Elspeth, Sun's Champion

[PapiwA]

  Elspeth Tirel seeks not only to protect those around her, but also to inspire them and raise them to new heights. Elspeth's deck focuses on rallying Soldiers from Theros and beyond, and using cards like Dictate of Heliod and Loxodon Partisan to increase their power.

  When playing Elspeth deck, your goal is to overwhelm your opponent before he or she can cast a massive sea-dweller or devistate you with a spell that returns your creatures to your hand. Use early-game creatures like Mother of Runes and Precinct Captain to put on the pressure, and then push through the last few points of damage with token-generating spells like Decree of Justice and Elspeth, Sun's Champion herself. Most of your creatures are Soldiers, making cards like Veterans Swordsmith particularly valuable.

  If your opponent manages to summon forth an underwater behemoth, Elspeth's deck has a number of ways around it. Court Street Denizen can tap a large creature to let you sneak some damage through, and this deck also features many Gustcloaks, a group of creatures that can remove themselves from combat if your opponent has blocked in a way that doesn't favor you. In addition, Celestial Flare and the second ability of Elspeth, Sun's Champion can remove your opponent's huge monsters outright.

  But never underestimate Kiora's ability to thwart your plans. Be especially wary of Whelming Wave, one of Kiora's signature spells. This sorcery returns all creatures to their owners' hands except for Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents-and any token creatures on the battlefield will vanish for good.