The deck feels similar to the hexproof decks of old where you stack up all your eggs on one creature (basket) and give them evasion so they can finish the game as quickly as possible. Since there are almost no playable hexproof creatures in standard the deck instead uses the Heroic mechanic to get get your creatures beefy as you use cheap protection spells such as Gods Willing to blow out your opponents removal, with the help of cantrips and scry to keep your hand full of goodies.
You will enjoy playing this deck if you like cycling through your deck, as the deck has a bunch of ways to Scry and a whole lot of cantrips with the added benefit of some powerful draw from Ordeal of Thassa. The deck is extremely fun and quite competitive with many more lines of play than the old hexproof decks.
-Cards to consider-
Favored Hoplite: Premium one drop for this deck that can get out of control easily and actually be the big creature you finish them with in the end, all for one mana! Run this guy. Soldier of the Pantheon: Amazing one drop that is an all-star all game while holding down the ground from big nasty multicolor creatures if need be. Loyal Pegasus: This little guy wants to be run in a very all-in aggro strategy that is trying to win consistently on turn 4, he can be awkward with certain hands but a 2/1 flyer for one mana is nothing to scoff at. Hopeful Eidolon: I you need some life gain this is your guy, he doubles as a pump later in the game. Lagonna-Band Trailblazer: I highly recommend this guy for the sideboard, as he is the premier creature at stone walling aggro decks that are faster then us. Fugitive Wizard: Run this card if you want to lose a whole bunch.
Battlewise Hoplite: Premier creature for this deck and one of the main reasons to go blue. This guy does everything you want to do in this deck so make sure to bring 4. Hero of Iroas: This guy is a bomb in this deck, especially if you run a good amount of aura's, Highly recommend running him. Vanguard of Brimaz: Making more dudes in a deck with anthems will be strong. Dauntless River Marshal: Doesent have heroic but he does not need it to be honest, this guy is usually 3/2 that taps blockers down by himself for 2 mana. Phalanx Leader: This guy is very good if you plan on running a lot of creatures. Sage of Hours: It is cute and you will feel like a boss when you get an extra turn, but it is a huge lightning rod. Seeker of the Way: Very good creature that works perfectly in the spell heavy builds. Battlefield Thaumaturge: This guy is..interesting. Unlike the other guys he does not get big, but he can reduce those pesky strive costs a good bit. Akroan Skyguard: Brings his own evasion and will easily bring your opponents life points down low by himself.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos: Does work against aggro and puts a clock on slower decks as well...not really any downside to this creature except for the fact he is Legendary. Chasm Skulker: This guy can get big very fast if you combo it with your cantrips and ordeal, and provides value after death. Daxos of Meletis: This guy is more fun than he is competitive, but he could warrant a spot or at least some testing. Eidolon of Countless Battles: Triggers heroic and rewards you for playing aura's, this guy is versatile and fits any role you need him to play. Fabled Hero: This guy is a powerhouse and will win you games in no time if he is left alone. Preeminent Captain: Spits out creatures if your in a rush to beat some face in, note that almost all the best heroic creatures are soldiers. Thassa, God of the Sea: Will never be a creature but scry and un-blockability are very valuable to this deck.
Ephara, God of the Polis: Provides CA as well as some beef if you get her devotion payed (which is not that hard) Dawnbringer Charioteers: Flying, lifelink and heroic all in one convenient package! High Sentinels of Arashin: I dont know if you noticed but we have a whole lot of +1/+1 counters floating around..
Aqueous Form: Triggers heroic, scry's, and provides evasion. Run. This. Card Oppressive Rays: If you really need a heroic trigger BAD, or some sort of pseudo removal run this. Military Intelligence: This card will get you a lot of cards in a more creature heavy build, test it before you judge it. Ordeal of Heliod: the ordeals are great for letting us speed up the clock and providing a nice side benefit, in this case 10 life, which could be quite important in a race. Ordeal of Thassa: Run 4 of this card and enjoy all your free counters and cards. Singing Bell Strike: If you really need something out of the way for cheap this is what you need. Stratus Walk: Evasion and a cantrip is what this deck needs. Suspension Field: Good Sideboard option for the big monster decks running around. Battle Mastery: This card can, and will blow out games for you. Ephara's Enlightenment: Repeatable heroic triggers with some nice evasion tacked on. It is kind of expensive but could be good. Gift of Immortality: I want this to be good, I really do. I an seeing it being great tech against removal heavy decks that are tapped out the turn you play it. Spectra Ward: Probably the most powerful Aura in standard it just so happens to cost 5 mana, which can be a lot in this kind of deck.
Aerial Formation: Good alpha strike tool to trigger multiple heroics. Gods Willing: The card you will need to stop removal from completely blowing you out, run this card. Ajani's Presence: Another prime protection spell that you will need to protect your dudes. Defiant Strike: Seems weak at first glance but it is actually a very important tool for the heroic heavy builds, as it both cantrips and triggers heroic and +1/+0 all for 1 measly mana. Launch the Fleet: Good heroic trigger and token producer, if your looking to swarm this is one of your best tools. Stubborn Denial Great out of the sideboard as it will often be a 1 mana counter spell. Triton Tactics: Really screws with aggro decks. Swan Song: We really dont care if the opponent gets a 2/2 flyer, making this a great counter spell. Void Snare Gets blockers out of the way for your guys and sets your opponent back in the tempo race.
Feat of Resistance: Protection and a permanent +1/+1 counter is quite strong. Glare of Heresy: Highly consider this card for your sideboard. Negate: is Swan Song is not enough for you this will stop those silly spells for you. Reprisal: When the game goes long and you absolutely need that creature gone. Return to the Ranks: If you run a bunch of 1 and 2 drops this can be your ticket back into a losing game. Turn to Frog: People really underestimate this card as it can be a huge play at the right time. Voyages End: Bounce with scry is never bad.
I have had success of recently with a build of UW Heroic built comparable to last season's hexproof lists in terms of pumping up a huge unblockable dude preferably with double strike. I run about sixteen creatures and a bunch of cantrips that trigger heroic. It avoids anything fancy like Ephara. Let me know if you're interested in a list (currently posting from my phone.)
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One of these day I have to get myself organizized.
I have had success of recently with a build of UW Heroic built comparable to last season's hexproof lists in terms of pumping up a huge unblockable dude preferably with double strike. I run about sixteen creatures and a bunch of cantrips that trigger heroic. It avoids anything fancy like Ephara. Let me know if you're interested in a list (currently posting from my phone.)
Yeah feel free to post the list man, any discussion helps. I experimented with Ephara and Military Intelligence for increased CA and ended up liking it, but I think that is just because I love aggro but hate running out of fuel.
@Maplesmall I will definitely check out the thread man, but I doubt I can be convinced to splash a third color. Right now I have been brewing a whole bunch of two color decks because I think consistency will win out this standard over killing yourself with your lands and missing drop after drop because of tap lands and getting screwed on a color. There is no question that adding green for some powerhouse cards has it's advantages but I came into this with the focus of making a fast consistent deck that can fight the Meta in a unique way, and I think this deck is on it's way to that.
There are enough creatures to always keep a threat on the board, but to never swarm your opponent. Very few games do I win with just an overwhelming number of 2/2s. I play it like UWR Delver in Legacy or more recently Jeskai Tempo in standard in terms of getting a single dude on the board and forcing the opponent to answer it. Pray they don't, but always have God's Willing open to blow them out. Nothing better than protecting a Fabled Hero on the swing in from a Downfall only to deal your opponent an additional 2 damage. Some games are simply stolen with a decked out Fabled Hero getting in for 6-8 at the least. He gets out of hand fast. I don't love Eidolon of Countless Battles because it requires both evasion and a heavy board state. He is a blow out when you're winning, but sad to see when you're behind. Your creatures never need to outsize a Polukranos or anything like that because so many of them have evasion. That being said you do want to beat Mono-Green before they cast Hornet Queen or hope you have an Aqueous Form on a dude.
Ephara might be great in this deck, but I don't want to commit so much to the board to turn her on and I feel like I get enough card advantage or at least, I can keep gas in the engine with 8 cantrips (Defiant Strike and Stratus Walk) and the multiple scry triggers from God's Willing or Battlewise Hoplite, not to mention the most absurd card draw in the deck, Ordeal of Thassa. That card is great, but I also really think that Defiant Strike puts this deck over the edge from good to competitive. You cycle through your deck, which is crazy in an aggro deck, especially with a Hoplite. Trigger heroic, scry to the bottom, draw a card, attack, trigger Aqueous Form, scry to the bottom, trigger Ordeal of Thassa, sac it, draw two cards, swing for eight unblockable. The deck does that so often it is bonkers.
I also don't mind running Temple of Enlightenment because the deck can do a lot with not all of its mana open and not every opening hand has a Favored Hoplite. It also enables you to up the land count a bit insofar as you're going to be scrying so many to the bottom once the deck begins firing on all six cylinders. The skill in the deck lies in knowing what to scry down to the bottom. Reading what you need to win with on board and whether that card on top gets you there.
The board is set up to brick wall aggro, play solid threats in grindy games, and to dodge removal whether it be with a counterspell or Ajani's Presence.
I played this deck for some block constructed tournaments and I love seeing how it came together in standard.
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One of these day I have to get myself organizized.
I hear you there. Consistency is what I'm after, but amazingly, I've had no problems in about 8 straight games in getting all 3 Bant colours needed in time. Fetches do wondrous things for mana. Aqueous Form and Ordeal of Thassa are tremendously useful, as I found in my testing. Ordeal + Heroic creature attacking + Hardened Scales = immediate payoff, which is just amazing.
There are enough creatures to always keep a threat on the board, but to never swarm your opponent. Very few games do I win with just an overwhelming number of 2/2s. I play it like UWR Delver in Legacy or more recently Jeskai Tempo in standard in terms of getting a single dude on the board and forcing the opponent to answer it. Pray they don't, but always have God's Willing open to blow them out. Nothing better than protecting a Fabled Hero on the swing in from a Downfall only to deal your opponent an additional 2 damage. Some games are simply stolen with a decked out Fabled Hero getting in for 6-8 at the least. He gets out of hand fast. I don't love Eidolon of Countless Battles because it requires both evasion and a heavy board state. He is a blow out when you're winning, but sad to see when you're behind. Your creatures never need to outsize a Polukranos or anything like that because so many of them have evasion. That being said you do want to beat Mono-Green before they cast Hornet Queen or hope you have an Aqueous Form on a dude.
Ephara might be great in this deck, but I don't want to commit so much to the board to turn her on and I feel like I get enough card advantage or at least, I can keep gas in the engine with 8 cantrips (Defiant Strike and Stratus Walk) and the multiple scry triggers from God's Willing or Battlewise Hoplite, not to mention the most absurd card draw in the deck, Ordeal of Thassa. That card is great, but I also really think that Defiant Strike puts this deck over the edge from good to competitive. You cycle through your deck, which is crazy in an aggro deck, especially with a Hoplite. Trigger heroic, scry to the bottom, draw a card, attack, trigger Aqueous Form, scry to the bottom, trigger Ordeal of Thassa, sac it, draw two cards, swing for eight unblockable. The deck does that so often it is bonkers.
I also don't mind running Temple of Enlightenment because the deck can do a lot with not all of its mana open and not every opening hand has a Favored Hoplite. It also enables you to up the land count a bit insofar as you're going to be scrying so many to the bottom once the deck begins firing on all six cylinders. The skill in the deck lies in knowing what to scry down to the bottom. Reading what you need to win with on board and whether that card on top gets you there.
The board is set up to brick wall aggro, play solid threats in grindy games, and to dodge removal whether it be with a counterspell or Ajani's Presence.
I played this deck for some block constructed tournaments and I love seeing how it came together in standard.
I have not really given Fabled Hero as good of a test run as it seems he deserves, I was just so impressed with what the Eidolon could do. With the lack of Bestow in my list I wanted to give him a try and the turn 4 plays with him can be crazy, as I feel with only a Battlewise Hoplite with an any enchantment on him he will be adding 4 damage that turn, with the added ability to come down as a creature after they manage to remove your creature. With straight speed in mind though I could see a good argument for the Fabled Hero to replace him perhaps.Though Brimaz could end up being the correct choice if aggro becomes big.
I plan on testing Military Intelligence tomorrow in place of Ephara and adding a few more tempo cards mainboard to see if the decrease in speed would be worth it to mess with their board a bit.
So far Ephara has been just about 1 card a turn after the first turn you play her which is..alright considering we have the Ordeal and a million cantrips already, but hey more fuel never hurt an aggro deck am I right? I tend to play more creatures and enchantments out to get her online as a creature and the fact that almost every deck is running single targeted removal over aoe removal.
Yeah, I want to be winning on turn 4 or at least turn 5. I think Ordeal of Heliod gains just as much life as a Hopeful Eidolon will over the course of a game, while also giving your guys at least two counters if not three. In terms of bestow, the sweeper that I would be worried about is more End Hostilities than Anger of the Gods. Anger of the Gods can be countered with a God's Willing, targeting a Favored Hoplite, or simply making your guy bigger than a 3/3. End Hostilities throws the baby out with the bathwater in nailing your guy and the bestowed creature.
Perhaps, I am playing overly cautious against removal in the hopes of always being able to counter it with a Willing, Presence, or Denial.
I'm just afraid Ephara and MI take away from you killing your opponent.
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One of these day I have to get myself organizized.
Although ephara can occasionally be a veatdown in her own right you are correct in saying it takes away from your consistent turn 4 wins for the trade off of have a bit more game against opponent you fail to kill early, or thoae games you just dont get your gods willing and you need to grind the game alittle longer.
Late game CA and a possible big body to give some evasion to is not completely the opposite pf this decks plan but I can see why she stands out. I have tried cutting her and the void snares for more copies of the other cards to increase consistency but ended up like the original more than the all in heroic strat.
I've been playing around with the archetype for a few days now, but your list looked cool too.
Took your deck (minus the exact sideboard, I wouldn't know what to do with it without you telling me :P) through a daily. Won round 1 vs. Jeskai Tempo and round 2 vs. Rabble Red. Lost rounds 3 and 4 against Mono Black Aggro. Other than Jeskai I was surprised at the decks i faced. No green Fabled Hero was sweet though, added some power that my list was missing. Mono black just straight up tempo'd me out with one drops, Thoughtseize and removal. Pain Seer kept him ahead while I slowly spent all my cards trying to deal with them. Managed to pull off a win both times though. Rabblered landed a T2 Eidolon of the Great Revel, that was terrifying.
Back to tinkering, this deck is so much fun. Tons of ways to configure the list!
OK, so having spent ages trying to get GW Heroic to work, I've come to the conclusion that UW Heroic has a better chance of doing things well. Therefore... here goes.
This is the SoldierHeroic deck, courtesy of Brimaz and Elspeth. One of the cards I wanted in here but couldn't fit was Vanguard of Brimaz, since Heroic for him means even more soldiers. The general plan is get tons of tokens out and outfit them all with +1/+1 counters, courtesy of Phalanx Leader. Protect the vital assets with Gods Willing, Feat of Resistance. Get some scrying going with Battlewise Hoplite and Aqueous Form, and card draw with Ordeal of Thassa. One thing I'm hesitant about off the bat is having only 8 protection spells against removal, but I'll playtest this on XMage and see if I want more. I'm sick of Hero's Downfall coming in and picking off key creatures. Obelisk of Urd is in there because it'd be great to have 10 1/1 tokens turn into 3/3s and swing in, and since every single creature is a soldier, I couldn't ignore the synergy.
@Maplesmall Interesting take, if you have tested it at all do you find the loss of consistent early wins and explosiveness is worth the inevitability that your small army and Elspeth will bring against a sweeper-less opponent? I have been interested in a more swarm build myself so this looks fun to me.
Haven't tested enough yet. XMage keeps frustrating me; I forget not to hit f9 (skip all) since it prevents me from countering burn/removal with a Gods Willing if I hit that. Then I forgot the legendary rule with Brimaz and wasted one, essentially.
I think I will switch Iroas with Vanguard, just to maximise the token generation. In the partial games I have played there hasn't been a lot of it, really. I wonder if Spectra Ward is worth considering... it's protection from bloody well everything.
I've been playing around with the archetype for a few days now, but your list looked cool too.
Took your deck (minus the exact sideboard, I wouldn't know what to do with it without you telling me :P) through a daily. Won round 1 vs. Jeskai Tempo and round 2 vs. Rabble Red. Lost rounds 3 and 4 against Mono Black Aggro. Other than Jeskai I was surprised at the decks i faced. No green Fabled Hero was sweet though, added some power that my list was missing. Mono black just straight up tempo'd me out with one drops, Thoughtseize and removal. Pain Seer kept him ahead while I slowly spent all my cards trying to deal with them. Managed to pull off a win both times though. Rabblered landed a T2 Eidolon of the Great Revel, that was terrifying.
Played tonight and only went 1-2 Differences from the list I posted earlier is -3 Ordeal of Heliod in the main, -1 Defiant Strike, +4 Ajani's Presence and -1 Hopeful Eidolon, -1 Ajani's Presence, -1 Dig Through Time for 3 Ordeal of Heliod in the board.
Round one against Rabble Red and first game I got blown out, which is fine. Second game, I had one Trailblazer brickwall them, and once I fired off an Ordeal of Heliod it was game over. Aggro matches are more grindy, given that you can't always outrace them. Third game, I kept a one-lander with double Trailblazer and a Hoplite. I didn't see my second land till like the seventh turn and at that point I lost to a Rabblemaster.
My sideboarding was -3 Stratus Walk (because I want to be blocking their creatures on the ground),-4 Fabled Hero (because I'm not racing them), -2 Battlewise Hoplite (to lower the curve), +3 Ordeal of Heliod, +2 Brimaz, +4 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer. You have to keep Heroic enablers like Aqueous Form in or you won't be able to actually block profitably.
Round two was against Gb Devotion. Game one, I raced him with double Favored Hoplite. Game two, I raced him with a Hero of Iroas and a Fabled Hero. He stared down my Hero of Iroas when he had a Polukranos to block with and was pondering whether I could take him out. Luckily, he chose not to block so I nailed him for six. Then Hero next turn, an Aqueous Form, an Ordeal of Thassa, and a God's Willing sealed it. I didn't sideboard much of anything I don't think.
Round three was against Jeskai Tempo. First game I blew him out after jamming four creatures straight and the second Fabled Hero, stuck with double God's Willing backup. Second game I was blowing him out except for when I swung for lethal, I had a Deflecting Palm facepalm me. Next turn he cast a Rabble and I couldn't kill him on the swingback so third game. One card left in hand, I should have known not to pump, but I wanted to finish the game quickly for personal reasons. Third game was Magma Jet, Magma Spray, Mantis Rider, and I stuttered on one land. My board plan was -2 Fabled Hero, +2 Brimaz, -2 Defiant Strike, +2 Stubborn Denial.
Lessons of tonight are that I should mulligan more aggressively and that the cantrips can't always bail me out. The deck is really awesome and it tested well against an aggro tokens deck, but it is very draw dependent it seems. Probably because I need to mulligan more. I plan on playing it at an IQ tomorrow and we'll see if I end up playing it at States on Saturday. I'm unsure just yet.
seeker is solid as it like in jeskai tempo they can be impossible to race.
While it doesn't get permanental bigger it works well in conjunction with other creatures being heroic'ed on the same turn.
As for the counters, in this type of deck I generally prefer straight up protection spell rather then counters as the counters won't trigger heroic or prowess in a meaningful way most of the time.
I usually use stubborn/stroke in the SB if I know there packing multiple board wipes/crackling dooms (aka some control variation).
If we really want to include a god in the deck, would there by any reason to play Heliod, God of the Sun over Ephara, God of the Polis? Although the CA of Ephara is great as others have mentioned, I wonder if the vigilance provided by Heliod, as well as the more easily activated 5 devotion cost (as opposed to Ephara's seven, requiring a blue as well) would be in any way worthwhile.
My thoughts on Seeker of the Way are that it doesn't seem amazing without the burn spells to back it up. Unlike your other guys, he doesn't retain his +1/+1 in the form of counters and so he requires a continuous investment to keep him up to par with the rest of the board, while Battlewise Hoplite once invested on can stand toe-to-toe with a Polukranos or Doomwake Giant. Seeker can only do that with a Lightning Strike and even then you tend to be 2-for-1-ing yourself with the Jeskai Tempo deck just to knock out a single big creature. I could see him being played over Lagonna-Band Trailblazer for the lifelink, but I kinda like Trailblazer's ability to lower our curve.
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One of these day I have to get myself organizized.
In Heliod's case, if we want to give everyone vigilance, just use Brave the Sands. If Heliod's not a creature then it's practically the same thing at half the cost.
@Lord as maple said adding a third color in a deck with such a low and aggressive curve that needs UW on turn two and WW on turn three just makes the deck inconsistent. That being said quick pump spells would be great for this deck and would close out games easily.
I more or less agree with trapped on Seeker, I mean he is a great creature, there is no denying that, it is just that our other creatures keep growing every turn from every spell permanently while he gets a quick 3 in one or two times maybe. Now in a matchup where lifelink matters than he is as good or better than Hoplite.
As far as Gods go the correct number may end up being 0, but until testing shows that ephara is a wasted space I am going to keep her in my list and let her do her thing drawing me cards and sometimes beating face.
fair enough, one advantage i can see with seeker though is it's mana cost that is more consistent on turn two as opposed to battlewise at UW. Lifegain seems relevant to some match up. It may allow us to race the opponent while gaining precious life. Like TrappedUnderIce said battlewise retains it's counter though. I think both are playable but not both of them together in the main. I anticipate anger of the gods, early removal spells that will come up game 2 that playing counter spell like stubborn denial will make them stumble i little and can possibly hard counter in no time.
@Yunomi Yeah they both have a use like you have said and depending on how the meta shapes up you just have to play what your prefer. I plan on almost always switching out my Void Snare's and 1 Stratus Walk for 3 Stubborn Denials since they can just create such a tempo swing in your favor if you snag something good like a turn 3 downfall or a AotG. Though I have considered putting Swan Song in as well since the 2/2 almost never matters when you give it to a control player.
Listen to this as your craft your heroic deck.
Soldier of the Pantheon: Amazing one drop that is an all-star all game while holding down the ground from big nasty multicolor creatures if need be.
Loyal Pegasus: This little guy wants to be run in a very all-in aggro strategy that is trying to win consistently on turn 4, he can be awkward with certain hands but a 2/1 flyer for one mana is nothing to scoff at.
Hopeful Eidolon: I you need some life gain this is your guy, he doubles as a pump later in the game.
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer: I highly recommend this guy for the sideboard, as he is the premier creature at stone walling aggro decks that are faster then us.
Fugitive Wizard: Run this card if you want to lose a whole bunch.
Hero of Iroas: This guy is a bomb in this deck, especially if you run a good amount of aura's, Highly recommend running him.
Vanguard of Brimaz: Making more dudes in a deck with anthems will be strong.
Dauntless River Marshal: Doesent have heroic but he does not need it to be honest, this guy is usually 3/2 that taps blockers down by himself for 2 mana.
Phalanx Leader: This guy is very good if you plan on running a lot of creatures.
Sage of Hours: It is cute and you will feel like a boss when you get an extra turn, but it is a huge lightning rod.
Seeker of the Way: Very good creature that works perfectly in the spell heavy builds.
Battlefield Thaumaturge: This guy is..interesting. Unlike the other guys he does not get big, but he can reduce those pesky strive costs a good bit.
Akroan Skyguard: Brings his own evasion and will easily bring your opponents life points down low by himself.
Chasm Skulker: This guy can get big very fast if you combo it with your cantrips and ordeal, and provides value after death.
Daxos of Meletis: This guy is more fun than he is competitive, but he could warrant a spot or at least some testing.
Eidolon of Countless Battles: Triggers heroic and rewards you for playing aura's, this guy is versatile and fits any role you need him to play.
Fabled Hero: This guy is a powerhouse and will win you games in no time if he is left alone.
Preeminent Captain: Spits out creatures if your in a rush to beat some face in, note that almost all the best heroic creatures are soldiers.
Thassa, God of the Sea: Will never be a creature but scry and un-blockability are very valuable to this deck.
Dawnbringer Charioteers: Flying, lifelink and heroic all in one convenient package!
High Sentinels of Arashin: I dont know if you noticed but we have a whole lot of +1/+1 counters floating around..
Oppressive Rays: If you really need a heroic trigger BAD, or some sort of pseudo removal run this.
Military Intelligence: This card will get you a lot of cards in a more creature heavy build, test it before you judge it.
Ordeal of Heliod: the ordeals are great for letting us speed up the clock and providing a nice side benefit, in this case 10 life, which could be quite important in a race.
Ordeal of Thassa: Run 4 of this card and enjoy all your free counters and cards.
Singing Bell Strike: If you really need something out of the way for cheap this is what you need.
Stratus Walk: Evasion and a cantrip is what this deck needs.
Suspension Field: Good Sideboard option for the big monster decks running around.
Battle Mastery: This card can, and will blow out games for you.
Ephara's Enlightenment: Repeatable heroic triggers with some nice evasion tacked on. It is kind of expensive but could be good.
Gift of Immortality: I want this to be good, I really do. I an seeing it being great tech against removal heavy decks that are tapped out the turn you play it.
Spectra Ward: Probably the most powerful Aura in standard it just so happens to cost 5 mana, which can be a lot in this kind of deck.
Gods Willing: The card you will need to stop removal from completely blowing you out, run this card.
Ajani's Presence: Another prime protection spell that you will need to protect your dudes.
Defiant Strike: Seems weak at first glance but it is actually a very important tool for the heroic heavy builds, as it both cantrips and triggers heroic and +1/+0 all for 1 measly mana.
Launch the Fleet: Good heroic trigger and token producer, if your looking to swarm this is one of your best tools.
Stubborn Denial Great out of the sideboard as it will often be a 1 mana counter spell.
Triton Tactics: Really screws with aggro decks.
Swan Song: We really dont care if the opponent gets a 2/2 flyer, making this a great counter spell.
Void Snare Gets blockers out of the way for your guys and sets your opponent back in the tempo race.
Glare of Heresy: Highly consider this card for your sideboard.
Negate: is Swan Song is not enough for you this will stop those silly spells for you.
Reprisal: When the game goes long and you absolutely need that creature gone.
Return to the Ranks: If you run a bunch of 1 and 2 drops this can be your ticket back into a losing game.
Turn to Frog: People really underestimate this card as it can be a huge play at the right time.
Voyages End: Bounce with scry is never bad.
Hour of Need: Good way to cheat a win out of nowhere.
Sample Decklists:
4 Favored Hoplite
2 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
4 Battlewise Hoplite
3 Hero of Iroas
2 Shu Yun, the Silent Tempest
2 Heliod's Pilgrim
Enchantments:10
2 Aqueous Form
4 Ordeal of Thassa
1 Ordeal of Heliod
1 Battle Mastery
1 Stratus Walk
4 Gods Willing
2 Feat of Resistence
3 Defiant Strike
2 Refocus
2 Valorous Stance
Lands:21
21 Lands
1x Ajani's Presence
2x Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
3x Stubborn Denial
2x Void Snare
2x Erase
2x Ordeal of Heliod
1x Singing Bell Strike
1x Heliod's Pilgrim
4x Soldier of the Pantheon
4x Loyal Pegasus
4x Battlewise Hoplite
4x Dauntless River Marshal
2x Preeminent Captain
3x Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2x Ephara, God of the Polis
2x Spear of Heliod
2x Military Intelligence
1x Dictate of Heliod
Spells:7
4x Gods Willing
3x Void Snare
Planeswalkers:3
3x Ajani Steadfast
3 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Flooded Strand
3 Mana Confluence
7 Plains
4 Island
9 Plains
4 Flooded Strand
4 Temple of Enlightenment
1 Mana Confluence
2 Tranquil Cove
4 Battlewise Hoplite
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Hero of Iroas
3 Heliod's Pilgrim
2 Seeker of the Way
1 Stratus Walk
4 Ordeal of Thassa
1 Ordeal of Heliod
3 Stubborn Denial
4 God's Willing
4 Defiant Strike
1 Feat of Resistance
1 Ajani's Presence
1 Triton Tactics
2 Erase
2 Treasure Cruise
2 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
1 Feat of Resistance
1 Stubborn Denial
1 Stratus Walk
1 Aqueous Form
1 Ordeal of Heliod
2 Glare of Heresy
1 Valorous Stance
1 Ajani's Presence
4 Fabled Hero
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Hero of Iroas
4 Aqueous Form
4 Gods Willing
3 Ordeal of Heliod
4 Ordeal of Thassa
4 Stratus Walk
4 Defiant Strike
4 Island
1 Mana Confluence
8 Plains
4 Temple of Enlightenment
1 Ajani's Presence
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Dig Through Time
1 Hopeful Eidolon
4 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
2 Prognostic Sphinx
2 Stubborn Denial
1 Temple of Epiphany
3 Temple of Enlightenment
10 Plains
5 Island
4 Flooded Strand
Spells (21)
3 Ordeal of Thassa
2 Obelisk of Urd
2 Launch the Fleet
4 Gods Willing
4 Feat of Resistance
3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
3 Aqueous Form
4 Phalanx Leader
2 Hero of Iroas
4 Favored Hoplite
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Battlewise Hoplite
4 Battlewise Hoplite
4 Eidolon of Countless Battles
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Hero of Iroas
4 Seeker of the Way
Instant (10)
2 Ajani's Presence
4 Defiant Strike
4 Gods Willing
4 Aqueous Form
4 Ordeal of Thassa
2 Stratus Walk
Land (20)
4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
3 Mana Confluence
7 Plains
4 Temple of Enlightenment
2 Erase
2 Glare of Heresy
2 Hopeful Eidolon
3 Singing Bell Strike
4 Stubborn Denial
2 Suspension Field
4 Battlewise Hoplite
2 Fabled Hero
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Hero of Iroas
Instant (6)
2 Ajani's Presence
4 Gods Willing
Enchantment (17)
4 Aqueous Form
3 Battle Mastery
2 Mortal Obstinacy
4 Ordeal of Heliod
4 Ordeal of Thassa
2 Flooded Strand
5 Island
4 Mana Confluence
8 Plains
4 Temple of Enlightenment
2 Fabled Hero
1 Battle Mastery
2 Mortal Obstinacy
1 Annul
1 Erase
4 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
2 Stubborn Denial
2 Swan Song
Yeah feel free to post the list man, any discussion helps. I experimented with Ephara and Military Intelligence for increased CA and ended up liking it, but I think that is just because I love aggro but hate running out of fuel.
@Maplesmall I will definitely check out the thread man, but I doubt I can be convinced to splash a third color. Right now I have been brewing a whole bunch of two color decks because I think consistency will win out this standard over killing yourself with your lands and missing drop after drop because of tap lands and getting screwed on a color. There is no question that adding green for some powerhouse cards has it's advantages but I came into this with the focus of making a fast consistent deck that can fight the Meta in a unique way, and I think this deck is on it's way to that.
4 Fabled Hero
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Hero of Iroas
4 Aqueous Form
4 Gods Willing
3 Ordeal of Heliod
4 Ordeal of Thassa
4 Stratus Walk
4 Defiant Strike
4 Island
1 Mana Confluence
8 Plains
4 Temple of Enlightenment
1 Ajani's Presence
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Dig Through Time
1 Hopeful Eidolon
4 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
2 Prognostic Sphinx
2 Stubborn Denial
1 Temple of Epiphany
There are enough creatures to always keep a threat on the board, but to never swarm your opponent. Very few games do I win with just an overwhelming number of 2/2s. I play it like UWR Delver in Legacy or more recently Jeskai Tempo in standard in terms of getting a single dude on the board and forcing the opponent to answer it. Pray they don't, but always have God's Willing open to blow them out. Nothing better than protecting a Fabled Hero on the swing in from a Downfall only to deal your opponent an additional 2 damage. Some games are simply stolen with a decked out Fabled Hero getting in for 6-8 at the least. He gets out of hand fast. I don't love Eidolon of Countless Battles because it requires both evasion and a heavy board state. He is a blow out when you're winning, but sad to see when you're behind. Your creatures never need to outsize a Polukranos or anything like that because so many of them have evasion. That being said you do want to beat Mono-Green before they cast Hornet Queen or hope you have an Aqueous Form on a dude.
Ephara might be great in this deck, but I don't want to commit so much to the board to turn her on and I feel like I get enough card advantage or at least, I can keep gas in the engine with 8 cantrips (Defiant Strike and Stratus Walk) and the multiple scry triggers from God's Willing or Battlewise Hoplite, not to mention the most absurd card draw in the deck, Ordeal of Thassa. That card is great, but I also really think that Defiant Strike puts this deck over the edge from good to competitive. You cycle through your deck, which is crazy in an aggro deck, especially with a Hoplite. Trigger heroic, scry to the bottom, draw a card, attack, trigger Aqueous Form, scry to the bottom, trigger Ordeal of Thassa, sac it, draw two cards, swing for eight unblockable. The deck does that so often it is bonkers.
I also don't mind running Temple of Enlightenment because the deck can do a lot with not all of its mana open and not every opening hand has a Favored Hoplite. It also enables you to up the land count a bit insofar as you're going to be scrying so many to the bottom once the deck begins firing on all six cylinders. The skill in the deck lies in knowing what to scry down to the bottom. Reading what you need to win with on board and whether that card on top gets you there.
The board is set up to brick wall aggro, play solid threats in grindy games, and to dodge removal whether it be with a counterspell or Ajani's Presence.
I played this deck for some block constructed tournaments and I love seeing how it came together in standard.
I have not really given Fabled Hero as good of a test run as it seems he deserves, I was just so impressed with what the Eidolon could do. With the lack of Bestow in my list I wanted to give him a try and the turn 4 plays with him can be crazy, as I feel with only a Battlewise Hoplite with an any enchantment on him he will be adding 4 damage that turn, with the added ability to come down as a creature after they manage to remove your creature. With straight speed in mind though I could see a good argument for the Fabled Hero to replace him perhaps.Though Brimaz could end up being the correct choice if aggro becomes big.
I plan on testing Military Intelligence tomorrow in place of Ephara and adding a few more tempo cards mainboard to see if the decrease in speed would be worth it to mess with their board a bit.
So far Ephara has been just about 1 card a turn after the first turn you play her which is..alright considering we have the Ordeal and a million cantrips already, but hey more fuel never hurt an aggro deck am I right? I tend to play more creatures and enchantments out to get her online as a creature and the fact that almost every deck is running single targeted removal over aoe removal.
Perhaps, I am playing overly cautious against removal in the hopes of always being able to counter it with a Willing, Presence, or Denial.
I'm just afraid Ephara and MI take away from you killing your opponent.
I've been playing around with the archetype for a few days now, but your list looked cool too.
Took your deck (minus the exact sideboard, I wouldn't know what to do with it without you telling me :P) through a daily. Won round 1 vs. Jeskai Tempo and round 2 vs. Rabble Red. Lost rounds 3 and 4 against Mono Black Aggro. Other than Jeskai I was surprised at the decks i faced. No green Fabled Hero was sweet though, added some power that my list was missing. Mono black just straight up tempo'd me out with one drops, Thoughtseize and removal. Pain Seer kept him ahead while I slowly spent all my cards trying to deal with them. Managed to pull off a win both times though. Rabblered landed a T2 Eidolon of the Great Revel, that was terrifying.
Back to tinkering, this deck is so much fun. Tons of ways to configure the list!
3 Temple of Enlightenment
10 Plains
5 Island
4 Flooded Strand
Spells (21)
3 Ordeal of Thassa
2 Obelisk of Urd
2 Launch the Fleet
4 Gods Willing
4 Feat of Resistance
3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
3 Aqueous Form
4 Phalanx Leader
2 Hero of Iroas
4 Favored Hoplite
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Battlewise Hoplite
This is the SoldierHeroic deck, courtesy of Brimaz and Elspeth. One of the cards I wanted in here but couldn't fit was Vanguard of Brimaz, since Heroic for him means even more soldiers. The general plan is get tons of tokens out and outfit them all with +1/+1 counters, courtesy of Phalanx Leader. Protect the vital assets with Gods Willing, Feat of Resistance. Get some scrying going with Battlewise Hoplite and Aqueous Form, and card draw with Ordeal of Thassa. One thing I'm hesitant about off the bat is having only 8 protection spells against removal, but I'll playtest this on XMage and see if I want more. I'm sick of Hero's Downfall coming in and picking off key creatures. Obelisk of Urd is in there because it'd be great to have 10 1/1 tokens turn into 3/3s and swing in, and since every single creature is a soldier, I couldn't ignore the synergy.
On Vanguard of Brimaz I think he is great in your version and may even be better than Hero of Iroas in certain matchups.
I think I will switch Iroas with Vanguard, just to maximise the token generation. In the partial games I have played there hasn't been a lot of it, really. I wonder if Spectra Ward is worth considering... it's protection from bloody well everything.
Played tonight and only went 1-2 Differences from the list I posted earlier is -3 Ordeal of Heliod in the main, -1 Defiant Strike, +4 Ajani's Presence and -1 Hopeful Eidolon, -1 Ajani's Presence, -1 Dig Through Time for 3 Ordeal of Heliod in the board.
Round one against Rabble Red and first game I got blown out, which is fine. Second game, I had one Trailblazer brickwall them, and once I fired off an Ordeal of Heliod it was game over. Aggro matches are more grindy, given that you can't always outrace them. Third game, I kept a one-lander with double Trailblazer and a Hoplite. I didn't see my second land till like the seventh turn and at that point I lost to a Rabblemaster.
My sideboarding was -3 Stratus Walk (because I want to be blocking their creatures on the ground),-4 Fabled Hero (because I'm not racing them), -2 Battlewise Hoplite (to lower the curve), +3 Ordeal of Heliod, +2 Brimaz, +4 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer. You have to keep Heroic enablers like Aqueous Form in or you won't be able to actually block profitably.
Round two was against Gb Devotion. Game one, I raced him with double Favored Hoplite. Game two, I raced him with a Hero of Iroas and a Fabled Hero. He stared down my Hero of Iroas when he had a Polukranos to block with and was pondering whether I could take him out. Luckily, he chose not to block so I nailed him for six. Then Hero next turn, an Aqueous Form, an Ordeal of Thassa, and a God's Willing sealed it. I didn't sideboard much of anything I don't think.
Round three was against Jeskai Tempo. First game I blew him out after jamming four creatures straight and the second Fabled Hero, stuck with double God's Willing backup. Second game I was blowing him out except for when I swung for lethal, I had a Deflecting Palm facepalm me. Next turn he cast a Rabble and I couldn't kill him on the swingback so third game. One card left in hand, I should have known not to pump, but I wanted to finish the game quickly for personal reasons. Third game was Magma Jet, Magma Spray, Mantis Rider, and I stuttered on one land. My board plan was -2 Fabled Hero, +2 Brimaz, -2 Defiant Strike, +2 Stubborn Denial.
Lessons of tonight are that I should mulligan more aggressively and that the cantrips can't always bail me out. The deck is really awesome and it tested well against an aggro tokens deck, but it is very draw dependent it seems. Probably because I need to mulligan more. I plan on playing it at an IQ tomorrow and we'll see if I end up playing it at States on Saturday. I'm unsure just yet.
Any thoughts on Seeker of the Way in this deck?
List in testing :
4 hero of iroas
4 seeker of the way
4 fabled hero
3 eidolon of countless battles
4 ajani's presence
2 feat of resistance
1 triton tactics
4 aqueous form
4 ordeal of thassa
2 battle mastery
4 temple of enlightenment
4 island
8 plains
Have not thought of sideboard yet. But i'm thinking stubborn denial, disdainful stroke as counter suite to tempo my opponent.
While it doesn't get permanental bigger it works well in conjunction with other creatures being heroic'ed on the same turn.
As for the counters, in this type of deck I generally prefer straight up protection spell rather then counters as the counters won't trigger heroic or prowess in a meaningful way most of the time.
I usually use stubborn/stroke in the SB if I know there packing multiple board wipes/crackling dooms (aka some control variation).
I've tried Bant colours for heroic, it's cool (with Hardened Scales and Solidarity of Heroes) but consistency goes out the window.
In Heliod's case, if we want to give everyone vigilance, just use Brave the Sands. If Heliod's not a creature then it's practically the same thing at half the cost.
I more or less agree with trapped on Seeker, I mean he is a great creature, there is no denying that, it is just that our other creatures keep growing every turn from every spell permanently while he gets a quick 3 in one or two times maybe. Now in a matchup where lifelink matters than he is as good or better than Hoplite.
As far as Gods go the correct number may end up being 0, but until testing shows that ephara is a wasted space I am going to keep her in my list and let her do her thing drawing me cards and sometimes beating face.