"...and Lions, Oh My!" (Modern GW Cat Aggro)

Modern Aggro Casual Cats Collected Company GW (Selesnya) Kaheera, the Orphanguard Theme/Gimmick Vorthos

HalbrechtHalbrecht

Lions (26)

• 4x Loam Lion
• 4x Savannah Lions
• 4x Bronzehide Lion
• 4x Fleecemane Lion
• 2x Whitemane Lion
• 4x King of the Pride
• 4x Pride Sovereign

The Pride Lands (22)

• 4x Canopy Vista
• 3x Forest
• 7x Plains
• 4x Temple Garden
• 4x Windswept Heath

Strength of the Pride (12)

• 4x Path to Exile
• 4x Honor of the Pure
• 4x Collected Company

Companion (1)

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Sideboard

Other (7)

• 3x Brave the Elements
• 3x Heroic Intervention
• 1x Kaheera, the Orphanguard

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Maybeboard

Anthem (1)

• 1x Radiant Destiny

Draw (1)

• 1x Lead the Stampede

Other (1)

• 1x Razorverge Thicket

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What's this deck?

This is a flavor-first deck, focusing art-wise on the King of the Jungle. However, it still has a strong mechanical core. As a variation on GW Cats, it has a low-CMC creature-heavy aggro shell that capitalizes on CoCo.

Flavor restrictions — I avoided anthropomorphized cats (i.e. "cats holding swords", like Brimaz) as well as "kitty cats" (despite the power of some of those house cats). All the creatures had to be lions. The other spells sadly had to be more flexible, allowing Ajani and other humanoid cats in the art, but.... I've come to peace with that. The lands were also picked to feel like a lion could roam there (though I wasn't terribly happy with any version of Temple Garden or Canopy Vista).

Is it competitive?

Probably not. It's definitely strong at a casual table, with all creature's CMCs fitting into CoCo's requirements and with strong interaction in the form of Paths and Heroic Intervention. Even Whitemane Lion can help save a creature when we're on defense, though it's probably the weakest card (see "How can I help?"). However, the deck is lacking some of the stronger cats seen in most Cat builds, so it's never gonna win you a modern tournament. But who cares? You hunt with lions — let others hear your roar!

How can I help?

If you think lions are cool, or just love cat decks in general, please leave a +1. :)

Creatures — But while you're here.... I'd love any suggestions for making it stronger whilst staying in theme. In particular, Whitemane Lion often just turns into tempo loss when we cast it, since we have to recast the other creature (and this deck doesn't have ETB effects to take advantage of those recasts). The only card this helps with is Pride Sovereign, because you can exert him then recast him to be available as a blocker. Whitemane is alright in removal-heavy matchups, but I'd rather have something stronger in its place. (And no, I will NOT consider Metallic Mimic or its ilk. That's way more egregious than humanoid cats!) I will begrudgingly consider a humanoid cat.... but only IF its power level is strong enough to justify the thematic loss and IF it's a humanoid lion and not another type of cat.

Spells/Sideboard — I'm also very open to suggestions for the spells, and I'm more flexible on them having non-theme art. Is Heroic Intervention good enough? Or should I consider something else? And what are good sideboard options in the current meta? I'm pretty out of touch with where the meta is at right now.

Lands — Also, if you can suggest any lands or arts you think complement the theme better, please let me know! Just keep in mind that I want all duals to have basic land types, both for the fetchlands and also to turn on Loam Lion. On that note: Should I consider Scattered Groves over Canopy Vista?

Don't want to stick with lions?

If you, like me, want to avoid cats wielding swords but don't care about the lion restriction, I suggest the following list of cats (similar lands and spells):

4x Adorned Pouncer
4x Bronzehide Lion
4x Feline Sovereign
4x Fleecemane Lion
4x King of the Pride
4x Loam Lion
4x Sacred Cat

Top Ranked	Achieved #10 position overall 4 years ago Achieved #1 position in Modern 4 years ago
Date added	4 years
Last updated	4 years
Exclude colors	UBR
Legality	This deck is Modern legal.
Rarity (main - side)	32 - 4 Rares 16 - 3 Uncommons 2 - 0 Commons
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	2.11
Tokens	Cat 1/1 W w/ Lifelink
Folders	Modern ideas