Howdy y'all and welcome to my take on a Templar deck that is intended to be competitive utilizing many of the legendary knights. I will be taking this list into the Season 8 Online Sorcery League and will report on its successes and failures. This is after all, my first foray into the competitive Sorcery scene so I am open to questions and suggestions and you can find me in the official discord under the same name.
This deck utilizes many of the aggressively costed and efficient knights released in Arthurian Legends to provide both early-game aggression with the 3 and 4 cost knights and transition and out-scale most mid-game threats with lances and the higher-cost knights through card-advantageous trades. Late-game this deck looks to end the game with a well-timed Whirling Blades or with the Templar getting in the Red Zone.
Weaknesses of the deck include cards that hate on mortals and subsurface shenanigans. The deck lacks spellcasters to utilize perspective. Healing is another thorn in the deck's side, but Sorcery currently doesn't have ways to offset or prevent healing. Inconsistent card effects due to being nearly singleton.
Also, part of the fun of the Arthurian knights is the lore, which will be written in italic text if you want to learn or see how the abilities of each knight reflect the lore of the fairy tales.
(Early game here is defined as your first 4 site placements of the game, mid-game is up to 6, and late game is all site placements beyond that)
The [[Templar]]
When evaluating an avatar, I think it's necessary to compare them to the baseline, which is the . The Sorcerer is a flat +1 card advantage on a stick. How does the compare?
First off, the Templar has 2 power, which gives it more offensive threat to pressure and end games as well as the ability to trade life for cards should an opponent put a 2 power minion within reach.
Secondly, the Templar offers a effect for your knights which buys you tempo so you can deploy threats faster.
Notably, the Templar provides no card advantage through it's abilities, so to make up the difference you must skillfully utilize your under-costed threats and your own avatar's power to pull ahead in card advantage.
Two play styles become apparent. One is utilizing all of the cheap knights in an aggro deck that says "it's face-o-clock!" The other is a midrange deck that not only can pressure, but can present uninterrupted combo plays (e.g Sir Balin + Grapple Shot on an empty lane at 6 mana). This is the latter.
Piloting and Site Placement
Mulligans should be aimed to prioritize threshold first with the goal to establish 2 Fire and 2 Earth in the first 3 turns and 2 Air by the 5th or 6th. Only 1 water threshold is necessary for the deck to function and is often achieved incidentally. If your sites are acceptable, you should mulligan away spells that are expensive or non-minions. Lovely cards to see in your opening hand are Philosopher's Stone, Land Surveyor, The Round Table, and 3 or 4 mana knights. Your draw for turn should be focused on spells and using Templar to draw sites when more are needed unless an important timing to play a minion is reached.
Identify if you are the attacker or defender in the match up. As the attacker, your site placements should be aggressive and aim to box the opponent in and open up many fronts of battle. As the defender, keep your sites on the back line and amass forces to weather the opponent's onslaught. Avoid placing your castles (, , etc.) next to each other against earth decks because can blow you out. Delay playing until the moment it is needed; you undoubtedly benefit a lot more threshold-wise, but you don't want to give them the free tempo. You only really ever need a maximum of 6 sites to win the game unless you are preventing big plays like . At 6 mana, it's time for the Templar to enter the Red Zone.
When trading minions, always trade up, across, or freely but never down *especially* of you have a lance. Consider each lance as a potential card drawn/denied to the opponent. Using a Yellow Knight's lance against an Autumn Unicorn is a whole lot better than breaking it in a foot soldier's face, so drop the lance before attacking lower-tier minions (Templar is a good target to hold a lance, is even better). Force the opponent to trade their lower tier minions on their turn. Similarly, avoid playing equipment on summoning sick minions; as tempting as it may be to give , you must wait to take advantage of the sword.
Mid and Late game, you hopefully have saved combos in hand to pull ahead on board and in card advantage and potentially end the game. Do not overextend into potential Death Dealers or other board wipes. 2-3 knights plus the Templar can get the job done. If the Templar is entering the Red Zone, make sure they have a or to prevent life-loss or death entirely. Hopefully you have drawn your . Of course, if you are drowning in card advantage compared to your opponent at any point, swarming is encouraged to end the game.
Individual Card Analysis (And that Juicy Lore)
Artifacts: This deck has a decent artifact count to abuse [[Sir Bedivere]]. Flat card draw in Sorcery is very situational and rare (which I enjoy because it encourages deck building creativity), so we aim to abuse it where we can.
[[Philosopher's Stone]]: Utterly fantastic card in Templar. As a 4 element deck, it can abuse the stone better than any other. It stacks with the Templar's discount turning the unique knights not just from aggressively costed, high-value minions to under-costed power houses but to outright unfair cards. A 2 mana or demands an answer. The only issue to look out for is to watch your sequencing.
[[Ring of Morrigan]]: A requirement to play in a competitive deck sadly, but oddly enough isn't as useful as you might think in this deck. It mainly functions as an important source of healing in a list that lacks it. If you are against Ring on principle, replace it with a 2nd Goswhit Helm. ~~The Morrigan is an Irish and Celtic goddess of war and death.
[[Excalibur]]: A stat steroid that can be abused in multi-element decks, even on humble Yellow Knights. Oddly enough, King Arthur isn't the best user of Excalibur. I'd say that goes to Sir Kay who can devastate boards as a 7 power minion or Sir Gawain who essentially gives adjacent minions damage immunity at that point. ~~There are multiple Excaliburs in Arthurian legend. The first of which was pulled from an enchanted scabbard by Sir Balin. Turns out it had a curse that resulted in Balin's death where Merlin then sealed it inside a stone giving us the myth of the sword in the stone. Another was given to Arthur by a Lady of the Lake.
[[Goswhit Helmet]]: This equipment should be used to guarantee the survival of a knight who would otherwise be doomed. In most scenarios though, you are using it to protect the Templar. At 6 mana you can use its effect multiple times a turn to generate card advantage. ~~ The Goswhit Helmet is the helmet of King Arthur. Merlin cast a spell on it to make the bearer invisible which is why your minions can survive a fight. Perhaps stealth would have been a more flavorful mechanic to staple on, but this interpretation works.
[[The Round Table]]: This artifact trades tempo for card advantage. It's rather unassuming, but make no mistake, it is an endless font in this deck. You can truly swarm and drown your opponent in cards. Brother Knight is the best knight to play here. ~~Made of pure silver, it grants each knight an equal voice to solve the issues of the land. There are 13 seats to reflect the Last Supper. The head of the table where Arthur sits mimes that of Jesus, and the 13th seat is often empty since that is the seat of Judas. That is until Sir Galahad claims that seat and ultimately redeems it.
[[Horn of Caerleon]]: The horn buys us tempo but more importantly, charge grants us the ability trade entirely at our discretion, improving the quality of our trades. Be careful however, don't play the horn too far forward as it also gives the opponents minions charge. ~~ One rolling, golden note for their faith in the Father,One swimming, silver stave for their love for the Son, Then a blend of strains for their hope in the Holy Spirit, And the sunset-horn from Caerleon was done.
[[Rhongomyniad]]: Functions as an unbreakable lance, efficient and repeatable removal, and a way to snag the final blow. Sir Gawain is the best user of the spear, since he takes the damage for nearby allies and cannot be killed. ~~ King Arthur's spear.
Magic: The magic in this deck acts as force multipliers for your minions.
[[Firebolts]]: Fire's premier removal spell. Tutorable by Common Sense. Alternatives to consider are Burning Hands and Heat Ray.
[[Grapple Shot]]: Air and minion deck staple. Acts as damage, removal, and mobility. Combos with Sir Balin, Sir Priamus, and Sir Pelinore.
[[Whirling Blades]]: Finisher and pseudo-board wipe. Sometimes hard to cast.
[[Common Sense]]: Earth staple. Search up removal, mobility, or mana.
[[Disenchant]]: Tutorable answer for opposing rings and sundry artifacts and enchantments.
[[Power of Flight]]: There are many options for a tutorable mobility spell. I settled upon this card for the card neutrality and niche case of killing flying minions.
Non-Unique Minions: The necessary supporting cast.
[[Land Surveyor]]: Necessary to efficiently gather threshold. Only 3 copies because it's a dead draw late game.
[[Purple Knight]] and [[Yellow Knight]]: Essentially 2 mana 3/2 with lances. Efficient threats with utility.
[[Brother Knight]]: Two 3/2's for 3 mana is one of the strongest turn 3's in Sorcery.
[[Royal Body Guard]]: Mainly protects the Templar but can in weird situations protect King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, and the Crown Prince. His ability is a voluntary ability, so you may absorb damage strategically and give your opponent a headache. A good argument to be made for replacing a Sir for a 2nd bodyguard.
Unique Minions: All aggressively costed minions with upside.
[[Crown Prince]]: The cheesiest source of card advantage. This deck is only mortals, so the Prince is constantly annoying and a problem.
[[Lady Iseult]]: Pretty much turns the entirety of the minion lineup into Crown Princes and excellent, if fragile, source of card advantage. Treat her like an equipment and only deploy when you are ready to strike so the opponent doesn't get an opportunity to deal with her. She combos with Sir Morien and Sir Lamorak. ~~The princess and healer of Ireland and madly in love with Sir Tristan yet to be wedded by Mark of Cornwall. Exiled to a leper colony when their adultery is exposed but saved in the end by Sir Tristan.
[[Sir Bors the Younger]]: Mostly used as a turret and area denial, but removing stealth is rarer but much more powerful ability. ~~One of the three Grail Knights, Sir Bors is known for refusing the advances of a succubus and seeing through the lies and illusions of demons. He can also smite evil from afar. His card enjoyably reflects his lore, but I do not recall him being any more of a hunter than any other knight.
[[King Arthur]]: Mostly included in the deck for his under-costed body. Sometimes a fatty gets you there. Rarely does his ability come into play, but when it does it's a blowout. ~~ Ah the big man himself. Once thought to be a historical figure, there is a shockingly low evidence of his existence and isn't really considered so any more. Regardless, great literature came forth about him, Camelot, and his knights, scattered among the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate cycles, with Sorcery taking great inspiration from Le Morte de Artur - go on, see how many cards quote it!
[[Queen Guinevere]]: Long live the queen should be your motto because she's fantastic and more powerful than her husband. She can use her ability the turn she is played and catch opponents off guard providing movement and a 2 for 1 at the minimum. Consider her as turning every minion you control into a potential . ~~She was added to the story 700 years after King Arthur and regularly plays the role of damsel in distress. She is the lover of both Sir Lancelot and Mordred and inadvertently leads the battle at Camlann.
[[Sir Balin]]: 3 mana 3/4 with lance and site destruction. Connecting with Sir Balin is usually a huge tempo swing where you win in short order, but it's not guaranteed. ~~ Sir Balin is on the art of the rubble and wields the Spear of Destiny from Beta. This is the Spear of Longinus, or the spear that pierced Christ's side. Balin uses it in desperation defending himself from the Fisher King, stabbing him in the groin and paralyzing him but unaware of the spear's power, the land decays into a wasteland as a result. This sets off the quest for the Holy Grail to heal the Fisher King.
[[Sir Bedivere]]: 3 mana 3/4 and card draw engine. Keep him alive if you can and get him holding an artifact asap. ~~ Sir Bedivere the Wise is King Arthur's oldest friend who returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake after King Arthur suffers his mortal wounds on the Fields of Camlann.
[[Sir Gawain]]: 3 mana 3/5 with a mandatory Bodyguard ability that can also protect *any* minion. Makes combat a pain in the butt for the opponent and no matter what, you end up card neutral at worst if Gawain dies due to his ability. ~~ The nephew of King Arthur and eldest brother to [[Sir Gaheris]], [[Sir Agravaine]], [[Sir Gareth]], and [[Sir Mordred]]. He is a healer and protector and compassionate man. However, driven to madness by the deaths of his brothers, he seeks revenge on the Pellinore family and is ultimately slain by Lancelot.
[[Sir Kay]]: A 3 mana 4/4 with an ability that can swing a board wildly in your favor, especially of the opponent has a set a chain of coverage. Best user of equipment in the deck. ~~ The foster brother of King Arthur under the house of Ector. A mean and capricious bully. He becomes a knight after winning a tournament using the Excalibur Arthur pulls from the stone and his opportunism tries to claim it was he who pulled the sword to become King of England but can't bring himself to lie and screw over his brother. Instant character growth. He was never evil, just a mean guy, that one friend who's just kind of a jerk but you love him anyway.
[[Sir Lamorak]]: Treat him like a much stronger, much more annoying . ~~ Son of Sir Pellinore, he gets abushed by Gawain, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Mordred. He fights all four at once and slays Agravaine and Gaheris leaving only Gawain and Mordred alive where they flee. Mordred previously landed a lethal blow in Sir Lamorak's back.
[[Sir Morien]]: 3 mana for 3 bodies, 5 total power, and a problematic ability make him a solid knight. Strategic positioning of Sir Morien to protect vital minions makes him fun to play. ~~ A Moor and member of the Round Table with armor and skin as black as a raven's. He sets out to find and return his birth father home. Interestingly enough, his story (written in the 14th century) describes racial discrimination against Sir Morien despite him being a pious, virtuous, and handsome man. He had so much skill he could strike flying spears and arrows out of the air with ease - like a Jedi!
[[Sir Perceval]]: 3 mana 4/5 with a potential to draw cards. Most of the time though, his ability doesn't matter as the opponent will make the target site something inaccessible like Gnome Hollows. ~~ The original Grail Knight. He is the son of Sir Pellinore and innocent and virtuous man with an insatiable taste for adventure. In more modern iterations, he chases the grail but it forever escapes his grasp. His experiences are always fulfilling though. I think his card's mechanics reflect him wonderfully.
[[Sir Priamus]]: One of the few ways to deal with big minions. Offensively lacking, he's best used in combination with Grapple Shot and Whirling Blades. Usually a 2 for 1. ~~ A Saracen who came to King Arthur's court to convert to Christianity. He fought Sir Gawain where Sir Gawain learned that Sir Priamus's wounds could never be stitched and healed, doomed to bleed out unless Sir Priamus himself tended to the wound.
[[Sir Lancelot]]: A 5 mana 4/6 with a lance and the ability to attack twice a turn. The opponent must deal with Sir Lancelot in short order or will ding his avatar for 8 every round until dead. ~~ A lot of interpretations of Lancelot exist but what is interesting isn't that he's a warrior without parallel it's his evolution. A lot of Arthurian legend is essentially fanfiction of fanfiction and Sir Lancelot is the original "my OC don't steal." He was seen as a virtuous man and example of courtly love with Queen Guinevere but has changed to become a more flawed character guilty of adultery. He is the father of Sir Galahad.
[[Sir Pellinore]]:With charge, lance, and 6 damage on the first strike, it is rarer to find a situation where Sir Pellinore *isn't* drawing you a card. Notably, it states "every time he kills the strongest enemy minion," so these card draws can happen as part of a Grapple Shot or Whirling Blades. Outside of card advantage, he's a serious clock. ~~ The brother of the Fisher King and Father to Sir Perceval and Sir Lamorak. He forever hunts the Questing Beast and it forever eludes him. He defeated King Arthur in single combat and shattered the Excalibur pulled from the stone in the process.
[[Sir Tristan]]: Much like , Tristan plays a support role. Tapping down blockers is a powerful effect, do not underestimate him. ~~Written as a literary foil to Sir Lancelot as he finds himself also in a forbidden love with a queen.
