This deck can win either quickly or in the late game. It has consistent play through the early game and at the end, ramps uncontrollably. For those that don't know, cantrip cards are ones that let you draw AND do something else. The idea is to always be involved in the game and always have options so that you can keep being the beatdown. Because cantrip cards tend to be expensive, cantrip decks tend to be midrange. This is still a prototype deck. Right now I'm figuring out which cards I like. I haven't had much motivation to work with BotG cards because my Theros standard deck is still legal, but here we go.
Cards:
Acolyte's Reward
Artisan of Forms
- These guys are there for one purpose: deal with or mimic the baddies you can't kill directly. These are things like hydras, unblockable, indestructible, etc.
Ajani's Chosen
- Great card but situational. If you can get it out when you're outpacing the other deck, you basically win the game. It combos well with Ephara, God of the Polis and also with
Ephara's Enlightenment
.
Akroan Skyguard
- In a slower paced deck it's always good to have flying to either deal with opponent's flying or to deal some direct damage.
Arbiter of the Ideal
Ephara, God of the Polis Jace, Memory Adept Sphinx's Disciple
Thassa's Emissary
Righteous Authority - These cards are your win scenarios. They let you get cards out in mass and flood the field. They're each beefy on their own so you don't need to hold them back for safety. They're awesome and have varying mana costs to give you options.
Battlewise Hoplite
Eidolon of Countless Battles
Hopeful Eidolon
- Hello weenies. None of these are beefy on their own but in a cantrip, it really doesn't matter. You're going to draw and scry constantly to get the things you need and these guys can get scary fast.
Solemn Offering
Revoke Existence
- Revoke is another legend killer option if you don't have Artisan or Ephara on hand. These can also help you deal with Spirit of the Labyrinth which is basically the Melira, Sylvok Outcast to cantrip decks.
Floodtide Serpent
- This is a stupid card in a lot of decks. Here, it's great. Cycle your
Chosen by Heliod
, move enchantments around if a creature gets detained, beef your heroic creatures even more, etc. The possibilities are pretty awesome but it's also 5 mana, hence the 1.
Ordeal of Thassa
Chosen by Heliod
- Cantrip enchantments.'Nough said.
Ephara's Enlightenment
- This card stacks with heroic, stacks with Ajani's, stacks with a lot of cards. It's a solid pickup for 3 mana.
Hero of Iroas
- Cantrip cards too expensive... LULZJK. Lets you get out more and more cards with the cantrip chain combos for 2 mana AND has heroic? I'll take two please.
Give / Take - There are points in every game where cards are more important than damage. This can let you chain into some amazing draws for very little mana. It's great late game. It also works well early game with heroics because using it on them targets them and adds more counters.
Meletis Astronomer
- Worth having, if only for the 3 health chump blocking. With 20% of the deck being enchantments, you have a pretty solid chance of being able to pull an extra enchantment 2/3 turns.
Ethereal Armor - Broken, broken, broken, broken, broken, broken. Are you getting the point? For one mana, with new enchantment creatures, this card is stupidly good and anybody running white that doesn't have at least one is wasting deck space.
Bident of Thassa - There's a reason every top 8 blue devotion deck has these. They're great. You can ramp out of control before your opponent knows what's happening or if they're flooding with blockers, you can force them to swing.
Lands:
These lands are the good ones. Guildgates are not better than basic lands so they're out. In multi-colored deck that primarily permanents it's only worth running two Nykthos because you're not always going to get the devotion you need and you don't necessarily ALWAYS need one. You'll draw into them fast enough as is.
Sideboard:
Ratchet Bomb
- Because tokens are scary.
Supreme Verdict
- Because green ramps fast but then you're out of cards.
Azorius Charm - Because giant monsters are scary and aggro decks are scary.
Tidebinder Mage
- Because golgari is brokedy-broke and scary.
Detention Sphere - Because people that rely on specific cards deserve it.
Artisan of Forms
- Because some decks have a lot of things worth copying (including this one).
Revoke Existence
- Because gods are indestructible... and also scary.
HOW TO SAVE $$$:
If you can't afford the more expensive cards in this deck, you can shave about 30% of the cost off by swapping the lands out for basic lands. Additionally you can replace the Jaces and Ephara with one of each of the following:
Thassa's Emissary
Sphinx's Disciple
Arbiter of the Ideal
. The rest of the cards all together are around $40-50 on the high end. If you make the budget version you have a pretty solid shot at winning some prizes at FNM and can upgrade the deck with the more expensive cards as you go.
