I get where you're coming from on the whole vulnerability thing, but that's the beauty of the card. It makes people waste removal spells to get rid of the tokens. Also, the fact that it has rebound means that if after the first turn someone tries to run a mass removal spell, then they have to ensure that EVERY creature dies, or you'll just double again on the rebound. I would recommend putting in 2 card:Nomads' Assembly and taking out 1 Emerge Unscathed and 1 Day of Judgment . My reasoning is this: Emerge Unscathed because you already have Brave the Elements , which does the same thing only better, and Day of Judgment because honestly, when are you going to need to clear the board four times in one game? I would only say to put in 1 card:Nomads' Assembly, except that their effects are exponential. If you don't feel comfortable with the high mana cost, take out a Sun Titan instead of a Emerge Unscathed to even it out.

Just my two cents worth. Hope it helps.

@beatmick,

yeah, easy +1/+1 counters and some vigilance is a beautiful thing, especially since infect now has Lashwrithe to boost power and toughness, making that extra first strike damage you have all that more critical. Do you have any suggestions for what I could sub for ajani? And lols for the Meadowboon XD I don't think I would run him myself without a Venser, the Sojourner or a Glimmerpoint Stag .

@Epochalyptik

Thanks for commenting again man! I haven't heard from you in a while :P see what happens? I see your point, though, with the Emeria, The Sky Ruin , and in fact in all of my playtesting, I have never gotten to the point of activating it. This is especially the case with the 4x other non-basic lands. I'll get rid of the emerias, then.

Regarding the Brave the Elements , this deck always ran a playset of 4x of them, but I trimmed them to two so I could include two Emerge Unscathed , and i'll tell you why. Alot of the time, my current wincon has come to rest on the longevity of one particular creature. This is especially the case when its a vulnerable Knight Exemplar , Hero of Bladehold or Sun Titan . Further, it's not often that more than one single-target killspell is handed out each turn, and when it does, it's usually at one of the three aformentioned creatures who had just been played. If I can keep them in play until my next turn and the summoning sickness expires, then I will be able to swing and cause some damage. The Emerge Unscathed allows me to both protect the creature when it enters the battlefield, AND protect its manuevering the next turn. Brave the Elements is limited to only doing one of these. Obviously it is contingent to the opponent not having in hand or drawing another killspell when he untaps between my turns, but still. BtE may be useful if I am swinging with numerous creatures, but given the frequent rate at which knights get killed off, and also only having 20 or so creatures in the deck, the longevity of a Hero of Bladehold is more important than a Student of Warfare or Leonin Skyhunter . It's not very often I am able to swing with enough creatures to make a fully unblockable turn worthwhile (although that may change with platinum_demon's comment for card:Nomads' Assembly, see below). Thus, in short form, Emerge Unscathed is better for the defensive instant-prot department, and having an even split of that and Brave the Elements (for aggro offensiveness) allows for the diversity I need. What's your take on this? Should I look at including 2x Whispersilk Cloak ?

@Epochalyptik continued..

As for the removal department, I'm currently pretty limited. I need a minimum of 20 creatures, 23 lands, 4 Honor of the Pure , 4 instant prots, and the specified 3 equipment. That totals up to 54 cards, and leaves me with 6 other slots. In order to compensate for the lack of removal, I capitalized on the number of Day of Judgment s so that I have a really good chance of acquiring one early game, and using it if I need to. The 2 Sun Titan s and (former) emeria's compensated for any excess creature loss. The Day of Judgment also can get around Phyrexian Crusader , for whom I otherwise have no answer, other than Brittle Effigy or the life-costly Dismember . Rapid drops that challenge this deck include the crusader, Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon and Phyrexian Obliterator , which I typically face alot of in my local matches. Day of Judgment is an easy, convenient way to get around all of them. Do you have any suggestions for what I could do, if this doesn't seem right, to amend the removal department?

@ platinum_demon,

Yeah that's true, but if they wiped the field immediately after card:Nomads' Assembly was played, i.e. their turn after I play it, then the rebound wouldn't do anything, right? I know the chances are obviously circumstantial and stacked in my favor, but i'm just weighing all possibilities. I don't think I would want to remove any prot instants for it though, I would probably remove the 2x Sun Titan to keep the mana curve consistent. And I would have to add 2 of them, I never have just one card in a deck (unless its the versatile, non-essential Sword of Feast and Famine ) because the odds of coming across it are so slim; I would much rather have a 1 in 30 chance than a 1 in 60 chance of acquiring it. And see my above comment for Epochalyptik for the Day of Judgment scenario :P

I've been running a similar build to your deck for a few months now and have been avidly tweaking it(KOTR Blade. I've learned a few things about this type of deck and I've experimented with every card listed here. These are my thoughts and comments:

• Find a way to run at least one copy of each of the new Mirrodin Swords to give yourself maximum color protection. Mirran Crusader s are particularly weak against red burn and Sword of War and Peace goes a long way in saving you from using your protection spells. Also I'd like to point out that the crusaders will DOUBLE activate each sword causing nothing short of pure chaos for your opponent regardless of whats equipped. Also consider the Sword of Vengeance .
• I've recently switched to running card:Apostle's Blessings in order to have more versatility with the spell. I can use it to protect an artifact from a removal spell as well as saving a target from cards such as Brittle Effigy or Tumble Magnet . This also allows you to punch through a wall of artifact blockers as well.
• I agree with the comments regarding Emeria, The Sky Ruin . This deck is capable of killing your opponent very quickly and with the amount of non plains lands you are running Emeria is nothing more than a plains that comes into play tapped. I also recommend dropping the Sun Titan s because of how slow they are compared to the rest of the deck. Porcelain Legionnaire is proving to be an amazingly useful early drop that provides some great synergy with the rest of the deck.
• Finally I have found that running both Ajani Goldmane and Gideon Jura work great. Ajani wins games easily by giving your creatures permanent +s and vigilance which is unbelievable when double striking. Gideon gets rid of problems that may be walling you as well as causing all creatures controlled to attack opening them up for a finishing blow. I have considered running Elspeth Tirel but haven't really experimented with her yet.

Hey Moobu, thanks for the comment! I took a look at your deck, and commented and rated it :).

Regarding the swords, I really want to find a way to work them in. But if I do, then it seems like I would be crazy to not include Stoneforge Mystic (as you have wisely done in your deck), and by doing so I would also have to look at including Puresteel Paladin to complete the package. Doing all of this puts me at a minimum of 4x equipment, or 6x in total if I was to run all 4 swords and keep the 2 Basilisk Collar s (which, by the way, is forever integrated with my knights deck; first strike + deathtouch + lifelink is just too invaluable for me, and works wonders against... anything). This further wants me to get into bouncing the mystic with cards like Glimmerpoint Stag , Kor Skyfisher or Venser, the Sojourner , which requires me to splash blue, which means I could use Trinket Mage for the collars, and aaahhhhhhh!!!!!! I just don't know if I can do it. Doing so would further require me to adjust the balance of the deck, and since I only ever really have 2-4 slots to play with, I don't think I have the space to pull it off without an overhaul of things.

Also, why should I just include 1x Sword of War and Peace if I have a 1 in 60 chance of drawing it (without Stoneforge Mystic )? The only reason Sword of Feast and Famine is in here is because it's non-essential overall; it helps give other knights prot from common black and green control if it shows up, but not having it wont make me lose the game. I know that the double strike with the swords is godly, and for that reason I used to run 3x Sword of Body and Mind (which I actually do own :D) and 1x Sword of Feast and Famine , but I stopped because it often seemed too slow. What do you think about this?

@ platinum_demon,

hey man, I have tried card:Nomads' Assembly, but it hasn't really been working with the mojo I was hoping. By the time I get to 6 lands, I am down to 1 or 2 creatures, and if all goes well with the cast and rebound, I end up at 6-8 creatures overall, two turns later. It would be really useful if I had lots of creatures leading up to it, which I often do, but I don't have the land I need to cast it in time. What about just trying card:Conqueror's Pledge instead? I know you don't like that card, but you get a guaranteed 6 creatures right away, and I can do it for 1 mana less! (which can mean a lot in the fast-paced nature of this deck). The current creatures + an instant 6 more is more than enough to secure the aggro advantage at that point for me. For now, though, I have swapped the assemblies with 2 Ajani Goldmane . I await your response!

@ all: I am really iffy about having only 20 creatures. This means that, in a creature-driven deck, each creature's board presence becomes more important to preserve. Thoughts on what I could adjust to fix this?

The Whispersilk Cloak s could work in this deck, whether it's protecting an Exemplar or sitting on a Crusader (unblockable double strike is disgusting).

I feel like the SB Celestial Purge is a step towards answering your problems with aggro black bombs. Phyrexian Obliterator is hard to get around without direct, dedicated removal I run a UB control with 4x Obliterators in Type IIs, and I haven't seen a new answer I can really recommend besides Dismember .

The problem with Brittle Effigy is that it's something your opponent will know about, and it's mana-intensive. I strongly suggest trying to find space for Condemn , since most of your problems come from creatures that swing at you.

My opinion may be slightly biased based on my knight deck and what has worked for me, but instant-speed spot removal has proved invaluable in nearly every one of my games. However, the 4 slots for the Swords to Plowshares /Path to Exile come from my lack of equipment. It's a trade-off you have to decide on to work with the 60-card limit.

On the topic of card:Nomads' Assembly vs. card:Conqueror's Pledge, why not just run one of each? Turn five you can pull out the pledge for 6 creatures, then the opponent has one turn to wipe the board, or you get another 6, then 12 more on the rebound.

Also, for creature permanence, I recommend Coat of Arms if you're willing to go into extended. If not, I don't know other than card:Marshal's Anthem. Sorry.

Wait a minute: I've got it! You could do -2 plains for +2 Emeria, The Sky Ruin . This wouldn't help with creature permenance, per se, but it would let you bring your creatures back to life once they were destroyed (after a black sun, for instance). I know it would 'slow down your mana curve', but it would be 2 out of 20 lands, what are the odds of it being the only land in your hand at the start of a game?

Hope this helps!

Platinum_Demon: Emeria, The Sky Ruin will not work because running straight plains and only emeria you can't activate it until turn 8 at the earliest. Now assuming you draw at least 1 Tectonic Edge and 1 Mystifying Maze you're looking at a best case scenario with the current cards of a turn 10 activation... That is a horrendous amount of time to wait and will almost never have a chance to activate due to the massive amount of lands it requires. You may as well be trying to hard cast an eldrazi lord without a mana ramp.

Yes, but even card:Marshal's Anthem would take a good bit of mana to have some real effects... The main reason I suggested emeria instead of something else is that it isn't a spell, so it's impossible to counter an extremely hard to kill. If you have any better ideas, please share, I'd love some suggestions for any mono-white decks I make.

Emeria, The Sky Ruin is easily countered by Tectonic Edge which is as common as ever to deal with man lands and valakut. card:Marshal's Anthem may be expensive but its still at least playable on turn 4-6 instead of turn 8 at the earliest. If anything I'd say Emeria, The Sky Ruin is MORE vulnerable to being countered via the tec edge compared to the anthem being counterspelled simply because any color can run tec edge.

I would likely drop 1-2 Hero of Bladehold s and maybe some of the White Knight s for Condemn or Oust . That lowers your curve and gives you removal options against threats like Blightsteel Colossus , Primeval Titan and Phyrexian Obliterator .

I have tried to make card:Marshal's Anthem work and it always feels like I'm wasting it if I don't kick it 3 or 4 times. Not worth it uless you're running G/W weenie/beast ramp brew.

On the topic of card:Conqueror's Pledge. I think you have room in your curve for it, and it synergizes so well with Honor of the Pure I really think its better in than not. It doesn't have the unpredictability of card:Nomads' Assembly, or the cost.

To keeps your curve right maybe -1 Brave the Elements , -1 Journey to Nowhere , then +2 card:Conqueror's Pledge.

Thanks for the comment man! I've always wanted to make the pledge work in this deck; it is definitely a great tide-turner for 5 mana. I'll give your suggestion a try :)

Epochalyptik, I gave the greater influx of removal cards a try, but they just didn't seem to do it for me. I am not really a fan of Oust , it only delays the re-appearance of a threat that ought to be removed from the game permanently, especially since it was worthy of being targeted by a removal spell in the first place. It almost seems contradictory to me to give an opponent a free three life, and hope that you can accomplish leagues in the 2 extra turns you get before it comes back. But maybe that's just me :). Condemn also frustrates me, because its useless against creatures that use abilities - activated or not - instead of attacking.

insertcleverid, I also gave card:Conqueror's Pledge a spin, and I enjoyed it very much. It is a great card with strong synergy for the rest of the deck. It works especially well with Basilisk Collar . The only issue I took is that it generates creatures with 'soldier' rather than 'knight' subtypes. This is a lesser issue, as the soldiers are still great on their own, but it would have been nice if they could benefit from Knight Exemplar . It's definitely a game-changing card, however I do think it would be better suited in a deck with more battle cry, especially with cards like Signal Pest , Accorder Paladin and/or Goblin Wardriver .

@everyone:

Thank you everyone for all of your contributions to this deck! Unfortunately, with the onset of M12 and the discontinuation of critical cards like Knight Exemplar , Student of Warfare , Honor of the Pure and Brave the Elements , this deck will pass from standard into extended. In respect to you for all of your helpful comments, the deck will not be altered to fit new standard protocol; instead it will now move into extended where it has access to a number of new card options, and will retain a majority of the deck construction you see now.

My new knights deck for standard, using only the SoM and M12 blocks, is called deck:warriors-of-violence-and-vengeance. Please check it out, and help it develop as the new standard era unfolds. And also, please continue your contributions for this deck for extended! Thanks again!

I would recommend to you the Knight of Meadowgrain , Kinsbaile Cavalier , and Light from Within that give The White Order good success, but they rotate from extended at the same time as the other knights rotate from standard...

Two mainboard Knight of the White Orchid s have helped me innumerable times in the past. Path to Exile is another good extended option.

There are other knight options in extended, particularly in the Bant shard of Alara. A combo I have used before back when my deck was more mid-range was Hero of Bladehold + Knight-Captain of Eos . Sigiled Paladin , at the worst, is a 2/2 first striker.

I have also tried Elspeth, Knight-Errant . She's not bad, particularly if you use only the +3/+3 and flying ability, so it could work.

Swords to Plowshares is an amazing contributor to the consistency of my deck in dealing with threats, and I absolutely recommend that you invest in either that or Path to Exile .

If you want to include Swords, this wouldn't be extended anymore and you could include the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor knights I listed above as well.

Thanks for the comments Epochalyptik! That really is too bad about those cards rotating out of extended.. I was actually counting on using all three of them. The Light from Within looked fresh and pretty cool. I will probably have to just make a new legacy deck to get the ideal, end-all, no holds barred knight deck I am after.

I definitely think Knight of the White Orchid , Path to Exile and/or Swords to Plowshares should be put in. I've always believed that 2x Elspeth, Knight-Errant with 4x Wrath of God or Day of Judgment would be an excellent combo, because her ultimate is pretty much an instant game-ender, so long as you have the creatures to back it up.

So, I have two questions for you... What cards do you think should come out of here? The current build has served me extremely well in the past, other than in the removal department (hence the overcompensation with 4x Day of Judgment ). And, also, what is your take on Sword of Light and Shadow or Sword of Fire and Ice ? Or the newer swords? Here is a link to them ranked by community rating on gatherer, if it helps to save time at all:

http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Search/Default.aspx?sort=rating-&name=%20[sword]%20[of]

If I had Wrath of God , they would be in my deck over the Day of Judgment . They are strictly better. Light from Within is also criminally powerful]].

I do not run battlecry in my deck apart from two Hero of Bladehold , which are likely going to be the first cards I drop for newer/better knights. The aggro nature of the extended 2-drop creature base just gives you better choices, to be blunt. You could probably drop the Accorder Paladin s and at least half the Hero of Bladehold s for cards like Knight of Meadowgrain and Knight of the White Orchid .

I only run two White Orchids. Even though they are great for land-fixing, there are better creatures in terms of board presence. Orchid made the cut because it's a land-grabber on a 2/2 for 2, first-striking chassis. Sometimes the ability goes off, sometimes not. I'd usually rather have something like lifelink instead, which will be useful in more situations.

For removal, 4x Swords to Plowshares is almost mandatory. The lifegain they get will more than likely be negated by one swing - I've exiled Blightsteel Colossus and then dealt over 20 damage that turn. Path to Exile is nice, but you also want to be careful. One advantage of knights is that, on the same amount of mana (assuming no player misses a land drop in the first 3-4 turns), you can build an extremely powerful war machine. Giving them another land can probably help them more than a few life points.

I am also not a huge fan of equipment. The single Basilisk Collar I run has done its job, and done it fantastically. I don't need it all the time, and when it shows up its nice, but not desperately awaited. My philosophy is that you will be better off using open mana for more creatures/removal than paying equip costs.

However, your decisions might change based on how you play the deck. I use mine as my primary casual deck, and it works very well in that position. If you want to make it a tourney-winner, it's going to be far more difficult with everything going to Legacy.

well, if youre going extended, Sigiled Paladin works with Hero of Bladehold since the exalted trigger can be chosed to go off before the bladehold's trigger, which then gives you a stronger bladehold on attack AND the battlecry for the soldiers

Actually, it doesn't matter in that case which trigger goes off first. Sigiled Paladin only cares that one creature was declared alone as an attacker, not that you only have one creature in combat.

How do you deal with the exarch decks?

Too bad about the Sigiled Paladin idea. And donut62, what do you mean by the 'exarch' decks. Do you mean the new exarch cards from new phyrexia?

Yea, the ones that go infinite as early as turn 4 by using Splinter Twin and Deceiver Exarch and a lot of deck sifting spells.

Celestial Purge to exile Splinter Twin