Very simple deck and game plan. Mostly very low cost creatures that satisfy the power 2 or less condition for Mentor of the Meek to allow sustainable card draw.
We have excellent 1-drops in the form of Dauntless Bodyguard and Leonin Vanguard, along with Ajani's Welcome and Legion's Landing which all tie in to our selection of 2-drops. Dauntless Bodyguard, while being an excellent aggressive 1-drop also gives you the utility of protecting valuable creatures such as the Leonin Warleader, Benalish Marshal and Ajani's Pridemate, as they are solid removal magnets.
For 2-drops we are going in with Ajani's Pridemate, which can grow at a very dangerous rate with the lifelink presence in the deck, and the life gain generated periodically with Leonin Vanguard and Ajani's Welcome. Along with it comes Cavalry Drillmaster, one of the most excellent commons M19 has brought to us, and fits so very well in this deck. That card will bring so much value to your early game it's not even funny. Allows for a very aggressive start or permits a very strong defensive playstyle with the vigilance knights present in the deck in the late game. Adanto Vanguard is also present in the deck for obvious reasons; its a very aggressive creature that can tank very well and force blocks which will virtually cost you nothing since the deck nets you so much life gain.
3-drop slot is fairly strong as well, with Benalish Marshal to bolster this army of little dudes you've spent the first two turns putting in play. History of Benalia is also present, giving more Mentor of the Meek triggers and sustained creature generation and an eventual board booster. And as previously mentioned the list includes Mentor of the Meek to make sure you replenish your hand and recycle each creature you put down in the mid-late game.
Finally, as 4-drops we have the excellent Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants and Leonin Warleader which will really allow you to finish the game quickly. Leonin Warleader really has to be dealt with as soon as it comes in due to the sheer board power it brings. If you have the chance to swing with it while having a Benalish Marshal on the field, it pretty much is a win condition by itself, even without the fact that it will add two counters to Ajani's Pridemate, leave considerable presence on the board, and presents you with the opportunity to draw two cards with Mentor of the Meek.
Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants does deserve a paragraph to himself. This Planeswalker, in this particular setting will really shine. His +1 is fairly standard, allows you to gradually reinforce your board and make it easier to withstand opposition and resist damage-based removal. His -2 however is where I think it shines the most. The ability to bring back any 1 or 2-drop from your graveyard can really shift the tide. Bringing back Cavalry Drillmaster or Ajani's Pridemate can really give you a solid momentum to build upon. The ultimate is what it is, an ultimate. Besides being a win-more ability it really doesn't warrant any attention.
All in all, the game plan is to focus on establishing a strong board of creatures while taking advantage of easy life gain to outlast the opponent and bring them down quickly. Sideboard includes a variety of options against control, fast aggro/mirror and combo along with the usual graveyard hate. Oketra the True is a great sideboard option against control and removal-heavy decks, while it allows to produce limitless creatures with spare mana. Regal Caracal is always a good pick for control decks as it provides good creatures that makes using a single-target removal annoying. Make a Stand & Authority of the Consuls provide good options against red aggro or mirror matches.
Settle the Wreckage
because why not???
If you have any suggestions I welcome them, this deck is currently being tested and any great ideas are worth trying out but so far it performs very well, able to compete with red aggro both in aggressiveness and survivability due to the huge amount of recurrent life gain in the deck. Feel free to upvote and comment as this is one of the first decks I am really excited about in standard.
