Every workday while the set is new, Insight is taking a quick look at another deck featuring cards from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty. Attacking with huge 5/5 scissors used to be one of the best things one could do in Pioneer. It seems that history has come full circle with the latest release.
In the past, Pioneer's decks often fancied a red splash, which gave them access to and the option to kill opponents off seemingly out of nowhere. However, now they've adopted white as the second main color of choice. The result? Four Ensoul decks in the Top 8 of the first Pioneer Challenge with the set and an additional three when we look at the full Top 16. The strategy is clearly a force to be reckoned with!
The general premise behind the deck is that it's an artifact aggro shell. It utilizes a bunch of very cheap creatures in the form of , , and , the latter of which also acts as anti-flood insurance. The creature suite is completed by four uncommons from Neon Dynasty: a playset of . The Automaton gets a counter with each artifact cast, which works great with the aforementioned cheap creatures, and not just that: The deck also runs almost as many noncreature artifacts. Ward means opponents can't easily remove it either. Even if the removal spell costs a single mana like , the tax of two mana makes you always trade up on tempo.
These creatures do not win games by themselves of course. The main payoff and what makes this deck so strong are the ways to boost said creatures. The namesake turns any of them into a 5/5. Turn one Serpent, Gingerbrute, or Ornithopter, turn two attack for 5 (or 6 with the Serpent). It doesn't have to be a creature either. One of the best targets is in fact , yielding an indestructible 5/5. Furthermore, the deck runs three copies of , which you can equip and re-equip at barely any cost, turning any creature into a real threat. is another tool to change cheap yet weak artifacts into solid creatures. Finally, another new addition comes to shine: . The first two chapters provide a huge boost, often +4/+4 or more even relatively early; the backside is just a cherry on top.
This core is undeniably powerful, but of course everything gets better with some kitty sprinkled on top. So stares at us with its many eyes from the sideboard yet again. While recasting the aforementioned stuff is good already, there is a possible loop with a single copy of locking the opponent out of casting noncreature spells in their main phase ever again.
With minor variations, the deck listed below claimed a whole quarter of the Challenge's Top 16. But it's not the only build that proved successful. Another one cuts the Automaton and some Ghostfire Blade to make room for as well as pairs each of and . Which version is better only time will tell. In any case, if you want to make the cut—use scissors!
Ensoul Aggro by Taylorspain, 6th at Pioneer Challenge, February 12
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