When brewing with Blue and White, my mind initially went to Teferi, Hero of Dominaria, Absorb and Precognitive Perception. However, my heart was drawn, as it often is, to a more creature-based strategy – and particularly one Dovin, Grand Arbiter.
White aggressive strategies were fan favorites last season; they were popular early in the format, and saw continued success with different iterations. I believe that a go-wide strategy that can cash in on Dovin’s ultimate could give these strategies the longevity they need to be successful well into the Standard season.
Azorius
4 Adanto Vanguard
4 Benalish Marshal
4 Dauntless Bodyguard
2 Deputy of Detention
4 Hunted Witness
4 Skymarcher Aspirant
3 Venerated Loxodon
2 Dovin, Grand Arbiter
1 Depose // Deploy
3 Conclave Tribunal
4 History of Benalia
3 Legion’s Landing
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Hallowed Fountain
14 Plains
Sideboard (15):
1 Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants
2 Baffling End
1 Conclave Tribunal
1 Deputy of Detention
2 Dovin, Grand Arbiter
1 Lyra Dawnbringer
3 Negate
2 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
2 Unbreakable Formation
The Main Deck
Deputy of Detention is another exciting addition to help in creature-based matchups. And with Hallowed Fountain now Standard-legal, we can play both Dovin and Deputy in the main deck and play Benalish Marshal on curve.
I’m also excited to test out is Depose // Deploy. A single five-toughness blocker can stop White Weenie in its tracks, so this versatile spell has plenty of utility. Depose can tap a blocker and allow us to get damage through, while Deploy can create evasive creatures.
The Sideboard
Another potential new addition to the deck is Unbreakable Formation. With aggressive strategies aplenty in the first few weeks of Standard, I expect to see an uptick in sweepers such as Ritual of Soot and Kaya’s Wrath. Unbreakable Formation also gives your team +1/+1 counters (yes, permanently!) and vigilance if cast it during your main phase; this utility card can help you grind through potential board stalls or push through the last few points of needed damage.
Of course, Blue also gives you one of the most versatile sideboard cards in the format with Negate. It also opens you up to other promising counterspells such as Quench, if you find your opponents using creature-based strategies to counter you.
Tocatli Honor Guard could also be a consideration for turning off opposing enter-the-battlefield effects. It’s important to note that the card doesn’t interact with Riot, as Riot is a replacement effect, not a triggered ability. Tocatli Honor Guard also combines unfavorably with Deputy of Detention, so if you’re siding them in, be sure to side those fellas out.
Of the brews I’ve put forward so far, this is the one that best suits my play style, and it’s a front-runner for me to test for my upcoming RPTQ. However, I still have one more (very promising) guild to build, and I don’t doubt Orzhov will entice with their Black and White bombs.
A Spike at heart, Chantelle spends her free time prepping for tournaments, working toward the ever-elusive Mythic Championship, and championing other competitive ladies. She’s a combo aficionado and seasoned aggro deck player, and Standard and Modern are her preferred formats. Growing and improving as a player, both technically and in her mental game, are of the utmost importance to her.