My take on a white-based Bant midrangey/superfriendsy deck in standard.
The current meta version of the bant flash deck is green based and runs
Llanowar Elves
,
Hydroid Krasis
and the explore package with
Merfolk Branchwalker
,
Jadelight Ranger
and
Wildgrowth Walker
. I wanted to take the premise of the deck in a different direction and see how a white-based variant would perform.
This is definitely a WIP, testing on arena currently so the list is due some changes.
The deck has a fair few walkers in it but plays like a fairly standard midrange deck - try to curve out, kill the guys you're scared of, control the board to protect the walkers and punch face with Lyra.
The tag team of
Lyra Dawnbringer
and
Shalai, Voice of Plenty
is one that I've been playing consistently in a bunch of decks, and they feel equally at home here. Lyra is a card that a lot of decks just can't answer, and Shalai is still one of the most underrated creatures in standard (damn you
Lava Coil
).
Prison Realm
is a card that I think a lot of people are sleeping on - being able to get rid of a
Jadelight Ranger
,
Goblin Chainwhirler
,
Teferi, Time Raveler
etc etc on T3 feels SO good. It misses artifacts and enchantments but you have
Knight of Autumn
for that and I think it's worth one less mana. The scry is a nice bonus too.
Our ramp package consists of
Paradise Druid
and
Growth Spiral
. Paradise druid I like a lot, the alternative is
Incubation Druid
and I think both are viable here so it's personal preference really.
Our ideal turn 3 play is
Vivien, Champion of the Wilds
or
Teferi, Time Raveler
. These two have some great synergy going on and usually require and immediate answer. Works very well with
Frilled Mystic
, which ties the whole flash package together. These three are a staple of the bant decks, so I shouldn't need to say much else.
Sometimes
Deputy of Detention
feels great, as you wipe a board clean of 2 or 3
Hydroid Krasis
and fistpump the air. Then sometimes he gets hit with a
Cast Down
after you exile a
Jadelight Ranger
and wish you just had another
Prison Realm
instead. I think it's worth keeping him as a one-of, but I could be convinced either way.
Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
- is there much to say? arguably the most powerful card in standard, usually requires an immediate answer, etc. I will say that we don't have a lot here that synergises with his +1, only really a few counterspells and
Seal Away
in the side, but I still think he's powerful enough to stay in here.
Search for Azcanta
is amazing, letting us filter for whatever we need, including our planeswalkers, and has some really nice synergy with Tamiyo. Possibly a little slow here, but needs more testing. Side in/out for control or aggro as needed.
Time Wipe
vs
Cleansing Nova
is an interesting conversation, but here I think time wipe is better, saving a key creature like Lyra, or letting us re-play
Elite Guardmage
or
Knight of Autumn
.
Elite Guardmage
is a card I like a lot, very key vs red as it blocks really well and if it gets lava coiled or lightning struck it's essentially a 2-for-1 with some lifegain for us as well. Playing this never really feels bad, and I think of it as a mini
Hydroid Krasis
.
My favourite card in the deck 75 is
Tamiyo, Collector of Tales
. I may be biased because she's my favourite character in magic, but I think she just brings so much value, especially in the midrange matchup. I look at her as an
Eternal Witness
that you can possibly use multiple times, but she fills the graveyard herself too! Her passive ability comes up surprisingly often as well. She's in the side for the midrange/control matchup, and I'm considering shifting her to the main.
That's a fairly basic overview, also the many base is a little rough around the edges and probably needs some work. Any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
