Dominaria-A look at the Knight Tribe
Digging further into the spoiled tribes of Dominaria, next up is the Knight Tribe. If you haven't seen my previous article regarding the Wizard Tribe, you can check it out here (Wizard Tribe).
One note...after doing the math, if you're wondering how much of Dominaria was spoiled...it was approximately everything but the Commons. Of the 269 card set, 146 were mentioned in the document. Granted some of these were used as examples to explain card mechanics, but if you take that 146 and the numbers provided in the document you can drill down to what is left.
The set contains 269 cards: 20 lands, 101 commons, 80 uncommons, 53 rares, and 15 mythic rares.
If you add 80 (uncommons) + 53 (rares) + 15 (mythic rares) you get 148. With that, all you have left is 101 commons and 20 lands.
Anyway...back to the Knight Tribe. Here is what was spoiled so far:
Currently there are 17 Knights in Standard.
So, I wouldn't call this a monster tribe. Most of these creatures are facilitators of other tribes. As you can see, most of these Knights are Vampires.
Dominaria introduces a Knight mana curve that seems to propose the initial 5 turns of a Knight tribal deck.
Turn 1: Dauntless Bodyguard
Turn 2: Knight of Grace (or Knight of Malice)
Turn 3: Benalish Marshal (or History of Benalia)
Turn 4: Aryel, Knight of Windgrace (or Kwende, Pride of Femeref)
Turn 5: Arvad the Cursed
It is actually a decent arrangement of creatures. I wouldn't play Dauntless Bodyguard on turn 1, but there are other 1 drops that would work. If you want to stick with the Knight theme, you could always play Imperial Lancer.
I don't think that is the greatest move, but it's an option. You would probably be better off focusing on a 1 drop that has first strike in order to take advantage of Kwende, Pride of Femeref's ability to give all first strike creatures double strike. There are two 1 drops that have first strike when they enter the battlefield...Encampment Keeper and Rigging Runner.
By far the most interesting Knight is Knight of Grace. Having a bear that is immune to Fatal Push is very attractive, especially when that creature also becomes a 3/2 when a black permanent is put onto the battlefield by anyone. Note: Black permanents have to have a mana cost associated with them, so swamps are not considered black permanents.
The primary Knight lord, Aryel, Knight of Windgrace, appears a bit clunky. Having to tap it in order to activate either of its abilities really slows this down. I wouldn't expect to see this card make it in Standard in any impactful way, but that is not to say that fun cannot be had with a clever brew.
Arvad, the Cursed is our first 'Legendary' lord. Having deathtouch and lifelink is nothing to overlook, but buffing legendary creatures with +2/+2 is a serious power boost. Kari Zev, all of the indestructible gods (Rhonas, Hazoret, Kefnet, Bontu, Oketra), The Scorpion God, The Locust God...all of these creatures are supported by this card. Even Heart of Kiran can benefit from this (it didn't escape my notice that Arvad's power matches the crewing cost of Kiran).
Benalish Marshal is a great inclusion in any white weenie deck that seeks to pump up a large number of creatures. And paying 3 for a 3/3 is not bad.
Finally, the two non-creature cards, History of Benalia and Dub, are sincere Knight tribe support. We are introduced to the new mechanic of 'Saga'. The way this works is...when you play the enchantment, it gains a Saga counter. With that first Saga counter, you get to make a 2/2 Knight with vigilance. After your next draw step, it gets another counter and you make another token. Then, on you next draw, you get a third Saga counter and all of your Knights get +2/+1 until end of turn (sacrifice the enchantment). In summary, History of Benalia can create two 2/2 Knights that get a boost after the third Saga counter is placed on it. There are some ways to get Saga counters on early, but the payoff for History of Benalia is really just the tokens. Boosting all Knights +2/+1 before sacking the enchantment is fine, but it really needs something else to make the 3 turn wait worth it, especially if History of Benalia makes it to the battlefield on turn 3. It also tells your opponent, "I'm about to attack you...in 3 turns". Luckily it isn't Legendary, so you can have multiple cards out at once.
Dub can make any creature a Knight...you know...if you want something to be a Knight. You can even say, "I dub thee...Sir Scorpion God....or whatever. That's about as interesting as that card is going to get.
Overall, the Knight tribe is more fun than functional. There are some definite stars in the group (Kwende and Knight of Grace), but I don't see the Knights making it as a tribal strategy.
Your opinions are welcomed.
One note...after doing the math, if you're wondering how much of Dominaria was spoiled...it was approximately everything but the Commons. Of the 269 card set, 146 were mentioned in the document. Granted some of these were used as examples to explain card mechanics, but if you take that 146 and the numbers provided in the document you can drill down to what is left.
The set contains 269 cards: 20 lands, 101 commons, 80 uncommons, 53 rares, and 15 mythic rares.
If you add 80 (uncommons) + 53 (rares) + 15 (mythic rares) you get 148. With that, all you have left is 101 commons and 20 lands.
Anyway...back to the Knight Tribe. Here is what was spoiled so far:
Dominaria introduces a Knight mana curve that seems to propose the initial 5 turns of a Knight tribal deck.
Turn 1: Dauntless Bodyguard
Turn 2: Knight of Grace (or Knight of Malice)
Turn 3: Benalish Marshal (or History of Benalia)
Turn 4: Aryel, Knight of Windgrace (or Kwende, Pride of Femeref)
Turn 5: Arvad the Cursed
It is actually a decent arrangement of creatures. I wouldn't play Dauntless Bodyguard on turn 1, but there are other 1 drops that would work. If you want to stick with the Knight theme, you could always play Imperial Lancer.
I don't think that is the greatest move, but it's an option. You would probably be better off focusing on a 1 drop that has first strike in order to take advantage of Kwende, Pride of Femeref's ability to give all first strike creatures double strike. There are two 1 drops that have first strike when they enter the battlefield...Encampment Keeper and Rigging Runner.
The primary Knight lord, Aryel, Knight of Windgrace, appears a bit clunky. Having to tap it in order to activate either of its abilities really slows this down. I wouldn't expect to see this card make it in Standard in any impactful way, but that is not to say that fun cannot be had with a clever brew.
Arvad, the Cursed is our first 'Legendary' lord. Having deathtouch and lifelink is nothing to overlook, but buffing legendary creatures with +2/+2 is a serious power boost. Kari Zev, all of the indestructible gods (Rhonas, Hazoret, Kefnet, Bontu, Oketra), The Scorpion God, The Locust God...all of these creatures are supported by this card. Even Heart of Kiran can benefit from this (it didn't escape my notice that Arvad's power matches the crewing cost of Kiran).
Benalish Marshal is a great inclusion in any white weenie deck that seeks to pump up a large number of creatures. And paying 3 for a 3/3 is not bad.
Finally, the two non-creature cards, History of Benalia and Dub, are sincere Knight tribe support. We are introduced to the new mechanic of 'Saga'. The way this works is...when you play the enchantment, it gains a Saga counter. With that first Saga counter, you get to make a 2/2 Knight with vigilance. After your next draw step, it gets another counter and you make another token. Then, on you next draw, you get a third Saga counter and all of your Knights get +2/+1 until end of turn (sacrifice the enchantment). In summary, History of Benalia can create two 2/2 Knights that get a boost after the third Saga counter is placed on it. There are some ways to get Saga counters on early, but the payoff for History of Benalia is really just the tokens. Boosting all Knights +2/+1 before sacking the enchantment is fine, but it really needs something else to make the 3 turn wait worth it, especially if History of Benalia makes it to the battlefield on turn 3. It also tells your opponent, "I'm about to attack you...in 3 turns". Luckily it isn't Legendary, so you can have multiple cards out at once.
Dub can make any creature a Knight...you know...if you want something to be a Knight. You can even say, "I dub thee...Sir Scorpion God....or whatever. That's about as interesting as that card is going to get.
Overall, the Knight tribe is more fun than functional. There are some definite stars in the group (Kwende and Knight of Grace), but I don't see the Knights making it as a tribal strategy.
Your opinions are welcomed.
If you play WB knight Grace and Malice does pump each other
ReplyDeleteI think that's a solid start. You can see the walk up in the tribe. I'm excited to see how it plays.
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