I'd first pick Vexing Devil in a heartbeat. Then sell it and draft again.
No, but seriously, I would have played Vexing Devil in that R/W humans aggro deck. Coming down for 4 damage early or a 4/3 body late is basically exactly what the deck wants.
Still a work in progress. Feedback of all kinds appreciated!
Introduction:
So, I just went undefeated yesterday at FNM with R/W Humans, and I felt like sharing my thoughts about this incredibly powerful, synergistic, consistent, fast, and resilient archetype. Case in point: During my final game, my opponent had gained 8 life and had been casting removal and blockers up to the 7th turn... and I had him whittled down to 2 life anyways. He untapped, played a land, and cast his trump: Angel of Glory's Rise, bringing back 4 creatures, 2 of which Cathedral Sanctifier. And I blew through him and won anyways.
The goal of this deck essentially is to overwhelm your opponents with a mass of on-curve creatures, storming through pinpoint removal and few blockers, and finishing with burn if necessary. Effective countermeasures are few, and the dearth of good removal only helps. Also, piloting a deck that goes T1 creature, T2, creature, T3 creature, T4 two creatures while they flounder around with a wall or two feels like you're the only poison player in a pod of Scars. You can't help but smirk inside as they win the coin flip and elect to draw based on the supposed "slowness" of the format.
So, what drives the deck? Essentially, it's the incredible red commons and uncommons backed by white support. Though red and white probably are the two most contested colors (I ended up with exactly 23 cards in the two colors, making my inclusion decisions a lot easier xP), you can fight for the removal and better creatures knowing that the one-drops are most likely going to wheel. The human tribal support, while optional, can also be completely nuts: my only tribal card, Kessig Malcontents, was always at least a Bolt and could go beyond Lava Axe all while furthering your board position. A smattering of removal/tricks/equipment/auras helps, but at your core you want 16-18 creatures costing 4 or less.
Individual Card Choices:
(Uncommons and Commons only. Subcategories are ordered from most to least desirable. * denotes cards I lack experience piloting. I'll add in rares if you guys want, but it'd be all theorycrafting.)
Creatures:
1-Drops (2-4):
(These start the early pressure and fit in gaps in your curve. Stonewright would be the only early pick; the rest should come late.)
Stonewright*- Worse than all the other options early on, but has incredible relevance later. Pair it with evasion if possible, but it can turn basically anything into a massive threat they have to trade for while it itself stays back. Somberwald Vigilante- Better than it looks. Will first-strike out annoying 1-toughness defenders, and trade with 2-toughness. Midnight Duelist- Close in quality to the above; deals nicely with opposing 1/1's and randomly waltzes past vamps. Cathedral Sanctifiers- Worst of the bunch (unless you happen to face the probably-nonexistent mirror). At the very least, picking it means keeping it out of the hands of your opponents. Trust me, it is very annoying coming down on the other side (and it will be sided in, since everyone and their dog's mother is playing white); it trades with the majority of your creatures and gives them a nice buffer.
2-Drops (4-6):
(Crucial to your deck. A game with a two-drop is more likely than not a game you win. All of these (except possibly the Devil) are going straight into your deck.)
Kruin Striker- The card you'll have wet dreams about casting turn 2. If you're on curve (and if you're not you're doing it wrong), it'll consistently be a 3/1 or better with trample, bolting them every turn until they manage to trade with it; even then, you should have gotten a few points of damage in. Falkenrath Exterminator*- If you can get this through, then congrats; you've basically won. If you don't, this'll represent at least one more creature they have to block with priority, allowing the rest of your team to get through. Lightning Mauler- You probably won't be able to haste it out T2, and it's debatable if you even should; it'll depend on what three-drops you have. The dream, of course, is T4 Kruin Striker + this. Nearheath Pilgrim- Life? What do I even care? Well, in the less than ideal world, they'll usually have some kind of flying pressure which is hard to deal with in your colors. Lifelink basically negates that pressure, since flying creatures tend to be smaller to begin with. Also, they'll be trying to kill trade with this, while your Kruin Strikers are surviving to swing for even more damage. As with Sanctifiers, you don't want to see it played against you either; unlike Sanctifiers, you are never going to cut it from your 40. Moorland Inquisitor- Moor often, you'll be threatening first strike rather than actually using it. A bear with occasional upside is exactly what fits in your deck, even if you're not going to be excited about it. Thraben Valiant- Unlike first-strike, Vigilance will almost never be relevant, and the loss of one toughness hurts quite a lot as well. Play this anyways. Scalding Devil*- The only non-auto-include, since a 1/1 for 2 just doesn't cut it. The few points of damage you could lategame them with would have just been dealt straight-up if it had been a 2/1 instead. And it's not a human, which is actually going to be quite relevant.
3-Drops (4-6):
(The bread and butter of your deck. Casting these one after another starting from T3 is the path to victory.)
Fervant Cathar- This guy? When there are 3/3 angels and other OP cards in contention? Believe it or not, casting this guy always feels like casting Time Walk (and Time Walk is good in this deck). Advancing your board state and letting your entire team punch through the blocker your opponent had been counting on is the other half of your fantasy that started with T1 Vigilante T2 Striker. And it's not even an unrealistic one. Kessig Malcontents- If Cathar is Time Walk, Malcontents is, again, something from a Bolt to a Lava Axe, and attached to a good body to boot. Any way you cut it, it'll be great card. Slowroll it if possible, of course, but don't be malcontent to cast it T3 to fill out your curve. Emancipation Angel- Though the upper two are better in your deck, this one will be fought over more. And for good reason; this unDefangs your guys, recycles your Sanctifiers (as if you cared), and at worst bounces a land. When you have three lands out adding a fourth isn't incredibly important, and often enough you'll miss on lands for it not to have mattered anyways. Did I mention that a 3/3 flyer is good? A 3/3 flyer is good. If only it were human... Riot Ringleader* Hanweir Lancer Angel's Tomb Thatcher Revolt Moonlight Geist- The difference between 3-power flying and 2-power flying can be quite significant. Since you plan on attacking with all your creatures anyways, a 2/1 flying isn't that much better than a nonflyer, and you'd rarely make use of the ability as well. And it's not a human; I suspect any of the non-Devil two-drops are better than this. Farbog Explorer
4-Drops (3-5):
To come!
5-Drops (and above)
At this point, you're probably doing it wrong; your deck already be positioned to win when you are here. Maybe one, maybe two, but it'd have to be one of the angels. The same note about hating on life-gaining creatures applies to Goldnight Redeemer.
Spells (5-7):
To come!
Removal Equipment/Auras Tricks
Lands:
You'll want to play 17, probably about a 9/8 mix of Mountains and Plains depending on your pool. If you have any of the Angels, it'd go lower for the double-colored casting cost; the only red-intense card you'll play will probably be Stonewright.
About Splashing:
Don't. Part of the appeal of this deck is the absolute consistency of its curve; in my 6 games, I never once had to mulligan. Though you might gain a bit more raw power by splashing, you're diluting your ability to have the colors to be on curve which is the heart of the deck.
Comments? Questions? Thoughts? Contentions? Post them all! Especially the last xD.
Each planeswalker has a number of loyalty abilities, which are activated abilities with loyalty symbols in their costs. Loyalty abilities follow special rules: A player may activate a loyalty ability of a permanent he or she controls any time he or she has priority and the stack is empty during a main phase of his or her turn, but only if none of that permanent’s loyalty abilities have been activated that turn. See rule 606, "Loyalty Abilities.
I didn't find Entreat the Angels all that awesome- though probably because the one time I miracled it (for 1), my opponent had both Bonfire of the Damned and Terminus to clean up.
I hardcast it for 13 once; that was rather ~snip since it didn't impact the game too much (there was a massive aerial and ground stall,) but it let me stabilize through an opposing Temporal Mastery, and eventually deck out my opponent.
Wizards has been slapping any non-aggro strategy in the fact for several years now, and one way they've made sure is by not printing a single artifact mana source since everflowing chalice thats even usable.
Sphere of the Suns and Pristine Talisman are both seeing a respectable amount of play. The current format is certainly not just aggro- even if that's what most players choose, there are plenty of other legitimate options.
Please don't throw together your mythics at the last minute. Those things are supposed to sell the set, not have a never-realized "potential for awesomeness".
I thought Burden was actually decent for limited- like a claustrophobia that is significantly easier to cast, but has an upkeep cost.
Would have gone for Archangel's Light... I thought all the equipment was pretty overcosted and underwhelming, as were the auras. I'll vote for Beguiler of Wills, though.
Has a anti-regeneration clause tacked on.
Worth noting: Unlike Dismember and Tragic Slip, this doesn't kill Indestructible (Falkenrath Noble) as well.
No, but seriously, I would have played Vexing Devil in that R/W humans aggro deck. Coming down for 4 damage early or a 4/3 body late is basically exactly what the deck wants.
So, I just went undefeated yesterday at FNM with R/W Humans, and I felt like sharing my thoughts about this incredibly powerful, synergistic, consistent, fast, and resilient archetype. Case in point: During my final game, my opponent had gained 8 life and had been casting removal and blockers up to the 7th turn... and I had him whittled down to 2 life anyways. He untapped, played a land, and cast his trump: Angel of Glory's Rise, bringing back 4 creatures, 2 of which Cathedral Sanctifier. And I blew through him and won anyways.
9 Mountain
8 Plains
One Drops:
2 Somberwald Vigilante
1 Midnight Duelist
Two Drops:
2 Kruin Striker
1 Nearheath Pilgrim
1 Thraben Valiant
1 Moorland Inquisitor
2 Fervent Cathar
1 Kessig Malcontents
1 Moonlight Geist
Four Drops:
2 Seraph of Dawn
2 Mad Prophet
1 Midvast Protector
2 Thunderous Wrath
1 Lightning Potential
1 Bladed Bracers
1 Zealous Strike
1 Call to Serve
The goal of this deck essentially is to overwhelm your opponents with a mass of on-curve creatures, storming through pinpoint removal and few blockers, and finishing with burn if necessary. Effective countermeasures are few, and the dearth of good removal only helps. Also, piloting a deck that goes T1 creature, T2, creature, T3 creature, T4 two creatures while they flounder around with a wall or two feels like you're the only poison player in a pod of Scars. You can't help but smirk inside as they win the coin flip and elect to draw based on the supposed "slowness" of the format.
So, what drives the deck? Essentially, it's the incredible red commons and uncommons backed by white support. Though red and white probably are the two most contested colors (I ended up with exactly 23 cards in the two colors, making my inclusion decisions a lot easier xP), you can fight for the removal and better creatures knowing that the one-drops are most likely going to wheel. The human tribal support, while optional, can also be completely nuts: my only tribal card, Kessig Malcontents, was always at least a Bolt and could go beyond Lava Axe all while furthering your board position. A smattering of removal/tricks/equipment/auras helps, but at your core you want 16-18 creatures costing 4 or less.
(Uncommons and Commons only. Subcategories are ordered from most to least desirable. * denotes cards I lack experience piloting. I'll add in rares if you guys want, but it'd be all theorycrafting.)
1-Drops (2-4):
(These start the early pressure and fit in gaps in your curve. Stonewright would be the only early pick; the rest should come late.)
Stonewright*- Worse than all the other options early on, but has incredible relevance later. Pair it with evasion if possible, but it can turn basically anything into a massive threat they have to trade for while it itself stays back.
Somberwald Vigilante- Better than it looks. Will first-strike out annoying 1-toughness defenders, and trade with 2-toughness.
Midnight Duelist- Close in quality to the above; deals nicely with opposing 1/1's and randomly waltzes past vamps.
Cathedral Sanctifiers- Worst of the bunch (unless you happen to face the probably-nonexistent mirror). At the very least, picking it means keeping it out of the hands of your opponents. Trust me, it is very annoying coming down on the other side (and it will be sided in, since everyone and their dog's mother is playing white); it trades with the majority of your creatures and gives them a nice buffer.
2-Drops (4-6):
(Crucial to your deck. A game with a two-drop is more likely than not a game you win. All of these (except possibly the Devil) are going straight into your deck.)
Kruin Striker- The card you'll have wet dreams about casting turn 2. If you're on curve (and if you're not you're doing it wrong), it'll consistently be a 3/1 or better with trample, bolting them every turn until they manage to trade with it; even then, you should have gotten a few points of damage in.
Falkenrath Exterminator*- If you can get this through, then congrats; you've basically won. If you don't, this'll represent at least one more creature they have to block with priority, allowing the rest of your team to get through.
Lightning Mauler- You probably won't be able to haste it out T2, and it's debatable if you even should; it'll depend on what three-drops you have. The dream, of course, is T4 Kruin Striker + this.
Nearheath Pilgrim- Life? What do I even care? Well, in the less than ideal world, they'll usually have some kind of flying pressure which is hard to deal with in your colors. Lifelink basically negates that pressure, since flying creatures tend to be smaller to begin with. Also, they'll be trying to kill trade with this, while your Kruin Strikers are surviving to swing for even more damage. As with Sanctifiers, you don't want to see it played against you either; unlike Sanctifiers, you are never going to cut it from your 40.
Moorland Inquisitor- Moor often, you'll be threatening first strike rather than actually using it. A bear with occasional upside is exactly what fits in your deck, even if you're not going to be excited about it.
Thraben Valiant- Unlike first-strike, Vigilance will almost never be relevant, and the loss of one toughness hurts quite a lot as well. Play this anyways.
Scalding Devil*- The only non-auto-include, since a 1/1 for 2 just doesn't cut it. The few points of damage you could lategame them with would have just been dealt straight-up if it had been a 2/1 instead. And it's not a human, which is actually going to be quite relevant.
3-Drops (4-6):
(The bread and butter of your deck. Casting these one after another starting from T3 is the path to victory.)
Fervant Cathar- This guy? When there are 3/3 angels and other OP cards in contention? Believe it or not, casting this guy always feels like casting Time Walk (and Time Walk is good in this deck). Advancing your board state and letting your entire team punch through the blocker your opponent had been counting on is the other half of your fantasy that started with T1 Vigilante T2 Striker. And it's not even an unrealistic one.
Kessig Malcontents- If Cathar is Time Walk, Malcontents is, again, something from a Bolt to a Lava Axe, and attached to a good body to boot. Any way you cut it, it'll be great card. Slowroll it if possible, of course, but don't be malcontent to cast it T3 to fill out your curve.
Emancipation Angel- Though the upper two are better in your deck, this one will be fought over more. And for good reason; this unDefangs your guys, recycles your Sanctifiers (as if you cared), and at worst bounces a land. When you have three lands out adding a fourth isn't incredibly important, and often enough you'll miss on lands for it not to have mattered anyways. Did I mention that a 3/3 flyer is good? A 3/3 flyer is good. If only it were human...
Riot Ringleader*
Hanweir Lancer
Angel's Tomb
Thatcher Revolt
Moonlight Geist- The difference between 3-power flying and 2-power flying can be quite significant. Since you plan on attacking with all your creatures anyways, a 2/1 flying isn't that much better than a nonflyer, and you'd rarely make use of the ability as well. And it's not a human; I suspect any of the non-Devil two-drops are better than this.
Farbog Explorer
4-Drops (3-5):
To come!
5-Drops (and above)
At this point, you're probably doing it wrong; your deck already be positioned to win when you are here. Maybe one, maybe two, but it'd have to be one of the angels. The same note about hating on life-gaining creatures applies to Goldnight Redeemer.
To come!
Removal
Equipment/Auras
Tricks
You'll want to play 17, probably about a 9/8 mix of Mountains and Plains depending on your pool. If you have any of the Angels, it'd go lower for the double-colored casting cost; the only red-intense card you'll play will probably be Stonewright.
Don't. Part of the appeal of this deck is the absolute consistency of its curve; in my 6 games, I never once had to mulligan. Though you might gain a bit more raw power by splashing, you're diluting your ability to have the colors to be on curve which is the heart of the deck.
Comments? Questions? Thoughts? Contentions? Post them all! Especially the last xD.
Goldnight Redeemer + it gained me a total of 24 life in one game. I was perfectly happy to run 2.
I hardcast it for 13 once; that was rather ~snip since it didn't impact the game too much (there was a massive aerial and ground stall,) but it let me stabilize through an opposing Temporal Mastery, and eventually deck out my opponent.
Warning for Language
Sphere of the Suns and Pristine Talisman are both seeing a respectable amount of play. The current format is certainly not just aggro- even if that's what most players choose, there are plenty of other legitimate options.
Please don't throw together your mythics at the last minute. Those things are supposed to sell the set, not have a never-realized "potential for awesomeness".
Yeah. But then again, it doesn't matter if you're matching your life for theirs if you can kill them by so.
So, once you get it online, spend 3 mana making them lose 6 life, and with that advantage make both of you lose 14 life.
There's very little reason to prefer using mill to using straight life-loss as a wincon, especially when one body costs 3 less than the other.
(In computer programming ! means not.)
Someone back me up on this.
Would have gone for Archangel's Light... I thought all the equipment was pretty overcosted and underwhelming, as were the auras. I'll vote for Beguiler of Wills, though.