MTG Salvation

Since Survival Cache is getting downgraded we have seen talk about White getting some much needed card advantage in this format. This leads me to want to try out a Mono White Control. We have some good stuff so I think now is the time to go for it!

Here's my first attempt:



We have some pretty good finishers, but they all are very grindy. There's not a lot of other options in my opinion other than maybe Guardian of the Guildpact. Custodi Squire is probably the strongest since it has built in evasion on top of the decent body, and it can bring back some of our enchantments or create a recursion loop with a second Squire in the graveyard.

For Card Advantage we have Cache along with Palace Sentinels. Becoming the Monarch is very powerful as long as we can keep from taking combat damage and that's pretty easy as long as we don't face all out aggro pre-sideboard. There's not a lot of pure CA for white. There are some cantrips, but most are lackluster.

As for Sideboard, I feel it can be cleaned up a bit. I decided to split my artifact and enchantment removal since both options have bonuses over things like Disenchant, but perhaps having 4 copies of an answer instead of taking up 6 spaces is better. Angelsong is a good cantrip against aggro but I was tempted in trying Cease-Fire instead.

Lapse of Certainty might not be good here, but I figured this might be the best deck to use it in. I'm certainly not too attached to it right now.

What is everyone's thoughts on this potential new archetype? Has anyone else been brewing for it?

Since the goal is to stay at a fairly high life total for Survival Cache, it seems odd to not include Faith's Fetters. 4 life is nothing to sneeze at. Unlike exile-creature-effects, it also shuts down Rancor. I would consider supplementing it with Hobble. Yes, it's also slow, but it does provide rather reliable card advantage.

Rest for the Weary is probably not maindeckable. Yes, it is great in some matchups, but at the same time it is straight up card disadvantage, and I do not think this deck can afford that even with Survival Cache and Palace Sentinels. The latter is also debatable - it will be hard to stay as the monarch in quite a few matchups against aggressive decks, and dropping a 2 mana 2/4 definitely does not help. In a meta where Delver and Kuldotha Boros are top contenders and everyone and their mother is playing Vault Skirge, I would most likely either play sentinels in the sideboard or commit more to dealing with fliers. Either way, Lone Missionary seems a superior inclusion in the main 60 to Rest for the Weary, and so does Aven Riftwatcher. If the goal is to simply generate a lot of life, Martyr of Sands ought to be superior in monowhite context.

Some amount of artifact/enchantment hate could be mainboarded. Even burn runs Curse of the Pierced Heart, so Delver decks seem like the only matchup where it would be a dead investment. That being said, Faith's Fetters deals with equipment and Pestilence pretty well, so it might not be necessary.

Either Standard Bearer and/or Coalition Honor Guard should be considered in the 75. They single-handedly wreck certain strategies and are a considerable hindrance against others.

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Overall, I do not know if monowhite will be reliable enough. Black splash gives Pestilence, Crypt Rats, and those combo well with Guardian of the Guildpact and Wall of Hope, while taking care of the largest problem white control decks have in the format - lack of access to reliable sweepers. White has plenty of stall, but no real way to establish board control against swarm decks. Cards like Gossamer Chains can be used to force overcommitment, but not punish it. Blue splash on the other hand gives access to Mulldrifter, which is of course one of the best pauper creatures, and it can be further combined wit Angelic Renewal and the ilk.

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I did consider white tron with Rhystic Circle, Dawnglare Invoker, and Starlight Invoker briefly, but it does seem too slow and unreliable.

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EDIT: Have rebels been tested/considered by anyone? Aven Riftwatcher and Bound in Silence are both pauper-legal, so Ramosian Lieutenant, Defiant Falcon, and Amrou Scout can all generate considerable value over time. Children of Korlis, Nightwing Glider and Thermal Glider are tolerable singletons. If the game can be stalled long enough, this might win it.

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Derp Zone: Just putting out thoughts.
- Glittering Lynx blocks like a champ. It will eat more mana from the opponent than it cost, making it relatively efficient roadbump against blockable ground dudes. Not too much of those around, though.
- Reinforcements. Is there any efficient way to exploit this in pauper? Surging Sentinels does not look like a keeper, and Enlistment Officer is unfortunately an uncommon.
- Leonin Squire generates card advantage for relatively cheap.
- Prismatic Strands and/or Orim's Cure are effective ways to deal with burn, or to protect our creatures.
- Runes might be maindeckable, depending on the meta, thanks to their cyclability.
- Mistmoon Griffin is probably the most exploitable white creature overall.
- White really would like to recur artifacts, with Remember the Fallen and Sanctum Gargoyle.
- Or auras. Ironclad Slayer, Heliod's Pilgrim, Monk Idealist, Totem-Guide Hartebeest.
- Desperate Sentry is considerable value if Delirium was achievable.

A lot of good ideas being thrown around here. I like this brainstorming!

I think a life-focused approach is a solid plan not only because it enables our new draw spell, but because it is also a solid plan versus a variety of matchups.

With that in mind, I think the 1-drop Martyr of Sands is excellent, especially with a control gameplan, which makes me believe it would be relevant almost throughout the entire game.

Continuing on that thought, I think the Kor Skyfisher and Aven Riftwatcher duo are a must. Fisher will allow the abuse of ETB effects, which tend to be pretty good in White, and comboes really well with Riftwatcher for a cheap beater that gains you tons of life. It can also reset a Palace Sentinels monarchy.

Don't underestimate Palace Sentinels. It rewards the player who has control of the board or combat, which is pretty much what we want here.

Squadron Hawk plays well with Martyr and our card advantage plan as well, so it seems likely to make the cut.

That gives us a pretty solid creature base to work with. Tack in some Bonesplitters to help close out games and I think we have a plan.

As for removal of threats, I think Faith's Fetters is a cool idea, but might be a bit clunky. 2-of at most, I would guess.

Otherwise, I'm very happy running both Sunlance and Journey to Nowhere. Journey especially seems like a staple in all White decks.

Quote from Upkeep »

I think a life-focused approach is a solid plan not only because it enables our new draw spell, but because it is also a solid plan versus a variety of matchups.

With that in mind, I think the 1-drop Martyr of Sands is excellent, especially with a control gameplan, which makes me believe it would be relevant almost throughout the entire game.

It is more likely just a case of necessity. It enables our only draw spell, and apart from Glint Hawk, Palace Sentinel and Thraben Instructor shenanigans, largely our only card advantage source. The problem is that we essentially end up running some odd hybrid between Hawkblade and Kuldotha boros, except with our lifegain plan we are not running quite as much business as either.

Quote from Upkeep »

Don't underestimate Palace Sentinels. It rewards the player who has control of the board or combat, which is pretty much what we want here.

With Squadron Hawks and the 2/3 flying soldier bros it is much more reasonable than the decklist in the OP.

Quote from Upkeep »

As for removal of threats, I think Faith's Fetters is a cool idea, but might be a bit clunky. 2-of at most, I would guess.

Otherwise, I'm very happy running both Sunlance and Journey to Nowhere. Journey especially seems like a staple in all White decks.

I would probably run 1 Faith's Fetters main and two more in the side. I do not want to get stuck with multiple in a format with Kuldotha Boros and their Kor Skyfishers. On the other hand, Fetters is reasonable against the large threats of Affinity (Gearseeker Serpent, Atog, Myr Enforcer), Delvers (Gurmag Angler, Sultai Scavenger), the main black board wipers (Pestilence and Crypt Rats), and considerably better than most other removal against burn. I am not sure if it is too slow against Stompy, but it does shut down Rancor when it lands.

Likewise, I do not think Sunlance is maindeckable much for the same reason. You could convince me otherwise if we had access to card selection in the form of Brainstorm or Faithless Looting. This depends a lot on the meta, though - if you keep facing stompy, Lance is great. It is a dead card against Bogles and Kuldotha boros, and mediocre at best against Dinrova Tron.

As such, 4x .Journey is probably the right call. I am still partial to Hobble, and feel it at least merits testing.

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Some notes.
- Kor Skyfisher can bounce Fetters or Hobble if needed.
- We need some form of grave hate in the sideboard. Dealing with Deep Analysis that goes 4-for-1 and/or Death Denied shenanigans does not seem like a great way to spend an evening. This is worse in paper, as your opponents have access to Disturbed Burial.