Sword of the Meek and Ancestral Vision being unbanned. Other than people winning with Glistener Elf on turn 2, of course.
Got ya.
Infect “nuts draws” aside, I personally wouldn’t be comfortable running Infect at #SCGMKE. Zoo and Burn are two of Infect’s worst matchups and are poised to be a significant portion of the field. I’m not going to #SCGMKE myself, as the plane tickets jumped too high by the time I’d convinced myself I wanted to go. However, if I were attending, I’d bring a deck that’s great against aggro decks while having game against midrange decks like Jund and Abzan.
Creatures (26)
- 4 Soul Warden
- 2 Auriok Champion
- 4 Ranger of Eos
- 4 Soul's Attendant
- 2 Serra Ascendant
- 4 Ajani's Pridemate
- 4 Archangel of Thune
- 2 Thraben Inspector
Lands (24)
Spells (10)
Soul Sisters is wonderfully positioned against the Burn, Zoo, Affinity, Jund, and Abzan decks. I also seem to beat Abzan Company most of the time, even though the matchup seems poor on paper. The previous really bad matchups for Soul Sisters are gone, which were Splinter Twin, G/R Tron, and Amulet Bloom. I guess there’s a little Tron being played by diehard enthusiasts, but whatever.
Infect is tough and that’s where the Shining Shoals in the sideboard come in. They allow you to tap out with little fear of dying. One nice thing about Shining Shoal is that it doesn’t target the source, so it can’t be protected with Vines of Vastwood or a Spellskite. Spectral Procession and Archangel of Thune pitch to Shining Shoal for six and five, respectively. Pyroclasm and Firespout show up from time to time, and Shining Shoal helps keep your creatures alive while tapped out.
The maindeck is roughly the same as usual except for a couple Thraben Inspectors. They help to “gas back up” in the late-game when fetched up with Ranger of Eos. Cathedral Sanctifier may be deserving of a slot, but I definitely want two Thraben Inspector and two Serra Ascendant.
Just one each of Honor of the Pure and Brave the Elements. They’re cards that aren’t great in multiples. The first copy is good most of the time. Sundering Growth gets the nod over Disenchant for the rare times you can proliferate a Spirit token. Sadly, you can’t proliferate a Clue.
Creatures (33)
- 4 Soul Warden
- 3 Auriok Champion
- 4 Ranger of Eos
- 4 Soul's Attendant
- 2 Serra Ascendant
- 4 Ajani's Pridemate
- 3 Archangel of Thune
- 1 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Thalia's Lieutenant
Lands (23)
Spells (4)
Did you know that Serra Ascendant is a Human? I could’ve sworn it was an Avatar. Aside from Ajani’s Pridemate, Archangel of Thune, and Spectral Procession tokens, every creature in Soul Sisters is a Human.
Thalia’s Lieutenant has made a huge impact in Standard and will assuredly make an impact in Modern soon. Thalia’s Lieutenant fills the role that Honor of the Pure did for the most part and increases the speed of the deck to help beat combo decks or anything that stumbles against you. The presence of Ranger of Eos for a total of three Humans helps the 1/1 Thalia’s Lieutenant grow quickly later in the game.
The loss of Spectral Procession certainly sucks, but in come some Mutavaults. They help trigger Windbrisk Heights or to transform Kytheon, Hero of Akros. Mutavault is a Human for Thalia’s Lieutenant to put counters on. It helps keep up pressure if your battlefield gets swept up. Mutavault does a little of everything!
The sideboard Shining Shoals are a little weaker without Spectral Procession, but I still think a couple are worth it to shore up the Infect matchup. Ethersworn Canonist is surprisingly a Human too and helps against decks like Elves and Storm.
Creatures (30)
- 1 Weathered Wayfarer
- 2 Auriok Champion
- 4 Knight of the White Orchid
- 4 Ranger of Eos
- 1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
- 4 Champion of the Parish
- 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 1 Mardu Woe-Reaper
- 2 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Thalia's Lieutenant
Lands (24)
Spells (6)
This one is taking the Humans concept all the way. Every creature is a Human, making Cavern of Souls a very potent land against counterspell decks. Champion of the Parish gets large very quickly, especially with Thalia’s Lieutenant. Knight of the White Orchid is pretty good too when you’re casting Path to Exile, Horizon Canopy is getting sacrificed, and Mutavaults are dying in combat.
There’s a little toolbox package with Ranger of Eos with Mikaeus, the Lunarch; Weathered Wayfarer; and Mardu Woe-Reaper. I’m not sure that it’s the right combination, but having at least a few silver bullets seems right with four Ranger of Eos. Weathered Wayfarer will get some activations for the same reason that Knight of the White Orchid is expected to trigger. It gets any land, which includes Mutavault, Tectonic Edge, or Horizon Canopy.
It’s possible to want green for Noble Hierarch, Tireless Tracker, and Eternal Witness. Or blue for a bunch of mages like Meddling Mage, Snapcaster Mage, and Reflector Mage. Snapcaster Mage on Gather the Townsfolk would be neat. That’s another topic for another article, though.
Creatures (29)
- 1 Serra Avenger
- 3 Kitchen Finks
- 4 Flickerwisp
- 4 Leonin Arbiter
- 3 Blade Splicer
- 4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 2 Eldrazi Displacer
- 4 Thraben Inspector
Lands (23)
Spells (8)
I talked about this deck before but figured it’s worth relisting with some minor updates. Basically the Westvale Abbey never got activated and is better off being something else like the first copy of Caves of Koilos. The fourth Kitchen Finks made its way into the sideboard, given the rise in popularity of Zoo and Burn.
The deck is fairly well-tested and is good to go. Of all the decks, this is probably the one I’ve put the most hours behind.
Creatures (29)
- 1 Kitchen Finks
- 1 Flickerwisp
- 4 Leonin Arbiter
- 2 Blade Splicer
- 4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 3 Restoration Angel
- 4 Eldrazi Displacer
- 4 Thought-Knot Seer
- 2 Matter Reshaper
- 4 Thraben Inspector
Lands (23)
Spells (8)
Eldrazi Taxes has been popping up lately, but usually with a black splash for Thoughtseize and Wasteland Strangler. The colorless requirements already put a strain on the mana, so I’d like to avoid more mana inconsistencies. Kitchen Finks and Flickerwisp numbers are down to just one each because getting double white is less reliable now.
To make room for Eldrazi Temple, most of the creature-lands had to get cut. Several painlands like Caves of Koilos made their way in to better smooth out the mana. Warping Wail gives the deck more action in matchups that are less interactive like Scapeshift. The exile mode is also great against every creature in the Infect deck.
Whatever you do, don’t add Reality Smasher to this deck. You never want to tick your Aether Vial up to five. If I were to play a five-drop, the card I’d look to would be Archangel Avacyn.
And One Standard Deck
Creatures (32)
- 4 Knight of the White Orchid
- 4 Dragon Hunter
- 4 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
- 4 Anointer of Champions
- 4 Expedition Envoy
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Thalia's Lieutenant
- 4 Town Gossipmonger
Lands (18)
- 18 Plains
Spells (10)
I wanted to streamline Boss Humans for my article last week but decided that the original 60-cards maindeck would be something that I’d more easily write a sideboard guide about. Anointer of Champions and Kytheon, Hero of Akros can both be unimpressive in multiples, Anointer of Champions especially against decks that don’t intend on blocking at all. Kytheon, Hero of Akros is probably a fine card to play four of, given how reliable he is to transform in this deck. You do have to tiptoe around a bit to not transform the second Kytheon, Hero of Akros into Gideon, Battle-Forged, but it’s not so bad.
I like the inclusion of Make a Stand in the maindeck. I’ve never gotten behind Eerie Interlude as it’s solely a reactive card, barring mid-combat Thalia’s Lieutenant shenanigans. Make a Stand pushes through blockers very well and can be used to inflict the last points of damage with its +1/+0. It doesn’t save creatures from Languish like Eerie Interlude does, but I think the upsides of Make a Stand are worth it. There are quite a few Languishes running around, so maybe Humans should just be shelved for a week until the metagame is softer to it.
Paul Rietzl, Craig Wescoe, and Pat Cox played Mono-White Humans with three copies of Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit in the version over Consul’s Lieutenant and one Anointer of Champions. I think she’s all right, but not something I’d want to play three of. Not being a Human and being legendary are both drawbacks I want to avoid. I agree Consul’s Lieutenant is pretty medium and don’t mind that being cut. Moving forward, I could see being happy with one copy of Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit in the deck as another Anthem-style creature.
Also, congrats to Yian Hsiang Chye for placing 16th at Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad with my Boss Humans 75!
I hope that, by the time Grand Prix New York (New Jersey) rolls around, Mono-White Humans will be a good choice. If G/W Tokens and Bant Company are both popular, I expect it to be. We have the Classics in #SCGMKE and #SCGINDY to further flesh out the post-Pro Tour metagame.