How did you feel about the 8 ETB tapped lands? It seems too slow for what these warrior decks are trying to do.
i really havent found a negative impact. it follows my 40/40 rule. 40% are mono colored. 40% ETB tapped. this rule allows for the maximum amount of mana versatility while minimizing my dependance on tap lands.
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to elaborate: lets take a 7 card hand with 3 lands, a 1-drop, two 2-drops and a 4 drop. 1 of those 3 will be an ETB tap land. turn 1 you play 1 of the untapped lands, play the 1 drop. turn 2, you drop the 2 drop. turn 3 (a dead turn) you drop the ETB tap land. turn 4 you drop your 4-drop. no missed turn opportunities. and all you have is hybrid lands.
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It may be that I am only running 8 two drops, but I am usually plenty happy to see Chief of the Scale. He keeps Brutal Hordechief out of that deadly 3 toughness range, he makes all my guys less susceptible to wipes/chump blocks. Circle of Flames Drown in Sorrow Scouring Sands
Tokens
All hate Chief of the Scale.
id rather have athreos, god of passage in play over chief of the scale. harder to kill. and every time they kill one of your guys, you still hurt them with the 3 life or getting your guy back.
I agree, Athreos, God of Passage is one of my favorites, but I don't really like that many other two drops in this deck.
Seeker of the Way is good, but not enough here to trigger prowess.
Battle Brawler I may just be unlucky with, but tends to be a vanilla 2/2 more often than not.
Mardu Skullhunter is the only 2 drop I really like.
I have a few options I guess after talking to some of the people I've playtested against.
Option 1;
Lower Chief of the Scale to a 2 of, take out harsh sustenance and put in 3 mardu skullhunters. This is probably my favorite option.
Option 2;
Do the same as Option 1 with Battle Brawler instead. Meh, not a fan.
Option 3;
Similar to Option 1, but take out all 4, then replace with 4 and another athreos.
Started playing since Invasion, stopped at Scourge. Returned briefly during BoK's introduction of ninjas. Finally back into magic during Shadowmoor/Eventide.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
I definitely like Mardu Shadowspear over Bloodsoaked Champion in my deck, and I thought about switching the Bloodsoaked Champions to Aven Skirmishers to have 8 white one drops. If I did that I could see Battle Brawler.
I definitely like Mardu Shadowspear over Bloodsoaked Champion in my deck, and I thought about switching the Bloodsoaked Champions to Aven Skirmishers to have 8 white one drops. If I did that I could see Battle Brawler.
I haven't played many opponents yet, but bloodsoaked gives my opponents a slight hesitation when they consider the recursion effect. Mardu Shadowspear either gets through or crashes into a blocker and dies (most of the time)
I guess I'll fiddle with the sideboard a little more. I really really want to like shadowspear, especially with that game day full art promo. I haven't tried Return to the Ranks yet, but maybe I can get more value out of Shadowblade with that.
A bit creature heavy, and low on the land count, but I find myself hitting the sweet spot of 4 lands most of the time, with any more being just a Brutal Hordechief enabler. There are several 1 ofs which are weird, but to be quite honest it's all I have and my LGS doesn't have any more copies.
Diplomacy of the Wastes is pretty rad T3/T4 drop if your T1 and T2 went smoothly. It's no Thoughtseize, but it... helps close the gap. They've had two turns to stockpile a response and they might be tapped out playing a caryatid or something. Might snag the response or something else. The 2 life loss it gives is icing on the cake for the aggro timer.
Not sure how I want to run my sorceries, still tinkering and I only have a single copy of Valorous Stance.
I'm usually happy to see either Ajani or Sorin appear as long as I'm not behind (equal or ahead).
My sideboard has the 4th copy of several of my creatures because I'm still in a testing phase and I also don't have as many copies of certain cards as I would like. If I had to cut out one of those 4th creatures, it would probably be Strike Leader. His ability is rad but I'm having a hard time making him fit the tempo so far.
Overall sort of a mess, but I'll take it to Game Day tomorrow and see how it goes.
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Started playing since Invasion, stopped at Scourge. Returned briefly during BoK's introduction of ninjas. Finally back into magic during Shadowmoor/Eventide.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
take out the woe-reapers.... more often than not, they will just be 2/1s for 1.... and arent that effective. i know. i tried them out. replace them with a 3rd blight and end, a 4th shadow spear, raid leader and champion.
the less variety in your deck, the greater your chances at consistency. these are just my tried and tested opinions how to turn up the effectiveness on your deck.
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Round 1: was against R/W tokens with Stormbreath dragon as a curve topper. I don't recall much about this match except that in game 3 I derped pretty hard when I attempted to banishing light his Stormbreath Dragon. I could have won that game if I had played Brutal Hordechief precombat instead. This was my only loss of the night, and I definitely think it was winnable.
Round 2: was a newer player with a deck made of prerelease and draft leftovers. Not much to mention here.
Round 3: I played against Abzan Midrange. I won game 1 with a really good opening hand despite getting thoughtseized turn 1 on the draw. My opening hand was mardu woe-reaper, chief of the edge, battle brawler, battle brawler, Brutal Hordechief, Swamp, Plains. Game 2 I kept a one lander with a lot of early action. I didn't see my second land until his turn 4 off a Master of the Feast trigger. I was able to valorous stance the master on his turn 5, but it wasn't enough. Game 3 he kept a 2 lander and I closed things out before he was able to do much of anything.
Round 4: was against B/W heroic running Agent of the Fates. Game 1 I get thoughtseized turn 1 and he takes my own thoughtseize. I draw into a bile blight was able to deal with Fabled Hero before it gets crazy. Game 2 he gets stuck on 2 lands and I roll over him pretty quickly.
Round 5: I was paired against RDW running things like foundry street denizen, monastery swiftspear, firedrinker satyr and capping if off with Goblin Rabblemaster. Game 1 was really really close, but going T3 Mardu Strike Leader, T4 Mardu Strike Leader, T5 Hordechief was enough to get there, even if just barely. Being able to attack with the strike leaders and using the tokens they produced to block on the back swing was key in this game. Game 2 I keep a slower hand of bloodsoaked, 3 lands, and 3 bile blights, it wasn't enough to get things done. Game 3 he keeps the slower hand with multiple rabblemasters and hordeling outbursts but gets stuck on 2 lands. I was able to run him over before he was able to establish any meaningful board presence.
The only games I brought Haruspex in was actually against RDW in round 5 on the draw in game when thoughtseize and Ulcerate were awful and didn't anything else to bring in. Diplomacy just hasn't done much for me the last 3 weeks, I think despise would serve me better.
Curious what you'd want Despise against? Are you running Thoughtseize or is Despise simply a hedge against the Mono Red MU?
I do run 4 copies of Thoughtseize MB. Despise is better than thoughtseize in the RDW MU for sure, but it also isn't bad against abzan aggro/midrange or the control decks that are starting to see more play now. Honestly, I'm not sure what to put in that slot, but it's good enough against multiple decks that it at least warrants consideration. I might try Glare of Heresy instead.
Just got back from Game Day and made Top 8 with my current list. I have found that, like everyone else, Chief of the Scale is pretty underwhelming. Cutting him out today.
R1 - Abzan Midrange (Brad Nelson... yeah fml): The deck folded against Siege Rhino which I am finding to be near unbeatable if we don't have an answer immediately. G2 wasn't much different even with the 3 Valorous Stance and 3 Glare of Heresy boarded in. I realize that player skill is always a factor, but I still feel like a severe underdog against that deck. 0-1
R2 - Mono Red: Not much to say. The kid was very new and had an underpowered deck. Happens. 1-1
R3 - Sultai Control: Now this deck, on the other hand, is one of my favorite match ups. I never have any trouble outrunning their late-game plans and squashed it. 2-1
R4 - ID'ed to Top8 2-1-1
R5 - Mardu Midrange: I wasn't really expecting to see this deck. I kept decent pace but a resolved Elspeth quickly gave him the advantage. I miscalculated when I sideboarded and left the Glares out. G2 I got beat by 2 Butcher of the Horde and with that, I was out of the tournament.
I am not fond of the Abzan matchup, and I think that deck is going to become popular again like it was before FRF if it hasn't already. If anyone has any more experience with that matchup and ways to beat or board against it, advice would be sorely appreciated.
Curious what you'd want Despise against? Are you running Thoughtseize or is Despise simply a hedge against the Mono Red MU?
I do run 4 copies of Thoughtseize MB. Despise is better than thoughtseize in the RDW MU for sure, but it also isn't bad against abzan aggro/midrange or the control decks that are starting to see more play now. Honestly, I'm not sure what to put in that slot, but it's good enough against multiple decks that it at least warrants consideration. I might try Glare of Heresy instead.
Round 1 was some Temur Aggro. 1-2. I don't remember much about this except that Stormbreath and Rabblemasters beat me G2 and G3.
Round 2 was Mono Green Devotion. 2-0. Sideboarded in Hero's Downfall and Valorous Stance to deal with his Nissa, Polukranos and Genesis Hydras. In G2, I was in worse shape, taking a beating from a 4/4 darksteel citadel (thanks Nissa), but Brutal Hordechief gave me what I needed in it's activated ability. I kept assigning his blockers to a chump. It culminated with exact damage for the win when I was running out of creatures on the board.
Round 3 was Jeskai... Control? 2-0. My biggest problem here was a Mantis Rider that kept smashing me in the face. I had removal, but I had to expend it on other threats like Monastry Mentor and Soulfire Grandmaster. Most of my creatures were constantly being burned off by spot removal. Eventually, it was Mardu-Woe Reaper, Aven Skirmisher and Athreos, God of Passage who bought me enough time to mount a counter-offensive, which seized a Game 2 victory with 1 life left.
Round 4 was Abzan. 2-0. I got lucky Game 1 with decent draws and my opponent having the opposite. Game 2 was a bit more balanced. I sideboarded in as much removal as I could. I responded to Siege Rhino with Valorous Stance and Rakasha Deathdealer with Bile Blight. I didn't let up the pressure and finally it was a Monstorous Fleecemane Lion in my way. Merciless Executioner took care of that.
Round 5 was Boros Aggro. 1-2. Rabblemasters, Stormbreath Dragons, lots of burn (Arc Lightning!) and Goblin Outburst. I lost Game 1 on bad draws and being outpaced. Game 2 I sideboarded in the 2 Chief of the Scales, Gods Willing and Valorous Stance. This was the only time I found Chief of the Scale to be good, because now 1/1 tokens wouldn't negate my warriors. Gods Willing and Valorous Stance protected my Chiefs long enough to get the job done. Game 3 was just gross. Rabblemasters and Stormbreath Dragons out fast on a perfect tempo, and I failed to catch up.
Round 6 was some Golgari deck of some sort. 2-1. There were Polukranos, Courser of Kruphix, Tasigur, Voyaging Satyr, Nylea's Disciple, Frontier Siege Extinguish All Hope, and Whisperwood Elemental. I sideboarded in removal and Erase. For some reason it suddenly dawned on me I can Erase the Courser of Kruphix. Not sure why I never thought that.
Quick card notes/observations:
Mardu Shadowspear: I often sideboarded this card out because it was the most likely creature to just run into a wall and die. There are a lot of 3 toughness creatures on the opposition generally, and a single Chief of the Edge would not give them enough power. Heck, they'll just kamikaze into Voyaging Satyrs. Of course, unopposed, it is an extra point of guaranteed damage which does count for something sometimes.
Mardu Woe-Reaper: This guy is fantastic. The life-gain can become relevant when you're in a race, and it ensures that you won't be seeing a dead creature again. As a 2/1, Chief of the Edge makes him a relevant attacker. I feel like most opponents are reluctant to trade a creature for this. I have sideboarded out one on occasion to make room for removal though.
Diplomacy of the Wastes: It's... alright. It worked for the couple times I played it, and the 2 life loss was really easy to get because having warriors is pretty easy. It's 3CMC actually sort of worked out for me. By the time I wanted to play it, my opponent was usually cradling something good to play on the next turn. I even caught a sweeper this way (I suspect he was waiting for me to over-extend since the board was still safe for him at that time) Thoughtseize is better but these work in a pinch for the budget until I get another.
Mardu Strike Leader: Removal magnet. Tokens make great blockers for the backswing. Dash is sometimes relevant due to 4CMC, but it can be what you need to seal the deal. 2 toughness makes it a little more reliable against tokens.
Battle Brawler: I played him in several games today, and 75% of the time he was a 4/2 First Strike due to Chief of the Edge. The other 25% of the time he was a 3/2 First Strike. Also removal magnet. Great attacker and blocker.
Ajani vs Sorin: I did not draw Ajani at all today, but considering my playtests and today's games... I think Ajani makes a decent planeswalker when the board is in a more stalemated position. Giving your Strike Leader +1/+1 and First Strike is pretty safe to try breaking through. Sorin is simply better when you're okay to keep the pressure on. If I can acquire another Sorin I'll probably use that, but I might consider leaving Ajani in SB
Athreos, God of Passage: Only played him like twice. If the opponent is able to stabilize and lock up the board at a really low life, you can start attacking (or blocking) with more freedom. I think I'll keep it as a one-of, because I never really needed him, but he was nice to have when I drew it.
Chief of the Scale: SB material. He's really useless in most matchups, but he was useful when I was up against things like Goblin Outburst.
Brutal Hordechief: Gotta have this guy. Once you drop him, the math suddenly changes. His life drain is super relevant, and his activated ability can end the game.
Started playing since Invasion, stopped at Scourge. Returned briefly during BoK's introduction of ninjas. Finally back into magic during Shadowmoor/Eventide.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
I actually played around with Sorin, Solemn Visitor as a 2 of and 3 of, and didn't really like him. Sure I gained a ton of life, sure he ate removal like no other and people went after him with abandon, but that was his biggest use that I found, eating removal that normally would go to a warrior.
As for the Valorous Stance's, I am and was in love with this card, however now I use it much more like removal than protection.
Also, from my matches, Gods Willing is much better served by making someone unblockable than by protecting one of your 4 ofs.
At least these thoughts are based around the fact that I usually have anyone I play down to 10 life at least going in to T4.
[quote from="h4mx0r »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/584617-primer-orzhov-warriors?comment=123"]Went to Game Day earlier today. Placed 9th
wondering how 1 ajani and 1 sorin is better than 2 sorins.
I never said it was. I said it was alright. I didn't have a second Sorin in time for Game Day.
Aven Skirmisher just isn't a good constructed card, synergy be damned.
Yeah he is quite lackluster tbh, but I have to admit he was exactly the thing that bought me enough time to win in my match against a Jeskai deck. Probably an edge case, so now I'm wondering what to replace him with. Hopefully they print a better flying warrior in DTK. Even when Aven Skirmisher was able to fly over for damage, it wasn't enough to make a difference, even with a chief out.
I actually played around with Sorin, Solemn Visitor as a 2 of and 3 of, and didn't really like him. Sure I gained a ton of life, sure he ate removal like no other and people went after him with abandon, but that was his biggest use that I found, eating removal that normally would go to a warrior.
As for the Valorous Stance's, I am and was in love with this card, however now I use it much more like removal than protection.
Also, from my matches, Gods Willing is much better served by making someone unblockable than by protecting one of your 4 ofs.
At least these thoughts are based around the fact that I usually have anyone I play down to 10 life at least going in to T4.
Sorin's experience was pretty similar for me, except instead of eating removal, it ate the backswing. Probably a better result than eating a removal, especially since I was able to keep Sorin alive for one more attack.
I agree, I used Valorous Stance as removal more than I did for protection. However the versatility is pretty sweet. I think it's worth keeping. If Gods Willing won't get you the killing blow, then it's not gonna stop a Polukranos or Siege Rhino from crashing the party. Saved my Chief when it mattered too! I do like Gods Willing however...
Started playing since Invasion, stopped at Scourge. Returned briefly during BoK's introduction of ninjas. Finally back into magic during Shadowmoor/Eventide.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
[quote from="h4mx0r »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/584617-primer-orzhov-warriors?comment=123"]Went to Game Day earlier today. Placed 9th
[*]
[*]wondering how 1 ajani and 1 sorin is better than 2 sorins.
[*]
[*]I never said it was. I said it was alright. I didn't have a second Sorin in time for Game Day.
that you didnt have a second sorin in time is the answer i was looking for..... wasnt tryin to misquote you. was just tryin to make sense of the DL you ran.
List tags are malformed.
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[quote from="h4mx0r »" url="http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/584617-primer-orzhov-warriors?comment=123"]Went to Game Day earlier today. Placed 9th
[*]
[*]wondering how 1 ajani and 1 sorin is better than 2 sorins.
[*]
[*]I never said it was. I said it was alright. I didn't have a second Sorin in time for Game Day.
that you didnt have a second sorin in time is the answer i was looking for..... wasnt tryin to misquote you. was just tryin to make sense of the DL you ran.
Ah sorry I guess I sounded defensive. Well my idea of Ajani was to give my Mardu Strike Leader a buff and First Strike to attack safely with it, as well as as lifelink (though not the same as Sorin's better lifelink, but I feel this one is safer if I was in position where I would lose more in an all-out attack). Alternatively I can use his second ability to buff my warriors in a similar way that Chief of the Scale would. However the only time I found Chief of the Scale to be useful was when I was fighting 1/1 tokens... so... yeah.
Overall Ajani was a lot more specific utility than Sorin is. I guess he channels a more defensive strategy than a gung-ho one.
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Started playing since Invasion, stopped at Scourge. Returned briefly during BoK's introduction of ninjas. Finally back into magic during Shadowmoor/Eventide.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
Tried it for a bit and didn't like. Unlike Daring Skyjek he lacks any form of evasion. But if your problem is Caryatid and Courser he's not bad, I'd just rather run Edge Chief and Battle Brawler. 2 Toughness helps against tokens.
And I like the idea of Chief of the Scale in the board for Tokens. Sounds less clunky than him in the Main.
I like Chief of the Scale in the mainboard especially if your meta is heavy R/W. Against aggro it more like dropping a fat blocker that is easily pumped. Mind you I'm trying to keep this more tempo focused and my testing on MTGO has lead me to believe Hirokazu Warriors is a good build to work with.
I went for Boon of Erebos over Defiant Strike because the regen is much more useful than the cantrip as it is more relevant in keep our guys alive. God's Willing is probably the few things we can get that will guarantee protection from Drown in Sorrow and Bile Blight.
Raiders' Spoils should be ran at 2-3 copies in the main, its huge when you play it at the top of your curve (like a Brutal Hordechief) and you can find yourself refiling your hand many of the times. I think the only drawbacks of this deck is if we overextend with not enough creature cards in our hand. A good point recently made in a SCG Deck Tech was that if you can keep 1 guys on the field after a wipe or removal, your still have tempo.
Abzan Advantage seems better to me if all you're looking for is cheap interaction with the enchantments that matter. Banishing Light is clunky and really goes against the grain of what this sort of deck is trying to do.
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UW Exile Control
i really havent found a negative impact. it follows my 40/40 rule. 40% are mono colored. 40% ETB tapped. this rule allows for the maximum amount of mana versatility while minimizing my dependance on tap lands.
B/W
B/W
I agree, Athreos, God of Passage is one of my favorites, but I don't really like that many other two drops in this deck.
Seeker of the Way is good, but not enough here to trigger prowess.
Battle Brawler I may just be unlucky with, but tends to be a vanilla 2/2 more often than not.
Mardu Skullhunter is the only 2 drop I really like.
I have a few options I guess after talking to some of the people I've playtested against.
Option 1;
Lower Chief of the Scale to a 2 of, take out harsh sustenance and put in 3 mardu skullhunters. This is probably my favorite option.
Option 2;
Do the same as Option 1 with Battle Brawler instead. Meh, not a fan.
Option 3;
Similar to Option 1, but take out all 4, then replace with 4 and another athreos.
Stuff like that.
I have three one drops: Aven Skirmisher, Mardu Shadowspear, and Bloodsoaked Champion. Of the three I'm finding Shadowspear to be the weakest (but not bad at all). Might replace those with Mardu Skullhunters, but having so many one drops make T1 drops consistent.... Hmmm....
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
I haven't played many opponents yet, but bloodsoaked gives my opponents a slight hesitation when they consider the recursion effect. Mardu Shadowspear either gets through or crashes into a blocker and dies (most of the time)
I guess I'll fiddle with the sideboard a little more. I really really want to like shadowspear, especially with that game day full art promo. I haven't tried Return to the Ranks yet, but maybe I can get more value out of Shadowblade with that.
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Mana Confluence
4 Plains
5 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Planeswalkers:
1 Ajani Steadfast
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Creatures:
1 Athreos, God of Passage
3 Aven Skirmisher
4 Battle Brawler
3 Bloodsoaked Champion
3 Brutal Hordechief
4 Chief of the Edge
2 Chief of the Scale
3 Mardu Shadowspear
3 Mardu Strike Leader
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
1 Thoughtseize
2 Diplomacy of the Wastes
Instants:
2 Bile Blight
2 Utter End
1 Valorous Stance
Creatures:
1 Aven Skirmisher
1 Brutal Hordechief
3 Grim Haruspex
1 Mardu Shadowspear
1 Mardu Strike Leader
3 Merciless Executioner
Spells:
1 Diplomacy of the Wastes
2 Gods Willing
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Return to the Ranks
A bit creature heavy, and low on the land count, but I find myself hitting the sweet spot of 4 lands most of the time, with any more being just a Brutal Hordechief enabler. There are several 1 ofs which are weird, but to be quite honest it's all I have and my LGS doesn't have any more copies.
Diplomacy of the Wastes is pretty rad T3/T4 drop if your T1 and T2 went smoothly. It's no Thoughtseize, but it... helps close the gap. They've had two turns to stockpile a response and they might be tapped out playing a caryatid or something. Might snag the response or something else. The 2 life loss it gives is icing on the cake for the aggro timer.
Not sure how I want to run my sorceries, still tinkering and I only have a single copy of Valorous Stance.
I'm usually happy to see either Ajani or Sorin appear as long as I'm not behind (equal or ahead).
My sideboard has the 4th copy of several of my creatures because I'm still in a testing phase and I also don't have as many copies of certain cards as I would like. If I had to cut out one of those 4th creatures, it would probably be Strike Leader. His ability is rad but I'm having a hard time making him fit the tempo so far.
Overall sort of a mess, but I'll take it to Game Day tomorrow and see how it goes.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
the less variety in your deck, the greater your chances at consistency. these are just my tried and tested opinions how to turn up the effectiveness on your deck.
B/W
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Tormented Hero
4 Chief of the Edge
2 Chief of the Scale
3 Battle Brawler
4 Mardu Strike Leader
3 Brutal Hordechief
Other (10)
4 Thoughtseize
1 Ulcerate
3 Bile Blight
2 Valorous Stance
4 Caves of Koilos
3 Temple of Silence
2 Mana Confluence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
8 Swamp
4 Plains
1 Chief of the Scale
4 Merciless Executioner
3 Grim Haruspex
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
2 Diplomacy of the Wastes
1 Dark Betrayal
1 Bile Blight
2 Banishing Light
I went 4-1 tonight.
Round 1: was against R/W tokens with Stormbreath dragon as a curve topper. I don't recall much about this match except that in game 3 I derped pretty hard when I attempted to banishing light his Stormbreath Dragon. I could have won that game if I had played Brutal Hordechief precombat instead. This was my only loss of the night, and I definitely think it was winnable.
Round 2: was a newer player with a deck made of prerelease and draft leftovers. Not much to mention here.
Round 3: I played against Abzan Midrange. I won game 1 with a really good opening hand despite getting thoughtseized turn 1 on the draw. My opening hand was mardu woe-reaper, chief of the edge, battle brawler, battle brawler, Brutal Hordechief, Swamp, Plains. Game 2 I kept a one lander with a lot of early action. I didn't see my second land until his turn 4 off a Master of the Feast trigger. I was able to valorous stance the master on his turn 5, but it wasn't enough. Game 3 he kept a 2 lander and I closed things out before he was able to do much of anything.
Round 4: was against B/W heroic running Agent of the Fates. Game 1 I get thoughtseized turn 1 and he takes my own thoughtseize. I draw into a bile blight was able to deal with Fabled Hero before it gets crazy. Game 2 he gets stuck on 2 lands and I roll over him pretty quickly.
Round 5: I was paired against RDW running things like foundry street denizen, monastery swiftspear, firedrinker satyr and capping if off with Goblin Rabblemaster. Game 1 was really really close, but going T3 Mardu Strike Leader, T4 Mardu Strike Leader, T5 Hordechief was enough to get there, even if just barely. Being able to attack with the strike leaders and using the tokens they produced to block on the back swing was key in this game. Game 2 I keep a slower hand of bloodsoaked, 3 lands, and 3 bile blights, it wasn't enough to get things done. Game 3 he keeps the slower hand with multiple rabblemasters and hordeling outbursts but gets stuck on 2 lands. I was able to run him over before he was able to establish any meaningful board presence.
I'm pretty happy with the 60 in the MB, but going forward I'm thinking about making the following changes to the sideboard:
-3 Grim Haruspex
-2 Diplomacy of the Wastes
+2 Athreos, God of Passage
+3 Despise
The only games I brought Haruspex in was actually against RDW in round 5 on the draw in game when thoughtseize and Ulcerate were awful and didn't anything else to bring in. Diplomacy just hasn't done much for me the last 3 weeks, I think despise would serve me better.
I do run 4 copies of Thoughtseize MB. Despise is better than thoughtseize in the RDW MU for sure, but it also isn't bad against abzan aggro/midrange or the control decks that are starting to see more play now. Honestly, I'm not sure what to put in that slot, but it's good enough against multiple decks that it at least warrants consideration. I might try Glare of Heresy instead.
R1 - Abzan Midrange (Brad Nelson... yeah fml): The deck folded against Siege Rhino which I am finding to be near unbeatable if we don't have an answer immediately. G2 wasn't much different even with the 3 Valorous Stance and 3 Glare of Heresy boarded in. I realize that player skill is always a factor, but I still feel like a severe underdog against that deck. 0-1
R2 - Mono Red: Not much to say. The kid was very new and had an underpowered deck. Happens. 1-1
R3 - Sultai Control: Now this deck, on the other hand, is one of my favorite match ups. I never have any trouble outrunning their late-game plans and squashed it. 2-1
R4 - ID'ed to Top8 2-1-1
R5 - Mardu Midrange: I wasn't really expecting to see this deck. I kept decent pace but a resolved Elspeth quickly gave him the advantage. I miscalculated when I sideboarded and left the Glares out. G2 I got beat by 2 Butcher of the Horde and with that, I was out of the tournament.
I am not fond of the Abzan matchup, and I think that deck is going to become popular again like it was before FRF if it hasn't already. If anyone has any more experience with that matchup and ways to beat or board against it, advice would be sorely appreciated.
Standard: Orzhov Aggro
My final decklist was
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Mana Confluence
4 Plains
5 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Planeswalkers:
1 Ajani Steadfast
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Creatures:
1 Athreos, God of Passage
3 Aven Skirmisher
4 Battle Brawler
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
3 Brutal Hordechief
4 Chief of the Edge
3 Mardu Shadowspear
4 Mardu Strike Leader
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
1 Thoughtseize
2 Diplomacy of the Wastes
Instants:
2 Bile Blight
2 Utter End
1 Valorous Stance
Creatures:
1 Aven Skirmisher
2 Chief of the Scale
3 Mardu Skullhunter
2 Merciless Executioner
Spells:
2 Erase
2 Gods Willing
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Valorous Stance
1 Return to the Ranks
I played 6 rounds:
Round 2 was Mono Green Devotion. 2-0. Sideboarded in Hero's Downfall and Valorous Stance to deal with his Nissa, Polukranos and Genesis Hydras. In G2, I was in worse shape, taking a beating from a 4/4 darksteel citadel (thanks Nissa), but Brutal Hordechief gave me what I needed in it's activated ability. I kept assigning his blockers to a chump. It culminated with exact damage for the win when I was running out of creatures on the board.
Round 3 was Jeskai... Control? 2-0. My biggest problem here was a Mantis Rider that kept smashing me in the face. I had removal, but I had to expend it on other threats like Monastry Mentor and Soulfire Grandmaster. Most of my creatures were constantly being burned off by spot removal. Eventually, it was Mardu-Woe Reaper, Aven Skirmisher and Athreos, God of Passage who bought me enough time to mount a counter-offensive, which seized a Game 2 victory with 1 life left.
Round 4 was Abzan. 2-0. I got lucky Game 1 with decent draws and my opponent having the opposite. Game 2 was a bit more balanced. I sideboarded in as much removal as I could. I responded to Siege Rhino with Valorous Stance and Rakasha Deathdealer with Bile Blight. I didn't let up the pressure and finally it was a Monstorous Fleecemane Lion in my way. Merciless Executioner took care of that.
Round 5 was Boros Aggro. 1-2. Rabblemasters, Stormbreath Dragons, lots of burn (Arc Lightning!) and Goblin Outburst. I lost Game 1 on bad draws and being outpaced. Game 2 I sideboarded in the 2 Chief of the Scales, Gods Willing and Valorous Stance. This was the only time I found Chief of the Scale to be good, because now 1/1 tokens wouldn't negate my warriors. Gods Willing and Valorous Stance protected my Chiefs long enough to get the job done. Game 3 was just gross. Rabblemasters and Stormbreath Dragons out fast on a perfect tempo, and I failed to catch up.
Round 6 was some Golgari deck of some sort. 2-1. There were Polukranos, Courser of Kruphix, Tasigur, Voyaging Satyr, Nylea's Disciple, Frontier Siege Extinguish All Hope, and Whisperwood Elemental. I sideboarded in removal and Erase. For some reason it suddenly dawned on me I can Erase the Courser of Kruphix. Not sure why I never thought that.
Mardu Woe-Reaper: This guy is fantastic. The life-gain can become relevant when you're in a race, and it ensures that you won't be seeing a dead creature again. As a 2/1, Chief of the Edge makes him a relevant attacker. I feel like most opponents are reluctant to trade a creature for this. I have sideboarded out one on occasion to make room for removal though.
Diplomacy of the Wastes: It's... alright. It worked for the couple times I played it, and the 2 life loss was really easy to get because having warriors is pretty easy. It's 3CMC actually sort of worked out for me. By the time I wanted to play it, my opponent was usually cradling something good to play on the next turn. I even caught a sweeper this way (I suspect he was waiting for me to over-extend since the board was still safe for him at that time) Thoughtseize is better but these work in a pinch for the budget until I get another.
Mardu Strike Leader: Removal magnet. Tokens make great blockers for the backswing. Dash is sometimes relevant due to 4CMC, but it can be what you need to seal the deal. 2 toughness makes it a little more reliable against tokens.
Battle Brawler: I played him in several games today, and 75% of the time he was a 4/2 First Strike due to Chief of the Edge. The other 25% of the time he was a 3/2 First Strike. Also removal magnet. Great attacker and blocker.
Ajani vs Sorin: I did not draw Ajani at all today, but considering my playtests and today's games... I think Ajani makes a decent planeswalker when the board is in a more stalemated position. Giving your Strike Leader +1/+1 and First Strike is pretty safe to try breaking through. Sorin is simply better when you're okay to keep the pressure on. If I can acquire another Sorin I'll probably use that, but I might consider leaving Ajani in SB
Athreos, God of Passage: Only played him like twice. If the opponent is able to stabilize and lock up the board at a really low life, you can start attacking (or blocking) with more freedom. I think I'll keep it as a one-of, because I never really needed him, but he was nice to have when I drew it.
Chief of the Scale: SB material. He's really useless in most matchups, but he was useful when I was up against things like Goblin Outburst.
Brutal Hordechief: Gotta have this guy. Once you drop him, the math suddenly changes. His life drain is super relevant, and his activated ability can end the game.
Merciless Executioner: fleecemane lion get outta here.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
wondering how 1 ajani and 1 sorin is better than 2 sorins.
B/W
As for the Valorous Stance's, I am and was in love with this card, however now I use it much more like removal than protection.
Also, from my matches, Gods Willing is much better served by making someone unblockable than by protecting one of your 4 ofs.
At least these thoughts are based around the fact that I usually have anyone I play down to 10 life at least going in to T4.
I never said it was. I said it was alright. I didn't have a second Sorin in time for Game Day.
Yeah he is quite lackluster tbh, but I have to admit he was exactly the thing that bought me enough time to win in my match against a Jeskai deck. Probably an edge case, so now I'm wondering what to replace him with. Hopefully they print a better flying warrior in DTK. Even when Aven Skirmisher was able to fly over for damage, it wasn't enough to make a difference, even with a chief out.
Sorin's experience was pretty similar for me, except instead of eating removal, it ate the backswing. Probably a better result than eating a removal, especially since I was able to keep Sorin alive for one more attack.
I agree, I used Valorous Stance as removal more than I did for protection. However the versatility is pretty sweet. I think it's worth keeping. If Gods Willing won't get you the killing blow, then it's not gonna stop a Polukranos or Siege Rhino from crashing the party. Saved my Chief when it mattered too! I do like Gods Willing however...
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
that you didnt have a second sorin in time is the answer i was looking for..... wasnt tryin to misquote you. was just tryin to make sense of the DL you ran.
List tags are malformed.
B/W
Ah sorry I guess I sounded defensive. Well my idea of Ajani was to give my Mardu Strike Leader a buff and First Strike to attack safely with it, as well as as lifelink (though not the same as Sorin's better lifelink, but I feel this one is safer if I was in position where I would lose more in an all-out attack). Alternatively I can use his second ability to buff my warriors in a similar way that Chief of the Scale would. However the only time I found Chief of the Scale to be useful was when I was fighting 1/1 tokens... so... yeah.
Overall Ajani was a lot more specific utility than Sorin is. I guess he channels a more defensive strategy than a gung-ho one.
List tags are malformed.
Currently Running Bant Control and a homebrew Blightning Echoes for Type 2.
B/W
what do you guys think? mb or sb?
B/W
And I like the idea of Chief of the Scale in the board for Tokens. Sounds less clunky than him in the Main.
Cube
Terricube
Modern
8Rack
Burn
Legacy
Oops, All Spells!
Pox
I went for Boon of Erebos over Defiant Strike because the regen is much more useful than the cantrip as it is more relevant in keep our guys alive. God's Willing is probably the few things we can get that will guarantee protection from Drown in Sorrow and Bile Blight.
Raiders' Spoils should be ran at 2-3 copies in the main, its huge when you play it at the top of your curve (like a Brutal Hordechief) and you can find yourself refiling your hand many of the times. I think the only drawbacks of this deck is if we overextend with not enough creature cards in our hand. A good point recently made in a SCG Deck Tech was that if you can keep 1 guys on the field after a wipe or removal, your still have tempo.
I may cut a Boon and a Spoil for some Banishing Light to have a solution for Chained to the Rocks or another BL.
4 Battle Brawler
4 Chief of the Edge
4 Chief of the Scale
4 Seeker of the Way
2 Mardu Strike Leader
2 Mardu Woe-Reaper
2 Brutal Hordechief
Enchantment (4)
3 Raiders' Spoils
1 Spear of Heliod
2 Return to the Ranks
Instant (8)
4 Ajani's Presence
4 Boon of Erebos
Land (24)
8 Plains
8 Swamp
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Temple of Silence
3 Valorous Stance
2 Glare of Heresy
2 Banishing Light
3 Thoughtseize
3 Gods Willing
2 Bile Blight
Standard: Orzhov Aggro