DESCRIPTION
This deck started out as mono-white life gain, but soon evolved into what it is today. I would suggest trying it out for several reasons:
- It is dirt cheap to make, compared to some decks that run 50 dollar cards. None of the rares cost more than 5 dollars apiece.
- It is extremely fun to play.
- RDW is almost a bye for you. There is so much life gain that it is next to impossible to lose to RDW, even without the 3 Perimeter Captains and 4 white Leylines in the board.
Leyline of Sanctity is the best sideboard card. Every day I am amazed at all the random shenanigans that it shuts down:
- It is very useful against RDW.
- It is helpful against Pyromancer Ascension combo.
- It helps against certain planeswalker abilities, like the Fateseal from Jace, the Lure from Gideon, and the Armageddon from Ajani Vengeant.
- It shuts off random discard effects like Duress and Blightning.
- It shuts off random mill strategies like Archive Trap.
- It shuts off random sac effects like Gatekeeper of Malakir and Consuming Vapors.
Other random notes on the deck:
- I am currently testing the effectiveness of Transcendant Master and Sun Titan. Wall of Omens might also come into the picture.
- Pridemates grow very quickly. I have had people compare them to Tarmogoyf in terms of their size and cost.
- I am not sure if Beastmaster Ascension should be Eldrazi Monument instead. The Monument does not work very well without Awakening Zone or a very steady stream of bodies, but the Ascension is difficult to activate.
- I cut Nest Invaders to make room for O-Rings because the complete lack of removal has been the biggest reason why I lose games. The other card I thought about cutting was Survival Cache.
- I run a Behemoth Sledge over a Basilisk Collar because Pridemates need trample much more than something else needs deathtouch.
- I have not tried to add red to this deck for Dragon Fodder and Goblin Assault, but somehow I feel like that would be too greedy. If only Master of the Wild Hunt was still in M11...
Sideboard notes:
- Perimeter Captain is there for any aggro strategy, particularly ones that involve Bloodbraid Elf.
- Luminarch Ascension is for UW control. O-Rings and counters are their only answers, and I have already got a lot of O-Ring targets. The plan against UW is to overload their O-Rings.
- Tajuru Preserver is for two main threats...Eldrazi monsters and Destructive Force. Granted, if I get a Pridemate to more than 5 toughness, D-Force will not be a problem.
- Leyline has already been discussed at length.
In summary, if you are looking for a fun, cheap deck that rarely loses to stupid RDWs, this is definitely worth a try.