army in a pinch while giving it a minor boost is pretty much dead-on what the deck wants. Redeem is also a GREAT find for this deck.
About Weapon Surge, yep I'm aware that overload doesn't target but I wanted a 1-2 mana cost card that could both activate heroic or give all my creatures a minor boost at a minimal cost. Again, I really like it's versatility and while the boost is smaller than say something like Blades of Velis Vel, the first strike can be relevant.
You might be right about Favored Hoplite. He does give himself protection though just by being targeted in addition to that extra point of toughness. I'm still considering Champion of the Parish but my token generators don't create humans :\
I'll definitely replace Ethereal Armor. Peacekeeper is interesting but I'm not sure how I would win since the deck needs to attack. What are your thoughts on Akroan Skyguard and/or Impetuous Sunchaser? A flying haster sounds interesting. I'm also looking at Cavalry Pegasus and Konda's Banner. The only problem with the banner is it's equip cost and it's going to be gobbling up way too many resources and time to get going, especially if they manage to send my general back into the command zone. I'm also thinking that Break Through the Line should be in here but meh.
Looking forward to hearing more suggestions on what to cut. My fear is that the bodies will generally remain too small for too long so I might have to add crusade-effects... just not too sure which ones. Most cost 3 mana and I need to keep curve as low as possible.
Made some significant changes in the sideboard. I've added some pretty aggressive cards to fight control, namely Price of Glory, and Aurelia's Fury. I think Fury is extremely versatile, acting as removal, burn to the face, tapper, and counter bait for those big swingy turns. Finally, Relic of Progenitus to hopefully keep GYs under control and Wear // Tear for its' versatility.
In regards to Champion of the Parish, you really don't need to worry about your tokens not buffing him. A one drop only being a 5/5 instead of a 10/10 doesn't make him bad he'll definitely be bigger than Favored Hoplite
As for what to cut: I don't like Rise of the Hobgoblins in your deck. It's too mana intensive, you only get one token for three mana and it's not instant speed. I still don't care for Browbeat, giving them a choice at a critical point is too dangerous. I'm on the fence about Veteran's Armaments, I know it's a good card but I'm just not sure it's worth the slot when you could have something there that furthers your game plan better. Titan's Strength is probably the worst spell you're running, buffing just one guy with very little toughness boost for protection, not giving him trample, and only getting to scry instead of draw.
I wouldn't run Impetuous Skychaser, Akroan Skyguard, Cavalry Pegasus, or Konda's Banner. Running a flier just to have a flier is pointless, you've got Pyre Wolf for "evasion." Cavalry Pegasus can fall short just due to the human problem, which is a very different case from Champion. Konda's Banner is good, but this is a format with a lot of easy removal so you'll end up with a wasted investment a lot I think.
Yeah you need to attack to win, but Peacekeeper makes sure you don't lose too fast to Ezuri. That deck is crazy fast. Luckily you can just choose not to pay for Peacekeeper's upkeep once you're done with him and attack away.
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I have one of these, and quite a few thoughts for you.
Thoughts: Sunforger - makes the game a nightmare for your opponents Silver-Inlaid Dagger - kind of a pet card, but also a TON of power for most of your creatures Spirit Mantle - premium aura for A&C especially given the vigilance Scourge of the Nobilis - strong effects and good buffs Hopeful Eidolon - targeting + value Eidolon of Countless Battles - ditto Archetype of Courage - makes your whole team much better Boros Reckoner - solid and tough to deal with Seething Anger - reusable targeting Anoint - ditto Mirran Crusader (sideboard) - just backbreaking against some decks Reconnaissance - warps combat drastically in your favor (never lose an attacking creature again if you don't want to) + attack wildly with everything every turn + pseudo-vigilance seems like a lot for 1 mana
All great suggestions and very good points. Champion of the Parish is going in. I do think that Rise of the Hobgoblin deserves its spot though, as does Martial Coup. There's a fair amount of board wipes in the format and both allow me to recoup fast and hard in the mid to late game. I could be wrong but Anger of the Gods, Drown in Sorrow, Earthquake, Black Sun's Zenith, Bile Blight, Maelstrom Pulse , etc are real things.
Browbeat is the best we have, and with an aggro deck like this, well, a Lava Axe for 3 mana isn't the worst in worst case scenarios. Titan Strength needs to go though. It's been bugging me for awhile. Brute Force is perhaps an option but if I could find something that affects my entire board, hmm... what do you guys think of Intangible Virtue in here? Might be a nice fit if I end up keeping Rise of the Hobgoblins while adding Martial Coup. And, if you still think that Rise and Coup should go, then I'll consider replacing them with Hordeling Outburst instead. Either way, do you think Intangible Virtue deserves a spot?
@TheDrB: I love Reconnaissance! What happens to the blockers though? Do they get to block another creature or did they just waste a blocker? Could be really powerful... Spirit Mantle could find a spot but I'm trying to stay away from any more individual boosters. I think I have enough for what I want to do. Having said that, Titan Strength could easily become Mantle if need be. Eidolon of Countless Battles should probably be included, yeah lol
You can run Brave the Elements in the sideboard to combat Anger of the Gods/Earthquake/other red wipes. I don't think Coup needs to go because it does more than just make tokens, it's also a board wipe. That makes it a lot more flexible than Rise.
If you want something that can do 5-ish damage, run Burst Lightning. A lot more flexible and doesn't give your opponents any options.
I'm not sure you have quite enough token generation to justify Intangible Virtue. The only tokens you have that aren't white are Akroan Crusader's, so you could probably just run Honor of the Pure to a much greater effect.
Re Reconnaissance: The blockers have already been declared blockers, so they're still blocking creatures they just happen to not be blocking anything.
Rabblemaster is a strong guy and I'd probably recommend him if you find you find yourself unhappy with Mentor of the Meek or Fabled Hero.
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Updated decklist with suggestions. There's a single open spot left for either Martial Coup or another protection spell, possible Shelter for the cantrip.
EDIT: I have been looking at Spirit Bonds though as another cheap token producer which can also offer answers to removal. Thoughts?
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I'm back with another Tiny Leader theme deck! My new list is all about recruiting tiny soldiers to push through damage with Anax and Cymede's heroic ability. I initially built the deck to take advantage of our general's special ability, mostly through obvious heroic triggers and auras but then I slowly started integrating token producers such as Hordeling Outburst, Raise the Alarm and Gather the Townsfolk. While these seemed like a step in the right directions, they didn't quite mesh as well nor did they offer any kind of answer to the deck's main weakness: board wipes. So I started digging deeper and found a couple of really neat cards that not only convinced me of going the soldier route, but also gave the deck some legs post-wipe. Enter: Rise of the Hobgoblins and Goblin Trenches. Both are absolutely AWESOME token generators! The former should most likely be played in response to a board wipe, allowing us to refill the board with enough soldiers to come back swinging while the latter helps s cycle through excess land in the mid to late game when boros notoriously start to lose steam.
Veteran's Armaments could/should be really disgusting here, and plays nicely with our general's ability to grant trample.
Now, I realize that there's a few non-soldier creatures in the list but the deck is all about speed and cards like Figure of Destiny, Monastery Swiftspear and Accorder Paladin are too good to pass up. Pyreheart Wolf is debatable but it survives a board wipe and makes my little guys that much harder to block. The deck wants to swarm and outnumber and I could see the Wolf playing a big part in that. If I were to replace it, it would be with either Veteran Swordsmith or Field Marshal but while the boost is nice I'm not completely convinced that they would be better than wolfie.
Thoughts?
03 Anax and Cymede
Creature (13)
01 Champion of the Parish
01 Figure of Destiny
01 Soldier of the Pantheon
01 Monastery Swiftspear
02 Phalanx Leader
02 Young Pyromancer
02 Accorder Paladin
02 Akroan Crusader
02 Akroan Hoplite
02 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
03 Goblin Rabblemaster
03 Mentor of the Meek
03 Pyreheart Wolf
Artifact (1)
02 Veteran's Armaments
Instant/Sorceries (12)
01 Burst Lightning
01 Launch the Fleet
01 Ajani's Presence
01 Coordinated Assault
01 Defiant Strike
01 Emerge Unscathed
01 Gods Willing
01 Lightning Bolt
01 Weapon Surge
02 Lightning Helix
02 Raise the Alarm
02 Boros Charm
01 Reconnaissance
01 Flickering Ward
02 Honor of the Pure
02 Shared Triumph
03 Goblin Trenches
Land (17)
1x Battlefield Forge
1x Boros Guildgate
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Command Tower
1x Eiganjo Castle
4x Mountain
1x Naya Panorama
4x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Temple of Triumph
1x Wind-Scarred Crag
01 Relic of Progenitus
01 Brave the Elements
02 Absolute Grace
02 Wear // Tear
02 Pithing Needle
02 Absolute Grace
02 Rebuke Existance
02 Legion's Initiative
03 Rootborn Defenses
03 Price of Glory
Do tiny leaders decks only have a 9 card sideboard usually, or is that a typo?
R8whackR
WUBGAtraxa Stax-Superfriends *Under Construction*WUBG
As for the sideboard, they are supposed to be 10 cards, I'm just not sure what the final card should be at the moment. For the rest of the deck, I want to make room for Field Marshal, Legion's Initiative, and possibly Goblin Legionnaire.
Champion of the Parish would do really well in this deck, you've got a lot of humans and he's also a Soldier.
I'm not sure if you're aware, but Overloading a spell causes it to no longer have a "target," so Weapon Surge only triggers Heroic if you don't overload it. Not a big deal but worth mentioning.
Favored Hoplite strikes me as a pretty bleh card. Only a 1/2 that requires Heroic triggers to be worthwhile? Heroic creatures need to be decent without a trigger to be considered IMO, except maybe Crusader 'cause that's such a sweet upside.
Browbeat is probably the best of them, but I still can't bring myself to like cards that give my opponent a choice like that.
Why Ethereal Armor? You're not running a lot of enchantments. If you're just in it for the buff and first strike, Wolf Umbra would probably be better.
I'm a big fan of Peacekeeper in white sideboards, Ezuri just can't handle it and he's terrifyingly fast.
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About Weapon Surge, yep I'm aware that overload doesn't target but I wanted a 1-2 mana cost card that could both activate heroic or give all my creatures a minor boost at a minimal cost. Again, I really like it's versatility and while the boost is smaller than say something like Blades of Velis Vel, the first strike can be relevant.
You might be right about Favored Hoplite. He does give himself protection though just by being targeted in addition to that extra point of toughness. I'm still considering Champion of the Parish but my token generators don't create humans :\
I'll definitely replace Ethereal Armor. Peacekeeper is interesting but I'm not sure how I would win since the deck needs to attack. What are your thoughts on Akroan Skyguard and/or Impetuous Sunchaser? A flying haster sounds interesting. I'm also looking at Cavalry Pegasus and Konda's Banner. The only problem with the banner is it's equip cost and it's going to be gobbling up way too many resources and time to get going, especially if they manage to send my general back into the command zone. I'm also thinking that Break Through the Line should be in here but meh.
Looking forward to hearing more suggestions on what to cut. My fear is that the bodies will generally remain too small for too long so I might have to add crusade-effects... just not too sure which ones. Most cost 3 mana and I need to keep curve as low as possible.
The main deck welcomes Shared Triumph and Legion's Initiative. Perfect fits.
As for what to cut: I don't like Rise of the Hobgoblins in your deck. It's too mana intensive, you only get one token for three mana and it's not instant speed. I still don't care for Browbeat, giving them a choice at a critical point is too dangerous. I'm on the fence about Veteran's Armaments, I know it's a good card but I'm just not sure it's worth the slot when you could have something there that furthers your game plan better. Titan's Strength is probably the worst spell you're running, buffing just one guy with very little toughness boost for protection, not giving him trample, and only getting to scry instead of draw.
I wouldn't run Impetuous Skychaser, Akroan Skyguard, Cavalry Pegasus, or Konda's Banner. Running a flier just to have a flier is pointless, you've got Pyre Wolf for "evasion." Cavalry Pegasus can fall short just due to the human problem, which is a very different case from Champion. Konda's Banner is good, but this is a format with a lot of easy removal so you'll end up with a wasted investment a lot I think.
Yeah you need to attack to win, but Peacekeeper makes sure you don't lose too fast to Ezuri. That deck is crazy fast. Luckily you can just choose not to pay for Peacekeeper's upkeep once you're done with him and attack away.
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Thoughts:
Sunforger - makes the game a nightmare for your opponents
Silver-Inlaid Dagger - kind of a pet card, but also a TON of power for most of your creatures
Spirit Mantle - premium aura for A&C especially given the vigilance
Scourge of the Nobilis - strong effects and good buffs
Hopeful Eidolon - targeting + value
Eidolon of Countless Battles - ditto
Archetype of Courage - makes your whole team much better
Boros Reckoner - solid and tough to deal with
Seething Anger - reusable targeting
Anoint - ditto
Mirran Crusader (sideboard) - just backbreaking against some decks
Reconnaissance - warps combat drastically in your favor (never lose an attacking creature again if you don't want to) + attack wildly with everything every turn + pseudo-vigilance seems like a lot for 1 mana
Browbeat is the best we have, and with an aggro deck like this, well, a Lava Axe for 3 mana isn't the worst in worst case scenarios. Titan Strength needs to go though. It's been bugging me for awhile. Brute Force is perhaps an option but if I could find something that affects my entire board, hmm... what do you guys think of Intangible Virtue in here? Might be a nice fit if I end up keeping Rise of the Hobgoblins while adding Martial Coup. And, if you still think that Rise and Coup should go, then I'll consider replacing them with Hordeling Outburst instead. Either way, do you think Intangible Virtue deserves a spot?
@TheDrB: I love Reconnaissance! What happens to the blockers though? Do they get to block another creature or did they just waste a blocker? Could be really powerful... Spirit Mantle could find a spot but I'm trying to stay away from any more individual boosters. I think I have enough for what I want to do. Having said that, Titan Strength could easily become Mantle if need be. Eidolon of Countless Battles should probably be included, yeah lol
EDIT: Goblin Rabblemaster?
If you want something that can do 5-ish damage, run Burst Lightning. A lot more flexible and doesn't give your opponents any options.
I'm not sure you have quite enough token generation to justify Intangible Virtue. The only tokens you have that aren't white are Akroan Crusader's, so you could probably just run Honor of the Pure to a much greater effect.
Re Reconnaissance: The blockers have already been declared blockers, so they're still blocking creatures they just happen to not be blocking anything.
Rabblemaster is a strong guy and I'd probably recommend him if you find you find yourself unhappy with Mentor of the Meek or Fabled Hero.
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EDIT: I have been looking at Spirit Bonds though as another cheap token producer which can also offer answers to removal. Thoughts?