well I ran that lsit tonight at a local win a box contest and got 2nd with it. Lost to Mardu Tokens 2x, and those were my only losses. The deck hosed everything else and while I had some close matches, when it curves out like this:
that is a possible 18 damage by turn T4. I got sequences like this, and used Valorous Stance to protect one of the double striking critters and GG. T5 kills were possible and I pulled them off.
Match ups:
Vs G/R dragons, 2-1 win
Best card in that match up was Blood-Chin Rager, it just created really bad blocking early on. Those early points of damage really went far, I used Valorous Stance mainly as a pro spell in this match up and it saved key warriors every time. I did kill a few Thunderbreak Regent 's but I just went under the deck and created blocking Chaos via Rager.
Vs Mardu Tokens
AGAIN
Result 2-0 WIN
What can I say, except that win this deck curves out and goes first, is very hard to beat. I did everything right and Chief of the Scale saved a lot of warriors in the match. I just got in, and used Valorous stance to protect the Rager. I sucked in his tokens and just ran it over G1.
G2: I Mull to 5. Yes 5, and I still won. I'm completely mana screwed and he drops Urborg. It gives me B to work with (I had a W in play), and my 5 card hand is full of 1 drops. So I deploy the team out and curve out to Arashin Foremost. I weather the removal, and smash. He plays Anger of the Gods, and I knew that this card could be a problem so I held back some dudes in my hand (in the previous match I got blown out by Anger, 2x...IN a ROW). So he resets the board, I drop Toughness Cheif and top deck another Arashin. GG.
Note: I was Thougtseize 'ed 2x in the 2nd G and Won off the 5 card Mull. Call it skill or blind luck, but I didn't misplay 1x.
Vs Atarka Sligh
2-0 Win
I thought this was going to be very hard and it was. It was a race, but I weathered the removal, (I lost like 6 creatures both games. more I think) but I stablize via Chief of the Scale and Blood-Chin Fanatic. I cast Sorin, and go in for 7 pts lifelink and manage to get myself out of burn range. Sorin bites the dust that turn but I drop Brutal Hordecheif and Mardu Shawdowspear to chump block. He's at 5, and has a ton of Goblins on the board, and Rabblemaster! I sack my chief and Hordechief via fanatic and get that extra reach! That was my G2, in G1 I out raced him.
Semi's (was 4th going in)
Vs Bant Megamorph
2-0 Win
This was the top deck of the night and the guy was 3-0-1 (Tie) going in ( he took a tie to secure the #1 spot). I'm nervous, but I'm actually thinking that this might be very good for my warrior deck. Turns out... it was. I got a very good hand, and despite being on the draw my I curve out exactly how I mentioned earlier. Except I got a Rager in play and killed him by T5. He couldn't block effectively. Game 2, I SB 3 Self-Inflicted Wound and force him to sack his blockers really early. I rip more chief and Arashin, it's over in like 3 minutes. This entire match took 6-8 minutes? Yeah it was brutal. We played a few games after to test more and went 1-1, so 3-1 in favor of warriors.
Final
1-2 Loss vs Mardu Tokens
Same dude I played before, he knew it was a tough match up for me, but I made a game of it, G3 though I got blown out be removal and Tokens. Stoke , mardu charm hosed my guys.
Overall, it feels really well positioned actually. I think it it needs to be ready for the token match up. Talking to the guys after, we agreed that the deck has a few opening hand sequences that can be almost unbeatable. What it's able to do early on is very aggressive. I think there's room for improvement, and I'm really not sure about Athreos in the SB. I never saw him and it didn't do anything. I'd much rather have more answers, like token hate. THis deck steam rolled esper dragons in one of the SCG open matches, and that's what made me get the list together. The creator did say it was geared to go against control, so I'm not sure what else it needs but it is good. As for the 125th result I wonder if the guy didn't show up. Just seems weird. Any way we can see how his match ups went?
Note: 0 control decks in the top 4, the Hate is strong in my meta and they got burned out.
So I ran this at small Standard Tournament, and went 2-1 (4th) but the night before I had taken 2nd place with the SCG B/W Warrior list. I made some changes and added in Mogi's Marauder and that card is a bomb for the deck. It's so good, you build your team a little trade and once they try to stabilize you drop him and swing. He may not be a warrior, but intimidate is pretty good for 3-4 or 5 creatures getting in, the Haste ability it grants is pretty explosive in this kind of aggro deck. Loss was to Mardu again...it's a really bad match, and while it's not popuar right now, if Mardu gets more steam than it will be the decks weakest Match-Up. Anger of the Gods is way more troublesome than Drown in Sorrow for this deck.
I've been messing around with this deck ever since KTK (Chief of the Edge) was released. Although fun, the deck always ultimately felt like under-powered trash to me. Even though FRF added some goodies (Hordechief, and Strike Leader to an extent) it still wasn't quite getting there. I just picked it up again since DTK and holy ***** does this deck just feel totally different. Between Woe-Reaper, Rager and Foremost I feel like the pieces have finally come together. Maybe the meta is more friendly to this strategy now but I seriously don't feel gimped when running this anymore. I think it has sleeper potential moving forward.
Agreed. DTK, for whatever reason, was what gave us the remaining tools we needed to make this deck work the way it's supposed to. My personal opinion is that Arashin Foremost was the missing piece - as soon as she came out, the deck's power level shot up.
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My 360 Peasant+ Cube!. Modern borders where possible, usually with the newest (or "best") art, and always the most readable card text. I also run all 10 painlands. My playgroup is super casual, as we have a fair number of newer or less experienced players. Typically we draft with 4 to 6 people, using 5 packs of 9.
You have 2 Hordechief, 2 Utter End, and 2 Sorin, not to mention Obelisk of Urd - but unfortunately a base of 22 lands doesn't support that many 4-drops.
Also, what's the justification for running Foul-Tongue Invocation in the sideboard? I can't imagine a matchup that card is good against that wouldn't be even more favorable for you with a different sideboard card instead.
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My 360 Peasant+ Cube!. Modern borders where possible, usually with the newest (or "best") art, and always the most readable card text. I also run all 10 painlands. My playgroup is super casual, as we have a fair number of newer or less experienced players. Typically we draft with 4 to 6 people, using 5 packs of 9.
My only problem with this form of the Warriors archetype, one that I've discovered frequently in testing, is that our creatures simply provide less value than those found in the other, top tier decks. The archetype seems to suffer from two meta issues (maybe more, I haven't played a huge deal):
1) It's slower than the atarka red deck (and can easily get outvalued by Hordeling Outburst and company).
2) Our creatures have less value than similarly placed aggro/midrange decks (abzan aggro - Fleecemane Lion and company).
Additionally, all our one drops die to the Hordeling Outburst crew without help. The majority of two drops we have, while decent, are essentially just "dudes" and often get outclassed by their "dudes".
So, instead, I've had a look at an alternative way of running the deck. I'm not too sure about this variant and I don't think it really holds up any better than any other iteration here, but I'm posting it purely as an alternative take on the deck.
The deck may seem odd, especially with a playset of Blood-Chin Fanatic. The premise of this variant is evasion, using all the evasive tools available to us in the archetype. This includes the two Blood-Chin warriors and Brutal Hordechief.
Blood-Chin Fanatic allows us to finish off our opponent or act as a way to Thunderbreak Regent our opponents. Although it will probably just eat removal most of the time.
Man t2 rager is huge. Makes blocking horrid for the opponent and gets guys in for damage. I crushed g/r dragons and never felt like warriors got out classed when you've built up their synergy. You can hit for so much damage turns 1 -4. Maybe it's not Abzan but chief of the edge is scary to play against. I like blood chin fanatic and he won me my match vs atarka red.
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Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
BW is the way to go. You don't want to add a 3rd color. Secure the wastes is just too slow and is not good in most cases.
I don't think Blood-Chin Fanatic is good either.
Do not play Chief of the Scale. Most cases the 1 tough will not save your creatures as most have 1-2 toughness. It would take multiple to maybe save a creature from say a burn spell. So much better to just have aggro better attacking creatures or removal spells.
I can post my list if anyone wants.
I'm thinking rally the ancestors might be a good say 2 of in the sideboard for heavy removal matchups.
@OrehRuoy: Definitely post. I think it's always good to get a new angle.
With respect to cards like Blood-Chin Fanatic, I think it is better than people give it credit for, though I can understand why people dislike it (I did too initially).
For a number of these cards it is about playing them in the right deck to make the most of them. I've done some testing and have found Secure the Wastes, Risen Executioner, Brutal Hordechief and Blood-Chin Fanatic to all be good in different builds of the deck. This also includes Blood-Chin Rager, who for my money is the best warrior out there currently.
Typically, the Blood-Chin family I think want to be played in a mid-range warrior deck that has a good amount of removal. This allows Blood-Chin Fanatic to be relevant despite his under the curve stats, and Blood-Chin Rager to have pseudo-unblockable, and thus providing this for all other warriors. Then you couple this unblockable trait with Blood-Chin Fanatic's ability and if your opponent does not have an answer at this stage, you win.
Brutal Hordechief however wants a deck that goes as wide as possible. He seems good but also sometimes a little awkward. You really want your deck to reach five mana with him to make the most of him, but in playing a deck that plays wide you're probably going to have a low-ish curve. Still, in a deck that can consistently go wide, Brutal Hordechief is very good. This means him and Secure the Wastes are automatic partners.
Risen Executioner is also better than I gave it credit for. Sure, it can't block, but coupled with Blood-Chin Rager, Blood-Chin Fanatic and Arashin Foremost, he becomes quite a bit more formidable. He's probably better on the play due to his inability to block, but he's also good in multiples as he buffs himself. I'm sure people here will disagree with me on this one, but I'm of the opinion that he can be run as a four of with no other zombies in the deck. However, if you do not have any other zombies in your deck then I would not run less than four.
Given the above, I changed my list slightly. I found that Secure the Wastes with Blood-Chin Fanatic didn't really work, and so I've focussed on larger warriors.
I think this decks at its best when its full out aggro. And it can be really nasty when you curve out which you do a lot if they don't interfere.
Surge is really not that good in my opinion. I have yet to be able to use it when I did side it in. I think its coming out. Also I think you might want mored Self-Inflicted Wounds. They are really good against Abzan.
I will post my version later today. I win a lot with it but I still want to playtest it some more and see how I can improve.
I found Athreos to be really ...underwhelming. I think Ajani, might be a huge boost coming out of the SB vs RDW and just another Anthem effect. If you think about, you -2 Twice and add the bonuses from Chiefs, that's a possible +2 +2 for the team , add in a Sorin +1 (Life and +1 + 0), and 1 Rager on the battlefield and it gets dumb. The deck is aggressive, but loses it's Umph late game, I think adding Ajani might make give the deck a little extra reach. Anyhow, anyone test with this card? I'm all in this weekend
Rager is...so good. SO good.
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Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
In this deck, you cannot play fewer than 4 Arashin Foremost. I don't really think there's any wiggle room on that point.
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My 360 Peasant+ Cube!. Modern borders where possible, usually with the newest (or "best") art, and always the most readable card text. I also run all 10 painlands. My playgroup is super casual, as we have a fair number of newer or less experienced players. Typically we draft with 4 to 6 people, using 5 packs of 9.
I tested with Arashin, and I like more options in the 3 drop slot. BY the time Arashin comes out the deck should have dealth somewhere between 8-12 damage, against Mono red, the Fanatic is great, and when the board gets clogged up with tokens, the extra reach and Champion/Fanatic combo goes a long way. I've won many times via Fanatic, and Arashin, I've also won many times via blowout by Maruader coming down and making their blockers even more unimportant. While my version is linear, I think spreading out the win cons, and having my opponent deal with one angle attack, and then have to deal with another angle of attack makes their controlling tactics that much harder.
I'm a huge Fan of Arashin, but ... I also like multiple win cons/ variety. I found running 4 Copies of her to be too much for my tastes. But that's me and the deck is working. I've tested it a bit and when it goes off, it stomps.
The hardest match ups are: anything with Tokens, and Anger of the Gods. There's no early defense to Anger unless we add Obelisk and while I'm a fan of that card it's not exacly where I want to be T3 or 4. I want to be going for those last points of damage. So Jeskai, RDW, and Mardu/Tokens are rough, and each of those decks is popular in my meta. Suitable match ups are Abzan, G/W and any other deck that is midrange to control. We can out race them, there are some issues with U/W control (They board wipe a ton) but it's manageable.
If you curve out like this:
T1 Champion
T2 Rager
Damage 2
T3 Chief of the Edge
Damage 6 + 2= 8
T4 Arashin/Marauder
Damage Possible 9, most will chump block Rager (if you have valorous stance then is a LOL) = 6 +8 = 14
T5 Marauder or Hordechief
Damage = -X life, game over.
It happens a lot in matches, and unless they start removing things in mass, it gets out of hand. Its one of the most aggressive sequences for an aggro deck , except maybe Atarka Red (This one can blow you out T4 with the right draw).
Also...Fanatic can survive Drown in Sorrow and Bile Blight with Chief of the Scale out. I have seen a few warrior decks running 4 Arashin, ut when the board gets clogged up, the last thing I want as the pilot is to have to attack into a sea of chump blockers, and leave myself open to a counter attack. I posted a write up of my 2nd place finish as a win box and 4th at a smaller event.
But I should ask you, is running Arashin working for you? What kind of data have you gathered from your matches with her? Is 4 too much? Too good? Like I said before i like more win cons are the 3 drops slot, if my opponent knows it's just Arashin, than it becomes a game of board state. Mogis, and Fanatic can get the last points of damage through.
My take is almost-suicidal, using cheap, aggressive creatures and abusing of Pain Seer like it was my beloved Dark Confidant to keep pressure on board.
The deck has only 5 cards with CMC=3, so the curve it's so low I can stick with 23 lands, even maybe one or two less.
With the painlands, Pain seer and Boon of erebos, Mardu woe-Reaper turns out to be pretty neat, slowing down delve and recursive creatures, and gaining several much needed life points while being aggressive.
Mardu Strikeleader is there because I love him, but I couldn't have the change to play with him properly. Should I play Arashin foremost instead?
Arashin is...the awesome. You should add that card, hands down, belongs in the MB 60. Strikeleader...eh..by T4 I think you want to be closing the game out, maybe he can fit that bill, you'll have to play test the deck. Have you yet? I like Boob of Erebos, not sure about it in this deck, but the extra +2 +0 and regenerate can blanket destroy effects. Pain Seer, while not a warrior, that card can give the deck some much needed card draw, yeah I like your angle, I'd drop the spears and up my threat count thought. Warriors seems to be a deck that works better when you get more dudes out to increase each cards synergistic capabilities. On the field effects is what Tribal is all about.
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Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
Well 2-1 an 8 man last night. Missed the daily. I should have 3-0.... had game 3 him down to 1 life but it was esper dragons and I flooded.
So first round I easily handled abzan. I think it was aggro didnt see control elements. I usually beat abzan decks pretty handily.
2nd round I beat Esper Dragons. Lost game one since I have a lot of dead cards main deck. I may change this up some. Won games 2 and 3 pretty easy.
3rd round lost to Esper Dragons as I said, game 3 had him at 1 life for turns but couldnt draw anything. He played Ugin which im not used to them playing so I didnt sideboard correctly. Plus I flooded hard.
I think im going to try a daily today I will post results. Also will get my deck posted when I get time.
Arashin is...the awesome. You should add that card, hands down, belongs in the MB 60. Strikeleader...eh..by T4 I think you want to be closing the game out, maybe he can fit that bill, you'll have to play test the deck. Have you yet? I like Boob of Erebos, not sure about it in this deck, but the extra +2 +0 and regenerate can blanket destroy effects. Pain Seer, while not a warrior, that card can give the deck some much needed card draw, yeah I like your angle, I'd drop the spears and up my threat count thought. Warriors seems to be a deck that works better when you get more dudes out to increase each cards synergistic capabilities. On the field effects is what Tribal is all about.
You are correct Boob of Erebos is a perky card....
But I should ask you, is running Arashin working for you? What kind of data have you gathered from your matches with her? Is 4 too much? Too good? Like I said before i like more win cons are the 3 drops slot, if my opponent knows it's just Arashin, than it becomes a game of board state. Mogis, and Fanatic can get the last points of damage through.
I haven't done a huge amount of testing with the deck, but in all of the games I have played Arashin Foremost has won me the game, every single time. I've never lost a game after resolving her. It's plausible that's coincidental, but I'm inclined to believe she's as powerful in this deck as she seems. I would play her turn 3 over anything else in the deck, no question. She's removal bait, but she still gives another creature double strike as soon as she enters the battlefield so her benefits are immediate. If they don't use a kill spell on her before your next untap step, then you just win.
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My 360 Peasant+ Cube!. Modern borders where possible, usually with the newest (or "best") art, and always the most readable card text. I also run all 10 painlands. My playgroup is super casual, as we have a fair number of newer or less experienced players. Typically we draft with 4 to 6 people, using 5 packs of 9.
It's good but Mogis and fanatic also put the in work. Either one of those 3 drops can get in those extra points of damage. Sacking champion to deal damage and net life is reach beyond the combat step. Is direct damage that B/W doesn't currently have in standard. I'm all for arashin but in 2 s or 3s. I'm going to run the deck again in a few weeks, should be fun. In testing the deck has been great. Not tier 1, I don't know if the right players take notice it might get more coverage. As of now it's not unheard of for warriors or humans to show up anymore.
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Standard Arena: Eh? Gruul or Die
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now: G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record) C Eldrazi Tron (9-5) UG Infect RW Burn
I've been testing the deck and I decided to make a couple of changes. First of all, I have to admit Pain Seer is not that great. It needs 2 turns to activate his ability and it needs not to be blocked. Maybe it's a combo card more than an agressive one. Another surprise is Arashin foremost which has quickly become the star of the deck by giving a much-needed boost of power by turn 3-4.
Funny thing is I added a couple of Foul-tongue shriek almost as an accident when I tried to test some new cards and it turned to be really useful. Cheap, fast, and always grants siphoning at least for 3.
Risen Executioner is also better than I gave it credit for. Sure, it can't block, but coupled with Blood-Chin Rager, Blood-Chin Fanatic and Arashin Foremost, he becomes quite a bit more formidable. He's probably better on the play due to his inability to block, but he's also good in multiples as he buffs himself. I'm sure people here will disagree with me on this one, but I'm of the opinion that he can be run as a four of with no other zombies in the deck. However, if you do not have any other zombies in your deck then I would not run less than four.
If you're running the Executioner, then I'd maindeck a few Murderous Cuts just to enable you to clear out your graveyard to make him easier to recast.
Hi there everyone, I'm new here, followed this topic for a long time (since I wanted to make BW Warriors work for me) and this has been a source of great feedback, now I think is time for me to give some comments on how has my take on this deck worked for me.
First, I built my complete version of this deck in magic online and I have been working on it for like three days now. Before that I only tested in paper with some deck that are not really well known, like GW somethings and bant soulflier.
That said, I must comment that you give a lot of reach to this deck if you combine the correct cards, some of them being Mardu Shadowspear, Brutal Hordechief (obviously) and last but no least Foul-Tongue Shriek. I'm really surprised I have not seen this card in the topic before Countermage posted his list, because with all the interactions that happen in this deck at the combat phase, making your oponent waste all of their mana and then getting those three or four last points of life off literally up your sleeve is not that hard.
Also, I've lerned that the choice of one-drops should be something you never take lightly. Mardu Woe-reaper get back your life lost by painlands, but also generate graveyard hate (those deathmist raptors...). Bloodsoaked Champions aggainst boardwipes are excellent, and paired with a dashed Mardu Shadowspear you can rebuild an army just the next turn it was destroyed. Dragon Hunter is relevant now that the meta is full of dragon decks and at least for me, that's the list of one-drops.
If you combine this two aspects of the decks, going wide with a good amount of one-drops and reach, you get a fast and versatile deck, that also give you space to go big with Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Chief of the Edge and Spear of Heliod that's a card in the maindeck that I'm testing.
I know it doesn't seem like it but I'm short of time, so I'll post my list later. I hope this "little" feedback is a valuable input for those who like to go wide with this deck, that is, in my opinion, the best way to go with it.
Yyou bring some interesting points about how to play this deck: I decided to be as fast as I could and reduced card costs, while you seem to take a more midrange version with planeswalkers and bigger creatures. My question is, how is it working for you so far?
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Bloodsoaked Champion into
Chief of the Edge into
Arashin Foremost
that is a possible 18 damage by turn T4. I got sequences like this, and used Valorous Stance to protect one of the double striking critters and GG. T5 kills were possible and I pulled them off.
Match ups:
Vs G/R dragons, 2-1 win
Best card in that match up was Blood-Chin Rager, it just created really bad blocking early on. Those early points of damage really went far, I used Valorous Stance mainly as a pro spell in this match up and it saved key warriors every time. I did kill a few Thunderbreak Regent 's but I just went under the deck and created blocking Chaos via Rager.
Vs Mardu Tokens
0-2 Loss
This deck has a very hard match up against Tokens. SB, needs work to make it better: It needs Virulent Plague and an extra copy of Bile Blight out of the SB to have a better chance. All of the decks removal spells are great against it. Stoke the Flames, Raise the Alarm, Dragon Fodder, Hordeling Outburst, Mardu Charm, + top end Butcher was brutal. Crackling Doom was especially rough. We did race but it wasn't exactly close.
Vs Mardu Tokens
AGAIN
Result 2-0 WIN
What can I say, except that win this deck curves out and goes first, is very hard to beat. I did everything right and Chief of the Scale saved a lot of warriors in the match. I just got in, and used Valorous stance to protect the Rager. I sucked in his tokens and just ran it over G1.
G2: I Mull to 5. Yes 5, and I still won. I'm completely mana screwed and he drops Urborg. It gives me B to work with (I had a W in play), and my 5 card hand is full of 1 drops. So I deploy the team out and curve out to Arashin Foremost. I weather the removal, and smash. He plays Anger of the Gods, and I knew that this card could be a problem so I held back some dudes in my hand (in the previous match I got blown out by Anger, 2x...IN a ROW). So he resets the board, I drop Toughness Cheif and top deck another Arashin. GG.
Note: I was Thougtseize 'ed 2x in the 2nd G and Won off the 5 card Mull. Call it skill or blind luck, but I didn't misplay 1x.
Vs Atarka Sligh
2-0 Win
I thought this was going to be very hard and it was. It was a race, but I weathered the removal, (I lost like 6 creatures both games. more I think) but I stablize via Chief of the Scale and Blood-Chin Fanatic. I cast Sorin, and go in for 7 pts lifelink and manage to get myself out of burn range. Sorin bites the dust that turn but I drop Brutal Hordecheif and Mardu Shawdowspear to chump block. He's at 5, and has a ton of Goblins on the board, and Rabblemaster! I sack my chief and Hordechief via fanatic and get that extra reach! That was my G2, in G1 I out raced him.
Semi's (was 4th going in)
Vs Bant Megamorph
2-0 Win
This was the top deck of the night and the guy was 3-0-1 (Tie) going in ( he took a tie to secure the #1 spot). I'm nervous, but I'm actually thinking that this might be very good for my warrior deck. Turns out... it was. I got a very good hand, and despite being on the draw my I curve out exactly how I mentioned earlier. Except I got a Rager in play and killed him by T5. He couldn't block effectively. Game 2, I SB 3 Self-Inflicted Wound and force him to sack his blockers really early. I rip more chief and Arashin, it's over in like 3 minutes. This entire match took 6-8 minutes? Yeah it was brutal. We played a few games after to test more and went 1-1, so 3-1 in favor of warriors.
Final
1-2 Loss vs Mardu Tokens
Same dude I played before, he knew it was a tough match up for me, but I made a game of it, G3 though I got blown out be removal and Tokens. Stoke , mardu charm hosed my guys.
Overall, it feels really well positioned actually. I think it it needs to be ready for the token match up. Talking to the guys after, we agreed that the deck has a few opening hand sequences that can be almost unbeatable. What it's able to do early on is very aggressive. I think there's room for improvement, and I'm really not sure about Athreos in the SB. I never saw him and it didn't do anything. I'd much rather have more answers, like token hate. THis deck steam rolled esper dragons in one of the SCG open matches, and that's what made me get the list together. The creator did say it was geared to go against control, so I'm not sure what else it needs but it is good. As for the 125th result I wonder if the guy didn't show up. Just seems weird. Any way we can see how his match ups went?
Note: 0 control decks in the top 4, the Hate is strong in my meta and they got burned out.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
2x Arashin Foremost
2x Blood-Chin Fanatic
4x Blood-Chin Rager
4x Bloodsoaked Champion
3x Brutal Hordechief
4x Chief of the Edge
4x Chief of the Scale
2x Mardu Shadowspear
2x Mardu Woe-Reaper
3x Mogis's Marauder
4x Caves of Koilos
4x Mana Confluence
5x Plains
7x Swamp
2x Temple of Silence
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Instant
3x Hero's Downfall
2x Valorous Stance
Planeswalker
2x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2x Athreos, God of Passage
3x Bile Blight
2x Erase
3x Self-Inflicted Wound
3x Thoughtseize
1x Valorous Stance
1x Virulent Plague
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
4 Caves of Koilos
3 Mana Confluence
7 Plains
8 Swamp
Creature (27)
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
3 Mardu Shadowspear
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Chief of the Edge
2 Chief of the Scale
4 Blood-Chin Rager
4 Arashin Foremost
2 Brutal Hordechief
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Artifact (3)
2 Spear of Heliod
1 Obelisk of Urd
Instant (6)
2 Utter End
2 Valorous Stance
2 Hero's Downfall
4 Dragon Hunter
2 Duress
2 Glare of Heresy
1 Radiant Purge
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
2 Virulent Plague
Also, what's the justification for running Foul-Tongue Invocation in the sideboard? I can't imagine a matchup that card is good against that wouldn't be even more favorable for you with a different sideboard card instead.
My only problem with this form of the Warriors archetype, one that I've discovered frequently in testing, is that our creatures simply provide less value than those found in the other, top tier decks. The archetype seems to suffer from two meta issues (maybe more, I haven't played a huge deal):
1) It's slower than the atarka red deck (and can easily get outvalued by Hordeling Outburst and company).
2) Our creatures have less value than similarly placed aggro/midrange decks (abzan aggro - Fleecemane Lion and company).
Additionally, all our one drops die to the Hordeling Outburst crew without help. The majority of two drops we have, while decent, are essentially just "dudes" and often get outclassed by their "dudes".
So, instead, I've had a look at an alternative way of running the deck. I'm not too sure about this variant and I don't think it really holds up any better than any other iteration here, but I'm posting it purely as an alternative take on the deck.
4x Bloodsoaked Champion
4x Blood-Chin Rager
4x Chief of the Edge
4x Blood-Chin Fanatic
4x Arashin Foremost
4x Brutal Hordechief
Spells:
2 Bile Blight
2 Hero's Downfall
4 Secure the Wastes
2 Ultimate Price
2 Valorous Stance
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Mana Confluence
5 Plains
6 Swamp
2 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Windswept Heath
1 Athreos, God of Passage
2 Hushwing Gryff
2 Banishing Light
2 Virulent Plague
2 Bile Blight
2 Surge of Righteousness
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
The deck may seem odd, especially with a playset of Blood-Chin Fanatic. The premise of this variant is evasion, using all the evasive tools available to us in the archetype. This includes the two Blood-Chin warriors and Brutal Hordechief.
The inclusion of four Secure the Wastes allows this deck to go wide, which has obvious synergy with Brutal Hordechief. This also has synergy with Chief of the Edge and Blood-Chin Rager.
Blood-Chin Fanatic allows us to finish off our opponent or act as a way to Thunderbreak Regent our opponents. Although it will probably just eat removal most of the time.
Cards like Arashin Foremost, Chief of the Edge buff our warriors into more genuine threats, while Bloodsoaked Champion offers recursion and has synergy with Blood-Chin Fanatic.
It's a little inconsistent, but there can be some powerful plays, especially playing Secure the Wastes into Brutal Hordechief.
I'm also a little unsure about numbers, but obviously playing four of your cards allows for consistency, so.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
BW is the way to go. You don't want to add a 3rd color. Secure the wastes is just too slow and is not good in most cases.
I don't think Blood-Chin Fanatic is good either.
Do not play Chief of the Scale. Most cases the 1 tough will not save your creatures as most have 1-2 toughness. It would take multiple to maybe save a creature from say a burn spell. So much better to just have aggro better attacking creatures or removal spells.
I can post my list if anyone wants.
I'm thinking rally the ancestors might be a good say 2 of in the sideboard for heavy removal matchups.
With respect to cards like Blood-Chin Fanatic, I think it is better than people give it credit for, though I can understand why people dislike it (I did too initially).
For a number of these cards it is about playing them in the right deck to make the most of them. I've done some testing and have found Secure the Wastes, Risen Executioner, Brutal Hordechief and Blood-Chin Fanatic to all be good in different builds of the deck. This also includes Blood-Chin Rager, who for my money is the best warrior out there currently.
Typically, the Blood-Chin family I think want to be played in a mid-range warrior deck that has a good amount of removal. This allows Blood-Chin Fanatic to be relevant despite his under the curve stats, and Blood-Chin Rager to have pseudo-unblockable, and thus providing this for all other warriors. Then you couple this unblockable trait with Blood-Chin Fanatic's ability and if your opponent does not have an answer at this stage, you win.
Brutal Hordechief however wants a deck that goes as wide as possible. He seems good but also sometimes a little awkward. You really want your deck to reach five mana with him to make the most of him, but in playing a deck that plays wide you're probably going to have a low-ish curve. Still, in a deck that can consistently go wide, Brutal Hordechief is very good. This means him and Secure the Wastes are automatic partners.
Risen Executioner is also better than I gave it credit for. Sure, it can't block, but coupled with Blood-Chin Rager, Blood-Chin Fanatic and Arashin Foremost, he becomes quite a bit more formidable. He's probably better on the play due to his inability to block, but he's also good in multiples as he buffs himself. I'm sure people here will disagree with me on this one, but I'm of the opinion that he can be run as a four of with no other zombies in the deck. However, if you do not have any other zombies in your deck then I would not run less than four.
Given the above, I changed my list slightly. I found that Secure the Wastes with Blood-Chin Fanatic didn't really work, and so I've focussed on larger warriors.
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Chief of the Edge
4 Blood-Chin Rager
4 Arashin Foremost
4 Blood-Chin Fanatic
4 Risen Executioner
Spells:
4 Thoughtseize
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Bile Blight
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Windswept Heath
2 Temple of Silence
2 Mana Confluence
4 Caves of Koilos
5 Plains
7 Swamp
1 Athreos, God of Passage
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Hushwing Gryff
2 Corpseweft
2 Banishing Light
2 Virulent Plague
2 Surge of Righteousness
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
Interestingly, in that deck, the two weakest cards feel like Bloodsoaked Champion and Chief of the Edge.
Surge is really not that good in my opinion. I have yet to be able to use it when I did side it in. I think its coming out. Also I think you might want mored Self-Inflicted Wounds. They are really good against Abzan.
I will post my version later today. I win a lot with it but I still want to playtest it some more and see how I can improve.
2x Arashin Foremost
2x Blood-Chin Fanatic
4x Blood-Chin Rager
4x Bloodsoaked Champion
3x Brutal Hordechief
4x Chief of the Edge
4x Chief of the Scale
2x Mardu Shadowspear
2x Mardu Woe-Reaper
3x Mogis's Marauder
4x Caves of Koilos
4x Mana Confluence
6x Plains
6x Swamp
2x Temple of Silence
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Instant (5)
3x Hero's Downfall
2x Valorous Stance
Planeswalker (2)
2x Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2x Ajani Steadfast
3x Bile Blight
2x Erase
3x Self-Inflicted Wound
4x Thoughtseize
1x Valorous Stance
I found Athreos to be really ...underwhelming. I think Ajani, might be a huge boost coming out of the SB vs RDW and just another Anthem effect. If you think about, you -2 Twice and add the bonuses from Chiefs, that's a possible +2 +2 for the team , add in a Sorin +1 (Life and +1 + 0), and 1 Rager on the battlefield and it gets dumb. The deck is aggressive, but loses it's Umph late game, I think adding Ajani might make give the deck a little extra reach. Anyhow, anyone test with this card? I'm all in this weekend
Rager is...so good. SO good.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
In this deck, you cannot play fewer than 4 Arashin Foremost. I don't really think there's any wiggle room on that point.
I'm a huge Fan of Arashin, but ... I also like multiple win cons/ variety. I found running 4 Copies of her to be too much for my tastes. But that's me and the deck is working. I've tested it a bit and when it goes off, it stomps.
The hardest match ups are: anything with Tokens, and Anger of the Gods. There's no early defense to Anger unless we add Obelisk and while I'm a fan of that card it's not exacly where I want to be T3 or 4. I want to be going for those last points of damage. So Jeskai, RDW, and Mardu/Tokens are rough, and each of those decks is popular in my meta. Suitable match ups are Abzan, G/W and any other deck that is midrange to control. We can out race them, there are some issues with U/W control (They board wipe a ton) but it's manageable.
If you curve out like this:
T1 Champion
T2 Rager
Damage 2
T3 Chief of the Edge
Damage 6 + 2= 8
T4 Arashin/Marauder
Damage Possible 9, most will chump block Rager (if you have valorous stance then is a LOL) = 6 +8 = 14
T5 Marauder or Hordechief
Damage = -X life, game over.
It happens a lot in matches, and unless they start removing things in mass, it gets out of hand. Its one of the most aggressive sequences for an aggro deck , except maybe Atarka Red (This one can blow you out T4 with the right draw).
Also...Fanatic can survive Drown in Sorrow and Bile Blight with Chief of the Scale out. I have seen a few warrior decks running 4 Arashin, ut when the board gets clogged up, the last thing I want as the pilot is to have to attack into a sea of chump blockers, and leave myself open to a counter attack. I posted a write up of my 2nd place finish as a win box and 4th at a smaller event.
But I should ask you, is running Arashin working for you? What kind of data have you gathered from your matches with her? Is 4 too much? Too good? Like I said before i like more win cons are the 3 drops slot, if my opponent knows it's just Arashin, than it becomes a game of board state. Mogis, and Fanatic can get the last points of damage through.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
4 Mardu woe-reaper
3 Dragon Hunter
4 Battle Brawler
4 Chief of the edge
3 Pain Seer
2 Blood-chin Rager
2 Mardu skullhunter
2 Spear of Heliod
2 Bile Blight
2 Valorous Stance
2 Boon of erebos
My take is almost-suicidal, using cheap, aggressive creatures and abusing of Pain Seer like it was my beloved Dark Confidant to keep pressure on board.
The deck has only 5 cards with CMC=3, so the curve it's so low I can stick with 23 lands, even maybe one or two less.
With the painlands, Pain seer and Boon of erebos, Mardu woe-Reaper turns out to be pretty neat, slowing down delve and recursive creatures, and gaining several much needed life points while being aggressive.
Mardu Strikeleader is there because I love him, but I couldn't have the change to play with him properly. Should I play Arashin foremost instead?
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
So first round I easily handled abzan. I think it was aggro didnt see control elements. I usually beat abzan decks pretty handily.
2nd round I beat Esper Dragons. Lost game one since I have a lot of dead cards main deck. I may change this up some. Won games 2 and 3 pretty easy.
3rd round lost to Esper Dragons as I said, game 3 had him at 1 life for turns but couldnt draw anything. He played Ugin which im not used to them playing so I didnt sideboard correctly. Plus I flooded hard.
I think im going to try a daily today I will post results. Also will get my deck posted when I get time.
You are correct Boob of Erebos is a perky card....
sorry double post I had to
I haven't done a huge amount of testing with the deck, but in all of the games I have played Arashin Foremost has won me the game, every single time. I've never lost a game after resolving her. It's plausible that's coincidental, but I'm inclined to believe she's as powerful in this deck as she seems. I would play her turn 3 over anything else in the deck, no question. She's removal bait, but she still gives another creature double strike as soon as she enters the battlefield so her benefits are immediate. If they don't use a kill spell on her before your next untap step, then you just win.
I think Arashin, Chief, and Blood-Chin are the 3 best cards in the deck.
Modern: Decks I'm playing right now:
G Mono Green Tron (34-10-3 paper record, only SCG/Regionals/PPTQ record)
C Eldrazi Tron (9-5)
UG Infect
RW Burn
4 Mardu Woe-reaper
3 Dragon Hunter
4 Battle Brawler
4 Chief of the Edge
4 Blood-chin rager
3 Chief of the Scale
2 Bile blight
2 Valorous Stance
2 Foul-tongue Shriek
4 Boon of erebos
Funny thing is I added a couple of Foul-tongue shriek almost as an accident when I tried to test some new cards and it turned to be really useful. Cheap, fast, and always grants siphoning at least for 3.
If you're running the Executioner, then I'd maindeck a few Murderous Cuts just to enable you to clear out your graveyard to make him easier to recast.
First, I built my complete version of this deck in magic online and I have been working on it for like three days now. Before that I only tested in paper with some deck that are not really well known, like GW somethings and bant soulflier.
That said, I must comment that you give a lot of reach to this deck if you combine the correct cards, some of them being Mardu Shadowspear, Brutal Hordechief (obviously) and last but no least Foul-Tongue Shriek. I'm really surprised I have not seen this card in the topic before Countermage posted his list, because with all the interactions that happen in this deck at the combat phase, making your oponent waste all of their mana and then getting those three or four last points of life off literally up your sleeve is not that hard.
Also, I've lerned that the choice of one-drops should be something you never take lightly. Mardu Woe-reaper get back your life lost by painlands, but also generate graveyard hate (those deathmist raptors...). Bloodsoaked Champions aggainst boardwipes are excellent, and paired with a dashed Mardu Shadowspear you can rebuild an army just the next turn it was destroyed. Dragon Hunter is relevant now that the meta is full of dragon decks and at least for me, that's the list of one-drops.
If you combine this two aspects of the decks, going wide with a good amount of one-drops and reach, you get a fast and versatile deck, that also give you space to go big with Sorin, Solemn Visitor, Chief of the Edge and Spear of Heliod that's a card in the maindeck that I'm testing.
I know it doesn't seem like it but I'm short of time, so I'll post my list later. I hope this "little" feedback is a valuable input for those who like to go wide with this deck, that is, in my opinion, the best way to go with it.
Yyou bring some interesting points about how to play this deck: I decided to be as fast as I could and reduced card costs, while you seem to take a more midrange version with planeswalkers and bigger creatures. My question is, how is it working for you so far?