Death! Ride, Ride to ruin! *primer*

Commander / EDH* GW (Selesnya) Knights Protection Tokens

Phion

Creature (42)

• 1x Acclaimed Contender
• 1x Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 1x Attended Knight
• 1x Baird, Steward of Argive
• 1x Basri's Lieutenant
• 1x Benalish Cavalry
• 1x Benalish Marshal
• 1x Cavalier of Dawn
• 1x Crashing Drawbridge
• 1x Dauntless Bodyguard
• 1x Defender of Law
• 1x Gallant Cavalry
• 1x Guardian of Faith
• 1x Hero of Goma Fada
• 1x Heron's Grace Champion
• 1x Kinsbaile Cavalier
• 1x Knight Exemplar
• 1x Knight of Autumn
• 1x Knight of Dawn
• 1x Knight of Glory
• 1x Knight of Grace
• 1x Knight of the Holy Nimbus
• 1x Knight of the Reliquary
• 1x Knight of the White Orchid
• 1x Knight-Captain of Eos
• 1x Lena, Selfless Champion
• 1x Lionheart Maverick
• 1x Mirran Crusader
• 1x Oakhame Ranger
• 1x Order of Leitbur
• 1x Order of the Sacred Torch
• 1x Paladin en-Vec
• 1x Pentarch Paladin
• 1x Riders of Gavony
• 1x Riftmarked Knight
• 1x Selfless Squire
• 1x Silver Knight
• 1x Silverblade Paladin
• 1x Steward of Valeron
• 1x Tivadar of Thorn
• 1x White Knight
• 1x Worthy Knight

Instant (14)

• 1x Benefactor's Draught
• 1x Blessed Respite
• 1x Call the Coppercoats
• 1x Charge
• 1x Flawless Maneuver
• 1x Fog
• 1x Holy Day
• 1x March of the Multitudes
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Rite of Harmony
• 1x Roar of the Kha
• 1x Secure the Wastes
• 1x Selesnya Charm
• 1x Swords to Plowshares

Land (34)

• 1x Branchloft Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Canopy Vista
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 2x Forest
• 1x Fortified Village
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Overgrown Farmland
• 1x Path of Ancestry
• 21x Plains
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Temple of Plenty

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Valiant Endeavor

Commanders (2)

Artifact (4)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Herald's Horn
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Tome of Legends

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Aura Shards
• 1x Cathars' Crusade
• 1x Mobilization

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Maybeboard

Creature (2)

• 1x Maja, Bretagard Protector
• 1x Torens, Fist of the Angels

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This is my first attempt at a primer and as I am limited on time it will likely look unfinished for a time.

This is a knight themed deck that also accepts soldiers into the ranks to help finish opponents off; a friend of mine made a medieval deck which would only use cards with that theme in mind, power be damned and it inspired me to try something similar. The commanders are both knights and have partner, on the surface Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa and Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel don't have much synergy but with a little tinkering I have been able to find a way to make an efficient interaction between the two. I would say overall the deck is far stronger than I had intended, my gut says its a 7.5/10 on power scale but I have not had a chance to test it yet.

1. Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel flickers in general is fun for combat tricks and token generation from knights such as Attended Knight, Gallant Cavalry, Lena, Selfless Champion and Knight-Captain of Eos. Also handy to save the board by flickering a Knight Exemplar, Hero of Goma Fada or Guardian of Faith (which Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel can exile with counter instant speed while keeping the ability on stack meaning that Guardian of faith is not lost).

2. Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa comes very close to giving my creatures unblockable, most of my creatures have power 2 or less. Permanents that boost creatures power are not present to keep this evasion, Livio, Oathsworn Sentinel can get rid of creatures giving a boost and before damage is applied bring them back in to boost damage would could prove lethal. In addition, cards like Charge have been added to again add in last minute buffs to kill opponents.

In addition the deck has solid defense against combat damage with cards such as Knight-Captain of Eos, Selfless Squire, Fog and Holy Day. With Livio it is possible to bring Knight-Captain of Eos back in to make more soldiers to sacrifice and Selfless Squire to prevent all combat damage on an opponents turn.

It is also worth noting that this deck is close to being mono white which means we can get a lot of devotion mana from Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. In addition Knight of the Reliquary can even search for it which is kind of nuts for a low-mid budget deck with a commander (Livio) who can always find use for the extra mana. March of the Multitudes andSecure the Wastes really benefit from this as well.

Below I explain the purpose of the card mostly from a functional perspective, I will add my thoughts as well from a thematic perspective as well if I feel it could use a little explaining.

1. card:Livio, sentinel oathsworn= As mentioned above he is also about flickering the best enter the battlefield cards and applying extra damage before it is dealt while keeping Sidar's evasion. In addition if an opponent board wipes its a nice prospect to exile my better creatures with aegis counters and then return them 2 turns later after paying 4 or more to return him from command zone.
2. Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa= The evasion is key to this card as many of the creatures have low toughness. alone he makes a good blocker and should be harder to remove with his high toughness.
3. Acclaimed Contender= He replaces himself and with Livio he can even become card advantage in the deck, sure he only targets knights but thats what this decks wants
4. Adeline, Resplendent Cathar= She herself goes against the idea of the deck having lower powered creatures to benefit from Sidar, however she pumps out tokens who can't be blocked with Sidar on field. the vigilance is nice for a bit of defence and the art really captures what this whole deck is about.
5. Attended Knight= This is a really good common knight card that does everything I want for the deck, benefits from Livio's spamming of entering the battlefield with more tokens, comes in with no more than 2 power to gain Sidar's evasion and the gravy on top is she has first strike if I want a blocker. Again the art captures the theme of the deck.
6. Baird, Steward of Argive This card I made a bit of an exception for as I had already added march of the multitudes, and figured that soldiers was not too far a stretch in a knight deck. I couldn't add card:ghostly prision as the card was really off theme but making opponents pay to attack is really handy to have especially when you play against decks like Krenko. Also he still captures the feel of the deck and gets bonus points for the evasion he gains from Sidar while being able to still block with vigilance.
7. Basri's Lieutenant Goes a bit against the benefits of Sidar as he boosts power of a creature which isn't great if they are already a 2/2, however I us him more as tech against board wipes completely wrecking the board. The art captures the more noble side of being a knight and he is a great blocking creature
8. Benalish Cavalry A simple creature with a fun ability that bring's 3/3's down to his level. Love the wondering knight look he has,
9. Cavalier of Dawn To be honest this card is on the lower end of theme despite being a knight, the art doesn't really capture deck theme but survives because it is a mounted creature. Functionally one of the strongest cards in deck as it deals with problems upon entering and with Livio a lot of problems are going to go quickly.
10. Crashing Drawbridge In terms of theme it is perfect and the abilities are nothing to overlook either as haste in a deck that can drop as many creatures in one turn as this one can is a pretty high power play. Call the Coppercoats and similar cards can become a death sentence on the same turn I draw it with Sidar on the battlefield for evasion.
11. Dauntless Bodyguard Handy creature to drop early game if playing aggressively even without the sac indestructible ability. Sidar comes in mid-game and provides evasion and Livio can even flicker later on for the ability to target a creature so it does have ability to sac and be indestructible.
12. Defender of Law Protection from red is really handy against spells such as Blasphemous Act and flash is also handy as I can have the option to use either Livio, another instant effect or drop him in before my turn. Happy he is a knight with a lance.
13. Order of LeitburReplaced Fiendslayer paladin. Fiendslayer was too easy to get around protection as it was only spells. Would have preferred protection from red to negate that colour pies board wipes. Otherwise being to pump up for a bit more damage should be handy, first strike is good and the art awesome.
14. Gallant Cavalry Another common that really captures what the deck wants with both Sidar and Livio, arguably the best art in the deck for what I want.
15. Guardian of Faith As mentioned above a really solid way to keep saving the board with Livio, power is too high for Sidar but thats the way the cookie crumbles. Again a bit too high fantasy in terms of art in terms of him being a spirit but overall I am happy with it.
16. Hero of Goma Fada A bit so so on entry as I intend to attack with evasion anyway, his main purpose is to have repeatable indestructible with Livio against board wipes.
17. Heron's Grace Champion a last minute increase to damage for humans which my deck mostly consists of while my creatures attack with Sidar on field and life gain to boot.
18. Kinsbaile Cavalier Extremely powerful in the deck, the lower power of creatures matter less with Sidar giving evasion on field and the potential to double damage. All the better with Maskwood nexus on the field turning all the tokens I make into knights.
19. Knight Exemplar Provides the last minute damage buff with Livio and can save most creatures on field if brought in. stunning art for the deck
20. Knight of Autumn More ways to get rid of game changing artifacts and enchantments opponents control. Again quite high fantasy but they are mounted,
21. Knight of Dawn Choice of protection is handy and has first strike just in case. I enjoy the flamboyant art of this one
22. Knight of Glory Protection from black is fantastic and exalted is nice early game depending on the board state, easy to underestimate the strength of this card in a correctly constructed deck
23. Knight of Grace similar to Knight of glory, it becoming a 3/2 can possibly be a set back in this deck but the first strike makes it a nice defence card regardless. The art is fantastic for what the deck tries to convey with the banner and charging mount.
24. Knight of the Holy Nimbus great creature for devotion early game and the fact it might regenerate at all is a bonus to me, the flanking is appreciated.
25. Knight of the Reliquary Being able to search for Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is kind of crazy in this mostly white deck and helps make this deck more powerful than it has any right to be.
26. Knight of the White Orchid Finding dual lands early game is very handy and otherwise he provides a solid body with devotion. Riding a lion is a bit nuts but pretty fun to look at.
27. Knight-Captain of Eos A token generator that can fog on a stick is going to be annoying for opponents to deal with, even if they try to target him with removal I could potentially Livio exile aegis counter to protect him to then bring back and make more tokens.
28. Lena, Selfless Champion Strong token generator with Livio that makes tokens to attack with Sidar, the option to save the board state is really strong as well.
29. Lionheart Maverick quite aggressive early game and a blocker I don't mind losing later. Unironically possibly has the best art in the deck considering its a common.
30. Selesnya Charm Replaced mankia patrol, can make a knight token if I need an attacker with vigilance, remove a big threat or if I manage to make a big creature (i.e. selfless squire after being hit hard previous turn) I can give the creature a boost to power and trample (may be good for commander damage).
31. Mirran Crusader Really solid hitter that can be hard for some decks to remove
32. Oakhame Ranger Being able to tap this guy down to give all creatures +1+1 would usually be trival but in this deck its quite strong with all the tokens getting through. in addition this creature provide 4 devotion to white (or green) which is very handy with Nykthos.
33. Order of the Sacred Torch helps push this deck to become a black players bane, otherwise just a 2/2 that benefits from Sidar which is fine.
34. Paladin en-Vec Another strong option against black and red players, solid stats all round.
35. Pentarch Paladin More colour hate that benefits from Livio causing him to enter battlefield again to choice a different colour that is causing us bother if required. Such a unusual looking knight but I dig it, more of a traavelling knight feel
36. Riders of Gavony Suddenly we don't have to worry about buffs and Sidar being on the field against tribal decks as Livio can just flicker him in as required. Naturally don't choose humans unless essential as this is a nombo with Livio.
37. Riftmarked Knight quite a few cool things going on with this card, would probably cast him without the suspend option but its just another option available which could be handy. Pretty cool to look at, not your standard looking knight but I like that a banner was added
38. Selfless Squire Not a knight but the potential for a reoccurring fog effect with Livio is kind of broke and can suddenly can make this relatively aggro deck control based, not flawless but a pain for others to deal with.
39. Silver Knight Just a solid knight that gives more devotion and a pain for red players to deal with
40. Silverblade Paladin again double strike is a powerful effect, being able to change creatures with Livio could be extremely powerful
41. Steward of Valeron Nice bit of ramp that can also be aggressive, makes main phase 2 perhaps a bit more important than main phase 1
42. Tivadar of Thorn Protection from red and kills a goblin. If I am lucky.
43. Valiant Knight Good last minute buff for knights and potential way to double strike at a cost
44. White Knight Solid creature against black and good devotion. The art is pretty perfect for conveying a charge
45. Roar of the Kha Replaced wilt-leaf liege, I couldn't get over the art and a bit expensive to cast/ alternative cast not likely to occur regular. last minute buff to creatures and also good on defense if I need blockers.
46. Worthy Knight It likes me to cast knight and I like casting knights; a match made in heaven. If I could I would change the art but that's the way the cookie crumbles
47. Herald's Horn Considering 44 creatures are knights in the deck and 41 can be drawn from the deck, pretty good card draw and way to reduce costs. Looks in theme as well
48. Maskwood Nexus Turns generic soldiers and humans into knights so they can benefit from creatures such as knight exemplar. Personally I associate the woodlands a big part of a knights tale usually and they tend to be magical.
49. Sol Ring is honestly just a staple
50. Aura Shards Is strong in this deck due to the number of creatures that should be entering the battlefield. Not brilliant from a flavour point of view, it references soldiers at least.
51. Cathars' Crusade On the surface goes against Sidar's evasion, however again playing it on the same turn, swinging in with a bunch of creatures and then using a Call the Coppercoats before damage is going to be pretty lethal. Art wise it doesn't get much better for what the deck is trying to convey
52. Blessed Respite Replaced glare of subdual; perhaps this choice will kill me long game in the future, but it is cheaper to cast and the element of surprise can win the game. Having some graveyard hate in addition is welcome and the art is on point for theme of the deck
53. Benefactor's Draught Is a good defensive card even if the deck already has a lot of vigilance creatures, in addition upon declaring blocks cards will be drawn so it is possible to draw into a fog effect if we don't want to lose any creatures. The art is good for this deck with the soldier/knight being healed by a lady, a typical trope for knights.
54. Call the Coppercoats Has a lot of potential defensively, but the deck is more concerned with the offensive power of the card as with Sidar attacking with evasion is going to be very punishing. Combined with cards such as Cathar's crusade or just a simple charge and it's pretty much sealed that a player is going to get taken out. Pushes the deck more towards a soldier theme but still works with the adapted flavour of knights leading the charge and having units underneath them.
55. Charge A boost to creatures who have attacked with Sidar's evasion, due to the number of potential attacking creatures this common I would normally ignore is actually quite pushed. Similar to cathars crusade, the flavour is really on point
56. Flawless Maneuver Very practical considering how cheap Livio is to cast to get it for free and its very handy to protect the board.
57. Fog Such a simple card that I have seen change the outcome of so many games, not to be underestimated. Art wise it captures the tactical side of battle and the concern soldiers and knights would have going into battle
58. Holy Day A white fog I only recently discovered so very happy to have chance to use it as I do not usually play green/white. The card reminds me of the crusade tropes you see in films; it is also quite hilarious to me that I just get to decide it is a time to take a Holyday/holiday on an opponents turn before I just smack them in the face the turn after.
59. March of the Multitudes Typically used mid-late game, it can actually be quite potent during mid game as the creatures are so cheap in this deck, paying the convoke for 8+ tokens should be relatively easy by turn 7. Keep in mind, if you secure the wastes and leave one source of green or untapped green creature you can pump all your mana into secure the wastes followed by convoking march of the multitudes for a sizeable field of tokens if both cards are in hand.
60. Swords to Plowshares The spike in me removed Outflank. Good for getting rid of utility creatures as well as heavy hitters.
61. card: Path to Exile 000 Powerful removal, wouldn't be against using it on one of my own creatures to ramp/ find a forest. love the alternative art to this as it conveys either a soldier or knight being sent off to the afterlife
62. Rite of Harmony Good card draw when you consider the numbder of tokens that can be made in this deck. Quite off theme, I mean knights typically deal with tracking witches down but the card doesn't really convey this, slight flavour fail my end and functionality has won out.
63. Secure the Wastes Really handy token generator at instant speed that enables Livio to interact with board all the way up to prior my turn
64. Valiant Endeavor Bit of a gamble considering it is my only board wipe but it is fun and creating a bunch of knights followed by a Crashing Drawbridge is going to be kind of nuts.

Top Ranked	Achieved #4 position overall 2 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH GW (Selesnya) 2 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Knights 2 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Protection 2 years ago
Date added	2 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	4 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 14 - 0 Uncommons 14 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.88
Tokens	Golem 3/3 C, Human 1/1 W, Human Soldier 1/1 W, Knight 2/2 B, Knight 2/2 W w/ Vigilance, Soldier 1/1 W, Soldier 1/1 W w/ Lifelink, Warrior 1/1 W
Folders	The Dankest of Decks, finished decks, Cool decks, EDH