With over two weeks of tournament data since The Hobbit’s release, it’s safe to say that this set has had a massive impact on Constructed. This goes beyond just the flashy mythics, as numerous commons and uncommons have seen multi-format success.
Players are still continuing to innovate, too, as new archetypes continue to pop up. In the last Magic Online Modern Challenge, for example, one player found success with a combo deck centered around a creature-untapping uncommon Hobbit Elf. While the archetype is certainly a work in progress, this is an incredibly cool way to kill an opponent.
Combo Kills and Land Thrills
The primary objective behind this cool Bant deck piloted by Allos is to combine Knight of the Reliquary with the newly printed Elven Raft-Steerer. With both cards in play, every land you tutor up with Knight triggers Elven Raft-Steerer, letting you untap and reactivate the Knight.
By grabbing Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth to start and turning all of your lands into Forests, you ensure that every utility land can be sacrificed. With 22 lands in your deck, you should have no problem making Knight a lethal threat in one go. Notably, Kessig Wolf Run and Sejiri Steppe help get Knight past opposing blockers, and you can even use your Fetchlands in conjunction with Elven Raft-Steerer to tap opposing blockers.
While this combo line is really flashy, it can take some time to assemble. Fortunately, mana dorks like Noble Hierarch and Birds of Paradise accelerate you towards your potent three-drops a turn early. The extra mana is also essential for maximizing Green Sun’s Zenith and Collected Company as powerful but inefficient tutors.
With mana dorks speeding your combo up and tutors making it more consistent, the last piece of the puzzle is making sure your combo pieces are protected. Sylvan Safekeeper plays an important role here as a tutor target that saves your creatures from spot removal, with the caveat that a Shrouded Knight can’t be untapped anymore that turn. Teferi, Time Raveler also makes an appearance, stopping your opponent’s countermagic.
Fun but Flawed
Ultimately, this combo deck shines brightest against decks that don’t play much disruption. Outside of Kozilek’s Command, Eldrazi Ramp strategies lack much in the way of removal, making the matchup positive. Archetypes that give you time to set up protection backup, like Esper Blink, are also reasonable matchups.
The other important aspect of this deck to remember is that it has a decent backup plan: using Knight as a beefy utility creature. The fact that Knight quickly outsizes burn spells is a big deal against Izzet Prowess and Boros Energy. When backed up by disruptive elements like Aang, Swift Savior, you may be able to cross the finish line without ever sticking Elver Raft-Steerer at all.
Unfortunately, even with these upsides, Bant Knight Combo has too many flaws to be a top-tier deck. While this deck is capable of putting together a turn three kill, it still gets outraced by Neoform or Ruby Storm, and has minimal disruption for those matchups. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, you risk getting demolished by opposing board wipes like Wrath of the Skies or Living End.
This doesn’t even account for your combo’s vulnerability to hate pieces, with Pithing Needle being enough to stop the combo in its tracks. With all these weaknesses in mind, this deck is more of a fun strategy for FNM than an ultra-competitive one. Still, that hasn’t stopped players from building around Knight in both Modern and Historic, giving this some potential for the future.
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