I am sure it has been discussed, but what about a singleton Hero of Oxidda Ridge? It is not something you would want prior to turn 4, however, everyonce an a while i can see you slaming him down turn 4 for a surprise win. Just a thought. Probably put spikeshot elders in board (they are not aggro enough for a game 1), then put in +1 Chieftain/Guide/Scamp and +1 Hero of Oxxida Ridge. Nice deck other than that. BTW i try to stay away from red decks, but i actually like playing against them. Its a do anything you can to live till turn 4 and if you can, its as easy as stabilize/win. :)
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Mana stability is very much an issue for this deck. My advice, drop all double black creatures, fill the slots with the mono white knight package, use of armored ascension is fine (because you will increase # of plains), I would also have honor of the pure and brave the elements put in. But then you are saying, well now what do i do with black. Answer: Splash. x4 marsh flats x4 (roughly) swamps x4 go for the throat x2-3 memoricide Good luck. I have tried the w/b knight deck and find it better at stopping valakut, however it pales in power against the rest of the current standard meta compared to my W/R Knight build. Take a look for some added options. (comments are always welcome) http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=158320
3 equipment in a 60 card deck, you might want to replace hawks with stone forge mystics. What are you planning on doing with this deck? casual play? tournament play? i have preached this on all knight decks i see on here (because i play them competively): the inclusion of emeria the sky ruin in tournament play is not wise. Keep this in mind. The current standard format is all fast. with only 1 difference being u/b control and to a lesser extent u/w (although with caw-blade decks, it is much faster). You will never make it to turn 7 with this deck because you are outclassed by all the others in the late game. Keep in mind that the build you are currently featuring is an aggro deck. And aggro decks are meant to be fast (i.e. kuldotha red/boros). Unfortunately for us, knights are a mid range aggro, so already has a strike against us. Valakut kills by turn 5, kuldotha/boros kill much sooner, even tezz decks can get inkmoth in for a two hit kill before turn 7. My advice - make this deck as fast as possible and you will see some good results. Keep it as is, and you have a few dead cards for most matchup, i.e. 4 emeria's, 2 sun titans, 2 white sun's. (although having a white sun 1-of can actually be a surprise). Suggestions. Cut the sun titans, cut emeria, cut white sun zenith, cut the equipment (unless stone forge mystic is in) and add such cards as, Contested warzone, Brave the elements, day of judgment (maybe 1 or 2 - to combo with exemplar.). trim your creatures down to knights only (maybe signal pest) and really play of the exemplar's exemplar ability. And if you really want to tailor this deck to fight a majority of decks. Combo with another color as a splash. Marsh Flats, Arid Mesa, Seachrome Coast. Heres my W/R Knights tourney deck that is doing very well. (comments are appreciated) http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=158320 Other options i have tried. W/B splashing for go for the throats and memoricide (memoricide = only good way to battle valakut) W/U (untried) but you can switch from aggro to control by basically switching to U/W control with a knight package. Hope this helps just a little. BTW if this is casual, keep your list like you want to play it, most importantly it is to have fun with your deck and play the cards you want to play (although i really enjoy playing w/r) Cheers!
Update 3/4/2011 - Just took this deck to local FNM. Only 18 participants, but piloted it to 4-0. Matchups - 1. Kuldotha Red. Game 1 was insane with nuts draw for Red. Game 2 and 3 Brought in Kor Firewalkers and Pyroclasms for easy wins. 2. U/B Tezz/Forgemaster. Game 1 was all Knights, until forgemaster combo'd into Emperion. Preboard i have only 1 answer to this guy. Thankfully Elspeth lands, wipes the board with ultimate with still 3 tokens on board. 1 Honor of the pure later, and we are shuffling for game 2. Game 2 U/B was never in it. Paladin, Crusader, Exemplar, Honor of the pure. Game. Post board Celestrial Purge or 2 for Tezzerett. Journey's come in for Emperion. 3. B/G Ramp. Grave Titans, Rampaging Baloth, etc. Game 1. B/G has turn 4 Grave Titan, followed by turn 5 Baloths, turn 6 Titan. Board is 2 Titans, Baloth, Battlement, 6 Tokens vs. Paladin. Paladin, Bladehold. He Swings in with baloth and 2 titans, and gets alphastriked with a brave the elements - Black. Game 2, he Mulligans to a 1 land, overgrown battlement hand on the play. misses 2 land drops, then plays battlement turn 3, which takes a journey to nowhere, earning a scoop. 4. U/B Tezz/Forgemaster. Game 1, he mulls on the play, i keep Student of Warfare, Lightning bolt, 5 land. (was feeling pretty cocky at this point, should not keep obv.) I draw 4 lands and all lightning bolts. Killing a tezz, and killing 2 forgemasters after first strike damage. Eventually 4/4 double strike Student is too much. Game 2. U/B Mulls to 6, keeps one land hand and never draws another. Too many people are afraid to go down to 5 :)
This seems fun! Let me know how it does if you take it to some tourney's or fnm's. I always want to pair any deck i make with blue for obvious reasons, but for the knight deck, i just couldnt see the power level. My WR knights for reference http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430
Good addition of Brave the Elements, one of the best cards in this deck IMHO. The Arid mesa's are currently useless without any red to splash for. I take that back, if your addition is to thin out your lands after you get the first 3 or 4. If that is the case, wouldnt hurt to put un marsh flats as well. if you are running into a lot of aggro decks, you could put in the Leonin skyguards instead of paladins, i just favor paladins more. Other than that it is looking better. Other options to consider, other than my WR list. You can try WB. With 4 Marsh Flats, splashing for x4 go for the throat and x2 memoricide (with 2 more in SB for jace/primeval titan decks) :) gl
the core knights are there, but the emeria sky ruin and sun titan seem to be slow, if you are trying to be fast, cut those first, if you are trying for more control, i would put in wraths mb +gideons Heres my list, i am currently practicing for a 1k, has FNM promise currently going undefeated recently. Take a look and let me know what you think, also you can try something similar to try to maintain speed. the two hybrids of the knight deck that i have made are W/B splashing for Go for the Throats and memoricide or W/R Splashing for burn. I favor the burn after limited testing. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430
Same here, everyone has got their variations, but i see that you have some suboptimal cards in that list, ie. signal pest (wouldnt you always want to draw a knight as a creature?) Plus keep in mind that if you are wanting to go to tournaments with this, you need to focus a little more on intent of deck. If you want to play aggro (which it appears), then focus hard on aggro, means no emeria sky ruins. By turn 7 you will be dead by rights by most tourney decks. Last comment. Wheres the Honor of the Pures. A great card for this mono white deck, and another reason to not play signal pest. Also, please take out infiltration lens, if you would like to run equipment, get the good stuff, and put in a stone forge mystic or two. :) Check my deck for an idea of the hybrid knight deck. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430
Lol you took my favorite deck and mutated it with pro tour cheap ness :) looks good, hows the mana for this one? more jaces? here is my knight deck, untested against caw-blade, but tested and good again u/w without caw tech. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430
Looks good for mono white, i still argue with mono white builds that the sky ruin is a dead card, because the metagame (i..e valakut, kuldotha, etc.) are too fast to ever make use of it, check out my standard knight deck if you are interested in some other variation http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430 let me know what you think
Yes it does. especially against aggro decks, but aggro decks are few, and you can always steal it back, remember if you use it to attack it is tapped by the time they can steal it back. Which means you have one more turn to grab it back for yourself before it is used on you. i.e. you swing in all in, with warzone tapped. their turn it is still tapped because you have it on your side, they swing, get it, (still tapped), your turn. Land is still tapped, you swing in get it back, etc. Also, against aggro decks remember they have them too, so you will be stealing theres just as much :) To my experience it only became dicey ONCE. against a kuldotha red deck, but it killed so many more things, like got me through damage against things i would normally never be able to, like forgemasters, planeswalkers with 4 loyalty counters, etc. a must include.
the deck is already slow. in current type 2 metagame, a sun titan, or a sky ruin, means you are dead on the board before you could ever use them anyway. This is the SLOWEST aggro deck. meaning its midrange aggro. Turn 4 or 5 against valakut you are dead anyway. i would maximize the damage you can do early. and then when your board is swept, as it will be many times post board. you need something to push the last few points of damage through. Check out my current type 2 for some suggestions. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430 tell mne what you think.
Ever thought of branching into a second color ;) With marsh flats and arid mesas you have two options. 1. black for go for the throat and memoricides. 2. red for burn and sweepers. take a look at my standard deck at the moment. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430 Let me know what you think.
I agree with the poster above. If you can get the cards, i suggest look at this decklist of mine. Let me know what you think. http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430
Thanks for posting Ghost. I thought about emeria a little, but at 7 plains to activate, i think it is too slow for what the focus of the deck is. In Tier 1 constructed, i think the only way it is viable is for the aggro plan. if my opponent isnt dead by turn 7 then i have already lost, most likely. Turns 1-5 is crucial against UB control and valakut for example, because after that, it is almost unwinnable. The focus is to do as much damage in those turns as possible, and then what damage i cannot do before my board gets wiped, (day of judgement, massacre worm) then i have red burn to finish off the last amount. or get rid of early blocker/accellerants.
i figured it would be too slow. Thanks for the comment. or if i am looking for some game changing bomb at that much mana, i might just put in a conquerors pledge. thanks for the comment
some Condemns or Journeys in sideboard. with the meta evolving around control at the moment (not talking about upcoming besieged deck) i would assume the removal might be dead in most game 1's. Maybe elspeth instead of ajani for additional white creatures, (pumped by warcry and Honor of course) Check my similar list: http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430
At first glance i was like, Hyena Umbra? Then i got it. Not sure of Day of Judgement goes in Main deck. Against Control decks, it may be a dead card. possibly in sideboard? Also Contested War zone posibly? If not possible sideboard for tectonic edges against man lands? since you are mono and can do with some colorless lands and still be good, at that time possibly increase the land accoutn a little. :) just thoughts. Check out http://www.mtgvault.com/ViewDeck.aspx?DeckID=145430 for my take on the same deck for tournaments.
Thanks for the comment, I should preface this with the deck is untested. I will be testing it soon, just waiting for my mirran crusader to come by mail. Other than that though, my only concern are the following: Leonin Skyhunter > Accorder Palladin (for two drop) ?? Any room for true conviction (maybe a 1 of) or is it too slow ?? i was having it in there instead of white sun, but white sun is just that a surprise end of turn bomb in this deck