Knights are creature types prevalent in almost all genre of gaming. All the way back to the earliest expansion of Magic - ABU, Revised and 4th Edition, Black Knight and White Knight has been iconic creatures for their simplicity and representation of the tribe - Knights.
Knights has always played a strong role while holding a high level of prestige in Medieval kingdoms, with its coat of arms and crusades synonymous with the virtues of bravely, professionalism and the nobility.
Knights are also expected to behave within the code of chivalry, with values of faith, loyalty, courage, and honour widely practiced. This often lead to gamers and players taking a liking to the tribe for all the positives qualities and virtues they exhibit. On the other side, The Dark, Fallen or Evil knights also feels very mystifying and mysterious thus intriguing and fascinating to fans of Knights as well. Recent additions to the knight tribe via Knight of Glory and Knight of Infamy in M13 being clear, easy and straightforward descriptions of the Light and Dark side of Knights.
From a competitive perspective, first and foremost we have to know this is a tribal deck. And I'm also ready to admit knights tribal is not the strongest in legacy/Modern but nevertheless they are a respectable tribe. Although Knight tribal is good enough to get us some wins here and there but we are not under any illusions that Knights is going to rip other decks apart or be a Tier one deck overnight. Meanwhile, porting the legacy list over to Modern has been surprisingly easy meaning most of the power cards like Aether Vial, better Knight creatures etc are still available. Knights is also not affected much from losing powerful/versatile non-basic lands such as the revised Duals or even Onslaught fetches and stompy lands.
Knights in White are far superior to what the other colors can offer, therefore White will always be the dominant color in a knight build. Being predominantly white has an added benefit as white traditionally has all the answers to various threats. So far with white being well equipped to deal with all type of threats, at the moment it seems only Green is worth splashing as a secondary color, as they can bring along a Land Toolbox with Knight of Reliquary.
DECKLISTS AVAILABLE: Mono W Knights - Modern WW Vial Knights GW Knights - Modern GW Vial Knights GW Knights - Modern GW(Non-Vial) Knights Mono W Knights - Modern Puresteel Knights Mono B Knights - Haakon's Darth Knights BR Knights - Haakon's Darth Knights GWR Knights - Modern Naya Vial Knights
The 3 cards which are the cornerstone of Modern Knights:
2) Card Choices
2.1) Knight Creatures - the reason why we are playing this deck
The Main Knights - Best Modern Knights and always first to be deployed
Knight Exemplar
The only Knight Lord. He boasts your own knights, makes them indestructable, survives Day of Judgement and Engineered Explosives etc. A pair of them means indestructability therefore a no-brainer here to include 4 in the deck.
On the downside, he usually only make cameo appearances and he is also a good magnet for opponents removal. it goes to show how good they are. Can be use as bait before you cast other bombs.
Student of Warfare
The best one-drop knight around in Modern. A four-of is a must because there is no other better knights around in term of casting cost and ability. Good when its in the opening hand, decent if drawn during early game and absolutely massive when drawn during the late game.
Knight of the White Orchid
A fine 2/2 with first strike at 2cc. Being on the draw/combined with fetchlands will allow us ensure we dont miss land drop and also speed up our mana production. Has synergy with PtE also.
Knight of the Reliquary
Usually enter play as a 3/3 creature or bigger at 3cc. The land fetching will trim the deck resulting in better draws during later parts of the game and best of all it is a one card land toolbox.
It can tutor for lands such as Teutonic Edge/Ghost Quarter/Mystifying Maze/Bojuka Bog.
Is the only potentially powerful knight as the rest are mostly considered weenies. Most importantly it is able to hold its own without the aid of equipments during mid/late game unlike the other knights.
Knight of Meadowgrain
Early lifegain from this creature might be critical against certain matchups especially against Tempo/Burn decks. As a 2cc, it might draw removal from some decks thus allowing more powerful 3cc to go through later on.
Mirran Crusader
Everyone plays Tarmogoyf nowadays while Black is also a very popular removal colour. Therefore protection from Black/Green is very relevant here.
The double strike ability also means more damage deal and triggering the Swords effect twice such as two cards/4 damage via SoFI etc.
Knights on Standby - Good Knights waiting for their chances
White Knight/ Black Knight/ Blood Knight
A cheap and effective creature, is a knight. Protection is especially useful when paired with one of the swords. Fits the Mana curve/vial counter perfectly as a 2 drop.
Paladin en-Vec
Almost exactly the same as Mirran Crusader, minus the double-strike ability and change protection from green to red. Unless your meta is red-dominant, its Mirran over en-Vec anytime.
Fiendslayer Paladin
Almost a mirror creature of Paladin en-Vec. Has very relevant lifelink ability same as Knight of Meadowgrain, has a protection from R/ spells effect similar to Paladin en-Vec - however en-Vec is better than Fiendslayer (from the protection perspective) as it can survives Pyroclasm type spells.
Stillmoon Cavalier
Protection from White and Black means many removal spells are useless againt him. Has flying for evasion so he is able to bring your Swords over for direct damage. However when you have no mana available he is very weak at 2/1 and may prove to be a liability to pump him when you can put your mana to better use. Not so good when drawn early against Non-white/black opponents.
Phyrexian Crusader
First strike and also has protection against 2 colors. In the Zoo/Boros matchup, casting this creature is as good as a win. Otherwise the Infect portion has Zero synergy with the rest of the knight deck. Due to Infect inrelevance in Knights, it is quite difficult to argue for its inclusion here.
Stromgald Crusader/White Shield Crusader
Both also offer either protection from black or white, Crusader can also fly. But again the opportunity cost in spending mana to pump them does not give you the appropriate amount of benefits. It's lack of first strike means it will die to almost any kind of attack/defence.
Kinsbaile Cavalier
The global effect this knight brings along is very useful and can often win the game via a single attack or swing board advantage back to your side. The fact that an opponent has a dilemma over removing Kinsbaile or Knight exemplar when both are in play is compliment on the potential of this card.
However the downside is its 4cc, which will render our vial useless. When there is no other knight around, it is just an overcost knight.
Hero of Bladehold
A successful swing with Hero can usually swing board advantage back to your side. It's effectiveness is also greatly doubled when combined with Honor of the Pure. However at 4cc it seems like Elpseth Knight Errant would be a better choice.
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Good against tempo deck especially. His built-in indestructability forces opponent to disrupt their own tempo in order to kill him. Good synergy with Day of Judgment.
Silverblade Paladin
Most knights already have first strike, therefore it could be argued that doublestrike may only be a slight improvement on that. Try playing against 2x double strike knights to get a different perspective, in actual fact it's quite a handful to deal with! The Soulbond mechanic may also contribute to some combat tricks via Aether Vial. That said, Silver Paladin do not have double strike on it's own, therefore you still need at least another creature in play. With Soulbond, we may also be susceptible to a well time removal costing us dearly during combat. Eventually this card is comparable to Kinsbaile Cavalier and Mirran Crusader, as Cavalier gives double strike to ALL knights including itself when it ETB but at a higher cost of 4cc, while Crusader is competing based on the same 3cc.
Remaining knights contenders - Decent enough to worth a mention here but not good enough thus they are the 'Spare knights'
Hero of Oxid Ridge
Knights does not attack by swarm, this card is only good when attacking in hordes.
Puresteel Paladin
Belongs more to equipments heavy deck rather than knights heavy deck.
Order of the Golden Cricket
Has good interactions Swords since it gains evasion with flying by paying W mana when attacking.
Sigiled Paladin
Solid 2cc 2/2 first strike knight which is similar to White Knight & Knight of the White Orchid. But protection and the ability to fetch additional land is better than exalted.
Tivadar of Thorn
A sideboard knight against Goblins as i would maindeck Paladin en-vec over this guy anytime.
Knight of Glory/ Knight of Infamy
Protection might be relevant, especially up against decks with only one color removal spells or mono-color decks, while Exalted is always a welcome addition. However the lack of toughness and first strike usually mean the original White Knight and Black Knight are usually better.
2.2) Other Creatures - There to support our valiant and loyal knights.
Leonin Relic-Warder
Provide the answers to artifact/enchantments with a body to boot.
Qasali Pridemage
Same as the above, with exalted ability. Is able to remove artifact/enchantments permanently but at the cost of sacrificing itself.
Grand Abolisher
Hoses counterspell decks but may not be so relevant anymore if control decks fail to dominate the meta.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Slows down combo decks and decks relying heavily on non-creature spells. A 2/1 first striker for 2cc is also a decent beater. May also affect our ability to cast our own Path to Exile, Oblivion Ring and Planeswalkers spell, so do take note of this aspect as well.
2.3) Other Permanents - Artifacts, Enchantments & Planeswalkers - Tools, Weapons, Auras for the Knights
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Give our Knights evasion and pump +3/+3 ability, produce 1/1 Soldiers each turn to stall the board while we accumulate equipments and creatures. At 4cc, she is the bomb which can win the game for us or swing board advantage towards us.
Elspeth Tirel
I wouldnt play this because the Knight-Errant abilities is more relevant to the deck while this also cost more to cast.
Aether Vial
Creatures put into play is uncounterable thus a bane of all control/counter heavy decks.
The element of surprise this card can bring is invaluable.
1) Vialing in a creature during the opponent end turn can also usually result in an sneak attack next turn, better still if there is equipment to equip and attack with.
2) Or Vial in an additional blocker for a combined first-strike block.
3) Vialing in Knight Exemplar is also usually a nice trick to save your creatures from destruction.
The optimal number of creatures in a deck to utilise Vial is usually 18 creatures or more. You dont want to have Vial with counters on it but no creatures to cheat into play.
Equipments - the choice of equipments have to be very careful here since we have lost the Stoneforge toolbox.
Sword of Fire and Ice
Still my first choice equipment sword. When equipped on a 2/2 knight we have a 4/4 first striker which would either forces the opponent to chump block or risk giving us tremendous advantage from the swords' effects. Protection from red is also useful against Zoo and Boros matchups.
Sword of Light and Shadow
Currently the second best equipment sword. Immune to Path to Exile, Doomed Blade, Go for the throat, Smother etc. Lifegain is useful especially against tempo decks and the ability to return creatures to your hand from graveyard is another form of card advantage.
Sword of Body and Mind
Good against Tarmogoyf but otherwise it's ability is meh. Protection from Blue is also not so relevant.
Sword of Feast and Famine
Might be the 3rd best sword as it has protection against black removal and massive green creatures. It is a meta call as i would still prefer SoLS over this.
Sword of War and Peace
Superb against Zoo & Boros but i believe they should have enough ammunition to kill your creatures in response to equipping and the Sword should be too slow to save the game in most cases.
Basilisk Collar
Deathtouch on our first strike knights will kill any opposing creature which dare to enage in combat with us. However IMO the real use for this equipment is actually for defense. A 2/2 knight equipped with the collar can block and kill a fattie without trading himself. This in turn will allow us the time to built our board with more Exemplars or equipments.
2.4) Spells
Path to Exile
Best white removal spell for White in Modern.
Oblivion Ring
Best utility spell for White in Modern, take care of all non-land permanents in the game.
Flagstones of Trokair
Does Deck thining, makes KotR bigger, but being struck with a few of them during the early game is detrimental to our tempo, recommended number is 2-3.
Mutavault
Having additional knights is always useful.
Cavern of Souls
Insanely good against counterspell decks, especially for tribal knights when most of the creatures are the same creature type. Cavern can also be used to cast Knight of Reliquary in GW knights even if we can't find the green mana source for it. Knights splashing a second color will suddenly become more playable, since the likes of Black Knight, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge in a WB knight list or Blood Knight and Hero of Oxide Ridge in a WR knight list is suddently more viable than before.
Against Direct Damage/Discard or Player Targetted Effects
Leyline of Sanctity
This will auto shut down burn/discard decks. Either play 4 or none in the sideboard as this is something you want in your opening hand once it's sideboarded in.
Runed Halo
Stop decks which uses a single card to win, or uses lots of discard spells and can also stop decks which is using the same meaty creature for beatdowns.
Phyrexian Revoker
Added to stop Planeswalker abilities, engineered explosives etc.
Rule of Law/ Ethersworn Canonist / Gaddock Teeg
They have the same objective - to stop combo decks. Enchantment will be harder to get rid off although the additional body might be useful. A personal choice mostly.
Angel's Grace
Usually buy you an extra turn or 2 from losing immediately. Is best against deck which commits everything to a single turn win via an overwhelming creature assault or though one of the Pacts etc.
Against Artifact
Disenchant
Very good and cheap instant removal spell.
Aura of Silence
A permanent which will hit artifact/enchantment heavy deck tempo and can be sacrifiiced to destroy.
3) Matchups
3.1) GW Vial Knights
WIP - below is the decks I have played against so far, will add in details of matchups, way to play and things to look out for
Gifts Ungiven (Esper) deck
Kiki Jiki Pod
UWR Delver Tempo
UWR Mid range control
BURN
BWG Control
TRON
3.2) BR Haakon's Darth Knights
WIP - below is the decks I have played against so far, will add in details of matchups, way to play and things to look out for
BWG Control
- first turn Deathrite Shaman is an absolute nightmare, usually we can use Darkblast (Blast and dredge to Blast again during upkeep/draw step) or Nameless Inversion to take them out quickly.
The traditional puresteel decks relies on dropping Puresteel Paladin and casting equipments quickly to generate incredible CA and eventually equip at no cost(with metacraft attained) on a living creature/creature or Inkmoth Nexus to swing for the win quickly. Some variants splashes U for a trinket mage toolbox. As such, it is a deck which can get explosive very swiftly and win suddenly out of nowhere.
Puresteel knights is not a traditional puresteel equipment deck thus its mode of play is not purely based on casting puresteel and rushing to drop cheap and low cost equipments or living equipments. It has a more resilient matchup then its traditional counterpart as the deck is not entirely dependant on drawing puresteel which usually fold easily when it loses puresteel to removals or counters.
As such it is a mid-range aggro deck which thrives on having puresteel in the deck. It is also less vulnerable to creature board wipes since we do not need to overextend our board with creatures. We are also not as badly affected against artifact board wipe spells. Knight Exemplar also provides Puresteel knights with an aura of indestructibility.
Therefore the choices of equipments is also different, equipments are selected because of their low casting cost and also their ability to enhance a knight considerably. Due to the sheer power of swords equipments and its 3cc, the other equipment choices can only be at most 1cc with low equip costs in order to curve out properly.
With this criteria in place, choice are pretty limited, below is the equipments list which is worth playing so far.
Superstar Knights for Puresteel
Puresteel Paladin
The engine behind the deck. Even the deck is named after him.
Mirran Crusader
Doublestrike on his own is nasty. Doublestrike with equipment is brutal. One of the MVP of the deck.
Knight Exemplar
The Knight lord. A decent 2/2 first strike creature at 3cc, give other knights +1/+1 and also gives indestructibility to our superstar knight - Puresteel Paladin.
Student of Warfare
A good first drop knight which can helps us to establish board presence when it's at 2 level up counter.
Star equipments for Puresteel
Silver-Inlaid Dagger
Equipped on a human can make our first strike knight close to invincible in creature combat.
Basilisk Collar
Deathtouch on a first strike knight and lifelink is especially useful for a mid-range aggro deck.
Sword of Fire and Ice
One of the best swords around. Many red removals in modern at the moment. CA is also massive.
Sword of Light and Shadow
Useful lifegain, black/white are very popular removal spells and returning a creature from graveyard is also CA.
Brave the elements
Protection and alpha strike. Can aid a successful equip on Mirran Crusader, protects Knight Exemplar from removal or protect Puresteel Paladin for a turn to start abusing Puresteel's abilities. Very relevant against a removal heavy meta.
Dispatch
A situational removal, which potentially could be better than Path to Exile in this deck, probably will be added as the 5-6 removal spell in the decklist.
Knight of the White Orchid
A fine 2/2 creature with first strike at 2cc. Being on the draw/combined with fetchlands will allow us ensure we dont miss land drop and also speed up our mana production. Has synergy with Path to Exile too.
Knight of Meadowgrain
Lifelink is always good. And it's a decent 2/2 first striker at 2cc. The deck also has Basilik collar as an alternative source of lifegaining so perhaps we do not need to run 4 of this knight.
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Useful knight creature especially during the early turns when mana is at a premium.
This is a deck that will beat most aggro white build, can cast creatures as many times as they burn(a different story if they burn face), laugh at decks attempting to counter Haakon and his knights + zombies, immune to deck playing doom blade type of removals, any more please feel free to add on. The other Haakon deck - UWB
How to Play.
An opening turn discard(we run 7-8) allows us to cast Smallpox safely, meanwhile low-cost and cheap knights and zombies which are dispensable will be deployed to trade off or chump block in most situations, since they can be recurred continuously later in the game. That means the deck is typically trying to stall and stabilize during the early game with creatures such as Stromgald Crusader, Black Knight and Gravecrawler. Smallpox and Liliana of the Veil will come in shortly for the control/disrupt element and hopefully discard Haakon into the graveyard. Nameless Inversion is also a massive card here since it can be casted as many times as you have the mana for, which usually will clear the opponent board of creatures slowly but surely.
This is essentially a attrition deck, and will usually win the war when it gets to attrition stage with Haakon in play.
Key and Most important play:
Haakon's Recurring engine with Knights and Nameless Inversion.
Other Strategic plays:
Gravecrawler interaction with Haakon and Stromgald Crusader.
Smallpox synergy with Haakon.
Liliana of the Veil synergy with Haakon.
Minor plays:
Smallpox with Dark Confidant when life gets too low.
Liliana of the Veil discard with other knights, cast those discarded knights with Haakon in play.
Creature choices:
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
The main reason why we are playing this Knight variant, and why this decklist is named after him.
He possesses this effect allowing us to play Knight cards from the graveyard when he is in play, and as a result also has interactions with changeling cards such as Nameless Inversion.
Other then the obvious synergies with Nameless Inversion & Knights, it also synergies well with Liliana of the Veil and Smallpox, since these spells provide us with an outlet to discard an Hakkon which can be playback soon after.
Black Knight
A cheap and good 2/2 first striker. He is here because he is a knight thus interacting with Haakon, Stromgald Scourge well. Protection from White is also a good bonus.
Stromgald Crusader
Played with the same reasons as Black Knight. Some additional advantages this Knight possesses is Flying (at the cost of B) and also being a Zombie type. As a Zombie Knight, it has synergy with Gravecrawler.
Gravecrawler
Interaction with Zombie knights such as Haakon, Stromgald Scourge and Stromgald Crusader is the main reason for running this card. As a one drop, it can either provide some early pressure, stall the board will be set up the Haakon engine or be a filler for excess mana.
Smallpox
A key card in the deck, as it provide a control/disrupt element and also give us an discard outlet to dump Haakon into the graveyard. Can be used on our own Dark Confidant as well.
Thoughtseize
One of the best discard spell for Black. Usually will go for exile spells (read Path to Exile) or graveyard hate after sideboarding.
Duress
Another very good discard spell which is similar to Thoughtseize but can't remove creatures.
Nameless inversion
Part of the Hakkon engine - can be use multiple times when Haakon is in play.
Liliana of the Veil
Tailor made for this deck. Liliana can disrupt the opponent and also give us a discard outlet for Haakon.
Other probable choices:
Stillmoon Cavalier - A Zombie and a Knight, similar to Stromgald Crusader in its interaction with Haakon and Gravecrawler, but cost 1 more.
Darkblast- For digging Haakon from library directly into the graveyard. Might take a Duress out for a single Darkblast.
Yeah and i saw what you had done for Aryakin's signature, can i have somthing similar with Haakon and Exemplar in the middle and Black knights(Revised 3rd Edition) on the extreme left and White Knights (Revised 3rd Edition) on the extreme right? I'll also need the title: "Legacy Knights" somewhere. Thanks!
I came just to shoot some appreciation to Krackshott for my signature and banner which have YET to wear on me even the slightest and Its funny That I see Nabbydian's request. Not trying to bog down the thread with non requests or anything but I mostly wanted to say thank you very much for my signature and the matching thread banner for my knight deck, its very good and i'm still amazed at just how good it came out
Nice that you are still loving the signature and banner still now...:)
What with all the new knights I'd be very confused if he wasn't in here.
I'm not too sure, former tribal lords like Merfolk Sovereign & Goblin Chieftain are already not reprinted so I'm not too optimistic, but we'll still have the M11 Elves lord around..
If we had info it would be in the OP. But thx for following the thread.
Alright, thanks for the reply, i thought i could have missed something. In any case it was fun following the thread and checking out the frequent updates. I just got anxious waiting so long for news on Knight Exemplar!
Any idea if Knight Exemplar will be in M12? I have been following the OP religiously and reading some of the more recent posts occasionally but i have not heard any mention of it. Will appreciate if anyone has any info on this.
Banner needs:
1)Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
2)Knight Exemplar
3)Knight of the Reliquary (Original version)
4)Student of Warfare/white knights(revised) or Knights of white Orchid whichever looks better
With a title "Legacy Knights"
many thanks for your help and i'll post the necessary credits and links. thank you again
Yeah, with Knight of the White Orchid, i do not really mind being on the draw as it almost certainly helps me to get the extra land into play.
Good to hear that the mox/tithe setup has some degree of consistency. I'll certaintly try it since i have all the cards and i'm sick of getting my first turn Aether Vial countered by Mental Misstep.
Meanwhile i'm having lots of fun with my Black/White Haakon's Confidant deck. Will post some matchups when i'm free over the next few days.
I have been playing extensively (without sideboard) against Zoo, Team America and Counterbalance Thorpter recently.
thanks for the deck ideas. i really like your first decklist for your casual knights deck
Don't mention, but this list has Aether Vial which is not exactly budget, anyway do let me know how it plays in your meta if you decide to form something similar. Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to test myself as I can't find casual legacy players in my area..
want to make a g/w knights deck, but only have a few "good" knights. knight exemplar, knotvine paladin, knight of new alara, and accorder paladin. any suggestions on what knights would make for a good knights deck. keep in mind i am a budget player. i should also mention i have two exemplar's, two accorder paladin's, and one each of knotvine and knight of new alara
i created a Primer on knights, which although focuses more on competitive cards, can be used as a guide on some of the more playable knights around. Feel feel to check it out. I hope it will be of good use to you. Competitive Knights in Legacy
Alternatively, i have a more budget version below, which utilises many of the cards you mention in your OP. Casual Knights in Legacy
Yeah, i like your deck setup. Tithe & Mox Diamond has good synergies. Tithe can also be utilised effectively with fetches other than the Mox.
I have been thinking of a way of replacing Aether Vial in maindeck, and Mother, Tithe & Mox seems like choice. However i might replace 4xKnight of the White Orchid with 2x Sliver Knight & 2x White Knight.
I'm not sure if Mental Misstep is suitable, at most a sideboard card. Especially with Sideboard you really want to put cards which is useful against bad matchups rather than MM. Playing MM will actually dilute our deck focus while it complement control decks.
Depending on your Knights build, the 2 BB for Hymn makes it pretty impossible to cast during the early turns but Thoughtseize might be a good choice although don't forget you already have 4x Aether Vial & 4x Student of Warfare as your first drop. Casting Thoughtseize so you can cast a Vial or Student on the second turn is not how the deck should be played.
I'm not sure but extirpate sounds like a good inclusion, i might try it if i manage to get hold of that card.
That's right. Unfortunately my meta is already mostly Control and few aggro even before MM. This 2 weeks i suddenly saw many people in my meta playing 4x Mental Misstep, 4x Stifle and card disruptions like Hymn to Tourach and Thoughtseize.
I can't get my first few cards(Student of Warfare/Aether Vial) out due to MM and Stifle, the 2-drops get disrupted due to the discard spells. It makes a difficult matchup much harder to overcome at the moment.
I ever got thrashed by a Dark Horizons deck in my local tournament before even before the advent of MM.
Sorry for ranting but i'm quite disappointed with the creation of MM.
I need to start evaluating my matchups to define the perfect sideboard
Zoo - need a card to slow them down or kill the burst of 1cc creatures to get control but faster than a turn 4 ***
Need a card to destroy those decks that setup moat/challice of the void/trinisphere/smokestack
need a card to handle the GY
Need a card to handle Combo Decks
silence/Orims Chant could be good against zoo and combo, slowing zoo down a turn
Relic of Prognitus is a lovley card for GY hate
I got 4x Mental Mistep - which could be good against zoo as half the deck costs 1cc and good against high tide?
What do you think?
maybe a turn 2 chalice of the void?
Pardon me for asking, how many sideboard cards do you intend to prepare? It seems like you are going to burst 15 cards here..
Against Zoo:
Personally i would'nt use ratchet bomb or ghostly prison because the former is too slow and the latter does not really stop Zoo. I play ghostly prison in armageddon Stax against Zoo and if it wasn't good enough even with mana denial i doubt it'll work here. You are correct, *** is definitely too slow, you would have taken too much early damage and Zoo will just finish you off with burn. chalice of the void is pointless as we don't play the likes of Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors. Actually i think just play more removals like 4x StP & PtE. Or even 4x Rune Halo so you stop Gofy and Kotr?
Against "moat/challice of the void/trinisphere/smokestack", just play 4x Leonin Relic-Warder. It gives you an extra body to beatdown at 2 mana and it is versatile enough to remove either enchantment or artifact.
As someone who's been playing knights since Ice Age came out, it's good to see interest in a competitive deck seems to be picking up. It would be nice to see comprehensive input from regular tourney players as to how the different flavors of knights stack up against the major deck types in today's meta and the strategies each variant uses to deal with each of the decks to beat. Maybe it can be part of the primer, or maybe the folks with experience piloting the different flavors can chip in with their analysis of their favorite knight deck and how it does against the major decks?
To be frank Knights deck was much stronger before NPH. Unfortunately Mental Misstep has affected creatures deck(especially with Vial) and further strengthened control deck. I have been hit with a first turn misstep these few weeks so frequently it makes a opening hand with Aether Vial nothing to be excited about. I had some good success against tournament decks previously which i will update my main primer along the way. You can tune in to the B/W Haakon Knights deck for updates as that is the current deck i'm playing now.
hmmm....for the birds build, although I know it's been taken out for the moment, have you considered a 1 of mistveil plains? I know it's a horrible draw, but it does have some serious synergy with the hawks and you'll never run out provided it ran into a non exile effect. Also, you're running something like 8 fetches, which means it should be no problem to go get it.
Mistveil Plains looks good on paper but i'm still worried with having a land which comes into play tapped messing up your tempo during the early game. Besides i try to run as few non-basic lands as possible. However it's worth trying if your meta is full of mid-game decks. My meta is mostly popular with mana/card denial decks so i can't play such a card which might affect consistency.
Special thanks to Syndarion from Aeternal Studios for this awesome banner!
1) Introduction
Knights are also expected to behave within the code of chivalry, with values of faith, loyalty, courage, and honour widely practiced. This often lead to gamers and players taking a liking to the tribe for all the positives qualities and virtues they exhibit. On the other side, The Dark, Fallen or Evil knights also feels very mystifying and mysterious thus intriguing and fascinating to fans of Knights as well. Recent additions to the knight tribe via Knight of Glory and Knight of Infamy in M13 being clear, easy and straightforward descriptions of the Light and Dark side of Knights.
From a competitive perspective, first and foremost we have to know this is a tribal deck. And I'm also ready to admit knights tribal is not the strongest in legacy/Modern but nevertheless they are a respectable tribe. Although Knight tribal is good enough to get us some wins here and there but we are not under any illusions that Knights is going to rip other decks apart or be a Tier one deck overnight. Meanwhile, porting the legacy list over to Modern has been surprisingly easy meaning most of the power cards like Aether Vial, better Knight creatures etc are still available. Knights is also not affected much from losing powerful/versatile non-basic lands such as the revised Duals or even Onslaught fetches and stompy lands.
Link to: [Deck/Primer] Legacy Knights Primer
Knights in White are far superior to what the other colors can offer, therefore White will always be the dominant color in a knight build. Being predominantly white has an added benefit as white traditionally has all the answers to various threats. So far with white being well equipped to deal with all type of threats, at the moment it seems only Green is worth splashing as a secondary color, as they can bring along a Land Toolbox with Knight of Reliquary.
DECKLISTS AVAILABLE:
Mono W Knights - Modern WW Vial Knights
GW Knights - Modern GW Vial Knights
GW Knights - Modern GW(Non-Vial) Knights
Mono W Knights - Modern Puresteel Knights
Mono B Knights - Haakon's Darth Knights
BR Knights - Haakon's Darth Knights
GWR Knights - Modern Naya Vial Knights
The 3 cards which are the cornerstone of Modern Knights:
2) Card Choices
2.1) Knight Creatures - the reason why we are playing this deck
The Main Knights - Best Modern Knights and always first to be deployed
Knight Exemplar
The only Knight Lord. He boasts your own knights, makes them indestructable, survives Day of Judgement and Engineered Explosives etc. A pair of them means indestructability therefore a no-brainer here to include 4 in the deck.
On the downside, he usually only make cameo appearances and he is also a good magnet for opponents removal. it goes to show how good they are. Can be use as bait before you cast other bombs.
Student of Warfare
The best one-drop knight around in Modern. A four-of is a must because there is no other better knights around in term of casting cost and ability. Good when its in the opening hand, decent if drawn during early game and absolutely massive when drawn during the late game.
Knight of the White Orchid
A fine 2/2 with first strike at 2cc. Being on the draw/combined with fetchlands will allow us ensure we dont miss land drop and also speed up our mana production. Has synergy with PtE also.
Knight of the Reliquary
Usually enter play as a 3/3 creature or bigger at 3cc. The land fetching will trim the deck resulting in better draws during later parts of the game and best of all it is a one card land toolbox.
It can tutor for lands such as Teutonic Edge/Ghost Quarter/Mystifying Maze/Bojuka Bog.
Is the only potentially powerful knight as the rest are mostly considered weenies. Most importantly it is able to hold its own without the aid of equipments during mid/late game unlike the other knights.
Knight of Meadowgrain
Early lifegain from this creature might be critical against certain matchups especially against Tempo/Burn decks. As a 2cc, it might draw removal from some decks thus allowing more powerful 3cc to go through later on.
Mirran Crusader
Everyone plays Tarmogoyf nowadays while Black is also a very popular removal colour. Therefore protection from Black/Green is very relevant here.
The double strike ability also means more damage deal and triggering the Swords effect twice such as two cards/4 damage via SoFI etc.
Knights on Standby - Good Knights waiting for their chances
White Knight/ Black Knight/ Blood Knight
A cheap and effective creature, is a knight. Protection is especially useful when paired with one of the swords. Fits the Mana curve/vial counter perfectly as a 2 drop.
Paladin en-Vec
Almost exactly the same as Mirran Crusader, minus the double-strike ability and change protection from green to red. Unless your meta is red-dominant, its Mirran over en-Vec anytime.
Fiendslayer Paladin
Almost a mirror creature of Paladin en-Vec. Has very relevant lifelink ability same as Knight of Meadowgrain, has a protection from R/ spells effect similar to Paladin en-Vec - however en-Vec is better than Fiendslayer (from the protection perspective) as it can survives Pyroclasm type spells.
Stillmoon Cavalier
Protection from White and Black means many removal spells are useless againt him. Has flying for evasion so he is able to bring your Swords over for direct damage. However when you have no mana available he is very weak at 2/1 and may prove to be a liability to pump him when you can put your mana to better use. Not so good when drawn early against Non-white/black opponents.
Phyrexian Crusader
First strike and also has protection against 2 colors. In the Zoo/Boros matchup, casting this creature is as good as a win. Otherwise the Infect portion has Zero synergy with the rest of the knight deck. Due to Infect inrelevance in Knights, it is quite difficult to argue for its inclusion here.
Stromgald Crusader/White Shield Crusader
Both also offer either protection from black or white, Crusader can also fly. But again the opportunity cost in spending mana to pump them does not give you the appropriate amount of benefits. It's lack of first strike means it will die to almost any kind of attack/defence.
Kinsbaile Cavalier
The global effect this knight brings along is very useful and can often win the game via a single attack or swing board advantage back to your side. The fact that an opponent has a dilemma over removing Kinsbaile or Knight exemplar when both are in play is compliment on the potential of this card.
However the downside is its 4cc, which will render our vial useless. When there is no other knight around, it is just an overcost knight.
Hero of Bladehold
A successful swing with Hero can usually swing board advantage back to your side. It's effectiveness is also greatly doubled when combined with Honor of the Pure. However at 4cc it seems like Elpseth Knight Errant would be a better choice.
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Good against tempo deck especially. His built-in indestructability forces opponent to disrupt their own tempo in order to kill him. Good synergy with Day of Judgment.
Silverblade Paladin
Most knights already have first strike, therefore it could be argued that doublestrike may only be a slight improvement on that. Try playing against 2x double strike knights to get a different perspective, in actual fact it's quite a handful to deal with! The Soulbond mechanic may also contribute to some combat tricks via Aether Vial. That said, Silver Paladin do not have double strike on it's own, therefore you still need at least another creature in play. With Soulbond, we may also be susceptible to a well time removal costing us dearly during combat. Eventually this card is comparable to Kinsbaile Cavalier and Mirran Crusader, as Cavalier gives double strike to ALL knights including itself when it ETB but at a higher cost of 4cc, while Crusader is competing based on the same 3cc.
Remaining knights contenders - Decent enough to worth a mention here but not good enough thus they are the 'Spare knights'
Hero of Oxid Ridge
Knights does not attack by swarm, this card is only good when attacking in hordes.
Puresteel Paladin
Belongs more to equipments heavy deck rather than knights heavy deck.
Knight of Sursi
Another card which can be used fearlessly with Day of Judgment.
Order of the Golden Cricket
Has good interactions Swords since it gains evasion with flying by paying W mana when attacking.
Sigiled Paladin
Solid 2cc 2/2 first strike knight which is similar to White Knight & Knight of the White Orchid. But protection and the ability to fetch additional land is better than exalted.
Tivadar of Thorn
A sideboard knight against Goblins as i would maindeck Paladin en-vec over this guy anytime.
Knight of Glory/ Knight of Infamy
Protection might be relevant, especially up against decks with only one color removal spells or mono-color decks, while Exalted is always a welcome addition. However the lack of toughness and first strike usually mean the original White Knight and Black Knight are usually better.
2.2) Other Creatures - There to support our valiant and loyal knights.
Leonin Relic-Warder
Provide the answers to artifact/enchantments with a body to boot.
Qasali Pridemage
Same as the above, with exalted ability. Is able to remove artifact/enchantments permanently but at the cost of sacrificing itself.
Grand Abolisher
Hoses counterspell decks but may not be so relevant anymore if control decks fail to dominate the meta.
Phyrexian Metamorph
Legend Killer, makes 5-8 Knight Exemplar possible, copy swords etc...
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Slows down combo decks and decks relying heavily on non-creature spells. A 2/1 first striker for 2cc is also a decent beater. May also affect our ability to cast our own Path to Exile, Oblivion Ring and Planeswalkers spell, so do take note of this aspect as well.
War Falcon
M13 new card.
2.3) Other Permanents - Artifacts, Enchantments & Planeswalkers - Tools, Weapons, Auras for the Knights
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Give our Knights evasion and pump +3/+3 ability, produce 1/1 Soldiers each turn to stall the board while we accumulate equipments and creatures. At 4cc, she is the bomb which can win the game for us or swing board advantage towards us.
Elspeth Tirel
I wouldnt play this because the Knight-Errant abilities is more relevant to the deck while this also cost more to cast.
Aether Vial
Creatures put into play is uncounterable thus a bane of all control/counter heavy decks.
The element of surprise this card can bring is invaluable.
1) Vialing in a creature during the opponent end turn can also usually result in an sneak attack next turn, better still if there is equipment to equip and attack with.
2) Or Vial in an additional blocker for a combined first-strike block.
3) Vialing in Knight Exemplar is also usually a nice trick to save your creatures from destruction.
The optimal number of creatures in a deck to utilise Vial is usually 18 creatures or more. You dont want to have Vial with counters on it but no creatures to cheat into play.
Equipments - the choice of equipments have to be very careful here since we have lost the Stoneforge toolbox.
Sword of Fire and Ice
Still my first choice equipment sword. When equipped on a 2/2 knight we have a 4/4 first striker which would either forces the opponent to chump block or risk giving us tremendous advantage from the swords' effects. Protection from red is also useful against Zoo and Boros matchups.
Sword of Light and Shadow
Currently the second best equipment sword. Immune to Path to Exile, Doomed Blade, Go for the throat, Smother etc. Lifegain is useful especially against tempo decks and the ability to return creatures to your hand from graveyard is another form of card advantage.
Sword of Body and Mind
Good against Tarmogoyf but otherwise it's ability is meh. Protection from Blue is also not so relevant.
Sword of Feast and Famine
Might be the 3rd best sword as it has protection against black removal and massive green creatures. It is a meta call as i would still prefer SoLS over this.
Sword of War and Peace
Superb against Zoo & Boros but i believe they should have enough ammunition to kill your creatures in response to equipping and the Sword should be too slow to save the game in most cases.
Basilisk Collar
Deathtouch on our first strike knights will kill any opposing creature which dare to enage in combat with us. However IMO the real use for this equipment is actually for defense. A 2/2 knight equipped with the collar can block and kill a fattie without trading himself. This in turn will allow us the time to built our board with more Exemplars or equipments.
2.4) Spells
Path to Exile
Best white removal spell for White in Modern.
Oblivion Ring
Best utility spell for White in Modern, take care of all non-land permanents in the game.
Rancor
Reprinted in M13.
2.5) Land
Fetches - Arid Mesa, Marsh Flats
Shocks - Temple Garden
Filters - Wooded Bastion
Others -
Flagstones of Trokair
Does Deck thining, makes KotR bigger, but being struck with a few of them during the early game is detrimental to our tempo, recommended number is 2-3.
Mutavault
Having additional knights is always useful.
Horizon Canopy
Card draw and good synergy with KotR.
Sejiri Steppe
A good trick with Knight of the Reliquary in response to a removal spell to save our creature.
Tectonic Edge
For 12posts or pesky manlands etc.
Ghost's Quarter
For 12posts or pesky manlands etc.
Cavern of Souls
Insanely good against counterspell decks, especially for tribal knights when most of the creatures are the same creature type. Cavern can also be used to cast Knight of Reliquary in GW knights even if we can't find the green mana source for it. Knights splashing a second color will suddenly become more playable, since the likes of Black Knight, Haakon, Stromgald Scourge in a WB knight list or Blood Knight and Hero of Oxide Ridge in a WR knight list is suddently more viable than before.
2.6) Sideboard
Against Graveyard
Relic of Progenitus/ Tormod's Crypt
Against Dredge or decks reliant on getting cards into graveyard.
Against Direct Damage/Discard or Player Targetted Effects
Leyline of Sanctity
This will auto shut down burn/discard decks. Either play 4 or none in the sideboard as this is something you want in your opening hand once it's sideboarded in.
Runed Halo
Stop decks which uses a single card to win, or uses lots of discard spells and can also stop decks which is using the same meaty creature for beatdowns.
Phyrexian Revoker
Added to stop Planeswalker abilities, engineered explosives etc.
Against Aggro
Oust
Big tempo disruption to fast aggro decks.
Condemn
Another tempo disruption to aggoro decks
Celestial Purge
Good against MBC or RDW or even Boros.
Journey to Nowhere
Additional creature removal spell.
Against Combo
Rule of Law/ Ethersworn Canonist / Gaddock Teeg
They have the same objective - to stop combo decks. Enchantment will be harder to get rid off although the additional body might be useful. A personal choice mostly.
Silence
Good against Storm decks.
Angel's Grace
Usually buy you an extra turn or 2 from losing immediately. Is best against deck which commits everything to a single turn win via an overwhelming creature assault or though one of the Pacts etc.
Against Artifact
Disenchant
Very good and cheap instant removal spell.
Aura of Silence
A permanent which will hit artifact/enchantment heavy deck tempo and can be sacrifiiced to destroy.
3) Matchups
3.1) GW Vial Knights
WIP - below is the decks I have played against so far, will add in details of matchups, way to play and things to look out for
Gifts Ungiven (Esper) deck
Kiki Jiki Pod
UWR Delver Tempo
UWR Mid range control
BURN
BWG Control
TRON
3.2) BR Haakon's Darth Knights
WIP - below is the decks I have played against so far, will add in details of matchups, way to play and things to look out for
Gifts Ungiven (Esper) deck
Kiki Jiki Pod
UWR Delver Tempo
- Black Knight and Stromgald Crusader are star players against a deck packing plenty of white based removals (Lightning Helix and Path to Exile)
UWR Mid range control
- Black Knight and Stromgald Crusader are star players against a deck packing plenty of white based removals (Lightning Helix and Path to Exile)
BURN
BWG Control
- first turn Deathrite Shaman is an absolute nightmare, usually we can use Darkblast (Blast and dredge to Blast again during upkeep/draw step) or Nameless Inversion to take them out quickly.
TRON
3.3) Other Knights Variants
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10674436&postcount=1395
NAYA Knights Vs Merfolk by BlazeRyder
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showpost.php?p=10840590&postcount=1436
3) Other Knights Variants
Brief Introduction.
The traditional puresteel decks relies on dropping Puresteel Paladin and casting equipments quickly to generate incredible CA and eventually equip at no cost(with metacraft attained) on a living creature/creature or Inkmoth Nexus to swing for the win quickly. Some variants splashes U for a trinket mage toolbox. As such, it is a deck which can get explosive very swiftly and win suddenly out of nowhere.
Puresteel knights is not a traditional puresteel equipment deck thus its mode of play is not purely based on casting puresteel and rushing to drop cheap and low cost equipments or living equipments. It has a more resilient matchup then its traditional counterpart as the deck is not entirely dependant on drawing puresteel which usually fold easily when it loses puresteel to removals or counters.
As such it is a mid-range aggro deck which thrives on having puresteel in the deck. It is also less vulnerable to creature board wipes since we do not need to overextend our board with creatures. We are also not as badly affected against artifact board wipe spells. Knight Exemplar also provides Puresteel knights with an aura of indestructibility.
Therefore the choices of equipments is also different, equipments are selected because of their low casting cost and also their ability to enhance a knight considerably. Due to the sheer power of swords equipments and its 3cc, the other equipment choices can only be at most 1cc with low equip costs in order to curve out properly.
With this criteria in place, choice are pretty limited, below is the equipments list which is worth playing so far.
Superstar Knights for Puresteel
The engine behind the deck. Even the deck is named after him.
Mirran Crusader
Doublestrike on his own is nasty. Doublestrike with equipment is brutal. One of the MVP of the deck.
Knight Exemplar
The Knight lord. A decent 2/2 first strike creature at 3cc, give other knights +1/+1 and also gives indestructibility to our superstar knight - Puresteel Paladin.
Student of Warfare
A good first drop knight which can helps us to establish board presence when it's at 2 level up counter.
Star equipments for Puresteel
Silver-Inlaid Dagger
Equipped on a human can make our first strike knight close to invincible in creature combat.
Basilisk Collar
Deathtouch on a first strike knight and lifelink is especially useful for a mid-range aggro deck.
Sword of Fire and Ice
One of the best swords around. Many red removals in modern at the moment. CA is also massive.
Sword of Light and Shadow
Useful lifegain, black/white are very popular removal spells and returning a creature from graveyard is also CA.
Second choice equips -
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of War and Peace
increase/decrease speed or explosiveness of the deck
Bone Saw
BoneSplitter
Other probable mainboard choices -
Brave the elements
Protection and alpha strike. Can aid a successful equip on Mirran Crusader, protects Knight Exemplar from removal or protect Puresteel Paladin for a turn to start abusing Puresteel's abilities. Very relevant against a removal heavy meta.
Dispatch
A situational removal, which potentially could be better than Path to Exile in this deck, probably will be added as the 5-6 removal spell in the decklist.
Knight of the White Orchid
A fine 2/2 creature with first strike at 2cc. Being on the draw/combined with fetchlands will allow us ensure we dont miss land drop and also speed up our mana production. Has synergy with Path to Exile too.
Knight of Meadowgrain
Lifelink is always good. And it's a decent 2/2 first striker at 2cc. The deck also has Basilik collar as an alternative source of lifegaining so perhaps we do not need to run 4 of this knight.
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Useful knight creature especially during the early turns when mana is at a premium.
Brief Introduction.
The reason we have this deck is because you want to recur knights via Hakkon, Stromgald Scourge.
This is a deck that will beat most aggro white build, can cast creatures as many times as they burn(a different story if they burn face), laugh at decks attempting to counter Haakon and his knights + zombies, immune to deck playing doom blade type of removals, any more please feel free to add on.
The other Haakon deck - UWB
How to Play.
An opening turn discard(we run 7-8) allows us to cast Smallpox safely, meanwhile low-cost and cheap knights and zombies which are dispensable will be deployed to trade off or chump block in most situations, since they can be recurred continuously later in the game. That means the deck is typically trying to stall and stabilize during the early game with creatures such as Stromgald Crusader, Black Knight and Gravecrawler. Smallpox and Liliana of the Veil will come in shortly for the control/disrupt element and hopefully discard Haakon into the graveyard. Nameless Inversion is also a massive card here since it can be casted as many times as you have the mana for, which usually will clear the opponent board of creatures slowly but surely.
This is essentially a attrition deck, and will usually win the war when it gets to attrition stage with Haakon in play.
Key and Most important play:
Haakon's Recurring engine with Knights and Nameless Inversion.
Other Strategic plays:
Gravecrawler interaction with Haakon and Stromgald Crusader.
Smallpox synergy with Haakon.
Liliana of the Veil synergy with Haakon.
Minor plays:
Smallpox with Dark Confidant when life gets too low.
Liliana of the Veil discard with other knights, cast those discarded knights with Haakon in play.
Creature choices:
Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
The main reason why we are playing this Knight variant, and why this decklist is named after him.
He possesses this effect allowing us to play Knight cards from the graveyard when he is in play, and as a result also has interactions with changeling cards such as Nameless Inversion.
Other then the obvious synergies with Nameless Inversion & Knights, it also synergies well with Liliana of the Veil and Smallpox, since these spells provide us with an outlet to discard an Hakkon which can be playback soon after.
Black Knight
A cheap and good 2/2 first striker. He is here because he is a knight thus interacting with Haakon, Stromgald Scourge well. Protection from White is also a good bonus.
Stromgald Crusader
Played with the same reasons as Black Knight. Some additional advantages this Knight possesses is Flying (at the cost of B) and also being a Zombie type. As a Zombie Knight, it has synergy with Gravecrawler.
Gravecrawler
Interaction with Zombie knights such as Haakon, Stromgald Scourge and Stromgald Crusader is the main reason for running this card. As a one drop, it can either provide some early pressure, stall the board will be set up the Haakon engine or be a filler for excess mana.
Dark Confidant
Card advantage for Knights. He can be sacrificed to Smallpox, Nameless Inversion in the event we cannot handle potential life loss.
Spell Choices
Smallpox
A key card in the deck, as it provide a control/disrupt element and also give us an discard outlet to dump Haakon into the graveyard. Can be used on our own Dark Confidant as well.
Thoughtseize
One of the best discard spell for Black. Usually will go for exile spells (read Path to Exile) or graveyard hate after sideboarding.
Duress
Another very good discard spell which is similar to Thoughtseize but can't remove creatures.
Nameless inversion
Part of the Hakkon engine - can be use multiple times when Haakon is in play.
Liliana of the Veil
Tailor made for this deck. Liliana can disrupt the opponent and also give us a discard outlet for Haakon.
Other probable choices:
Stillmoon Cavalier - A Zombie and a Knight, similar to Stromgald Crusader in its interaction with Haakon and Gravecrawler, but cost 1 more.
Darkblast - For digging Haakon from library directly into the graveyard. Might take a Duress out for a single Darkblast.
I guess I can only play Type 2 knights for a few months...
It looks like i can use it as my signature but in the meantime i'll put it on my primer.
meanwhile can i have another banner with a larger size?
The banner will be for this thread.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=322579
Yeah and i saw what you had done for Aryakin's signature, can i have somthing similar with Haakon and Exemplar in the middle and Black knights(Revised 3rd Edition) on the extreme left and White Knights (Revised 3rd Edition) on the extreme right? I'll also need the title: "Legacy Knights" somewhere. Thanks!
Nice that you are still loving the signature and banner still now...:)
I'm not too sure, former tribal lords like Merfolk Sovereign & Goblin Chieftain are already not reprinted so I'm not too optimistic, but we'll still have the M11 Elves lord around..
Alright, thanks for the reply, i thought i could have missed something. In any case it was fun following the thread and checking out the frequent updates. I just got anxious waiting so long for news on Knight Exemplar!
Can you kindly provide me with a 600x100 banner for my Primer below:
[Deck/Primer] Competitive Knights in Legacy
Banner needs:
1)Haakon, Stromgald Scourge
2)Knight Exemplar
3)Knight of the Reliquary (Original version)
4)Student of Warfare/white knights(revised) or Knights of white Orchid whichever looks better
With a title "Legacy Knights"
many thanks for your help and i'll post the necessary credits and links. thank you again
Good to hear that the mox/tithe setup has some degree of consistency. I'll certaintly try it since i have all the cards and i'm sick of getting my first turn Aether Vial countered by Mental Misstep.
Meanwhile i'm having lots of fun with my Black/White Haakon's Confidant deck. Will post some matchups when i'm free over the next few days.
I have been playing extensively (without sideboard) against Zoo, Team America and Counterbalance Thorpter recently.
Don't mention, but this list has Aether Vial which is not exactly budget, anyway do let me know how it plays in your meta if you decide to form something similar. Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to test myself as I can't find casual legacy players in my area..
i created a Primer on knights, which although focuses more on competitive cards, can be used as a guide on some of the more playable knights around. Feel feel to check it out. I hope it will be of good use to you.
Competitive Knights in Legacy
Alternatively, i have a more budget version below, which utilises many of the cards you mention in your OP.
Casual Knights in Legacy
I have been thinking of a way of replacing Aether Vial in maindeck, and Mother, Tithe & Mox seems like choice. However i might replace 4xKnight of the White Orchid with 2x Sliver Knight & 2x White Knight.
How is your deck test for this build so far?
Depending on your Knights build, the 2 BB for Hymn makes it pretty impossible to cast during the early turns but Thoughtseize might be a good choice although don't forget you already have 4x Aether Vial & 4x Student of Warfare as your first drop. Casting Thoughtseize so you can cast a Vial or Student on the second turn is not how the deck should be played.
I'm not sure but extirpate sounds like a good inclusion, i might try it if i manage to get hold of that card.
I can't get my first few cards(Student of Warfare/Aether Vial) out due to MM and Stifle, the 2-drops get disrupted due to the discard spells. It makes a difficult matchup much harder to overcome at the moment.
I ever got thrashed by a Dark Horizons deck in my local tournament before even before the advent of MM.
Sorry for ranting but i'm quite disappointed with the creation of MM.
Pardon me for asking, how many sideboard cards do you intend to prepare? It seems like you are going to burst 15 cards here..
Against Zoo:
Personally i would'nt use ratchet bomb or ghostly prison because the former is too slow and the latter does not really stop Zoo. I play ghostly prison in armageddon Stax against Zoo and if it wasn't good enough even with mana denial i doubt it'll work here. You are correct, *** is definitely too slow, you would have taken too much early damage and Zoo will just finish you off with burn. chalice of the void is pointless as we don't play the likes of Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors. Actually i think just play more removals like 4x StP & PtE. Or even 4x Rune Halo so you stop Gofy and Kotr?
Against "moat/challice of the void/trinisphere/smokestack", just play 4x Leonin Relic-Warder. It gives you an extra body to beatdown at 2 mana and it is versatile enough to remove either enchantment or artifact.
Graveyard hate - the same old standard graveyard hate cards - just play more Relic of Progenitus & Tormod's Crypt or even 4x Leyline of the void
Combo deck - Orim's Chant and Leyline of Sanctity
Yeah, i was playing the B/W knights since Ice Age too. That was when i ran Knights of Stromgald/Order of White Shield with removals like StP/Vindicate and Contagion. Now Contagion can't kill anything. Now the meta is so quick i can't even Vindicate in time to save the game.
To be frank Knights deck was much stronger before NPH. Unfortunately Mental Misstep has affected creatures deck(especially with Vial) and further strengthened control deck. I have been hit with a first turn misstep these few weeks so frequently it makes a opening hand with Aether Vial nothing to be excited about. I had some good success against tournament decks previously which i will update my main primer along the way. You can tune in to the B/W Haakon Knights deck for updates as that is the current deck i'm playing now.
Mistveil Plains looks good on paper but i'm still worried with having a land which comes into play tapped messing up your tempo during the early game. Besides i try to run as few non-basic lands as possible. However it's worth trying if your meta is full of mid-game decks. My meta is mostly popular with mana/card denial decks so i can't play such a card which might affect consistency.