Yeah, I like the look of it a lot better now actually.
The first things to get rid of for your opponent would easily be Diregraf Captain and Lord of the Undead, especially the Lord of the Undead. In tribal, it's almost always a good idea to go after the lords, but Undead gives him card recursion/advantage as well so keeping him off of that makes Carrion Feeder and Grimgrin significantly less effective. Phantasmal Image can be killed by the provoke ability of Deftblade Elite, so you shouldn't have too much to worry about there (nor can it be returned to hand with the Lord of the Undead, so you should be safe from it).
If he actually manages to land a Grimgrin, you will have to deal with it, but Swords to Plowsharing Grimgrin after the opponent sacrifices a creature to untap him (or, hell, with that on the stack so that way he gains 1 less life but still loses the sacrifice) is hi-larious and definitely recommended.
Gravecrawler and Carrion Feeder can't block, and without lords the first one is pretty much useless so there's not much need to worry if you have first striking creatures. Festering Goblin can be an annoyance against your X/1 toughness creatures, but it shouldn't be hard to keep their toughness above 1 or keep them from taking combat damage with 8 removal spells and creatures with first strike (which, Field Marshal is the biggest target of your deck because he's ridiculous, but even without him Preeminent Captain and Kazandu Blademaster have that ability too, and even with 1 lord out several of the zombie decks creatures can't attack into you and damage your first strikers)
Anyway, outside of the lords and Grimgrin you don't have much to worry about. Lord of the Undead lets him recur cards which can be bad if he gets a good draw and you a poor one, setting up into a long game. Diregraf Captains makes his card disadvantage have an effect on life totals, which can suck in a longer game too. Phantasmal Image is pretty much dealt with unless he Tragic Slip/Festering Goblin's your Deftblade Elite, which, erm, it's probably better for you that he Slip your Deftblade than he do that to Field Marshal, etc.. I don't think you have a lot to worry about him blowing out your army considering his only targeted removal is Tragic Slip. Geth's Verdict lets you pick which puts you in a pretty good position, Festering Goblin isn't that big of a deal but yes you may lose a Squad to it if he kills it before you get out a buff effect, and lastly, Grimgrin is so ridiculously easy to deal with that you shouldn't be worried about him. He only makes you lose a creature if he attacks, and you can not only force it to block the turn he plays it with Deftblade Elite, but you've also got 8 removal spells to deal with him too. That, and at 17 lands he might wind up waiting until turn 8 before he actually draws 5 lands.
Notwithstanding, you do have anti-black cards you can use as well, like the aforementioned Mirran Crusader or even Absolute Grace, though I think the latter of the two make all but the best sports irritated.
I never even realized that I could untap a creature with Elite, that is quite excellent. So I shouldn't have any problems with his deck as of now, thank you very much!
Now just being curious, what would be a reason to switch the deck to this setup if any at all? or is the Catapult build just better?
Looking at your friend's decklist, there are literally no noncreature nonland permanents, so it's possible that Journey to Nowhere would be stronger than Oblivion Ring. It comes down a turn faster, and against this deck, you don't need the flexibility of O-Ring. Unmake might be a better option too, since it can happen at instant speed (albeit back at three mana), and again, losing the flexibility doesn't matter in this situation.
The only other possible concern is that as good as Captain of the Watch is, twenty lands might not be enough to really make him reliably castable in a timely fashion. I don't think you want to go to more lands in this deck, since it's pretty aggressive and otherwise has a low curve, so it might be best to cut what is otherwise a really strong creature, and run something like Daru Warchief or Precinct Captain instead. Might be a tough call, though, because Captain of the Watch is so powerful - it just seems like he might be a dead draw a pretty high percentage of the time, because you've got jammed on five mana.
I took that into account, but with Preeminent Captain casting cost doesn't matter,
It's true that Preeminent Captain makes casting cost irrelevant, but it's also true that in some % of games you won't draw him (maybe a third of all games you play, I think). I think the question really is: are you okay with Captain of the Watch being essentially a dead draw in some nontrivial percentage of games? Preeminent Captain certainly improves your chances of being able to play him, but the chances of missing are also not insignificant - it really just comes down to how you feel about the percentages.
It's true that Preeminent Captain makes casting cost irrelevant, but it's also true that in some % of games you won't draw him (maybe a third of all games you play, I think). I think the question really is: are you okay with Captain of the Watch being essentially a dead draw in some nontrivial percentage of games? Preeminent Captain certainly improves your chances of being able to play him, but the chances of missing are also not insignificant - it really just comes down to how you feel about the percentages.
Well, I figure if I can drop down a Captain of the Watch by turn 4-5 that would pretty much seal the deal, so I think it's a good choice. Although I may take her out and test two Armageddon, that may make him crap himself hard do to the land shortage and all my removal.
As for what I have decided to run in terms of the removal, Swords to Plowshares and Journey to Nowhere, as you said, he has no enchantment removal so it will be safe.
Notwithstanding, you do have anti-black cards you can use as well, like the aforementioned Mirran Crusader or even Absolute Grace, though I think the latter of the two make all but the best sports irritated.
Yeah, I didn't really want to be like a massive d*ck to him and flat out play a your screwed card ;p but I just wasn't sure if my deck had the punch, thank you.
It's alright, but if you're talking about getting Odric's trigger, it doesn't actually trigger since it requires Odric to declare an attack and Captain puts him onto the battlefield already attacking.
He is a good 3/4 first striker alone, but the above poster is correct in stating he does not trigger his ability upon entering combat since he was not declared as an attacker.
So in doing my own testing of my own deck, PE + CotW is still the clear winner do to the +1+1 and additional tokens, the vigilance however does not occur since the creatures who were declared attacking before she entered did not have vigilance, in addition she nor her tokens have vigilance until your next turn.
Damn I had not realized that Odric needed to be declared as attacking first; thank you for pointing that out. Good thing I did not end up winning that game or else I might feel pretty bad!
Preeminent Captain with Captain of the Watch is indeed pretty sweet, but I figured Odric was better since I thought it allowed you to get by blockers or even deal with some opposing creatures by forcing them to block.
Damn I had not realized that Odric needed to be declared as attacking first; thank you for pointing that out. Good thing I did not end up winning that game or else I might feel pretty bad!
Preeminent Captain with Captain of the Watch is indeed pretty sweet, but I figured Odric was better since I thought it allowed you to get by blockers or even deal with some opposing creatures by forcing them to block.
Maybe I'll take him out then....
Yea, I would take him out. I mean don't get me wrong he is very good as a solo creature; but running Captain of the Watch is a much more viable WinCon on turn 4.
Just as an example here is the best case scenario turn 4 win from my own soldier deck.
The Kazandu Blademaster is pretty cool but I like the Elite Inquisitor more though, the protection is pretty limited but can be key in the right matchup.
The Kazandu Blademaster is pretty cool but I like the Elite Inquisitor more though, the protection is pretty limited but can be key in the right matchup.
Can you post the deck list? I would be curious to see what your running total.
On a completely different subject, Mentor of the Meek is a pretty solid soldier for card draw since pure tribal soldier decks lack this overall, but it would require a build with zero pump.
Champion of the parish : Undisputable 4 of , gets extremely pumped.
Hada Freeblade and Kazandu Blademaster : Great cards on their own, even better if around other allies, even better if get pumped by other cards.
Preeminent Captain: Makes the deck fast, and aggresive as hell, combos great with captain of the watch
Captain of the Watch: One of the 'game-winning bombs'
Field Marshal: Not quite sure about this one, good lord, +1/+1 for 3 mana in a 2/2 body, first strike is a plus.
Hero of Bladehold: Nice card on its own, it's not a soldier though. Not so sure about this. It's supposed to be an other winning condition to this deck.
Precinct captain : This is a nice card 2 mana 2/2 first strike and its a target to removals and to be blocked frequently. Not so sure about this one either
Honor of the pure: Pumping all my creatures for 2 mana, quite good..
Oblivion ring: This card allows me to exile almost everything.
Brave the elements : Basically to protect my preeminent captain, but you can't imagine how many games i've won making massive attacks with this thingy (it gets freaking great against monocolor decks)
The thing is that I think that this deck needs more synergy, what I mean to say is that everything must make a combo with everything.
That's why I'm not so convinced of Hero of Bladehold, for example, when it enters the battefield, I'll have to wait 1 turn to take some profit from her, and she'll be a target of removals. Also the tokens are SOLDIERS not human, so she won't pump Champion of the Parish . Also, I can't cheat her into play with Preeminent captain.
On her place, I was thinking to put 2 Ranger of Eos who can be cheated into play because he's a soldier, gives me card advantage (I can tutor up to 2, cmc 1 cards, thing which is nice, considering that I can possible pump my Champion of the Parish or Hada Freeblade also Kazandu blademaster.
BUT, there's a problem : When cheated into the battlefield, his ability would trigger, but the soldiers would come to my hand, so they won't be able to do anything, at least, only after the attack phase, and that's not convenient for my deck speed.
Im neither conviced with the Precinct Captain. Mainly because I don't think it synergyzes well with this deck, what think that may get to be more suitable would be a Veteran Swordsmith because, when cheated into play with Preeminent Captain I get something even better than a battlecry.
So, I'm looking for 2 game winning cards, or bombs. In the perfect case, they should be able to be cheated into play with my Preeminent Captain.
Also, I can't afford any planewalkers (I'd love to have Elspeth here ^^)
Last but not least, something that synergyses better with the deck than Precinct Captain (Do something when attacking, entering the battlefield, etc)
What do you think about this? Is this okey? should I remove an other card? Maybe make some room for any removal spell?
Champion of the parish : Undisputable 4 of , gets extremely pumped.
Hada Freeblade and Kazandu Blademaster : Great cards on their own, even better if around other allies, even better if get pumped by other cards.
Preeminent Captain: Makes the deck fast, and aggresive as hell, combos great with captain of the watch
Captain of the Watch: One of the 'game-winning bombs'
Field Marshal: Not quite sure about this one, good lord, +1/+1 for 3 mana in a 2/2 body, first strike is a plus.
Hero of Bladehold: Nice card on its own, it's not a soldier though. Not so sure about this. It's supposed to be an other winning condition to this deck.
Precinct captain : This is a nice card 2 mana 2/2 first strike and its a target to removals and to be blocked frequently. Not so sure about this one either
Honor of the pure: Pumping all my creatures for 2 mana, quite good..
Oblivion ring: This card allows me to exile almost everything.
Brave the elements : Basically to protect my preeminent captain, but you can't imagine how many games i've won making massive attacks with this thingy (it gets freaking great against monocolor decks)
The thing is that I think that this deck needs more synergy, what I mean to say is that everything must make a combo with everything.
That's why I'm not so convinced of Hero of Bladehold, for example, when it enters the battefield, I'll have to wait 1 turn to take some profit from her, and she'll be a target of removals. Also the tokens are SOLDIERS not human, so she won't pump Champion of the Parish . Also, I can't cheat her into play with Preeminent captain.
On her place, I was thinking to put 2 Ranger of Eos who can be cheated into play because he's a soldier, gives me card advantage (I can tutor up to 2, cmc 1 cards, thing which is nice, considering that I can possible pump my Champion of the Parish or Hada Freeblade also Kazandu blademaster.
BUT, there's a problem : When cheated into the battlefield, his ability would trigger, but the soldiers would come to my hand, so they won't be able to do anything, at least, only after the attack phase, and that's not convenient for my deck speed.
Im neither conviced with the Precinct Captain. Mainly because I don't think it synergyzes well with this deck, what think that may get to be more suitable would be a Veteran Swordsmith because, when cheated into play with Preeminent Captain I get something even better than a battlecry.
So, I'm looking for 2 game winning cards, or bombs. In the perfect case, they should be able to be cheated into play with my Preeminent Captain.
Also, I can't afford any planewalkers (I'd love to have Elspeth here ^^)
Last but not least, something that synergyses better with the deck than Precinct Captain (Do something when attacking, entering the battlefield, etc)
What do you think about this? Is this okey? should I remove an other card? Maybe make some room for any removal spell?
I'm looking forward for your response!
I would say it's not too bad, but it is missing some very key cards.
First, in your post I didn't see anything about this being casual, modern, standard or what not, so please elaborate on that as it will make a huge difference in what creatures you can and should use for your deck.
Here is my soldier deck for you to look at as an example.
Depending on format, you will want to run Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad, those two cards alone win games, it makes anything that can, block and you can ping it off to no end.
You are also missing a key removal card, you need removal for threats or you will get rocked against very expensive decks. Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile are staples, complete must haves in a deck such as this.
My soldier deck as is can almost always walk through R/U burn, Jund, B/Control, Knights, ect. Now if they wanted to spend about $500+ on a legacy deck then that is a different story, but as is the all mighty tarmogoyf gets bent over pretty hard.
My deck is capable of a 27 damage hit on turn four with first strike and vigilance for turn 5.
Now that you mention it, Yosho, the deck is kinda casual, I may play it in modern, but I just can't afford cards like Swords to Plowshares or Path to exile . In addition, my friends don't play many deck with creatures (they play decks like reanimator, por example) , so i think that the Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad combo , won't be very efficient in my case. What I need is speed and efficiency, I need synergy and something like a finisher (for example Captain of the Watch ) that's why I've included someHero of Bladehold but tthe fact that she's not soldier is quite important, also, she doesn't combo with anything, and I think that that's critical for me.
What do you think?
Oh, and thank you very much for your reply and support!
Now that you mention it, Yosho, the deck is kinda casual, I may play it in modern, but I just can't afford cards like Swords to Plowshares or Path to exile . In addition, my friends don't play many deck with creatures (they play decks like reanimator, por example) , so i think that the Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad combo , won't be very efficient in my case. What I need is speed and efficiency, I need synergy and something like a finisher (for example Captain of the Watch ) that's why I've included someHero of Bladehold but tthe fact that she's not soldier is quite important, also, she doesn't combo with anything, and I think that that's critical for me.
What do you think?
Oh, and thank you very much for your reply and support!
Doesn't Reanimator use creatures? And if you're playing against that, then why not run Tormod's Crypt in your sideboard?
Also, while Catapult Squad and Deftblade Elite aren't truly amazing unless you play against creatures, they're both really good cards. Unless your meta is literally entirely creature-less, you will always be happy to have them against any creature, and the Elite is solid on its own.
Anyways, here are the changes I would make (assuming a creature-empty meta).
Well, you said you MAY play it modern, and there is a huge issue with that if your playing against other modern decks. Bottom line is soldiers just aren't very good in modern, you need those key cards that I mentioned along with what Vender stated to make soldiers viable, and those cards aren't legal in modern.
I personally would have to say in my experience that you need, completely need the cards mentioned. If you look on Ebay you can pick up a set of Swords to Plowshares for around $10, they are worth it. Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad are cheap 10 cent cards but they lock down decks and are fantastic on there own.
Soldiers just aren't very good unless you have the base setup, you can make minor changes but you need that basic setup to make them work, and another thing, you said you are facing Reanimator decks, what can they reanimate if it has been exiled via Swords/O-Ring?
Doesn't Reanimator use creatures? And if you're playing against that, then why not run Tormod's Crypt in your sideboard?
Also, while Catapult Squad and Deftblade Elite aren't truly amazing unless you play against creatures, they're both really good cards. Unless your meta is literally entirely creature-less, you will always be happy to have them against any creature, and the Elite is solid on its own.
Anyways, here are the changes I would make (assuming a creature-empty meta).
Usually, the creatures they reanimate have shroud, or they reanimate creatures which combo with another creatures in their graveyard in order to get an instant win (also with Anger in his graveyard)
I see you don't like Hero of Bladehold as a "boss" or "finisher" is it because she's not a soldier? What do you think of including Odric on her place?
Sadly, in my country (Argentina), our currency is quite devualued, so, cards prices in here cost x5 more than in the US
I can remove brave the elements in order to make place to a removal, a more budget friendly one, for example, Unmake or Devouring Light I might run 2 of each.
I also like Bonds of Faith because it can act as an Arrest and also, it can pump my creatures, I found this card quite versatile.
I also removed -1 Captain of the Watch and -3 Precinct captain and replaced them for +2 Odric, Master tactician
Thank you Vender and Yosho for your replies, they're very helpful.
I don't know how to quote both of you, so, this is also for you yosho! ^^
Usually, the creatures they reanimate have shroud, or they reanimate creatures which combo with another creatures in their graveyard in order to get an instant win (also with Anger in his graveyard)
I see you don't like Hero of Bladehold as a "boss" or "finisher" is it because she's not a soldier? What do you think of including Odric on her place?
Sadly, in my country (Argentina), our currency is quite devualued, so, cards prices in here cost x5 more than in the US
I can remove brave the elements in order to make place to a removal, a more budget friendly one, for example, Unmake or Devouring Light I might run 2 of each.
I also like Bonds of Faith because it can act as an Arrest and also, it can pump my creatures, I found this card quite versatile.
I also removed -1 Captain of the Watch and -3 Precinct captain and replaced them for +2 Odric, Master tactician
I don't like the idea of not running Brave the elements, but oh well, I can't have it all, can I? ahah.
What do you think now?
Thanks again for your replies and help, in so grateful! and excuse me for my poor English
Just so you know, you cannot cheat Odric, Master Tactician into play and have his ability activate, unlike Captain of the watch which her +1+1 and tokens, the vigilance takes play on the next turn.
In terms of budget removal, Condemn is about the best your going to find along with Journey to Nowhere.
I just don't like Hero of Bladehold, I have found her useless in my version of the deck.
If you fear creatures with shroud, change your deck into running something along the lines of 28 creatures like mine, then put in 2 Wrath of God, shroud won't save them from that and they cannot be brought back.
EDIT: Can you provide the decklist that your friend uses? If we can see what kinds of creatures/spells that are being run, we can work a soldier deck to slap it down. I will say though that building a deck around another deck is not a smart move, but if you want to do that we can try.
Just so you know, you cannot cheat Odric, Master Tactician into play and have his ability activate, unlike Captain of the watch which her +1+1 and tokens, the vigilance takes play on the next turn.
In terms of budget removal, Condemn is about the best your going to find along with Journey to Nowhere.
I just don't like Hero of Bladehold, I have found her useless in my version of the deck.
If you fear creatures with shroud, change your deck into running something along the lines of 28 creatures like mine, then put in 2 Wrath of God, shroud won't save them from that and they cannot be brought back.
EDIT: Can you provide the decklist that your friend uses? If we can see what kinds of creatures/spells that are being run, we can work a soldier deck to slap it down. I will say though that building a deck around another deck is not a smart move, but if you want to do that we can try.
Hi there! first of all, happy new year! I hope 2013 brings all of you happiness and joy!
Yes, I'm aware that Odric's ability triggers when he's declared as an attacker. So you suggest that I shouldn't run Odric? I havent tested much yet, but in a recent game, I was with 10 life against 3 flying creatures 6/6 , and I alpha striked with all my creatures and chose that they wouldn't be able to block, and that meant the game for me. What should I run instead of him? 2 more Captains of the Watch?
I've not considered Condemn to be honest, because, well, it cost 1 mana, which is good, but on the other side, the creature won't get exiled, and I'll give my enemy life.
Is there something wrong with Unmake, or Devouring Light ? Apart from their relatively high mana cost? does that justify the use of Condemn or Journey to nowhere?
Don't worry about my friend's decks because my goal is not to counter them, because they play lots of deck quite competitive (for example, an 1 turn win infect deck).
Now, my problem with the deck is that I'd originally planned to have it go off as a standard tribal pump and attack deck, until I'd gotten a look at Mentor of the Meek, and so basically threw pumping out the window. But I kept Captain of the Watch however, with the plan of putting down one at a time to still be allowed to draw cards as the three soldiers come in, as well as thinking by the time that Captain of the Watch comes down, I'd have most of my board set.
Hi there! first of all, happy new year! I hope 2013 brings all of you happiness and joy!
Yes, I'm aware that Odric's ability triggers when he's declared as an attacker. So you suggest that I shouldn't run Odric? I havent tested much yet, but in a recent game, I was with 10 life against 3 flying creatures 6/6 , and I alpha striked with all my creatures and chose that they wouldn't be able to block, and that meant the game for me. What should I run instead of him? 2 more Captains of the Watch?
I've not considered Condemn to be honest, because, well, it cost 1 mana, which is good, but on the other side, the creature won't get exiled, and I'll give my enemy life.
Is there something wrong with Unmake, or Devouring Light ? Apart from their relatively high mana cost? does that justify the use of Condemn or Journey to nowhere?
Don't worry about my friend's decks because my goal is not to counter them, because they play lots of deck quite competitive (for example, an 1 turn win infect deck).
Thanks for your reply! It helps a lot!
Happy New Year!
You could run Odric, Master Tactician if you want, he is a very good card as he has the ability to outright win you the game. Every soldier deck is slightly different so you can choose to run him or not, the choice is yours. What is not exactly your choice, and don't take this the wrong way, is choice of certain removal cards.
You need to be able to deal with large threats early on, and both of your removal spells are extremely costly. As your decks sits right now, you cannot deal with a creature until turn 3, and it will make you lose the ability to put a creature such as Preeminent Captain in play because you need to deal with that creature.
If you don't want to deviate to much from your deck, this is how I would run your deck, and it's almost a repeat of what I've said before. But using certain removal cards, can take your deck to new levels. 1 mana removal is the best in the game, 2 mana removal is the next best, 3 mana removal should ONLY be used for Oblivion Ring.
It's only a small change, I know you said cards are expensive, but those 4 Swords to Plowshares make games, they absolutely make games.
EDIT: I just figured I would add, that your friends play with infect decks, yet you do not play with a 1 mana removal? Infect decks completely get obliterated by Condemn, Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile. The latter two are the more expensive, but are the best white removal in the entire game of white mana MTG hands down, nobody else will dispute that. You need 1 of these three cards in a full playset of 4. Giving your opponent life is nothing compared to losing the game.
Now, my problem with the deck is that I'd originally planned to have it go off as a standard tribal pump and attack deck, until I'd gotten a look at Mentor of the Meek, and so basically threw pumping out the window. But I kept Captain of the Watch however, with the plan of putting down one at a time to still be allowed to draw cards as the three soldiers come in, as well as thinking by the time that Captain of the Watch comes down, I'd have most of my board set.
So what do you think? Is it fine? Should I add/subtract anything to/from the deck? All responses are greatly appreciated!
Thanks a lot in advance, and I look forward to your replies!
Greetings! Happy New Year to you as-well. I will say I have a few issues with your deck that I will state below, and then try and explain the best I can.
1: From your current decklist, you have zero wincons early game, if your Odric, Master Tactician gets blown down, you have to wait until turn 6, then 7 to even attack with Captain of the watch to even have a hope of winning a game if you drew her.
2: Card advantage is nice, but how do you suppose to deal with things like zombie's? They come back when you kill them, they come back stronger, they pump each other, your only hope of winning against that type is your eight removal spells. Even then with weak creatures all of which are 1/1 or 2/2 even a burn deck would hurt you.
3: Nevermore I don't know about, it has a neat ability, but I don't like it.
A lot of your creature cards seem thrown in there with a small hint at a strategy, but all in all it is jumbled and won't do very well in my opinion. Cards like Veteran Armorsmith are very low tier cards and I personally wouldn't run them. Doomed traveller is very sub-par, Crusader of Odric is slightly better.
I guess all in all it depends on your budget, and what your meta game is, do you want a soldier deck to win on turn 4? Do you want it kept more casual? Do you want to spend between $100-300 dollars on a good deck?
Hopefully I didn't offend you in any way by pulling your deck apart, It just seems like it is geared towards a not so intense group of play. If you want to keep it this way, I would gladly help you fine tune your soldier creatures into something better, if you want to spend some money on better creatures I can help you with that to.
Take care.
EDIT 1 for OathBreaker13:
I just wanted to touch on a few other things, I would be curious to know why you chose Elite Vanguard of over something like Hada Freeblade and then maybe find a spot for Kazandu Blademaster. They both come into play and activate Mentor of the Meeks ability, but also get stronger later.
EDIT 2 for OathBreaker13:
Here is a deck that uses Mentor of the Meek as-well as uses standard tribal pump.
What I have done is streamline your deck, so it can be competitive by using tribal pump, but also has the ability to draw cards early, then upon SELF SACRIFICE ONLY IF YOU NEED DRAW of Doomed Traveler you can send him out to die and when the spirit comes online, you get your card draw because the spirit doesn't get the soldier pump. Your War Falcons have been reduced to 2, because I wanted to bring the Doomed Traveler up to four to get you the most bang for your pump. Hada Freeblade and Kazandu Blademaster come into play for there face value, UNLESS they are getting pump from Field marshal, so that means you get your card draw, then they get there tokens for coming into play. I removed Odric,Master Tactician because honestly he isn't a solid wincon if you can run Preeminent Captain along with Captain of the Watch. I will say he is a great card, but this combination wins more games hands down.
I also streamed out your removals to the standard 8 removal cards for soldier tribal. I feel this is about as good or close to it if you want to run Mentor of the Meek. If you have questions feel free to ask them, but all of the soldiers being put into play that are not pumped via Field marshal will net you card draw, then as I said before you can also sac your Doomed Travelers.
If you want to remove some of the other creatures in the deck for the Deftblade Elite + Catapult Squad combo I can try and help with that too, that combo of cards is something that has been run in soldiers since they first came out. One of the best creature + creature combos in the history of MTG.
Greetings! Happy New Year to you as-well. I will say I have a few issues with your deck that I will state below, and then try and explain the best I can.
1: From your current decklist, you have zero wincons early game, if your Odric, Master Tactician gets blown down, you have to wait until turn 6, then 7 to even attack with Captain of the watch to even have a hope of winning a game if you drew her.
2: Card advantage is nice, but how do you suppose to deal with things like zombie's? They come back when you kill them, they come back stronger, they pump each other, your only hope of winning against that type is your eight removal spells. Even then with weak creatures all of which are 1/1 or 2/2 even a burn deck would hurt you.
3: Nevermore I don't know about, it has a neat ability, but I don't like it.
A lot of your creature cards seem thrown in there with a small hint at a strategy, but all in all it is jumbled and won't do very well in my opinion. Cards like Veteran Armorsmith are very low tier cards and I personally wouldn't run them. Doomed traveller is very sub-par, Crusader of Odric is slightly better.
I guess all in all it depends on your budget, and what your meta game is, do you want a soldier deck to win on turn 4? Do you want it kept more casual? Do you want to spend between $100-300 dollars on a good deck?
Hopefully I didn't offend you in any way by pulling your deck apart, It just seems like it is geared towards a not so intense group of play. If you want to keep it this way, I would gladly help you fine tune your soldier creatures into something better, if you want to spend some money on better creatures I can help you with that to.
Take care.
EDIT: I just wanted to touch on a few other things, I would be curious to know why you chose Elite Vanguard of over something like Hada Freeblade and then maybe find a spot for Kazandu Blademaster. They both come into play and activate Mentor of the Meeks ability, but also get stronger later.
Thanks a lot for the quick response! And no, I'm not offended. I invited such advice/comments when I posted my deck, knowing that I myself am no great "builder," for lack of a better term.
1. Approaching my lack of early game wincons, you are absolutely right that they do not exist. I guess that I'd just hoped to be able to block with 1 to cast creatures until I'd gotten my Champion of the Parish ready, or played Odric, Master Tactician. What would you suggest in this case? Would other creatures bring as much of an advantage to me when played?
2. Again, what do you suggest? I know that a lot of my cards are, since I threw out pumping, pretty fragile. Should I put back in the pumps and have Mentor of the Meektake a backseat with the hope of it coming out in the early game before everything gets buffed?
3. Well, I had more of a personal than professional reason for adding Nevermore to my deck. It was supposed to be used to elicit various responses from my friends, especially as one of them runs a Polymorph deck featuring Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
4. Again, I'd initially believed that I would last long enough. Though I guess that it really would be best to get Captain of the Watch out as early as possible.
5. I'd thought that my creatures would be able to work well enough alone, as far as a tribal goes without most of its lords. I guess that I'd overestimated their abilities as stand-alones and thought that the synergy would come from their different abilities.
My playgroup is more casual than anything, but the metagame always changes as quite a few of them are of the higher class and see that money is never a question in building their decks. I really would like more advice on building my deck. Budget-wise, I guess that I could splurge onto the $100-200 dollar range.
(In response to the) Edit. I have no problems with the cards that you mentioned, however, I don't have any other Ally cards in the deck to push them forward, unless you'd plan on my having 4 of each in the deck to boost themselves and each other.
Finally. Do you think I should splash any colors? For Red, Zealous Conscripts has been looking very good to me, as well as Skinshifter, Hamlet Captain and Mayor of Avabruck for Green. In regards to those cards, I've been having trouble figuring out whether I want this deck strictly soldier, or more of a human deck, though I know that most are human soldiers already.
Again, thanks a lot for your overview and advice!
Edit
Okay, so I didn't see your second edit before posting the above.
Now, again with the Ally cards, I guess that I am depending solely on those two to give each other the counters?
Oh yeah, and what do you think of Ranger of Eos? It seems like a pretty solid tutor for quite a few of my soldiers.
Also, the combo of Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad does look good. I am interested to see just how you would incorporate them into the deck.
Ok, so I wasn't sure if you would take offense lol, glad you don't.
Onto the bottom portion of your reply as that is primarily the bulk of what we are dealing with.
1: Yes, those ally creatures are the only ones that you need to run in your deck, they pump eachother, they stand as humans, and are cheap beaters that get pumped from Field Marshal. Use them, love them, possibly go to bed with them and make damn sure you call Kazandu Blademaster in the morning.
2: Ranger of Eos is an ok card, but in my experience from running my own soldier deck on turn four, which would be my big attack turn, I cannot spend four mana on him and I will break down a PERFECT four turn scenario for you using my own deck.
Best possible turn four damage output using my own deck.
Turn 2: Put down Kazandu Blademaster and Champion of the Parish gets a +1+1.
Turn 3: Put down Preeminent Captain.
Turn 4: Put down Field Marshal and Champion of the Parish gets a +2+2 along with first strike and all other soldiers get +1+1 and first strike. Save Swords to Plowshares to remove any pesky blockers and attack with everything which will trigger Preeminent Captains ability to allow you to put in Captain of the Watch which gives Champion of the Parish another +2+2 and all other soldiers and generated tokens get an additional +1+1.
Your total best case output on turn 4 is 27 damage with first strike, and vigilance on turn 5 if they survived.
Now if this doesn't go as stated above, you have your Deftblade Elite + Catapult Squad combo to force block and destroy anything in your path. Add in a Field Marshal to give your Deftblade Elite +1+1 and first strike and it is on like friggin donkey kong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you like this setup, you can snag my deck for about $90 dollars on the cheap end if you do not care about condition, NM this deck will run you on the top end of $160. If you want to have the best soldier deck possible, that will run you into the mid $200 dollar range.
I never even realized that I could untap a creature with Elite, that is quite excellent. So I shouldn't have any problems with his deck as of now, thank you very much!
Now just being curious, what would be a reason to switch the deck to this setup if any at all? or is the Catapult build just better?
4x Elite Vanguard
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Precinct Captain
4x Field Marshal
2x Captain of the Watch
2x Honor of the Pure
4x Armored Ascension
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
I took that into account, but with Preeminent Captain casting cost doesn't matter,
You are also right about Journey to Nowhere, I was thinking of Path to Exile but that would give him land advantage.
W White Weenie
It's true that Preeminent Captain makes casting cost irrelevant, but it's also true that in some % of games you won't draw him (maybe a third of all games you play, I think). I think the question really is: are you okay with Captain of the Watch being essentially a dead draw in some nontrivial percentage of games? Preeminent Captain certainly improves your chances of being able to play him, but the chances of missing are also not insignificant - it really just comes down to how you feel about the percentages.
Since your friend doesn't appear to be packing any enchantment removal, and is also so light on lands already, I would run Journey to Nowhere or Unmake over either Oblivion Ring or Path to Exile.
Well, I figure if I can drop down a Captain of the Watch by turn 4-5 that would pretty much seal the deal, so I think it's a good choice. Although I may take her out and test two Armageddon, that may make him crap himself hard do to the land shortage and all my removal.
As for what I have decided to run in terms of the removal, Swords to Plowshares and Journey to Nowhere, as you said, he has no enchantment removal so it will be safe.
Yeah, I didn't really want to be like a massive d*ck to him and flat out play a your screwed card ;p but I just wasn't sure if my deck had the punch, thank you.
W White Weenie
If you run Armageddon, you'll certainly want Flagstones of Trokair.
4x Deftblade Elite
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Catapult Squad
4x Field Marshal
2x Captain of the Watch
2x Honor of the Pure
4x Raise the Alarm
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
Captain of the Watch is a big nasty threat, and I have gotten her down on turn four and been able to throw 24 damage at an opponent.
4x Deftblade Elite
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Catapult Squad
4x Field Marshal
2x Odric, Master Tactician
2x Honor of the Pure
4x Raise the Alarm
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
If I remove Captain of the Watch in this scenario I can slap down Odric, Master Tactician and walk through anything or force block weaklings.
4x Deftblade Elite
4x Hada Freeblade
4x Kazandu Blademaster
4x Preeminent Captain
4x Catapult Squad
4x Field Marshal
4x Honor of the Pure
4x Raise the Alarm
4x Swords to Plowshares
4x Oblivion Ring
20x Plains
In this version I have no Captain of the Watch nor do I have Odric, Master Tactician, But I have put a total of four Honor of the Pure for more global pump.
W White Weenie
Preeminent Captain into Odric, Master Tactician is a great win condition. Granted you need a decent board presence but it can be really devastating.
It's alright, but if you're talking about getting Odric's trigger, it doesn't actually trigger since it requires Odric to declare an attack and Captain puts him onto the battlefield already attacking.
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Wedges:
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He is a good 3/4 first striker alone, but the above poster is correct in stating he does not trigger his ability upon entering combat since he was not declared as an attacker.
So in doing my own testing of my own deck, PE + CotW is still the clear winner do to the +1+1 and additional tokens, the vigilance however does not occur since the creatures who were declared attacking before she entered did not have vigilance, in addition she nor her tokens have vigilance until your next turn.
W White Weenie
Preeminent Captain with Captain of the Watch is indeed pretty sweet, but I figured Odric was better since I thought it allowed you to get by blockers or even deal with some opposing creatures by forcing them to block.
Maybe I'll take him out then....
Yea, I would take him out. I mean don't get me wrong he is very good as a solo creature; but running Captain of the Watch is a much more viable WinCon on turn 4.
Just as an example here is the best case scenario turn 4 win from my own soldier deck.
Turn 1: Put down Champion of the Parish.
Turn 2: Put down Kazandu Blademaster and Champion of the Parish gets a +1+1.
Turn 3: Put down Preeminent Captain.
Turn 4: Put down Field Marshal and Champion of the Parish gets a +2+2 along with first strike and all other soldiers get +1+1 and first strike. Save Swords to Plowshares to remove any pesky blockers and attack with everything which will trigger Preeminent Captains ability to allow you to put in Captain of the Watch which gives Champion of the Parish another +2+2 and all other soldiers and generated tokens get an additional +1+1.
Your total best case output on turn 4 is 27 damage with first strike, and vigilance on turn 5 if they survived.
W White Weenie
The Kazandu Blademaster is pretty cool but I like the Elite Inquisitor more though, the protection is pretty limited but can be key in the right matchup.
And he gets bigger the more of him you play. Not to mention Hada Freeblade (if you use it).
Exactly, Kazandu Blademaster and Hada Freeblade are a put 4 of each in your deck kinda card. The potential pump these creatures offers is fantastic.
I would almost always use Hada Freeblade over Elite Vanguard since it is his mirror opposite and can get pumped.
Just a slight insight on my preference of 1 drop creatures.
1: Champion of the Parish no matter what
2: Deftblade Elite if using Catapult Squad
3: Hada Freeblade if using Kazandu Blademaster
4: Elite Vanguard budget reason card
Can you post the deck list? I would be curious to see what your running total.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On a completely different subject, Mentor of the Meek is a pretty solid soldier for card draw since pure tribal soldier decks lack this overall, but it would require a build with zero pump.
IE: Catapult/token build.
W White Weenie
22 Plains
Creatures
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Preeminent Captain
3 Captain of the watch
4 Field Marshal
2 Hero of Bladehold
3 Precinct Captain
3 Honor of the pure
4 Oblivion ring
3 Brave the elements
Let me explain the cards I have and why:
Champion of the parish : Undisputable 4 of , gets extremely pumped.
Hada Freeblade and Kazandu Blademaster : Great cards on their own, even better if around other allies, even better if get pumped by other cards.
Preeminent Captain: Makes the deck fast, and aggresive as hell, combos great with captain of the watch
Captain of the Watch: One of the 'game-winning bombs'
Field Marshal: Not quite sure about this one, good lord, +1/+1 for 3 mana in a 2/2 body, first strike is a plus.
Hero of Bladehold: Nice card on its own, it's not a soldier though. Not so sure about this. It's supposed to be an other winning condition to this deck.
Precinct captain : This is a nice card 2 mana 2/2 first strike and its a target to removals and to be blocked frequently. Not so sure about this one either
Honor of the pure: Pumping all my creatures for 2 mana, quite good..
Oblivion ring: This card allows me to exile almost everything.
Brave the elements : Basically to protect my preeminent captain, but you can't imagine how many games i've won making massive attacks with this thingy (it gets freaking great against monocolor decks)
The thing is that I think that this deck needs more synergy, what I mean to say is that everything must make a combo with everything.
That's why I'm not so convinced of Hero of Bladehold, for example, when it enters the battefield, I'll have to wait 1 turn to take some profit from her, and she'll be a target of removals. Also the tokens are SOLDIERS not human, so she won't pump Champion of the Parish . Also, I can't cheat her into play with Preeminent captain.
On her place, I was thinking to put 2 Ranger of Eos who can be cheated into play because he's a soldier, gives me card advantage (I can tutor up to 2, cmc 1 cards, thing which is nice, considering that I can possible pump my Champion of the Parish or Hada Freeblade also Kazandu blademaster.
BUT, there's a problem : When cheated into the battlefield, his ability would trigger, but the soldiers would come to my hand, so they won't be able to do anything, at least, only after the attack phase, and that's not convenient for my deck speed.
Im neither conviced with the Precinct Captain. Mainly because I don't think it synergyzes well with this deck, what think that may get to be more suitable would be a Veteran Swordsmith because, when cheated into play with Preeminent Captain I get something even better than a battlecry.
So, I'm looking for 2 game winning cards, or bombs. In the perfect case, they should be able to be cheated into play with my Preeminent Captain.
Also, I can't afford any planewalkers (I'd love to have Elspeth here ^^)
Last but not least, something that synergyses better with the deck than Precinct Captain (Do something when attacking, entering the battlefield, etc)
What do you think about this? Is this okey? should I remove an other card? Maybe make some room for any removal spell?
I'm looking forward for your response!
I would say it's not too bad, but it is missing some very key cards.
First, in your post I didn't see anything about this being casual, modern, standard or what not, so please elaborate on that as it will make a huge difference in what creatures you can and should use for your deck.
Here is my soldier deck for you to look at as an example.
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Deftblade Elite
4 Field Marshal
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Preeminent Captain
2 Captain of the Watch
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Swords to Plowshares
20 Plains
Depending on format, you will want to run Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad, those two cards alone win games, it makes anything that can, block and you can ping it off to no end.
You are also missing a key removal card, you need removal for threats or you will get rocked against very expensive decks. Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile are staples, complete must haves in a deck such as this.
My soldier deck as is can almost always walk through R/U burn, Jund, B/Control, Knights, ect. Now if they wanted to spend about $500+ on a legacy deck then that is a different story, but as is the all mighty tarmogoyf gets bent over pretty hard.
My deck is capable of a 27 damage hit on turn four with first strike and vigilance for turn 5.
W White Weenie
What do you think?
Oh, and thank you very much for your reply and support!
Doesn't Reanimator use creatures? And if you're playing against that, then why not run Tormod's Crypt in your sideboard?
Also, while Catapult Squad and Deftblade Elite aren't truly amazing unless you play against creatures, they're both really good cards. Unless your meta is literally entirely creature-less, you will always be happy to have them against any creature, and the Elite is solid on its own.
Anyways, here are the changes I would make (assuming a creature-empty meta).
-2 Plains
-2 Hero of Bladehold
-1 Captain of the Watch
-1 Brave the Elements
-3 Precinct Captain
+1 Honor of the Pure
+4 Elite Inquisitor
+4 Raise the Alarm
If you ever want the Squad and the Elite, do this:
-4 Elite Inquisitor
-2 Brave the Elements
-2 Raise the Alarm
+4 Catapult Squad
+4 Deftblade Elite
Also, here's my list:
4 Field Marshal
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Catapult Squad
4 Deftblade Elite
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Swords to Plowshares
Fun:
4 Aether Vial
4 Raise the Alarm
Pump:
4 Honor of the Pure
16 Plains
4 Flagstones of Trokair
I personally would have to say in my experience that you need, completely need the cards mentioned. If you look on Ebay you can pick up a set of Swords to Plowshares for around $10, they are worth it. Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad are cheap 10 cent cards but they lock down decks and are fantastic on there own.
Soldiers just aren't very good unless you have the base setup, you can make minor changes but you need that basic setup to make them work, and another thing, you said you are facing Reanimator decks, what can they reanimate if it has been exiled via Swords/O-Ring?
W White Weenie
I don't know how to quote both of you, so, this is also for you yosho! ^^
Usually, the creatures they reanimate have shroud, or they reanimate creatures which combo with another creatures in their graveyard in order to get an instant win (also with Anger in his graveyard)
I see you don't like Hero of Bladehold as a "boss" or "finisher" is it because she's not a soldier? What do you think of including Odric on her place?
Sadly, in my country (Argentina), our currency is quite devualued, so, cards prices in here cost x5 more than in the US
I can remove brave the elements in order to make place to a removal, a more budget friendly one, for example, Unmake or Devouring Light I might run 2 of each.
I also like Bonds of Faith because it can act as an Arrest and also, it can pump my creatures, I found this card quite versatile.
I also removed -1 Captain of the Watch and -3 Precinct captain and replaced them for +2 Odric, Master tactician
This is the deck as it is now :
I don't like the idea of not running Brave the elements, but oh well, I can't have it all, can I? ahah.
What do you think now?
Thanks again for your replies and help, in so grateful! and excuse me for my poor English
Just so you know, you cannot cheat Odric, Master Tactician into play and have his ability activate, unlike Captain of the watch which her +1+1 and tokens, the vigilance takes play on the next turn.
In terms of budget removal, Condemn is about the best your going to find along with Journey to Nowhere.
I just don't like Hero of Bladehold, I have found her useless in my version of the deck.
If you fear creatures with shroud, change your deck into running something along the lines of 28 creatures like mine, then put in 2 Wrath of God, shroud won't save them from that and they cannot be brought back.
EDIT: Can you provide the decklist that your friend uses? If we can see what kinds of creatures/spells that are being run, we can work a soldier deck to slap it down. I will say though that building a deck around another deck is not a smart move, but if you want to do that we can try.
W White Weenie
Hi there! first of all, happy new year! I hope 2013 brings all of you happiness and joy!
Yes, I'm aware that Odric's ability triggers when he's declared as an attacker. So you suggest that I shouldn't run Odric? I havent tested much yet, but in a recent game, I was with 10 life against 3 flying creatures 6/6 , and I alpha striked with all my creatures and chose that they wouldn't be able to block, and that meant the game for me. What should I run instead of him? 2 more Captains of the Watch?
I've not considered Condemn to be honest, because, well, it cost 1 mana, which is good, but on the other side, the creature won't get exiled, and I'll give my enemy life.
Journey to nowhere is not a bad card, truth is I've never used it.
Is there something wrong with Unmake, or Devouring Light ? Apart from their relatively high mana cost? does that justify the use of Condemn or Journey to nowhere?
Don't worry about my friend's decks because my goal is not to counter them, because they play lots of deck quite competitive (for example, an 1 turn win infect deck).
Thanks for your reply! It helps a lot!
I've been mostly a lurker since I joined this place, but now I'd like to ask you guys for some advice with a deck that I'm trying to build:
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Elite Vanguard
4 Precinct Captain
2 Odric, Master Tactician
3 Captain of the Watch
2 Mentor of the Meek
2 Crusader of Odric
3 War Falcon
3 Doomed Traveller
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Nevermore
Lands
22 Plains
Now, my problem with the deck is that I'd originally planned to have it go off as a standard tribal pump and attack deck, until I'd gotten a look at Mentor of the Meek, and so basically threw pumping out the window. But I kept Captain of the Watch however, with the plan of putting down one at a time to still be allowed to draw cards as the three soldiers come in, as well as thinking by the time that Captain of the Watch comes down, I'd have most of my board set.
I've been thinking of adding other creatures such as Silverblade Paladin and Veteran Armorsmith, but I'm not completely sure how to fit them in.
Also, I've toyed with the idea of flickering stuff with Conjuror's Closet and Cloudshift to use the effects of cards such as Stonehorn Dignitary, and abuse both Mentor of the Meek and Champion of the Parish (Because who doesn't like Card Advantage and Monstrous One Drops?).
So what do you think? Is it fine? Should I add/subtract anything to/from the deck? All responses are greatly appreciated!
Thanks a lot in advance, and I look forward to your replies!
Happy New Year!
You could run Odric, Master Tactician if you want, he is a very good card as he has the ability to outright win you the game. Every soldier deck is slightly different so you can choose to run him or not, the choice is yours. What is not exactly your choice, and don't take this the wrong way, is choice of certain removal cards.
You need to be able to deal with large threats early on, and both of your removal spells are extremely costly. As your decks sits right now, you cannot deal with a creature until turn 3, and it will make you lose the ability to put a creature such as Preeminent Captain in play because you need to deal with that creature.
If you don't want to deviate to much from your deck, this is how I would run your deck, and it's almost a repeat of what I've said before. But using certain removal cards, can take your deck to new levels. 1 mana removal is the best in the game, 2 mana removal is the next best, 3 mana removal should ONLY be used for Oblivion Ring.
It's only a small change, I know you said cards are expensive, but those 4 Swords to Plowshares make games, they absolutely make games.
EDIT: I just figured I would add, that your friends play with infect decks, yet you do not play with a 1 mana removal? Infect decks completely get obliterated by Condemn, Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile. The latter two are the more expensive, but are the best white removal in the entire game of white mana MTG hands down, nobody else will dispute that. You need 1 of these three cards in a full playset of 4. Giving your opponent life is nothing compared to losing the game.
20 Lands
Creatures
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Field Marshal
4 Preeminent Captain
2 Captain of the Watch
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
2 Odric, Master Tactician
4 Elite Inquisitor
4 Honor of the Pure
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Swords to Plowshares
Greetings! Happy New Year to you as-well. I will say I have a few issues with your deck that I will state below, and then try and explain the best I can.
1: From your current decklist, you have zero wincons early game, if your Odric, Master Tactician gets blown down, you have to wait until turn 6, then 7 to even attack with Captain of the watch to even have a hope of winning a game if you drew her.
2: Card advantage is nice, but how do you suppose to deal with things like zombie's? They come back when you kill them, they come back stronger, they pump each other, your only hope of winning against that type is your eight removal spells. Even then with weak creatures all of which are 1/1 or 2/2 even a burn deck would hurt you.
3: Nevermore I don't know about, it has a neat ability, but I don't like it.
4: You are missing a staple for soldiers, if you are running Captain of the watch, you need Preeminent Captain. This card is a 100% must have for a soldier deck with Captain of the watch.
A lot of your creature cards seem thrown in there with a small hint at a strategy, but all in all it is jumbled and won't do very well in my opinion. Cards like Veteran Armorsmith are very low tier cards and I personally wouldn't run them. Doomed traveller is very sub-par, Crusader of Odric is slightly better.
I guess all in all it depends on your budget, and what your meta game is, do you want a soldier deck to win on turn 4? Do you want it kept more casual? Do you want to spend between $100-300 dollars on a good deck?
Hopefully I didn't offend you in any way by pulling your deck apart, It just seems like it is geared towards a not so intense group of play. If you want to keep it this way, I would gladly help you fine tune your soldier creatures into something better, if you want to spend some money on better creatures I can help you with that to.
Take care.
EDIT 1 for OathBreaker13:
I just wanted to touch on a few other things, I would be curious to know why you chose Elite Vanguard of over something like Hada Freeblade and then maybe find a spot for Kazandu Blademaster. They both come into play and activate Mentor of the Meeks ability, but also get stronger later.
EDIT 2 for OathBreaker13:
Here is a deck that uses Mentor of the Meek as-well as uses standard tribal pump.
What I have done is streamline your deck, so it can be competitive by using tribal pump, but also has the ability to draw cards early, then upon SELF SACRIFICE ONLY IF YOU NEED DRAW of Doomed Traveler you can send him out to die and when the spirit comes online, you get your card draw because the spirit doesn't get the soldier pump. Your War Falcons have been reduced to 2, because I wanted to bring the Doomed Traveler up to four to get you the most bang for your pump. Hada Freeblade and Kazandu Blademaster come into play for there face value, UNLESS they are getting pump from Field marshal, so that means you get your card draw, then they get there tokens for coming into play. I removed Odric,Master Tactician because honestly he isn't a solid wincon if you can run Preeminent Captain along with Captain of the Watch. I will say he is a great card, but this combination wins more games hands down.
I also streamed out your removals to the standard 8 removal cards for soldier tribal. I feel this is about as good or close to it if you want to run Mentor of the Meek. If you have questions feel free to ask them, but all of the soldiers being put into play that are not pumped via Field marshal will net you card draw, then as I said before you can also sac your Doomed Travelers.
If you want to remove some of the other creatures in the deck for the Deftblade Elite + Catapult Squad combo I can try and help with that too, that combo of cards is something that has been run in soldiers since they first came out. One of the best creature + creature combos in the history of MTG.
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Preeminent Captain
4 Field Marshal
2 Captain of the Watch
2 Mentor of the Meek
2 War Falcon
4 Doomed Traveler
4 Oblivion Ring
Instants
4 Swords to Plowshares
Lands
22 Plains
W White Weenie
Thanks a lot for the quick response! And no, I'm not offended. I invited such advice/comments when I posted my deck, knowing that I myself am no great "builder," for lack of a better term.
1. Approaching my lack of early game wincons, you are absolutely right that they do not exist. I guess that I'd just hoped to be able to block with 1 to cast creatures until I'd gotten my Champion of the Parish ready, or played Odric, Master Tactician. What would you suggest in this case? Would other creatures bring as much of an advantage to me when played?
2. Again, what do you suggest? I know that a lot of my cards are, since I threw out pumping, pretty fragile. Should I put back in the pumps and have Mentor of the Meektake a backseat with the hope of it coming out in the early game before everything gets buffed?
3. Well, I had more of a personal than professional reason for adding Nevermore to my deck. It was supposed to be used to elicit various responses from my friends, especially as one of them runs a Polymorph deck featuring Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
4. Again, I'd initially believed that I would last long enough. Though I guess that it really would be best to get Captain of the Watch out as early as possible.
5. I'd thought that my creatures would be able to work well enough alone, as far as a tribal goes without most of its lords. I guess that I'd overestimated their abilities as stand-alones and thought that the synergy would come from their different abilities.
My playgroup is more casual than anything, but the metagame always changes as quite a few of them are of the higher class and see that money is never a question in building their decks. I really would like more advice on building my deck. Budget-wise, I guess that I could splurge onto the $100-200 dollar range.
(In response to the) Edit. I have no problems with the cards that you mentioned, however, I don't have any other Ally cards in the deck to push them forward, unless you'd plan on my having 4 of each in the deck to boost themselves and each other.
Finally. Do you think I should splash any colors? For Red, Zealous Conscripts has been looking very good to me, as well as Skinshifter, Hamlet Captain and Mayor of Avabruck for Green. In regards to those cards, I've been having trouble figuring out whether I want this deck strictly soldier, or more of a human deck, though I know that most are human soldiers already.
Again, thanks a lot for your overview and advice!
Edit
Okay, so I didn't see your second edit before posting the above.
Now, again with the Ally cards, I guess that I am depending solely on those two to give each other the counters?
Oh yeah, and what do you think of Ranger of Eos? It seems like a pretty solid tutor for quite a few of my soldiers.
Also, the combo of Deftblade Elite and Catapult Squad does look good. I am interested to see just how you would incorporate them into the deck.
Onto the bottom portion of your reply as that is primarily the bulk of what we are dealing with.
1: Yes, those ally creatures are the only ones that you need to run in your deck, they pump eachother, they stand as humans, and are cheap beaters that get pumped from Field Marshal. Use them, love them, possibly go to bed with them and make damn sure you call Kazandu Blademaster in the morning.
2: Ranger of Eos is an ok card, but in my experience from running my own soldier deck on turn four, which would be my big attack turn, I cannot spend four mana on him and I will break down a PERFECT four turn scenario for you using my own deck.
Best possible turn four damage output using my own deck.
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Deftblade Elite
4 Field Marshal
4 Hada Freeblade
4 Kazandu Blademaster
4 Preeminent Captain
2 Captain of the watch
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Swords to Plowshares
20 Plains
Turn 1: Put down Champion of the Parish.
Turn 2: Put down Kazandu Blademaster and Champion of the Parish gets a +1+1.
Turn 3: Put down Preeminent Captain.
Turn 4: Put down Field Marshal and Champion of the Parish gets a +2+2 along with first strike and all other soldiers get +1+1 and first strike. Save Swords to Plowshares to remove any pesky blockers and attack with everything which will trigger Preeminent Captains ability to allow you to put in Captain of the Watch which gives Champion of the Parish another +2+2 and all other soldiers and generated tokens get an additional +1+1.
Your total best case output on turn 4 is 27 damage with first strike, and vigilance on turn 5 if they survived.
Now if this doesn't go as stated above, you have your Deftblade Elite + Catapult Squad combo to force block and destroy anything in your path. Add in a Field Marshal to give your Deftblade Elite +1+1 and first strike and it is on like friggin donkey kong.
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If you like this setup, you can snag my deck for about $90 dollars on the cheap end if you do not care about condition, NM this deck will run you on the top end of $160. If you want to have the best soldier deck possible, that will run you into the mid $200 dollar range.
W White Weenie