Creature (23)
- 4x Knight Exemplar
- 2x Knight of the White Orchid
- 3x Leonin Skyhunter
- 3x Mirran Crusader
- 2x Phyrexian Metamorph
- 4x Puresteel Paladin
- 2x Spellskite
- 3x Student of Warfare
Land (20)
Artifact (12)
- 4x Aether Vial
- 1x Basilisk Collar
- 3x Mox Opal
- 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
- 2x Sword of Fire and Ice
- 1x Sword of Light and Shadow
Instant (4)
Sorcery (1)
Sideboard
Sorcery (2)
Maybeboard
Looking for something a little Different in Modern?
art by XeRo DatA
This is my own personal take on how to abuse the Knight Tribal and Puresteel Paladin.
The main theme of this deck revolves around Puresteel Paladin and abusing overlapping "protection" stats from the main beaters and the Swords themselves to create an aggressive, destructive host of rampaging knights. Standard removal (Path to Exile) round out the package.
Below, I'm going to take you in-depth through each of my card decisions. If you have any suggestions or questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment! I'm trying to make the deck the best it can be. (note I just made a massive change, and I am still updating the guide. Sorry if it's inaccurate.)
Creatures
Knight Exemplar: I'm going to start with the most obvious inclusion to this deck. Knight Exemplar is an absolute must in any knight tribal, and a huge part of what allows knights to function. Including her was a no-brainer, simple as that.
Mirran Crusader: It is almost universally agreed that this guy is the best beater that knights have at the moment. Not only does he have a built-in double strike, which allows him to double-proc the Swords in question, he has protection from green, making him Tarmogoyf's worst nightmare. This guy will eat Goyf for breakfast, and that alone is reason to run 3 of him at least, if not 4.
Student of Warfare: The best 1 drop knight there is, no bones about it. It doesn't matter what stage of the game this little fella comes in, he can turn into major threat and can eek some usefulness out of slow hands that don't immediately give a turn 2. In this deck though, not having a turn 2 is very unlikely.
Puresteel Paladin: This guy is -the man-, the one who holds this deck together through sheer force of will. He gives you draw and halves the cost of the Swords, not to mention that you get to shuffle the swords around for free. Not much else needs to be said, he's just an amazing card for this deck.
Leonin Skyhunter: Flying + Swords = Happy-Happy Funtimes!
Phyrexian Metamorph: Another Knight Exemplar? Another Sword of Fire and Ice? Another Spellskite ? A Mirran Crusader? The two life is by far worth the amount of options that this guy gives you. Plus, he bumps up you artifact count, even as a creature!
Knight of the White Orchid: Good for evening out the playing field vs. many ramp decks.
Spellskite : This one really needs no explanation. Also: Artifact count, woohoo!
Artifacts
Mox Opal: It's price is only matched by it's ridiculous utility. If you want to drop the price of this deck by about 200 bucks, replace it with Paradise Mantle.
Aether Vial : This is an insane card, and a prime target for artifact hate. It allows you to cast creatures as instants (wait till lightning bolt, then heeellooo Knight Exemplar), cast an extra creature a turn, or surprise the enemy by casting a creature during their end phase. It also gets Puresteel Paladin close to his 3 artifact requirement for his equip ability, which is extremely important in this deck.
Sword of Fire and Ice: The best among the swords, damage and card draw are both amazing things to have, as well as immunity to control spells like Vapor Snag and burn spells such as Lightning Bolt. With this card and the extra draw from Puresteel, you should never topdeck while playing this deck.
Sword of Feast and Famine: Another excellent card, it can force the enemy player to top-deck, while giving you free reign to cast full mana for a turn and still be able to quickly protect your creatures with Brave the Elements.
Sword of Light and Shadow: While not quite as good as the other 2 swords in this deck, the lifegain and graveyard return are nice to have in the deck, especially since you will be able to cast the creature during your end phase, either with Aether Vial or Sword of Feast and Famine.
Basilisk Collar: This is included as a one-off, is pretty nice, and can be tutored for with Steelshaper's Gift and copied with Metamorph.
Lands
blinkmouth nexus: Can be used to fly swords over a stalemate, and adds to the artifact count for 1 mana. Not bad at all.
Plains: I was hesitant to include this card in the deck, but after much hemming and hawing I decided to go for it. If it doesn't work out, I can always replace it with a better card for the slot. (lol, I'm 2silly4myself).
Cavern of Souls: Great for any tribal deck, even if it's mono-colored. Stops counter decks in their tracks. I only really need 1 on the field for this deck however, as Aether Vial itself dodges counters. A full playset is not really required. A nice buff, but not something to lose your mind over.
Ghost Quarter: Was originally sideboarded, but there's really no reason to to just mainboard a few of them. We'll see how they work out.
Instants and Sorceries
Path to Exile: Best white removal in the game. 'Nuff said.
Brave the Elements: One of the best protection spells there is, it has the advantage of not only protecting your creatures from damage and making them hexproof to a color for a turn, but can also make them unblockable, giving it a ton of flexibility.
Steelshaper's Gift: This card can be used to tutor out whichever sword I please, or any other artifact for that matter. It's a nice little boost, and doesn't hurt the deck no matter what stage of the game it's drawn.
Sideboard
Ethersworn Canonist: This card is actually pretty good for the deck. Aether Vial does not count as a spell when it casts a creature, so I am psuedo-immune from her effects. My opponents, however, are not, and will be slowed down markedly. Kills Storm, and annoys Aggro.
Torpor Orb: Soul Sisters? More like Soul... Sissies? I got nothin'.
Rest in Peace: Counters Golgari, some Mill and Reanimator decks.
Mana Tithe: It's not often that you see white throwing out Counterspells. A good mindgame to foil over-eager kikki/twin players who want to get their combo out as quickly as possible. All this will really do is buy some time, but then, what deck doesn't like an extra turn to operate?
Wrath of God: When the going gets tough, the tough wipes the damn board and starts over... mostly. If you have Knight Exemplar out and about, then you'll be left with your own motley crew, while the enemy will most likely be left with nothing.
Suppression Field: Slows down Pod, Kiki and Twin I believe. I would prefer Linvala, but MONEY. A funny thing to say in regards to a deck this expensive, I know, but I do have limits.
Maybeboard
Leonin Shikari: If there was a place for her in this deck, she'd go in. Alas, there isn't.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence : This is, in all probability, an even better pick for Indomitable Archangel's slot. Dat price tag tho...
Sword of Vengeance: Amazing card, and I love it... but I'm having a hard time finding something to kick to make room for it. Everything else is just better for what I need at the moment.
Pariah's Shield: This started off as a joke, but this card, when combined with the indestructible knights you have on the field, and the shroud that the Archangel gives... this card could very easily render Kiki/Twin completely impotent at T5, which is usually when their big play goes down. Considering side-boarding 2, would replace 3 Brave the Elements with this and 1 Steelshaper's Gift.
~~~
A special thanks to PlattBonnay, MetaphysicalxProdigy and safearus, who really helped take the deck up to another level.
If you enjoyed this deck and love Knights, you may also want to stop by
The Junkyard Crusade
Modern*
SCORE: 45 | 126 COMMENTS | 6299 VIEWS | IN 18 FOLDERS
And that's that! I would deeply appreciate any questions or comments or +1s you have to give. Thanks for reading!
Suggestions
Updates Add
Comments View Archive
Attention! Complete Comment Tutorial! This annoying message will go away once you do!
Important! Formatting tips — Comment Tutorial — markdown syntax
Please login to comment
Revision 24 See all
(9 years ago)
| -1 | Batterskull | maybe |
| -1 | Linvala, Keeper of Silence | maybe |
| -1 | Quest for the Holy Relic | maybe |
| Top Ranked |
|
| Date added | 10 years |
| Last updated | 9 years |
| Legality | This deck is Modern legal. |
| Rarity (main - side) | 10 - 3 Mythic Rares 28 - 7 Rares 10 - 2 Uncommons 0 - 3 Commons |
| Cards | 60 |
| Avg. CMC | 1.90 |
| Folders | Favorite Decks, Net Decks, Decks!, Decks I Like, modern, decks, cooldecks, Modern, Decks to build, Modern |
| Votes | |
| Ignored suggestions | |
| Shared with | |
| Views |