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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 7:00AM
#21
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Date Joined:
Jan 29, 2002
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 7:07AM
#22
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Date Joined:
Jun 21, 2012
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Total Deck Size: 40 17 Lands --------------- 10 Plains 7 Swamp 14 Creatures --------------- 2 Ajani's Sunstriker 1 Attended Knight 1 Battleflight Eagle 1 Bloodhunter Bat 1 Crusader of Odric 1 Duty-Bound Dead 1 Giant Scorpion 1 Guardians of Akrasa 1 Healer of the Pride 1 Knight of Glory 1 Knight of Infamy 1 Primal Clay 1 Servant of Nefarox
8 Other Spells --------------- 1 Divine Favor 1 Divine Verdict 1 Elixir of Immortality 2 Essence Drain 1 Jayemdae Tome 1 Safe Passage 1 Show of Valor
1 Planeswalkers --------------- 1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
I focused around Ajani with the Sunstrikers, combining them with the exalted guys, some combat tricks, and other life gaining. Guardians of Akrasa , Duty-Bound Dead , Giant Scorpion keep your opponents creatures on a distance, that's also why I put in the Primal Clay for some defensive flexibility.
Larger flyers could be a problem, that's why I kept the two Essence Drain 's.
I had my doubts about Jayemdae Tome , but it's a low curve and since I'm probably defensive a lot you could use your spare mana (when you don't regenerate or cast a defensive combat trick) at the end of your opponents turn.
Also doubting the Elixir of Immortality , but since I didn't have any big flying blockers I thought I put this in instead of another ground defensive creature.
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 7:39AM
#23
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Date Joined:
Oct 18, 2012
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 8:07AM
#24
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Date Joined:
May 22, 2006
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 8:08AM
#25
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Posting here as much so I can remember next week what I thought than for anything else. This Deck was built in 0:11:28 Total Deck Size: 40 17 Lands --------------- 7 Forest 1 Mountain 9 Plains 17 Creatures --------------- 1 Ajani's Sunstriker 1 Attended Knight 1 Battleflight Eagle 1 Bond Beetle 1 Centaur Courser 1 Crusader of Odric 1 Deadly Recluse 2 Flinthoof Boar 1 Healer of the Pride 1 Knight of Glory 1 Prized Elephant 1 Vastwood Gorger 1 War Falcon 1 War Priest of Thune 2 Yeva's Forcemage
5 Other Spells --------------- 1 Captain's Call 1 Divine Verdict 1 Farseek 1 Flames of the Firebrand 1 Titanic Growth
1 Planeswalkers --------------- 1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Notable omissions: Quirion Dryad - It just didn't seem to be pulling its weight, especially with all the amazing two-drops this pool has Timberpack Wolf - It's always just a 2/2. Every two-drop creature in my main is a 2/2 or 2/1 with upside (or green Doom Blade) One of the Sunstrikers - I had them both out originally to smooth my mana, but I decided it has enough potential upside to play one of the two. Seemed better than Dryad, which was my last cut. Guardians of Akrasa - By turn four and every turn after, I want to be jamming at least two creatures sideways Show of Valor/Divine Favor - Titanic Growth is definitely better and Bond Beetle is maybe better since it's a creature too. I would side in a Favor for the Bond Beetle if I felt I need the big butt on a dude. Elf Lord - My Forcemages don't need a lord that badly. Black - I don't like being 'The Exalted Deck'. It has significant weaknesses and can race poorly versus well-played removal/chumps. Black wants me to play islands, and even though I have a catacomb, I don't want to play islands. Black is slower and clunkier than the green, and rather than helping me splash amazing removal, black's land finding just finds more swamps. Black's creatures have a lot of activation costs, rather than just doing things when they show up, like the Forcemages. I like it when my Elephant tramples.
Questionable Inclusions: Flames/Farseek/Boars/One mountain - This is my red splash package. I felt it was the best splash available to the deck. Boars still get to be 2/1's at worst, and sometimes they march right off the top of my library into my opponent's face for three damage. Flames is excellent removal, especially for such a fast deck. Sometimes Farseek fetches a Plains so I can cast Ajani. Perhaps I should have two mountains? Healer of the Pride - There's not really a ramp or long game package in this deck, outside of Ajani. Haven't played with this card enough to know if it will pull its weight. Perhaps I'd rather the Primal Clay? War Falcon - I have four sources of Knights and Soldiers, and more than four sources of cards that I always trick myself into thinking they activate this, but don't actually because they are Clerics or Warriors. This card promises much and lets me down often, but I'll keep risking it. Ajani, Caller of the Pride - Haha, just kidding. He's the best bomb in the pool, well-supported in his color, and a great reason to be base white. Divine Verdict - It's a good piece of bad removal. It's too bad it's white because Knight of Infamy is a highly-played uncommon that will be problems for me.
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 8:20AM
#26
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 8:45AM
#27
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Date Joined:
Jan 11, 2010
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Total Deck Size: 40 17 Lands --------------- 11 Plains 6 Swamp 13 Creatures --------------- 2 Ajani's Sunstriker 1 Attended Knight 1 Bloodhunter Bat 1 Crusader of Odric 1 Duty-Bound Dead 2 Giant Scorpion 1 Guardians of Akrasa 1 Knight of Glory 1 Knight of Infamy 1 Primal Clay 1 War Falcon 1 War Priest of Thune 9 Other Spells --------------- 1 Captain's Call 1 Crippling Blight 1 Divine Verdict 1 Duress 2 Essence Drain 1 Jayemdae Tome 1 Show of Valor 1 Planeswalkers --------------- 1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
I tried keeping Blue in, and I really wanted to - Ajani is fun with Scroll Thief , Watercourser is fun with Exalted (and Ajani) around, and Switcheroo is just fun in general. It wasn't until I realised I was making myself run Negate over Duress that it occurred to me I was forcing something I didn't really need. With the Blue out, I got to devote a little more to early White, which meant Sunstrikers and War Falcon s finally got in.
Then again, with the small White creatures in and things like the Harbor Bandit s out, the Black portion of the deck is really only about the same size as the Blue portion outside. One could probably switch the Black out for Blue, almost one-for-one:
Total Deck Size: 40 17 Lands --------------- 11 Plains 6 Island 15 Creatures --------------- 2 Ajani's Sunstriker 1 Attended Knight 1 Battleflight Eagle 1 Crusader of Odric 1 Guardians of Akrasa 1 Knight of Glory 1 Primal Clay 1 Scroll Thief 1 Stormtide Leviathan 1 War Falcon 1 War Priest of Thune 1 Watercourser 1 Welkin Tern 1 Wind Drake 7 Other Spells --------------- 1 Captain's Call 1 Divine Verdict 1 Jayemdae Tome 1 Negate 1 Show of Valor 2 Switcheroo 1 Planeswalkers --------------- 1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Losing Knight of Infamy means losing some good early pressure (and support for War Falcon ), but I think this version 'tops out' a bit better with Switcheroo and the Leviathan over Essence Drain . I think the core of the deck was already pretty capable of making it in the long game, so it's at least arguable that shifting focus toward it is the better move...
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 8:55AM
#28
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 9:20AM
#29
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Date Joined:
Oct 29, 2012
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7 months ago ::
Oct 29, 2012 - 10:07AM
#30
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Date Joined:
Oct 29, 2012
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