This deck plans to beat and smash in combat but also protect via Juggernaut-esque (the X-Men character, not this Juggernaut) enchantments that beef up important creatures. It's a mix of playing offense and defense, but using the extra vigilance to bake the cake and eat it too in a sense. I am a big fan of having creatures with vigilance and then giving them tap abilities that can be used at the end of an opponent's turn to get extra value which is why there is three Burning Anger in the deck. While it does have a high mana cost, Hero of Iroas will hopefully be able to offset a lot of those high level enchantments. Earlier on, it's all about playing defense/resiliency until the bigger creatures come out. Once turn three hits, this deck should hopefully be hitting its stride with Monastery Mentor and Brimaz, King of Oreskos providing some solid token generation thereafter. Finish it off with some larger enchantments and Zurgo Helmsmasher, which should have a decent amount of protection even though he has terrible toughness.
Any suggestions or ideas are definitely welcome. Never really worked with heroic, enchantments, etc... to this degree. Some questions I have.....1.) Do I need some cheaper Enchantment Auras?
2.) Should I put in more bestow creatures? I was thinking about Eidolon of Countless Battles
3.) What do you think of the mana base? Do I need more lands?
4.) Should I add in any creatures with constellation?
5.) Is my mana curve too high?
6.) Do I need more card draw?
My end goal is really to hold against aggro until I start hitting my big guys (Brimaz, King of Oreskos, Monastery Mentor, etc...) so I'm not really trying to put the heat on until turn three or four. Please keep this in mind, but if you think that the deck philosophy should change, I'm all ears if it makes sense.
CREATURES
Akroan Crusader
Early game defense. Can help with late game swarm and make it a possibly viable threat with auras.
Hero of Iroas
Engine that keeps the aura train running. Obviously, opposing players will be keying in on him, so I run a decent amount of protection, short term and long term, to keep this guy doing his thing.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Great for devotion, great for flooding the board, great for Godsend. This guy is a beast and can really force the other player on the defense if he is protected and protecting appropriately. Works amazingly well with Brave the Sands because when he blocks two creatures, two tokens are made rather than just one.
Monastery Mentor
Very similar role to Brimaz, King of Oreskos, but he helps to generate more tokens with which to flood the board. Also puts more nuance into the game because instants will keep the opponent on his or her toes for extra defenders or attackers.
Dawnbringer Charioteers
Provides good evasion, lifelink, along with staying the heroic theme. Goal is to give this card Battle Mastery so that it becomes a lifelinking, double-striking machine. Can really help late game and possibly go toe to toe with a the dragons in standard if pumped up enough.
Iroas, God of Victory
As an enchantment, it really can put the pressure on the opponent because he or she will not be able to chump block anymore. Combine with this Godsend, and things could get really ugly. Continues with the protection theme, and obviously hitting devotion should definitely be possible. Definitely a main target for Burning Anger once a creature.
Zurgo Helmsmasher
Don't see this guy played much, but he's a beater who only gets bigger as he beats the crap out of other creatures. With vigilance given by Brave the Sands, he can even gain counters playing defense, and if he's got Spectra Ward, this guy can really be a pain. Oh, and don't forget that Burning Anger will give him counters too if he kills an opposing creature. AKA he chews dragons, spits them outs, and is even better because of it.
INSTANTS
Center Soul
Rebound is the definition of value, and with slightly fragile cards in this deck at times, this card is really great. Gets to trigger heroic twice, once at instant speed, which could help take out a bigger creature, hold against aggro, all while building solid momentum.
ENCHANTMENTS
Brave the Sands
Another engine for this deck because it allows cards to play both offense and defense while they're being protected by spells like Center Soul or Spectra Ward. As well, lifelink from Sorin, Solemn Visitor or Dawnbringer Charioteers can have double the potency now because creatures attack AND defend. At the end of an opponent's turn, Burning Anger can be used after attack phase to take out any remaining threats the opponent may have. This is of prime importance, because it forces the opponent to attack or else he or she will still probably lose their best creatures.
Dictate of Heliod
One off to provide a little trickery to the game. Really good in a mirror match that focuses on swarming opponent's with tokens or tons of creatures.
AURAS
Gleam of Authority
A psuedo/mini Brave the Sands that is a cheaper aura. Can be used in conjunction with Akroan Crusader to make annoying threats or block versus aggro. The bolster mechanic is a mana sink late game and provides resiliency early on.
Battle Mastery
Good for offense, defense, and lifelink, this card really can do a number. Everyone hates when the other side has double-striking threats, and this aura could possibly be attached for a little as one white mana because of Hero of Iroas.
Sage's Reverie
Lone source of card advantage, so it's great if the game starts going longer than wanted. Can really buff up a creature with the amount of auras in this deck.
Burning Anger
As previously stated, works great with Brave the Sands to put a ton of value on top of the value vigilance already provides. Really helps to protect Zurgo Helmsmasher because the guy can deal damage on defense without even blocking. Works well with lifelink as well. Can be used as a game ender or to take down bigger threats.
Spectra Ward
Essentially the Juggernaut's helmet in magic card form. Super annoying card to cast on any of the important cards in this deck. Also super annoying because the only things that can take a creature down with this would be colorless cards, and there aren't a ton being played outside of Perilous Vault in standard right now. It will protect token generators or more vulnerable cards like Zurgo Helmsmasher while giving them a boost to power. It could even be used on Dawnbringer Charioteers to consistently get at least five life every turn, which can be huge during grindy matches. Once this sticks, control will have a very tough time removing this creature off the board.
ARTIFACTS
Godsend
So how do you take care of super annoying cards like Deathmist Raptor or Bloodsoaked Champion? This baby really does the trick. With Brave the Sands and Iroas, God of Victory making blocking and attacking for opponent's difficult, this just adds to the pain. Really a big fan of sticking this on either Dawnbringer Charioteers to take out flyers and pesky dragons or Brimaz, King of Oreskos so that there is a constant creature advantage being created (opponent loses at least once creature, Brimaz, King of Oreskos probably survives, and a token is generated). The only bad thing about this is that it's not an aura, but it makes too much sense not to have in this deck.
PLANESWALKERS
Sorin, Solemn Visitor
All his abilities are really relevant with this deck. With Brave the Sands really making lifelink much more effective, this guy seemed like a really good bet to add. His +1 ability may only add one power to creatures, but with Battle Mastery, this can really be a headache for opponents. His -2 creates flyers, which aren't totally abundant in this deck and provide a source of defense for him. Finally, Sorin's ultimate could even possibly go off with the amount of protection afforded around him, and this will constantly put the opponent at a board disadvantage at his or her upkeep.
LANDS
Pretty basic for what's expected. I decided on going with two Mana Confluence because this deck does have lifelink, and it seemed important to not miss on auras or spells because of mana problems. The worst thing would be to miss a protection spell and an important creature card like Brimaz, King of Oreskos or Monastery Mentor goes down the tubes because of it. I'd much rather take the life hit than lose out on board advantage. Without a bunch of card draw, I decided to put in a decent amount of scry lands to help fix draws and the early game. Since most of the multicolored or red spells are coming out late game, I focused on only using plains as basic lands.
SIDEBOARD
Still working on it, but I do have some ideas. Definitely need help on this one. I think I would incorporate a lot more removal to deal with cards that demand answers outside of combat. Cards that will definitely be in sideboard:Hero's DownfallBile BlightRoastThoughtseizeVS CONTROLI probably would opt out of cards like Brave the Sands, Godsend, and maybe even switch out Brimaz, King of Oreskos for some more Monastery Mentor. Add in some dash creatures as well like Mardu Strike Leader, either kholgan, or Zurgo Bellstriker to make it more aggro and dodge removal. Maybe a Goblin Rabblemaster and some Dragon Fodder or hoardling outburst.VS ABZANRoast, Thoughtseize. More artifact destruction.
Comments, criticisms, questions?Any help would be greatly appreciated. Still trying to adjust to the new standard with DTK, so if anyone has ideas of what to throw out that would be really great.
VS MONORED AGGROMore lifelink. I think this deck matches up pretty well against this because the protection built in will allow my guys to survive more than the opponent's.
VS DRAGONSAnother Sorin, Solemn Visitor? Maybe a flying bestow creature like Celestial Archon or Herald of Torment?
MAYBEBOARD
