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Nothing says fantasy quite like a knight in shining armor.
It’s only to be expected, then, that a heavily fantasy-focused game like Magic: the Gathering would have knights in it. And if that’s what you were expecting, you’d be right – there are now an abundance of them in the game.
So if you want to build a deck that’s centered on knight tribal, it’s perfectly possible these days. However, with all the sets out now, you might not know where to begin, and that’s where we come in.
In today’s post, we’ll share with you what we’ve found are the best MTG sets for Knights.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Basic information about knights as a tribe
- The Best MTG sets for Knights
- A quick honorable mention
Knights 101
Despite knights being an extremely popular concept in fantasy, and MTG being around since 1993, knights didn’t weren’t actually very common in the game until recently. It seems counter-intuitive, to say the least.
With the release of Throne of Eldraine in late 2019, we saw the addition of almost 50 new knights. Suddenly, knights became a much more viable tribe, instead of the niche tribe that they had been up until then.
But what were they like before the advent of Throne of Eldraine?
In the beginning, knights tended to have power and toughness of 2, with some kind of protection against something – much like wearing a suit of armor. On top of that, they usually had an ability, with first strike being particularly common.
Generally, they were more prevalent in white and black. However, with Throne of Eldraine, knights in all colors were printed. They even got their own legendary artifact, the Circle of Loyalty.
Pictured above are two of the most iconic knight cards, Black Knight and White Knight. They’ve both in been in the game forever…or since 1993, to be exact.
Best MTG Sets for Knights
Now let’s introduce the four sets we’ll be discussing. We chose them for a number of reasons, but the greatest factor for each was the quantity of knights they had.
With that in mind, these are the sets we’ve chosen:
- Dominaria
- Throne of Eldraine
- M20
- Guilds of Ravnica
We’ll dive into more detail below.
Dominaria
In mid-2018, MTG players got to enjoy a return to the plane of Dominaria in the set of the same name. This was also the 25th anniversary of Magic: the Gathering, so the focus of the whole set was on history.
Artifact and legendary cards were rebranded as “historic” cards in addition to their names. Additionally, a new kind of historic card was added: sagas.
Sagas were a unique and interesting spin on enchantments. Rather than being permanent, like your typical enchantment card, they had three phases. After the third phase, they’re removed from the battlefield (assuming someone doesn’t respond to them earlier).
Pros:
- There are tons of legendary creatures to choose from, making this a great set if you’re looking for a new commander.
- Intriguing saga cards were introduced in this set.
- Has a decent number of knight cards (13)
Cons:
- With lots of multi-colored cards, playing in limited formats with this set was difficult and it’s harder to build a deck within it.
Most Notable Knight: Benalish Marshal
Throne of Eldraine
Out of the modest number of sets on this list, Throne of Eldraine is going to be the most critical one. That’s because it boasts the largest number of knights: 46.
With Throne of Eldraine, there was a drastic increase in the number of knights and the available support for them. Before this set, they were kind of a niche tribe, and now they’re much more workable.
The greatest reason behind Throne of Eldraine’s heavy knight focus was that its theme was fairytales. Love it or hate it, this theme allowed it to experiment with interesting mechanics, such as adventure and knights in all colors (or even multi-color).
Pros:
- Because Throne of Eldraine is still a relatively young set at the time of writing this (May 2020), it’s pretty affordable.
- Has the largest number of knights from all the sets on this list.
- Introduced the adventure mechanic, which is still seeing play in all formats.
- Includes intriguing three-colored knights.
Cons:
- Because the set was so guild-based, there was less flexibility in limited formats – players were often forced to choose a guild and subsequent theme for that guild.
- Brawl decks were introduced for this set, but the Brawl format never really gained traction.
Most Notable Knight: Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale
M20
Core Set 2020, which is marked as M20 on the cards printed within it, is one of Magic’s many core sets. These sets tend to have a “back to basics” kind of approach.
For that reason, they’re amazing for beginning players who are looking to buy in bulk to expand their collection. M20 is no different, with a simple approach that both novices and experts can enjoy.
Unlike many other core sets, though, it included a decent number of knights, which is why it’s being included in this list. With a dozen knights (five of which are Mythic), this is must-have for those seeking to collect knights.
Pros:
- As a core set, M20 is naturally beginner-friendly.
- Has 5 Mythic knights.
- While it’s suitable for new players, it has enough complex cards to interest old ones, too.
Cons:
- The monetary value of the set was decreased by overproduction of collectors’ booster packs.
Most Notable Knight: Cavalier of Flame
Guilds of Ravnica
As you might have guessed from its name, Guilds of Ravnica focused on five of the two-color guilds: Dimir, Selesnya, Izzet, Golgari, and Boros. Because of this, it has a bunch of support for cards in those colors.
That’s pretty useful when you’re building multi-colored decks. If you’re going to be competitive (or even decent), building a deck in a single color usually isn’t viable. However, some sets lack the cards necessary to make multi-color decks easily.
Guilds of Ravnica technically only has 9 knights, which isn’t a large number. But we still felt it necessary to mention it, because the knights it does have are definitely worth getting your hands on.
Pros:
- Tons of support for multi-color decks.
- There’s a possibility of pulling rare, useful, and valuable shock lands.
- Has some pretty awesome knights.
Cons:
- It focuses on guilds so heavily, that it’s difficult to play single-color decks in this set.
Most Notable Knight: Knight of Autumn
Honorable Mentions
Whenever we decide to talk about sets and tribes, there are always things we think should be mentioned besides the sets themselves. This article is proving to be no exception in that regard.
That being said, there’s one other thing we’d like to talk about quickly:
Duel Decks: Knights vs Dragons
Duel Decks series entries always include two decks that are completely built for you already. This means they are generally great for beginners or those who are inexperienced with deck-building.
Knights vs Dragons was part of the Duel Decks series, released in 2011. As you might have guessed, one deck is knight-themed, while the other is dragon-themed.
The knight half of this addition to the Duel Decks series is a pretty solid deck. You’ll get 24 total knights in that deck alone, with at least two of them being iconic knights: Kinsbaile Cavalier and Knight Exemplar, both of which are pictured above.
Both Kinsbaile Cavalier and Knight Exemplar have traits that benefit every knight you have on the battlefield.
Kinsbaile Cavalier gives all your knights double strike, which means they each effectively deal damage twice during combat instead of once.
Knight Exemplar, on the other hand, gives all your knights a nice +1/+1 buff and makes them indestructible on top of that. Many players would use two of them, then use a board wipe to destroy all their opponents’ creatures while keeping their own.
In short, both these knight cards – and by extension, the Knights deck – are worth adding to your collection.
Wrap Up
The sets we’ve included in this list are all here for a reason. They each have their advantages and disadvantages.
If you asked us which one was best in terms of knights, though, we’d have to go with Throne of Eldraine. With a jaw-dropping 46 knights, it contributed the most to the tribe overall.
But it’s not just the number of knights that matters. There needs to be synergy between cards to make a tribe work, and Throne of Eldraine brought that, too, with cards like Circle of Loyalty.
Nowadays, knights are a decent tribe to play, and it’s largely due to Throne of Eldraine.