Also, instead of the Squadron Hawk, Consider maybe a Non-Knight. Soldier of Pantbeon or some cheap equipment With 1 cost and 1 equip. Hawk can attack on turn two unless your other creature gets pinged than it's "Should have just used Serra Avenger"
Hmmmm...Once you add 4 Hero of Bladehold, I don't see a need to add more creatures. Bump your Brave the Elements to 4x and dump an Honor of the Pure, Hell get rid of it entirely. You're running Aether Vile and won't have any trouble getting your troops out.
So add 4x Hero
Add 1x Brave the Elements
Dump the Hawks
And maybe add Oblivion Rings with your empye spots
I saw this video (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11734) that was posted a while ago and noticed that he was running Squadron Hawk, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It has worked wonders in pretty much every game I get to cast it, it's won me over. It thins the deck, fills the hand with more creatures, and gives me more ways to go over their creatures or defend against token swarms.
Squadron Hawk on the field is also something I can sacrifice to a Liliana of the Veil and not feel too much pain, or discard him from hand from the same Liliana. Better to ditch a Hawk than a Knight.
Should have an approximate list soon, running most of the standard knights and a few friends to go with them. Might just take my Soul Sister's sideboard since they're going to be almost identical. Just waiting on a friend for some Bladeholds and another Angel of Jubilation for testing.
Squadron Hawk with Honor of the Pure or equipments sword could be massive. However somehow I lost plenty of love for the hawks ever since Lingering Souls came out . I felt splashing B and paying the inital 3cc is more worthwhile than trying to get four Hawks out when a single Lingering Souls could provide me with 4x 1/1 flyers.
I'd run some number of Mistveil Plains if you're going to keep Squadron Hawk. The ability to keep your hand full and churn out endless fliers is powerful and shouldn't be overlooked.
I've actually been running a list on MTGO that uses two copies of him. It allows for a pretty straightforward kill on T4. You can bond him with any 2drop, really, and so long as you drop Light from Within (a fantastic card with amazing applications to the WW costs in knight cards), you will dish out at least 20 damage by your fourth turn. Whether your opponent gets creatures or removal out in that time to hold you off depends on the matchup. Either way, it still grants an amazing board position.
For example:
T1: Plains. -
T2: Plains, cast Knight of Meadowgrain.
T3: Plains, cast Silverblade Paladin, bond to Meadowgrain. Swing for 4.
T4: Plains, cast Light from Within. Swing your two 4/4s for 16 damage. (You also have gained 14 life).
I have already executed this successfully a few times. One match the guy didn't even scoop because I didn't think he knew what was happening... One minute a bunch of 2/2 bears were on the field and the next he was hit for critical.
Also works with Student, you can deal slightly more this way.
T1: Student of Warfare.
T2: level the student, swing for 3.
T3: Silverblade Paladin, bond to student. Swing for 6.
T4: Light from Within, swing for 16. (25 damage total).
What's cool is whether you went first or second, you only need 7 cards to do this (the main pieces being silverblade and light - almost any 2 drop will suffice). 4 lands, 3 spells, out of 10-11 cards. Pretty feasible and is some good aggro. Before I started using silverblade, my knights list was basically a midrange deck, most kills came from attrition and whittling down until I commanded board control.
You know what else is cool? You didn't have to combo/tutor anything out of your library, rely on graveyard shenanigans, or use hellishly broken/expensive cards to win (or have your opponent against the ropes). You used basic creature cards from a largely overlooked tribe, utilizing a smooth curve and strong synergy. Even better is how such a little-known enchantment can catch people sleeping.
Gotta love Light, you can drop it just late enough to finish an aggro rush, or play it later and it gives you a solid position for a mid to late game. A bunch of 4/4 first strikers is difficult to answer in Modern, IMO. Only things that can ever get bigger are Ooze, Voice, Pridemate, Goyf and Reliquary (and I also run 1 Basilisk Collar in my list just in case). Whattya guys think?
A little off topic but would this scenario work?
Is there any way to make this a turn three kill?
Can't stand Shenanigans: I have to watch a full episode of NOVA before my opponent is done with his 30 mechanics to have earned his 1 colorless
Oooooh how about this one? Choose to take second turn if possible.
T1: Plains - Cast [Steppe Lynx]
T2: Plains, Cast [Steppe Lynx]
Attack for 2 with [Steppe Lynx]
Cast [Boros Elite]
T3: Cast [Knight of the White Orchid] - Play Plains, trigger, Play Plains
Cast [Honor of the pure] Attack for 14
T4: Cast [[Silverblade Paladin]] bond to [[Boros Elite]]
I back it! My thoughts exactly with the nonsense cards I refuse to ever pay for. The most expensive cards I have Mirran Crusader
No problem with people who are competing for money at huge tournaments. But I know there are kids out there, paying 80 bucks for 2 Stupid Planeswalkers
So this is out of left field, but for those playing Light from Within, Angel of Jubilation seems pretty awesome. Another anthem and a potential 6/6 for four..
The problem you run into with that is you have a few more 4 drops. I'm already running 6 4-drops in my list, not sure if I want to add more without adjusting the mana base.
Since we are on the topic of 4 drops, I even felt myself playing too many 3 drops . I'm always looking at ways to reduce the mana curve further so I'm hoping Wizards will come out with more lower casting cost knights.
Since we are on the topic of 4 drops, I even felt myself playing too many 3 drops . I'm always looking at ways to reduce the mana curve further so I'm hoping Wizards will come out with more lower casting cost knights.
Agreed. I like to play Knights similar to Merfolk - Flood the board with 2 drops!
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Current Decks:
Modern
Modern Warp / UR Control / UR Storm / Naya Breachshift / ElectroBalance
Legacy
Solidarity / Lands / Sneak and Show / Grixis Delver / Reanimator / Belcher / Storm / Dredge
The problem you run into with that is you have a few more 4 drops. I'm already running 6 4-drops in my list, not sure if I want to add more without adjusting the mana base.
That is not a Knight, so while it may have a useful effect, it's not really synergistic with the Knights deck.
Since we are on the topic of 4 drops, I even felt myself playing too many 3 drops . I'm always looking at ways to reduce the mana curve further so I'm hoping Wizards will come out with more lower casting cost knights.
Agreed. I like to play Knights similar to Merfolk - Flood the board with 2 drops!
There aren't enough Knights with interesting non-combat abilities. I would think just flooding the board with low-cost Knights is getting set up for a Wrath of God or Pyroclasm.
Greetings everyone. I have been playing Magic the Gathering for a bit, particularly with knights. That said, after extensive testing ( 200 matches amongst different meta decks), I have a decklist in my view is quite good. Without further ado, allow me to present "Knights of the Heavenly Order". Note I shall have an explanation for each of the cards and why I have them set at the following ratios
Creatures (27)
4X Student of Warfare
4X Knight of the white Orchid
4X Leonin Skyhunter
4X Knight Exemplar
3X Mirran Crusader
4X Wilt Leaf Cavalier
3X Wilt leaf Liege
1X Hero of Bladehold
3X Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3X Kitchen Finks
2X Torpor Orb
2X Stony Silence
2X Leyline of Sanctity
2X Rest in Peace
1X Wrath of God
Card Choices
Mainboard
I shall be going over the decisions for my card choices and the other choices I tested.
Creatures
1) Student of Warfare: Best one drop knight in Magic in my opinion. Fantastic during the opening turn. Becomes a three/three with first strike easily. This card is fantastic against wipeouts, given you can play him and level him to become a 4/4 with double strike. Generally, good bait for removal, so play wisely. Combos well with Aether vial early game.
2) Knight of the white Orchid: great two drop. It fetches plains, all the while having a decent 2/2 with first strike. A very relevant ability some players tend to underestimate. Also, this card combos with Aether vial! Don't believe me. Imagine this setup. Two lands out on the field with an Aether vial at two charge counters.
You have two Orchids in hand, and opponent has more lands. Play the first Orchid. With its ability on the stack, vial in the second orchid. Being that the condition of the ability is that the opponent must control more lands, you can fetch TWO plains(untapped) and put onto the battlefield. What's amazing is that given you haven't played your land drop for the turn, you start at three mana available.
Given the deck's low mana curve(2.12 CMC average), this is fantastic. All in all, good beater.
3) Leonin Skyhunter: A solid flying knight. Originally, I experimented with Knight of Meadowgrain and Knight of the Holy Nimbus. Nimbus for disruption and Meadowgrain for solid beater. That said, after sixty matches, I saw meadowgrain, while good, one needs to have evasion within the deck. Given you will be dealing with creatures with evasion, this card is solid against flying threats (like Celestial Colonade for American Control, which is annoying).
4) Knight Exemplar: Solid, but overrated card. Allow me to explain. Don't get me wrong; indestructibility is very powerful. However, most people tend to forget; it can be sacrificed, exiled and killed with negative counters. With that said, I experimented with three, but I run four, because at the very least it is a 2/2 with first strike. Some advice for playing this card, your opponent will most likely be gunning for this. If it costs you more resources to preserve the card, let them go. There are other beaters. That said, this is a perfect distraction and can bait removal, if utilized correctly.
5) Mirran Crusader: Amazing three drop card. Double strike is a powerful ability, along with protection from green and black. Definitely, makes Pod and Naya Zoo harder to play(and stops Tarmagoylf). That said, for why I run three. In all honestly, while abrupt decay and dismember don't effect it, Lightning bolt and Path to Exile still hurt this card. Additionally, I noticed after thrity matches, running a playset clogs the hand. As such, three is the perfect number to ensure one can access to Crusader, without having them clog the hand.
6) Wilt Leaf Cavalier: Amazing card, and bread and butter beater for three mana. Allow me to tell a brief story. My past deck ran Honor of the Pure. However, it wasn't very good, at least after doing some test matches. It was only until my friend recommended I play this card. Best decision I made. Don't get me wrong; the triple white/green can screw you over. However, the benefits of this card are immense. First it is a 3/4 with Vigilance! Cannot be lightning bolted and can get in at least three damage, while having a blocker. Coupled with Wilt Leaf Liege, which is seldom, but apparent, a 5/6 is very powerful.
7) Wilt Leaf Liege: A solid four drop that sees play in Green white Hatebears. Having another lord is really good for knights, given Exemplar, and its power to be placed onto the battlefield when an opponent causes you to discard it, can really take some players for surprise. It was Loxodon Smitter, before smitter. Its 4/4 status makes it immune to bolt, and 4 cmc makes it hard to abrupt decay. Also buffs white creatures and Cavaliers to powerful levels.
8) Hero of Bladehold: My favorite card in the deck. I do not believe I need to explain why this card is in the deck for seasoned players. Its four toughness and cmc makes it hard to destroy. The fact there is a guaranteed seven damage by itself (without liege and Exemplar) means a headache for your opponent. I originally ran two, but I realize this card clogs the hand after fifty matches. That in mind, it is better run as a single copy.
Instants
Path to Exile: Staple removal spell in Modern for white, and in my view, the best. Great for removing creatures and threats one cannot deal with. Combos well with orchid and searching lands. I apologize for being frank, but you'd be misled, if you do not run it.
Brave the elements: A major piece of the deck. The fact you can give protection to a color for all white creatures is very powerful. Can be utilized defensively against Pyroclasm and Motars, and Malestrom Pulse. Given that protection from red prevents damage, is exceedingly powerful. Can combo it offensively to effectively alpha strike your enemy means it can be a scary combo.
Artifacts and other stuff
Aether Vial: Since I am running a vial knights variant, this is a MUST RUN STAPLE. This card is amazing. The fact one can flash in targets in response, and accelerates mana, is very powerful. Considering this is a weenie deck, generally vial should be around three, maybe four. Some advice: always keep it at three, unless you wish to of course flash in Liege and Bladehold. Also, if you manage to get two, keep one at two the other at three for a plethora of flashing options.
Ajani Goldmane: A solid Planeswalker. I originally ran Elspeth the Knight Errant. Don't mistake me: Elspeth is amazing and too good. But after testing with Ajani, it synergizes more. The fact its second ability gives my creatures vigilance, along with counters, makes alpha striking much more dangerous. The counters obviously stick around, and are more ridiculous with Exemplar and Liege on the field. Generally, it is also a good distraction. Its first ability is great when the board is stalled out, and you need to gain life during those rare matches.
Land
Cavern of Souls: this is a tribal deck. As such, why wouldn't you run it? It makes control harder to counter the cards coming out, along with Vial, and it fixes the Mana. Generally, a very good card. I tested with two, and found out that adding one more, made the deck much more capable against control.
Windbrisk heights: Great card. Its hideaway ability leads to a lot of shineagans(like putting Brave under it, or exemplar). A cool fact, is that you can cast the card during the second main phase, given the wording is when "three or more creatures attacked". Given the past tense, it indicates you do not have to do it during the instance.
Tectonic Edge: Solid against manlands, like mutavault and Colonade. Three clogs my mana base, given its monocolor status, and makes it harder to play creatures. This was after one hundred test matches.
Sideboard
Overview: Given this is a rogue deck(a mono one at that), sideboarding is especially prominent, considering some very bad matchups and cards. As such, after extensive testing, I believe this board is solid against most threats.
Kitchen Finks: Amazing card. Its ability to gain you life and its persist counter, makes it harder to remove from the board. Great against burn decks and a solid card, when utilized in combo with Aether Vial.
Thalia: A solid card. Works effectively against combo, and can make control a nightmare (especially when Electrolyse is a four drop and Cryptic Command is a five drop, ouch). Note this card DOES hurt you, so plan accordingly when utilizing it.
Torpor Orb: Works great against pod and Splinter Twin(which I am not a fan of). It does hurt you with Orchid, but not a lot, especially when taking into account of Splinter Twin with Pestermite and Pod's ability to toolbox into ETB creatures.
Stony Silence: Great against pod and affinity. HOWVER, it does affect Aether vial, so make sure you board those out.
Rest in Peace: Just shuts down Living End and Reanimator, making them harder to play. Note, don't board in Finks, if you board this, which I mistakenly did once.
Leyline of Sanctity: Great against Burn and combo. Makes it harder for Storm to operate, and can really screw over certain effects, like thoughtseize. I originally ran Sundering Growth, but this is a stronger choice.
Wrath of God: Fantastic card. Gets past Thrun and anything that can outaggro you. I originally ran Ratchet Bomb, but Wrath is better in my view, considering it can hit Thurn and a four drop isn't that much for this deck. Though, be careful, if you have Thalia. Also, this combos well with Exemplar, especially two of them.
Meta matchups
In terms of easy match ups, as I said this deck is a solid one. It can fight effectively against Death and Taxes, along with hatebears. That said, this deck does have some difficult matchups.
For one thing, decks like Affinity or Goblins are much faster and can aggro you much quicker. Secondly, decks like Soul Sisters or any life gain engine can screw this deck, considering it is a creature deck. Infect can be quite bothersome, but can be dealt with through smart plays(aka brave the elements and getting rid of their stuff.
For Auras, originally Sundering growth was put into place to deal with troublesome auras. However, I found Wrath is a much better option, given hexproof falters against global effects. Decks, such as New Moon, can be quite bothersome, but given the mono color status and sideboard options, it can be operated around.
Finally, the hardest challenge is American Control. In spite of Vial and Cavern, there is a reason why this deck is still a tier one deck. It is resilient and can bounce back easily. This advice can easily apply to all difficult matches, but DO NOT underestimate American control. Make every decision count, and think of worst case scenarios, such as being wiped out, or countered.
As one of my friend's told me, the deck is only one part. The player is another. All in all, that is my Knights of the Heavenly Order deck. If you have comments, criticisms or suggestions, I am more than happy to take those into account.
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I meant Bladehold
So add 4x Hero
Add 1x Brave the Elements
Dump the Hawks
And maybe add Oblivion Rings with your empye spots
I saw this video (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=11734) that was posted a while ago and noticed that he was running Squadron Hawk, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It has worked wonders in pretty much every game I get to cast it, it's won me over. It thins the deck, fills the hand with more creatures, and gives me more ways to go over their creatures or defend against token swarms.
Squadron Hawk on the field is also something I can sacrifice to a Liliana of the Veil and not feel too much pain, or discard him from hand from the same Liliana. Better to ditch a Hawk than a Knight.
Maybe I am an Avihater
Should have an approximate list soon, running most of the standard knights and a few friends to go with them. Might just take my Soul Sister's sideboard since they're going to be almost identical. Just waiting on a friend for some Bladeholds and another Angel of Jubilation for testing.
Signature by Syndarion from Aeternal Studios!
[Deck/Primer] Knights in Legacy
[Deck] Darth Knights in Legacy
[Deck] Casual Knights in Legacy
[Deck/Primer] Modern Knights
[Deck/Primer] Modern Ninjas
LEGACY
Legacy Knights Variants WG,WU,WR,WB,W,B
Soldiers Stompy W
NinjaStill UB
FOWless Merfolk UW
Aggro Elves G
MODERN
Modern Knights Variants WG,BR
Modern Ninjas Variants UB,UG,UW,UWR
Modern Kithkins WR,W
For example:
T1: Plains. -
T2: Plains, cast Knight of Meadowgrain.
T3: Plains, cast Silverblade Paladin, bond to Meadowgrain. Swing for 4.
T4: Plains, cast Light from Within. Swing your two 4/4s for 16 damage. (You also have gained 14 life).
I have already executed this successfully a few times. One match the guy didn't even scoop because I didn't think he knew what was happening... One minute a bunch of 2/2 bears were on the field and the next he was hit for critical.
Also works with Student, you can deal slightly more this way.
T1: Student of Warfare.
T2: level the student, swing for 3.
T3: Silverblade Paladin, bond to student. Swing for 6.
T4: Light from Within, swing for 16. (25 damage total).
What's cool is whether you went first or second, you only need 7 cards to do this (the main pieces being silverblade and light - almost any 2 drop will suffice). 4 lands, 3 spells, out of 10-11 cards. Pretty feasible and is some good aggro. Before I started using silverblade, my knights list was basically a midrange deck, most kills came from attrition and whittling down until I commanded board control.
The best and most brutal/decisive results come from using Æther Vial, but this also requires 11 cards. You will have to go second, and acquire a god hand for it to kill T4. But in a dreamworld scenario:
T1: Æther Vial.
T2: Knight of Meadowgrain, vial in Student of Warfare.
T3: Silverblade Paladin, bond to Meadowgrain, vial in Leonin Skyhunter. Swing for 5.
T4: Light from Within, swing with all. During combat, vial in Knight Exemplar for a total of 10+3+10+5 = 28 indestructible damage.
You know what else is cool? You didn't have to combo/tutor anything out of your library, rely on graveyard shenanigans, or use hellishly broken/expensive cards to win (or have your opponent against the ropes). You used basic creature cards from a largely overlooked tribe, utilizing a smooth curve and strong synergy. Even better is how such a little-known enchantment can catch people sleeping.
Gotta love Light, you can drop it just late enough to finish an aggro rush, or play it later and it gives you a solid position for a mid to late game. A bunch of 4/4 first strikers is difficult to answer in Modern, IMO. Only things that can ever get bigger are Ooze, Voice, Pridemate, Goyf and Reliquary (and I also run 1 Basilisk Collar in my list just in case). Whattya guys think?
WRG Naya Blitz
WR Boros Aggro
W White Lightning
Modern
W Death and Taxes
W Knights
R Red Deck Wins
RG Zoo
WG Hatebears
WG Aura Hexproof
WU Luminarch Ascension
WB Tokens
WUB Esper Control
And as water has no constant form, there are in war no constant conditions. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Is there any way to make this a turn three kill?
Can't stand Shenanigans: I have to watch a full episode of NOVA before my opponent is done with his 30 mechanics to have earned his 1 colorless
Oooooh how about this one? Choose to take second turn if possible.
T1: Plains - Cast [Steppe Lynx]
T2: Plains, Cast [Steppe Lynx]
Attack for 2 with [Steppe Lynx]
Cast [Boros Elite]
T3: Cast [Knight of the White Orchid] - Play Plains, trigger, Play Plains
Cast [Honor of the pure] Attack for 14
T4: Cast [[Silverblade Paladin]] bond to [[Boros Elite]]
Say Goodnight.
No problem with people who are competing for money at huge tournaments. But I know there are kids out there, paying 80 bucks for 2 Stupid Planeswalkers
Modern Warp / UR Control / UR Storm / Naya Breachshift / ElectroBalance
Solidarity / Lands / Sneak and Show / Grixis Delver / Reanimator / Belcher / Storm / Dredge
Signature by Syndarion from Aeternal Studios!
[Deck/Primer] Knights in Legacy
[Deck] Darth Knights in Legacy
[Deck] Casual Knights in Legacy
[Deck/Primer] Modern Knights
[Deck/Primer] Modern Ninjas
LEGACY
Legacy Knights Variants WG,WU,WR,WB,W,B
Soldiers Stompy W
NinjaStill UB
FOWless Merfolk UW
Aggro Elves G
MODERN
Modern Knights Variants WG,BR
Modern Ninjas Variants UB,UG,UW,UWR
Modern Kithkins WR,W
Agreed. I like to play Knights similar to Merfolk - Flood the board with 2 drops!
Modern Warp / UR Control / UR Storm / Naya Breachshift / ElectroBalance
Solidarity / Lands / Sneak and Show / Grixis Delver / Reanimator / Belcher / Storm / Dredge
That is not a Knight, so while it may have a useful effect, it's not really synergistic with the Knights deck.
There aren't enough Knights with interesting non-combat abilities. I would think just flooding the board with low-cost Knights is getting set up for a Wrath of God or Pyroclasm.
4 Arid Mesa
4 Flagstones of Trokair
3 Temple Garden
1 Godless Shrine
1 Sejiri Steppe
5 Plains
1 Mutavault
4 Student of Warfare
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Knight of the White Orchid
4 Leonin Skyhunter
4 Knight Exemplar
3 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Fiendslayer Paladin
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Path to Exile
4 Brave the Elements
3 Honor of the Pure
4 Ready // Willing
Neither of those really intimidate me.
Modern Warp / UR Control / UR Storm / Naya Breachshift / ElectroBalance
Solidarity / Lands / Sneak and Show / Grixis Delver / Reanimator / Belcher / Storm / Dredge
Creatures (27)
4X Student of Warfare
4X Knight of the white Orchid
4X Leonin Skyhunter
4X Knight Exemplar
3X Mirran Crusader
4X Wilt Leaf Cavalier
3X Wilt leaf Liege
1X Hero of Bladehold
Instants and sorceries (8)
4X Path to Exile
4X Brave the elements
Artifacts and the rest (5)
4X Aether Vial
1X Ajani Goldmane
Land (20)
13X Plains
3X Cavern of Souls
2X Windbrisk heights
2X Tectonic Edge
Sideboard (15)
3X Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
3X Kitchen Finks
2X Torpor Orb
2X Stony Silence
2X Leyline of Sanctity
2X Rest in Peace
1X Wrath of God
Card Choices
Mainboard
I shall be going over the decisions for my card choices and the other choices I tested.
Creatures
1) Student of Warfare: Best one drop knight in Magic in my opinion. Fantastic during the opening turn. Becomes a three/three with first strike easily. This card is fantastic against wipeouts, given you can play him and level him to become a 4/4 with double strike. Generally, good bait for removal, so play wisely. Combos well with Aether vial early game.
2) Knight of the white Orchid: great two drop. It fetches plains, all the while having a decent 2/2 with first strike. A very relevant ability some players tend to underestimate. Also, this card combos with Aether vial! Don't believe me. Imagine this setup. Two lands out on the field with an Aether vial at two charge counters.
You have two Orchids in hand, and opponent has more lands. Play the first Orchid. With its ability on the stack, vial in the second orchid. Being that the condition of the ability is that the opponent must control more lands, you can fetch TWO plains(untapped) and put onto the battlefield. What's amazing is that given you haven't played your land drop for the turn, you start at three mana available.
Given the deck's low mana curve(2.12 CMC average), this is fantastic. All in all, good beater.
3) Leonin Skyhunter: A solid flying knight. Originally, I experimented with Knight of Meadowgrain and Knight of the Holy Nimbus. Nimbus for disruption and Meadowgrain for solid beater. That said, after sixty matches, I saw meadowgrain, while good, one needs to have evasion within the deck. Given you will be dealing with creatures with evasion, this card is solid against flying threats (like Celestial Colonade for American Control, which is annoying).
4) Knight Exemplar: Solid, but overrated card. Allow me to explain. Don't get me wrong; indestructibility is very powerful. However, most people tend to forget; it can be sacrificed, exiled and killed with negative counters. With that said, I experimented with three, but I run four, because at the very least it is a 2/2 with first strike. Some advice for playing this card, your opponent will most likely be gunning for this. If it costs you more resources to preserve the card, let them go. There are other beaters. That said, this is a perfect distraction and can bait removal, if utilized correctly.
5) Mirran Crusader: Amazing three drop card. Double strike is a powerful ability, along with protection from green and black. Definitely, makes Pod and Naya Zoo harder to play(and stops Tarmagoylf). That said, for why I run three. In all honestly, while abrupt decay and dismember don't effect it, Lightning bolt and Path to Exile still hurt this card. Additionally, I noticed after thrity matches, running a playset clogs the hand. As such, three is the perfect number to ensure one can access to Crusader, without having them clog the hand.
6) Wilt Leaf Cavalier: Amazing card, and bread and butter beater for three mana. Allow me to tell a brief story. My past deck ran Honor of the Pure. However, it wasn't very good, at least after doing some test matches. It was only until my friend recommended I play this card. Best decision I made. Don't get me wrong; the triple white/green can screw you over. However, the benefits of this card are immense. First it is a 3/4 with Vigilance! Cannot be lightning bolted and can get in at least three damage, while having a blocker. Coupled with Wilt Leaf Liege, which is seldom, but apparent, a 5/6 is very powerful.
7) Wilt Leaf Liege: A solid four drop that sees play in Green white Hatebears. Having another lord is really good for knights, given Exemplar, and its power to be placed onto the battlefield when an opponent causes you to discard it, can really take some players for surprise. It was Loxodon Smitter, before smitter. Its 4/4 status makes it immune to bolt, and 4 cmc makes it hard to abrupt decay. Also buffs white creatures and Cavaliers to powerful levels.
8) Hero of Bladehold: My favorite card in the deck. I do not believe I need to explain why this card is in the deck for seasoned players. Its four toughness and cmc makes it hard to destroy. The fact there is a guaranteed seven damage by itself (without liege and Exemplar) means a headache for your opponent. I originally ran two, but I realize this card clogs the hand after fifty matches. That in mind, it is better run as a single copy.
Instants
Path to Exile: Staple removal spell in Modern for white, and in my view, the best. Great for removing creatures and threats one cannot deal with. Combos well with orchid and searching lands. I apologize for being frank, but you'd be misled, if you do not run it.
Brave the elements: A major piece of the deck. The fact you can give protection to a color for all white creatures is very powerful. Can be utilized defensively against Pyroclasm and Motars, and Malestrom Pulse. Given that protection from red prevents damage, is exceedingly powerful. Can combo it offensively to effectively alpha strike your enemy means it can be a scary combo.
Artifacts and other stuff
Aether Vial: Since I am running a vial knights variant, this is a MUST RUN STAPLE. This card is amazing. The fact one can flash in targets in response, and accelerates mana, is very powerful. Considering this is a weenie deck, generally vial should be around three, maybe four. Some advice: always keep it at three, unless you wish to of course flash in Liege and Bladehold. Also, if you manage to get two, keep one at two the other at three for a plethora of flashing options.
Ajani Goldmane: A solid Planeswalker. I originally ran Elspeth the Knight Errant. Don't mistake me: Elspeth is amazing and too good. But after testing with Ajani, it synergizes more. The fact its second ability gives my creatures vigilance, along with counters, makes alpha striking much more dangerous. The counters obviously stick around, and are more ridiculous with Exemplar and Liege on the field. Generally, it is also a good distraction. Its first ability is great when the board is stalled out, and you need to gain life during those rare matches.
Land
Cavern of Souls: this is a tribal deck. As such, why wouldn't you run it? It makes control harder to counter the cards coming out, along with Vial, and it fixes the Mana. Generally, a very good card. I tested with two, and found out that adding one more, made the deck much more capable against control.
Windbrisk heights: Great card. Its hideaway ability leads to a lot of shineagans(like putting Brave under it, or exemplar). A cool fact, is that you can cast the card during the second main phase, given the wording is when "three or more creatures attacked". Given the past tense, it indicates you do not have to do it during the instance.
Tectonic Edge: Solid against manlands, like mutavault and Colonade. Three clogs my mana base, given its monocolor status, and makes it harder to play creatures. This was after one hundred test matches.
Sideboard
Overview: Given this is a rogue deck(a mono one at that), sideboarding is especially prominent, considering some very bad matchups and cards. As such, after extensive testing, I believe this board is solid against most threats.
Kitchen Finks: Amazing card. Its ability to gain you life and its persist counter, makes it harder to remove from the board. Great against burn decks and a solid card, when utilized in combo with Aether Vial.
Thalia: A solid card. Works effectively against combo, and can make control a nightmare (especially when Electrolyse is a four drop and Cryptic Command is a five drop, ouch). Note this card DOES hurt you, so plan accordingly when utilizing it.
Torpor Orb: Works great against pod and Splinter Twin(which I am not a fan of). It does hurt you with Orchid, but not a lot, especially when taking into account of Splinter Twin with Pestermite and Pod's ability to toolbox into ETB creatures.
Stony Silence: Great against pod and affinity. HOWVER, it does affect Aether vial, so make sure you board those out.
Rest in Peace: Just shuts down Living End and Reanimator, making them harder to play. Note, don't board in Finks, if you board this, which I mistakenly did once.
Leyline of Sanctity: Great against Burn and combo. Makes it harder for Storm to operate, and can really screw over certain effects, like thoughtseize. I originally ran Sundering Growth, but this is a stronger choice.
Wrath of God: Fantastic card. Gets past Thrun and anything that can outaggro you. I originally ran Ratchet Bomb, but Wrath is better in my view, considering it can hit Thurn and a four drop isn't that much for this deck. Though, be careful, if you have Thalia. Also, this combos well with Exemplar, especially two of them.
Meta matchups
In terms of easy match ups, as I said this deck is a solid one. It can fight effectively against Death and Taxes, along with hatebears. That said, this deck does have some difficult matchups.
For one thing, decks like Affinity or Goblins are much faster and can aggro you much quicker. Secondly, decks like Soul Sisters or any life gain engine can screw this deck, considering it is a creature deck. Infect can be quite bothersome, but can be dealt with through smart plays(aka brave the elements and getting rid of their stuff.
For Auras, originally Sundering growth was put into place to deal with troublesome auras. However, I found Wrath is a much better option, given hexproof falters against global effects. Decks, such as New Moon, can be quite bothersome, but given the mono color status and sideboard options, it can be operated around.
Finally, the hardest challenge is American Control. In spite of Vial and Cavern, there is a reason why this deck is still a tier one deck. It is resilient and can bounce back easily. This advice can easily apply to all difficult matches, but DO NOT underestimate American control. Make every decision count, and think of worst case scenarios, such as being wiped out, or countered.
As one of my friend's told me, the deck is only one part. The player is another. All in all, that is my Knights of the Heavenly Order deck. If you have comments, criticisms or suggestions, I am more than happy to take those into account.