Hi! My name is Evan, and this is my first foray into the format of Canadian Highlander. It's a 100 card singleton format with a points list instead of a ban list. If you wanna know more, see the website! https://canadianhighlander.wordpress.com/
This deck is a take on midrange, with a gimmick-esque tilt towards equipment. It asks efficient questions with powerful white creatures equipped with powerful equipment, and has (sorta) efficient answers with the White and Red removal suite and Blue counterspells. Many creatures in Magic, especially those from the Mirrodin blocks and Zendikar Blocks, have good synergies with equipment, and thus this deck's creature suite is better than other midrange decks' creature suites. This comes at a cost to the removal suite. I believe the speed increase from the aggressive creatures is worth the loss in removal.
Someone told me I should name the deck, so I'm calling it Jesquip until I can come up with a better name.
Current weaknesses:
No sweeper. Weak in early game due to equip costs slowing you down.
9 Points:
Umezawa's Jitte
2,
True-Name Nemesis
1,
Stoneforge Mystic
1,
Enlightened Tutor
1,
Sol Ring
3,
Treasure Cruise
1.
Explain Yourself:
I believe that every card in a Canadian Highlander deck should adhere to your overall gameplan. This increases consistency and therefore winrate. Thus, I will explain how each and every card in here helps the gameplan (in alphabetical order, for your convenience!)
-
Abrade
: Flexible removal for either creatures or artifacts.
-
Ajani Vengeant
: Sometimes this is a 4 mana
Lightning Helix
, but it can function to shut down "go tall" creature strategies, deny specific colors of mana, or even
Lightning Helix
twice!
-
Anger of the Gods
: After some playtesting, the deck is found to be weak to multiple creatures on the opponent's side. In addition, our creatures may die but our equipment doesn't.
-
Assemble the Legion
: While I do believe all the cards in your deck should stick to your gameplan, there are notable exceptions; I believe Assemble is one of them. Enchantment removal is limited in this format, and an
Assemble the Legion
left alone for even 2 turns is a force to reckon with. This wins games, even if it doesn't do it with equipment.
-
Auriok Steelshaper
: You might think this guy is in the deck for the reduction on Equip costs. That is nice, because most of the equipment cards are Equip , and making that is awesome. Notice, however, that many creatures in this deck are Soldiers or Knights, thus making that +1/+1 valuable.
-
Balan, Wandering Knight
: Lots of text, simple premise. , instant speed. This means that you can attack with multiple creatures with equipment all spread out, but threaten to activate Balan. He is a huge threat, and perfect for one of the 4 cmc slots.
-
Batterskull
: Obvious combo with Stonehaven Mystic. In addition, certain effects in this deck make it technically feasible to actually equip this to a creature.
-
Boros Charm
: Every single mode is valuable. Close out games faster with the 4 damage, blank sweepers with indestructible, and double damage and potential effects with mode three. Due to each mode not being efficient enough, I consider this in the bottom three cards in the deck.
-
Boros Swiftblade
: 1cmc and double strike makes for a really good, cheap equip target.
-
Brainstorm
: I won't insult your intelligence,
Brainstorm
is obviously awesome.
-
Brimaz, King of Oreskos
: This dude is silly efficient. 3/4 for , AND he makes tokens! He also doesn't die to bolt or equivalents. What's not to love?
-
Captain's Claws
: The deck's only piece of secret tech. Equip , and it makes tokens on attacks. This thing looks way less powerful than it is. Or it's bad. But I like it. So ha. My deck my rules.
-
Conqueror's Flail
: This is not in there for the +1/+1. It is a permanent
Silence
effect when attached to a creature. Control hates this thing.
-
Copy Artifact
: Only printed in the first block (and Master's IV), this enchantment functions as a good copy of any equipment that needs more copies. It is also pretty cheap. It doesn't do anything when you don't have an Artifact on the field, however.
-
Council's Judgment
: , exile target permanent.
-
Daze
: The ability to hold up no mana and yet counter a spell is (obviously) really, really good.
-
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
: The +3/+3 & flying mode is awesome for getting damage through, the 1/1 mode is awesome for making more equipment holders. Doesn't die to bolt.
-
Enlightened Tutor
: 1 point is worth an instant speed tutor for many different deck pieces.
-
Fabricate
: A tutor. Sorcery speed, and 3 cmc, but it's a tutor nonetheless.
-
Fire / Ice
: Ice side can blank even lands if you really have nothing else to do on turn 2. Fire side is either
Shock
or a 2-for-1. This doesn't follow the gameplan exactly, but it's still good enough to include, in my opinion.
-
Flame Slash
: . Kills stuff. Anyone who tells you this is bad is wrong.
-
Force of Will
: I won't insult your intelligence. This is obviously good.
-
Geist of Saint Traft
: I won't insult your intelligence. Geist is obviously good.
-
Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
: Either he's a 5/5 invincible creature, makes more dudes to equip things to, or gives you permanent value with the Emblem. He's great.
-
Grafted Wargear
: Yes, it kills your guys. Yes, it costs . It equips for and gives +3/+2. That's very good.
-
Hero of Bladehold
: Silly, silly, silly good. Closes out games, which is what a 4 drop should do.
-
Izzet Charm
: Flexible. Counterspell, removal, or at the worst of times, filtering.
-
Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
: Good midrange creature overall, but the fact that Kari herself has first strike and menace makes her an ideal equip target.
-
Kemba, Kha Regent
: Despite the tasteless art, Kemba is a really good equipment target. Even after she dies, the 2/2s are good enough equipment targets too.
-
Kitesail Apprentice
: cost makes it possible to cast and equip multiple things in once turn. It has evasion and a small bonus for equipping. The apprentice smooths out the curve, too. (On a side note, this is my favorite art on a Magic card. It's powerful and dynamic and lovely.)
-
Kor duelist
: cost and double strike with an equipment makes this a great target for equipment.
-
Leonin Shikari
: Instant speed equipping means that all creatures must be blocked to truly blank your equipment, and even then you always get the best possible deal. It's good.
-
Lightning Angel
: Evasion, haste, dodges bolt and it even blocks too. Good creature, good equip target.
-
Lightning Bolt
: I won't insult your intelligence. Bolt is incredible.
-
Lightning Greaves
: Effectively gives all creatures haste. Speeds up the clock by one turn.
-
Lightning Helix
: 2 cmc bolt isn't good, but a 6-life swing at instant speed is sometimes good enough to win the game.
-
Mana Leak
: Counterspell. It also only costs one , which makes me manabase more consistent.
-
Mantis Rider
: Evasion, haste, and it stays behind for blocks. Doesn't dodge bolt, but it's still very aggressive.
-
Masterwork of Ingenuity
: Copies an equipment, doubling the fun. cost makes it easy to find and cast.
-
Mirran Crusader
: Double strike is really good with equipment. This guy is hard to block, and many midrange decks are playing black, thus he dodges all that removal.
-
Mox Pearl
: Three points is worth the speed boost this can offer early game. Helps with finding that second white.
-
Open the Armory
: Tutors for equipment. Effectively another copy of all the equipment cards in your deck, but adds flexibility to be able to find exactly what you need. If you have something out already, getting
Masterwork of Ingenuity
and casting it that same turn is often the best.
-
Path to Exile
: I won't insult your intelligence, Path is obviously good.
-
Ponder
: I won't insult your intelligence.
Ponder
is obviously good.
-
Preordain
: I won't insult your intelligence.
Preordain
is obviously good.
-
Puresteel Paladin
: Drawing a card for every equipment actually isn't god-tier in this deck, but it's pretty okay. The metalcraft may or may not ever be activated, but if it is then it would be god-tier.
-
Relic Seeker
: Sometimes just a value bear, but sometimes also a 3/3 for that tutors an equipment.
-
Remand
: Unconditional counter, and it only has one , so it makes the mana more consistent.
-
Sigarda's Aid
: Equipment having flash and insta-attach means playing equipment as combat tricks, turning on your equipment creatures as a surprise, and even just flashing in equipment at their end step with counters up.
-
Sky Terror
: Two different types of evasion make this thing practically unblockable for most decks. This thing carries equipment very well.
-
Spell Snare
: In a T-4 format, 2 cmc spells are abundant. This is an efficient answer to them. I am considering replacement with
Mental Misstep
, but that choice requires testing.
-
Steelshaper's Gift
: to the hand tutor for the whole toolkit. Very good.
-
Stone Haven Outfitter
: Makes destroying any equipped creature a two for one, and gives equipped creatures a small buff.
-
Stoneforge Mystic
: One point is well worth this card. I won't insult your intelligence any further, this is obviously awesome.
-
Sunspear Shikari
: A 2/2 with first strike and lifelink contributes to me surviving longer, helping out the midrange plan.
-
Supreme Verdict
: After some playtesting, the deck is found to be weak to multiple creatures on the opponent's side. In addition, our creatures may die but our equipment doesn't.
-
Sword of Feast and Famine
: I won't insult your intelligence, this is one of the best equipment cards ever printed. Obvious include.
-
Sword of Fire and Ice
: I won't insult your intelligence, this is one of the best equipment cards ever printed. Obvious include.
-
Swords to Plowshares
: I won't insult your intelligence, swords is obviously good and has been for a very long time.
-
Treasure Cruise
: I won't insult your intelligence, One point is obviously well worth one of the best draw spells ever printed.
-
Trinket Mage
: Value city! A body to put equipment on and a way to go get some. The full possible package is:
-
Bonesplitter
-
Masterwork of Ingenuity
(this is probably the best in most situations)
-
Mox Pearl
-
Trusty Machete
-
Treasure Mage
: Value creature and it grabs an equipment. The full package is:
-
Grafted Wargear
-
Sword of Feast and Famine
-
Sword of Fire and Ice
-
True-Name Nemesis
: One point is worth it. Nearly invincible, super sticky, unblockable, this thing does it all. It holds an equipment well, and sets a fast clock.
-
Umezawa's Jitte
: I won't insult your intelligence,
Umezawa's Jitte
is one of the best equipments and is an auto-include.
-
Vendilion Clique
: I won't insult your intelligence, the information gain from clique, as well as evasion, make this an all star include for the deck.
And that's it! I hope you have fun if you run Jesquip! I'll be retooling this deck as time progresses, so watch out for any major changes.
