Topic: Athreos B/W Aggro

Hello!  I am having trouble with this deck here:  http://deckbox.org/sets/696975\

The main strategy is to rush with lots of small creatures (Boros Elite and Soldier of the Pantheon) to put pressure on the enemy long enough to draw either Athreos or Xathrid Necromancer.  At this point, I either keep up the attack, sometimes saccing creatures to protect Cartel Aristocrat and force the opponent to deal with Athreos' ability.  If/ when a creature dies, I get a 2/2 zombie token.

This deck has had a lot of trouble with every deck I've played against, namely Rakdos Aggro, Merfolk Tribal, U/W Control, G/W Heroic, and Black Devotion.  All of these decks are owned and played by casual players, so none of them are too crazy.

Do you guys have suggestions for what I can change in the deck to help it perform better?  I am trying to keep changes to less than 10 USD, but if there is anything that would really be worth an extra dollar or too, I could live with that.

Thanks for your help!

Re: Athreos B/W Aggro

So you have a W/B aggro shell here, but are leaving out all of the Aggro elements past your one drops.  You also have quite a few cards that just do not fit into your plan and, in many cases, actually work against it rather badly.  For instance, sure, you can rely on Athreos triggers to try to take people out with Drown in Sorrow, but if the biggest threat you have is a 2/1, they'll just let you get them back and beat your head in with a 5/5.

So, what can be done to improve the list?  More aggro, more anthems, more ability to alpha strike.

Out:
-2x Thrill-Kill Assassin - you want more out of your two-drops and you most certainly don't want deathtouch for blocking (as you're not in the business of blocking)
-2x Fiendslayer Paladin - he can go in the sideboard
-2x Sin Collector - again, sideboard card
-1x Xathrid Necromancer - this is iffy, but going down to 3x won't be that bad
-1x Teysa - she's an EDH card, sorry...
-2x Silence - you could try this being really aggro, but I doubt it'll perform unless you run 4x of them main - and even then it's kinda iffy
-2x Drown in Sorrow - a board wipe is the LAST thing you want
-2x Diabolic Tutor - this is far too expensive and has zero impact on the board on T4 when, in reality, you should be about to win the game

So that's 14 slots we've opened up...

In:
+2x Dryad Militant - gets your count of one-drops to 10, making it a near certainty you'll hit at least one every game
+4x Daring Skyjek - tons of power for the cost, you're going to be hitting battalion quite a bit, evasion, etc.
+2x Spear of Heliod - who doesn't like a good anthem?
+2x Hall of Triumph - Given that Spear and Hall are both legendary, the 2/2 split will give you a decent chance of making sure you hit at least one, if not one of each.  An argument could be made to even kick this up to a 3/3 split.
+4x Brave the Elements - protection against damage, and, most importantly, a way to sneak that last damage in with an alpha strike

So that makes 14 to go back in.

Arguments could be made for quite a few other cards, but in reality, this will DRAMATICALLY improve the deck while costing somewhere in the realm of $6-7.

Re: Athreos B/W Aggro

Per usual, I agree with TyWooOneTime.

I'd like to try Sightless Brawler in a deck like this.  He's a 3-power 2-drop human that adds extra value with Athreos because of his bestow.

I think you should have Rootborn Defenses in your sideboard against U/W/x decks for Supreme Verdict.

I've also been blown out by a white weeny build with maindeck Oppressive Rays.  Really great for getting through Desecration Demon, Polukranos, and Courser of Kruphix and can stop Pack Rat shenanigans.