ciaranhorrex

I do love the deck. I'm personally not a fan of the Celestial Archon, I want to be but at 5 mana it's a late play - especially for this beauty. There's a lot of white on the table, with your land's I think you've got it covered.

If I was to offer an alternative for the Celestial Archon, keeping with the spirit of the deck - maybe Titan's Strength. A trigger for the heroic, but also for the "MEGA-SWING" theme of the deck. Can also keeps things interesting between, will it be a Brave the Elements, maybe a Boros Charm, maybe a Titan's Strength - three very different options.

Assemble the Legion and Purphoros is a nice combo, not to mention Elspeth. However, I think your pushing a little late in the mid range - especially without any strong early threats.

Legion Loyalist - An amazing one drop. If they hit early they're a useful chump or at the very least a quick one or two damage before they get a threat out. Plus he's disposable enough that if it comes to a trade 1 for 1 it's not crippling. If he drops late and you have the Battalion it can turn the table on the opponent.

Truefire Paladin - A wonderful 2 drop. He's 2 mana for a 2/2 which is standard, but his abilities work brilliantly long term and in the mean time he can be an annoying threat with untapped mana.

Aurelia, The Warleader - I'd suggest reducing her to 1. She's a great asset to get out if you can - but she's such a late drop that I'd keep her in only as a momentary play.
/
Tajic, Blade of the Legion - A much better replacement. He's an earlier drop and a permanent blocker if you need it.

Archangel of Thune - A lovely card, but beyond the Fiendslayer Paladins I don't see a reliable life gain.

Overall I think you'll have real trouble getting the double colour mana needed for most of the cards. If you're going to play mutavaults, maybe take advantage of the battalion abilities a lot of Boros cards have. The Legion Loyalist can help keep them alive in this instance with the added first strike. There's also not enough focus to the deck, there are a lot of good, if not the best cards of their colour in the deck but not enough focus to take advantage of their benefits.

Aye, you're right. I tried a mono-white enchant deck, Ethereal Armour and Sphere of Safety screamed for it but the same thing would happen every time I played it. The big nasty was always dealt with, there's always a way from 'Put back in your hand', Exile, Sacrifice, Back on top of library, or even Pacifism.

Green has a wealth of options to help combat it if you're willing to go dual colour. I'll post a link to an updated BotG version at the end. The biggest requirement was for Hexproof - and BotG brings in the best way of token generation with God-Favored General (not to mention boosting Ethereal Armour and Sphere of Safety). Which covers most sacrifice and targeted spells and abilities.

Ajani's Chosen are nice but they're a 4 cost which means they'll be a while before they're out and they also don't generate 'enchantment' creatures. Great if you want to stick to mono-white though.

http://www.mtgvault.com/ciaranhorrex/decks/buffit-std/

Oooo, Psychic Spiral is an interesting addition. Shame to remove Tower Defence - it worked nicely with Phenax for an increased draw rate and for helping against flyers. If you can afford to bring more green in, maybe swap Tritons Tactics for Tower Defence? Depends I suppose if the untap is more useful.

Unless there's a particular reason for Indestructibility I'd recommend Gift of Immortality instead - placed on an Enchantment creature it'll proc Ajani's chosen when it re-enters the battlefield or cast on Auramancer will bring back enchantments everytime she dies.

I'd agree with Doorkeeper, certainly a classic for the deck. Mind Grind is a tricky beast, the mana ramp in the deck certainly works well for it but until you have board superiority or an enormous stack of unused mana I'd want to swap it for any other card in the deck. Control is paramount where as Mind Grind always seems like a great fast forward to an already guaranteed win condition.

I'd guess the Guildmage is there for something to burn mana on. With Axebane Guardian and Sylvan Caryatid there is a potential for a good stack of mana and little to spend it all on other than getting either of the 2 Phrophet of Kruphix earlier than usual. An alternative would be the classic Doorkeeper - gives something to burn mana on and increase the number of defenders.

On that note however, throwing in Oracle's Insight (BotG) would give that Scry and Card Draw to get to Phenax.

I am surprised there's no Psychic Strikes. I'd personally suggest taking out the Triton Tactics, it does up the mana curve but provides an option of removing threats which can't be dealt with. It's a personal thing, but I'd take out Doom Blade for Ultimate Price - it's slightly more versatile. Alternatively Devour Flesh is another alternative but less target specific.

Swift Justice might be the way to go, you can cast it after damage is dealt to Boros by a source but before his ability triggers, putting it on the stack and giving him Lifelink. With Boros Charm and Swift Justice the combo can be pulled off with 2W and 1R keeping it a surprise.

I had another quick look over the deck as it seems to be getting a lot of attention. You could look at losing Crypt Incursion - you're creatures look better served either on the field for extort or being whipped then exiled. And nothing in the deck really excels at putting the opponents in the graveyard.

I do see the potential in it for a mass chump block followed by a crypt incursion with Sanguine Bond but it's slightly circumstantial or if you're facing a blue it could be countered, so...

...Instead, I'd look at putting in more control, Ultimate Price, Doom Blade etc for those big creatures you can't gain enough life each turn to hold off. Or, putting in something to use your life on - a quick off the head thought in Boon of Erebos to save your Crypt Ghasts which are unfathomably key for their mana ramp and a huge target once the opponent realises it.

Dark Prophecy is great for the devotion and card draw - why not put a few more in to increase the chance of having it in the field, or swapping it for Read the Bones or Underworld Connections.

It would take the deck out of standard unfortunately.

Really nice idea old bean

Might want to look at adding:
4 x Into the Wilds
You can end up going through your library much quicker with this down.

Other Potentials:
Aetherize
Restore the Peace
Dramatic Rescue
Azorius Charm
Detention Sphere

By adding from the above and removing the below you'll turn your deck into standard.

Perhaps remove:
4 x Think Twice
3 x Urban Evolutions
1 x Terminus
3 x Augur of Bolas

I love Thrull Parasite, as a cheap black it packs some wonderful utility with the Extort and Counter Removal - however, the Basilica Screecher. I'm assuming it's there for the flyer, however as a flyer I've found it constantly been thrown in the way of something and never used as anything but a chump.

As an alternative, I'd suggest Nightveil Spectre. They can be expensive now to buy, ever since the blue devotion decks became popular but they serve one very important function as well as amazing flyer defence and that's mana ramp. My own mono-black deck (I'll put the link below) sometimes run into the same problem you'll likely have here, if you don't get that forth mana soon enough you're toast. You have to get those Crypt Ghasts down and a Nightveil can help you nail it much sooner by stealing the opponents land. Also, 3 black devotion.

For more devotion and flyers, you can't go wrong with the Desecration Demon - though it's damn expensive money wise.

Sanguine Bond is I see a crucial card to your deck, but you'll probably not need 4 - but the time you can cast 1 you should be either dead or in a position where it's simply putting that final nail in the coffin. I'd suggest going down to 2, or 3 at most.

Dark Prophecy - I can see why it might be here, but the only creature you'll probably really want to throw away is the Grey Merchant - it's just not offering the card draw you need. I'd suggest putting in Read the Bones for quick 1 on 1 games or Underworld Connections for big games.

Crypt Incursion - I can see this working with Sanguine Bond after the opponent as butchered your ranks for a surprise kill, I'd personally say it's too risky a move, but nice idea. As little on your side would actually put your opponents creatures in the graveyard it also limits it's utility.

Pharikia's Cure - I'd remove for Ultimate Price, Doom Blade or Hero's Downfall as you have no way of dealing with a large threat and these offer that possibility.

I'd suggest for a little flavour and as it works so well with Corrupt, put in Liliana of the Dark Realms. She's really cheap for a Planeswalker.

On the whole if you're going to play the Gray Merchant you'll want to up the devotion potential of the deck. Alternatively, think about bringing in White for Gift of Immortality on the Gray Merchant and all the extra extort the colour offers.

[ Mono-Black ]
http://www.mtgvault.com/ciaranhorrex/decks/demand-blood/

I actually like Soul Ranson, if I read the card right it's not them but you who draws the cards:
"You control enchanted creature"
"[...]Soul Ranson's controller sacrifices it then draws two cards..."

So they're down a creature / god / similarly difficult to touch creature, two cards and you're up two cards.

Oooo, good thinking. I know what you mean, the Crusaders are nice for 1 red mana but I always find there's just something else a little bit better which could find a home instead.

Did you spot the Martial Glory:
http://www.mtgvault.com/card/martial-glory/GTC/

It's another target 2 different creatures, or one which offers a little extra flexibility for +3/+0 and +0/+3. For 2 mana, it should fit into the curve. It's an instant, and if you feel you can afford to shrug off the life gain it might make an acceptable trade out for Warleader's Helix.

Hey old bean, there's a red/white I put together with your Assemble the Legion the other day:
http://www.mtgvault.com/ciaranhorrex/decks/best-defence/
Mind you, I know quite a few of these cards can be a bit pricey.

It's got much less utility and surprise, but takes advantage of multi-coloured creatures and the numbers you'd be attacking with. There's a few really nice ones like the Sunhome Guildmage - which if you have the mana can bump and create creatures. The more I look at it, you have some really nice surprise. The only card I don't like is the Court Street Denizen though I'm sure there's a reason she's there.

Looking at it, I'm not sure if it's likely you'd have enough devotion to take full advantage of "Erebos, God of the Dead". "Blightcaster" is nice, but "Agent of the Fates" with the two black mana might help with devotion and provide a more lethal result from an enchantment.

However, personally I don't feel the black component in the deck is nearly advantages enough. I'd suggest removing it entirely. The dual colour land, if you already have them great otherwise they're both expensive money wise and could slow you down quite a bit when they keep entering tapped.

I was building a deck with certain similarities, most notably playing on the benefits "Ethereal Armor" and "Sphere of Safety" offer with the Enchantment creatures.
Have a looksie if you're interested:
http://www.mtgvault.com/ciaranhorrex/decks/first/
The Fiendslayer Paladins and Frontline Medics are really strong cards but they're so expensive, I'd love to find a suitable alternative if you know of something?

• I agree, remove Psychic Spiral
• Goblin Electromancer, damn nice - can you pick up some more?
• "Warden of Evos Isle" 2/2 flyer for 3 mana which reduces cost of flyers by 1, must have.
• "Incursion Specialist" - I'd remove, he's not nearly as nice as the Cyclops as he only props from the second spell, not the first, third etc.
• "Curiosity" blue spell enchant which when the creature deals damage you draw a card. Could help build up the hand of instants. There's a lot of others, like Thassa's Emissary etc, etc.
• "Curse of the Swine" - I might be missing something, but I don't see it's place here.

Not that you'd have to of course but:
You have some nice cards which work off a "As enters the battlefield..." as such, there is a white card I think, which says, "As enters the battlefield place a 1/1 human token". Which of course works well with your deck. Lastly, there's the "Fiend Hunter" and "Oblivion Ring" which can create infinite loops for "As enters the battlefield...".

Looked the card up: Its the "Attended Knight" for 3 mana
There's also: "Captain of the Watch" for 6 mana

Exquisite Blood and Sanguine Bond - I love the combo, but I wouldn't place so many in there. With a multi-colour deck you could be sitting on Sanguine Bond and be unable to cast it if the land draw runs bias due to it's 2 black requirement.

A little FYI - Godless Shrine and Arch Angel of Thune - in particular, pending money situations and wether you have them already or not are crazy expensive. The dual colour gates on the other hand are very cheap, may as well throw them in.

The mana curve is also very high - with so many 5 cost cards it's likely you'll be throwing away cards while you wait for land to drop.

Slivers are great, but unless you're running pure sliver I really wouldn't recommend them.

Black has some mana ramp and some great card draw if you can get the life back. I'd suggest looking into them. The mana ramp would certainly speed the deck up. "Crypt Ghast" my personal favorite mana ramp and "Underworld Connections" for card draw.

Extort is a wonderful way of causing damage, getting life and using excess mana. Best of all, there are lots of cheap black and white creatures which have it. This means, 1 or 2 cost cards which have extort are still useful if drawn at a late stage of the game. "Thrull Parasite", "Basilica Screecher" and the "Tithe Drinker" you mentioned.

As a general thought, a lot of the things mentioned above can be accomplished with a single colour deck and thus be faster and more focused. If you want to run Black and White - I'd suggest really looking into what other cards exist in the B&W database.

Side note: The "Obzedat, Ghost Council" is a legendary creature so you can only have 1 out at a time. Now this is a personal thing, but if I'm running legendaries then I look at including a range of them. So have 4 different ones. It adds a little random fun and flavour. Unless your deck is built specifically around one of course. All the ghost council really does is 2 extorts as it enters. If you want to keep him, look for other cards which have abilities which trigger off "as enters the battlefield".