Main Deck - 60 cards, 27 distinct
Name | Edition | $ | Type | Cost | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rarity | Color | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Creature (25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Angel of Invention | $0.95 | Creature - Angel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier | $3.45 | Legendary Creature - Angel // Legendary Creature - Angel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Bygone Bishop | $0.13 | Creature - Spirit Cleric | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Cloudblazer | $0.15 | Creature - Human Scout | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Consul's Lieutenant | $0.12 | Creature - Human Soldier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Hanweir Militia Captain // Westvale Cult Leader | $0.45 | Creature - Human Soldier // Creature - Human Cleric | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Knight of the White Orchid | $0.81 | Creature - Human Knight | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Lantern Scout | $0.11 | Creature - Human Scout Ally | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Lone Rider // It That Rides as One | $0.22 | Creature - Human Knight // Creature - Eldrazi Horror | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Reflector Mage | $0.35 | Creature - Human Wizard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Thalia's Lieutenant | $1.00 | Creature - Human Soldier | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Whirler Rogue | $0.08 | Creature - Human Rogue Artificer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Instant (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Acrobatic Maneuver | $0.16 | Instant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Displace | $0.33 | Instant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Essence Flux | $2.95 | Instant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Long Road Home | $0.14 | Instant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sorcery (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Collective Effort | $0.24 | Sorcery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Artifact (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Skysovereign, Consul Flagship | $1.31 | Legendary Artifact - Vehicle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Enchantment (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Always Watching | $0.66 | Enchantment | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Planeswalker (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Jace, Unraveler of Secrets | $3.58 | Legendary Planeswalker - Jace | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Land (22) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Evolving Wilds | $0.08 | Land | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Glacial Fortress | $0.70 | Land | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Island | $0.10 | Basic Land - Island | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Meandering River | $0.06 | Land | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Plains | $0.07 | Basic Land - Plains | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Prairie Stream | $0.17 | Land - Plains Island | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince | $5.02 | Land // Legendary Creature - Demon |
Sideboard - 1 cards, 1 distinct
Notes
This deck resembles the white weeny human deck so common to Magic Duels in 2016. And it does occasionally play out like that. But . . .
It far more often plays like a mid-range or tempo deck, grinding out mild card and board state advantage until superior board state overwhelms. Many minor synergies and flicker effects take opponents by surprise, sometimes causing sudden shifts in game momentum that lead to this superior board state.
Some key card interactions that make this deck work:
When I have 2 white-mana-producing lands, 1 Knight of the White Orchid, and 4 non-land cards in my starting hand, I'm thrilled. It means that I start with immediate card advantage, perfect early mana (2 plains and the fetched Prairie Stream), an undercosted creature that works well on either offense or defense, and a potential flicker target (flick myself another land if I don't draw another for a while). As if that weren't enough, there are 9 cards in the deck that can potentially buff up this first striker later.
Before I get into the fun parts . . . let's talk mana.
22 lands is normally too light for a mid-range deck. However, most creatures and spells cost 2 or 3 so I can be putting these out while awaiting my 4th or 5th land. I view the 2 Knights as lands, but in a way they're better because I can flick extras if needed. The reason I have only 2 Islands is partly because I only need a splash of blue, but partly because the only way Knight fails as a land card is if I start with an Island as one of two lands (it can also fail when opponent plays little land, but that rarely happens).
Flicker fun is what this deck is really about. 13 creatures and 1 vehicle directly benefit from enter-the-battlefield effects. Cloudblazer is the most important, for the card advantage. But I can also get land, lifegain, bounce, copter tokens, or 3 damage (or make that 6 with the flick) from other cards, as needed. Defending a key card is also possible, of course.
Flicker can also be used as a brutal offensive weapon when combined with first strike. Perhaps the defender wants to block my 2/2 Knight with a 3/3 creature. Flick Thalia's Lieutenant . . . or . . . let's say I attack with a Lone Rider that has been transformed and is now a 4/4. The defender wants to take it out so puts up 4 creatures to defend with 3/3, 1/1, 2/2, 2/2. I can take out a pair of these creatures and then flick Lone Rider. It comes back as a 1/1 except . . . there was four life gained so it transforms again to a 4/4 at the end of the turn. 4 life gain for me, 2 creatures lost for opponent. It's all about grinding my way to superior board state.
And about that Lone Rider . . . how did I get it transformed to begin with? There are some obvious ways to buff up creatures with this deck having to do with tokens, or Always Watching, or Consul's Lieutenant. But less obvious too . . . let's say I have 6 lands and Cloudblazer enters on a board where the opponent has no first strike creatures. Then I can attack with Lone Rider and then flick it after its first strike. Gain 2 from Cloudblazer, 1 from Lone Rider, so it will transform. Pretty neat!
Here's a few more fun flicker effects:
• Destroy tokens with a flick of the Reflector Mage.
• Block a creature then get out of the way with flicker
• Combine the blocking and destruction with one flick of the Reflector Mage, foiling what might otherwise have been a devastating attack.
• Flicker untaps, which may be useful when you want to launch a multi-creature attack but must leave one defender behind to avoid a next-turn loss.
The list goes on . . .
I think the deck's worst matchup is against decks that have many board wipes. I haven't seen too much of this on iOS since Kaladesh came out, but if the meta shifted that way I'd have 3 Long Road Homes instead of 2, and I'd keep a creature in reserve in my hand, preferably Cloudblazer. Do note though that mass buffing effects with Always Watching, Thalia's Lieutenant, and Collective Effort do make this deck potentially resistant to Languish, Biting Rain, etc.
Targeted removal is generally not an issue. With 25 creatures, there are always more coming, sometimes 2-3 per creatures per turn. And, sometimes I flick a crucial creature out of harm's way.
It far more often plays like a mid-range or tempo deck, grinding out mild card and board state advantage until superior board state overwhelms. Many minor synergies and flicker effects take opponents by surprise, sometimes causing sudden shifts in game momentum that lead to this superior board state.
Some key card interactions that make this deck work:
When I have 2 white-mana-producing lands, 1 Knight of the White Orchid, and 4 non-land cards in my starting hand, I'm thrilled. It means that I start with immediate card advantage, perfect early mana (2 plains and the fetched Prairie Stream), an undercosted creature that works well on either offense or defense, and a potential flicker target (flick myself another land if I don't draw another for a while). As if that weren't enough, there are 9 cards in the deck that can potentially buff up this first striker later.
Before I get into the fun parts . . . let's talk mana.
22 lands is normally too light for a mid-range deck. However, most creatures and spells cost 2 or 3 so I can be putting these out while awaiting my 4th or 5th land. I view the 2 Knights as lands, but in a way they're better because I can flick extras if needed. The reason I have only 2 Islands is partly because I only need a splash of blue, but partly because the only way Knight fails as a land card is if I start with an Island as one of two lands (it can also fail when opponent plays little land, but that rarely happens).
Flicker fun is what this deck is really about. 13 creatures and 1 vehicle directly benefit from enter-the-battlefield effects. Cloudblazer is the most important, for the card advantage. But I can also get land, lifegain, bounce, copter tokens, or 3 damage (or make that 6 with the flick) from other cards, as needed. Defending a key card is also possible, of course.
Flicker can also be used as a brutal offensive weapon when combined with first strike. Perhaps the defender wants to block my 2/2 Knight with a 3/3 creature. Flick Thalia's Lieutenant . . . or . . . let's say I attack with a Lone Rider that has been transformed and is now a 4/4. The defender wants to take it out so puts up 4 creatures to defend with 3/3, 1/1, 2/2, 2/2. I can take out a pair of these creatures and then flick Lone Rider. It comes back as a 1/1 except . . . there was four life gained so it transforms again to a 4/4 at the end of the turn. 4 life gain for me, 2 creatures lost for opponent. It's all about grinding my way to superior board state.
And about that Lone Rider . . . how did I get it transformed to begin with? There are some obvious ways to buff up creatures with this deck having to do with tokens, or Always Watching, or Consul's Lieutenant. But less obvious too . . . let's say I have 6 lands and Cloudblazer enters on a board where the opponent has no first strike creatures. Then I can attack with Lone Rider and then flick it after its first strike. Gain 2 from Cloudblazer, 1 from Lone Rider, so it will transform. Pretty neat!
Here's a few more fun flicker effects:
• Destroy tokens with a flick of the Reflector Mage.
• Block a creature then get out of the way with flicker
• Combine the blocking and destruction with one flick of the Reflector Mage, foiling what might otherwise have been a devastating attack.
• Flicker untaps, which may be useful when you want to launch a multi-creature attack but must leave one defender behind to avoid a next-turn loss.
The list goes on . . .
I think the deck's worst matchup is against decks that have many board wipes. I haven't seen too much of this on iOS since Kaladesh came out, but if the meta shifted that way I'd have 3 Long Road Homes instead of 2, and I'd keep a creature in reserve in my hand, preferably Cloudblazer. Do note though that mass buffing effects with Always Watching, Thalia's Lieutenant, and Collective Effort do make this deck potentially resistant to Languish, Biting Rain, etc.
Targeted removal is generally not an issue. With 25 creatures, there are always more coming, sometimes 2-3 per creatures per turn. And, sometimes I flick a crucial creature out of harm's way.
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