If you’re looking to build a Knights tribal deck in Magic‘s upcoming Standard season, look no further than Inspiring Veteran. This low-cost Knight-booster is a welcome addition from the game’s newest expansion, Throne of Eldraine (ELD), and should catapult Knights into the Standard metagame.
Knights is a major theme in ELD, and Inspiring Veteran will be a powerful addition to any Knights deck. This creature is cheap and playable by itself, but the anthem effect makes it a key roleplayer—comparable to current Standard powerhouses like Legion Lieutenant and Merfolk Mistbinder.
Notable about Knights, however, are the two other anthem effects present in Throne of Eldraine: The Circle of Loyalty and Belle of the Brawl. Circle is a high-powered enabler, but having access to a third Knight anthem effect could blast this deck into a Standard mainstay.
There are still a lot more cards to be revealed for Throne of Eldraine, but these early Knight spoilers hint at a brutal linear Knights deck that can quickly overwhelm the board. With each Knight getting more powerful as you add on these anthem effects, a fast kill is assured unless your opponent can clear the board. Of course, there’s even a card that can bring all your Knights back from the dead, so…
