I've always been fascinated by the idea of angels, so I tried to make an Angel Tribal deck
I wasn't attempting to make it a competitive deck. This is all casual. The general strategy is to wipe the field, wipe the field again, wipe it some more, and then bring back stuff through Crucible of Worlds, Reya, and Emeria.
Unless I'm totally missing something, there's no reason to run the Panoramas/Terramorphic/Evolving Wilds. They only fetch basics (not even Mistveil), so it's better to run basic Plains for a better chance at getting Emeria on line. Weathered Wayfarer is another option for helping out there and it gets any land not just basics. As Emeria is so powerful when active, it's a good idea to drop any non-plains lands that don't have a significant bonus (Fountain of Cho, New Benalia). You'll get Emeria online quicker and start beating face much sooner.
I'm not seeing any card draw other than the top. Mind's Eye and/or Skullclamp could help out considerably there.
A word of caution about having so much land destruction. Some playgroups are ok with it, but as you said it's for casual play, a lot of casual groups get annoyed rather quickly with lots of LD.
If you're looking for some direct upgrades, there are a few cards that would serve you better than Journey to Nowhere. Faith's Fetters shuts down any permanent, even utility lands, and it doesn't protect them from a sweeper effect like Journey and O-ring do. It also doesn't allow the exiled creatures etb abilities to trigger again if it's destroyed like the others do. Prison term has some advantages over Journey as well. It can be played early on a utility creature and then moved later to a more serious threat.
You can probably find much more useful things than single-use damage prevention like Angelsong and Holy day.
I have to also mention that there is always the option of going BW with angels. Selenia, Dark Angel as commander brings a lot of options to the table including Angel of Despair, one of the best angels ever printed. And Selenia being cheaper to play would see the battlefield much more often than a 9cmc. She also comes with built in protection from your sweepers. You could get away from the land destruction and boost your disruption/removal, tutoring, draw, and recursion significantly. Selenia doesn't have much impact on her own, but what she brings with her to the table does.
The Land-Fetching Lands are mostly there for deck thinning. I know it's not much, but it makes me feel a little better. And as for getting Emeria online, I don't see much change if I replaced them with Plains since that's what I'm fetching anyway.
Weathered Wayfarer is a great card, but unfortunately, he's no Angel. If he were a Spirit, then he'd definitely be in. Otherwise, Kor Cartographer would have been in the decklist, along with many other creatures. However, one of the things I really really like about this deck is the theme and flavor.
Totally agree with you on the Mind's Eye. I really wanted it in but couldn't think of stuff to take out until you gave me ideas. Thanks for mentioning Faith's Fetters and Prison Term too. They really help.
As for the WB combo, I thought about that too. However, as powerful as it'd be, something that's really important to me to have in this deck is the flavor of Mono-White. That, and the only color I'll never play is black. I'd probably play Bant Angels before using Selenia.
something that's really important to me to have in this deck is the flavor of Mono-White. That, and the only color I'll never play is black.
I understand that, I've got a big Vorthos streak. For me, pretty much all decks start with black
Apologies, my typing actually jumped ahead of my train of thought about the fetches and plains. How I should have said it is... "other than the fetches" you should try to keep your non-plains count low to increase the odds of getting Emeria active.
On the fetches/thinning thing. There's always been a big argument over whether the thinning is even worth non cipt fetches in sixty card decks. Without getting into that, I would submit that the tempo loss, especially in the case of the panoramas wouldn't be worth whatever small, theoretical gains you would make from any thinning. I doubt I'll be able to talk you out of it, but just notice when you're playing if the tempo loss ever hinders your play. Just something to keep an eye on.
Now Endless Horizons.... that's some serious thinning! I like that card in here, but it could bite you. Just be really careful about it getting nuked with a bunch of your plains in exile. There's a lot of enchantment kill in edh. And if it does get destroyed and you bring it back with something, it's a new object and cannot retrieve the exiled plains from before...... Awfully risky.
Well, to be honest, I've been pretty split on the fetchlands. It's almost instinct for me to put them in But considering the ACC of my creatures is a little over six, I think it might be a good idea to top-deck some lands for once.
Endless Horizons has got to stay though. I realize the risk, but I love that card way too much
Thanks for mentioning Gideon, xxsaberxx. I completely overlooked him...
Needs more acceleration to hit your 9 mana. I'd suggest the Extraplanar Lens / Gauntlet of Power / Lots-o-Plains suite so you can actually play your general before you're 30 cards deep into your deck. Yeah, it helps out the odd white player, but it's totally worth it in your case. Enlightened Tutor fetches both cards as well. And he's an instant, so it's probably ok that he isn't an angel per say.
And welcome to the forums!!
EDIT: OK, I know you had a post here I was trying to reply to- it shows up in Google search results and everything but it's gone from here- deleted?? You mentioned you didn't wanna cut sweepers (of which you have probably too many).
I was saying (before i accidentally closed the browser and then sent your reply to the abyss?) that you could cut a couple cards. Aether Vial is too slow and not good unless it's in your opening hand. Ajani Goldmane is only good if you expect to have a lot of guys to pump- you don't, not to mention you are rocking wraths all the time. I was also saying you'll have to cut most non-basics for plains, but you should keep the good ones like Maze of Ith, Kor Haven, Emeria, the Sky Ruin, Strip Mine and Vesuva. The rest are all marginal except MAYBE Eiganjo Castle and you can cut them without fear.
Haha Yeah I did have a post before that I deleted. I was gonna leave it there, but I did some edits to my deck right after and then the post became redundant.
And yes, I really don't want to cut sweepers. Having every W God-gave-up-hope-on-humanity-again spell ever printed in this deck is just too cool for me to pass up
As for the non-basics, I'm going to need a little more convincing. I believe you that I can cut them without fear, it's just that it pains me to lets them go. I mean, they just seem so useful! Should I even cut the cycling lands?
Agree with SuperSonik on everything. Lens, Gauntlet, and E-tutor should probably all be run.
Also agree on lands... Keep:
Kor Haven
Vesuva
Emeria
Maze
Strip Mine
Mistveil is ok since it'counts as a plains (works with Emeria and Gauntlet, but not with Extraplanar)
and I'd probably add Flagstones and Darksteel to the keepers since you run mass LD
Maybe keep/ Maybe cut (leaning a bit towards cut):
Eiganjo
Cycling
Wasteland
I'm leaning toward cut on the cycling lands because you're going to be sweeping lands and you'll most likely want them for actual lands instead of cycling most of the time.
Cut the others. I don't see enough draw in the deck to warrant Reliquary. Tec Edge and Ghost Quarter I think are not necessary with sooo much other LD in the deck. They become redundant and they are strictly inferior to Wasteland/Strip Mine
Also agree with cutting vial and Ajani.
Story Circle.... is usually underwhelming even in 1v1 unless your opps monocolor. At a multiplayer table it likely won't save you from anything.
Having a high Plains count and having lots of white mana on tap fast is going to be big in this deck. Not only to get your commander out and activate Emeria, but also to pull off really strong plays like Armageddon/Twilight Shepherd before really late game.
As for the non-basics, I'm going to need a little more convincing. I believe you that I can cut them without fear, it's just that it pains me to lets them go. I mean, they just seem so useful! Should I even cut the cycling lands?
When you see how nasty it is to have your mana doubled by a t3 extraplanar lens, you will never want to draw another nonbasic again
Seriously though, your deck is a real gas-guzzler in terms of mana. This is OK, you just have to know that in your construction process. The extra resources of doubled mana far outweigh the utility of a cycling land or a second strip mine in just about every practical case here.
One more suggestion- Oblation I find is much more powerful and versatile than Exile. It works on all non-land permanents like an opponent's Mana Reflection or Mirari's Wake and it tucks their generals when you don't want them to recast them. The drawback is totally worth it.
how frequently do you actually have any defensive plays in the first 4 turns? From the look of your creatures most if not all of them cost 5 or more mana. I would be concerned that you would run up against decks where you would be overwhelmed by their foot soldiers before you even get to play a creature... that can't be a good feeling?
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"As the size of an explosion increases, the number of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero." -- Varsuvius, Order of the Stick
Nope. Not a good feeling at all. My game plan for when that scenario inevitably comes along is to pray that I'll somehow get though it, and hopefully that player will decide to attack other people once in a while
Nope. Not a good feeling at all. My game plan for when that scenario inevitably comes along is to pray that I'll somehow get though it, and hopefully that player will decide to attack other people once in a while ^ ^
I wouldn't get discouraged. Just play lots of acceleration and the respect you earn on style points for committing to Angel tribal should get you through the first 6 turns of the game
I wouldn't get discouraged. Just play lots of acceleration and the respect you earn on style points for committing to Angel tribal should get you through the first 6 turns of the game
Haha Thanks It's just that I've been pouring my heart and soul into this deck, so I want it to be as perfect as possible. It's left me exhausted
So is that all? Or are there more improvements that can be made?
I don't see a Hallowed Burial in here, do you think you might need to be able to tuck opposing Commanders away?
@Endless Horizons: Although I've never played it myself, I've seen others in my group play it regularly, and I think it's a fine card. The obvious benefits are the fact that you always get your land-drops and you essentially get a free card every turn.
The one trick that some people don't realize is that you don't have to put ALL of your Plains under it...you can exile 6 or 8 or whatever number makes it seem harmless enough, and by the time it "runs out", you should have enough in play to do whatever you need to do.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you posted. Thank you very much for doing so. It's just...I'm so tired
I've thought of all the cards you listed before though, except for Terrain Generator (first time I've heard of it ^_^)
Journeyer's Kite: I like it. I like it a lot. However, I'm at wit's end as to what card to remove for it.
Terrain Generator: Seems a bit too slow for me (Even though I can't really talk. This deck won't be making speedy plays anytime soon.). I really don't want to put in another non-basic that's not crucial or has a useful effect when it comes to being destroyed (Flagstones/Darksteel).
Sword of Vengeance: Not that into Equips for this deck.
Hallowed Burial: I feel like I have enough tuck/inhibiting cards. To me, Hallowed Burial looks like another Wrath, but without the Wrath.
To be honest, I'm really not in the mood to be making anymore changes to the deck. I just don't have it in me. Everything's the way I like it
However, there is one thing I could go for...
Akroma's Memorial: Now THAT card. That one I would not mind putting in. But I really don't know what I'd remove. Can't think of anything. But my God, that card's cool...
Hallowed Burial is the best white wrath in the format. Period. I don't care what wrath you cut for it, but the deck will be better. Tucking is so insanely powerful against opposing commanders and its potency is often underestimated even by experienced players. You will shut down entire decks with that card.
Akroma's memorial, oddly enough, doesn't do much to help you. It's good if you are playing with lots of creatures on the table at once (i.e. token decks), which you're not. So you aren't getting the same efficiency out of it as you would a good equip like Sword of Fire and Ice.
Actually, you can pick any Sword you like (Sword of X and Y) and it would be great in your deck because almost all your creatures have evasion (especially those with pro-all colors or pro-all creatures!), making the swords' abilities very consistent. Sword of Feast and Famine would give you basically two angels a turn, for instance. Lightning Greaves is also dopey good. Your beaters could use the shroud and haste better than most any other deck because you have so many of them!
I would cut a couple of your off-theme creatures like World Queller and Purity. They're not super-fantastic cards and they take away from the all-angel awesome factor. The first non-angel card you should run would be Weathered Wayfarer anyway.
Seriously think about the equipment thing. Definitely Lightning Greaves. And If you can't get a hold of some swords (any will do!), Loxodon Warhammer should get in there. I know you're not hot on it but you have room for those cards, believe me. They're great early-game plays when you have nothing to do and they beat serious face later. They will turn a simple attacker into a major or even unstoppable threat.
After all, the only thing cooler than an army of angels is an army of angels with elephant warhammers and flaming swords, amirite?
Hallowed Burial is the best white wrath in the format. Period. I don't care what wrath you cut for it, but the deck will be better. Tucking is so insanely powerful against opposing commanders and its potency is often underestimated even by experienced players. You will shut down entire decks with that card.
I completely agree with everything you said except for this one. While I agree that tucking effects are very handy, wraths in this format are super-situational, so it's very hard to say that one is better than another.
For example, a Voltron-style deck would much rather play a Cataclysm, a token deck would play Martial Coup, Austere Command, or Hour of Reckoning, my Teneb deck would rather play Planar Cleansing, and someone who has trouble with indestructibles would rather play either Hallowed Burial or Final Judgment (against BSC or Ulamog or other indestructible non-commanders). Gun to my head, I'll take the versatility of Austere Command in a vacuum, but really depends on what you are trying to blow up.
For the Reya deck, I don't think that Hallowed Burial is the way to go, simply because you don't want to tuck your own creatures away; you want them to go to the graveyard so that Reya can bring them back. Therefore, the "best" wraths for Reya are probably Mass Calcify and All Is Dust. The latter gets around indestructibility, and the former keeps your team alive while nuking the rest of the board.
Obviously, neither one is good against BSC and Ulamog, but white has enough playable RFG effects that it shouldn't be a problem (like Archon of Justice).
Eh, you're probably right. Certainly in the case of Austere Command! I forgot to include that one in the wrath discussion. If I'm playing white, that card never, ever gets cut.
You have a good point about general shenanigans. I completely forgot in the face of an angel deck that Reya would probably like angels in the GY :rolleyes:.
All is dust is awesome too. I play it over all red sweeps in :symu::symr: myself.
You're probably right about the off-theme creatures like Purity. As cool as a ghost reindeer with wings is, I probably won't be burned anytime soon. I don't want to cut Eternal Dragon though. I could really use the Plainscycling. And Glory's ability is too useful. Plus, it looks like an angel way too much, arguably more so than some true angels on the list. Also, I really don't want to let Yosei go. Just the idea of re-using his ability (maybe even more than once) is enough for me to keep him. However, I can let him go is I really do have to.
As for Loxodon Warhammer, I'd much rather use Sword of Vengeance. Sure, I lose the lifelink and +1 power, but I'd rather have the haste and first strike.
What about Whispersilk Cloak or Darksteel Plate? Would those be any good? Or should I take Swords of [___] and [___] over them anyway?
I am not a fan of the cloak because its evasion doesn't get around wrath effects. I'd only play it if my general had an "if CARDNAME deals combat damage to a player" ability. Darksteel Plate is a perfect fit though. Slap that on your general and wrath the board and you should recover faster than any other player. Because you're playing so many wrath effects, the Plate is better in your deck than most other deck and it warrants extra consideration.
The Swords are better than any other equip but they can be somewhat expensive dollar-wise. That's why people tend to run merely "good" equips like Loxodon Warhammer and Sword of Vengeance. All the swords but Body and Mind are pretty fantastic, really. I'd run the Plate as your first equipment (gotta love cheap good cards), followed by any of the three good swords you can get your hands on (they're all very useful for your deck), followed by Warhammer and Sword of Vengance. And as for the choice between those two, it's pretty much a flavor/personal call anyway. You won't often have one wishing it's the other because they're both pretty good cards.
Anyway, here's my first attempt at an EDH deck:
1 Reya Dawnbringer
Angels:
1 Adarkar Valkyrie
1 Admonition Angel
1 Aegis Angel
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 Angelic Arbiter
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Blinding Angel
1 Deathless Angel
1 Indomitable Archangel
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Platinum Angel
1 Pristine Angel
1 Radiant, Archangel
1 Serra Angel
1 Sunblast Angel
1 Twilight Shepherd
Equipment:
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Endless Horizons
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Expedition Map
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Land Tax
Card Draw:
1 Crystal Ball
1 Mind's Eye
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Tower of Fortunes
1 Urza's Blueprints
Mana Accel:
1 Caged Sun
1 Doubling Cube
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Gauntlet of Power
Destroying the World:
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Armageddon
1 Austere Command
1 Cataclysm
1 Catastrophe
1 Day of Judgment
1 Mass Calcify
1 Planar Cleansing
1 Planar Collapse
1 Rout
1 Wrath of God
1 Condemn
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Gossamer Chains
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Oblation
1 Path to Exile
1 Prison Term
1 Swords to Plowshares
Rebuilding the World:
1 Crucible of Worlds
Misc:
1 Luminarch Ascension
1 Urza's Incubator
Lands:
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Kor Haven
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Strip Mine
1 Vesuva
32x Plains
I've always been fascinated by the idea of angels, so I tried to make an Angel Tribal deck
I wasn't attempting to make it a competitive deck. This is all casual. The general strategy is to wipe the field, wipe the field again, wipe it some more, and then bring back stuff through Crucible of Worlds, Reya, and Emeria.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
Unless I'm totally missing something, there's no reason to run the Panoramas/Terramorphic/Evolving Wilds. They only fetch basics (not even Mistveil), so it's better to run basic Plains for a better chance at getting Emeria on line. Weathered Wayfarer is another option for helping out there and it gets any land not just basics. As Emeria is so powerful when active, it's a good idea to drop any non-plains lands that don't have a significant bonus (Fountain of Cho, New Benalia). You'll get Emeria online quicker and start beating face much sooner.
I'm not seeing any card draw other than the top. Mind's Eye and/or Skullclamp could help out considerably there.
A word of caution about having so much land destruction. Some playgroups are ok with it, but as you said it's for casual play, a lot of casual groups get annoyed rather quickly with lots of LD.
If you're looking for some direct upgrades, there are a few cards that would serve you better than Journey to Nowhere. Faith's Fetters shuts down any permanent, even utility lands, and it doesn't protect them from a sweeper effect like Journey and O-ring do. It also doesn't allow the exiled creatures etb abilities to trigger again if it's destroyed like the others do. Prison term has some advantages over Journey as well. It can be played early on a utility creature and then moved later to a more serious threat.
You can probably find much more useful things than single-use damage prevention like Angelsong and Holy day.
I have to also mention that there is always the option of going BW with angels. Selenia, Dark Angel as commander brings a lot of options to the table including Angel of Despair, one of the best angels ever printed. And Selenia being cheaper to play would see the battlefield much more often than a 9cmc. She also comes with built in protection from your sweepers. You could get away from the land destruction and boost your disruption/removal, tutoring, draw, and recursion significantly. Selenia doesn't have much impact on her own, but what she brings with her to the table does.
Banner by Nakamura, Thanks!
EDH Math
EDH Decks:
Ghost Council: The Magic Mafia of Orzhova
BB Drana: Down with the Sickness
Rasputin: Reality is Broken
Vish Kal Bleeder: Bloody Kisses
Teysa, Orzhov Dominatrix
Stonebrow: Breaking Things
BWR Kaalia Punisher: Heaven's on Fire
Grimgrin: Dead Reckoning
Weathered Wayfarer is a great card, but unfortunately, he's no Angel. If he were a Spirit, then he'd definitely be in. Otherwise, Kor Cartographer would have been in the decklist, along with many other creatures. However, one of the things I really really like about this deck is the theme and flavor.
Totally agree with you on the Mind's Eye. I really wanted it in but couldn't think of stuff to take out until you gave me ideas. Thanks for mentioning Faith's Fetters and Prison Term too. They really help.
As for the WB combo, I thought about that too. However, as powerful as it'd be, something that's really important to me to have in this deck is the flavor of Mono-White. That, and the only color I'll never play is black. I'd probably play Bant Angels before using Selenia.
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
When you're playing Sunblast Angel, why not Gideon?
Iwamori says "Just Bring It!"
Edric's Spiesssssssss (Snake Tribal) GU
Sliver Overlord (Slivers Galore!!) WUBRG
Ruhan of the Fomori RWU
Seton, Krosan ProtectorG
Intet, The Dreamer (Hive Mind + Scrambleverse anyone?) URG
Karona, False God the Goddess of Tribal - Samurai, P3K Horsemen, 5c MyrsWUBRG
Garza's Family UBR
Sygg, River Guide and his merry merrowmen UB
Sharuum, the Hedgemon Sphinx Tribal
I understand that, I've got a big Vorthos streak. For me, pretty much all decks start with black
Apologies, my typing actually jumped ahead of my train of thought about the fetches and plains. How I should have said it is... "other than the fetches" you should try to keep your non-plains count low to increase the odds of getting Emeria active.
On the fetches/thinning thing. There's always been a big argument over whether the thinning is even worth non cipt fetches in sixty card decks. Without getting into that, I would submit that the tempo loss, especially in the case of the panoramas wouldn't be worth whatever small, theoretical gains you would make from any thinning. I doubt I'll be able to talk you out of it, but just notice when you're playing if the tempo loss ever hinders your play. Just something to keep an eye on.
Now Endless Horizons.... that's some serious thinning! I like that card in here, but it could bite you. Just be really careful about it getting nuked with a bunch of your plains in exile. There's a lot of enchantment kill in edh. And if it does get destroyed and you bring it back with something, it's a new object and cannot retrieve the exiled plains from before...... Awfully risky.
Banner by Nakamura, Thanks!
EDH Math
EDH Decks:
Ghost Council: The Magic Mafia of Orzhova
BB Drana: Down with the Sickness
Rasputin: Reality is Broken
Vish Kal Bleeder: Bloody Kisses
Teysa, Orzhov Dominatrix
Stonebrow: Breaking Things
BWR Kaalia Punisher: Heaven's on Fire
Grimgrin: Dead Reckoning
Endless Horizons has got to stay though. I realize the risk, but I love that card way too much
Thanks for mentioning Gideon, xxsaberxx. I completely overlooked him...
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
And welcome to the forums!!
EDIT: OK, I know you had a post here I was trying to reply to- it shows up in Google search results and everything but it's gone from here- deleted?? You mentioned you didn't wanna cut sweepers (of which you have probably too many).
I was saying (before i accidentally closed the browser and then sent your reply to the abyss?) that you could cut a couple cards. Aether Vial is too slow and not good unless it's in your opening hand. Ajani Goldmane is only good if you expect to have a lot of guys to pump- you don't, not to mention you are rocking wraths all the time. I was also saying you'll have to cut most non-basics for plains, but you should keep the good ones like Maze of Ith, Kor Haven, Emeria, the Sky Ruin, Strip Mine and Vesuva. The rest are all marginal except MAYBE Eiganjo Castle and you can cut them without fear.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
And yes, I really don't want to cut sweepers. Having every W God-gave-up-hope-on-humanity-again spell ever printed in this deck is just too cool for me to pass up
As for the non-basics, I'm going to need a little more convincing. I believe you that I can cut them without fear, it's just that it pains me to lets them go. I mean, they just seem so useful! Should I even cut the cycling lands?
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
Also agree on lands... Keep:
Kor Haven
Vesuva
Emeria
Maze
Strip Mine
Mistveil is ok since it'counts as a plains (works with Emeria and Gauntlet, but not with Extraplanar)
and I'd probably add Flagstones and Darksteel to the keepers since you run mass LD
Maybe keep/ Maybe cut (leaning a bit towards cut):
Eiganjo
Cycling
Wasteland
I'm leaning toward cut on the cycling lands because you're going to be sweeping lands and you'll most likely want them for actual lands instead of cycling most of the time.
Cut the others. I don't see enough draw in the deck to warrant Reliquary. Tec Edge and Ghost Quarter I think are not necessary with sooo much other LD in the deck. They become redundant and they are strictly inferior to Wasteland/Strip Mine
Also agree with cutting vial and Ajani.
Story Circle.... is usually underwhelming even in 1v1 unless your opps monocolor. At a multiplayer table it likely won't save you from anything.
Having a high Plains count and having lots of white mana on tap fast is going to be big in this deck. Not only to get your commander out and activate Emeria, but also to pull off really strong plays like Armageddon/Twilight Shepherd before really late game.
Banner by Nakamura, Thanks!
EDH Math
EDH Decks:
Ghost Council: The Magic Mafia of Orzhova
BB Drana: Down with the Sickness
Rasputin: Reality is Broken
Vish Kal Bleeder: Bloody Kisses
Teysa, Orzhov Dominatrix
Stonebrow: Breaking Things
BWR Kaalia Punisher: Heaven's on Fire
Grimgrin: Dead Reckoning
When you see how nasty it is to have your mana doubled by a t3 extraplanar lens, you will never want to draw another nonbasic again
Seriously though, your deck is a real gas-guzzler in terms of mana. This is OK, you just have to know that in your construction process. The extra resources of doubled mana far outweigh the utility of a cycling land or a second strip mine in just about every practical case here.
One more suggestion- Oblation I find is much more powerful and versatile than Exile. It works on all non-land permanents like an opponent's Mana Reflection or Mirari's Wake and it tucks their generals when you don't want them to recast them. The drawback is totally worth it.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
I wouldn't get discouraged. Just play lots of acceleration and the respect you earn on style points for committing to Angel tribal should get you through the first 6 turns of the game
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
Haha Thanks It's just that I've been pouring my heart and soul into this deck, so I want it to be as perfect as possible. It's left me exhausted
So is that all? Or are there more improvements that can be made?
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
Akroma's Memorial and Sword of Vengeance would make any of your creatures look like a certain legendary angel...
I don't see a Hallowed Burial in here, do you think you might need to be able to tuck opposing Commanders away?
@Endless Horizons: Although I've never played it myself, I've seen others in my group play it regularly, and I think it's a fine card. The obvious benefits are the fact that you always get your land-drops and you essentially get a free card every turn.
The one trick that some people don't realize is that you don't have to put ALL of your Plains under it...you can exile 6 or 8 or whatever number makes it seem harmless enough, and by the time it "runs out", you should have enough in play to do whatever you need to do.
Yeva (88/92 foils)
Raff
Scarab
Rakdos
Wort ($50 budget, 94/97 foils)
Trostani
Damn you TT.TT I thought I was done...
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you posted. Thank you very much for doing so. It's just...I'm so tired
I've thought of all the cards you listed before though, except for Terrain Generator (first time I've heard of it ^_^)
Journeyer's Kite: I like it. I like it a lot. However, I'm at wit's end as to what card to remove for it.
Terrain Generator: Seems a bit too slow for me (Even though I can't really talk. This deck won't be making speedy plays anytime soon.). I really don't want to put in another non-basic that's not crucial or has a useful effect when it comes to being destroyed (Flagstones/Darksteel).
Sword of Vengeance: Not that into Equips for this deck.
Hallowed Burial: I feel like I have enough tuck/inhibiting cards. To me, Hallowed Burial looks like another Wrath, but without the Wrath.
To be honest, I'm really not in the mood to be making anymore changes to the deck. I just don't have it in me. Everything's the way I like it
However, there is one thing I could go for...
Akroma's Memorial: Now THAT card. That one I would not mind putting in. But I really don't know what I'd remove. Can't think of anything. But my God, that card's cool...
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
Hallowed Burial is the best white wrath in the format. Period. I don't care what wrath you cut for it, but the deck will be better. Tucking is so insanely powerful against opposing commanders and its potency is often underestimated even by experienced players. You will shut down entire decks with that card.
Akroma's memorial, oddly enough, doesn't do much to help you. It's good if you are playing with lots of creatures on the table at once (i.e. token decks), which you're not. So you aren't getting the same efficiency out of it as you would a good equip like Sword of Fire and Ice.
Actually, you can pick any Sword you like (Sword of X and Y) and it would be great in your deck because almost all your creatures have evasion (especially those with pro-all colors or pro-all creatures!), making the swords' abilities very consistent. Sword of Feast and Famine would give you basically two angels a turn, for instance. Lightning Greaves is also dopey good. Your beaters could use the shroud and haste better than most any other deck because you have so many of them!
I would cut a couple of your off-theme creatures like World Queller and Purity. They're not super-fantastic cards and they take away from the all-angel awesome factor. The first non-angel card you should run would be Weathered Wayfarer anyway.
Seriously think about the equipment thing. Definitely Lightning Greaves. And If you can't get a hold of some swords (any will do!), Loxodon Warhammer should get in there. I know you're not hot on it but you have room for those cards, believe me. They're great early-game plays when you have nothing to do and they beat serious face later. They will turn a simple attacker into a major or even unstoppable threat.
After all, the only thing cooler than an army of angels is an army of angels with elephant warhammers and flaming swords, amirite?
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
I completely agree with everything you said except for this one. While I agree that tucking effects are very handy, wraths in this format are super-situational, so it's very hard to say that one is better than another.
For example, a Voltron-style deck would much rather play a Cataclysm, a token deck would play Martial Coup, Austere Command, or Hour of Reckoning, my Teneb deck would rather play Planar Cleansing, and someone who has trouble with indestructibles would rather play either Hallowed Burial or Final Judgment (against BSC or Ulamog or other indestructible non-commanders). Gun to my head, I'll take the versatility of Austere Command in a vacuum, but really depends on what you are trying to blow up.
For the Reya deck, I don't think that Hallowed Burial is the way to go, simply because you don't want to tuck your own creatures away; you want them to go to the graveyard so that Reya can bring them back. Therefore, the "best" wraths for Reya are probably Mass Calcify and All Is Dust. The latter gets around indestructibility, and the former keeps your team alive while nuking the rest of the board.
Obviously, neither one is good against BSC and Ulamog, but white has enough playable RFG effects that it shouldn't be a problem (like Archon of Justice).
Yeva (88/92 foils)
Raff
Scarab
Rakdos
Wort ($50 budget, 94/97 foils)
Trostani
Eh, you're probably right. Certainly in the case of Austere Command! I forgot to include that one in the wrath discussion. If I'm playing white, that card never, ever gets cut.
You have a good point about general shenanigans. I completely forgot in the face of an angel deck that Reya would probably like angels in the GY :rolleyes:.
All is dust is awesome too. I play it over all red sweeps in :symu::symr: myself.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP
You're probably right about the off-theme creatures like Purity. As cool as a ghost reindeer with wings is, I probably won't be burned anytime soon. I don't want to cut Eternal Dragon though. I could really use the Plainscycling. And Glory's ability is too useful. Plus, it looks like an angel way too much, arguably more so than some true angels on the list. Also, I really don't want to let Yosei go. Just the idea of re-using his ability (maybe even more than once) is enough for me to keep him. However, I can let him go is I really do have to.
As for Loxodon Warhammer, I'd much rather use Sword of Vengeance. Sure, I lose the lifelink and +1 power, but I'd rather have the haste and first strike.
What about Whispersilk Cloak or Darksteel Plate? Would those be any good? Or should I take Swords of [___] and [___] over them anyway?
WReya DawnbringerWGBounteous KirinGRUrabrask the HiddenR
The Swords are better than any other equip but they can be somewhat expensive dollar-wise. That's why people tend to run merely "good" equips like Loxodon Warhammer and Sword of Vengeance. All the swords but Body and Mind are pretty fantastic, really. I'd run the Plate as your first equipment (gotta love cheap good cards), followed by any of the three good swords you can get your hands on (they're all very useful for your deck), followed by Warhammer and Sword of Vengance. And as for the choice between those two, it's pretty much a flavor/personal call anyway. You won't often have one wishing it's the other because they're both pretty good cards.
:symu::symr: Melek WheelStorm
:symw::symg: Trostani Enchantress (updated 6/5)
:symg::symr::symu: Unexpected Results.dec
Thada Adel Stax WIP