Lands:
12 Plains
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Brushland
3 Forest
Creatures:
4 Loyal Sentry
4 True Believer
3 Yavimaya Enchantress
2 Defiant Vanguard
3 Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
4 Voice of All
Other Spells:
4 Scout's Warning
4 High Ground
2 Regeneration
4 Pariah
3 Serra's Embrace |
  20th
Sentry Blox.
Description of deck by it's author
(quoted):
One of the new additions to the Core Set that
caught my attention was Loyal Sentry, who last appeared in 1999's
Starter set. Despite his small stature, this guy is an excellent
defender. When he blocks, he gladly gives up his own life so that he can
take down an incoming Avatar of Might, Denizen of the Deep, or Phage the
Untouchable. Some might say that he takes his loyalty to the cause a
little too far, because he also martyrs himself instantly if he blocks a
Little Girl. No matter how big or small the attacking creature, Loyal
Sentry can destroy it, even if he kicks the bucket, shuffles off his
mortal coil, and makes himself an ex-Sentry in the process. Unlike the
similar card, Defiant Vanguard, Loyal Sentry destroys itself and the
creature it blocks when its triggered ability resolves and not at the
end of combat. This is particularly good against creatures with trample.
There are a few cards in Standard that combine
particularly well with Loyal Sentry. The first is Regeneration. Plunk this
down on your Sentry and he can practice his own special brand of excessive
defense every single turn. Of course, this only lets you keep one creature
at bay per turn. It seems kind of odd to me that a sentry so loyal would
sacrifice his life defending you from one Little Girl, while letting the
rest stroll casually by. Luckily, we can help him out by using one of the
other new additions to 10th: High Ground. If it worked for Obi-Wan Kenobi,
it can work for us.
Now, High Ground is a classic example of a card that
"does nothing on its own." I'm not a huge fan of this expression as a tool
for dismissing cards outright, since there are plenty of good cards that
fit that description like, say, Umezawa's Jitte, Skullclamp, Glare of
Subdual, and every reactive spell ever printed. It's just that it doesn't
take as much for those cards to "do something." High Ground, on the other
hand, needs all the help it can get. To make the most of the ability to
block an additional creature, it seems wise to use creatures that make
good blockers. That's pretty obvious. Besides the aforementioned duo,
Loyal Sentry and Defiant Vanguard, I want to use another pair of excellent
defenders which can both be found in 10th: Cho-Manno, Revolutionary (which
can be fetched with Defiant Vanguard due to his rebel-ness) and Voice of
All. Yavimaya Enchantress, meanwhile, takes advantage of High Ground's
mere presence on the board, allowing you to get some offensive value out
of what is otherwise a purely defensive card.
Since we're using Cho-Manno, Voice of All, and the
Enchantress, I wanted to include a set of Pariahs. The Cho-Manno + Pariah
combo is an oldie but a goodie, which also happens to be featured in the
white theme deck for Tenth Edition. Serra's Embrace is another fine
enchantment, perfect for following up a turn three Enchantress or Defiant
Vanguard.
The last Loyal Sentry-helper I want to use, and in fact
my main inspiration for this deck, is Scout's Warning. The problem with
creatures with purely defensive abilities like those of Loyal Sentry and
Defiant Vanguard, is that your opponent can see them sitting there across
the table and act accordingly. They can either attack when it's convenient
for them, wait for a removal spell, or just wait until they can swarm you.
Basically, your opponent is in control. Everything changes when you can
flash out one of your super-blockers in the middle of combat. This is
especially true if you have one or more High Grounds in play. That's not
all Scout's Warning can do, however. Another cute trick you can pull is to
flash out a True Believer in response to a direct-damage spell aimed at
your noggin. "Sorry, fella. Me have shroud," you might say. |
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