Hawks have great synergy with Monument (8/8 for 4 mana, half of those stats flying), Archangel of Thune, Sky Hussar, and Chart a Course. The point of this build isn't to maximize on lifegain synergy and make single large, must-answer threats like Pridemate and Ascendant; it's to maximize on value and kill your opponent by going really really wide after you grind them out of answers and threats. Push and Path answer singleton threats pretty quickly these days, so I quickly found that I really liked using Whitemane/Monument shenanigans instead, as you get value every time you cast any of your dudes, and making Quellers and Reflector Mages into 2-drops is fantastic.
Anyway, I don't mind answering questions, and I don't take criticism as a personal attack; I've been trying to make a deck like this work since Monument was printed, so I've dealt with a loooong time where the deck just did NOT work, and fixing flaws in it makes me happy. The recent GP Hartford Day 2 showing of a Monument Sisters deck is what I based this build off of, so I'm really hoping I can tune it to be a beast!
So I've tested this mostly only against Aggro, Midrange, and Control, and it has great game against allll of that. My issue will of course be with Combo and Big Mana, hence the SB options. Tempted to find some space in the Board for Damping Spheres, but I still feel like the MD might need some tuning, not sure...
nice take on the deck, how come 3 of whitemane lion and not a playset? I have fiddled with a momument sisters deck but feel it is too slow (either you get the synergy or you twiddle waiting for it).
I am interested in how the deck works for you and hope to have you post here. I consider the deck to be a forward moving archetype of SS, not a new deck but a variant.
@kizzel, the martyr is good early in the game when you have a full hand of white (so it can sac and you gain life) forcing your opponent to deal with an early Ascendent. Proctor lists do not need this to happen as they can pull the martyr later from graveyard and do the simialr lifegain repeatedly. SS late game usually lacks a strong hand to profit from a late game martyr (unless you run Birds). An Ascendent is good most of the time and can become a threat pretty quickly even without a martyr. It also means that an ascendant is a passive threat just sitting on the board because you life total is going up and your opponet sees this; forcing them into some kind of action, either attacking into you or trying to remove a 1/1 life linking wimp.
They are both fetch able with ranger of eos which is why that card is popular in the deck.
Thanks, WickedApp! I found 4 Lions meant TOO much durdling with dead cards in hand. If I was going to go up to 4 of anything, it would be Monument. Chart a Course has been a fairly new addition, and actually helps filter through needless extras of the combo, though! I like running the Blue effects specifically because then you don't need the Monument to win when you could just out-tempo them with weenie aggro backed by Queller and Relfector.
Huh. Gonna experiment with a Mono-White Monument build somewhat like the version Jeff Hoogland played the other day, but add in Hangarback. Seems really good, and Corporate Karn says Hi!
Been running this list for a few days of testing now. Hangarbacks are still a flex slot, as I've only seen them maybe once or twice that they had any real impact in my games so far. I will admit that having Genesis Chamber/Monument out and casting Walker for 0 to trigger a bunch of stuff has been very useful! Feels like a Cheeri0s play, haha. I might get a chance to test against Jund this week, and that'll probably give me a much better feel for how useful Hangarback can be, as those are the matchups I want to see it in the most.
That's really interesting approach. How is Karn performing? Is he necessary? I guess you run Bygone Bishop over Mentor of the Meek because of Karns -2 synergy also you can gather clues and draw later (it gives clue from Archangel of Thune and Mentor doesnt but thats really minor issue) + it's just a better creature? What do you think about Resplendent Angel here? With Oketra's Monument and Genesis Chamber it feels like a piece of cake to activate. Question is if it's even worth it. I really like amount of card advantage in your list.
Karn does sooooo much work! He's like an Ajani's Pridemate that can draw cards and replicate itself; the ability to go wide as well as tall should never be underestimated, and drawing cards is always great!
Bishop is much better than Mentor, IMO, yes. And yeah, Resplendent seemed interesting...but too much work, hahaha.
Went 2-2 tonight. Lost to KCI and R/W Prison. Had Stony and Sphere out of the side vs KCI; they could care less. Explosives, Nature's Claim, whatever. Deck seems absurd. Prison is just a terrible matchup for Soul Sisters, I feel.
Won vs Hollow One and tribal whatever. Easy wins. Guess you just hope to hit the right opponents?
Lastly, tried out Blade Splicer instead of Hangarback. Liked the change!
R/W Is a very hard matchup, they are 100% designed to destroy creature decks.
KCI Is a tipical combo deck, if they have ways to work around the hate they will win. It's part of the game and the reason why we still need a fast clock to have a chance post-board.
Hi all. I've only just discovered this deck and am very much enjoying it. Like a lot of people, I find Modern's cost-of-entry very challenging and so it's great to finally find a deck that performs well against top-teir decks.
I've had some success with the following list but any advice would be welcomed.
I'm thinking of replacing the Lone Riders with two more Auriok Champions when I can afford it (they're expensive).
Archangel of Thune has won me several games, it's a powerhouse in this deck. I did try Resplendent Angel but it seemed too hard to reliably pull off, despite having Martyr of the Sands in the deck at the time. The above iteration seems to be more consistent.
Whitemane lion plays really well with the monument. You could try 2 of those while you wait for the Champions of Auriok. I have also ben very impressed with Blessed Alliance. You could try 2 in SB. It is a great answer to boggles and other aggro decks.
Idk how much success you’ve had with Lone Rider, but in your list I would definitely consider Whitemane Lion, as WickedApp said. You’ll get a ton of triggers for your monument. I’ve tried Lone Rider before, and he was just sort of meh.
I do not feel flagstone is needed or worth it. It is a hedge against not using ghost quarter on your opponent. It has interesting interactions with its self and legendary rule.
@wolsom. Ive tried blossoms, and its is a good card free stuff is nice. It moves the deck into more of a token deck, because if your on black your running lingering souls w/ spetral procession. Which is fine. but your game play changes a bit. Honor the pure does not work well with black cards. The life loss is picked up later from the sisters so it is not nearly as bad as you might think. Blossoms is a good card.
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I’m not being condescending; just asking.
Anyway, I don't mind answering questions, and I don't take criticism as a personal attack; I've been trying to make a deck like this work since Monument was printed, so I've dealt with a loooong time where the deck just did NOT work, and fixing flaws in it makes me happy. The recent GP Hartford Day 2 showing of a Monument Sisters deck is what I based this build off of, so I'm really hoping I can tune it to be a beast!
nice take on the deck, how come 3 of whitemane lion and not a playset? I have fiddled with a momument sisters deck but feel it is too slow (either you get the synergy or you twiddle waiting for it).
I am interested in how the deck works for you and hope to have you post here. I consider the deck to be a forward moving archetype of SS, not a new deck but a variant.
@kizzel, the martyr is good early in the game when you have a full hand of white (so it can sac and you gain life) forcing your opponent to deal with an early Ascendent. Proctor lists do not need this to happen as they can pull the martyr later from graveyard and do the simialr lifegain repeatedly. SS late game usually lacks a strong hand to profit from a late game martyr (unless you run Birds). An Ascendent is good most of the time and can become a threat pretty quickly even without a martyr. It also means that an ascendant is a passive threat just sitting on the board because you life total is going up and your opponet sees this; forcing them into some kind of action, either attacking into you or trying to remove a 1/1 life linking wimp.
They are both fetch able with ranger of eos which is why that card is popular in the deck.
2 Auriok Champion
2 Benalish Marshal
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Ajani’s Pridemate
2 Ranger of Eos
4 Soul Warden
3 Soul's Attendant
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Thalia's Lieutenant
3 Path to Exile
Enchantment
3 Honor of the Pure
Planeswalker
1 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants
Lands
11 Plains
4 Flagstones of Trokair
4 Windbrisk Heights
4 Ghost Quarter
1 Auriok Champion
2 stony silence
2 damping sphere
1 Kataki, War’s Wage
2 suppression field
1 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants
1 Mark of Asylum
1 Disenchant
2 Blessed Alliance
2 return to the ranks
I imagine I’m going to want some form of evasion when I get to play test. The sideboard I just typed out to have one. It’s not final.
4 Hangarback Walker
Creature (20)
4 Ajani's Pridemate
3 Archangel of Thune
3 Auriok Champion
4 Ranger of Eos
3 Soul Warden
3 Soul's Attendant
3 Honor of the Pure
3 Legion's Landing
Instant (4)
4 Path to Exile
Sorcery (4)
4 Spectral Procession
Land (22)
12 Plains
4 Windbrisk Heights
4 Flagstones of Trokair
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Benalish Marshal
I love Hangarback Walker and tried to include it in my SS list. It is good vs sweepers, works very good with Archangel of Thune, sisters + Ajani's Pridemate and can be a target of Ranger of Eos. Unfortunately it does not get Honor of the Pure buff. What do you think?
Bishop is much better than Mentor, IMO, yes. And yeah, Resplendent seemed interesting...but too much work, hahaha.
Won vs Hollow One and tribal whatever. Easy wins. Guess you just hope to hit the right opponents?
Lastly, tried out Blade Splicer instead of Hangarback. Liked the change!
KCI Is a tipical combo deck, if they have ways to work around the hate they will win. It's part of the game and the reason why we still need a fast clock to have a chance post-board.
I've had some success with the following list but any advice would be welcomed.
4 Ajani's Pridemate
2 Archangel of Thune
2 Auriok Champion
2 Ranger of Eos
4 Soul Warden
3 Soul's Attendant
2 Serra Ascendant
2 Lone Rider
Enchantment (5)
3 Honor of the Pure
1 Legion's Landing
1 Oblivion Ring
3 Path to Exile
Artifacts (2)
2 Oketra's Monument
Sorcery (6)
4 Spectral Procession
2 Lingering Souls
Land (23)
11 Plains
1 Swamp
2 Windbrisk Heights
4 Isolated Chapel
2 Ghost Quarter
3 Scoured Barrens
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Extirpate
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Pithing Needle
1 Blessed Alliance
1 Celestial Purge
1 Stony Silence
1 Kor Firewalker
2 Sundering Growth
1 Defense Grid
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Proclamation of Rebirth
1 Worship
I'm thinking of replacing the Lone Riders with two more Auriok Champions when I can afford it (they're expensive).
Archangel of Thune has won me several games, it's a powerhouse in this deck. I did try Resplendent Angel but it seemed too hard to reliably pull off, despite having Martyr of the Sands in the deck at the time. The above iteration seems to be more consistent.
I do like the LR but I'm not sure he's the most effective card in that slot.
Also, is a playset of Flagstones of Trokair worth it? I'm not convinced but then I might be missing the point.
@wolsom. Ive tried blossoms, and its is a good card free stuff is nice. It moves the deck into more of a token deck, because if your on black your running lingering souls w/ spetral procession. Which is fine. but your game play changes a bit. Honor the pure does not work well with black cards. The life loss is picked up later from the sisters so it is not nearly as bad as you might think. Blossoms is a good card.