Skyknight Legionnaire or Skyknight Vanguard?
Deck Help forum
Posted on July 20, 2019, 8:47 a.m. by DemonDragonJ
I have a red/white deck with four copies of Skyknight Legionnaire , which I think is a great card, but, now that Skyknight Vanguard has been printed in Core Set 2020, I am contemplating replacing the previous card with it.
The vanguard has lower power and does not have haste, but it also has a lower mana cost and generates a token every time that it attacks (and, importantly, the tokens do not cease to exist after combat is over), and, since the deck also contains four copies of Balefire Liege , those tokens could become quite powerful.
What does everyone else say about this? Should I replace Skyknight Legionnaire with Skyknight Vanguard ?
Sarkhan420X says... #3
ChannelFireball: the vanguard doesn't have haste which makes it almost strictly worse on turns 3 and up.
the tokens will likely just be chump blocked even with +1/+1 from the liege. the only way the damage from the vanguard equals the damage from the legionnaire is if the tokens go unblocked, which means an opponent isn't really doing anything anyway.
since you said "4 copies" and "balefire liege", this obviously isn't standard or commander. if its modern, neither option are particularly good.
July 20, 2019 1:41 p.m.
channelfireball12345 says... #5
Sarkhan420X I think you're misinterpreting what I'm saying. I said that, assuming that you play both on-curve, they will both hit the opponent as early as turn three, making them similar in that regard.
July 20, 2019 5:22 p.m.
A decklist probably would help make this a less aimless debate, but if the deck is an anthem style deck having more bodies makes them stronger, if you're not entirely sure keep one legionnaire and 3 vanguards, honestly the debate should be more on similar cmc cards.
July 21, 2019 7:58 a.m.
Sarkhan420X says... #7
channelfireball12345: i didnt misinterpret at all. you said vanguard was stronger in a vacuum, and i disagree entirely.
channelfireball12345 says... #2
Both cards seem like pretty strong options, but in order to have an understanding of which fits your deck better, I’d like to see the deck. Can you post a link to your list? Mana curve is a significant consideration to take into account. I’d say that in a vacuum, the vanguard is probably much better, given that it spreads its power/toughness across two bodies and can scale up quickly. Moreover, since the two both offer similar stats on turn three (the first turn either can attack), the lower cmc is probably a pretty significant upside.
July 20, 2019 1:34 p.m.