Let's start with Preordain, I like the card personally however the sorcery speed is a problem. Since you don't use fetch lands I can understand using it over Brainstorm, but it can still be a disadvantage.
I think the Zephyr Sprite vs Ornithopter is another interesting difference. Considering you play Faerie Impostor I think Ornithopter might be better to enable a turn 1 Imposter, but I haven't really tested Sprite. You already play Signal Pest as a 1 drop, so having three different 1 drops might be a little crowded.
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner is great against targeted creature removal, which this deck can struggle against, so I like the card. I'm not sure if it's mainboard worthy but it's certainly not a bad card for the deck overall.
What is your average clock at with this list? When I ran this deck, before switching to Merfolk, I normally killed around turn 6-7 which was a little slow for Legacy.
I didn't think about the Tidebinder clone via Image right offhand. That is interesting. I still run 2 Image even post legendary rule.
Back to Basics can be a very powerful play, but I did find it odd as he ran 9 non-basics himself, more than a third of his lands.
That's where Aether Vial shines in the matchup. I like the use of Repeal over Dismember too. It gives you an extra blue card to pitch to Force and can net you a card if played.
I was wondering if anyone else had read this article on SCG. The guy takes a page out of Goblins' and RUG's playbooks using a Rishadan Port and Stifle package for land disruption. I haven't done any testing but it does look like an interesting direction compared to the current total Aggro and Standstill builds floating around.
My version of a Bant Ninja-Erayo deck. The Noble Hierarchs add more clock than the old Birds of Paradise, at the loss of flying, and helps open up white. Spellskite, Redirect, and Simic Charm are there to protect Erayo once she flips. Any suggestions?
Familiar's Ruse can definitely shine if you are playing a lot of creatures. Most of them have zero drawback for returning them to your hand, and some like Spellstutter Sprite gain value. Curfew and Echoing Truth are nice options to bounce creatures instead of countering them. Venser, Shaper Savant with Riptide Laboratory is another option. I would also recommend playing a copy of Pendelhaven because it protects your little guys a bit.
Hey all, I'm on a bit of a budget until I get a more stable income to purchase the more money cards like Force of Will. In the meantime, what should I replace it with in my countersuite? I've got playsets of Daze and Spellstutter Sprite, but what about the remaining 4? I've got a playset of Counterspell, but maybe Familiar's Ruse or Spell Snare would do better? Although, I'd rather not pay for Spell Snare at them moment.
Let me know what you think, thanks!
Well there really is no proper replacement for Force of Will honestly. This deck loves to tap out on it's turn and draw into free counters on their turn, but there are some budget options. Spell Pierce and Counterspell are both great, but if you run Mutavault or Mishra's Factory then Counterspell gets a little worse. There's nothing wrong with Mana Leak or Spell Snare either. My suggestion would be to run a variety of counters and then maybe 1 or 2 copies of Disrupting Shoal. Good luck.
Do any mill decks run Reanimation spells? Or at least have them in the sideboard? I always thought about using a combination of the two strategies if I were to ever decide to make a Mill deck.
I definitely like the spirit of the deck. I have tried splashing white in FNS a couple times, but I have never been able to get my hands on Geist or AEther Vial. I think Rest in Peace might be a nice sideboard choice just in case you run into Dredge, Reanimator, or something DRS or Loam based. Also why not have 2 manlands in place of either the Mesas or Rainforests? A couple extra attackers / blockers might be nice for you right? The only other thing I can think of is maybe adding in a few more spells for Snapcaster to copy. Path has already been brought up, but I'm sure there's more to increase his value a bit.
I completely agree that Black splash is the way to go with this deck and I really like your list, but why no Baleful Strix? That seems like a great way to generate card advantage and deal with threats.
I own a set of them, but I'm just not sure if I really want a non Faerie / Ninja two drop in the deck. The deck is reaally skimpy on mana to begin with and the Strix seems like it would sit in my hand more than it should without cascade or vial.
This is my new list and I am really enjoying my games with it so far. I have only been playing against friends, but it has been sneaking up in the "local" rankings lately. I decided to go with a lot of favor in place of total consistency and can't say I miss it too much. I added in Faerie Imposter, swapped out Mutavault for Factories, and decided to use a single Sword of Light and Shadow. Creature recursion is especially useful for keeping up that relentless assault mentality. I love being able to look over into my graveyard with a tiny bit of hope that it's not completely useless. I am also thinking about using one or two copies of Sakashima's Student, however I don't know what I should cut yet.
But I'm not so sure about a bunch of stuff. 20 creatures are too less? Do we need more? And my sideboard is about what I actually own, so I don't now how I could make it better.
Another card I'd love is Cloudshift, but we just have Spellstrutter, so we maybe have to add some other "comes in to play" creatures, like Snapcaster Mage.
Hmmm, I'm thinking maybe:
- 2 x Mistblade Shinobi
- 3 x Faerie Impostor
- 2 x Misty Rainforest
- 2 x Island
for
+ 1 x Stoneforge Mystic
+ 1 x Vendilion Clique
+ 3 x Snapcaster Mage
+ 3 x Wasteland
+ 1 x Plains
I like your sideboard though and wouldn't really change much.
I really like this deck and I'm thinking if there is some sort of utility in running it UW. I'm reading of people that don't know how to deal with some creatures and StP would be great.
Can the white open some doors for this deck or it's pretty much useless?
White can definitely open up some doors to solutions. Swords is of course the all-star allowing you to breath easy if you didn't counter that one creature. It also allows to play something like Rest in Peace and Suppression Field in your sideboard as answers to stuff like Reanimator or Deathrite Shaman. Maybe even playing Geist as a finisher or SFM so you can run single equipments without worrying about finding them.
This looks pretty nifty. No Creeping Tar Pit or Mutavault in your mana base? Is Spellstutter Sprite still effective without any additional faeries to boost her CIP ability? I definitely like the idea of using the guildmage to drain the opposition, but I feel like it still needs a little tuning. Have you tried Glimpse the Unthinkable for the mage? Splashing white for Rest in Peace could also alleviate any concerns about milling something they want in the graveyard too.
I tested it in 2 matches, I havent won a match, but I did win a game, plus I had crappy hands to start out with but I did last long a time. Still learning how to play the deck, so hopefully I do well!
Pretty solid list but I want to make two quick suggestions for you. Number one, I think you should add a Pendelhaven to help out your 1/1 creatures and give you an extra color for the Engineered Explosives. Number two, Paraselene is just a better version of Tempest of Light unless I'm missing something here. Other than that good luck man and I hope you catch everybody off guard and show them what ninjas are all about.
Judge's Familiar is an all-star for me. There is a lot of combo in my area and you can never have too many counters. I don't see why the colors on Feast and Famine would be that helpful, most of the stuff that's killing my guys is Red (Lightning Bolt, Goblin Sharpshooter, Pyroclasm, and Punishing Fire). I rarely face Black or Green (does it even exist?) targeted destruction. The biggest threat is always Terminus, but nothing except a counterspell will save you from that.
Yeah sideboard seems best for Back to Basics with all the Goblins running around, though I'd love to see their Cavern of Souls remain tapped. Also I can't imagine cutting a Mistblade, he's way too effective to the point where I think he might be the best card in the deck.
I see, in my meta most people play decks like Maverick, RUG / BUG Delver, and Show and Tell, so being able to get by / block all of those monsters is a really nice bonus. Getting to untap all my lands to look threatening for a counter is always nice too.
Let's start with Preordain, I like the card personally however the sorcery speed is a problem. Since you don't use fetch lands I can understand using it over Brainstorm, but it can still be a disadvantage.
I think the Zephyr Sprite vs Ornithopter is another interesting difference. Considering you play Faerie Impostor I think Ornithopter might be better to enable a turn 1 Imposter, but I haven't really tested Sprite. You already play Signal Pest as a 1 drop, so having three different 1 drops might be a little crowded.
Kira, Great Glass-Spinner is great against targeted creature removal, which this deck can struggle against, so I like the card. I'm not sure if it's mainboard worthy but it's certainly not a bad card for the deck overall.
What is your average clock at with this list? When I ran this deck, before switching to Merfolk, I normally killed around turn 6-7 which was a little slow for Legacy.
That's where Aether Vial shines in the matchup. I like the use of Repeal over Dismember too. It gives you an extra blue card to pitch to Force and can net you a card if played.
4x Ninja of the Deep Hours
4x Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
4x Noble Hierarch
4x Ornithopter
2x Higure, the Still Wind
1x Spellskite
4x Misty Rainforest
2x Breeding Pool
1x Temple Garden
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1x Eiganjo Castle
1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
3x Forest
5x Island
1x Plains
3x Serum Visions
4x Remand
3x Path to Exile
2x Gitaxian Probe
2x Noxious Revival
1x Simic Charm
1x Redirect
1x Cryptic Command
Well there really is no proper replacement for Force of Will honestly. This deck loves to tap out on it's turn and draw into free counters on their turn, but there are some budget options. Spell Pierce and Counterspell are both great, but if you run Mutavault or Mishra's Factory then Counterspell gets a little worse. There's nothing wrong with Mana Leak or Spell Snare either. My suggestion would be to run a variety of counters and then maybe 1 or 2 copies of Disrupting Shoal. Good luck.
I own a set of them, but I'm just not sure if I really want a non Faerie / Ninja two drop in the deck. The deck is reaally skimpy on mana to begin with and the Strix seems like it would sit in my hand more than it should without cascade or vial.
Creatures - 18
4x Spellstutter Sprite
4x Cloud of Faeries
3x Faerie Impostor
3x Ninja of the Deep Hours
3x Mistblade Shinobi
1x Vendilion Clique
Enchantments - 6
3x Standstill
3x Bitterblossom
Spells - 15
4x Force of Will
4x Daze
4x Stifle
3x Brainstorm
Artifacts - 3
2x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
Lands - 18
4x Mishra's Factory
4x Polluted Delta
2x Swamp
8x Island
Sideboard - 15
3x Back to Basics
2x Misdirection
1x Divert
2x Tormod's Crypt
2x Extirpate
1x Surgical Extraction
2x Perish
2x Spell Pierce
Edit: lol spelling
Hmmm, I'm thinking maybe:
- 2 x Mistblade Shinobi
- 3 x Faerie Impostor
- 2 x Misty Rainforest
- 2 x Island
for
+ 1 x Stoneforge Mystic
+ 1 x Vendilion Clique
+ 3 x Snapcaster Mage
+ 3 x Wasteland
+ 1 x Plains
I like your sideboard though and wouldn't really change much.
EDIT: Maybe -1 Deep Hours for +1 Sakashima's Student
White can definitely open up some doors to solutions. Swords is of course the all-star allowing you to breath easy if you didn't counter that one creature. It also allows to play something like Rest in Peace and Suppression Field in your sideboard as answers to stuff like Reanimator or Deathrite Shaman. Maybe even playing Geist as a finisher or SFM so you can run single equipments without worrying about finding them.
This looks pretty nifty. No Creeping Tar Pit or Mutavault in your mana base? Is Spellstutter Sprite still effective without any additional faeries to boost her CIP ability? I definitely like the idea of using the guildmage to drain the opposition, but I feel like it still needs a little tuning. Have you tried Glimpse the Unthinkable for the mage? Splashing white for Rest in Peace could also alleviate any concerns about milling something they want in the graveyard too.
Pretty solid list but I want to make two quick suggestions for you. Number one, I think you should add a Pendelhaven to help out your 1/1 creatures and give you an extra color for the Engineered Explosives. Number two, Paraselene is just a better version of Tempest of Light unless I'm missing something here. Other than that good luck man and I hope you catch everybody off guard and show them what ninjas are all about.
I see, in my meta most people play decks like Maverick, RUG / BUG Delver, and Show and Tell, so being able to get by / block all of those monsters is a really nice bonus. Getting to untap all my lands to look threatening for a counter is always nice too.