Hey all, today I thought we would look at a deck list. This is a Junk Walker Control build. What is Junk you may ask? Well back in the Shards block days, some people who did not want to play Jund (RBG) instead played the core Green and Black cards but used White instead of Red. So Junk=WBG. Let's look at the main contender for slots.
{Sorin, Lord of Innistrad}
This guy is the main contender for the 4 drop slot. Why? This is simple. He protects himself. He easily ticks up his loyalty while protecting himself with creatures. His emblem synergizes with another card that we will discuss later. And his ultimate is powerful against control and other creature based builds.
{Gideon Jura}
He has always been an ally to other planeswalkers by keeping fire off of them and destroying problematic creatures. Not only that, he also curves perfectly after a Sorin.
{Liliana of the Veil}
She is definitely strong against control and good early against aggro. I would not jump to conclusions and call her an instant 4 of, but she should still be somewhere in the 75.
{Garruk Relentless}
Not as useful as Sorin, but he does protect himself and create tokens for other purposes. He probably won't make the cut but let's keep all of our options open.
That's it for all of the playable walkers. On to the removal spells.
{Doom blade}
It's an all-star removal spell, not much else to say here
{Go for the Throat}
Doom Blades cousin that hits black, its applications should be just as obvious as the previous one.
{Beast Within}
This is very relevant. Why? It hits planeswalkers. This alone makes it worth running. It also hits {Kessig Wolf Run}, turns {Primeval Titan} into a 3/3 dwarf and hits the {Grave Titan} doom blade misses. This is perfect for what we need.
Some other auto includes are
{Lingering Souls}
This card is just powerful on its own. It should be considered for every deck that runs white right now.
{Birds of Paradise}
He ramps, color fixes, chumps and can hold a sword. What more could we ask for.
{Borderland Ranger}
Perhaps not an auto include, but he does fix our colors and allow us to hit the 4th land for Sorin.
{Sigarda, Host of Herons }
This card is nuts. A 5 mana 5/5 with flying, sure why not. Plus it has hexproof and makes {Tribute to hunger} a dead card. This card is very powerful and should not be overlooked.
Now our list should look something like this.
Creatures- 13
2 {Sigarda, Host of Herons }
4 {Birds of Paradise}
3 {Borderland Ranger}
4 {Avacyn Pilgrim}
Spells- 22
4 {Lingering Souls}
3 {Gideon Jura}
4 {Sorin, Lord of Innistrad}
3 {Doom Blade}
1 {Go for the Throat}
3 {Beast Within}
4 {Oblivion Ring}
Lands-25
4 {Razorverge Thicket}
2 {Sunpetal Grove}
3 {Woodland Cemetery}
2 {Isolated Chapel}
2 {Gavony Township}
7 {Forest}
3 {Plains}
2 {Swamp}
So the general layout is pretty obvious. We want to see a turn 1 mana dork. This will let us get things started quickly. Turn 3 Sorin or Gideon is a powerful play; from there the deck plays like a token deck but gaining advantage off of the Sorin and Gideon. Making your opponent swing is just powerful, especially with Sorin's tokens. This causes your opponents to make bad trades with your tokens letting you get even further ahead in board presence. Sorin will also help keep up a defense and let you create emblems that help win you games. His ultimate is also blowout against Frites. Gavony Township will give your mana dorks something to do when you are mana flooded or need to push just a little more to win a game. Lingering souls is also benefitted from this. Beast Within and Oblivion Ring will also take care of Planeswalkers, {Birthing Pod}, enchantments in the token decks, and Swords. Although not as powerful as {Solemn Simulacrum}, Borderland Ranger has the ability to come down on turn 2 off of a hand with a mana dork. This is relevant as it gets under {Mana Leak} if you're on the play. This is important as it allows us to guarantee our land and set up a turn 3 Sorin. Sigarda will allow us to finish games quicly as a flying beater that cannot be targeted. The deck also boasts the ability to play her on turn 3 which puts an incredible amount of pressure on control. The sideboard to a deck like this is completely customizable. I think the only mandatory thing is 3 {Liliana of the Veil} against control. Other than that, it can be an assortment of anything you want. Notable includes are {Acidic Slime} for its relevance against Wolf Run Ramp, {Timely Reinforcements} against the red decks, {Nihil Spellbomb} against Frites and Snapcaster decks, and {Ray of Revelations} against tokens. Any of the swords are also powerful SB cards. A bird holing a sword is sometimes enough to just get there.
In any case, the deck I have talked about today has not been tested at all. But if you are in the mood to play something under the radar or just want to play a deck that nobody else is playing, this deck offers a lot of power very quickly. The token theme makes it easy to get around removal, while the Gideon protects and forces awkward combat situations on the opponent. The removal in the deck should get there well enough with 7 instant speed cards in the main that can deal with {Inkmoth Nexus}. There is plenty of removal to deal with Wolf Run Ramp, which I feel is the deck you need to look out for the most right now. I would also be on the lookout for Naya Pod, as I feel that deck is also a strong contender. I hope you guys enjoyed this article and until next time, keep it real and have fun!
YESSSS!!!!!! I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!! :D
I just wanna say against tokens use bombs cause even though they'll destroy your tokens you can reraise your army fast with your build! Awesome article! Very enjoyable :D
I just can't believe I got sold on {borderland ranger}. Awesome read!!!! 👍
This looks pretty fantastic, and fun. Good job. :)
i'm more familiar with the junk titans build but i must say your walker build is much more impressive
Sorins lifelink tokens, not deathtouch
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 05, 2012, 02:19:08 PM
Sorins lifelink tokens, not deathtouch
Yes, I noticed that after writing this at 3AM. Simply put, sub a land or two out for the one that gives lifelink and deathouch if you want that kind of control. With lingering souls running around, you can still make complex combat with Gideon + Sorin.
Quote from: Death Gaara on May 05, 2012, 03:53:50 PM
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 05, 2012, 02:19:08 PM
Sorins lifelink tokens, not deathtouch
Yes, I noticed that after writing this at 3AM. Simply put, sub a land or two out for the one that gives lifelink and deathouch if you want that kind of control. With lingering souls running around, you can still make complex combat with Gideon + Sorin.
{Vault of the Archangel} :D
Also instead of {borderland Ranger} (I see him as an early blocker) why not use {Dawntreader Elk} use it as a blocker but before it dies sac it?
You get immediate satisfaction with borderland. Btw...I like how your post still links to borderland haha
Quote from: Coffee Vampire on May 05, 2012, 04:08:20 PM
You get immediate satisfaction with borderland. Btw...I like how your post still links to borderland haha
You get ramp with the elk though :p and haha yea whoops :p
Quote from: Sagemaster on May 05, 2012, 03:59:33 PM
Also instead of {borderland Ranger} (I see him as an early blocker} why not use {Dawntreader Elk} use it as a blocker but before it dies sac it?
Because then you cant trade with your opponents creature. Why Borderland Ranger is a good card for the reasons noted, he guarantees your 4th land and trades. Also, you dont need double green to take advantage of this (Unlike Elk). Both come down on turn 2 so Elk really has no upside over ranger. Yes, it puts the land in play, but it will not allow you to keep as many hands have an awkward combination of lands in your hand. When you see a hand with a pilgrim, forest, and a plains or a swamp, you will want the ranger more. I would rather have the borderland to trade with an aggressive deck or block a Sword wielding dude while fixing my colors in this scenario. Remember this deck plays 8 mana dorks, so it does not need to ramp to play stuff anyways. This decks curves stops at 5, which between 8 mana dorks and 25 lands with rangers should be easy to get to. With all of the dorks, this deck can turn 3 Sigarda off of a nuts draw. So ramping provides little benefit. But fixing your next land drop in a 3 color deck is invaluable. You can replace it if you wish as they difference is marginal, but that marginalization can cost a game. We are moving into an aggressive format, and trading creatues is about to become a better play if you can back it up. Also, vapor snag does not punish Ranger like it does Elk as you can get the ability again. Its a preferential call, but either is fine.
Oh okay I didn't think about the snag part and that makes a lot of sense! Cool!
I played with this deck a couple games.
I like the gavony township for dead draws. The greens purpose is only for mana and removal flexibility. Other than that it's a b/w token deck.
Had some trouble with Aggro. I imagine sideboard obviously.
I had a similar deck I was working on. However, I had a creature emphasis (grave, prime titans) but I can honestly say
Token generator is more consistent. I have heavy mass removal (judgement, black sun ).
But I like this idea for a deck.
(I'm still very new to the game)
Thanks for sharing.
Q: Does Elspeth have a home in this deck?
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 06, 2012, 05:14:10 PM
I played with this deck a couple games.
I like the gavony township for dead draws. The greens purpose is only for mana and removal flexibility. Other than that it's a b/w token deck.
Had some trouble with Aggro. I imagine sideboard obviously.
I had a similar deck I was working on. However, I had a creature emphasis (grave, prime titans) but I can honestly say
Token generator is more consistent. I have heavy mass removal (judgement, black sun ).
But I like this idea for a deck.
(I'm still very new to the game)
Thanks for sharing.
Are you sure you played this properly? I am not sure if you made all of the correct plays (As your said you are newer to the game). This deck should have little issues with aggro if you used all of this.
4 Lingering Souls
3 Gideon Jura
4 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
3 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
3 Beast Within
4 Oblivion Ring
These all either trade, remove, stall, or block for you. You play 14 MD removal including Gideon. That should not lose to aggro easily. I could see you losing to mono red decks if that is what you meant by "Aggro" as this deck does not interact well with their burn spells. But a normal aggro deck that is not red should not have been able to roll over this list. The green is not just for mana. One of your finishers is Green. Beast Within hitting planeswalkers is relevant enough to play the color. Green also gives you the flexibility for the township and either Thrun or Slime in the SB. I am just not sure you used this deck to its full potential. That goes to say, I dont claim this deck is the best there is, it just should have put up better results was all.
Quote from: Sagemaster on May 06, 2012, 05:51:18 PM
Q: Does Elspeth have a home in this deck?
I considered it. I just dont really like her. Lifegain is irrelevant, and the tokens are not needed. I would rather have Gideon keeping fire off of Sorin and forcing my opponents to make bad trades over 3 more tokens. You must also consider Gideon a threat as a 6/6 body and a removal spell as well. Elspeth is not bad, but just competes with Gideon in the 5 drop slot. Its not worth losing the Sigardas for her either. I could see a few in the SB against some control decks (Taking out the Gideon as the only relevance he has is being a 6/6).
Quote from: Death Gaara on May 06, 2012, 05:59:26 PM
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 06, 2012, 05:14:10 PM
I played with this deck a couple games.
I like the gavony township for dead draws. The greens purpose is only for mana and removal flexibility. Other than that it's a b/w token deck.
Had some trouble with Aggro. I imagine sideboard obviously.
I had a similar deck I was working on. However, I had a creature emphasis (grave, prime titans) but I can honestly say
Token generator is more consistent. I have heavy mass removal (judgement, black sun ).
But I like this idea for a deck.
(I'm still very new to the game)
Thanks for sharing.
Are you sure you played this properly? I am not sure if you made all of the correct plays (As your said you are newer to the game). This deck should have little issues with aggro if you used all of this.
4 Lingering Souls
3 Gideon Jura
4 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
3 Doom Blade
1 Go for the Throat
3 Beast Within
4 Oblivion Ring
These all either trade, remove, stall, or block for you. You play 14 MD removal including Gideon. That should not lose to aggro easily. I could see you losing to mono red decks if that is what you meant by "Aggro" as this deck does not interact well with their burn spells. But a normal aggro deck that is not red should not have been able to roll over this list. The green is not just for mana. One of your finishers is Green. Beast Within hitting planeswalkers is relevant enough to play the color. Green also gives you the flexibility for the township and either Thrun or Slime in the SB. I am just not sure you used this deck to its full potential. That goes to say, I dont claim this deck is the best there is, it just should have put up better results was all.
I played 3 games with the deck so not really a fair way to gauge it perhaps. I did however have to mulligan 3/3 first hands due to mana weirdness.
I'll continue to play it and keep you updated. I figure a little feedback is better than none. I can admit My biggest weakness so far is determine the value of a hand and whether or not to mulligan.
And yes death, I was playing RDW goblins.
I've played against RDW goblins
3-3
Rb vamps 3-2
Rg werewolf 3-1
Player skill having to do with it I'm sure. Deck would benefit from drawing (don't they all:) ) what about {harrowing journey}? I know it's a lot but not many draw cards for these colors.
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 06, 2012, 07:12:31 PM
And yes death, I was playing RDW goblins.
I've played against RDW goblins
3-3
Rb vamps 3-2
Rg werewolf 3-1
Player skill having to do with it I'm sure. Deck would benefit from drawing (don't they all:) ) what about {harrowing journey}? I know it's a lot but not many draw cards for these colors.
I dont really like it. When you have 5 mana, you want to be dropping Sigarda or Gideon. You can try it, but I dont expect it to turn out well.{Tezzeret's Gambit} would be a better choice if that is what you are aiming for. According to your statistics, the deck seems to win more than it losses. I will give the title "worst matchup" to RDW as the deck just does not interact with it. That is why I recommended Timely in the SB. If you want, you can try Wumcoils in the main. Also, as stated in the article, I have not playtested this deck personally, it was meant to be a display or an idea other members could run off of if they wanted to play something unique. I do appreciate the feedback, and as with all other lists I post, as long as I receive feedback on the list I will continue to help improve it as long as there is some interest among others to play or develop it.
Right on. It's more like suicide goblins since goblin grenade gets at you real quick. T3 sorin or sigarda is ideal and under most circumstances I had control as early as t3.
Borderland works so well. I was thinking of solemn simulacrum but he is 1 mana too much like you said about squeezing in on the play before a counter can be played. I'll tinker around with it and bump it back to you if I notice something better here or there (doubt it haha)
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 06, 2012, 09:12:58 PM
Right on. It's more like suicide goblins since goblin grenade gets at you real quick. T3 sorin or sigarda is ideal and under most circumstances I had control as early as t3.
Borderland works so well. I was thinking of solemn simulacrum but he is 1 mana too much like you said about squeezing in on the play before a counter can be played. I'll tinker around with it and bump it back to you if I notice something better here or there (doubt it haha)
Lol, its cool. I highly doubt this list is perfect, and you are bound to find some changes you will like. I just hate the idea of net decking, so I do innovate alot of the time (if you constantly follow my posts or read my articles you will know what I mean). If my innovations aren't up to my standards, than I simply take the main theme of some of the best decks in the format and make them my own. An example being my Wolf Run Ramp list. Instead of the traditional RG mine happens to be Jund. Alot of people have done this, but I have added my own style and flare to the list. Let me ask you this. How many Wolf Run Ramp decks do you know that play Swords, {Batterskull}, and black zeniths? Instead of the standard ramp plan, my Wolf Run Jund is more of a midrange deck that can be aggressive against control, or controlling against aggressive decks. It is sad how many people choose not to innovate. They hold themselves back by making this choice.
What no {parallel lives}?
Quote from: Imdowd80 on May 09, 2012, 01:39:13 PM
What no {parallel lives}?
Parallel Lives is way too slow. That is more of a win more card better suited for EDH.
I like your idea death, keep working on it and keep us updated, I think super friends may see a return, and I'm interested to see what color combo is the best.
What do you think of {Scorned Villagers} x2 in place of two {Avacyn's Pilgrim}? I think it is slower, but it is a good turn 2 card. It can force opponents to cast things they don't want to. When it's flipped, it is pretty much a mini nightmare. Attacking and then tapping for 2 mana is good.
Quote from: Coffee Vampire on May 10, 2012, 05:31:18 PM
What do you think of {Scorned Villagers} x2 in place of two {Avacyn's Pilgrim}? I think it is slower, but it is a good turn 2 card. It can force opponents to cast things they don't want to. When it's flipped, it is pretty much a mini nightmare. Attacking and then tapping for 2 mana is good.
I think that's too slow...cause turn 1 you'll dork it up and turn two somberwald sage like in the other post
Quote from: Sagemaster on May 10, 2012, 05:38:27 PM
Quote from: Coffee Vampire on May 10, 2012, 05:31:18 PM
What do you think of {Scorned Villagers} x2 in place of two {Avacyn's Pilgrim}? I think it is slower, but it is a good turn 2 card. It can force opponents to cast things they don't want to. When it's flipped, it is pretty much a mini nightmare. Attacking and then tapping for 2 mana is good.
I think that's too slow...cause turn 1 you'll dork it up and turn two somberwald sage like in the other post
There is no Somberwald Sage in the deck?
Thought it'd be better the the villager haha
Lol, in any case the villager is bad. We really want to see a T1 dork so we can accelerate into a borderland ranger or lingering souls T2. A dork that comes down on T2 just does not let us do that.
Timely reinforcements?
Sometimes it's slow and helps reset by t-2/3 (aggro)
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 10, 2012, 07:34:35 PM
Timely reinforcements?
Sometimes it's slow and helps reset by t-2/3 (aggro)
I already mentioned that card for the SB lol.
Quote from: Death Gaara on May 10, 2012, 07:54:22 PM
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 10, 2012, 07:34:35 PM
Timely reinforcements?
Sometimes it's slow and helps reset by t-2/3 (aggro)
I already mentioned that card for the SB lol.
Touché! Forgot, but it works great against quicker decks like you said.
T1 noble and t2 berserker can get out of Hand quickly.
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 10, 2012, 08:03:00 PM
Quote from: Death Gaara on May 10, 2012, 07:54:22 PM
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 10, 2012, 07:34:35 PM
Timely reinforcements?
Sometimes it's slow and helps reset by t-2/3 (aggro)
I already mentioned that card for the SB lol.
Touché! Forgot, but it works great against quicker decks like you said.
T1 noble and t2 berserker can get out of Hand quickly.
I feel its still more of a SB card against the red decks than a MD card. It just doesnt do enough against other decks to matter. I would rather be dropping Sorins, Rangers, and Lingering Souls on every other deck T2 or 3. It really does improve the mono red match up though.
What aboot vault of archangel?
Quote from: Willthomjr on May 12, 2012, 06:22:45 PM
What aboot vault of archangel?
Its okay if you want to make your opponent make bad trades with your tokens. Gavony is better for the dead draws though, so its entirely up to the player.
Been testing it on Cockatrice and I like this deck. I made minor changes. I put in 2 {intangible virtue} took out 1 land and 1 o-ring for em. I put in 2 {Elspeth tirel} took out 2 Sigarda. I woulda ran it as you built it but didn't update with AVR yet. The virtues made sense after adding tirel and they help a lot. So far I been pwning peeps in standard and I don't even play standard. Cool deck tho and I look foward to testing others.
Quote from: cltrn81 on May 14, 2012, 04:40:16 PM
Been testing it on Cockatrice and I like this deck. I made minor changes. I put in 2 {intangible virtue} took out 1 land and 1 o-ring for em. I put in 2 {Elspeth tirel} took out 2 Sigarda. I woulda ran it as you built it but didn't update with AVR yet. The virtues made sense after adding tirel and they help a lot. So far I been pwning peeps in standard and I don't even play standard. Cool deck tho and I look foward to testing others.
My version has a Garruk or two for getting sigarda out. 5/5 Hexproof flier is tough to deal with.
Gaara have to say, saw this deck and said, I must have it lol I loved it and I'm almost done making like how you have it and I already had esper control but I finally got to play it and I got shat on 0-2 first two rounds and dropped so I'm worried it won't make it with the fast meta and where I'm at the meta is so messed up you really can't predict what to see there so I'm hoping a junk deck will make it :)
Quote from: Elitehalo360 on June 02, 2012, 02:52:51 PM
Gaara have to say, saw this deck and said, I must have it lol I loved it and I'm almost done making like how you have it and I already had esper control but I finally got to play it and I got shat on 0-2 first two rounds and dropped so I'm worried it won't make it with the fast meta and where I'm at the meta is so messed up you really can't predict what to see there so I'm hoping a junk deck will make it :)
I am flattered you like it. I tuned it for the aggro matchup, in anticipation that Wolf Run would be running nuts. It doesn't seem like I was to far off. In any case, it should have a good match up against most aggro with all of the MD removal, Gideon, and Lingering Souls. In a fast Meta, the deck should do reasonably well. You have early birds, pilgrims, and rangers to block for you (not including lingering souls). After you get to the mid game, Sorin will make tokens and protect himself/you until you reach gideon. Gideon should keep fire off of you and allow you to deal with creates via removal spells or Gideons ability. At this point, you have gained control and will likely start hitting with tokens that are not blocking for you, maybe a pump or two of the township in between. You will likely come into a Sigarda at some point, if she resolves, you are going to win. She cant be removed easily and puts a lot of pressure on the opponent. If worst comes to worst, you can beast within your own permanents to obtain attackers/blockers. G2 aggro matchup gets better because you bring in Liliana and Timelys to have even more answers to aggro. This is a control deck that likes to slowly grind the opponent out of answers, it does not come out of the gate winning fast, but rather creates situations where you have so much aggro hate the opponent will not be able to stick a huge relevant threat. This decks main weakness is other more traditional control style decks since alot of your cards dont do anything (being the removal package). It still aims to grind out wins with either tokens or unanswered sigarda. On the plus side, {Vapor Snag} is weak against you as it is bad to use on dorks and tokens. If used on a ranger you thank them and just get more value, and it cant be used on sigarda. With so much removal, you should have an okay Delver matchup. I anticipated a very aggresive meta after the release of AVR, so this was designed to handle it.
NOTE: An new article will come soon. New college semester has kept me pretty busy. I did not forget you guys though. Thanks for reading my material, I appreciate all the feedback you give me.
Well your articles are worth the wait!
Their awesome!
thanks for the info
Interesting read, Ty!
Your amazing at explaining things