[Deck] Bant

[Shimi]

It is nice that the combo player will never think that this deck had 0 FoWs...

But when the time is called the combo player will go for it and there won't be a FoW to save the day but the fow mind trick + MM at rituals/cantrips can give it time to win.

[Mark Sun]

Actualy i dont get how could a deck w/o FoW and NO , and with one goyf perfom so well:S

The deck is pretty well thought out. Basically preboarded for the non-degenerate decks where you don't need Force of Will in order to win. Equipment breaks creature stalemates as well.

[jimirynk]

I built the deck to be best positioned in the meta, the numbers might look weird but it's so I'd have the tools to face anything I would see at the GP.
I went 13-1-1 in the swiss losing only to 43 lands in game 3 to a turn 2 smoke stacks with him on the play.

[Koby]

Was there any rational for Birds of Paradise over Noble Hierarch? Is it simply for 'Flying' + equipment?

[jimirynk]

I wanted a flyer I could gsz for to block flyers(commander/stalker) and carry equipment over mom and etched champion.

[Kellyx]

Could u explain the point of haveing spell pierce in siedboard?:S
Early game the deck has no mana left cuz of agressive play and later it wont be hard for an oponent to pay additional 2.
Why not to get tormod crypts instead of it?Considering dredge is counter to this deck.
Or trygon predator...or something else

[Koplinchen]

I also had troubles with moms etc. I solved it with inclusion of single Terravore maindeck. Have you considered this possibility. It never let me down. It is great!

[blueneverfails]

Looks like a neat deck, I wouldn't play it cuz I love prog too much, but anyone who is freaking out because of the single goyf, don't fret. I have been playing with only 3 goyfs in my noprog deck since the GP last summer and made it to day 2 no prob(i was like 1 of 3 that made it to day 2). Personally any deck with green sun zenith should never run more than 3. The only creature I run 4 of is the noble heirarch.

[DragoFireheart]

I wanted a flyer I could gsz for to block flyers(commander/stalker) and carry equipment over mom and etched champion.

Trygon Predator?

[chags]

Trygon Predator?

Costs 4 as opposed to 2 off GSZ...either requires taking something out of the deck, easier to replace a hierarch with another mana dork that just happens to serve this purpose too I imagine.

[Koby]

I would consider Scryb Ranger before Trygon Predator. Bonus points for being Jace-proof, and having a useful ability with mana-dorks, KotR, and in general, saving your lands from Wasteland. Also, helps to clear Islands from the board when you're up against Merfolk, which she can block ad infinitum.

[troopatroop]

Trygon Predator?

Trygon Predator doesn't tap for mana, costs 3, and GSZ for it is pretty bad. Birds doubles as accel in addition to those applications.

[blueneverfails]

Looks like we got the boot from the decks to beat section, oh well that will change. On a curious note, has anyone tried putting counterbalance back in the no prog lists? I have not taken them out even with everyone telling me to do so and I'm still winning.

[Kellyx]

Looks like we got the boot from the decks to beat section, oh well that will change. On a curious note, has anyone tried putting counterbalance back in the no prog lists? I have not taken them out even with everyone telling me to do so and I'm still winning.

NO is slowest combo.It adds you one more way to win.If you have counterbalance+SDT pack in you deck, NO becomes the only way to win.Deck becomes too deffensive.
Playing hive mind or painted stone will be just better if you like control+combo.

[Kellyx]

Does someone got any ideas about putting NO pack in this agro bant list?

[blueneverfails]

no is only 4 cards, so its really not hard to put in any list with lots of green creatures, and your claim of having counterbalance and no in the same deck means no is the only kill is false, I run a list right now that is considered a bant aggro list by most and it has both still in it.

[Mirrislegend]

I understand the drawbacks, but I'm taking Trygon Predator for a spin anyways. I'm sick of having to expend infinite resources to deal with Stoneforge decks.

That brings my curve up on the high side. I'm considering trying to squeeze in one BoP (in addition to the 4x Hierarchs) to help with that.

[fallenphoenix]

Here my pretty outdated deck that I took for a spin anyway, since my Jaces&Deeds didn't arrive on time.

4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Quasali Pridemage
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Sower of Temptation

4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Sword of Feast and Famine

4 Force of Will
3 Daze
1 Mana Leak
2 Spell Pierce
4 Brainstorm

3 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
1 Karakas
1 Forest
1 Island
2 Windsweapt Heath
2 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Wasteland

SB:
2 Rhox Warmonk
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Tormod's Crypt
2 Jötun Grunt
2 Nature's Claim
2 Trygon Predator
2 Engineered Explosives


I wanted to try some new cards so 1 Venser made it in, as a replacement for missing Jaces, as well as a miser's Sower.
No Missteps yet, as I don't see myself buying them for ridiculous prices and we haven't drafted that much yet.

It was only a small tournament/testing group of about 12 people, I won vs Dredge(2-1), Reanimator (2-1) and BW-Knights (more a casual deck than anything else), I lost vs Zoo (1-2) with Phyrexian Metamorphs.

Some conclusions on cards:

Stoneforge Mystic was better than the last time I tested with him, I might add a third.
Especially vs Zoo and Dredge I always wanted as many Mystics as I could get (apart from the narrow hate vs Dredge).

I also wanted a second Jitte more than the first Sword in some games, as having a second copy to tutor for if the first gets destroyed is pretty important.

Sword of FaF wasn't really hot, pro-green was really good vs Zoo though, but it could as well have been another one (and granted, any other Sword, especially Body and Mind, would have probably won me G3 vs Zoo).

Venser was kinda cool, I pulled off some Karakas shenanigans in 2 different games. I noticed he's also really cool with SoFaF, if you can get the two going (bounce/discard), although Jace is probably just muuuch better.

Metamorph was pretty much outstanding, I didn't expect him to be THAT good, but he made some pretty big splashes everytime someone played him, much to my surprise.

In G3 vs Dredge I had a board of Crypt, Explosives, Knight and needed to blow the crypt on my turn, Metamorph in my hand (copying Crypt) made sure that my opponent couldn't pull off any nonsense like dredge into 3x Moeba, Dread Return, (insert ridiculous fatty) on his turn.

vs Zoo I didn't draw him, but my opponent had his own copies to kill my Jittes which won him the first game. It's easily one of the best cards he could have had in any given situation.

If I were to play the Deck again I probably would be cutting back on the Pridemages (they don't really do that much in my metagame) and add some Fauna Shamans and a single Metamorph maindeck, at least for kicks.

But then again, I foresee myself playing Landstill for quite sometime now.

[blueneverfails]

Dont add Fauna Shaman, Add Green Sun Zenith if you want a way to get creatures. I understand the fauna will get everything, but with it being a creature, it takes an extra turn to use, needs a creature in hand, and can be killed easily, gsz puts it straight in play for an extra mana.

[LostButSeeking]

Hey guys. I played bant for the first time at a tournament yesterday, and I wanted to share my experiences with you all, so I can get some advice. I didn't win, but I thought I did fairly well and I really liked the deck. My current legacy decks are Goblins, TES and Dredge (I'm almost finished with Merfolk--four mutavaults short). The problem with these three decks is that the hate pieces for them are very common--it's not unusual to see sideboards with four Engineered plague, four chalice of the void and four tormod's crypt to start off. And while the decks are certainly powerful enough to beat some hate, I find it's very tedious to have four or six sideboard slots specifically against your deck EVERY match. So, Bant.


3 Tundra
2 Tropical Island
1 Savannah
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
3 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Windswept Heath
4 Wasteland
4 Brainstorm
2 Ponder
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Force of Will
4 Mental Misstep
2 Spell Snare
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Umezawa's Jitte
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Rhox War Monk
4 Noble Hierarch

SB: 1 Rhox War Monk
SB: 4 Spell Pierce
SB: 2 Krosan Grip
SB: 2 Path to Exile
SB: 2 Trygon Predator
SB: 3 Tormod's Crypt
SB: 1 Lightning Greaves


Like I said, this was my first time playing the deck. I just got my Green Sun Zeniths (which I decided against running) and my fourth mental misstep that day. I'm a little unsure about the list. I think it performed reasonably well, and none of the cards seemed really bad or anything. I did get a LOT of hands where I drew both of my pieces of equipment, making SFM pretty terrible 1/2s for 2. I think I'm going to try to get my hands on a third piece from somewhere--a second jitte, a second SoFI or a SoLS, probably.

Match 1: Dark Horizons.
Game 1 was everything you didn't want to happen happening at once. I flooded pretty bad, and to compound it, he hymned me on turn four. My hand was two lands (which I didn't need) and two business spells--Clique and SoFI. He of course pulled the business and then beat me to death with a Knight of the Reliquary.

Sideboarding was a bit of a mystery to me. Usually, there are things in my sideboard that are SO much better than things in the main that it's really obvious what I need. I think that this game went -2 Spell Snare -2 Ponder +2 Path +1 Lightning Greaves (which was in here for the Lands matchup, and he played Maze of Ith) +1 Rhox War Monk (he had a lot of kill spells and I wanted more critters).

Game 2 was LONG. A Lot of back and forth, a lot of "please I needs Stp right now" topdeck into Stp. Rhox War Monk with SoFI and Greaves with two Hierarch as back up gained me a LOT of life as he chump blocked. He eventually vindicated the SoFI and landed an 8/8 Knight of the Reliquary, but I was at 39 life or something and drew Jace, who brainstormed into a path to exile for me.

Game 3 went to time, which was a bummer, because I had an equipment in play, two dudes on the board and a clique on top of my library, facing his creatureless board.

0-0-1

Match 2: 5 color bant?

This deck was odd. His manabase was entirely dual lands and fetches. I think maybe it was his take on next level blue? But it played vindicate and a lot of wierd things . . .

Game 1
He played sower of temptation, taking my RWM, but I landed SFM, got SoFI, sent his birds of paradise farming, shot the Sower with my sword and he condeded.

I honestly don't remember what I sideboarded. -2 ponder +2 Path to Exile, I think.

Game 2
He fetched up a Jitte with his SFM, I played the jitte I had drawn, he plays his jitte, I spell snare and he mental missteps. Anyway, following this shenanigans I got a creature with SoFI on it and rode it to victory. He tried to use Jace to save himself, but with a pro-blue creature on the table, Jace was reduced to the most expensive brainstorm in history. Cut cut cut.

1-0-1

Match 3: Enchantress
I've played against a lot of enchantress. It's really popular in our meta, and I've played in a tournament where 40% of the people there were playing enchantress. (sidenote: enchantress v enchantress mirror match may be the most boring game of magic possible. It generally comes down to who can draw the fewest cards. Wow).

Game 1 I forced his turn 2 argothian only to see a turn 3 argothian. He proceeded to get two more enchantress effects, oblivion ring my creatures and then replenish. I conceded.

I sideboarded in the K. Grips and Trygon predators who proceeded to do diddly.

Game 2 I forced his argothian only to see a turn three city of solitude and a turn four enchantress' Presence. He played back to back sterling grove to protect his cards from my trygon predator and then drew some more enchantress effects to feed his Solitary confinement. I lost.

I cannot tell you how frustrating I find this deck to play against. It's VERY common here, and I don't think I've ever won a match against it without playing combo (which admittedly is a bye). I talked to some friends and I've bought four harmonic convergence as hate. We'll see how that goes. . .

Match 4: UGb NoShow

Game 1 I cliqued his intuition and he immediately drew another intuition. Gah. He intuitioned for GSZ, which fetched him a Dryad Arbor. I forced his forth coming Natural Order, sworded his other dryad arbor and beat him to death.

Sideboard: -4 Swords, +4 spell pierce

Game 2 I felt like a blue deck. I drew only blue cards--cliques, forces, spell pieces, brainstorm and a jitte, and he was having land trouble. He'd turned up his Boseiju, who shelters all and an ancient tomb, but he was light on color sources and the Clique was coming for him. The tomb and the boseiju eating his life total didn't help either, and when he finally played Natural Order for Progenitus, he was at 7 life staring at a clique carrying a jitte with two counters on it.

All in all I had a really great time. 2-1-1 isn't a bad result, and the guy I drew with ended up going 3-0-1, winning the prize money. I turned a bunch of standard and bulk rares into legacy playables. Except for my enchantress hate not doing its job, I even liked all my sideboard cards. I didn't bring in the tormod's crypts but let's face it--if I take them out I'll play four dredge decks in a row next tournament.