"12 Swords: Boros Aura Deck 2014"

"12 Swords: Boros Aura Deck 2014"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Every set brings with it different possibilities.Things that were simply not possible and the inevitable escalation that comes with new cards.

One of the things that I wanted to write about was the new 1 drop cards that would surely make a splash in Standard Pauper. An all common format is limited and easy to get into especially for beginners. The budget aspect of the deck is appealing too. If you could build a kick ass deck that could also compete then that surely would be icing on the cake.

So the 2 cards that got my attention was the Nyxborn Shieldmate and the Nyxborn Rollicker. One White and One Red. Together would make a Boros Enchantment deck possible.Enter the 12 Swords.

9 X Mountains

9 X Plains

4 X Boros Guildgate

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22 Lands

4 X Hopeful Eidolon

4 X Nyxborn Rollicker

4 X Nyxborn Shieldmate

4 X Observant Alseid

4 X Keening Apparition

2 X Auramancer

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22 Creatures

4 X Lightning Strike

4 X Pacifism

4 X Ethereal Armor

4 X MadCap Skills

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20 Spells

Sideboard:

4 X Celestial Flare

4 X Electrickery

4 X Mugging

3 X Last Breathe

The name of the game is still Fire and Blood.The early one drops of this deck is really murder as the race for lifepoints literally starts on turn two. And consider for a moment that most of the creatures here are Aura Creatures. A turn two Ethereal Armor on any of the 12 one drops could mean a massive 3/3 creature on the 2nd turn. Potentially getting bigger as the turns progress. 

Imagine a Madcap Skills on any of those one drops as well , giving a 4/1 or 4/2 Threat.Honestly , how many decks in pauper already have 2 creatures on your  2nd turn? A low probability and this makes this deck even more deadly. 

Early attacks that draw blood might go unanswered would spell doom but there are ways of dealing with a deck this aggressive.And there are abundance of creature removal available. The 2 Auramancers are there to make sure that you get more of the same from these deadly enchantments.  

I would also like to add that Nyxborn Rollicker and Nyxborn Shieldmate have relatively low Bestow costs.So they could attach as Auras , have a their host creatures die and then become a threat all in themselves. Especially if you have been holding on to a couple of Ethereal Armors and Madcap skills in your hand( which you should , being greedy isn't worth it). 

When you have the upper hand in creatures do not be too hasty to put all of your powerful auras on one creature since a single swift blow could dash your dreams. Be patient. Keep the pressure. Rethreaten when your threat is killed. All will wither. The 12 Swords are here.