Resolute Blademaster

Creature — Human Soldier Ally

Rally — Whenever Resolute Blademaster or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, creatures you control gain double strike until end of turn.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (49)

Coward_Token on Kick Start My Heart | Winota, Joiner of Forces EDH

3 years ago

Surprisingly few upgrades to be had a while huh? Anyway, Resolute Blademaster -> Blade Historian ; cheated Humans will still benefit and the deck shouldn't have a much harder time hardcasting it over the Blademaster.

Here's hoping for something from C21, although I wouldn't get my hopes up too much since Lorehold is distancing itself from the stompier side of

Slymaster9 on Win-ota, (Boros) Unity Squad 2022

4 years ago

Thank you for your suggestions lagotripha . I don't think I want to add additional tribal synergies/restrictions. Assemble the Legion is a little too slow sadly. It can only ever start producing tokens turn 6, and whilst I am often delaying my first Winota cast until turn 5/6 in testing. I am not sure this is the deck for it sadly.

Why would you add a aura subtheme if there's just 1 human that synergizes with them? I don't think I'd want to hardcast any of those auras.

The Allies subtheme could be promising in the future. Resolute Blademaster is already getting played in a lot of Winota lists. Besides Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder none of the other allies quite hit the individual card quality I'd like. If Zendikar Resurgent adds 2-3 more good Allies. It might be a fun subtheme.

I've replaced Terminus with Sunforger for testing. I'll also be adding Chance for Glory and Teferi's Protection once my order arrives. They'll be replacing Waves of Aggression and Unbreakable Formation. In other words, I'll be testing the Sunforger package. My instinct tells me it's still too mana intensive for this deck. But everyone keeps raving on it being the bestest Boros card ever. Command Beacon and Blinkmoth Nexus will also be integrated into the manabase.

New cards on my maybelist are:

Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite I feel this deck really needs something to close out a game. And a friend suggested I also needed something that "stood on it's own" a bit more. I can't think of any card that does those two things more than Elesh. I don't mind the salt at the table if I hardcast a card like that.

Purphoros, God of the Forge Another stand-alone threat that can also synergize better with the deck's main strategy.

lagotripha on Win-ota, (Boros) Unity Squad 2022

4 years ago

I like this idea, but have you considered a soldier tribal subtheme with Preeminent Captain, Catapult Master, Darien, King of Kjeldor, Squad Captain , Stormfront Riders, Assemble the Legion Knight-Captain of Eos etc? It offers another cheat and has decent commander synergy.

On another note, Auratouched Mage with Eldrazi Conscription is a thing, or just Knightly Valor/Commander's Authority.

Lovisa Coldeyes has that warrior synergy. Allies have a few options in Resolute Blademaster and Murasa Pyromancer. Reverent Hoplite and Evangel of Heliod like white devotion. Zealous Conscripts threatens to a combo.

Have fun tinkering with the list.

Coward_Token on Kick Start My Heart | Winota, Joiner of Forces EDH

4 years ago

Has Resolute Blademaster overperformed? It only being able to trigger 1-2 times per game, and not always reliably at that, makes me question it although I get that it's explosive

Semi-relatedly, any plans on including Anax, Hardened in the Forge for the resiliency and extra punch? Or is he too grindy?

jconeil1988 on Kick Start My Heart | Winota, Joiner of Forces EDH

4 years ago

Have you given any thought to Gideon, Ally of Zendikar? Wouldn't be to harmful to help get more triggers off of your Resolute Blademaster, though Gideon being a human is a downside when he's animated into creature form.

bobull on Ally deck

4 years ago

I highly reccomend Resolute Blademaster. It's a bit slow to get out but once you drop it it makes your creatures a force to be reckoned with.

golgarigirl on Awkward Eye Contact with Death [retired]

4 years ago

I used to play a lot more of the ETB trigger cards, but cut them for more of the Toolbox theme. But I know where you're coming from. Since Mardu is very good at both tokens and aggro, you can be really selective with the few you use for your aggro suite...I would focus on ones that do something along with the tokens or make really good tokens. Corpse Knight, Angel of Invention, Sling-Gang Lieutenant, Ogre Battledriver, and Priest of the Blood Rite are some examples I can think of. Resolute Blademaster + Mirror Entity is one of my common win-cons if I have to go aggro and overwhelm the board with my somewhat tiny creatures.

You can easy accidentally slide or purposely build into full-on Aristocrats, which along with the ETB damage also deals leaving the battlefield damage with more of the Sir Konrad effects like Zulaport Cutthroat and Blood Artist and more cheap, efficient token makers.

Being conscious of yard-filling cards is always a trick. I would run at least 10 that can get cards from your hand and deck into your graveyard, and a few sacrifice outlets (another 5 or so) to get them off the board. Of course, having extra reanimation is a great idea to get at those things you dumped in case someone neutralizes your commander. I will never get tired of recommending Perpetual Timepiece, since it both mills and saves your good things from exile. Mire Triton has also been impressive recently.

Some of my choices for places to look for cuts (if you're struggling) include Marchesa's Decree, Leave/Chance, Batwing Brume, Sands of Delirium, Quietus Spike, and Raving Dead. Don't feel pressured if any of these are pet cards that you think work really well, they are just my picks for ones we can find replacements to work better for your deck.

golgarigirl on Alesha (BUDGET Commander & Primer)

4 years ago

@ Kalo_Wen

I have a lot more experience playing the non-budget deck, so here's how that usually goes as it may apply to both decks:

Early Game (turns 1-5): Dropping mana rocks, trying to set up at least one good reanimation target (either something that answers an immediate problem or to find fuel such as Mire Triton or Recruiter of the Guard) with cards like Entomb or Thrill of Possibility, running out defenses like Lightning Greaves, and getting Alesha out and attacking. Occasionally out-accelerate everyone with Burnished Hart.

Mid Game (turns 5-10): Try to recur fuel into either a more stacked graveyard or answers in-hand. We are usually not 'the threat' at this point, and you can usually engineer an attack by answering a problem, knowing the Fiend Hunter you use now to get damage in will come back to your benefit later when you need it most. Hold your non-creature answers until you absolutely need them. I also tend to be protective of sacrifice outlets, holding them until I need them as well, as my playgroup has grown wise to their importance. Baby Alesha will have more capability to go-wide and start pressuring on the ground here, since the non-budget build has sacrificed most of it's token compliment for more tutors and thus ability to really find answers. My playgroup plays a healthy amount of board clear, so there is often a lot of time spent re-building, something Alesha is very good at with a haste enabler in play.

Late Game (turn 11+): At this point we should be at or near a 1 vs 1. If not at that point, we decide which opponent is best for us to be at that point with and do our best to aid them (usually it's not a deck that is flat struggling, but not the strongest deck either...someone who can help us and perhaps draw the ire of the top deck, but one we can find the weakness of easily and utilize to cripple them at the right time). From there, the deck switches gears into aggro. Sometimes it's just whatever the deck has on-board at the moment, but Alesha can do a good Voltron impression with the right package, or even go full-on stompy with Mirror Entity + Resolute Blademaster.

---

At least in the non-budget build (and some of these are budget as well, but not necessarily in the budget decklist), the wincons I usually see are thus:

Most of the time the deck is going to win the long game through attrition. It's best not to become too early a threat unless you can really back it up (if you can go for the coveted Entomb + commander + Master of Cruelties on turn 3, we'd be remiss not to!). It is efficient at dealing with threats and re-using answers. Opponents are usually hesitant to kill the 'answers deck' (which is why I emphasize versatile and varied removal, especially if we can tutor or draw for it) too early in case someone has something they can't deal with it. One thing I aim for is to get into a 1 vs 1 situation...this deck, like any 'answers' deck, will be stronger the fewer opponents it has to worry about dealing with.

I try to keep easy infinite combos out of even the non-budget deck, but I can sideboard them in if a pod is more up to it. Reveillark + Karmic Guide + Gray Merchant of Asphodel/Blood Artist and friends + sac outlet of your choice is a pretty budget combo that is a pain to disrupt and I would happily use to kick it up a gear or two if I felt I needed to (and, with proper tutors and outlets, could start happening turn 4-5). Lark and Guide do pretty silly things with a lot of cards, as any Black/White aristocrats deck will happily show you. Karmic Guide itself is responsible for a lot of victories, just in the sheer amount of things it can chain reanimate with an Alesha activation. Or just carrying a piece of equipment against a black deck. Other card advantage engines and Recruiters are the subtle all-stars of the non-budget deck.

A beatdown end-game is often where it goes from here. Overrun victory with Mirror Entity + Resolute Blademaster is reliable if you need more than just your current board. Mirror Entity activation is instant speed, so you can tailor your mana use for what you need. The budget deck is actually better at this wincon in theory, as it has a larger token package to spread the damage wider or push the damage harder if needed. Voltron with some offensive equipments, even on Alesha herself, is often good enough to get us there. If nothing else, an army of demons off of Priest of the Blood Rite or just any large beaters are fine.