Build a Better Enchantress

Friday, March 13, 2020

Faithless Brewing, Episode 45: Setessan Champion

The notion of an Enchantress deck has always held a certain timeless allure. Play an enchantment, draw a card. Play an enchantment, draw another card. Maybe your enchantments are enticing mana rampers, or strong prison lock pieces, or possibly even auras that boost your lethal attacker. What's not to like?

If you go looking for these mythical Enchantress decks in the wild, however, you will find they are the rarest of species. Just based on tournament results, you could reasonably argue that Enchantress decks have been extinct at the competitive level for a decade or more. Reasons for this are manifold, and pointing in various directions. It's tricky to strike the right balance between enablers and payoffs; enchantments as a category tend to be a mismatched and underpowered group of cards; and the payoffs (the "Enchantresses" themselves, or equivalent "enchantments-matter" effects) have not been costed aggressively enough to overcome these barriers.

Undaunted, with Theros: Beyond Death and the constellation mechanic, Wizards has gone back to the enchantments fold. What choice do we have but to follow them boldly into the unknown? This week, we take on Setessan Champion, the latest entrant in the "play an enchantment, draw a card" class of payoffs, but with slightly more combat-ready stats than her predecessors. Will she prove her worth as a Setessan Enchampion? Let's find out!

**ALSO: Earlier this week we posted a short bonus episode dedicated entirely to COVID-19. This episode is meant to be a general resource on preparedness, covering topics like basic safety practices, how to adjust to social distancing, and what to have on hand if you are asked to stay home. Please feel free to share this guide with anyone for whom the discussion might be helpful; no knowledge of Magic is required.**

"The View from Seattle: Preparing for COVID-19"

Flashback: Emry, Lurker of the Loch

Modern

Breach Station (Damon): 5-0 league

https://scryfall.com/@nukelaunch/decks/01149f33-4af4-4e1c-a24d-d438849227cd

Pioneer

Jeskai Owl Ascendancy (David): 4-6 leagues

https://scryfall.com/@FaithlessMTG/decks/70be8426-0b03-437f-ba1d-4b07b962b3df

Simic Steel (David): 2-3 league

https://scryfall.com/@FaithlessMTG/decks/6dcaba9c-66ed-447f-8447-823208ec1416

Scion of Whirza (Dan): 3-2 league

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2697842#paper