First, an anecdotal story that explains the origin of my modern Guild themes. In 2006, I had given up on Magic. The sets at the time didn't interest me; they didn't ignite my imaginative spark. Then, Dissension and GuildPact came out. I found what I had been looking for in Magic. The idea of several guilds fighting each other appealed to me. So, when I heard that Ravnica was being revisited, I couldn't wait to see what would come out! I was not disappointed in the slightest. :D
Azorius is probably my favorite Guild. U/W has always been a really good combination. Azorius seeks to keep the peace on the battlefield, using Forecast as well as Detain to survive strong creatures and vicious onslaughts from your opponent. Let's take a look at the deck, card by card.
Glaring Spotlight One of the most important mechanics of this deck is it's ability to keep creatures Detained, but due to it's nature, Hexproof is an effective keyword to deal with Detain. Glaring Spotlight not only cancels Hexproof with it's field presence, but if your opponent isn't using Hexproof, it has the added feature of granting Hexproof and Unblockable to all your creatures. Versatility is nice.
Judge's Familiar 1 Drop Flying 1/1. Very good at the beginning of a game, but it does loose some of it's lustre late game. Still, a Flying 1/1 that can counter spells might make the difference in a long game.
Writ of Passage A very fun card to use, the Writ can be revealed to bestow one of our Arresters or Deputies with Unblockable. Excellent for keeping an attack pressed plus revealing it means you have permission, right? XD
Dramatic Rescue Whether one of your creatures are in danger or your opponent has something you don't want to block, just deal with it later... and gain 2 Life.
Azorius Guildmage Preferred over New Prahv Guildmage this wonderful card pseudo-detains with a Tap mechanic as well as the ability to Counter Activated Abilities. Not many cards in Magic endeavor to do this, so it's nice to prevent such effects like an Elvish Piper's Summoning.
Azorius Arrester A 2 Drop 2/1 with Detain. Prevent some of that early game aggro with Arresters. Even in a draw late game, the extra Detain will help deal with some of the board threats your opponent has.
Deputy of Acquittals With Flash, the Deputy comes in to save the day when you don't want to loose a creature in a skirmish, when you need a battlefield bound Arrester to appear again, or return something Pacified to your hand. "Everyone deserves a day in Court."
Search Warrant Get an idea of things to come with a Search Warrant. Not only is it good for gaining an extra bit of life, but you can get an idea of things to come. An ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure.
Skyscribing Another great Forecast card, Skyscribing allows for an extra draw advantage, albeit your opponents will be drawing as well. Not the best idea for multiplayers, but in a single format, this can be mitigable.
Overrule So what if you pay the tax? Atleast you gain X life whether your counter was successful or not. Even then, this can slow your opponent down due to the payment of mana, as well as the font of life.
Riot Control 1 Life for each creature opponents control is a nice boon. Preventing the weenie swarm from doing damage is just as nice. Great for multiplayer formats.
Render Silent Not only will it Counter a problem spell, but it also prevents the retaliation or replaying of a multiple for that turn. Main Phase 1 Counter also means no Instant buffs for stray attackers during a Combat Phase. Render Silent is nice.
Detention Sphere This card is excellent for removing tokens, copies, and playsets. It's field presence also counts towards Sphere of Safety.
Azorius Herald No Writ needed! This guy has permission to come in and hit your opponent heedlessly. Not only is it Unblockable but you gain 4 life for the play.
Lyev Skyknight A Flying 3/1 that can Detain nonland permanents. Hush, now, Planeswalker... hush now.
Azorius Justiciar An Arrester who has been in the service for a while, it comes in and Detains two creatures. Also serves as a 2/2.
Martial Law Hopefully, you've been styming the assault and get one (or three) of these into play. The ability to Detain something on your upkeep is great. It grants you a bit of control over the battlefield, what can attack or block, mitigates activated abilities, as well as counting towards Sphere of Safety. This makes the pair of cards an excellent combination.
Ascended Lawmage Flying 3/2 with Hexproof.
Supreme Verdict Slow start? Drop a bomb. Then, set a tempo with either Martial Law or Grand arbitter Augustin IV.
Sphere of Safety For each Enchantment you control, target player must pay X to attack with each creature. With an effective Detain, you can pretty much decide what can attack on an opponent's turn. Leaving the opponent with little options, they have to either play the big money spells or be ready to pay for an attack.
Lavinia of the Tenth Maze Runner. Lavinia is definitely a Legendary I like in this deck. Detaining 4 or less CMC creatures can shut down some early game attacks. Return her to hand with Daring Rescue and cast later if you need the effect again.
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV With his field presence, all your spells become much easier to cast while your opponent's options dwindle. Oft times, that little bit of extra mana counts.
Archon of the Triumvirate A magnificent creature, the Archon Detains two creatures as it attacks. The immediate option for Detain before Instant Speeds is nice. Flying 5/6 means it can handle itself nicely.
Isperia, Supreme Judge Azorius Pahrun. Flying 6/4 that forces your opponent to choose carefully as they attack. Any attack could result in a Riot Control, Deputy of Acquittals, or Render Silent coming to hand from the draw.
As this deck plays out, it should be focusing on Life Gain for card plays, the Detainment of problem creatures, field advantage and control, as well as stall and draw tactics to play out the deck as quickly as possible. Late game, your opponent should be hard pressed to deal with the attacks from Flying and Unblockable creatures due to Detain while you whittle away their options with effective Counterspelling. Lavinia and the Archon are your heavy hitters.
If you like my deck, I would consider it a niceness if you grant me a +1 upvote. _ Thank you for your review.
