Knights and Day: Exploring the Knights Tribe in M11 Standard

The recent release of the core set Magic 2011 offered us new options for a tribe-type deck. Vampires replaced its lord Nocturnus with a captivating one, though I still go for the first one as evation is much preferred rather than permanent +1/+1 pump. The new set also offered a lord, Knight Exemplar, for the new tribe for white. The powerful ability of giving indestructibility to its kins (as well as the +1/+1 boost) gave me an idea of checking the rest of the Knights in the current Standard format. I’ve created two potential deck ideas, the mono white and the blue white version.

First off is the mono white list:

Mono White Knights
Maindeck
4 white knight
4 knight exemplar
4 knight of the white orchid
4 sigiled paladin
4 student of warfare

4 Honor of the Pure
4 Path to Exile
4 Conqueror’s Pledge
2 Brave the Elements
2 Elspeth, the Knight Errant

4 Marsh Flats
4 Arid Mesa
16 Plains

The deck’s simple approach is to get the beatdown as early as possible. This list is actually inspired by my build on the Kithkins during the Lorwyn days in Standard. my As you will notice, each has its equilavent card. For example, Student of Warfare represents Figure of Destiny and Conqueror’s Pledge for Cloudgoat Ranger.

The deck have at least twelve critters for the early turns and a late game or post mass removal card via Conqueror’s Pledge. This sorcery works well with Honor of the Pure and to keep you with enough gas. Brave the Elements functions primarily for alpha-strike or in cases of a Maelstrom Pulse on your same-name knights. Elspeth is of course for additional pump and evasion.

Here’s the blue white version:

Blue White Knights
Maindeck
4 white knight
4 knight exemplar
4 knight of the white orchid
4 sigiled paladin
4 student of warfare

4 Honor of the Pure
4 Mana Leak
4 Conquerors Pledge
4 Elspeth, the Knight Errant
4 Fieldmist Borderpost

4 Glacial Fortress
4 Marsh Flats
12 Plains

As for the UW list, the only blue card is Mana Leak (which I think is the best common card in M11) for stopping mass removals and relevant big spells of the opponent.

The list also includes the borderpost-Knight of White Orchid combo which works very well in ramping up the mana and helps thinning out the deck.

Sideboard Options

There is no final sideboard yet as it will be meta based. The notable cards I could include are:

Kor Firewalker - primarily for stopping RDW. Most of your knights are hard to deal with due to first strike so I think you’re in great shape on pre-board. Just avoid over committing into an Earthquake.

Path to Exile - the sideboard option for the UW list in dealing with random big threats.

Leyline of Sanctity - sb option against Red Decks and Valakut Ramp. Their current lists are just doing insane in the recent Nationals so this one is a must to be four-ofs (Leylines to be effective needed to be a set).

Oblivion Ring - for random non-land threats. I prefer my sideboard to be more of generic as we can’t what to encounter in the meta.

War Priest of Thune - this guys is specifically for Spreading Seas as this can hurt your early aggro. Again, this option can be metagame based.

Negate - I think a copy or two of these in the UW list sb is good enough. Same purpose with the O-ring.

Additional Brave the Elements can also be used.

I think that’s about it. Feel free to comment out your suggestion below or in cases that you’ve playtested the deck, a matchup report would be nice.

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Until next time y’all.