"The Cabal and the Order really aren't that different.
After all, we are both empowered by faith."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\--Vile Deacon
==Introduction: Clerics in History==
W Cleric concepts:
Churches
Angels and spirits
Damage prevention
Protection from X
Lifegain
B Cleric concepts:
Cults
Demons and undead
Life stealing
Tokens
Sacrifice
"CLERICS!? They're a tribe!?" They are indeed! Newer MTG players might be completely unfamiliar with the idea; after all, the vast majority of true Cleric tribal synergy cards like Vile Deacon and Master Apothecary were printed over a decade ago during Odyssey block and Onslaught block. In the lore of these two blocks, two organizations--the righteous, W-aligned Order, and the nefarious, B-aligned Cabal--were constantly in a struggle for power and land. Despite their conflicting ideals and deities, members of the Order and the Cabal were alike in one very critical way: they both relied upon the strength of their faith to fuel their magic. A few clerics in both the Order and Cabal realized this similarity and defected from their organizations, forming the small, mysterious group known as the Edgewalkers, who sought to master both the light and dark side of the faith.
Though the original Cleric lore and the printing of Cleric tribal synergy cards pretty much ended with the conclusion of Onslaught block, the Cleric creature type persists in MTG to this day. It has become the default creature type for any religious-oriented or priestly creature; for example, Zendikar, Scars, and Innistrad brought Soul's Attendant, Blind Zealot, and Skirsdag High Priest, respectively.
As a result, though their history reaches back nearly to the turn of the millennium, Clerics as a tribe are still evolving; every new block seems to bring at least one solid new Cleric to the game, or sometimes even an entirely new archetype (like M14 with Shadowborn Apostle). And who knows, maybe one day more Cleric tribal synergy cards will see print; when that day comes, we'll be waiting.
.
In the meantime, Clerics as a tribe make for outstanding casual play:
They're strong, but not OP.
They can be built to fit several different archetypes (aggro, combo, lifegain, or a mix thereof).
They can effectively be built on a budget, while at the same time their colors leave room for extremely powerful money cards (like Vindicate and Scrubland) to add a more competitive edge.
They're a refreshing breath of uniqueness and "old school" flavor compared to other hackneyed tribes like Goblins and Elves, but new, good Clerics still see print to this day and the tribe is still evolving.
If any or all of these things sound good to you, then read onward to the Clerics!
==The People of the Cloth== ==and related cards==
Below is a sorting of all significant Clerics by their color. I say "significant" for a reason: every tribe has its oddballs, and Clerics are no exception. Some Clerics like Cabal Slaver don't really make sense within a Cleric tribal deck, while other Clerics (particularly the non-WB clerics like Balduvian Shaman) are just really bad.
Each Cleric in the list may have one or more bold letters next to their name in brackets. They indicate which deck archetype that Cleric excels in. So if you're looking to build an aggro Clerics deck, you'd keep an eye out for Clerics in the list who are tagged [A] or [S].
Legend:
[S] - Fits in multiple archetypes or every archetype.
[A] - Fits best in aggro-based cleric decks.
[C] - Fits best in combo-based decks.
[L] - Fits best in lifegain-based decks.
[M] - Fits best in decks meant for multiplayer.
[META] - Potentially fits in any archetype, but depends on your metagame (great cards to have lying around on the side; switch 'em in when you need 'em, switch 'em out when you don't).
Mother of Runes[S] - She might look like some old lady sipping coffee, but she is hands down one of the best Clerics...nay, one of the best weenies in general...ever printed. While she's on the field, your Clerics will brush off Lightning Bolts and Terminates like flies, laugh in the face of combat tricks like Giant Growth, and chump block six ways to Sunday. ALWAYS 4-of in any Cleric deck running white.
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails[S] - Broader than MoR because he can protect any permanent and can do it more than once a turn, but the tradeoff is that he's Legendary and significantly more costly. Most of our valuable permanents will be creatures anyway, so more often than not 8.5-Tails will simply play out as an overpriced MoR.
Glowrider[S] - An outstanding card that even sees legacy play (granted not so much anymore with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben). Mana tax is easily one of the strongest effects in all of magic, as evidenced by the power of cards like Trinisphere. Most of the time, the overwhelming majority of your cards will be creatures, which means the drawback hardly affects you.
Soul Warden[S] - One of the two main "Soul Sisters" cards as they appear in Modern and elsewhere. 1 life per creature is not to be underestimated; even only one sister on the field can provide you with 7+ life over the course of the game, not to mention that multiple sisters stack with each other. With their cheap cost and efficient 1/1 body, they can be included in any archetype simply to bolster the # of Clerics on the field while providing some life to keep you in the game.
Soul's Attendant[S] - The other, newer Soul Sister; she's the same as Soul Warden but technically a little better since her lifegain ability is optional, not compulsory.
Auriok Champion[META] - Yet another Soul Sister, but this one's a metagame call. Her 2 CMC is only justified if you make use of her powerful built-in prot. Switch her in before a game if you know you'll be up against R or B; switch her out otherwise.
Grand Abolisher[META] - If anyone in your playgroup likes Countermagic, Abolisher is your answer, and he's got an efficient body to boot. Anticipate your metagame and switch him in if you think he'll be useful.
True Believer[META] - Like Abolisher, this is another metagame decision. Believer protects you from most discard, burn, and mill, since these cards tend to read "target player" and while you have shroud you can't be chosen as a target. Be mindful, though, that a few of your own cards, like Master Apothecary, need to target you to help you, so True Believer can sometimes be anti-synergistic.
Master Apothecary[S][M] - Usually run as a 3-of, plopping this guy down with a few clerics already on the field is a great bolster to your defense. Unlike Mother of Runes, Apothecary can protect you, the player. Don't forget--his ability is also unaffected by summoning sickness (as it does not use the T symbol) and can therefore be used immediately as he hits the field.
Leonin Relic-Warder[META] - He's a 2/2 for 2 that deals with enchantments AND artifacts. Protecting him is easy with other clerics. Great 4x if you know you'll see heavy enchant/artifact play. Soltari Visionary[META] - Repeatable destruction, but only works on enchantments, which is pretty limited.
War Priest of Thune[META] - Same as Soltari Visionary; enchantment destruction alone is pretty limited.
Order of Whiteclay[S] - Good thing pretty much every outstanding Cleric has a CMC of 3 or less. Usually run as a 2x or 3x, this guy's ability is somewhat expensive to cast and is affected by summoning sickness, but he's still extremely powerful.
Exorcist[META] - Strong meta card against black aggro. Flavorful too! Useless against non-black decks, though.
Preacher[S] - Another fun and flavorful Cleric from The Dark. If you like stealing creatures, this is the guy for you. Simply keep in mind that your opponent, not you, chooses which creature you get, and that he doesn't synergize with tap-a-cleric effects like Master Apothecary. The good news is that you can sac your opponents' creatures to your own Cabal Archon if they happen to be clerics themselves.
Celestial Gatekeeper[S] - Close contender with Order of Whiteclay for the title of "best reanimator Cleric." Combos with the non-Cleric card Reveillark. Ultimately I prefer Whiteclay because it can be used repeatably so long as it stays alive, even outside of Reveillark shenanigans, and protecting it is easy with other Clerics' abilities.
Pulsemage Advocate[S] - While we're on the topic of reanimator Clerics, this guy is generally NOT worth it. Firstly, you can't activate the ability at all unless an opponent has 3+ cards in his grave, and secondly, you'll find no Cleric in this list worth reanimating for the cost of such huge card advantage to your opponent.
Akroma's Devoted[S] - As you've already seen and will continue to see, many Clerics have great tap abilities, and this guy lets you attack AND tap, providing a great boost to tempo. He's higher-costed and doesn't do much on his own, but he's sometimes worth running as a 2x or 3x at most, letting you play aggro even in Lifegain based decks.
Suture Priest[L] - New Phyrexian attempt at a Soul Sister. Don't be deceived by her dashing beauty (:rolleyes:). More of an offensive soul sister, so if you're strictly about gaining life she isn't for you. For her 1W cost she's certainly not worth a 4x. Personally I prefer the original Soul Sisters more.
Weathered Wayfarer[S] - One of the only clerics--more, one of the only white cards--that can repeatably help you with your land drops. It doesn't directly belong in any archetype, but it fits in all of them. Especially of use in lifegain decks that try to prolong the game and can therefore make the most benefit out of its ability.
Martyr of Sands[L] - HUGE. LIFEGAIN. The other Martyr cards can't hold a candle to this one. This single Cleric can easily gain you 9+ life on a single pop. Put that together with her 1/1 for 1 body and her instant-speed ability (meaning you can use her to chump block and then sac her and still not take any damage) and you've got one outstanding lady for lifegain decks. Fiend Hunter[A] - Mainstay of aggro-based Cleric decks; usually shows up as a 4x. Advancing your own board while clearing the way to beat in on your opponent's life total? Yes please. You can also exile an opponent's creature permanently if you sac Hunter to an outlet like Cabal Archon and manipulate the triggers (see Hunter's rulings text for more info).
Banisher Priest[A] - A less-flexible Fiend Hunter, coming in at a 2/2 instead of a 1/3. Essentially serves as Fiend Hunter 5x thru 8x if needed.
Doubtless One[A][L] - The art is fantastic, and it's another strong Cleric synergy card, but don't be deceived. Unlike Goblins or Elves, we don't easily churn out cheap tokens. As a result, Doubtless One encourages you to overextend on the field, making you vulnerable to sweepers (and besides that her CMC 4 is a bit high). She's powerful, no doubt, but not super-outstanding.
Academy Rector[C] - Legacy-level card that happens to be a Cleric. She's not cheap $$$-wise, but she grabs Conspiracy like a boss for the combo with Rotlung Reanimator.
Daru Spiritualist[C] -- Part of the infamous combo with Shaman en-Kor. The Shaman's 0 ability can be activated as many times as you want on any Cleric you control; with Daru Spiritualist on the field, that Cleric's toughness increases to an arbitrary number (say, 1,000,000), then you sac that Cleric to Starlit Sanctum to gain 1,000,000+ life. By himself, though, Spiritualist is a pretty meh card. Definitely a Johnny combo.
Shaman en-Kor[C] -- Together with Daru Spiritualist and Starlit Sanctum, he's an infinite life combo. By himself, he's only meh; if you have enough Clerics, you can theoretically redirect a damage source to the Shaman and then distribute it thinly among your other Clerics using his 0 ability so nobody dies. But frankly there are better, cheaper Clerics for damage prevention.
False Prophet[M] - Big "rattlesnake" in multiplayer decks. Your opponents will choose to attack each other instead of you, knowing that if they attack you, then you'll block with Prophet and exile all creatures. It helps keep pressure off you if you're planning on a victory via lifegain or Luminarch Ascension.
Battletide Alchemist[M] - Sometimes worthy of a 2x in Multiplayer. It can be used to prevent any damage to any player, so you can "pick your friends" at the table and protect them (and yourself) even when you're tapped out. Unfortunately her 5 CMC and inability to protect creatures makes her overall less useful than Master Apothecary, particularly in 1v1.
Battlefield Medic[S] - Need MORE damage prevention clerics? This one's not so bad. With a cost of 1W and only a tap needed to activate (instead of paying additional mana), she's not outstanding, but certainly better than other options.
Whipgrass Entangler[S] - Interesting and flavorful tax mechanic, particularly that they have to pay for the creature to attack OR block (which means the ability can be used offensively and defensively). Still, he's overcosted for his effect, and without several Clerics on the field already it's practically useless. Samite Elder[S] - Could potentially function as a second Mother of Runes if you really feel you need more protection effects, but frankly anything this guy can do the Mother can do it better.
Ancestor's Prophet[L] - 10 life is a tremendous gain and it's repeatable every time you untap, but it comes at the big cost of a heavy board presence and a high CMC. Strong, no doubt, but it encourages you to overextend, so be careful for those Wrath of Gods.
Inquisitor Exarch[C] - Pretty meh. Soul sisters get it done better, cheaper.
Oriss, Samite GuardianS - Looks good on paper, but she's high-costed for what she does, and her grandeur ability is actually pretty underwhelming (if you're only interested in the grandeur, consider Orim's Chant).
Mikaeus, the LunarchA - He would've been much more playable if he gave static bonuses. The way he's printed, though, he's really, really slow, and generally not worth the mana and time it takes to get the most out of his ability.
Beloved Chaplain[A] - Browsing around the web you'll find some older aggro Cleric decks who run this guy. Maybe back then he was something, but now he's been overshadowed unless you're particularly desperate for beatstick Clerics, which you shouldn't be. Use Akroma's Devoted to turn your tappers into attack + tappers. Don't run these guys just for beats.
Beacon of Destiny - Not even going to give this guy a bracketed tag. His single usefulness is redirecting player damage to creature damage (thus indirectly letting you protect yourself with Mother of Runes, for example), but he can only do it once a turn for one damage source. Compare, for example, Pariah, which redirects all damage as a static ability. Don't be fooled by his kickass art; he sucks.
Rotlung Reanimator[S] - If your Clerics deck is running black, there's really no reason why you shouldn't be running this guy 4x. At worst, he turns your dead clerics into 2/2 tokens (sometimes multiple 2/2 tokens if there's multiple Rotlung Reanimators on the field) to keep the offensive pressure on. At best, you play him in a combo with Conspiracy naming "Cleric," such that instead of turning Clerics into zombies, he turns Clerics into zombie Clerics (which can be repeated infinitely with a sac outlet like Altar of Dementia). All for his cheap cost of 2B.
Deathmark Prelate[S] - Oh yeah, we run zombies, so this Cleric that kills people by saccing Zombies would be great, right? Take my word for it: when he costs 3B to cast, 2BT to activate, and can only be played at sorcery speed, it's not as good as it looks.
Cabal Archon[S] - Now this guy's an all-star. In aggro, he gives amazing "reach," letting you quickly finish an opponent once he's near zero by sacrificing your board (akin to the role Fireblast in sligh decks). Moreover, he lets any dying Cleric (eg if they're chumping) head out with a bang. He's even a sac outlet in the Rotlung + Conspiracy combo, letting you dump your B directly into damage and lifegain.
Order of the Ebon Hand[A] - Easily the best Cleric around for straight offensive beats. Doesn't take a pro to see he's far ahead of the curve even by today's standards.
Doomed Necromancer[S] - Sacrifice a creature to reanimate a creature? That would be a worthwhile trade if we ran fatties. Trading a dork for a dork is kind of a waste, especially when we already have more efficient reanimators like Order of Whiteclay.
Dark Supplicant[S] - If your Clerics deck includes black, one decision you'll have to make is whether to include a Supplicant package:
You shouldn't need more than a singleton Scion in your deck, and you want to get it into play as fast as possible (like T4 or earlier) because it has no protection whatsoever and only 6 toughness. It's not the most reliable wincon, and if the Scion gets exiled the rest of your Supplicants are useless, but it sure is fun when you pull it off.
Withered Wretch[META] - It's like an in-tribe Tormod's Crypt on an efficient body. Powerful enough that it even sees Legacy play. Switch him in against any deck that tries to play from its grave. Disciple of Griselbrand[C] - A Cleric creature sac outlet; he can work like Starlit Sanctum in the Daru Spiritualist + Shaman en-Kor combo, turning infinite toughness into infinite life. That said, he's not good for much else, since Cabal Archon is a better sac outlet in nearly every other situation.
Servant of Nefarox[A] - Kudos to Wizards for attempting to revive the Exalted mechanic in new colors. Nefarox is kinda cool. His servants, though, are pretty lame.
Priest of Gix[S] - It's a "free" Cleric that can mana-fix you. Aggro decks will usually want more than just a free body, but combo/lifegain decks will enjoy them to, for example, fuel super-early Dark Supplicant pops, Ancestor's Prophet activations, and so forth.
Skirsdag High Priest[A] - Another aggro mainstay, usually worth 3x, sometimes even 4x. With a playset of Cabal Archon already in your deck, you should never have trouble triggering Morbid at will, and churning out 5/5 fliers along the way is game-winning.
Blind Zealot[A] - Pretty decent black Cleric, but it's no Gatekeeper of Malakir. Generally I find myself choosing to run generic creature removal like Dismember over her, but if you're looking to maximize your Cleric creature count, she'll get the job done.
Vile Deacon[A] - The black equivalent of Doubtless One. Vulnerable to all the same pitfalls (see the notes on Doubtless One above) but worse because this one doesn't even have pseudo-Lifelink. Pretty wise flavor text, though.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed[A] - Unfortunately, the majority of good Clerics are humans, so he doesn't really synergize well with us (though depending on your deck he may or may not be better Mikaeus, the Lunarch).
Shadowborn Apostle[C] - You'd never include it in a deck unless you planned to build around it, because besides its ability its a pretty janky Cleric. On the flip side, it's unique and flavorful enough to merit its own archetype of Clerics combo, so I'll give it a 3 out of 5.
Pontiff of Blight[L] - While giving all creatures Extort is certainly powerful, CMC 6 is pretty high for Clerics (like Elves and Goblins, we rely on playing powerful, efficient weenies, not big bombs). Lifegain-oriented Clerics might find some use for it, but other Cleric decks don't need it.
Entomber Exarch - We have better ways to dig up stuff from the grave, and 2BB for a single discard is waaaay overpriced.
Edgewalker[S] - Hands-down the best multicolored cleric, and one of the only cards in the entire game that reduces colored mana cost instead of simply colorless. If you're playing W/B Clerics, you should be running 3x-4x Edgewalker, period (or at very least strongly consider it). They cheapen AND mana fix; even just one of these guys on the field makes all subsequent Edgewalkers cost 1, Soul Sisters/Supplicant/MoR cost 0, Priest of Gix cost 2 (which means you actually gain mana for casting it), and more. Besides all that he's got beautiful art, unique lore, and a solid 2/2 body.
High Priest of Penance[L][M] - Cool ability, but as you've probably noticed by now, Clerics are about preventing damage, not taking it. I guess it makes for a minor rattlesnake effect in a multiplayer game or when you're turtling up for a lifegain deck, but frankly I wouldn't bother with this guy the majority of the time.
Orzhov Pontiff[META] - Meh card. Run it if you're going for an Orzhov theme or if you're up against weenie tokens or something, otherwise don't bother.
Sin Collector[META] - Against control it basically forces a counterspell (because you'd simply exile it if they don't use it), but then in Clerics tribal you're probably better off just going with Grand Abolisher to combat countermagic anyway.
Vizkopa Confessor - Disgustingly overpriced, but it's an Orzhov Cleric if you're trying to go for an Orzhov theme.
While the overwhelming majority of Clerics are in W/B,
some mentionable (though mostly underwhelming) Clerics
are in other colors.
Angus Mackenzie[S] - Fog on a stick is cool if for some reason you're ever giving up on B and building Bant Clerics instead. One of few potential Cleric EDH commanders, if that's more your thing (though there's a separate forum for discussing EDH stuff).
Lady Evangela[S] - Weird U inclusion from back when the color pie wasn't yet chiseled out in the way it is today. Other clerics do the same thing for cheaper and less splashing required, but she's flavorful and also another potential Cleric EDH commander.
Geist of Saint Traft[A] - Outstanding aggro Cleric. Worth splashing U for? Probably not all by himself, but if you happen to be splashing anyway for some other reason, Geist beats like a champ.
Juniper Order Druid[S] - Oh wow, a mono-G ramp cleric! Yeah, except he costs 2G, has no other abilities, and comes on a 1/1 body (compare Krosan Restorer).
Wandering Mage[S] - Her abilities are pretty lame, but hey! She's a WUB Human Cleric Wizard. It's like she's a prestige class straight out of D&D or something.
Brine Shaman[S] - Don't make the same mistake I did at first and think this guy's Cancel on a stick. His counter ability only affects creature spells.
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch[S] I'm not sure splashing R is worthwhile, but if for some reason you're doing it anyway, you might consider Lyzolda as a Cleric sac outlet. Frankly, though, Cabal Archon does it better in Cleric tribal.
Clergy en-Vec - Utter jank as a card, but he's infamous among the community for his suggestive flavor text and art.
Cavern of Souls - Not exactly budget but well worth the price. Cleric tribal decks (and tribal decks in general) are usually almost all creatures anyway.
Godless Shrine - The best that isn't outrageously expensive. 4x if you have it.
Fetid Heath - Cool fixin's at a moderate price, 4x if you have it.
Starlit Sanctum - The critical component of the Daru Spiritualist + Shaman en-Kor combo for infinite life. In other situations it just functions as general utility and plays a similar role to Cabal Archon, letting you turn any Cleric who's about to die anyway (chump blockers, removal targets, etc.) into damage or lifegain, or as a clinch finisher a la Fireblast. Also flavorful as the Edgewalker's land of choice.
Vault of the Archangel - For 3WB you can give all your creatures lifelink and deathtouch until EoT. Kinda nice and sometimes worth running 1x, but for that much mana it's tough to use.
Mutavault - Becoming a cleric on demand is pretty neat, but unlike other tribes we don't really have "lords" like Elves have Imperious Perfect and so forth, and those are the effects that make Mutavault really shine.
Miren, the Moaning Well - Works like the aforementioned Starlit Sanctum for the Daru/Shaman combo (except it's worse), little use elsewhere.
Emeria, the Sky Ruin - Potentially cool in mono-white lifegain decks that try to prolong the game to t6+ anyway, but most of the times it'll just be a CIPT nonbasic plains. Shouldn't be run more than a 2x.
==Some Sample Lists== ==to get you started==
Aggro - Pretty simple. 1-drops like Soul Sisters and momma get clerics on the board early; board advantage clerics like Fiend Hunter and Rotlung Reanimator fill in the beats; sacrifice your own clerics to Cabal Archon to close the gap and churn out 5/5 flyers for your trouble with Skirsdag High Priest.
Combo - Daru/Shaman for infinite life. Rotlung/Conspiracy for infinite sacrifices (and infinite tokens with two Rotlungs). Supplicant/Scion for a fast 6/6 reanimating trampler. Here's a deck that happens to include all of them together.
Hybrid - Most clerics decks that you'll run into (or at least, that I've seen here on MTGSForums and elsewhere) are actually hybrids of these three archetypes. As I mentioned in the introduction, the cool thing about clerics is that they can be built mix-and-match style; for example, the following list is a (more competitive) mono-black aggro list that runs the supplicant combo as a backup plan:
WB Clerics are an old-school tribe overflowing with flavor and lore. Though today cleric tribal cards aren't printed nearly as often as they used to be, each new block typically brings a handful of powerful new clerics, and thus the tribe is still evolving to this day. The tribe encompasses a wide variety of keywords and effects, including lifegain, token production, sacrifice, damage prevention, and protection from X, and as a result a "cleric tribal deck" can be built around a number of different archetypes. Nearly all clerics are well within the average player's budget, but thanks to their WB colors they can easily be pimped out with tournament-worthy cards like Vindicate.
If you're looking for a diverse, powerful tribal experience that's not your hackneyed Elves or Goblins and that won't break your bank, then Clerics might just be your solution. Try 'em out--they're cheap to build and fun to play in any environment!
Thanks very much for reading my primer. I hope you found it informative, and any feedback is more than welcome!
We have no need for military might. We wield two of the sharpest swords ever forged:
Faith in our left hand, Wealth in our right.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\--Castigate
Was pointed in this direction for my decklist. Cool primer by the way. Took a look at your lists, I feel like mine's a little different, it's more of a grindy engine type of build.
Considering dropping the Ancestor's Prophet and putting Skirsdag High Priest up to 4 so the Order is that much more useful as a recursion engine. Possibly looking for more effects like Order of Whiteclay and Debtors' Knell to take advantage of my sac outlets (Skirsdag Flayer, Cabal Archon, Starlit Sanctum. Maybe some consistent card draw too? I'm worried I'll run out of steam, then again the recursion might help with that. Also, any cool cleric stuff I might have forgotten?
I generally would recommend NOT running (i.e. cutting) Ancestor's Prophet unless you're a dedicated lifegain build. For more hybrid builds (like yours), the SoulSisters are cheaper, more efficient, more easily fished up from the GY, and still provide great lifegain.
Or, if you're looking to focus more on the sacrifice-recursion theme, you could cut out the Lifegain element entirely. While it might be tempting to include a little bit of every archetype, I find more often than not you end up with a "jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" deck.
To that end, Rotlung Reanimator typically fits really well in any sacrifice-based build; you can even turn the zombies into Cleric Zombies or Human Zombies with the use of Conspiracy. Food for thought.
The most glaring omission from your deck, though, is Mother of Runes. Even though she's not directly sacrifice-themed, I'd really, really, REALLY recommend finding some way to work her in. Ideally several of her. I cannot emphasize enough how firmly I believe she is the strongest cleric ever to see print and easily among the most powerful white weenies of all time, and how she pretty much belongs in every clerics deck that runs W. Cut Master Apothecary or Battletide Alchemist if you have to; they're great clerics, no doubt, but mom typically does it better for cheaper.
I generally would recommend NOT running (i.e. cutting) Ancestor's Prophet unless you're a dedicated lifegain build. For more hybrid builds (like yours), the SoulSisters are cheaper, more efficient, more easily fished up from the GY, and still provide great lifegain.
Or, if you're looking to focus more on the sacrifice-recursion theme, you could cut out the Lifegain element entirely. While it might be tempting to include a little bit of every archetype, I find more often than not you end up with a "jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" deck.
To that end, Rotlung Reanimator typically fits really well in any sacrifice-based build; you can even turn the zombies into Cleric Zombies or Human Zombies with the use of Conspiracy. Food for thought.
The most glaring omission from your deck, though, is Mother of Runes. Even though she's not directly sacrifice-themed, I'd really, really, REALLY recommend finding some way to work her in. Ideally several of her. I cannot emphasize enough how firmly I believe she is the strongest cleric ever to see print and easily among the most powerful white weenies of all time, and how she pretty much belongs in every clerics deck that runs W. Cut Master Apothecary or Battletide Alchemist if you have to; they're great clerics, no doubt, but mom typically does it better for cheaper.
The Ancestor's Prophet is there as a tap outlet for Order of Whiteclay. The soul sisters aren't as synergistic. The main engine is the sac and recur stuff, and the tapping is really good with that because it's an enabler and a way I can use my guys to survive the game longer without needing to worry about losing them in combat. Also with the tapping I can use the guys I've just brought back as well as set up the Order.
I considered Rotlung Reanimator, he might make the cut eventually, but I probably wouldn't throw in Conspiracy as it doesn't do much for the cohesiveness of the deck.
Same with Mother of Runes. I know she's good, but she doesn't quite fit the engine of the deck. She doesn't serve the same purpose as Master Apothecary or Battletide Alchemist (both of those actually serve slightly different purposes from each other in here). I don't plan on doing much in the way of combat with this deck, so her protection doesn't see much use in that sense, and as far as protecting my guys from removal, I can just bring them back. I felt like she then wasn't doing enough in this build, or covering ground that I've already got covered.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
EDH: It's like a pillow fight, except occasionally someone pulls out a chainsaw.
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
Well, between your Skirsdag High Priests and your Master Apothecarys, I personally think you've plenty of tap outlets for your Orders of Whiteclay already, or at least certainly enough not to warrant running extra guys at an expensive 5cmc just for more tapping (not to mention that your Order of Whiteclays can simply swing to tap and usually come out unscathed with their 1/4 body).
Same with Mother of Runes. I know she's good, but she doesn't quite fit the engine of the deck...and as far as protecting my guys from removal, I can just bring them back.
I'd rather not pay Q1WW on a 1WW creature to bring a guy back from the GY with renewed summoning sickness when I could simply pay T on a W creature to prevent that same guy from dying in the first place--not to mention that protection from a color is significantly more versatile in its usage, including, for example, protecting your creatures from enchantments that cripple without killing (eg Prison Term, Mind Control, Paralyze, and so forth).
I do see where you're going now with your deck, though, using Order as a recurring engine. Unfortunately in my personal experience I've found that he isn't as reliable of a recurring engine as he might look at first because of the mana cost of his ability. He's really strong, no doubt, but at a deceptively unwieldy cost.
But you'll have to see for yourself, I suppose. No doubt the people in your area play different decks than the people in my area, so with anything I say YMMV.
I understand man, no worries. To each their own. The prophet is first on the cut list currently, pending playtesting. He'll probably go down to a two or one-of depending on how he performs.
Here's to hoping for some cool clerics in theros.
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EDH: It's like a pillow fight, except occasionally someone pulls out a chainsaw.
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
Love multiplayer Clerics, a few extra synergies and fun cards:
For the builds that go for a "critical mass" of clerics, Planar Guide does a serviceable job at protecting you from wraths. (While also doubling as an overpriced Fog)
Frontline Medic is one of the newer clerics, who along with Akroma's Devoted lets you just attack every turn with impunity and abuse the host of tap abilities the tribe has.
Love multiplayer Clerics, a few extra synergies and fun cards:
For the builds that go for a "critical mass" of clerics, Planar Guide does a serviceable job at protecting you from wraths. (While also doubling as an overpriced Fog)
Frontline Medic is one of the newer clerics, who along with Akroma's Devoted lets you just attack every turn with impunity and abuse the host of tap abilities the tribe has.
Aw, snap, Planar Guide and Witch Hunter are hilarious. I love clerics like those--clerics like Preacher and Exorcist that break out of the color pie and just go with the flavor of being a cleric.
And Frontline Medic isn't so bad either--momma does it better in terms of preventing the death of your creatures (and has just as much synergy with Akroma's Devoted), but Frontline Medic doubles as countermagic for X spells, so, that's kinda neat.
I play mostly Multiplayer, so Shepherd of Rot is an all-star since it hits every player at the table. Using Cabal Archon and High Market, I can usually keep my life total just a bit higher than everyone else.
The deck either wins through clearing the board with Grave Pact and finishing with Scion or Demon tokens, draining the whole table quickly with Shepherd, or emptying graveyards with Withered Wretch, sacrificing my field and then playing Living Death.
Graveborn Muse gives me some much needed draw, Doom Blade and Profane Command are really good catch alls and of course, there's always a horde of Zombie tokens at your disposal.
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My Black & Silver Cube [360/Peasant/Draft It! EDH Decks: - Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior
Keeping with the zombie cleric theme, Mikaeus, the Unhallowed and Pontiff of Blight might be cool curve toppers. Mikaeus also allows you sacrifice your non-human clerics to Cabal Archon twice and keep both your graveyard and in play guys with Living Death.
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EDH: It's like a pillow fight, except occasionally someone pulls out a chainsaw.
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
Usually I wouldn't recommend Mikaeus because the majority of clerics are indeed Human Clerics, but in your deck MagnetMan he might work because you actually run a significant number of Zombies and other non-humans. In multiplayer he's also a neat rattlesnake, encouraging your opponents to attack each other with their humans instead of you (depends on how many humans your opponents play, ofc). He's a bit hefty at 6cmc--if your opponents are playing faster decks or heavy control it might be better to stick to the weenies--but if you can reliably stick him he's a pretty cool guy.
Is it really worth having 4x of Withered Wretch just for setting up Living Death? Unless your playgroup is full of GY shenanigans you're probably better off running him in 3x. I'd also cut one of your Scions of Darkness; you really don't need more than one.
Theros is bringing us more clerics for sure. Thus far we've got Heliod, God of the Sun (google it to see the card); he himself is not a Cleric, but he comes out for 3W, is indestructible, and spawns a 2/1 Cleric token for 2WW and gives all your creatures vigilance. Not really groundbreaking in a Cleric tribal deck, but it goes to show you that Clerics are indeed still a supported creature type now and will be in the future.
Thanks for the suggestions guys! Mikaeus and Pontiff are two cards I've considered but hadn't put much thought into as this is a pretty old deck.
I hadn't thought of all the interactions that Mikaeus has with my Zombies. Pontiff actually seems cool as an alternate win condition and works hand in hand with the Shepherd of Rot win condition.
Basically the 4 Withered Wretch were in the deck since they're a cheap Zombie Cleric and there weren't too many of those back when I first crafted this. But seeing as those two big bosses are also the same type, I can see making this change:
-1 Withered Wretch
-1 Scion of Darkness
+1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
+1 Pontiff of Blight
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My Black & Silver Cube [360/Peasant/Draft It! EDH Decks: - Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior
I guess ill throw my mono white list in here for discussion (if i can get the deck tags to work properly)
Well, you definitely got the tags to work properly. Sorry I didn't get to your post sooner--I've been really busy with starting school again and I haven't spent much time on MTGS these past few weeks at all.
How's Planar Guide working out for you? I never really liked it myself when there are so many other 1-drops out there that really bring home the bacon, like the soul sisters Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant, and in your case specifically since you're running mono-W you can run the outstanding Martyr of Sands (9+ life on the pop from a 1-drop creature? srs?).
But, then, I don't play Clerics multiplayer much, so maybe Planar Guide has interesting multiplayer politicky interactions that I'm unfamiliar with.
This is the cleric deck that I've been running for multi-player. Lots of neat stuff to do here - most importantly recurring all your clerics repeatedly with Angel of Glory's Rise for massive lifegain. With this build, you don't really have to hold back against Wraths, because your main gameplan is filling your Graveyard with clerics to begin with!
Soul Sisters, specifically the mono-white (i.e. no splash) variant, continues to maintain its foothold in the Modern lineup, yep. The current primer here on the forums is sitting in the "Established" section of the Modern board right now.
Over the next couple of days I'll be updating this primer with all the new clerics from Theros block. Real-life has kept me busy lately. :[
Soul Sisters, specifically the mono-white (i.e. no splash) variant, continues to maintain its foothold in the Modern lineup, yep. The current primer here on the forums is sitting in the "Established" section of the Modern board right now.
Over the next couple of days I'll be updating this primer with all the new clerics from Theros block. Real-life has kept me busy lately. :[
Perhaps on your return you could look over a build I am contemplating for a multiplayer setting - kitchen table mostly.
Even if i consider your primer very good, i'd like to ponder over some few cards:
Oriss, Samite Guardian - I disagree about it being overcosted for what it does. If you use a: tap outlet (ex: springleaf drum) + Order of White Clay + 2 Oriss = you'll have an eternal Orim's Chant effect. Sure, as a stand alone, its not a great card, but inside into a certain deck, it is wonderful (like Martyr, Daru Spiritualist, Shaman en-Kor, Soul Warden...)
Soltaricreatures - unblockable punishment + pump (shared triumph/honor of the pure), enchantments or equipments, is just great to ignore (plus enchantment destruction with visionary). Not to mention the defensive capacity with pro red, pro black abilities, blocking any threats inside those colors, no matter their size. Those a cards great by themselves, no need of a deck to back it, were overused before, and still can provide a solid gameplay, so i can't agree with you analysis on those cards.
Orzhov Pontiff - shrink (or mass remove) opponent and pump yourself. With 4-5 creatures out, it is an alpha strike with an add of 4-5 damage to your attack. Sometimes it just clean the board and give you 4-5 damage to beat. Really great card, that will just not shine if you're not using a creature based deck, which is not the case.
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails - it single handles alot of things all by itself. It protects not just creatures but also other permanents like Shared Triumph. Can't think on any serious cleric deck ditching it.
Suture Priest: not just win you life, but also reduce opponent's like. 4x means opponent will lose 4 life for each creature he casts, 5 critters = 20 lifeloss, and game over. 1 Spectral Procession = 12 damage. How this card cannot be a 4x worthy? Remember cards that can win by themselves? You're making fun of me when you tell that you prefer a mere Soul Warden because it wins you life faster.
I think you based your avaluations on "decks of the moment" list, where Soul Sisters and Martyr/Proc are inserted, and that's why they all got 5 stars. Sure the decks are fine, not top contenders, but do a pretty nice job. Anyway the cards by themselves are not that great, provide some lifegain, and that's it. Vs aggro they just can't stand alone, so that's why they need dedicated decks.
Soul Sisters are meh without Pridemate and Ascendant (none clerics). Martyr is only good with Proclamation to back it, and still doesn't do much alone as the game goes. Lifegain only sustain itself if its backed with a solid removal pack to take out real threats (which can consume more lifepoints than you can gain), promote a great defense, and certainly add some offense aspect (without that you can't win).
That's why i think your analisys became biased, not avaluating the cards interacting with other clerics, but by their role on the decks i mentioned above.
That has got to be one of the most elegantly designed, well-built primers I've ever read. Congratulations on that! It's absolutely beautiful.
I just wanted to show you this thread from a year ago featuring a deck by Dechs Kaison. He built a mono-black Cleric deck and took it to a couple Legacy tournaments, doing quite well. I think it's worth a look. See it here. I think it could be a very interesting addition to this thread and a great topic for discussion, even in casual.
Blighspeaker can fetch it's other copies. Children of Korlis (fog) is an option that can be fetched by Blighspeaker.
Elixir can recover wasted cards, specially blighspeaker that fetch himself, so the odds are that you'll be able to keep 4 copies into play, even if one or 2 get killed.
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After all, we are both empowered by faith."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\--Vile Deacon
==Introduction: Clerics in History==
Though the original Cleric lore and the printing of Cleric tribal synergy cards pretty much ended with the conclusion of Onslaught block, the Cleric creature type persists in MTG to this day. It has become the default creature type for any religious-oriented or priestly creature; for example, Zendikar, Scars, and Innistrad brought Soul's Attendant, Blind Zealot, and Skirsdag High Priest, respectively.
As a result, though their history reaches back nearly to the turn of the millennium, Clerics as a tribe are still evolving; every new block seems to bring at least one solid new Cleric to the game, or sometimes even an entirely new archetype (like M14 with Shadowborn Apostle). And who knows, maybe one day more Cleric tribal synergy cards will see print; when that day comes, we'll be waiting.
In the meantime, Clerics as a tribe make for outstanding casual play:
If any or all of these things sound good to you, then read onward to the Clerics!
==and related cards==
Below is a sorting of all significant Clerics by their color. I say "significant" for a reason: every tribe has its oddballs, and Clerics are no exception. Some Clerics like Cabal Slaver don't really make sense within a Cleric tribal deck, while other Clerics (particularly the non-WB clerics like Balduvian Shaman) are just really bad.
Each Cleric in the list may have one or more bold letters next to their name in brackets. They indicate which deck archetype that Cleric excels in. So if you're looking to build an aggro Clerics deck, you'd keep an eye out for Clerics in the list who are tagged [A] or [S].
Legend:
Mother of Runes [S] - She might look like some old lady sipping coffee, but she is hands down one of the best Clerics...nay, one of the best weenies in general...ever printed. While she's on the field, your Clerics will brush off Lightning Bolts and Terminates like flies, laugh in the face of combat tricks like Giant Growth, and chump block six ways to Sunday. ALWAYS 4-of in any Cleric deck running white.
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails [S] - Broader than MoR because he can protect any permanent and can do it more than once a turn, but the tradeoff is that he's Legendary and significantly more costly. Most of our valuable permanents will be creatures anyway, so more often than not 8.5-Tails will simply play out as an overpriced MoR.
Glowrider [S] - An outstanding card that even sees legacy play (granted not so much anymore with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben). Mana tax is easily one of the strongest effects in all of magic, as evidenced by the power of cards like Trinisphere. Most of the time, the overwhelming majority of your cards will be creatures, which means the drawback hardly affects you.
Soul Warden [S] - One of the two main "Soul Sisters" cards as they appear in Modern and elsewhere. 1 life per creature is not to be underestimated; even only one sister on the field can provide you with 7+ life over the course of the game, not to mention that multiple sisters stack with each other. With their cheap cost and efficient 1/1 body, they can be included in any archetype simply to bolster the # of Clerics on the field while providing some life to keep you in the game.
Soul's Attendant [S] - The other, newer Soul Sister; she's the same as Soul Warden but technically a little better since her lifegain ability is optional, not compulsory.
Auriok Champion [META] - Yet another Soul Sister, but this one's a metagame call. Her 2 CMC is only justified if you make use of her powerful built-in prot. Switch her in before a game if you know you'll be up against R or B; switch her out otherwise.
Grand Abolisher [META] - If anyone in your playgroup likes Countermagic, Abolisher is your answer, and he's got an efficient body to boot. Anticipate your metagame and switch him in if you think he'll be useful.
True Believer [META] - Like Abolisher, this is another metagame decision. Believer protects you from most discard, burn, and mill, since these cards tend to read "target player" and while you have shroud you can't be chosen as a target. Be mindful, though, that a few of your own cards, like Master Apothecary, need to target you to help you, so True Believer can sometimes be anti-synergistic.
Master Apothecary [S][M] - Usually run as a 3-of, plopping this guy down with a few clerics already on the field is a great bolster to your defense. Unlike Mother of Runes, Apothecary can protect you, the player. Don't forget--his ability is also unaffected by summoning sickness (as it does not use the T symbol) and can therefore be used immediately as he hits the field.
Leonin Relic-Warder [META] - He's a 2/2 for 2 that deals with enchantments AND artifacts. Protecting him is easy with other clerics. Great 4x if you know you'll see heavy enchant/artifact play.
Soltari Visionary [META] - Repeatable destruction, but only works on enchantments, which is pretty limited.
War Priest of Thune [META] - Same as Soltari Visionary; enchantment destruction alone is pretty limited.
Order of Whiteclay [S] - Good thing pretty much every outstanding Cleric has a CMC of 3 or less. Usually run as a 2x or 3x, this guy's ability is somewhat expensive to cast and is affected by summoning sickness, but he's still extremely powerful.
Exorcist [META] - Strong meta card against black aggro. Flavorful too! Useless against non-black decks, though.
Preacher [S] - Another fun and flavorful Cleric from The Dark. If you like stealing creatures, this is the guy for you. Simply keep in mind that your opponent, not you, chooses which creature you get, and that he doesn't synergize with tap-a-cleric effects like Master Apothecary. The good news is that you can sac your opponents' creatures to your own Cabal Archon if they happen to be clerics themselves.
Celestial Gatekeeper [S] - Close contender with Order of Whiteclay for the title of "best reanimator Cleric." Combos with the non-Cleric card Reveillark. Ultimately I prefer Whiteclay because it can be used repeatably so long as it stays alive, even outside of Reveillark shenanigans, and protecting it is easy with other Clerics' abilities.
Pulsemage Advocate [S] - While we're on the topic of reanimator Clerics, this guy is generally NOT worth it. Firstly, you can't activate the ability at all unless an opponent has 3+ cards in his grave, and secondly, you'll find no Cleric in this list worth reanimating for the cost of such huge card advantage to your opponent.
Akroma's Devoted [S] - As you've already seen and will continue to see, many Clerics have great tap abilities, and this guy lets you attack AND tap, providing a great boost to tempo. He's higher-costed and doesn't do much on his own, but he's sometimes worth running as a 2x or 3x at most, letting you play aggro even in Lifegain based decks.
Suture Priest [L] - New Phyrexian attempt at a Soul Sister. Don't be deceived by her dashing beauty (:rolleyes:). More of an offensive soul sister, so if you're strictly about gaining life she isn't for you. For her 1W cost she's certainly not worth a 4x. Personally I prefer the original Soul Sisters more.
Weathered Wayfarer [S] - One of the only clerics--more, one of the only white cards--that can repeatably help you with your land drops. It doesn't directly belong in any archetype, but it fits in all of them. Especially of use in lifegain decks that try to prolong the game and can therefore make the most benefit out of its ability.
Martyr of Sands [L] - HUGE. LIFEGAIN. The other Martyr cards can't hold a candle to this one. This single Cleric can easily gain you 9+ life on a single pop. Put that together with her 1/1 for 1 body and her instant-speed ability (meaning you can use her to chump block and then sac her and still not take any damage) and you've got one outstanding lady for lifegain decks.
Fiend Hunter [A] - Mainstay of aggro-based Cleric decks; usually shows up as a 4x. Advancing your own board while clearing the way to beat in on your opponent's life total? Yes please. You can also exile an opponent's creature permanently if you sac Hunter to an outlet like Cabal Archon and manipulate the triggers (see Hunter's rulings text for more info).
Banisher Priest [A] - A less-flexible Fiend Hunter, coming in at a 2/2 instead of a 1/3. Essentially serves as Fiend Hunter 5x thru 8x if needed.
Doubtless One [A][L] - The art is fantastic, and it's another strong Cleric synergy card, but don't be deceived. Unlike Goblins or Elves, we don't easily churn out cheap tokens. As a result, Doubtless One encourages you to overextend on the field, making you vulnerable to sweepers (and besides that her CMC 4 is a bit high). She's powerful, no doubt, but not super-outstanding.
Academy Rector [C] - Legacy-level card that happens to be a Cleric. She's not cheap $$$-wise, but she grabs Conspiracy like a boss for the combo with Rotlung Reanimator.
Daru Spiritualist [C] -- Part of the infamous combo with Shaman en-Kor. The Shaman's 0 ability can be activated as many times as you want on any Cleric you control; with Daru Spiritualist on the field, that Cleric's toughness increases to an arbitrary number (say, 1,000,000), then you sac that Cleric to Starlit Sanctum to gain 1,000,000+ life. By himself, though, Spiritualist is a pretty meh card. Definitely a Johnny combo.
Shaman en-Kor [C] -- Together with Daru Spiritualist and Starlit Sanctum, he's an infinite life combo. By himself, he's only meh; if you have enough Clerics, you can theoretically redirect a damage source to the Shaman and then distribute it thinly among your other Clerics using his 0 ability so nobody dies. But frankly there are better, cheaper Clerics for damage prevention.
False Prophet [M] - Big "rattlesnake" in multiplayer decks. Your opponents will choose to attack each other instead of you, knowing that if they attack you, then you'll block with Prophet and exile all creatures. It helps keep pressure off you if you're planning on a victory via lifegain or Luminarch Ascension.
Battletide Alchemist [M] - Sometimes worthy of a 2x in Multiplayer. It can be used to prevent any damage to any player, so you can "pick your friends" at the table and protect them (and yourself) even when you're tapped out. Unfortunately her 5 CMC and inability to protect creatures makes her overall less useful than Master Apothecary, particularly in 1v1.
Battlefield Medic [S] - Need MORE damage prevention clerics? This one's not so bad. With a cost of 1W and only a tap needed to activate (instead of paying additional mana), she's not outstanding, but certainly better than other options.
Whipgrass Entangler [S] - Interesting and flavorful tax mechanic, particularly that they have to pay for the creature to attack OR block (which means the ability can be used offensively and defensively). Still, he's overcosted for his effect, and without several Clerics on the field already it's practically useless.
Samite Elder [S] - Could potentially function as a second Mother of Runes if you really feel you need more protection effects, but frankly anything this guy can do the Mother can do it better.
Ancestor's Prophet [L] - 10 life is a tremendous gain and it's repeatable every time you untap, but it comes at the big cost of a heavy board presence and a high CMC. Strong, no doubt, but it encourages you to overextend, so be careful for those Wrath of Gods.
Inquisitor Exarch [C] - Pretty meh. Soul sisters get it done better, cheaper.
Oriss, Samite Guardian S - Looks good on paper, but she's high-costed for what she does, and her grandeur ability is actually pretty underwhelming (if you're only interested in the grandeur, consider Orim's Chant).
Mikaeus, the Lunarch A - He would've been much more playable if he gave static bonuses. The way he's printed, though, he's really, really slow, and generally not worth the mana and time it takes to get the most out of his ability.
Beloved Chaplain [A] - Browsing around the web you'll find some older aggro Cleric decks who run this guy. Maybe back then he was something, but now he's been overshadowed unless you're particularly desperate for beatstick Clerics, which you shouldn't be. Use Akroma's Devoted to turn your tappers into attack + tappers. Don't run these guys just for beats.
Soltari Monk A - Pretty much the same as above.
Soltari Priest A - Ditto.
Beacon of Destiny - Not even going to give this guy a bracketed tag. His single usefulness is redirecting player damage to creature damage (thus indirectly letting you protect yourself with Mother of Runes, for example), but he can only do it once a turn for one damage source. Compare, for example, Pariah, which redirects all damage as a static ability. Don't be fooled by his kickass art; he sucks.
Rotlung Reanimator [S] - If your Clerics deck is running black, there's really no reason why you shouldn't be running this guy 4x. At worst, he turns your dead clerics into 2/2 tokens (sometimes multiple 2/2 tokens if there's multiple Rotlung Reanimators on the field) to keep the offensive pressure on. At best, you play him in a combo with Conspiracy naming "Cleric," such that instead of turning Clerics into zombies, he turns Clerics into zombie Clerics (which can be repeated infinitely with a sac outlet like Altar of Dementia). All for his cheap cost of 2B.
Deathmark Prelate [S] - Oh yeah, we run zombies, so this Cleric that kills people by saccing Zombies would be great, right? Take my word for it: when he costs 3B to cast, 2BT to activate, and can only be played at sorcery speed, it's not as good as it looks.
Cabal Archon [S] - Now this guy's an all-star. In aggro, he gives amazing "reach," letting you quickly finish an opponent once he's near zero by sacrificing your board (akin to the role Fireblast in sligh decks). Moreover, he lets any dying Cleric (eg if they're chumping) head out with a bang. He's even a sac outlet in the Rotlung + Conspiracy combo, letting you dump your B directly into damage and lifegain.
Order of the Ebon Hand [A] - Easily the best Cleric around for straight offensive beats. Doesn't take a pro to see he's far ahead of the curve even by today's standards.
Doomed Necromancer [S] - Sacrifice a creature to reanimate a creature? That would be a worthwhile trade if we ran fatties. Trading a dork for a dork is kind of a waste, especially when we already have more efficient reanimators like Order of Whiteclay.
Dark Supplicant [S] - If your Clerics deck includes black, one decision you'll have to make is whether to include a Supplicant package:
1x Scion of Darkness
Withered Wretch [META] - It's like an in-tribe Tormod's Crypt on an efficient body. Powerful enough that it even sees Legacy play. Switch him in against any deck that tries to play from its grave.
Disciple of Griselbrand [C] - A Cleric creature sac outlet; he can work like Starlit Sanctum in the Daru Spiritualist + Shaman en-Kor combo, turning infinite toughness into infinite life. That said, he's not good for much else, since Cabal Archon is a better sac outlet in nearly every other situation.
Servant of Nefarox [A] - Kudos to Wizards for attempting to revive the Exalted mechanic in new colors. Nefarox is kinda cool. His servants, though, are pretty lame.
Priest of Gix [S] - It's a "free" Cleric that can mana-fix you. Aggro decks will usually want more than just a free body, but combo/lifegain decks will enjoy them to, for example, fuel super-early Dark Supplicant pops, Ancestor's Prophet activations, and so forth.
Skirsdag High Priest [A] - Another aggro mainstay, usually worth 3x, sometimes even 4x. With a playset of Cabal Archon already in your deck, you should never have trouble triggering Morbid at will, and churning out 5/5 fliers along the way is game-winning.
Blind Zealot [A] - Pretty decent black Cleric, but it's no Gatekeeper of Malakir. Generally I find myself choosing to run generic creature removal like Dismember over her, but if you're looking to maximize your Cleric creature count, she'll get the job done.
Vile Deacon [A] - The black equivalent of Doubtless One. Vulnerable to all the same pitfalls (see the notes on Doubtless One above) but worse because this one doesn't even have pseudo-Lifelink. Pretty wise flavor text, though.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed [A] - Unfortunately, the majority of good Clerics are humans, so he doesn't really synergize well with us (though depending on your deck he may or may not be better Mikaeus, the Lunarch).
Shadowborn Apostle [C] - You'd never include it in a deck unless you planned to build around it, because besides its ability its a pretty janky Cleric. On the flip side, it's unique and flavorful enough to merit its own archetype of Clerics combo, so I'll give it a 3 out of 5.
Pontiff of Blight [L] - While giving all creatures Extort is certainly powerful, CMC 6 is pretty high for Clerics (like Elves and Goblins, we rely on playing powerful, efficient weenies, not big bombs). Lifegain-oriented Clerics might find some use for it, but other Cleric decks don't need it.
Entomber Exarch - We have better ways to dig up stuff from the grave, and 2BB for a single discard is waaaay overpriced.
Edgewalker [S] - Hands-down the best multicolored cleric, and one of the only cards in the entire game that reduces colored mana cost instead of simply colorless. If you're playing W/B Clerics, you should be running 3x-4x Edgewalker, period (or at very least strongly consider it). They cheapen AND mana fix; even just one of these guys on the field makes all subsequent Edgewalkers cost 1, Soul Sisters/Supplicant/MoR cost 0, Priest of Gix cost 2 (which means you actually gain mana for casting it), and more. Besides all that he's got beautiful art, unique lore, and a solid 2/2 body.
High Priest of Penance [L][M] - Cool ability, but as you've probably noticed by now, Clerics are about preventing damage, not taking it. I guess it makes for a minor rattlesnake effect in a multiplayer game or when you're turtling up for a lifegain deck, but frankly I wouldn't bother with this guy the majority of the time.
Orzhov Pontiff [META] - Meh card. Run it if you're going for an Orzhov theme or if you're up against weenie tokens or something, otherwise don't bother.
Sin Collector [META] - Against control it basically forces a counterspell (because you'd simply exile it if they don't use it), but then in Clerics tribal you're probably better off just going with Grand Abolisher to combat countermagic anyway.
Vizkopa Confessor - Disgustingly overpriced, but it's an Orzhov Cleric if you're trying to go for an Orzhov theme.
some mentionable (though mostly underwhelming) Clerics
are in other colors.
Lady Evangela [S] - Weird U inclusion from back when the color pie wasn't yet chiseled out in the way it is today. Other clerics do the same thing for cheaper and less splashing required, but she's flavorful and also another potential Cleric EDH commander.
Geist of Saint Traft [A] - Outstanding aggro Cleric. Worth splashing U for? Probably not all by himself, but if you happen to be splashing anyway for some other reason, Geist beats like a champ.
Juniper Order Druid [S] - Oh wow, a mono-G ramp cleric! Yeah, except he costs 2G, has no other abilities, and comes on a 1/1 body (compare Krosan Restorer).
Wandering Mage [S] - Her abilities are pretty lame, but hey! She's a WUB Human Cleric Wizard. It's like she's a prestige class straight out of D&D or something.
Brine Shaman [S] - Don't make the same mistake I did at first and think this guy's Cancel on a stick. His counter ability only affects creature spells.
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch [S] I'm not sure splashing R is worthwhile, but if for some reason you're doing it anyway, you might consider Lyzolda as a Cleric sac outlet. Frankly, though, Cabal Archon does it better in Cleric tribal.
Clergy en-Vec - Utter jank as a card, but he's infamous among the community for his suggestive flavor text and art.
Mother of Goons - Because Mother of Runes is so strong that she deserves her own parody.
Scrubland - The best. 4x if you have it.
Marsh Flats - Ditto.
Cavern of Souls - Not exactly budget but well worth the price. Cleric tribal decks (and tribal decks in general) are usually almost all creatures anyway.
Godless Shrine - The best that isn't outrageously expensive. 4x if you have it.
Fetid Heath - Cool fixin's at a moderate price, 4x if you have it.
Isolated Chapel - Thanks Innistrad! 4x if you have it.
Caves of Koilos - Now these will help make your budget.
Starlit Sanctum - The critical component of the Daru Spiritualist + Shaman en-Kor combo for infinite life. In other situations it just functions as general utility and plays a similar role to Cabal Archon, letting you turn any Cleric who's about to die anyway (chump blockers, removal targets, etc.) into damage or lifegain, or as a clinch finisher a la Fireblast. Also flavorful as the Edgewalker's land of choice.
Unholy Grotto - Often worth running as a 1x if you're playing 4x Rotlung Reanimator. Yeah, Rotlung is that good.
Vault of the Archangel - For 3WB you can give all your creatures lifelink and deathtouch until EoT. Kinda nice and sometimes worth running 1x, but for that much mana it's tough to use.
Mutavault - Becoming a cleric on demand is pretty neat, but unlike other tribes we don't really have "lords" like Elves have Imperious Perfect and so forth, and those are the effects that make Mutavault really shine.
Miren, the Moaning Well - Works like the aforementioned Starlit Sanctum for the Daru/Shaman combo (except it's worse), little use elsewhere.
Emeria, the Sky Ruin - Potentially cool in mono-white lifegain decks that try to prolong the game to t6+ anyway, but most of the times it'll just be a CIPT nonbasic plains. Shouldn't be run more than a 2x.
==to get you started==
Aggro - Pretty simple. 1-drops like Soul Sisters and momma get clerics on the board early; board advantage clerics like Fiend Hunter and Rotlung Reanimator fill in the beats; sacrifice your own clerics to Cabal Archon to close the gap and churn out 5/5 flyers for your trouble with Skirsdag High Priest.
4x Fetid Heath
4x Godless Shrine
4x Isolated Chapel
3x Plains
2x Cavern of Souls
2x Starlit Sanctum
3x Swamp
1x Unholy Grotto
1x Marsh Flats
4x Cabal Archon
3x Edgewalker
4x Fiend Hunter
3x Glowrider
4x Mother of Runes
2x Order of Whiteclay
4x Rotlung Reanimator
3x Skirsdag High Priest
3x Soul Warden
4x Swords to Plowshares
2x Vindicate
Combo - Daru/Shaman for infinite life. Rotlung/Conspiracy for infinite sacrifices (and infinite tokens with two Rotlungs). Supplicant/Scion for a fast 6/6 reanimating trampler. Here's a deck that happens to include all of them together.
2x Marsh Flats
4x Caves of Koilos
4x Isolated Chapel
4x Plains
4x Starlit Sanctum
3x Swamp
1x Unholy Grotto
3x Academy Rector
4x Cabal Archon
4x Dark Supplicant
4x Daru Spiritualist
4x Mother of Runes
4x Rotlung Reanimator
1x Scion of Darkness
4x Shaman en-Kor
2x Conspiracy
Artifact (1)
1x Altar of Dementia
Instant/Sorcery (7)
4x Swords to Plowshares
3x Unmake
Lifegain - Max out on the sisters and damage prevention. Throw in some Battletide Alchemist for multiplayer fun and politics.
4x Soul Warden
4x Mother of Runes
4x Martyr of Sands
3x Master Apothecary
4x Soul's Attendant
2x Academy Rector
2x Order of Whiteclay
3x Devoted One
2x Ancestor's Prophet
2x Test of Endurance
Instant (8)
4x Survival Cache
4x Path to Exile
Land (22)
19x Plains
3x Starlit Sanctum
Hybrid - Most clerics decks that you'll run into (or at least, that I've seen here on MTGSForums and elsewhere) are actually hybrids of these three archetypes. As I mentioned in the introduction, the cool thing about clerics is that they can be built mix-and-match style; for example, the following list is a (more competitive) mono-black aggro list that runs the supplicant combo as a backup plan:
4x Cavern of Souls
2x Starlit Sanctum
15x Swamp
Creatures (26)
4x Dark Supplicant
3x Dark Confidant
3x Skirsdag High Priest
4x Order of the Ebon Hand
4x Cabal Archon
4x Rotlung Reanimator
3x Priest of Gix
1x Scion of Darkness
4x Dark Ritual
4x Hymn to Tourach
3x Dismember
2x Duress
==Conclusion==
WB Clerics are an old-school tribe overflowing with flavor and lore. Though today cleric tribal cards aren't printed nearly as often as they used to be, each new block typically brings a handful of powerful new clerics, and thus the tribe is still evolving to this day. The tribe encompasses a wide variety of keywords and effects, including lifegain, token production, sacrifice, damage prevention, and protection from X, and as a result a "cleric tribal deck" can be built around a number of different archetypes. Nearly all clerics are well within the average player's budget, but thanks to their WB colors they can easily be pimped out with tournament-worthy cards like Vindicate.
If you're looking for a diverse, powerful tribal experience that's not your hackneyed Elves or Goblins and that won't break your bank, then Clerics might just be your solution. Try 'em out--they're cheap to build and fun to play in any environment!
Thanks very much for reading my primer. I hope you found it informative, and any feedback is more than welcome!
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
I renamed the thread and made a few changes to fit.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
4x Order of Whiteclay
4x Edgewalker
3x Battletide Alchemist
3x High Priest of Penance
3x Ancestor's Prophet
4x Master Apothecary
4x Cabal Archon
3x Skirsdag Flayer
2x Skirsdag High Priest
4x Transcendent Master
3x Debtors' Knell
Land:
3x Starlit Sanctum
4x Orzhov Basilica
9x Plains
7x Swamp
Prevent damage, bleed my opponent out, recur my guys.
Cleric tribal with a minor humans theme (Skirsdag Flayer).
Use my tapping creatures (Ancestor's Prophet, Skirsdag High Priest and Master Apothecary to use Order of Whiteclay over and over. Only creatures the Order can't bring back are the Battletide Alchemist and Ancestor's Prophet.
Considering dropping the Ancestor's Prophet and putting Skirsdag High Priest up to 4 so the Order is that much more useful as a recursion engine. Possibly looking for more effects like Order of Whiteclay and Debtors' Knell to take advantage of my sac outlets (Skirsdag Flayer, Cabal Archon, Starlit Sanctum. Maybe some consistent card draw too? I'm worried I'll run out of steam, then again the recursion might help with that. Also, any cool cleric stuff I might have forgotten?
Cards considering:
Angel of Glory's Rise
Immortal Servitude
Marshal's Anthem
Patriarch's Bidding
Treasury Thrull
Pontiff of Blight
Thoughts?
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
I generally would recommend NOT running (i.e. cutting) Ancestor's Prophet unless you're a dedicated lifegain build. For more hybrid builds (like yours), the Soul Sisters are cheaper, more efficient, more easily fished up from the GY, and still provide great lifegain.
Or, if you're looking to focus more on the sacrifice-recursion theme, you could cut out the Lifegain element entirely. While it might be tempting to include a little bit of every archetype, I find more often than not you end up with a "jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none" deck.
To that end, Rotlung Reanimator typically fits really well in any sacrifice-based build; you can even turn the zombies into Cleric Zombies or Human Zombies with the use of Conspiracy. Food for thought.
The most glaring omission from your deck, though, is Mother of Runes. Even though she's not directly sacrifice-themed, I'd really, really, REALLY recommend finding some way to work her in. Ideally several of her. I cannot emphasize enough how firmly I believe she is the strongest cleric ever to see print and easily among the most powerful white weenies of all time, and how she pretty much belongs in every clerics deck that runs W. Cut Master Apothecary or Battletide Alchemist if you have to; they're great clerics, no doubt, but mom typically does it better for cheaper.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
The Ancestor's Prophet is there as a tap outlet for Order of Whiteclay. The soul sisters aren't as synergistic. The main engine is the sac and recur stuff, and the tapping is really good with that because it's an enabler and a way I can use my guys to survive the game longer without needing to worry about losing them in combat. Also with the tapping I can use the guys I've just brought back as well as set up the Order.
I considered Rotlung Reanimator, he might make the cut eventually, but I probably wouldn't throw in Conspiracy as it doesn't do much for the cohesiveness of the deck.
Same with Mother of Runes. I know she's good, but she doesn't quite fit the engine of the deck. She doesn't serve the same purpose as Master Apothecary or Battletide Alchemist (both of those actually serve slightly different purposes from each other in here). I don't plan on doing much in the way of combat with this deck, so her protection doesn't see much use in that sense, and as far as protecting my guys from removal, I can just bring them back. I felt like she then wasn't doing enough in this build, or covering ground that I've already got covered.
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
Well, between your Skirsdag High Priests and your Master Apothecarys, I personally think you've plenty of tap outlets for your Orders of Whiteclay already, or at least certainly enough not to warrant running extra guys at an expensive 5cmc just for more tapping (not to mention that your Order of Whiteclays can simply swing to tap and usually come out unscathed with their 1/4 body).
I'd rather not pay Q1WW on a 1WW creature to bring a guy back from the GY with renewed summoning sickness when I could simply pay T on a W creature to prevent that same guy from dying in the first place--not to mention that protection from a color is significantly more versatile in its usage, including, for example, protecting your creatures from enchantments that cripple without killing (eg Prison Term, Mind Control, Paralyze, and so forth).
I do see where you're going now with your deck, though, using Order as a recurring engine. Unfortunately in my personal experience I've found that he isn't as reliable of a recurring engine as he might look at first because of the mana cost of his ability. He's really strong, no doubt, but at a deceptively unwieldy cost.
But you'll have to see for yourself, I suppose. No doubt the people in your area play different decks than the people in my area, so with anything I say YMMV.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
Here's to hoping for some cool clerics in theros.
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
For the builds that go for a "critical mass" of clerics, Planar Guide does a serviceable job at protecting you from wraths. (While also doubling as an overpriced Fog)
Frontline Medic is one of the newer clerics, who along with Akroma's Devoted lets you just attack every turn with impunity and abuse the host of tap abilities the tribe has.
* Also, Witch Hunter if you hate the color pie.
Amen to that!
Aw, snap, Planar Guide and Witch Hunter are hilarious. I love clerics like those--clerics like Preacher and Exorcist that break out of the color pie and just go with the flavor of being a cleric.
And Frontline Medic isn't so bad either--momma does it better in terms of preventing the death of your creatures (and has just as much synergy with Akroma's Devoted), but Frontline Medic doubles as countermagic for X spells, so, that's kinda neat.
I'll have to add them to the list.
Grats on your first post btw, welcome to MTGS.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
4 Dark Supplicant
4 Shepherd of Rot
4 Withered Wretch
4 Rotlung Reanimator
3 Cabal Archon
3 Skirsdag High Priest
3 Graveborn Muse
2 Scion of Darkness
4 Doom Blade
2 Profane Command
2 Living Death
Enchantments:
2 Grave Pact
Lands:
2 High Market
1 Unholy Grotto
1 Starlit Sanctum
19 Swamp
I play mostly Multiplayer, so Shepherd of Rot is an all-star since it hits every player at the table. Using Cabal Archon and High Market, I can usually keep my life total just a bit higher than everyone else.
The deck either wins through clearing the board with Grave Pact and finishing with Scion or Demon tokens, draining the whole table quickly with Shepherd, or emptying graveyards with Withered Wretch, sacrificing my field and then playing Living Death.
Graveborn Muse gives me some much needed draw, Doom Blade and Profane Command are really good catch alls and of course, there's always a horde of Zombie tokens at your disposal.
EDH Decks:
- Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior
If you suggest a card to add to a deck, suggest one to take out as well.
Usually I wouldn't recommend Mikaeus because the majority of clerics are indeed Human Clerics, but in your deck MagnetMan he might work because you actually run a significant number of Zombies and other non-humans. In multiplayer he's also a neat rattlesnake, encouraging your opponents to attack each other with their humans instead of you (depends on how many humans your opponents play, ofc). He's a bit hefty at 6cmc--if your opponents are playing faster decks or heavy control it might be better to stick to the weenies--but if you can reliably stick him he's a pretty cool guy.
Is it really worth having 4x of Withered Wretch just for setting up Living Death? Unless your playgroup is full of GY shenanigans you're probably better off running him in 3x. I'd also cut one of your Scions of Darkness; you really don't need more than one.
Theros is bringing us more clerics for sure. Thus far we've got Heliod, God of the Sun (google it to see the card); he himself is not a Cleric, but he comes out for 3W, is indestructible, and spawns a 2/1 Cleric token for 2WW and gives all your creatures vigilance. Not really groundbreaking in a Cleric tribal deck, but it goes to show you that Clerics are indeed still a supported creature type now and will be in the future.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
I hadn't thought of all the interactions that Mikaeus has with my Zombies. Pontiff actually seems cool as an alternate win condition and works hand in hand with the Shepherd of Rot win condition.
Basically the 4 Withered Wretch were in the deck since they're a cheap Zombie Cleric and there weren't too many of those back when I first crafted this. But seeing as those two big bosses are also the same type, I can see making this change:
-1 Withered Wretch
-1 Scion of Darkness
+1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
+1 Pontiff of Blight
EDH Decks:
- Reya Dawnbringer // - Mistform Ultimus // - Balthor the Defiled // - Urabrask the Hidden // - Mirri, Cat Warrior
4 Fiend Hunter
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Master Apothecary
3 Doubtless One
4 Frontline Medic
4 Planar Guide
4 Akroma's Devoted
4 Battletide Alchemist
24 Plains
1 Ancestor's Prophet
Its basically a multiplayer deck when i feel like playing fun political games with damage prevention and not-losing.
Well, you definitely got the tags to work properly. Sorry I didn't get to your post sooner--I've been really busy with starting school again and I haven't spent much time on MTGS these past few weeks at all.
How's Planar Guide working out for you? I never really liked it myself when there are so many other 1-drops out there that really bring home the bacon, like the soul sisters Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant, and in your case specifically since you're running mono-W you can run the outstanding Martyr of Sands (9+ life on the pop from a 1-drop creature? srs?).
But, then, I don't play Clerics multiplayer much, so maybe Planar Guide has interesting multiplayer politicky interactions that I'm unfamiliar with.
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
This is the cleric deck that I've been running for multi-player. Lots of neat stuff to do here - most importantly recurring all your clerics repeatedly with Angel of Glory's Rise for massive lifegain. With this build, you don't really have to hold back against Wraths, because your main gameplan is filling your Graveyard with clerics to begin with!
Clerics make great effigies with Goblin Bombardment.
2 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
2 Rune-Scarred Demon
2 Angel of Glory's Rise
4 Mother of Runes
3 Master Apothecary
3 Auriok Champion
2 Devout Chaplain
3 Soul Warden
3 High Priest of Penance
2 Shaman en-Kor
2 Goblin Bombardment
2 Sneak Attack
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
4 Plateau
4 Scrubland
4 Arid Mesa
5 Plains
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Vault of the Archangel
2 Marsh Flats
1 Sol Ring
Over the next couple of days I'll be updating this primer with all the new clerics from Theros block. Real-life has kept me busy lately. :[
Legacy: GWR Enchantress <--That's my banner! (lol tinypic removed it)
Casual: WB [[Primer]]Clerics Tribal; BU Affinity
EDH: ...U [[Primer]]Arcum Dagsson; BG Legal Stax; B Illegal Stax
Proxy: .WX TriniStax
Other stuff: [[Official]]Shuffling, Truth + Maths
Perhaps on your return you could look over a build I am contemplating for a multiplayer setting - kitchen table mostly.
4 Scrubland
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Godless Shrine
4 Plains
4 Swamp
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Starlit Sanctum
1 Unholy Grotto
4 Soul Warden
4 Soul's Attendant
4 Suture Priest
4 Cabal Archon
1 Order of Whiteclay
3 Skirsdag High Priest
4 Rotlung Reanimator
1 Battletide Alchemist
2 Sun Titan
3 Conspiracy
3 Phyrexian Arena
1 No Mercy
1 Oversold Cemetery
Spells: 1
1 Patriarch's Bidding
Originally posted in the MP section, but also wanted to post it in the thread devoted to clerics
This is where I am after a couple of revisions...what do you think?
It looks pretty solid, I think - definitely has some teeth to it.
Even if i consider your primer very good, i'd like to ponder over some few cards:
Oriss, Samite Guardian - I disagree about it being overcosted for what it does. If you use a: tap outlet (ex: springleaf drum) + Order of White Clay + 2 Oriss = you'll have an eternal Orim's Chant effect. Sure, as a stand alone, its not a great card, but inside into a certain deck, it is wonderful (like Martyr, Daru Spiritualist, Shaman en-Kor, Soul Warden...)
Soltari creatures - unblockable punishment + pump (shared triumph/honor of the pure), enchantments or equipments, is just great to ignore (plus enchantment destruction with visionary). Not to mention the defensive capacity with pro red, pro black abilities, blocking any threats inside those colors, no matter their size. Those a cards great by themselves, no need of a deck to back it, were overused before, and still can provide a solid gameplay, so i can't agree with you analysis on those cards.
Beloved Chaplain - same as soltari, but pro creatures.
Orzhov Pontiff - shrink (or mass remove) opponent and pump yourself. With 4-5 creatures out, it is an alpha strike with an add of 4-5 damage to your attack. Sometimes it just clean the board and give you 4-5 damage to beat. Really great card, that will just not shine if you're not using a creature based deck, which is not the case.
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails - it single handles alot of things all by itself. It protects not just creatures but also other permanents like Shared Triumph. Can't think on any serious cleric deck ditching it.
Suture Priest: not just win you life, but also reduce opponent's like. 4x means opponent will lose 4 life for each creature he casts, 5 critters = 20 lifeloss, and game over. 1 Spectral Procession = 12 damage. How this card cannot be a 4x worthy? Remember cards that can win by themselves? You're making fun of me when you tell that you prefer a mere Soul Warden because it wins you life faster.
I think you based your avaluations on "decks of the moment" list, where Soul Sisters and Martyr/Proc are inserted, and that's why they all got 5 stars. Sure the decks are fine, not top contenders, but do a pretty nice job. Anyway the cards by themselves are not that great, provide some lifegain, and that's it. Vs aggro they just can't stand alone, so that's why they need dedicated decks.
Soul Sisters are meh without Pridemate and Ascendant (none clerics). Martyr is only good with Proclamation to back it, and still doesn't do much alone as the game goes. Lifegain only sustain itself if its backed with a solid removal pack to take out real threats (which can consume more lifepoints than you can gain), promote a great defense, and certainly add some offense aspect (without that you can't win).
That's why i think your analisys became biased, not avaluating the cards interacting with other clerics, but by their role on the decks i mentioned above.
I just wanted to show you this thread from a year ago featuring a deck by Dechs Kaison. He built a mono-black Cleric deck and took it to a couple Legacy tournaments, doing quite well. I think it's worth a look. See it here. I think it could be a very interesting addition to this thread and a great topic for discussion, even in casual.
Here's the last deck he posted:
2 Cavern of Souls
2 Cabal Pit
16 Swamp
CLERICS (19)
4 Skirsdag High Priest
3 Shepherd of Rot
4 Cabal Archon
4 Rotlung Reanimator
4 Priest of Gix
3 Graveborn Muse
JITTE (2)
2 Umezawa's Jitte
MAGICAL POWERS (16)
4 Dark Ritual
4 Hymn to Tourach
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Leyline of the Void
4 Surgical Extraction
4 Pithing Needle
4 Unearth
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
13 Plains
04 Swamp
04 Terramorphic Expanse
//CREATURES (24)
04 Soul Warden
04 Soul's Attendant
04 Suture Priest
04 Syndic of Tithes
04 Inquisitor Exarch
04 Blightspeaker
04 Path to Exile
04 Chalice of Life
00 Chalice of Death
04 Elixir of Immortality
03 Well of Lost Dreams
Blighspeaker can fetch it's other copies.
Children of Korlis (fog) is an option that can be fetched by Blighspeaker.
Elixir can recover wasted cards, specially blighspeaker that fetch himself, so the odds are that you'll be able to keep 4 copies into play, even if one or 2 get killed.
Its possible to win without a single attack.
2 Darksteel Plate
Creature
4 Beacon of Destiny
2 Devoted Caretaker
2 Fountain Watch
4 Frontline Medic
2 Grand Abolisher
4 Mother of Runes
4 Soul Warden
2 True Believer
2 Weathered Wayfarer
4 Flickering Ward
4 Honor of the Pure
2 Limited Resources
4 Oblivion Ring
2 Sphere of Safety
Instant
4 Angelsong
2 Disenchant
Sorcery
2 Plea for Guidance
2 Wrath of God
21 Plains
2 Aegis of Honor
2 Circle of Protection: Black
2 Circle of Protection: Green
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Containment Priest
4 Faith's Shield
It runs a bit like a prison deck, with some cleric synergy. It is a very casual build too.