We have a real treat for today's article! Guest writer Zach Dubin has been crushing
Throne of Eldraine draft with Mono white and he's here to break down how to draft
the deck by highlighting the most important cards for the deck, as well as the stinkers that
you should stay away from. Enjoy!
A lot of people have been telling me that white is the worst color by far in Throne draft, and while it certainly isn’t the best color in the set, it’s been performing exceptionally well for me. Today I’m going to talk about how to draft what I’m simply going to call the mono white flex deck. Traditionally mono colored limited decks are aggressively slanted or control oriented. The diverse utility of the white and artifact cards in this set allow for transformative game plans in game and post board as well as during the drafting portion. You can deal small incremental points of damage and also have explosive turns where you are dealing 12 plus damage.
I’m going to outline how I prioritize each piece of the puzzle that makes up white decks in
Throne of Eldraine limited.
Faerie Guidemother//Gift of the Fae
Is rarely a 1 drop. If your opening hand is short on mana it’s completely
reasonable to run it out as a Suntail Hawk. Faerie Guidemother’s best utility is as
a Lava Axe. An unexpected burst of damage used to deal a large chunk or even
lethal damage.
When to Pick No earlier than 5th or 6th pick. Guide mother is a good signal that
white is flowing in your direction but the low floor of the card is a reason to not
pick it extremely highly.
Beloved Princess
Is an underwhelming card on the surface. Let me be the first
to tell you, it’s not very good. I rarely play it. However, when you are able to
begin loading it up with counters from idyllic grange or Silverflame Ritual it can
become a real threat. Backed up by pump spells, such as on alert or
Gift of the Fae, a decent attack can make a huge difference in a race.
When to Pick
Strictly on the wheel, and only above fortifying provisions.
Venerable Knight
Is a fine aggressive one drop, but it’s actually quite underwhelming
as the aggressive white creature base are not knights, and rather soldiers
foxes, nobles, or food. It’s definitely playable but the counter is a lot less likely to
have a target if you’re reading this off in combat early.
When to Pick
5-6th, and this card and those previously printed can be a red herring
of a signal that white is open as others may have different evaluations of the card
based on the Savannah Lions with upside allure.
Gingerbrute
Is a very unique card, an evasive threat that requires a mana investment
to push continuous damage that can affect your ability to play on curve, which can
often lead to challenging sequencing decisions. It’s okay to take a turn off from
attacking with ginger brute. Gingerbrute loves Idyllic Grange and Silverflame Ritual, and
can quickly become a must answer threat.
When to Pick
7-8th pick and on the wheel. This is a card you should note in each of your packs
when considering what may wheel.
The Two Drops
FlutterfoxIsthe premier aggressive 2 drops threat. Built in evasion that only
requires a small bit of setup is very powerful. Attacking into a flyer with open
mana is an incredibly hard blocking decision for the opponent as it’s very likely
they’ve invested a lot more mana into their creature and to be blown out by a
combat trick can be devastating. Fox wears a counter from Idyllic Grange
and Silverflame Ritual very very well.
When to pick
3rd-5th pick is where I’d be comfortable taking my first fox and moving into white.
Silverflame Squire//On Alert
Is the most important card for white decks in this
limited format. It makes combat a nightmare and has a very fine fail case as
Goblin Piker if you need to block. Being able to blow out damage based removal
such as Scorching Dragonfire or power based removal like Reave Soul makes this
card so dang flexible.
When to pick
The first copy of Silverflame Squire is very important to all decks, and the second
as well.. The card does have diminishing returns as the 3 mana cost of On Alert
can make double spelling difficult. I want to start taking this around 5th or 6th pick.
Youthful Knight
Is a fine 2 drop but actually plays a better defensive role than
assertive. When attacking unfavorably with youthful knight, the possible combat
tricks are extremely telegraphed and will often make your other attacks worse as
you may be forced to use the trick to save the youthful knight. It’s a fine curve filler
but don’t take this over the common adventure pump spells or fox.
When to Pick
No sooner than 6th or 7th pick.
Shepherd of the Flock//Usher to Safety
Is one of the most versatile adventures, a reasonable aggressive 3/1 vanilla
creature while also being able to protect your threats. A common play pattern
with usher to safety is to pick up a Faerie Guidemother or Silverflame Squire
and force more damage in the air or win an unexpected combat. It can also be
used to reset trapped in the tower if your opponent has presented a larger threat.
Another niche target is Idyllic Grange, to put another counter on an evasive threat.
When to pick
I think this card is a unique effect on the game and for that reason I value it
highly. I think it just edges me into the signal territory, and I want to look to start
picking it up 4th pick.
Jousting Dummy
Is a fine filler two drop that trades with everything. it jumps
Flutterfoxes and is a bit of a mini Fireball effect with a bunch of mana lying around
and a Gift of the Fae.
When to pick
On the wheel.
Crashing Drawbridge
Is not a card I love playing in my white decks, as hasty
creatures with smaller bodies doesn’t add that much to your clock.
When to pick
On the wheel
When to pick
On the wheel.
Arvendale Tactician// Dizzying Swoop
Is the best white common as it allows explosive swings that allow you to force
massive amounts of damage while also having a solid ⅔ flying body. Tapping
two creatures for two mana at instant speed lets you win races and flat out kill your opponent.
When to pick
I feel very comfortable first picking this out of a weak pack 1 pick 1, but ideally i'm
taking this second or third pick and moving into white. If you see this after
pick 5 or 6 you should probably be moving into white.
Mysterious Pathlighter
Is a powerful build around that gives your smaller adventure
creatures a bit of value. It's a fine body on its own as a 3 mana 2/2 flyer.
When to Pick
A solid signal that white may be open. Look to pick this up starting around 3rd or
4th pick.
Clockwork Servant
Is another way for mono colored decks to gain a bit of card
advantage and the curve of fox into servant is always delightful.
When to pick
3rd or 4th pick
Henge Walker
Is a 3/3 for 3 in mono colored decks which is a fine curve filler.
When to pick
7th or 8th and on the wheel
The Four Drops
Bartered Cow is not a very good magic card, and it’s not a card I ever want to
put in my decks.
When to pick
Late on the wheel
Archon of Absolution
Has a very powerful effect on any game it comes into play.
Taxing your opponents attacks reduces the amount of mana they can spend to
win combat or continue to play to the board. On top of that, the color hiding against
white decks is just unfair, as the only way to remove it is scalding cauldron.
When to pick
Archon is a very first pickable card, and if you see this later than 4th pick you should
move into white.
Ardenvale Paladin
Is a key part of the transformative sideboard plan morphing into a
control deck. It blocks exceptionally well as a 3/6 and if you can get a counter on it
as a 4/7 which blocks almost everything in the format.
When to Pick
7-8th and on the wheel. Another card to note when identifying what may wheel.
If this doesn’t, and it was the only other white card in the pack, you might need to
re-evaluate your lane.
Fireborn Knight
Is a huge threat, even with its meager base stats. With just
Gift of the Fae alone it’s smashing for 8 in the air, and can get even more disgusting
when you throw in on alert.
When to Pick
I’m a little hesitant to pick this hybrid super highly as this is a card you only want to
play in a mono colored or RW deck. Take it starting around pick 4 or 5.
Oakhame Ranger// Bring Back
Is a card that I was super down on at the start of the
format but am slowly coming around on. If you’ve got multiple ways of pumping your
team in addition to the Oakhome Ranger, the 4 mana for 2 1/1s becomes more of a
real card. If you are able to land an Oakhome Ranger and untap with it, combat gets
extremely challenging for your opponent. God forbid you have On Alert.
When to Pick
I think you can get this card pretty late, so I wouldn’t take it any sooner than 6th or 7th
pick.
Arcanist’s Owl
Is one of the most powerful cards in a mono white deck because it
provides something that the color pair is lacking, card advantage. I usually want
5 or 6 hits minimum, and if you are able to get multiple owls and chain them in
game, it’s extremely powerful.
When to Pick
I think owl is a powerful build around as you often want incidental artifacts and
enchantments to jump your Flutterfoxes, so I’m pretty happy taking this as early
as 2nd or 3rd pick.
Resolute Rider
Or as I like to call it, the abyss, is an excellent place to put mana
and allows you to race effectively. It’s a very tricky card as you can often end up
playing a game of chicken with its activated ability. It also serves as a massive
roadblock with the threat of activated ability.
When to Pick
I take resolute rider pretty highly, about 3rd or 4th pick as it is a bit fragile and also
asks for a lot of mana to attack profitability early.
The Five Drops
Prized Griffin
Is a card I’m not super keen on in my white decks. The 5 mana
investment is just not exactly what white strategies are trying to do. It’s a fine
23rd card and an excellent option post board that I am willing to bring multiple
copies of in depending on the matchup, especially if my opponent has ways
to clog up the ground effectively.
When to pick
On the wheel
Lonesome Unicorn//Rider in Need
Is a very slow 2 for 1, and the multiple bodies
are often nice when paired with Silverflame Ritual. However the investment cost
of 8 mana for 5 power and toughness just doesn’t really cut it for me and I don’t
include this if I can avoid it.
When to pick
6-7th and on the wheel.
Syr Alin, The Lion’s Claw
Is a nuts and bolts power house. He bricks almost all
attacks the turn he comes down, and the threat of team pump on attacks can
change the entire pace of a game into your favor, allowing you to sculpt out a
one turn assault backed up by removal and combat tricks on your terms.
When to Pick
I’m very excited to first pick Syr Alin in and if you see this 4th or 5th pick, you should
take this as a large signal white is open.
Noncreature Spells
Deafening Silence: No.
Scalding Cauldron
Provides a cheap colorless piece of interaction that can sit
passively and jump Flutterfoxes. It kills most pesky early blockers but does eat
up an entire turn to use.
When to pick
5th or 6th pick.
Outflank
Is a highly variable removal spell that is either one mana destroy target
attacking or blocking creature, but can also be a dead card if your draw doesn’t
pan out. Best used as a retrick or a deal 2 or 3 to an attacker when racing with
evasive creatures.
When to Pick
I’m pretty low on this card, so it’s very easy to pick them up late on the wheel.
Shining Armor
Is a sideboard card if you're smashing creatures in the mirror, or
vs damage based removal spells.
When to Pick late on the wheel
Lucky Clover
Is a high variance card that I usually only want when I have 6 or 7
very good adventures to copy. It’s pretty absurd with Gift of the Fae.
When to pick
5th or 6th, but this varies in later packs depending on the quantity and quality
of your adventure spells.
All That Glitters
Is a very powerful card that I rarely include in my deck because
of how all in it makes your gameplan. It can be exceptional on a ginger brute or
an otherwise evasive creature smashing for an additional 3-5 points of damage.
When to Pick
This is one of the cards that you should keep an eye on when wheeling if it's in
your early packs, but I am comfortable taking this starting around 6th pick if I
already have an artifact or enchantment and appear to be heading in that direction.
Trapped in the Tower
Is the premier white common removal spell. Not answering
fliers is a big deal but you ideally can use combat tricks or other ways to push
damage such as tapping to get them out of the way. Trapped in the tower is a
card I often see my opponents misuse. Firing it off early to answer a medium
threat to push only a few points of damage can appear worth it in the short term
but in the long run, the play will just look silly. I think trapped in the tower is at its
best on turn 5, to remove a blocker and then leaving you with enough mana to
leverage on alert to win a combat that your opponent previously thought was
favorable for them.
When to pick
I'm fine taking tower out of a weak first pack, but ideally im taking tactician over
it when given the choice. 3rd or 4th pick is where id be comfortable taking
them, and if you see a trapped in the tower after 6th or 7th pick white might be open.
Glass Casket
Is a solid removal spell that doe shave limited targets. Being able
to remove fliers is a big deal, but its limited scope of targets limits its ceiling.
When to pick
4th or 5th pick
Rally for the Throne
Is a very good sideboard Card or a role player in go wide
decks with multiple Silverflame Rituals. The two bodies and a bit of life gain
just aren’t impactful enough for me to want to include this card in my decks.
When to Pick
Starting around 7th or 8th pick and on the wheel.
Fortifying Provisions
Is an interesting card. It jumps Flutterfoxes, so if you
have around 4 foxes I don’t hate playing it. It’s very effective as a sideboard
card for creature based matchups where lots of combat is involved as it
makes math challenging for blocks.
When to pick
Late on the wheel
Heraldic Banner
Is an excellent payoff for drafting a mono colored deck, which
is even better with white’s evasive threats.
When to pick
I like to take banner a bit later than others around 5th pick once I’ve identified
the open color. Goes way up in value once you’re locked into a heavy base color.
True Love’s Kiss
Is a card you can play in the main deck if you feel your deck
is incredibly weak to revenge of ravens, but it’s an excellent sideboard card that
I look to pick up late in pack 1 and will take aggressively In weak packs during
packs 2 and 3.
Silverflame Ritual
Provides the explosive race swinging turns that white excels at.
Pumping multiple evasive threats to increase your clock can be game winning, as
well as setting up a board stall and breaking through with a ritual plus any number
of removal, tap, or pump spells.
When to Pick
Silverflame Ritual is another one of the identify where I can wheel cards, because
the presence of this card late in a pack can be a huge indicator of whether or not
white is actually open. You can start picking these up around pick 7 or 8 and on the
wheel. Most decks can play a maximum of two.
Enchanted Carriage
Is a fine curve topper and provides multiple bodies to be pumped
by Silverflame Ritual. The crew two cost is pretty low which makes this a fine threat to
top off the curve.
When to pick 4th or 5th is a fine place to pick up a carriage as it’s likely to make
every deck you draft.
Idyllic Grange
Is one of the most important commons for a successful aggressive deck
and its a card you want to pay attention to early in the packs, as you are almost
certainly able to wheel them very late, as you are likely the only one interested in it.
Id play up to 5 in one deck.
When to Pick: 7th or 8th pick and on the wheel.
Castle Ardenvale is a bomb utility land that's very first pickable. Don't pass this card!
It's an incredible late game effect for grinding out games.
Linden, the steadfast queen is just okay, but is not as good as Ardenvale Tactician.
Worthy Knight is just okay, but don't actively draft Ardenvale Aaladin or Youthful Knight
higher after you have drafted worthy knight. The classic don't play bad cards to make
your good cards better argument.
Below, I've included some of my 3-0 Mono white decks from this format and their
draft logs.They vary from mostly commons and uncommons, to bomb rares and mythics.
I’m currently rocking a 61-25 record with white in this format, with a 17-6 record
with mono white. I hope this detailed breakdown of the key pieces of the successful
white decks in this format help you get your next trophy with a strong white deck.
Top 5 White Commons:
1. Ardenvale Tactician
2. Trapped in a Tower
3. Flutterfox
4. Silverflame Squire
5. Faerie Guidemother//Gift of the Faw
You can contact me @DubinZach on twitter if you have additional questions, or catch
me streaming at twitch.tv/dcsports8.
-Zach Dubin
