Arena Historic Preview Discussion: Honden Brews Part 2

Historic Metagame

Intrepid_Tautog May 20, 2020 7 min

At the word of their prince, the shimmering army attacked a praying king. A blinding array of blades met the sun. But even still, the old monarch would not be moved. A ring of death surrounded him, with little more than his five shrines standing in the way.

And yet, they would be enough.

The first unit charged, each sword pointed at the old man's heart. But as they came within a few yards, one of the shrines began to awaken. It stirred like an ember that had found its way to fresh tinder. Faintly at first, but with a greater intensity as the enemy neared. By the time the king was in striking range, the entire shrine was smoldering.

A soldier screamed out in pain and immediately dropped his sword. It glowed red-hot, the precious metal already melting into the soil. Another cry followed. Then another. Blades all around had lit up, the heat of the garden intensifying with each newly-cooked edge. Dozens of gold and silver swords were smelted in the hands of their owners, who despite the value of their armaments, did not hesitate to cast them down and flee.

The next unit only made it four paces ahead of their predecessors. Another shrine had sprung to life, this one releasing a cloud of smoke. As each soldier passed through it, their memory of the last few days vanished. It was as if the thoughts were plucked out of their minds. Those affected found themselves adrift, staring at the sky in vain attempts to recall why they were there in the first place.

The prince was baffled, then furious. He had witnessed two units defeated by an old man's trickery. These games would end now. With a motion to his archers, the prince ordered the king's execution at a distance. If he couldn't get near the man, arrows would be enough. The wind stirred as the salvo sprang forth, but with it, another shrine answered. The bolts splintered in the air as if the king were wrapped in a robe of invisible steel.

As the final arrow shattered, the old king's eyes opened. Slowly, calmly. Almost as if the experience were more relaxing than anything else. Blue light now shone from the shrine to his left, and as it intensfied, the more the king's face turned to pity. Pity for the prince. Pity for foolish ambition that cared nothing for the bloodshed it might incur.

Drawing his own sword in response, the prince let out a scream and charged, himself. He would not be disrespected by this beggar-king. Avarice had clouded his judgment. Rage curdled rational thought. The young man failed to notice the ground itself spring to life. As the final shrine pulsed green energy, the very wildlife of the garden appeared to rebel. Vines wrapped around the princes legs, flowers popped up and tore the weapons and armor from his back, and even tiny insects began to amass under him. The assortment of creatures silently restrained the prince, hoisted him aloft, and looked towards the old man for further direction.

That night, a rattled army shambled home in disgrace. But their embarrassment was nothing compared to that of their prince, who was returned to his kingdom covered in vines and insect bites. Despite all his power and wealth, despite all his ambition, his efforts were thwarted by an old man and his faith.

~The Tale of Five Shrines~

Welcome back, fellow brewers, on our journey to Kamigawa and the potential of its five Hondens in Arena Historic. Last time, we took a high-level approach, breaking down the fundamental requirements and challenges to making a Honden deck compete against the current Historic metagame. But we did manage to find time to squeeze in one deck discussion. Today's entry will focus on some additional builds.

We'll be working with a variety of tools here. Some old, some new. I'm sure a great deal of tweaking will be needed in coming weeks, but for the time being, we're in pure experiment-mode. Winning with Hondens will be difficult against the format's upper-tier decks, but as mentioned before, I've a serious affinity for the underdog. And I imagine quite a few of my readers do so, as well.

So let's pick up right where we left off. Onto the brews!

Part 3 (Continued): Let's start brewing!

Deck 2: Umori's Pilgrimage

Umori's Pilgrimage

Companion: Umori, the Collector

Main 60 cards (28 distinct)

Lands - 24

Side 14 cards (8 distinct)

Companion: Umori, the Collector