I have been promising you updates of some of your favorite decks for quite some time. The core of any deck is generally set, but there are plenty or components of a deck that are more fluid or transient. It wouldn't be an exciting read if I just changed 3 cards and wrote a brand new article about it. What I wanted was to capture a larger change in the cards and or strategy of the deck. I have just the candidate for you today: White Burn. That was an easy decision since I started that article off with a disclaimer about how I was swapping out the commander anyway.
Lets talk about what's new first. The most noticeable change is the new commander. Elesh Norn now headlines the deck. It's been a good change. Darien King of Kejeldor didn't push the burn strategy directly. He was a reward for taking damage, which was nice since several of my burn spells hit me too. Norn or the other hand actually causes life loss when something hits me or something I own. I offer plenty of reasons for people to attack me. Even some “opportunities.” People notice those opportunities are often traps, but it's not uncommon for them to jump into them anyway because they think they'll come out ahead. Either way, I'm all for it. Those noticeable traps include Halo Fountain and Felidar Sovereign. No one wants the Fountain around if I have double digit creatures. So attacks are plentiful to encourage me to block. Cards like Keeper of the Accord and Benevolent Offering go a long way to keeping this threat on line. In addition to it's draw ability I can do some untap shenanigans to ramp with Weathered Wayfarer, bounce creatures with Witch Hunter. With the Sovereign I can just surprise win the game. I have enough life gain that it a real threat to the table at a moment's notice. People want to push my life total low, fast. Some well timed burn spells are great with these cards on the field.
Elesh Norn has another aspect to her, the ability to flip. I have to sacrifice a couple creatures, which isn't a huge cost. As soon as she flips I make 5 2/2s. The opportunity cost is very low. Not all of my creatures are created equal though. I prefer to deprioritize my Myr tokens and citizen tokens to sacrifice. With Myr Battlesphere I can weaponize those creatures to pump the sphere and burn the defending player.
Norn's backside warped the deck in another way. Her III mode is a board wipe for most creatures, enchantments, and other less prevalent permanent types. I get to keep my Phyrexians though. March of the Machine brought a lot of new Phyrexians so I prioritized adding some of them. Tiller of Flesh was one I was very excited for in a different type of deck, a Heroic style deck. It's ability is even broader since I can target my opponent's permanents too. This works great with targeted removal. The incubator tokens can just sit there waiting for me to transform my commander. This only makes the decision to flip her that much more enticing. The next heavy hitter is Phyrexian Vindicator. 4 White mana is daunting in a lot of decks, but not a mono White deck. A 5/5 flier is nice on it's own, but with the ability to reflect damage to any other target I'm always happy for it to block or be blocked.
In addition to the new Phyrexians a lot of old creatures were retconned to become Phyrexians. Psychosis Crawler was an easy add for the deck, and arguably an oversight from the original build. I started to add more draw options into the deck as a result. Union of the Third Path and Secret Rendezvous were experiments that have stuck around. A little extra life is welcome in the deck, and the extra cards from Rendezvous are a good political move. Those extra cards are also still mitigated by my Rule of Law Effects. I also made a decision to add creatures that draw me cards. This led me to Inspiring Overseer and Priest of Ancient Lore. 3 mana 2/1s are a little underwhelming, but I'm always happy to see them. Why? Well, they make great sacrifice fodder to flip Elesh Norn for starters. I also added Sword of Hearth and Home to the deck. I can blink them out when the equipped creature attacks and be up on cards, life, and lands in one combat. This ETB strategy also inspired me to add Pierce Strider. Losing 3 life is not great, but having it happen multiple times from the Green/White Sword is value added and pushes the “Burn” plan of the deck. To go full circle with this paragraph, it has also been given the Phyrexian creature type.
There are not a ton of “Burn” options in white. That's what made the deck such a challenge. But I like to play around with what is out there. Stuffy Doll can do a lot of work in a turn cycle if you can get your opponents to punish the third party. Whoever is in the lead understands why I chose him. The feel bads go toward my opponents for causing him to lose life from their attacks. After all, I can't attack my own Stuffy Doll. It insulates me from a little of the retribution, until I start tapping it to deal one damage to itself. The real downside of the Doll comes from when the chosen player has been eliminated. It's a great blocker, sure, but not much else. Now I have a way to reset it with the aforementioned sword, so it becomes a danger all over again. Speaking of Swords, I also acquired a copy of Sword of War and Peace for the deck. The protection makes combat an easier choice when I want to soften some life totals. The real benefit comes from dealing damage to an opponent based off the number of cards in his hand. That additional 3 or 5 or 7 etc really adds up. It also plays nicely with both Secret Rendezvous and my Rule of Law Effects. Looking back at Rendezvous and my extra draw for the deck I also included Syndic of Tithes. White doesn't have a lot of good Extort options, but the effect was powerful enough I wanted more than Blind Oberience. I originally thought the Syndic would be rather lack luster, but a turn 2 threat that drains the table for an additional mana has been surprisingly versatile. Most people find it too low stakes to waste removal on it. They think the effect is more of a nuisance than a threat. When opponents realize that over 3 turns the thing has not just hit them for 3 or 4, but gained me 9 or 12 life, I can see the wheels turning.
I want to highlight a little of the removal I added into the deck before I talk about meaningful cuts. My favorite is Gideon, Champion of Justice. This acts as removal in more ways than one. Yes, I can ultimate him at 15 to exile everything else in play. It's very funny when it happens. And that does mean everything. Someone is always doing silly stuff with tokens, so there is always a great way to skyrocket him over 15 in a single turn. I really need Gideon over 15 counters before I pop him. The more counters he has the more of a threat he will be the next turn to allow me to close out the game. People are already trigger happy when a planeswalker hits the field. Gideon is even worse. He is best played with a couple follow ups in mind. Mass Calcify always clears a good amount of the field. That includes tokens that I just used to drop a ton of counters on Gideon. Another great follow up is Riot Control. I'm usually only worried about one opponent being able to knock Gideon out in a single turn. I wouldn't play him if someone wasn't rocking a couple dozen creatures. Riot Control shuts down that threat on the critical turn. It has a lot of good uses outside of Gideon, but he makes it the most amusing way to play it.
Being me and playing white it was only a matter of time until I experimented with land destruction. Catastrophe provides great flexibility. When I'm up I can hit lands to keep opponents from closing the gap. If I'm down I can hit creatures and bring everyone down to my level. Fall of the Thran really keeps me alive longer in games. You would think it would make me target number 1 on everyone's list after I cast is, but in all actuality no one wants to kill me for at least 2 turns so they can recoup their 4 lands each. I've saved the most interesting for last: Cleansing. People underestimate this card. They act foolishly in 2 general ways. They either pay for all their lands, or they minimize the life loss and let too many go to the graveyard. The first group thinks they can go off on the next turn going down to low single digits is a necessary price to “do the thing.” The second group hope a couple key lands will carry them to victory, or that they'll draw into lands and late game ramp. Hope is not a strategy. Either way, this card is best saved until later in the game when players have 10 or more lands each, and after I've softened life totals to below half, on average. All my incidental life gain really insulates me from this pain. For everyone else, just keep in mind, math isn't just for blockers any more.
So what's stayed that is now better in the deck? Darien, King of Kjeldor is still here. His tokens are still relevant with Halo Fountain, to win the game, and Elesh Norn's punishing ability to cost opponents 2 life for each of those creatures they damage. With Karma and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth I not only punish opponent, but I keep my own tokens flowing.
Suture Priest and Inquisitor Exarch are even better now. They're both Phyrexians now, so they stick around when The Argent Etchings hits III. The Exarch is more of a threat thanks to Sword of Hearth and Home being able to blink it. It's a little low power, but it welcome f I don't have a better target. Suture Priest and Benevolent Offering together can keep me alive and essentially Lightning Bolt an unsuspecting Opponent.
With all these additional creatures floating around Angel's Trumpet might seem like a liability. But I like attacking to drop life totals and make my burn more of a threat. The Trumpet goes even harder with Halo Fountain. Why attack with 15 creatures and risk losing one when the Trumpet can tap them for me? It's really the best way once all the pieces are on board. The fountain, 15 tapped creatures, and 4 white mana means I win the game. Angel's Trumpet was a great card before, but better now if that's possible.
I've talked about what's old and what's new. But what's gone? Some of the biggest things missing from the old deck are the curses. Curse of Conformity, Exhaustion, Overwhelming Splendor. All gone. I could afford to drop some of the control elements in the game. Not entirely, but some. But they found good homes in Kellan Curses. Sometimes cards have to give way in one deck so they can shine in another. The Kormus Bell Package is also gone. Without Urborg it's not something I want to play. I have interesting ways to destroy lands and not limit it to one type. Personal Sanctuary got the cut because I was gaining so much life I wasn't afraid of any life loss on my own turn. I tend to lose more life on other people's turn than my own.
Here's the list now
Elesh Norn//The Arget Etchings
Keeper of the Accord Return to Dust The Rack
Clay-Fired Bricks Ondu Inversion Kabira Takedown
Marble Diamond Palace Jailer Blind Oberience
Gold Myr Crush Contraband Witch Hunter
Weathered Wayfarer Fall of the Thran Fire and Brimstone
Pearl Medalion Catastrophe Eye for an Eye
Crystal Dragon Mass Calcify Divine Deflection
Tiller of Flesh Gideon, Champion of Justice Karma
Inspiring Overseer True Love's Kiss Acolyte's Reward
Priest of Ancient Lore Halo Fountain Harsh Justice
Secret Rendezvous Felidar Sovereign Royal Decree
Union of the Third Path Benevolent Offering Refraction Trap
Riot Control Skyclave Cleric Mirror Strike
Court of Grace Pariah Vengeful Archon
Luminarch Ascension Blacksmith's Skill Shining Shoal
Authority of the Consuls Valorous Stance Myr Battlesphere
Deafening Silence Darien, King of Kjeldor Viseling
Aethersworn Canonist Aetherflus Resevoir Angel's Trumpet
Rule of Law Iron Maiden Inquisitor Exarch
Suture Priest Pierce Strider Stuffy Doll
Phyrexian Vindicator Syndic of Tithes Cleansing
Sword of War and Peace Psychosis Crawler Foresake the Worldly
Fountain of Cho Terrain Generator Drifting Meadow
Shrine of the Forsaken Gods Terramorphic Expanse Evolving Wilds
Throne of the High City Cascading Cataracts Secluded Steppe
Plains x22
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
This deck is really a testament to experimentation. Niche strategies can feel stale over time since the cards that really matter are locked in. I'm not locking myself down in this deck. Aside from all the cards I've discussed moving in and out of the deck already, I'm still looking to tweak it. I'm eyeing Near-Death Experience for the surprise win factor. I can damage myself at the right time or gain enough life to offset an attack enough outright win the game. High risk, high reward. I'm also eyeing Secure the Wastes and Grand Crescendo. Surprise Blockers are great with Norn out, especially if they die. Turning what was a great line of attack for someone into a life losing proposition is great for me. Keeping my creatures alive is a great response to a board wipe, someone else's, or my own. Stay tuned to see how the deck evolves in the future.
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