Heroic Soldiers of Urd - 2nd Place at FNM!

Standard Nelstone

SCORE: 67 | 85 COMMENTS | 14104 VIEWS | IN 53 FOLDERS


One-drop swap —Dec. 4, 2014

Swapping out Herald of Anafenza for Nyxborn Shieldmate. The deck doesn't want to see late-game action, so Outlast won't be utilized.

Impressive. Maybe add another falconer

November 25, 2014 3:18 p.m.

Nelstone says... #2

Thanks. I don't want to draw a Falconer too early, hence 2.

November 25, 2014 3:28 p.m.

Sevenless says... #3

High Sentinels of Arashin always gets overlooked. It always does work in my mono-white heroic, and people seem baffled.

November 25, 2014 7:28 p.m.

Nelstone says... #4

Would you run High Sentinels over Falconer in this deck?

November 25, 2014 8:37 p.m.

Queima says... #5

if you splash green, Hardened Scales and Reap What Is Sown would fit really well...

November 27, 2014 10:23 a.m.

Nelstone says... #6

That would make thinks pretty ridiculous.

November 27, 2014 10:45 a.m.

lightcarrier says... #7

I like what I see. I was brewing something similar and trying to figure out how to improve it, but now that I see this, I don't need to anymore!

I'll try playtesting this soon. Until then, +1.

November 27, 2014 1:12 p.m.

mykei93 says... #8

I would drop Hero of Iroas, its only synergy is your 4-7 auras. Consider Glimpse the Sun God, cast it after you declare attackers, targeting your own heroic and opponent's blockers. Cavalry Pegasus would make your guys fly without needing to get falconer out

November 27, 2014 2:32 p.m.

mykei93 says... #9

if you wanna keep up tempo Vanguard of Brimaz, you would need to select soldier when casting Ob of Urd.

November 27, 2014 2:48 p.m.

323Dimitri says... #10

Preeminent Captain could be good since all of your creatures are soldiers.

November 27, 2014 7:01 p.m.

Nelstone says... #11

I'll justify my card choices. Feel free to dispute any of my claims.

Hero of Iroas is a workhorse and a key card in this deck. Once he's on the battlefield, he becomes a 3/5 for with Chosen by Heliod. That alone justifies his inclusion.

I'll break down why Cavalry Pegasus is not as good good as Abzan Falconer:

  • 1: Pegasus is a 1/1 for . Falconer is a 2/3 for one more colorless. Although Pegasus can fly without needing a counter, it's way too fragile.
  • 2: Soldier tokens aren't human, and can't fly with Pegasus.
  • 3: With Obelisk of Urd out, the Falconer is a 3/5. The Pegasus is still a 1/1.
  • 4: In an extended game, the Falconer can Outlast.

Vanguard of Brimaz is a good card, but this deck focuses on creatures that get counters via Heroics.

November 27, 2014 7:01 p.m.

Nelstone says... #12

I tried to work in Preeminent Captain, but he's too expensive and isn't Heroic.

November 27, 2014 7:07 p.m.

ZestyTurtle says... #13

You say this deck is about the +1/+1 counters, and a lot of your creatures get counters, but the only thing that boosts them for that is the Abzan Falconer.

November 27, 2014 7:44 p.m.

Nelstone says... #14

The deck is primarily about landing Obelisk of Urd naming soldiers, hence the seven 1-drop soldiers, four Launch the Fleet and four Raise the Alarm. Heroics is my very strong secondary win con, and Abzan Falconer granting flying to creatures with counters is just icing on the cake.

November 27, 2014 8:05 p.m.

Nelstone says... #15

Hey lightcarrier, good to hear from you. Let me know how playtesting goes. I played Urd Be Thy Name at FNM on 11/7/14 and went 2-3. The deck was fun, but not getting the right mana and two creatures requiring to cast slowed the deck down.

I'm stoked about this one. I'm taking it to FNM on 11/28/14.

November 27, 2014 8:41 p.m.

Cepsys says... #16

I saw above that you were trying to make this deck on a budget, but I just have to say that Brimaz, King of Oreskos would make this deck stellar. Also if you have the money I would suggest Ajani Steadfast since he is more reliable than Phalanx Leader to distribute counters on all of your creatures to interact with Abzan Falconer. My deck which is similar to this: Legion of the Sun

November 27, 2014 9:22 p.m.

Nelstone says... #17

By cost, I was referring to CMC, not real-world dollars. I own playsets of Brimaz, King of Oreskos and Ajani Steadfast. I've thought about adding both somehow, but they don't line up with the deck's primary goal: resolve Obelisk of Urd quickly with lots of cheap soldiers on the battlefield. If I take things out to make room for Ajani and Brimaz, I'm afraid I'm straying too far from that main principle.

I like Legion of the Sun and you work both cards in really well. Have you run it at an FNM?

November 27, 2014 9:41 p.m.

Sevenless says... #18

I would keep the Falconers, but I'd take out a Hero of Iroas and a land and add two High Sentinels.

November 27, 2014 10:13 p.m.

I would recomend removing Herald of Anafenza since it creates warriors instead of soldiers and doesn't help your deck at all. Even though it costs some I would also then recommend replacing it with Elspeth, Sun's Champion. If you don't like the planeswalker then I would recomend either Aegis of the Gods, Brave the Sands, or Dictate of Heliod. I would also get ride of Favored Hoplite for any combo of the above.

Also swap out Suspension Field for Banishing Light

Thats just my two cents though, hope they helped!!

November 27, 2014 10:43 p.m.

Globeking says... #20

From what i can see Herald of Anafenza is in there simply as a one drop solider with upside if you dont need to swing turn one. I love this style of deck and have been tweaking my own for a while now. I'm gonna play test tonight and get back to you before i order some more Hero of Iroas

November 28, 2014 7:19 a.m.

Nelstone says... #21

My counterpoints. Please make a compelling argument against if you disagree.

@Sevenless, Hero of Iroas is integral to the deck. Dropping to 19 lands and adding two 4-drops is asking for trouble.

@thatoneguyxiii, Herald of Anafenza is in the deck for reasons stated in the description. Elspeth, Sun's Champion is better suited for a midrange or control deck. Aegis of the Gods is still in -3/-3 range with an Obelisk of Urd on the battlefield, and isn't Heroic. Brave the Sands doesn't bring any value to this deck. Dictate of Heliod is too expensive, and would just be a win-more card in this deck. Suspension Field is cheaper and is brought in for specific matchups; see the sideboarding guide for reference.

November 28, 2014 7:30 a.m.

Nelstone says... #22

Thanks, Globeking. If you like Heroic white decks in Standard, Hero of Iroas is a great, cheap investment.

November 28, 2014 7:32 a.m.

Globeking says... #23

Could you side in Heliod's Pilgrim for the games you need the extra card advantage grabbing auras?

November 28, 2014 7:33 a.m.

Nelstone says... #24

Heliod's Pilgrim is an interesting suggestion. Perhaps I could add it to the side for matches where both Chosen by Heliod and Ordeal of Heliod are in the main deck. Good recommendation, thanks!

November 28, 2014 7:37 a.m.

Globeking says... #25

Another little thing I noticed is that you almost always side out an urd, does this mean we should start with three in the main? Sideboarding is my biggest problem with this deck so i really want to understand what best to move around in these situations.

November 28, 2014 7:44 a.m.