Buying this. Partly for the drama in the thread, and partly because it kicks ass.

I have this deck in paper and in MTGO. I've played it about 20 times and have played against it a few times.

This deck only works if you draw perfect if you don't your doomed. I've never beaten a good deck with it and when somebody plays against my Abzan deck with it I trounce them. You just need too many cards to hit on the spot to ramp your creatures. You can get 4 Siege Rhinos for $20 bucks add a few other cards and take this deck out at any time.

I like the deck I wish it would work but it just doesn't

@phil125

True story. That was the main point I was trying to make before. The deck needs to be perfected, and there are a lot of cards that can make this deck a lot better. You are completely right that this deck can only beat the good decks with a perfect hand. When I added the blue splash it allowed for a few more wins, but still not enough to make me happy. I have not played the last two sets for personal reasons, but I have seen many cards that can change this deck into more of a competitor. At the level it's at it really is just a fun casual deck. I love the deck concept and play style so I hope a few more cards come out to really make it work.

There's some nice removal to be considered: Devouring Light and Pacifism are very strong. Also, I prefer Center Soul to Feat of Resistance-It can lead to just dumb swings while protecting you from any removal on their turn. Also, I'm building this for FNM, since the non-budget deck I want to build is way to much money for being used for only 1 summer.

So I'm thinking this needs Dromoka's Command. Yes, I know it is 6 bucks a piece right now so that is an issue to keep it on the cheap end but hey, when you want to make abzan sacrifice their Courser of Kruphix and have their Siege Rhino dead at the same time, the command is the way to go. That thing has won me so many games. Here is a different take on GW heroic if you want to check it out GW Heroic, The Real Deal. These colors are so fun!

@w4rped has clearly never played with this deck because everything he mentioned has almost never happened to me in my hundreds of matches with this deck.

sighI thought this was done with. seriously Jdvanliew stfu. You were COMPLETELY unnecessary in his comment. You have a learning disability I think because you seem too stupid to learn any new information.

@Zues13082 If you are going to make a comment like that, you could at least explain wtf you are talking about. Random comment about something "not happening" to you makes no sense here. My last 4 comments weren't even indicative of what you are talking about. So at least explain before you call someone out. I have played this type of deck tech at a LARGE AMOUNT of COMPETITIVE events. Not casual homebrew crap. I have used the deck to play against the TOP DECKS of the time. Mind you I have no played the last two sets at all. So unless you have hard facts, then don't come at me with such an unsubstantiated claim. Give me facts, and I will give you the facts to refute what you have said. That is a analytic conversation. But I forgot this is the internet and empirical method is unneeded. If you want statistical likelihood of the situation you are speaking about. As far as unsubstantiated claims go, I will make the claim that if you have not had a situation I have explained happened AT LEAST once, then I don't know what to tell you. As I have explained this deck tech works or fails in the first 4 turns. There is a FINITE combination of cards that you will get in the first 4 turns, especially with no card draw. This is 11 cards by turn 4, and 10 if you go first (mind you defiant strike will allow for a few extra potentially). Even if you use this deck exactly as it is on this page, there are only 16 different cards that you have a chance of getting. Do you understand that? It means that you will get the SAME cards much more often. So like I said, explain to me what I am wrong about, and I'll tell you how wrong you are afterwards. Thanks for your time.

Hey guys , i was wondering if Avatar of the Resolute , Collected Company ,Spear of Heliod and Dromoka's Command fits in with this deck (Although i know they're not budget)

@JdvanliewI am sure you finally are happy your trollyness finally worked to a degree. I just don't want to deal with you, as I said before. In other words, I don't care to talk to you because I find your conversation lacking. There is no offense intended on my end either. Just stfu. Simple right?

@jtf256I agree with Jdvanliew in the way that Dromoka's Command would fit great. Collected Company could work... but it is expencive and there are low amounts of creatures. If it hit 2 creatures, it'd be great! But if it didn't? Big waste. See my reservations about it? As for the other two, they are cheap but need two white or two green respectively. This makes them slow. For example, the avatar will never come out turn two unless you have dual lands because white is so important. The spear could come out turn 3, but turn 3 is a very important one because turn 4 you can do some nice damage if you had the right cards. Since you generally wont have more than three creatures on board, it wouldn't do enough in my opinion.I can however say that if you decided to use the Launch the Fleet approach, it would be much more beneficial if you could get it out. I still think it's slow, but to each their own.

hmmm the Spear of Heliod and Collected Company do seem too costly for this deck, imma try adding in some Avatar of the Resolute and Dromoka's Command . thanks for the advice w4rped and Jdvanliew

@Jdvanliew

Lol 3 creatures at the end of turn three PLUS Hardened Scales AND one of the creatures is Phalanx Leader?

In this situation there is little doubt that there would not be any +1/+1 counters on your creatures T4 since you only have 1 mana to do it on T3.

T1 Plains, Favored Hoplite/Lagonna-Band Trailblazer, T2 Plains, Phalanx Leader (no protection this turn), T3 Chances are here you will only have 2 CMC creatures mostly, if you had a 1 CMC as well it'd be 4 creatures (no protection though) and Hardened Scales (If for some reason you have all 1 CMC creatures that would be 5 creatures all with no protection available).

This would leave you with 1 mana at max for protection. So pumping is not really something that is going to be done much, if at all.

On turn 3 you would have used 6-8 cards, leaving 1-4 cards in hand (0-3 if you used the last mana T3 for pumping), plus the turn 4 card (2-5 if you played first or 1-4 if you draw). On turn 4 you must have Launch the Fleet and one targeting instant (2 cards) cast ONLY on Phalanx Leader, and it must be a 1 CMC instant (Ajani's Presence, Gods Willing, Defiant Strike in this exact deck).

By turn 4, what would you have expected an opponent to do? Nothing? This scenario will only end the game if your opponent has done nothing to establish any board control, doesn't have any blockers, and they haven't used any removal.

If they stop you here and do not lose (which is likely), you will have 0-2 cards in hand.

You say you don't need a "God hand", but there are only 2 cards max that you are going to have extra... How isn't that a "God hand"?

On top of that, all they have to do is stop 10 damage. Do you realize that is only 2 creatures? Not to mention you can't protect any other creatures because the only spell you can cast must go on the Phalanx Leader to do any real damage on your attack and/or stop all your creatures from dying.

Basically what I am saying is this... Your Launch the Fleet scenario requires too many cards and doesn't do enough on T4. If it didn't require so many cards it would be a viable situation. But by turn 4, if your opponent actually has a deck worth a damn, he will this and you will be in a severely bad situation.

A situation that banks on your opponent having no life gain, no removal, and no creatures is not something that will win often, if at all.

But, I've already presented the math before and no one can change your mind even when the facts are brought to the table. I don't expect to now. But stick with your Launch the Fleet strategy. It'll work eventually I'm sure.

@jtf256

Other than the double green cost, Avatar of the Resolute is generally not going to get many counters since there are not many creatures in the deck.

Honestly, Gleam of Authority would work better since it targets a creature, has only a single required mana (plus it's still 2CMC), gets +1/+1 counters for EVERY +1/+1 counter on your board, gives vigilance, and also bolster 1 for a T white! You ALSO don't have to waste a creature slot on a non heroic.

Way better card in my opinion.

Just a thought.

@Jdvanliew

Not sure how you see this as a comfort. The fact that you need ALL the cards in your hand to make this work, makes in basically untenable. But if you like it then go with it. The fact is that you only have 8 1 CMC creatures in the deck, so it is not likely to get more than 1. Playing the phalanx leader on turn three is simply to protect him and I understand that, but it doesn't matter in this case because you are not looking at any defensive measures at all since you don't care about protecting your creatures by saving a white. So in this scenario, playing the phalanx leader turn 2 or three matters only if you consider the protection.

This strategy will very rarely be GG as you say. Stopping 10 damage is not hard. You will have buffed creatures only if you play spells on the phalanx leader and only if they don't use removal to get rid of the creatures you will be buffing since you will have no ability to protect them. Once he stops your attack, it is very possible to have two removal spells on turn 4. That is GG since you can't protect them and you will only have 3 creatures that are actually big. But again, you see the math and it doesn't scare you, so go for it. I have tested this method multiple times, and it just doesn't work. Even when you get the cards to make it work, it will not kill them because it requires that the opponent does nothing to disrupt you and/or defend themselves. Simple cards will make you lose because that launch the fleet will be a wasted card in hand if you can't use it. Sort of like reap what is sown when you don't have three creatures on board.

Either way, I knew you wouldn't understand the math here. It is really amazing that you took comfort in the math. But I guess that should be expected too. Your hand composition will rarely happen the way you are talking because the ratio is not there to justify doing it. I want you to click on the "draw hand" button and see how many times you come up with a hand in which this is possible. It is rare and as I have mentioned before, easy to stop. I want you to have fun with it though. I'll continue making competitive decks. Casual players unite!

PS.

Just so you know, I was not recommending gleam of authority. I simply said it was a better choice than the avatar. I personally don't play it at all in my version even though I play a heavier enchantment deck. I am planning on testing it this weekend though, so it should be interesting.

PPS.

1 Hordeling Outburst stops this strategy completely. Chump blockers = you lose. Thanks for playing. But you don't care about that, right?

My god... you are SO RETARDED. you can't accept facts. I am done with the conversation because you don't live in reality. Just leave it be so I don't clog up this guys page again with the reasons that you are retarded. There is a REASON that this combo has NEVER seen tournament play. It's because it doesn't work. Not now, not ever. PERIOD. It is a CASUAL combo. That is it. Stay in your lane, and keep playing casual. It's all you're good at. When you feel like going to the big leagues, do some research on competitive strategies. I am not even going to explain to you why all your comments in the last posts were ridiculous. I'll just chalk it up to your retarded nature. I wont be responding to you again. So say whatever you want. I'm done dealing with a piece of shit that doesn't know what the hell he is talking about. Leave the thinking to those who actually have intelligence. Peace out retard.

@Mortem

Arguing again, my bad. I just can't deal with idiots. I'll ignore him.

Just wanted to say that Gleam of Authority works pretty good in my limited testing. I also took the Hardened Scales out of my version, and it actually runs a little better surprisingly. Using auras makes using Hero of Iroas worth it. Also, having a few blue sources to use Battlewise Hoplite is AMAZING. Scry 1 per target AND +1/+1? Yes please! Plus if you have the few blue sources, you can use Ordeal of Thassa for that card draw you are in need of.

In my version I switched it up to basically be a white deck. There are very few other colors in the deck. I only use 14 cards total that need either blue or green. So it really makes it more stable with mana. Overall, the switch up makes the deck win more often, but not as early, and not by as big margins as before. I am not sure if you play this deck or not, but if you do then changing it to a more winning bant deck (even though it is barely bant), makes sense. Blue solves all of the issues that you have with this deck list. Take a look at mine and try it out. It is really good. I plan to take it to FNM this week to test it for real. The New Gangnam Style (Edited)

@AbzanFTW

sorry bro, you didn't have to deal with him for 50 posts before this. His nonsense is legendary. He is a huge troll and deserves any treatment I could give him. He kept his cool because he is a troll, and it's all a game to him. Simple fact is that he IS slow, so I call it how it is. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing different than calling him a short, ugly, hairy creature that lives under a bridge. Facts shouldn't hurt anyone's feelings. I was respectful for the last 50 posts. I may get angry a lot, but in this case I'm justified. I apologize for offending your sensitive self, but it really has nothing to do with you. I'm not going to have an argument with you either, so don't bother trying. I am not apologetic for anything I've said, and that's that. I try to comment on decks. That is all I care to do anymore. Deal with it.

So I tried this deck against another Abzan deck I made and got trashed 3 times badly, any ideas on how to improve this deck