MTGNexus

This is an old Pioneer list I played a couple of years ago. I'm considering trying to build another, similar list. I haven't kept up with what's been made available since this was built, which was shortly after Throne of Eldraine. I did pull three copies of Heartflame Duelist // Heartflame Slash, so I'm thinking of working that in somewhere.

I'd like to try Mardu colors, but I doubt I'd be willing to fork out enough cash for it and I doubt it would be worthwhile competitively. There's just some really cool B Knights, you know? I suppose Rakdos would be an option, just to do something different.

Any advice on how - or whether it's even worthwhile - to proceed would be welcome.

Just looking at alternative lands.
Sundown Pass
Restless Bivouac
Furycalm Snarl
Alpine Meadow
Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
Clifftop Retreat
Needle Spires

Budget and availability tweaks:

looking at the second deck list. Heartflame Duelist looks like a nice new addition to knights. 2r for 3 damage is not bad in pioneer.

have you tested this deck against other pioneer decks?

The Fluff wrote: ↑

5 months ago

looking at the second deck list. Heartflame Duelist looks like a nice new addition to knights. 2r for 3 damage is not bad in pioneer.

have you tested this deck against other pioneer decks?

Nope. I haven't even rounded the cards up yet. There's an enthusiasm deficit for Pioneer in my neighborhood.

oh, that's a bit sad. Same here in my area... there's a lack of mtg in general. After the lockdowns, the last of the shops closed.

anyway, I have a half built knights deck. As in half the cards are in hand already. I also have some Bodyguard and Venerable Knight. And glad to see how much the price of Fervent Champion has dropped, they were more expensive 2 years ago.

The Fluff wrote: ↑

5 months ago

oh, that's a bit sad. Same here in my area... there's a lack of mtg in general. After the lockdowns, the last of the shops closed.

anyway, I have a half built knights deck. As in half the cards are in hand already. I also have some Bodyguard and Venerable Knight. And glad to see how much the price of Fervent Champion has dropped, they were more expensive 2 years ago.

We still have shops but there's not much besides Commander going on.

Fervent Champ is in the bulk box at one of our LGS; got a set for $0.80.

On Thin Ice is appealing. How many Snow lands should a fellow run to risk this as a one-of main deck with another one or two in the sideboard?

Maybe something like this?

Rumor has it that a reprint of Shock lands is imminent; perhaps Sacred Foundry will be within reach.

Okay, On thin Ice is bad for multiple reasons; mostly it's illegal in Pioneer. Ooops, my bad. We don't even have to mention that it wouldn't work with the mana needed for a deck that needs both colors turn one. So, assuming the reprints reduce Sacred Foundry to a reasonable price, maybe something like this would work.

the newest list looks solid. I like the single Brave the Elements in the main. For offense and defense, it's good.

a set of Benalish Marshal is tough on a two color deck. This pretty much forces you to have every land be able to produce white.

tried using marshals in my list sometime ago, simply not possible, because my deck is mardu color.

The Fluff wrote: ↑

4 months ago

the newest list looks solid. I like the single Brave the Elements in the main. For offense and defense, it's good.

a set of Benalish Marshal is tough on a two color deck. This pretty much forces you to have every land be able to produce white.

tried using marshals in my list sometime ago, simply not possible, because my deck is mardu color.

The forthcoming reprint of the Shock lands should make it possible to improve the mana-base. The original list had negligible issues with hitting Marshal on turn-three. That would be super tough in Mardu in Pioneer.

This is the list that finally saw play tonight. There's still a few cards missing; two Embercleves and two Sacred Foundries. One Embercleve is en route but Sacred Foundries have not dropped in price like I had hoped. The side-board is still partly jank.

The mana base is still in flux; I'm not sure even one Clifftop Retreat is safe; Sundown Pass is a little dubious but even Inspiring Vantage doesn't always come in when it's wanted. The single Restless Bivouac was replaced by another Tournament Grounds immediately after the event ended. What was I thinking with that thing?

List used for the second event.

The first list went 2-1. The loss was to Rakdos Sac. I don't know what the other two were. One had a bunch of convoke, but that's all I remember.

The second list went 1-2. The losses were to Tribal Vampires and Tribal Angels. The first game against the Vampires resulted in a blow-out enabled by Brave the Elements. The next two games saw Crippling Fear. No contest. The first game against the angels was a rout in the Knights favor and the second was a rout for the Angels. The third was a near miss. There doesn't seem to be a remedy for Crippling Fear; Return to the Ranks is about the only thing I can think of to even try.

List used for the third event follows. The Tournament Grounds did not get on with the Lightning Helixes, so the mana base will have to be tuned prior to the next outing. I'm seriously considering swapping out the Worthy Knights for Thalia's Lieutenant. Worthy does draw removal, but Thalia adds value even if she is removed. The small reduction in Knight synergy is not likely a big deal, and everything except the Bonecrushers is Human. I've got two Lieutenants in hand, so I may try a two-two split the next time out.

I've ordered one more Sacred Foundry and I am bidding on more. It's clear I just need to bite that bullet. I think I'll also use my single Cavern of Souls here. It's just as useless for spells as Tournament Grounds, and also doesn't work for the Embercleves, but I did lose a game to Tribal Fairies in large part due to counter magic. The other loss was to Rakdos Sac, although the Knights did sneak in a win in the middle. Maybe a single copy of Vandalblast wouldn't be an awful idea.

The two wins were against a Boros Burn deck and an Aura deck. I lost the first game to the latter because I couldn't cast a removal spell on turn two due to Tournament Grounds.

congrats on going 2-1

ah, and sorry to hear about the loss to Vampires. That one sided board wipe from Crippling Fear is hard to deal with. Brave the elements does not stop it. Do you encounter that deck often?

yeah, adding the Caverns should be good. Even if it's just a copy. Never know when it would be useful.

The Fluff wrote: ↑

1 month ago

congrats on going 2-1

ah, and sorry to hear about the loss to Vampires. That one sided board wipe from Crippling Fear is hard to deal with. Brave the elements does not stop it. Do you encounter that deck often?

yeah, adding the Caverns should be good. Even if it's just a copy. Never know when it would be useful.

Yeah, I've played at that store where I encountered the Vampire deck only once and I'm not likely to play there often due to the entry fee. I got a copy of Eerie Interlude even though holding up three mana is not really going to happen, but I stumbled upon a copy of Return to the Ranks later.

I've rounded up one more Thalia's Lieutenant but the fourth has been elusive.

A 50% win-rate is probably about as good as it gets for a brew, but I really need some tech for Rakdos Sac and Boros Convoke.

those loo like good sideboard cards in case you encounter another deck that sides Crippling Fear.

have you tested the lieutenants? Are they doing great?

The Fluff wrote: ↑

2 weeks ago

those loo like good sideboard cards in case you encounter another deck that sides Crippling Fear.

have you tested the lieutenants? Are they doing great?

I haven't played with the lieutenants since adding them, but I used them a few years ago in a very similar deck, The Heartflame Duelist // Heartflame Slash's are in their slot now. I've decided to put the lieutenants back in but in place of the Worthy Knights. The lieutenants were very good in the old deck and I expect them to perform well. The counters will be more impactful than the the occasional Human token.

Eureka! I've found an answer for Crippling Fear! The Stone Brain! It's perhaps not fantastic, but it just might work. I found one rummaging through some pre-release leftovers. I think I'll round up one or two more.

The last Lieutenant has been found. Some new tech for Crippling Fear has been added. The one-drops have been shifted back toward W. Lastly, some creatures have been added to the side-board to hopefully shore up B and or R matchups.

Here's the latest list: