Just a small tip for those running Cavern of Souls: Depending on your hand/board state, you might be better off naming 'Soldier' than 'Human' if you really need to land a Pridemate or a Legion Loyalist. Same goes for Purphoros fans - calling 'God' can be a lifesaver in control matchups.
You lose uncounterable Soul Sisters (and Confidants for the black splashers), but Champion, Ranger, and Mentor still work.
Hello, fellow Norin enthusiasts! Been lurking for quite some time, but thought I'd join the discussion at this point what with the shiny new thread.
After playing the game on and off casually for ages, last summer I finally started getting into some competitive play at a LGS. I've always been a fan of strange card interactions and love eternally tweaking/brewing, and Norin has been my project for the past several months. I've had success in beating some high tier decks like Twin and Junk, and figured I'd share my take on everyone's favorite cautious adventurer:
As with most Norin decks, the base is there. Norin, Soul Sisters, Champion of the Parish, and Ajani's Homeboy, and Purph are all in the party. Where I've diverged a bit is by taking it in the enchantment direction. (Shout out to cloudman for the inspiration in the old thread!)
I don't mind stalling for a while with life gain while baiting out removal with Champion and Pridemate. In fact, usually the longer a game goes, the better it is for me. Idyllic Tutor works as a wild card to fetch either Purphoros or important hate in game 2/3, while Heliod's Pilgrim has access to an assortment of tools to buff up the team while being a Human to trigger Champion of Parish and be uncounterable with Cavern of Souls. Ajani Vengeant is always nice to find - slow down the game until you can ultimate, or just use him for the Lightning Helixes. I'm running City of Brass because with the amount of life this deck can gain, it's totally manageable and allows me to explore splashes more easily. (Also I've been a bit paranoid about the Pacts since the recent Pro Tour.)
Why enchantments?
Typically I see Norin decks run the one-of Legion Loyalist to grab with Ranger of Eos for the finish, but if it gets countered or bolted on the spot, then what? I like having some redundancy and a toolbox to pull from: Angelic Destiny - Used when you have a small number of creatures on the board to make a Sister or Myr into a threat. Also relevant with Champion or Ajani's Pridemate on the field to give them evasion/first strike. Coming back to hand on death can be nice when it works, or will make the opponent groan to waste a Path to Exile on an enchanted Myr or Sister. Elemental Mastery - If you have a big Champion or Pridemate on the field, this ends the game. Fallen Ideal - When you've got a swarm of Myrs or Sisters, this can be used to essentially fling them all in one fell swoop. Also can give Champion/Pridemate evasion. (If you have City of Brass on the field.) Blood Moon - Shuts down certain decks as we all know. Make sure to grab basic Plains in advance. Mark of Asylum - This is more of a local meta call as I run into a lot of burn - especially Electrolyze which hurts our poor ladies quite a bit. Post board combines with Worship for a near auto-win against many decks.
In reference to the City of Brass above, I've also been looking into other options for these slots. Because we usually fetch these enchantments anyway, I'm slowly experimenting with things like Phyresis, Unflinching Courage, or good old Rancor. Just fetch the appropriate one based on what land is available.
Sideboard
Having a bunch of these enchantment fetchers also lets us have a huge sideboard toolbox of one-ofs to deal with lots of problems: Aegis of the Gods - Discard/burn effects. Leyline is probably better but out of my budget for now. Spirit Mantle - Relevant to defend against Infect or to push damage through. Suppression Field - Shuts down Splinter Twin, can help a bit against Affinity. Wheel of Sun and Moon - Prevents graveyard/Snapcaster shenanigans. This one's also an aura, meaning you can grab it with Heliod's Pilgrim as well. Curse of the Nightly Hunt - Pretty much an auto-win against Soul Sisters and Merfolk in my experience. Ghostly Prison - Generally useful against fast aggro, also against Splinter Twin. Curse of Exhaustion - Slows the pace of things down to go in our favor, but particularly relevant against Control match ups. They now have to choose very carefully what to counter/bounce on your turn. Worship - This will grind the game to a halt (works in our favor) or cause the opponent to concede outright. Hilarious if you can also have Mark of Asylum on the field.
Tough match ups
The decks that have been giving me the most trouble are Affinity, Infect, and various U/R variants that run burn with counters/bounces. (Though I haven't faced many control decks since adding the Caverns of Souls, which should help a lot.)
Conclusion
This isn't a deck that tries to win especially quickly, but it can take a beating and keep going - Norin is a survivor, if nothing else. Of course, an opening like Champion > Champion + Norin can win on turn 4 if you get the draw. I find it's just a ton of fun to play. Opponents are rarely prepared for the bag of tricks accessible with Idyllic Tutor and Heliod's Pilgrim. Being able to choose the most relevant win condition based on the current board state is a boon - if I already have Norin + Genesis Chamber, I'll pull Purphoros. Sisters + Ajani = Elemental Mastery. Random junk = Angelic Destiny.
Any feedback (especially about my trouble match ups) is very welcome!
You lose uncounterable Soul Sisters (and Confidants for the black splashers), but Champion, Ranger, and Mentor still work.
After playing the game on and off casually for ages, last summer I finally started getting into some competitive play at a LGS. I've always been a fan of strange card interactions and love eternally tweaking/brewing, and Norin has been my project for the past several months. I've had success in beating some high tier decks like Twin and Junk, and figured I'd share my take on everyone's favorite cautious adventurer:
Norin's Toolbox
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Norin the Wary
3 Soul Warden
4 Soul's Attendant
3 Ajani's Pridemate
2 Heliod's Pilgrim
1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
2 Ranger of Eos
Instant (4)
4 Path to Exile
Sorcery (2)
2 Idyllic Tutor
Artifact (4)
4 Genesis Chamber
Enchantment (5)
1 Mark of Asylum
1 Blood Moon
1 Fallen Ideal
1 Angelic Destiny
1 Elemental Mastery
1 Ajani Vengeant
Land (22)
2 Arid Mesa
2 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
3 Cavern of Souls
4 City of Brass
1 Mistveil Plains
3 Plains
3 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Temple of Triumph
2 Aegis of the Gods
4 Wear // Tear
2 Return to the Ranks
1 Spirit Mantle
1 Suppression Field
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon
1 Curse of the Nightly Hunt
1 Ghostly Prison
1 Curse of Exhaustion
1 Worship
As with most Norin decks, the base is there. Norin, Soul Sisters, Champion of the Parish, and Ajani's Homeboy, and Purph are all in the party. Where I've diverged a bit is by taking it in the enchantment direction. (Shout out to cloudman for the inspiration in the old thread!)
I don't mind stalling for a while with life gain while baiting out removal with Champion and Pridemate. In fact, usually the longer a game goes, the better it is for me. Idyllic Tutor works as a wild card to fetch either Purphoros or important hate in game 2/3, while Heliod's Pilgrim has access to an assortment of tools to buff up the team while being a Human to trigger Champion of Parish and be uncounterable with Cavern of Souls. Ajani Vengeant is always nice to find - slow down the game until you can ultimate, or just use him for the Lightning Helixes. I'm running City of Brass because with the amount of life this deck can gain, it's totally manageable and allows me to explore splashes more easily. (Also I've been a bit paranoid about the Pacts since the recent Pro Tour.)
Why enchantments?
Typically I see Norin decks run the one-of Legion Loyalist to grab with Ranger of Eos for the finish, but if it gets countered or bolted on the spot, then what? I like having some redundancy and a toolbox to pull from:
Angelic Destiny - Used when you have a small number of creatures on the board to make a Sister or Myr into a threat. Also relevant with Champion or Ajani's Pridemate on the field to give them evasion/first strike. Coming back to hand on death can be nice when it works, or will make the opponent groan to waste a Path to Exile on an enchanted Myr or Sister.
Elemental Mastery - If you have a big Champion or Pridemate on the field, this ends the game.
Fallen Ideal - When you've got a swarm of Myrs or Sisters, this can be used to essentially fling them all in one fell swoop. Also can give Champion/Pridemate evasion. (If you have City of Brass on the field.)
Blood Moon - Shuts down certain decks as we all know. Make sure to grab basic Plains in advance.
Mark of Asylum - This is more of a local meta call as I run into a lot of burn - especially Electrolyze which hurts our poor ladies quite a bit. Post board combines with Worship for a near auto-win against many decks.
In reference to the City of Brass above, I've also been looking into other options for these slots. Because we usually fetch these enchantments anyway, I'm slowly experimenting with things like Phyresis, Unflinching Courage, or good old Rancor. Just fetch the appropriate one based on what land is available.
Sideboard
Having a bunch of these enchantment fetchers also lets us have a huge sideboard toolbox of one-ofs to deal with lots of problems:
Aegis of the Gods - Discard/burn effects. Leyline is probably better but out of my budget for now.
Spirit Mantle - Relevant to defend against Infect or to push damage through.
Suppression Field - Shuts down Splinter Twin, can help a bit against Affinity.
Wheel of Sun and Moon - Prevents graveyard/Snapcaster shenanigans. This one's also an aura, meaning you can grab it with Heliod's Pilgrim as well.
Curse of the Nightly Hunt - Pretty much an auto-win against Soul Sisters and Merfolk in my experience.
Ghostly Prison - Generally useful against fast aggro, also against Splinter Twin.
Curse of Exhaustion - Slows the pace of things down to go in our favor, but particularly relevant against Control match ups. They now have to choose very carefully what to counter/bounce on your turn.
Worship - This will grind the game to a halt (works in our favor) or cause the opponent to concede outright. Hilarious if you can also have Mark of Asylum on the field.
Tough match ups
The decks that have been giving me the most trouble are Affinity, Infect, and various U/R variants that run burn with counters/bounces. (Though I haven't faced many control decks since adding the Caverns of Souls, which should help a lot.)
Conclusion
This isn't a deck that tries to win especially quickly, but it can take a beating and keep going - Norin is a survivor, if nothing else. Of course, an opening like Champion > Champion + Norin can win on turn 4 if you get the draw. I find it's just a ton of fun to play. Opponents are rarely prepared for the bag of tricks accessible with Idyllic Tutor and Heliod's Pilgrim. Being able to choose the most relevant win condition based on the current board state is a boon - if I already have Norin + Genesis Chamber, I'll pull Purphoros. Sisters + Ajani = Elemental Mastery. Random junk = Angelic Destiny.
Any feedback (especially about my trouble match ups) is very welcome!