Hey everyone =) , this is my current FNM Black/White Allies/Plainswalkers/Drain&Gain Deck
This Deck is set up for post rotation with SOI coming in, hence the few SOI Inclusions like Sorin, Grim Nemesis, Anguished Unmaking,Declaration in Stone, Alms of the Vein, Westvale Abbey
, and Archangel Avacyn
. As of right now those are the only SOI cards that draw my attention but I'm sure I'll start throwing more in soon. I'm also open to any suggestions =).
So the whole deck idea is to promote as many triggers as we can to gain and drain while maintaining some board control and card draw.
-Here are some basic ideas of what my thought proccess is on my cards.
-PLANESWALKERS:
-Sorin, Grim Nemesis is freaking rediculous. Not only are his abilities bonkers, but 6 mana is a stretch for sure. Although if I have a Oath of Gideon out, in 3 turns I can have a 1/1 Vampire Knight Lifelink Army and well things can get ugly really fast for my opponent if they don't have an answer. Besides that though even his -x is very good removal/heal and his +1 is Great Card Draw/Damage. I'm a Sorin Fanboy and I'm going to cry a little when Sorin, Solemn Visitor rotates in a few days. =|
-Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is Gideon... I mean he's a 5/5 indestructible or a token generator thus promoting triggers or he's a Sac for permanent +1/+1 for my whole board... I'll jump on the bandwagon that is Gideon players in zendikar. Literally didn't eat for a week buying a playset of him but it has been worth it... I'm obviously kidding (kind of). =)
-CREATURES:
-Archangel Avacyn
is a great card because she has flash and give my creatures indestructible for that turn. She can save my life later if I need to block a monster or block a full board because my creatures can safely block without the concern of losing them. Ideally I'd pass turn with her in hand keep my creatures open then when they want to prevoke a trade oportunity I just flash her in and kill something or multiple things with blocks.
-Drana, Liberator of Malakir is my favorite card right now, in fact I've debated putting her at a 3 of but with her legendary status I feel a 2 of is plenty. But she allows this boring trigger deck to become an aggressive powerhouse in a matter of a turn or two when you can throw some +1s around. Pair this with a permanent +1/+1 emblem from Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and a couple Serene Steward +1s and she kills everything. She is also nice because she draws ALOT of hate and removal. Overall I love this card.
-Drana's Emissary is a decent bodied flyer with a very simple and effective upkeep trigger +1 -1. If I can get at least 2 of these out and later drop a Cliffhaven Vampire just for upkeeping I'll Heal for 2 Then Deal 4. And simply because She is a flyer I can pump her up with Serene Steward and Drana, Liberator of Malakir and have a threat that they will have to spend removal on or die.
-Kalastria Healer is our staple for making things happen. Simple, +1 For me -1 For them when an ally comes into play. This effect works with any ally, including tokens from Gideon, Ally of Zendikar and Oath of Gideon. If I can get multiples out the triggers can get out of hand quick.
-Bloodbond Vampire is an idle threat that can get big in a matter of a couple turns via triggers. I can really bluff with this card, be it that I can just keep pumping it then choosing not to swing and just have a huge body blocker that will kill anything they want to swing with (other than flyers). Or if they have an open board I can swing in for massive damage in the late game.
-Cliffhaven Vampire is really nice because, well healing does damage now. Thanks Cliffhaven... Oh and he flies too with a 4 body... Blocking the whole world it seems at times. Popping a few +1s on him is just as deadly as Drana's Emissary if not more.
-Lantern Scout is a bit pricy at 3 but he's a 3/2 with life link.... Oh and he gives my other allies lifelink, furthermore giving me more life just for swinging. He single handedly can save me because even if I chose to only swing with a few tokens and save my key component allies they still get Lifelink and I can get a quick heal for up to 6-7 at times and make them decide if they want to take that to the face, block, or trade but regardless of their decision I still gain that life.
-Serene Steward is a simple 2/2 for 2 that allows me to make my creatures big for only 1 white mana. I find myself spreading the counters evenly to pump my whole board rather than make one monster just to have it removed with (insert name of: the many removal spells out there).
-SPELLS:
-Anguished Unmaking is in my opinion one of the best cards in standard at the moment in regards to removal. The pain 3 is a price I'm willing to pay to get rid of anything I want (other than a land). And I have outlets to gain life so it's a no brainer 4 of in this deck.
-Declaration in Stone is probably the second best removal "for my colors B/W" in standard at the moment because I can hit multiple creatures and it can target token swarmers. It will remove all tokens for 2 mana??? Yes it sure will, and they don't get clues. But if I target a non token they get a clue per creature hit with the exile. Its a price I'm willing to pay.
-Oath of Gideon is great trigger synergy if I have a Kalastria Healer out and also can help me reach 5 creatures to flip my Westvale Abbey
later. Also the +1 Loyalty is nice considering I run 6 Walkers.
-Read the Bones is great card draw with the opportunity to scy and ditch things I may not need all for the low low price of 3 mana and 2 life.
-LANDS:
-Westvale Abbey
is a game winner in it self. If I can swarm early enough with tokens and a couple allies I'm willing to trash I can flip this as early as turn 6-8, granted it hasn't happened but we don't live in a perfect world. However it is a threat that people could overlook and could win you the late game. 3 of.
-Caves of Koilos is a mana fixer for 1 pain. Playset.
-Shambling Vent is a man land with life link that can help with blocking or swinging for leathal for the cost of three. The enter tapped isn't my favorite so its at a comfortable 3 of.
-Rounded out with 6 Plains and 6 Swamps
-SIDEBOARD:
-Infinite Obliteration is my go to sideboard option for game 2 once I've collected an idea of what their staple creatures are and I can get an understanding of my opponent's deck strategy. It helps to get rid of stuff I just never want to see hit the battlefield. I have constructed a list of my LGS Meta creatures that people run as of right now. It keeps growing and is constantly changing but I'm starting to get a good idea of who and what I need to target this spell with.
-Duress is great for removing removal cards, as strange as it sounds. So if I run against anything with a control or spell based construction I side these in. It also doesn't hurt because for 1 mana I can take a look at their hand and collect information for the turns to come.
-Transgress the Mind is a great way to get rid of nearly anything in my current LGS meta however its a little more expensive than the card listed above but it can hit creatures so it evens out.
-Languish is a board wipe. If I run into an aggro Humans/Warewolves/Vampires deck I swap these in pronto to help get myself to the late game which is where my deck shines.
-Ruinous Path is another removal option that can target Walkers, so if I run into a superfriends midrange deck I'll normally side these in just to up my walker hate to 6 in the deck.
-Grasp of Darkness is a great removal in a sence because it applies as a negative counter effect and not a destroy effect so it can bypass some effects and can screw with blocking methods be it that I swing with a 1/1 and they have a 5/5 I can Swing they will 9 times out of 10 block then I cast darkness on it and kill it once its on the stack before combat resolves.
-March from the Tomb is a way to get allies back and promote triggers. I've considered mainboarding this in place of Alms of the Vein but it throws my curve up higher than I'd like. But if I really need it I'll side it in.
-PLEASE
-leave feedback and ideas or comments because this deck is by no means set in stone and I'd love to see your feedback. If you run something similar link your deck and I'm willing to do the same.
- +1 for +1s because I'm a cheeseball like that =)
-Thank you
Flip
