Surprisingly, I actually hardly ever use the Pack Rat and am even considering moving it to the side in my early testings. Yes, the Fiendslayer Paladin , i don't think I've actually come across it too often in the tester, that would make things a bit difficult. However, my main questions on plays I make for you deck is whether or not to trade off your creatures in the early game. Also, when would you use the sac ability of Judge's Familiar . It has done it's job in holding off the Ultimate Price on turn 2, but say, on turn 4, would you sac it, causing me to pay the extra mana and possibly setting me back a turn on playing any random 2 drop I may have in my hand? I'm just trying to pick your brain in order to make it more of a fair test and less biased test.

As for siding in Pithing Needle , what would you side out, also, would you side in Detention Sphere , or leave it out. If you sided it in, what you would replace?

I'm very aggressive early game with Mono black, I want to get my life as high as possible off the bat, and keep their devotion as low as I can. I will make trades, but luckily, my first strike makes it tough for people to decide what's going to happen, and Brave the Elements can be used almost a a board wipe on a big attack, sure I could have swung through, but I'd much rather wipe the board than beat out 8 life.

Judge's Familiar is just an amazingly aggressive, evasive, one drop. His sac ability rarely comes into play, and it is mostly used to screw up early trouble cards for me like Anger of the Gods or mid-range overloads like Cyclonic Rift . Crap! Turn 6 Overload back to my hand? No, turn 7, in the meantime eat a beat to the face. I've also caught a few players with rakdos return and Sphinx's Revelation at the end of my turn, trust me, nothing pisses off a control player more than a late game play mistake. They happen, it's part of the game and always will be.

Something people might not realize, I will side out my more aggro type cards to put in the my control aspects to compete midrange and late game. A turn 10 Soldier of the Pantheon is rarely a huge game changer, where as a Rootborn Defenses played turn 5 to stop a verdict from wiping my board will break Espir's back. Rapid come in against Stormbreath and Blood Baron (I can also target one of my own gods to generate a 3/3 for 1 at an endstep).

Do you see a lot of Lifebane Zombie in you meta? Mono black just wins with Thoughtseize and Lifebane Zombie Vs. any version of mono white I run. I mean it's just so one sided its just dumb. Just want to know if you run into the same road block here too. I know you've mentioned that "Mono-Black is my weakest match up by far, but I've beaten it before" do you know what list they are happen to be running?

Yes! I see both of those cards often, and they can seriously break me, the trick is to know what do do with cards that they leave you. Leave me two (1) drops and a path getting rid of my angel? Cool bro, gonna be beating you with weenies. Trying to stall me til late game? Sounds good, time to get the board ready for bombs.

I think that this

http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/standard-deck-creation/504873-devotion-to-archangel-u-w-midrange-edition

is a great thread for your deck. It's very very similar and the OP has many different insights into the playing of the deck and how he develops it and his thoughts on cards. His most recent version of the deck is very similar to yours. It's a long read but in my opinion, well worth it.

I like. +1

Deputy of Acquittals or Rootborn Defenses would help in control matchups.

+1 because I'm white

I noticed Daxos of Meletis in the sideboard. He's consistently overlooked, but lawdy, he can do some damage if he hits the opponent. I messed up control with him several times when I used him in a Bant aggro deck. Personally, I believe that every UW deck with anything resembling midrange in it should run Daxos, even if only sideboarded against control. "Can't play Elspeth, Detention Sphere, or Sphinx's revelation if they're exiled!"

I ruled Deputy out after several play tests; she just doesn't fit into the tempo. Rootborn Defenses is a sideboard staple for me against control, it has literally won me games and will not be taken out.

Er, not sideboard, maybeboard. Daxos is maybeboard, my bad.

However, I've realized that Daxos does work with Archangel of Thune , much to the dismay of those helpless fools that have to watch all my creatures get larger and larger.

I tested Daxos of Meletis and though I did like him, he didn't have the same impact for me that Fiendslayer Paladin did, so I couldn't justify a spot for him. The exile is nice, and the lifegain is as well, but he's so wide open to removal I just can't see him keeping up with the decks tempo.

I wouldn't play Daxos over Fiendslayer Paladin, this is true. Fiendslayer is absolutely monstrous, and I wasn't suggesting getting rid of him. However, Brimaz is as open to removal as Daxos, and on occasion, I've found Daxos more useful than Brimaz, at least for me. Especially against control.

And now I'm going to be shot for saying that.

From experience Brimaz, King of Oreskos just walls RDW and similar decks. Granted I played him in selesnya so had access to Unflinching Courage but he is just so strong aggainst other weenie style strategies, much more so than Daxos.

I guess the reverse is true about big monster decks though so i think it will be more local shop meta dependant for Brimaz, King of Oreskos vs Daxos of Meletis .

Anyway, i read the deck title and was all "No way! I wish my local shop ran 6 rounds instead of 5, this guy's shop must be massive!" Then i read it and realised you meant you went 3-0 but won each round 2-0. Less impressive: Title was missleading :(

Against RDW and like minded decks, I'd love to have Brimaz. However, against UWx Control, Daxos' ability wreaks havok. Since control is usually only going to have Elspeth Tokens up to draw (unless they have an AEtherling that wants to be small up, as Blood Baron, for instance, can't block Daxos), Daxos' lower P/T isn't going to be as big of a deal, especially with the trade-off of his ability.

He should probably only be sideboarded against Control, if you can find the room.

Could you check out my deck Weird Izzet Deck (Now featuring more Weirds) and give me some advice on making it FNM ready?

@ Monoxidechild

I agree with ViridianTempest. Daxos of Meletis is better compared to Brimaz, King of Oreskos . In my experience this deck handles faster aggro decks with ease because, of the life gain. In light of that control deck are more trouble some and that's when Dax shines. How every I still refrain from using my version of the deck because of decks using Lifebane Zombie ( and if they have the zombie they have Thoughtseize ), have a match up too far in their favor. Bah, that last sentence isn't coming out right. I digress, do some testing with Dax in place of Oreo king or do you not use Brimaz when facing control? If so, when does he come in?

Does the deck need both, Rapid Hybridization and Detention Sphere ?

Sorry for the delay, let me cover the questions/statements;

@Sabbath91 Sorry for the mislead, sense the titles can't be a full on discretion, I was trying to imply the record as it stood, I'll try and clear it up.

As for the discussion of Daxos of Meletis vs Brimaz, King of Oreskos , I do agree Daxos has his plus sides, but I feel that his largest draw back is the (1)WU cost. Devotion is still a huge benefit for this deck, and lack of that extra W devotion hurts his case. At this point, I will be testing Daxos, but I've gained respect for Brimaz, King of Oreskos in conjunction with Spear and Path, he quickly fills the board with 3/3s that win a game quick. Though the idea of casting an Espir player's own Thoughtseize against them makes me smile a little.

As for Rapid Hybridization and Detention Sphere ; they handle very different threats in very different ways. RH is for Pron White creatures that have been a burden on my back from the start of Theros. D-sphere is to help against the tricky control matchups; hey nice super friend win con! Drop the D, the D-sphere that is.

True, I forgot about Blood Baron of Vizkopa and Stormbreath Dragon but, I noticed that BB isn't as much as a threat when, your staring down 1 or [few turns later] 2 ( 3 becomes ruff). This decks life-gain way out paces BB and so they need him to D while your flyers do their thing. Stormbreath Dragon is another story but, he see little to no play at my loco meta. In both cases Elspeth, Sun's Champion hits them both.

Not that ATM your looking for room in the SB but, I feel Rapid Hybridization and Detention Sphere @ 3 each is waste.

Yeah I had noticed I hadn't updated the change to my SB dropping me to 2 Detention Sphere s. I just can't remember what I added to save my life lol

Ooh, that's right, the devo isn't there on Daxos, however, the only things I see that deal with devo are Heliod, God of the Sun and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx , correct me if I'm wrong. However, it's your deck, and there's probably a reason why Brimaz is $40 and Daxos is One.

Devotion is an amazing form of ramp for any build that favors one color over another, It can render Syncopate s as well as Thassa's Rebuff worthless, it allows me to ramp into win-cons faster as well as allowing me to protect angels with Brave the Elements turns before I'd otherwise be able to. Also turn 5 swing with either Heliod or Ephara is quite useful.

Touche.

Have you thought about X mana cards like Debt to the Deathless ? With all the mana flooding in from Nykthos, it could get big fast.

Yes, I've fiddled with cards like Glimpse the Sun God and have had some success, but as for now, the solo Sphinx's Revelation is working well for me.

Oh, I'd bet that a Sphinx's Rev would be crippling if you could get X upwards of 10.

I don't know about Evangel of Heliod , but I'd guess that Elspeth is the only six drop that's ever going to be in this deck.

With the hand feed offered from Ephara, Charms, and SR, I've maintained such a strong hand advantage over opponents it's made me quite happy with the current build.

Evangel is a power house in limited, sadly he's a weak version of Master of Waves in standard and the tokens, though strong in conjunction with spear and path, can't swing till turn 5 at the soonest (perfect hand I can devotion him out by t4). I've tested him in early versions of this deck, sadly he just doesn't hang.