Exploiting Hardened Scales in an aggro format to make the biggest creatures as fast as possible in a new, slower Standard format.
It's always fun to take mediocre or nearly unplayable cards and turn them into viable, competitive options when given the right supporting deck list.
It is relatively easy to exploit a card like Hardened Scales with mechanics like Heroic or Outlast, not to mention with the existence of cards like
Solidarity of Heroes
.
However, I wouldn't try to build this list unless I thought it would be both fun and competitive. Additionally, I don't want a deck that is too reliant on any one card to win because I think that spoils the fun and effectiveness of the deck. Therefore, I've pieced together this monstrosity with the goal in mind to win regardless of having Hardened Scales on the battlefield or not. I believe I've achieved that goal, take a look!
One example of an optimal hand on the play:
Opening Hand: Plains, Forest,
Gods Willing
,
Favored Hoplite
, Hardened Scales,
Solidarity of Heroes
,
Defiant Strike
T1: Plains,
Favored Hoplite
T2: Forest, Hardened Scales -> enter combat casting
Defiant Strike
before damage is dealt to enable 2 +1/+1 counters (officially out of burn spell range with 4 tougness on T2) with the +1/0 on top of it to swing for 4 damage and draw a card. Ideally this draw or you draw for turn will give you a third land (1 in 3 chance)
T3: Land drop, enter combat -> before blockers cast
Gods Willing
naming the color of the possible blocker or likely removal spell while first triggering heroic enabling another 2 +1/+1 counters plus scrying 1 to help set up next draw -> After avoiding blockers before damage is dealt cast
Solidarity of Heroes
causing heroic to trigger once more for 2 more +1/+1 counters and then doubling them plus 1 extra +1/+1 counter thanks to Hardened Scales totaling to 13 counters plus the base 1 power. Deal 14 damage with your 14/15
Favored Hoplite
. Hopefully your opponent has tapped a pain land once or twice causing lethal, if not then finish them off next turn with any choice of protection instant to avoid removal or another blocker.
T4: Land, cast Tuskguard Captain -> enter combat cast another one drop instant to enable yet another 2 +1/+1 counters and swing with a 16/17 through any blockers for lethal.
That is obviously an "optimal" situation but there are many, many scenarios where you can create massive creatures and drop a card like Tuskguard Captain to swing over the top for lethal. Also, having 8 protection instant responses to removal/blockers plus an additional 4 indestructible instants in the sideboard enables your creatures to live quite easily if you play with a "discerning aggression".
MAINBOARD
Creatures:
Favored Hoplite
- A staple in most every heroic strategy. His "prevent all damage" ability is very relevant in a burn-heavy format so I don't have to always waste protection spells on him at an inconvenient time.
Lagonna-Band Trailblazer
- One of the surprisingly better "dumb" cards in the deck. His 0/4 butt lives through most every burn spell especially since all it takes is one heroic trigger to be out of
Stoke the Flames
range.
Hero of Leina Tower
- Another one-drop heroic creature but with late-game value. Quickly becomes massive with Hardened Scales on the board or with a
Solidarity of Heroes
in hand. An true mana sink late game that can enable you to quickly recover if your bomb is removed from the board.
Tuskguard Captain - Functions more like an artifact or enchantment than an actual creature but thanks to outlast can still be relevant in desperate situations and still very exploitable with Hardened Scales.
Enchantments
- Hardened Scales - The primary reason this deck list exists. True, it doesn't "do" anything when it comes down but it sure enables the rest of the deck to "do" so much for such a cheap mana cost that I think it is very reasonable to experiment with.
Instants
Gods Willing
- One drop protection against removal/blockers plus a bonus scry
Feat of Resistance - More protection with the chance to really get the exponential +1/+1 counter growth out of hand fast due the dual heroic trigger and addition counter provided.
Nature's Panoply
- With Hardened Scales on the board can immediately turn your 1/2
Favored Hoplite
into a 5/6 with ONE TARGET. Surprisingly powerful card that I wish I could fit 4x into the main board.
Defiant Strike
- Heroic enabler + card draw = land drops or more tools to kill your opponent
Warriors' Lesson
- Heroic enable that targets 2 creatures and can allow for extra card to keep the deck from running out of steam.
Solidarity of Heroes
- Not only does this turn a mediocre creature into an absolute bomb but it triggers heroic BEFORE it resolves to ensure you get all the value and with Hardened Scales you get one more bonus +1/+1 counter to add insult to injury for your opponent. Even more so it is very reasonable to cast this card for it's strive cost on turn 4-5 and close the game out.
NOTE
My sideboard is, of course, based around my local meta but it is primarily based around the weaknesses of the deck. Usually I don't recommend net-decking a sideboard because local meta's vary quite a bit but in the case of this deck most of these cards aren't mean to keep the deck "afloat" and accomplish it's goal despite our opponents best effort.
No deck list is perfect and this deck is definitely a GLASS CANNON meaning it truly can blow up your opponent but you will likely mulligan to 6 more often than not ensuring you have at least 1 creature in hand alongside some enablers. Having both Hardened Scales &
Solidarity of Heroes
is great but is far from essential you'll usually draw into one or the other. Yes the deck is much strong with those cards but I have constructed this list in a way that I can still win even if I don't draw them. I have progressively made this deck more and more consistent but part of running a low-curve aggro deck is the risk of choosing power over card advantage.
As I said, no deck is perfect and the primary weakness to this deck summed up in one card: Deflecting Palm. It is a very hard card to play around with this strategy and you just have to hope they don't draw it. The only way I've been able to beat it is by keep my creatures in the 4/4 - 6/6 range and trying to put multiple on the board instead of focusing one massive 20/20. You have to be very patient and frankly, lucky to sneak a win past this card.
Some of the other problem cards you'll want to be aware of:
Crackling Doom - Forces you to sacrifice your biggest threat. It is much easier to recover from thanks to
Hero of Leina Tower
.
AEtherspouts - Not the end of the world but certainly stalls you out, especially if you just cast multiple combat tricks. Fortunately this cost 3UU so you likely near to closing out the game anyways. Additionally most control lists only run 2 so outside of them finding it with Dig Through Time you should be fine.
Eidolon of the Great Revel - We don't have a single spell that costs more than 3 CMC so get ready to race when you see this card.
hornet's nest
/Hornet Queen - Deathtouch is much more powerful in a new, slower standard format with a primary emphasis on creatures and combat. Fortunately, having Tuskguard Captain on the board enables you to swing through
hornet's nest
giving them only 2 deathtouch hornet tokens. The token is frustrating but manageable with protection spells and Ajani's Presence. They steal a lot of your value but this is still a scenario where you can pull out a win if you swing with a big enough trampler since you can just wait until your creature is big enough for lethal since MonoGreen runs no real removal and
Doomwake Giant
is essentially irrelevant.
SIDEBOARD
The sideboard is very simple because there are very specific problems this deck runs into and when you side you want to do everything you can to prevent those scenarios from arising.
Now, onto the sideboard list itself:
Ajani's Presence - One of the generic sideboard options against an aggro deck are cards like Drown in Sorrow or Anger of the Gods. Usually your creatures are out of range of those spells by the time your opponent can cast them so the real reason for Ajani's Presence is if facing a lot of black/white spot removal or a control deck with End Hostilities. Unfortunately games can often go to turn 5 and a card like End Hostilities can certainly fulfill it's namesake so you want to do whatever you can to prevent that. This card is also good against spot removal like Hero's Downfall.
Ordeal of Heliod - This is the best answer I can come up with against Deflecting Palm because you'll need the excessive life total in order not to die immediately. A hilarious card with Hardened Scales on the board. Target gets 2 +1/+1 counters, attack, get 2 more and gain 10 life. That's a lot for 2 mana. This card is in the sideboard because once our opponent realizes that the only useful burn spell against this creature base is a turn 2 Magma Jet or
Lightning Strike
(and even that is only useful if they were on the play) they will start burning you out and drop their Eidolon of the Great Revel in hopes to punish your low curve. Luckily Ordeal of Heliod gives you such a large quantity of life you can "out last" their strategy.
Ordeal of Nylea
- Alongside 8x fetch lands this card helps you filter lands meaning you top deck the cards you actually want. Additionally it helps you get much needed land drops when your only option is
Hero of Leina Tower
enabling what could be potentially a dud creature into a viable threat. Usually this is brought in against the control matchup to ensure land drops allowing me to make
Hero of Leina Tower
bigger, faster if they counter my heroic enabling spells I can at least have the trigger still resolve and dump all that extra mana into my creature.
Tuskguard Captain - When playing against Mono-Green Devotion, being able to swing through their many blockers is great. Not to mention forcing them to use their mana creatures/devotion to block. Also when facing tokens, being able to swing through all the chump blockers effortlessly. This is also ESPECIALLY useful against Stormbreath Dragon enabling you to swing through despite the protection from white.
Bow of Nylea - Umm...free +1/+1 counters anybody? A phenomenal utility card that can put heroic cards back into your library that after cracking your Windswept Heath you can reshuffle your library in hopes to redraw some of those essential protection spells. Not to mention you can ping and kill Sorin vampire tokens, and consistently gain 3 life against Eidolon of the Great Revel.
Warriors' Lesson
- These usually come in against the control matchup, specifically against Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver who usually fails to steals creatures but hinders the ability to draw needed instants off the top.
As always, my list is never final and I regular tweak and modify it to balance out against my local meta. May the deck serve you well!
