@Vito1014

Yes, online is very odd. Friends always play the same decks. I get bored with things fast, so competitively playing is the only real way to go. MTG is not a cheap game. Playing it cheaply with friends is possible, but that's just casual playing and is boring to me after a while. Honestly I can't go a single set without spending around 300 dollars to stay current. Mind you I sell the cards that fall out of standard to buy more. Either way, I am invested in every set pretty heavily and that is required if you actually play competitive games. Casual is another animal completely. It has decks that work great and strategies that run differently from standard. I am not even sure that you can even compare the two together... I would NEVER play a casual deck at a competitive level unless losing is fun to you. Also, yea, phalanx leader is clunky because of the 2 white. He has a very good sense for the game if he came up with that after playing one tournament.

@LuPaiPai

The seekers work great. I don't think that the wingsteed is needed since the seeker works so well. But its all about play style. I use the skyguard when I need a slot filled, but I don't like to. It's just a filler card as far as I'm concerned. Usually when I draw it I give an inaudible sigh because I would have taken anything other creature in the deck before that one, lol.

@w4rped you and I ate a lot alike lol. As much as I don't mind casual/budget play it gets boring. So I started doing tournaments last year when I got back into the game after a 4 year absence. And switched from Dimir cruel control to abzan midrange. It's not cheap but it's something I enjoy and is a huge stress reliever(sometimes lol)

@Vito1014

Definitely not a cheap deck right now. Luckily I grabbed my Siege Rhinos before they jumped in price. It's a well played deck right now. Definitely wins a lot. That Dimir deck can be pretty nasty though, especially with the new board wipe it got. I wish I could get as much enjoyment as others do out of casual. Would cost me a whole lot less money that's for sure. But other than a few get togethers with alcohol, I haven't played casual since high school. Most people don't have time to play casual magic all the time, and tournaments are the same time every week... just makes sense to go to the tourny and get a chance to win more cards instead of trying to schedule stuff with friends periodically. You definitely get a more complete knowledge of the game when you play competitive since every missed trigger, or misplay means the difference between a win and a loss. Something I would have never learned when playing casual!

@w4rped Yeah I'd like to think that I had a pretty good knowledge of the game, but I'll always ask am opponent what they thought. Never know what they may say.

@Jdvanliew Yeah, I'm thinking of taking the Ajani's out. But I can minus 2 him and if I have a Hardened Scales out everyone gets those extra counters. You're right about the Phalanx Leader, but if you have two on the board along with some others and you target them both, everyone gets two counters. With Hardened Scales everyone will get 4 counters, if I'm correct. I'm not a math guy. LOL. I'm looking thru all the suggestions though, and searching cards with the gatherer. I feel like there's still something missing.

@iischris

Was me that doesn't like Phalanx Leader. Jdvanliew likes it and uses it. I also was the one that was not sold on Ajani Steadfast. I just don't like the 4 CMC. Best case scenario is turn 5 before you can do anything major since all your mana is gone on turn 4. Don't get me wrong, 2 counters per creature is nice. But when you think about it, on turn 2 and 3 you have a total of 5 mana (2 on turn 2, 3 on turn 3) to cast creatures with since turn 1 is used for Hardened Scales. It all adds up to you basically having 2-3 creatures out by turn 5. Maybe 4 if you have a few 1 CMC. And that's without having any mana in reserve for protection spells on turn 2 and 4. Plus ajani doesn't count as a targeting spell for heroic which I don't like.

Also, with 2 Phalanx Leaders on board and Hardened Scales (T1 Plains, Favored Hoplite T2 Plains, Phalanx Leader, T3 Forest, Phalanx Leader, Hardened Scales. Start of turn 4, 3 creatures max.) you would get 2 counters on all creatures per target of a Phalanx Leader (4 total if targeting both). But you won't ever see that as relevant unless you are using a spell that has multiple targets since you could just target a Phalanx Leader twice and achieve the same result. Mainly your scenario works for Launch the Fleet and Reap What Is Sown. Also for Ajani's Presence in a pinch. I don't care for Phalanx Leader because the 2 white hurts early game since most of your protection spells are white (all unless you have Ranger's Guile) and that means you likely wont have much protection in the first 3 turns which is crucial. I personally always try to keep 1 plains open each turn to cast protection if required. If you don't, it's likely you will lose at least one creature.

Yes iischris, Phalanx Leader makes this deck a lot more fun when he actually works, I admit. I actually like the card and have been looking for a way to implement him competitively. If you want to have explosive games where you win by blowout every few games then that card is for you. Unfortunately for competitive play, he is more of a hindrance than a boon. Double white is hard to compensate for in any speed build multi color deck. Depends what you really want to do with the deck. Casual or competitive.

@Jdvanliew

I actually toyed with the idea of doing a straight white version. In that version Phalanx Leader would work much the same as any other 2 CMC card and would be well worth the small investment. I am not sure the deck you linked really stays within the spirit of this deck, but it is a nice white weenie list for sure. I would use a few different cards, but it looks like a pretty fast list overall. May work really well, I'll have to test it when I get time. Maybe I'll try my hand at my own version. I love the brimaz addition. I've always wanted him in this deck. It's a shame that he is so slow for dual color.

By the way, our link is broken. I fixed it White Deck

Wheres the Fabled Hero???

@Jdvanliew

HTML code, this whole forum uses it.

"a href="website">Text to be shown</a"

Replace the quotations with < and > respectively.

fabled hero is to slow to put in

i sitll think you should take out 1x Lagonna and 1x akroan and add in 2x ainok bondkin. the first strike would help alot and it wouldnt slow down the deck too much

@LuPaiPai

Ainok Bond-Kin would not slow down the deck unless you used them to replace 1CMC cards. I only dislike it because it doesn't help enough. No firstnstrike on itself unless you outlast, and doesn't get bigger with targets. So its easily removed unless you protect it for little benefit. Just doesn't fit the scheme really. Not saying it wont help sometimes, and that might warrant a sideboard consideration. But overall the card will not help most of the time (unless against something like RDW or Boros aggro). 9 times out of ten your creatures will be bigger than theirs so first strike wont help unless you're on offense, and your spells should be the things protecting you at that time so you can get even bigger. I have never had luck with either Phalanx Leader or Ainok Bond-Kin. Every time I get them, I do not want them. I think if you did a little testing with both of them you would see the same things I do. Put the deck up against a tier one deck so it actually has a challenge.

Fabled Hero is AMAZING for this deck. just don't put 4 of if you think its to slow. Or sideboard it against slow decks. TRUST ME swinging for 10/10 double strike is fun (plus the other dudes you were playing probably have a ton of +1/+1 counters from Phalanx Leader)

I really like your deck! +1 from me

I play mono white heroic myself but since this doesn't cost a lot, I'll give it a try.

Have you considered Center Soul? It gives you TWO heroic triggers (even on the same creature) for the price of one card. Could be especially brutal with a Phalanx Leader on the field...

I'd run Fabled Hero instead of Reap What Is Sown. Sure, 3 heroic triggers and extra +1 counter means with hardened scales there's 4 more counters on all 3 creatures for 3 mana. But, that requires board control to be favorable, and without hardened scales it's not that great. The double strike from the hero gives enemies an incentive to avoid attacking into it, and any counters put on it are essentially doubly effective. Since I'm not really into standard, I run a casual deck like this with Unflinching Courage. Fabled Hero into UC at turn 4 never fails being brutal.

@cmbr

I really like Center Soul in this deck. Makes Phalanx Leader a little more viable, even though I still don't fully like it. I am not sure where it's place would be since it is technically like a weaker Feat of Resistance. I guess it could be added as yet another white protection spell, and in my version I likely will replace Ranger's Guile with it. Some things to think about definitely.

If you haven't already, check out Assault Formation! You may or may not want to run it in your deck, but I know that your Lagonna-Band Trailblazer will thank you and your opponents will curse you! Take a gander at what I've done with it in my deck Alesha's All About That Bass. Your deck gets a +1 from me. It's a very solid build.

Am I really the first one to point out your spelled Selesnya wrong? lol

Man, I love this thread...I get to just sit back, sip my coffee, and watch the fireworks fly. I still love the deck too. ;)