Battling Bant Allies

So it's 2am, and I'm writing a blog. That sounds appropriate. A couple hours ago, i was hanging out with my friend Paul, among others, and we decided to play some games and test out a couple of my decks that didn't get much play. Paul decided to play Bant Allies in the 2 games to be dramatically re-enacted. Right now the hot allies deck is Naya allies, because it is hastier and provides card advantage with the bloodbraid elf. I personally think people are addicted to bloodbraid elf, because if you are looking for card advantage, blue is clearly the color to go to. White and green are staples in ally decks, so Bant it is. 2 cards that synergize nicely is the Sea Gate Loremaster (tap: draw a card for each ally you control) and the Harabaz Druid (tap: add x mana of any color to your mana pool where x is the number of allies you control). Basically, draw 4 cards, then get an extra burst of mana to play everything you just drew. Next turn draw even more cards and make even more mana. Pretty soon everything has lifelink and protection from all the necessary colors and its game over. Yeah, it's pretty sweet.

For out first game, i decided to play a unique white weenies deck i have never actually played before. This deck has only 17 lands (9 plains, 8 fetch lands), and every card has a CMC of 2 or less. What's supposed to happen is I use my fetch lands to get all the land out of my deck, and then i draw spells every turn when my opponents may have dead land draws. Also, i decided to actually use a theme put together by wizards, which no one ever seems to actually do, and used Kor + equipment. Overall, it can be a very fast deck and exciting to play.

I won the roll, and decided to keep:

2 Marsh Flats
Bone Saw
Path to Exile
Kitesail Apprentice
Trusty Machete
Armant Master

On my first turn, I used the Marsh flats to fetch a plains, which i then used to cast the Kitesail Apprentice, and then i played the free Bone Saw. Paul had also kept his original draw, and opened with a Celestial Connelade.
Turn 2, I drew a plains and payed it. Then I equipped the Apprentice with the Bone Saw and attacked for 3. Post combat, i played my Trusty Machete. Paul played a plains, followed by an intimidating Kazandu Blademaster, probably the best ally to get out first because its such an effective beater. [Me: 19 Paul: 17].
Turn 3, I played my Marsh Flats, and fetched another plains, and then equipped the Apprentice with the Machete and attacked for 5. Paul played a plains, cast a second Kazandu Blademaster, and attacked with the first Blademaster, but I used my path to exile on it. Paul searched up a forest and passed the turn [18/12].
Turn 4, I played a plains, and then the Armant Master. I euipped him with the Bone saw, and then attacked with my now 6/5 Apprentice. Paul played a second forest, and then 2 Harabaz Druids, pumping his Blademaster. The blademaster then swung in, but I slapped this one with a path to exile as well, which led paul to fetch for a plains, commenting on how there are no islands in the deck (something i may change now) [18/6].
Turn 5, I drew and played a plains, and then swung in for lethal damage with the Kitesail Apprentice. The only problem with the plan was that the Apprenice was shown the lonely path to the land of exile. I fetched a plains, and then passed the turn. Paul played a Kabira Evangel and a Sea Gate Loremaster, then passed the turn [18/6].
Turn 6, I equipped everything to the Armant Master, and then attcked for 5, but he too was shown the path to exile. However, this time I used my freshly top decked Brave the Elements to protect the Master, who then was blocked by a Harabaz Druid instead. During Paul's turn, He played a forest, Oran Rief Survivalist, and another Kabira Evangel before passing the turn. [18/6]
Turn 7, i played a Kor Skyfisher, returned a plains to my hand, which i simply played again, and then mistakently attacked with the Armant Master. The Armant master was a 5/3, and i didn't notice, or had forgotten about, the Oran Rief Survivalist who was now a 3/3. The 2 creatures traded, and I made my second mistake of the turn by not equipping the Kor Skyfisher. Paul responded by playing a Stirring Wildwood, drawing 4 with his Sea Gate Loremaster, and proceded to dump a Kazandu Blademaster and Hada Freeblade onto the batlefield. Attacking with both Kabira Evangels put me down 4 life [14/6].
Turn 8, I double equipped my Kor Skyfisher and swung in for 5. Paul responded by animating his Celesial Connelaide and blocking. However, I used my freshly drawn Brave the Elements to get through and bring Paul down to 1 life. Paul played a Seaside Citadel, and then a Harabaz Druid before drawing 7 with his Loremaster. He decided to play a Talus Paladin, giving hiss pro white army lifelink. Attacking with his Blademaster, Hada Freeblade, and two Kabira Evangels caused a 24 life swing making a favorable 14/1 situation become a bad 2/13. I resigned after drawing a land.


We decided to play again, but this time I played with my Izzet deck featuring 2 Niv-Mizzets, that sweet dragon i was ranting about in my first post. For this game, I remembered to record my draws, so that is what [D - CARDNAME] means. I was going first because i lost our previous game, and we both kept our opening hands. Mine consisted of:

Island
Terramorphic Expanse
Magasoi, the Waterfall
Burst Lightning
Pyromancer Ascension
Howling Mine
Electrolyze

Turn 1, I used my Terramorphic Expanse to find me a Mountian. Paul started by playing a Seaside Citadel [20/20]
Turn 2, [D - Pyromancer Ascension] I played an Island, and then a Pyromancers Ascension. Paul played a plains and a Kazandu Blademaster (why does the blademaster always get our first?) [20/20]
Turn 3, [D - Terramorshic Expanse] I plaed my Terramorshic Expanse and fetched another Mountain. Then i stopped the Blademaster shenanagans with a Burst Lightning. Paul drew, played another Seaside Citadel, and passed. [20/20]
Turn 4, [D - Mind Spring] I played Magasoi, the Waterfall and then Howling Mine. Paul played a forest, followed by an Oran Rief Survivalist followed by a Hada Freeblade [20/20]
Turn 5, [D - Electrolyze, Island] I cast the Electrolyze, doing both damage to the Freeblade, and drew a Ponder. I played my Island, cast ponder, and put Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind into my hand. Paul played a Harabaz Druid, followed by Halimar Depths. He then attacked for 4 with the Oran Rief Survivalist [16/20]
Turn 6, [D - Pyromancers Ascension, Magasoi, the Waterfall] I played the Waterfall, a second Pyromancers Ascension, and then cast Electrolyze killing the Harabaz Druid and doing one damage to the face. In response, Paul used Path to Exile on his own druid so he could fetch a plains, while still taking one damage. I drew a divination. Paul played Halimar Depths, and then Kabira Evangel, giving protection from red. His Survivalist attacked for 5 more. [11/19]
Turn 7, [D - Fireball, Burst Lightning] I cast Niv-Mizzet, knowing i could use my draw spells to kill his creatures. Paul had a great turn, playing another Seaside Citadel, and then a Sea Gate Loremaster, and a Jwari Shapeshifter that came in as a copy of the Sea Gate Loremaster. He attacked with the Kabira Evangel and the Oran Rief Survivalist to do 9 damage an put me in a precarious position. [2/19]
Turn 8, [D - Terramorphic Expanse, Ponder] I used the Terramorshic Expanse to fetch a mountain. I then cast a Burst Lightning, which in combination with the 2 cards i drew at the beginning of my turn, put a total of 4 damage on the 7 toughness Survivalist. By casting the Burst Lightning, i had also put 2 quest counters on both of my Pyromancers Ascensions, so every instant or sorcery i cast would be cast 3 times instead. The first spell to get the triplized treatment was Divination. I drew 6 cards, allowing my to do 6 damage and kill the Survivalist and Kabira Evangel. A ponder cast thrice also allowed me to kill the Jwari Shapeshifter. Paul recovered by playing Celestial Connelaide, and then Talus Paladin followed by a Jwari Shapeshifter in the form of the Paladin. He then drew 3 cards with the Loremaster, and played another Jwari Shapeshifter in the form of the Loremaster. [2-19]
Turn 9, [D - Island, Misty Rainforest] I played a crumbling Necropolis, and then a Searing Blaze to kill both Loremasters and do 9 damage to Paul. I then tapped Niv Mizzet to draw another card and ping Paul for one more, and closed by casting Time Warp, which after replicating was giving me 3 extra turns in a row. [2-9]
Turn 10, [D - Time Warp, Gelectrode] I played an island, and then a lightning Bolt to kill all his paladins (with the help of the pinging Niv Mizzet does at the beginning of each of my turns). Another lightning bolt tripled up was enough damage to end the game.

I showed Paul my second Time Warp in my hand and we just laughed at the thought of taking a total of 7 turns in a row.

Overall i found these two games to be incredibly exciting because we were both pushed to the end before dramatic comebacks. I feel the Bant Allies deck has a lot of potential, and maybe a few changes can make it epic.

I just realized i have been typing for an hour, a feat which would never happen if this were academic, and 3am is probably pushing the late night partying. But hey, when does way too late at night become way too early in the morning? Maybe I can pass myself off as a morning person... a really early bird if you will. Anyways, I had tons of fun cardslinging against the Bant Allies deck. Let me know what you think!