My previous blog about the humans deck archetype for Born of the Gods Standard featured the deck in Rakdos-aligned colors. This was based from the list that Luis Navas used which eventually won Grand Prix Santiago last year.

While the previous article focused on the BNG cards offered by the colors of Rakdos (Black and Red), the deck strategy for this feature will be using BNG card offerings from a different color spectrum: White and Black.

Here is a decklist:

Orzhov Humans by Mark Ian Alloso
Standard

1 Banisher Priest
4 Boros Elite
4 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Daring Skyjek
3 Dryad Militant
3 Imposing Sovereign
4 Precinct Captain
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
2 Spirit of the Labyrinth

4 Brave the Elements
1 Fortify
3 Orzhov Charm
2 Spear of Heliod

4 Godless Shrine
4 Mutavault
1 Orzhov Guildgate
9 Plains
4 Temple of Silence

Only two cards from Born of the Gods made the cut. No, these cards aren’t of the Human creature type but they are here to help the tribe. The best card in the set, Brimaz, King of Oreskos, is a choice pick. A 3/4 for three mana with an ability to win games on its own is a must-have. The other card is the new hate bear Spirit of the Labyrinth. A 3/1 for two mana which already is an efficient attacker you can drop on your second turn. This was included in the main deck to hose card advantage engines being used by the Tier 1 decks Mono Black (with Underworld Connections) and Blue White Control (with Divination & Sphinx’s Revelation) and to apply added pressure during the early turns.

The card that was cut from the previous Theros list was Xathrid Necromancer. This clogs the three mana slot and is not an aggressive drop.

Cards like Brimaz and Precinct Captain can flood the board with tokens very fast if left unchecked. Fortify is the deck’s tech card mainly because of its power to close out games. This card gets even better with Brave the Elements as it lets you perform a lethal alpha strike to finish off the opponent. It doesn’t stop there too. Not only does it deliver the final blow but it also gives you an edge in combat by ruining the opponent’s combat math. It saves most of your attacking creatures from profitable blocks that would have resulted to fair trades. On the side, it also protects your creatures from spells like Drown in Sorrow which is the sweeper of choice for Mono Black decks. The Mono Black player can only Scry 1, pass the turn, and eat all the damage he could have prevented by using the sweeper.

The rest of the cards in the list are pretty much standard inclusions and if you have ideas that would benefit this deck archetype, feel free to comment on the box below.

That’s about it for now. Until the next post.