Gisela, Blade of Goldnight looks like a very interesting choice for EDH General - her static ability will make multiplayer politics a lot of fun (and hopefully in my favor). As such, it's time to retire Tajic, Blade of the Legion - tribal soldiers just don't have enough impact to be edh competitive in a consistent manner and our meta has recently taken a steep climb upwards.
My red/white deck is receiving an overhaul and will be replaced with Angel-tribal. My hopes is that I will not suffer tempo-wise, and so I will need to make sure my draw and ramp are relatively strong. The decklist is budget....so unfortunately no $30+ angels here...
My goals with piloting this build is to pillowfort the early game, establish presence in the mid-game and then dominate through aggro in the end-game. I would like to successfully run two sub-themes: lifegain tempo and pillowfort enchantments.
While I have some concern about card draw and mana ramp, I've really been focusing at building out those areas in red/white and I've seen success with my soldiers already, so I should be okay here.
All my decks adhere to these guidelines:
1) Be able to win.
2) Be mostly true to a flavor and a theme.
3) Be good against one or multiple opponents.
5) Be fun to pilot or to play against and interactive.
6) Have multiple paths to victory.
7) Have lots of cool interactions and synergy.
8) Play out differently every game to keep it fun over a long time.
9) Be streamlined and fast to play without excessive upkeep, time-consuming play or overcomplicated boardstates.
10) Integrate the Commanders abilities into the strategy at least a little, but be able to win without ever playing the commander.
The number in front of the card will denote CMC of the creature/spell.
Anya, Merciless Angel (I personally don't like it since it doesn't have a huge impact though you may find otherwise) Flameblade Angel (1 Damage, or 2 with Gisela, isn't much if you can't really control it) Dawnbreak Reclaimer (I don't like giving my opponents their best dead creature back every turn) Twilight Shepherd (I think Faith's Reward and Second Sunrise are better for this effect) Angelic Renewal (I think Angelic Chorus is better) Reya Dawnbringer (I have a love/hate relationship with this card. I have tried on numerous occasions to make it work and I am never satisfied with the result due to the high cost) Dragon Breath (not high enough impact) Leonin Sun Standard (Cathars' Crusdae is better for this and Archangel of Thune works pretty well for this too) Coercive Portal (I think you have enough card draw and your opponent's are going to blow up your board when you don't want them to) Brightflame (Way too expensive and way to conditional. If you want a wrath based on damage, that could also be a win condition, just go with Rolling Earthquake. Or, Earthquake if you don't want to hit your fliers. Fated Retribution (I think good old Wrath of God is better or even Rout if you want the possibility of it being an instant. If planeswalkers are a big deal in your meta though, Fated Retribution isn't bad)
Also, do not cut Boros Charm. This card is really good in a number of situations. You should also add Return to Dust and Sunforger gets both cards as well as Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile.
In your other thread, you mentioned the possibility of going a little more all in on Enchantments to make Sigil of the Empty Throne better, and here are a couple suggestions for that:
I see Assemble the Legion is in your "maybe" pile and I really like this card for an Enchantress deck. I play it in my Johan deck and so far it has been pretty overwhelming when it starts going. However, I cut it from Gisela because the deck is just too fast to really be worthwhile. I am always more concerned about casting something else for 5 mana that I am usually not happy to see it. However, with an Enchantress type theme, it is better so it could work in this deck.
I am not sure if you are looking at making Sigil of the Empty Throne work just because it makes Angels or because you are interested in an Enchantress build. If it is the latter, I would recommend adding green to the deck as green has so many good enchantments matter cards.
Thank you so much for stopping by. You make a lot of sense.
Yeah....I really, really want to find a copy of Archangel of Thune and Avacyn, Angel of Hope for this build. Including an Entreat the Angels and even a Baneslayer Angel would go a long ways to filtering out some of those other weaker creature cards. I really like the list you provided - gives me a good idea of what I should be cutting out.
One of my biggest fears is that this deck will perform too slow. I've had it with previous soldier-tribal decks in white/red where without the needed draw and ramp, the deck just dies before it really gets a chance to see its potential. As such, I'm going to do some play testing before FTV:Angels is released. If it tempos well, I may just pick up a copy and that'll help a great deal with what I'm looking for to round out the power level.
Really like the idea of adding in Flickering Ward. Really fits the defensive theme I'm aiming for and does help break Sigil of the Empty Throne jus that little bit more.
Flameblade Angel is in the build because my meta is pretty heavy with token decks at the moment. Having a 50 dmg punishment for swinging at me may be just what I need....but I'll keep a close eye on the card - if it doesn't perform, it'll get cut.
Thanks again for dropping by. Really appreciate the advice.
The speed of the deck could be a concern, which is why I don't think you want to go too heavy on the enchantments and why you want the enchantments to either slow the rest of the game down or speed your deck up. The ones you have so far seem to be able to do that and Sphere of Safety is really good for that. You could also add Ghostly Prison to help slow down the token decks you mentioned.
If the idea is to "combo" with Sigil of the Empty Throne, Flickering Ward is a good choice. 2 mana to give yourself an Angel is not bad at all. You might want to think of picking up a Serra's Sanctum as well. With at least 1 enchantment, such as Darksteel Mutation it is no worse than a Plains but it can be so much more.
Just remember with Flameblade Angel that if someone kills you with 50 tokens, they won't take 50 damage since you will be dead and your triggers go away when you die. In this case, they would never even make it to the stack. But, if your meta has enough token decks, it could be useful to slow them down while you build up your board state.
Regarding card draw: Red/White does have a problem with keeping cards in hand. I run Magus of the Wheel, Wheel of Fortune and Reforge the Soul to keep my hand full. I know it gives others cards too and sometime it can backfire due to this, but if you are sitting with one card in hand, you probably aren't doing too well anyway. Beyond Sword of Fire and Ice I don't have anything else in my deck that really draws me cards since they are good enough that I don't feel I need anything more.
You could also run Sun Titan to keep getting back cards. It gets better with fetches (since you can "ramp" by recurring fetches) but he does let you get back a few smaller things. One neat interaction, if you play against anything with hexproof, is that it lets you get back Darksteel Mutation or and you can then attach it to a hexproof creature (like Sigarda, Host of Herons for example) so you can interact with it.
Once again you drop by and add value Thank you very much.
The thought behind my enchantments was to slow the board-state down - I'm very glad that you were able to see that (means I'm at least somewhat on the right track). Alas, Ghostly Prison is outside of my price range, but I saw a nifty little Mudslide that might make for a decent budget alternative.
You make a strong case against Flameblade Angel - and I accept the point that she isn't the strongest 6cmc card available. Quite true that Sun Titan would even be a more potent fit. I'll put it down on the maybe board for now, as I do have a copy ready and willing.
I thought about adding in wheel effects too. However, I've found that the deck needs to be able to out pace opponents for this to turn into card advantage. For example, I run Reforge the Soul in my Elfball deck because I know I can cast my old hand in 1-2 turns and then get 7 new cards for a repeat, leaving my opponents losing some of there old hand and possibly upsetting their ramp plans. With Angels, I don't think I'll have that kind of tempo and my opponents will benefit more from the wheel that I will...don't want that.
I also have a copy of Arcane Lighthouse and Homeward Path that may be included - depends on how many Mountains I need to run. Also, I think I plan to pillage a little from my Grimgrim deck and use my only copy of Thran Dynamo here. Followed up with a Hedron Archive and I should have an easier time casting those large cmc angels.
Also, in my meta, Coercive Portal is perhaps less of a risk as one might think. We tend to play on 2HG or 5-man Star (meaning that I have 2 allies), so it may be quite rare where it turns into an unwanted boardwipe.
Thanks again for your comments. They will help a lot when I fine-tune my build.
Very good points on all, and glad I could be of help. Hopefully this gets you closer to where you want to be with the deck. You mentioned that Ghostly Prison was outside your price range but I just want to remind you that it was just reprinted in Conspiracy and the price is down to about $3. That may still be more than you want to spend, but it might be worthwhile to watch it to see if it gets down to where you want.
In any case, I like the idea of Mudslide. I will certainly have to keep that in mind for my own Enchantress build. Because you have the Enchantments sub theme and because it hurts you so little when compared to your opponents, that actually seems like a good mix of Control and Synergy with a number of parts of your deck.
I've had the opportunity to do some deck testing last night. While I don't yet have all the cards from my most recent order, I will say that I was quite pleased with the results.
- The deck pillowforts during the early game very nicely. Ghostly Prison is about the last piece that would help on this front.
- Ramp was amazing. Oath of Lieges turned out to be an instant all-star.
- Card draw becomes amazing if I draw into one of my card draws - otherwise I stagnate. - not sure how to better work with this yet...
- Creatures are fat. This often deterred attack during mid-game. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight is game-warping. I may need to get some more protection for her as the meta adjusts and she is targeted more frequently.
- Late-game is hilariously destructive. With only several angels out, I could push 80+ damage across the board while maintaining my pillowfort stance.
Had the opportunity to also see some of my 'cut?' cards in action:
- Flameblade Angel is out. Players will just wait until lethal can be swung.
- Twilight Shepherd is out. Way too difficult to trigger and too limiting a result.
- Anya, Merciless Angel is out. It impacts the board, but no more than any of my other angels. Since it doesn't do anything else but board presence, I can afford to swap it out for another angel that does do something else other than board presence.
- Angel of Renewal is in. It'll be another trigger for Archangel of Thune for if/when I get around to buying. It's a decent body - and helps keep me alive until the late-game.
- Paradise Plume is in. Somehow... The lifegain from this card is very good and because it's gained one at a time, it'll be strong with Well of Lost Dreams and Archangel of Thune if/when I get her.
Other potential 'cuts?' I did not see, so I'll need to play with the deck a bit more.
Ghostly Prison is in Conspiracy 2 as an uncommon, so should be dropping in price. Oath of Lieges may be one of my favorite cards - glad to see another convert!
Unfortunately I only have one copy of Urza's Incubator and it is in my Grimgrin Zombie tribal deck where it is desperately needed. I reason that I won't be able to play more than 1 or 2 angels in a given turn anyways, so I may not be able to fully utilize Urza's Incubator the same way I can in Grimgrin where there are turns where I can drop 6 or 7 zombies in one turn.
A friend told me about Oath of Lieges - I did not know such cards exist. It is absolutely fantastic because it effectively highjacks green's ramp advantage. We have green players in our meta now that refuse to ramp when that card is out. - either way it's a win.
Cryptic Gateway was on my short list - I've had some success with it, but it just tends to be too conditional to abuse.
Blinding Light and Blinding Angel were also considered....too many cards...too little space. I'll keep them in mind and maybe swap them in at a later date to see how they play.
Brief update. Was able to get ahold of an Archangel of Thune! So stoked to see it hit play. Had to trade in a few value-lands for it, but I think it'll be worth. Also cracked open the Angel of Invention in the Kaladesh prerelease, so really, really good angel to add here - don't know if I'll ever make servos...
A few other changes as well. The new additions should help cut down my CMC as well.
My red/white deck is receiving an overhaul and will be replaced with Angel-tribal. My hopes is that I will not suffer tempo-wise, and so I will need to make sure my draw and ramp are relatively strong. The decklist is budget....so unfortunately no $30+ angels here...
My goals with piloting this build is to pillowfort the early game, establish presence in the mid-game and then dominate through aggro in the end-game. I would like to successfully run two sub-themes: lifegain tempo and pillowfort enchantments.
While I have some concern about card draw and mana ramp, I've really been focusing at building out those areas in red/white and I've seen success with my soldiers already, so I should be okay here.
All my decks adhere to these guidelines:
1) Be able to win.
2) Be mostly true to a flavor and a theme.
3) Be good against one or multiple opponents.
5) Be fun to pilot or to play against and interactive.
6) Have multiple paths to victory.
7) Have lots of cool interactions and synergy.
8) Play out differently every game to keep it fun over a long time.
9) Be streamlined and fast to play without excessive upkeep, time-consuming play or overcomplicated boardstates.
10) Integrate the Commanders abilities into the strategy at least a little, but be able to win without ever playing the commander.
The number in front of the card will denote CMC of the creature/spell.
7 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
//Angels (18)
4 Sublime Angel
4 Angel of Finality
4 Angel of Jubilation
4 Archangel of Tithes
4 Gisela, the Broken Blade
5 Baneslayer Angel
5 Shattered Angel
5 Angel of Invention
5 Archangel of Thune
5 Lyra Dawnbringer
6 Aurelia, the Warleader
6 Sunblast Angel
6 Adarkar Valkyrie
6 Subjugator Angel
6 Firemane Angel
7 Angelic Arbiter
7 Emeria Shepherd
7 Bruna, the Fading Light
//Non-Angels (3)
3 Mesa Enchantress
3 Burnished Hart
4 Solemn Simulacrum
//Tokens (4)
2 Luminarch Ascension
4x Decree of Justice
5 Sigil of the Empty Throne
//Card Advantage (6)
2 Endless Atlas
4 Well of Lost Dreams
5 Mind's Eye
5 Stolen Strategy
6 Staff of Nin
6 Sunbird's Invocation
1 Authority of the Consuls
1 Flickering Ward
2 Blind Obedience
2 Boros Charm
3 Mudslide
3 Ghostly Prison
4 Lightmine Field
5 Sphere of Safety
//Control (10)
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
2 Darksteel Mutation
2 Seal of Cleansing
2x Martial Coup
3 Aura of Silence
4 Return to Dust
5 Hallowed Burial
5 Fumigate
6 Austere Command
//Buff (4)
5 Skybind
5 Cathars' Crusade
5 Dictate of the Twin Gods
6 True Conviction
//Ramp (10)
1 Sol Ring
2 Oath of Lieges
2 Pearl Medallion
2 Sword of the Animist
3 Pristine Talisman
3 Boros Locket
3 Darksteel Ingot
3 Urza's Incubator
4 Thran Dynamo
4 Hedron Archive
0 Command Tower
0 Sacred Foundry
0 Clifftop Retreat
0 Battlefield Forge
0 Boros Guildgate
0 Ancient Amphitheater
0 Wind-Scarred Crag
0 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
0 Windbrisk Heights
0 Flamekin Village
0 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
0 Slayers' Stronghold
0 Seraph Sanctuary
0 Blighted Steppe
0 Terrain Generator
0 Rogue's Passage
0 Temple of the False God
12 Plains
7 Mountain
20 enchantments so far...
5 Lyra Dawnbriger (dominaria)
4 Linvala, Keeper of Silence (Expensive)
4 Sublime Archangel (Expensive)
8 Avacyn, Angel of Hope (Expensive)
2 Spirit Loop
5 Angelic Chorus (ntby)
4 Moat (ntby)
1 Soul Snare (ntby)
3x Entreat the Angels (Expensive)
6 Flameblade Angel
6 Twilight Shepherd
2 Dragon Breath
4x Brightflame
2x Aurelia's Fury (cut?)
3 Boros Keyrune
Sept 26 2016:
Coercive Portal >> Mesa Enchantress (might not be as consistent, but is more thematic)
Twilight Shepard >> Angel of Invention (accidently had 2 copies of Twilight Shepard in...so stoked for Angel of Invension)
Angel of Renewal >> Authority of the Consuls (good protection)
Leonin Sun Standard >> Archangel of Thune (WOOT! Trading in some cards for it. So sweet)
Oct 2 2016:
Firemane Avenger >> Firemane Angel
Fated Retribution >> Fumigate
Oct 20 2016:
Paradise Plume >> Ghostly Prison
Dawnbreak Reclaimer >> Skybind (really not sure about this one, but want to try Skybind and don't know what to swap out...)
Nov 11 2016:
Lightmine Field >> Blind Obedience
Hammer of Purphoros >> Duelist's Heritage
Skullclamp >> Coercive Portal (note getting the value I want out of skullclamp in this deck)
Dec 19 2016:
Goldnight Redeemer >> Sun Titan
Oreskos Explorer >> Pearl Medallion
Eiganjo Castle >> Flamekin Village
March 29 2017:
Adarkar Valkyrie >> Tyrant's Familiar
June 4 2017:
Reya Dawnbringer >> Emeria Shepherd
Requiem Angel >> Loreseeker's Stone
Gift of Immortality >> Burnished Hart
Sept 22 2017:
Tyrant's Familiar >> Baneslayer Angel
Oct 24 2017:
Knight of the White Orchid >> Sunbird's Invocation
Jan 5 2018:
Loreseeker's Stone >> Urza's Incubator
Legion's Initiative >> Mirage Mirror
Basandra, Battle Seraph >> Gisela, the Broken Blade
Karmic Justice >> Bruna, the Fading Light
Duelist's Heritage >> Dictate of the Twin Gods
Reconnaissance >> too many cards
Karmic Guide >> too many cards
March 15 2018:
Mountain >> Battlefield Forge
April 28 2018:
The time has come - finally a card has been released that will out-perform Serra Ascendant
Serra Ascendant >> Lyra Dawnbringer
Coercive Portal >> Adarkar Valkyrie
Martial Coup >> Rout
June 19 2018:
Deathless Angel >> Stolen Strategy
Sun Titan >> [card]Angelic Chorus[card]
Aug 15 2018:
Emeria Angel >> Shattered Angel
Rout >> Martial Coup
Angel of Serenity >> Mountain
Marshal's Anthem >> Lightmine Field
Jan 3 2019:
Mirage Mirror >> Endless Atlas
Sandstone Oracle >> Entreat the Angels
Angelic Chorus >> Sublime Angel
Angelic Skirmisher >> Subjugator Angel
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
Anya, Merciless Angel (I personally don't like it since it doesn't have a huge impact though you may find otherwise)
Flameblade Angel (1 Damage, or 2 with Gisela, isn't much if you can't really control it)
Dawnbreak Reclaimer (I don't like giving my opponents their best dead creature back every turn)
Twilight Shepherd (I think Faith's Reward and Second Sunrise are better for this effect)
Angelic Renewal (I think Angelic Chorus is better)
Reya Dawnbringer (I have a love/hate relationship with this card. I have tried on numerous occasions to make it work and I am never satisfied with the result due to the high cost)
Dragon Breath (not high enough impact)
Leonin Sun Standard (Cathars' Crusdae is better for this and Archangel of Thune works pretty well for this too)
Coercive Portal (I think you have enough card draw and your opponent's are going to blow up your board when you don't want them to)
Brightflame (Way too expensive and way to conditional. If you want a wrath based on damage, that could also be a win condition, just go with Rolling Earthquake. Or, Earthquake if you don't want to hit your fliers.
Fated Retribution (I think good old Wrath of God is better or even Rout if you want the possibility of it being an instant. If planeswalkers are a big deal in your meta though, Fated Retribution isn't bad)
Also, do not cut Boros Charm. This card is really good in a number of situations. You should also add Return to Dust and Sunforger gets both cards as well as Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile.
In your other thread, you mentioned the possibility of going a little more all in on Enchantments to make Sigil of the Empty Throne better, and here are a couple suggestions for that:
I see Assemble the Legion is in your "maybe" pile and I really like this card for an Enchantress deck. I play it in my Johan deck and so far it has been pretty overwhelming when it starts going. However, I cut it from Gisela because the deck is just too fast to really be worthwhile. I am always more concerned about casting something else for 5 mana that I am usually not happy to see it. However, with an Enchantress type theme, it is better so it could work in this deck.
I am not sure if you are looking at making Sigil of the Empty Throne work just because it makes Angels or because you are interested in an Enchantress build. If it is the latter, I would recommend adding green to the deck as green has so many good enchantments matter cards.
Thank you so much for stopping by. You make a lot of sense.
Yeah....I really, really want to find a copy of Archangel of Thune and Avacyn, Angel of Hope for this build. Including an Entreat the Angels and even a Baneslayer Angel would go a long ways to filtering out some of those other weaker creature cards. I really like the list you provided - gives me a good idea of what I should be cutting out.
One of my biggest fears is that this deck will perform too slow. I've had it with previous soldier-tribal decks in white/red where without the needed draw and ramp, the deck just dies before it really gets a chance to see its potential. As such, I'm going to do some play testing before FTV:Angels is released. If it tempos well, I may just pick up a copy and that'll help a great deal with what I'm looking for to round out the power level.
Really like the idea of adding in Flickering Ward. Really fits the defensive theme I'm aiming for and does help break Sigil of the Empty Throne jus that little bit more.
Flameblade Angel is in the build because my meta is pretty heavy with token decks at the moment. Having a 50 dmg punishment for swinging at me may be just what I need....but I'll keep a close eye on the card - if it doesn't perform, it'll get cut.
Thanks again for dropping by. Really appreciate the advice.
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
If the idea is to "combo" with Sigil of the Empty Throne, Flickering Ward is a good choice. 2 mana to give yourself an Angel is not bad at all. You might want to think of picking up a Serra's Sanctum as well. With at least 1 enchantment, such as Darksteel Mutation it is no worse than a Plains but it can be so much more.
Just remember with Flameblade Angel that if someone kills you with 50 tokens, they won't take 50 damage since you will be dead and your triggers go away when you die. In this case, they would never even make it to the stack. But, if your meta has enough token decks, it could be useful to slow them down while you build up your board state.
You could also run Idyllic Tutor and Enlightened Tutor to help get to the enchantments you want. Plea for Guidance is another tutor. If you decide to pursue the idea of Sunforger, Mistveil Plains is a great addition. You can get it off of Fetch Lands, Knight of the White Orchid and Oreskos Explorer. Even without Sunforger, it gives you a way to keep re-using some of your spells.
Regarding card draw: Red/White does have a problem with keeping cards in hand. I run Magus of the Wheel, Wheel of Fortune and Reforge the Soul to keep my hand full. I know it gives others cards too and sometime it can backfire due to this, but if you are sitting with one card in hand, you probably aren't doing too well anyway. Beyond Sword of Fire and Ice I don't have anything else in my deck that really draws me cards since they are good enough that I don't feel I need anything more.
You could also run Sun Titan to keep getting back cards. It gets better with fetches (since you can "ramp" by recurring fetches) but he does let you get back a few smaller things. One neat interaction, if you play against anything with hexproof, is that it lets you get back Darksteel Mutation or and you can then attach it to a hexproof creature (like Sigarda, Host of Herons for example) so you can interact with it.
Once again you drop by and add value Thank you very much.
The thought behind my enchantments was to slow the board-state down - I'm very glad that you were able to see that (means I'm at least somewhat on the right track). Alas, Ghostly Prison is outside of my price range, but I saw a nifty little Mudslide that might make for a decent budget alternative.
You make a strong case against Flameblade Angel - and I accept the point that she isn't the strongest 6cmc card available. Quite true that Sun Titan would even be a more potent fit. I'll put it down on the maybe board for now, as I do have a copy ready and willing.
Serra's Sanctum looks like an amazing card....but it's got the price to match too. unfortunately there so many other cards I would sooner get with $70 before this one..Archangel of Thune, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Entreat the Angels and Baneslayer Angel float to ~$80...
I thought about adding in wheel effects too. However, I've found that the deck needs to be able to out pace opponents for this to turn into card advantage. For example, I run Reforge the Soul in my Elfball deck because I know I can cast my old hand in 1-2 turns and then get 7 new cards for a repeat, leaving my opponents losing some of there old hand and possibly upsetting their ramp plans. With Angels, I don't think I'll have that kind of tempo and my opponents will benefit more from the wheel that I will...don't want that.
I also have a copy of Arcane Lighthouse and Homeward Path that may be included - depends on how many Mountains I need to run. Also, I think I plan to pillage a little from my Grimgrim deck and use my only copy of Thran Dynamo here. Followed up with a Hedron Archive and I should have an easier time casting those large cmc angels.
Also, in my meta, Coercive Portal is perhaps less of a risk as one might think. We tend to play on 2HG or 5-man Star (meaning that I have 2 allies), so it may be quite rare where it turns into an unwanted boardwipe.
Thanks again for your comments. They will help a lot when I fine-tune my build.
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
In any case, I like the idea of Mudslide. I will certainly have to keep that in mind for my own Enchantress build. Because you have the Enchantments sub theme and because it hurts you so little when compared to your opponents, that actually seems like a good mix of Control and Synergy with a number of parts of your deck.
- The deck pillowforts during the early game very nicely. Ghostly Prison is about the last piece that would help on this front.
- Ramp was amazing. Oath of Lieges turned out to be an instant all-star.
- Card draw becomes amazing if I draw into one of my card draws - otherwise I stagnate. - not sure how to better work with this yet...
- Creatures are fat. This often deterred attack during mid-game. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight is game-warping. I may need to get some more protection for her as the meta adjusts and she is targeted more frequently.
- Late-game is hilariously destructive. With only several angels out, I could push 80+ damage across the board while maintaining my pillowfort stance.
Had the opportunity to also see some of my 'cut?' cards in action:
- Flameblade Angel is out. Players will just wait until lethal can be swung.
- Twilight Shepherd is out. Way too difficult to trigger and too limiting a result.
- Anya, Merciless Angel is out. It impacts the board, but no more than any of my other angels. Since it doesn't do anything else but board presence, I can afford to swap it out for another angel that does do something else other than board presence.
- Angel of Renewal is in. It'll be another trigger for Archangel of Thune for if/when I get around to buying. It's a decent body - and helps keep me alive until the late-game.
- Paradise Plume is in. Somehow... The lifegain from this card is very good and because it's gained one at a time, it'll be strong with Well of Lost Dreams and Archangel of Thune if/when I get her.
Other potential 'cuts?' I did not see, so I'll need to play with the deck a bit more.
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
Urza's Incubator and Belbe's Portal (and maybe Cryptic Gateway) are only good for one creature type, but tribal decks don't care.
Blinding Light and Blinding Angel, perhaps? Blinding Light even plays nice with Sunblast Angel and Crackdown.
Cheers!
Krichaiushii on PucaTrade.
Thank you for the comments.
Unfortunately I only have one copy of Urza's Incubator and it is in my Grimgrin Zombie tribal deck where it is desperately needed. I reason that I won't be able to play more than 1 or 2 angels in a given turn anyways, so I may not be able to fully utilize Urza's Incubator the same way I can in Grimgrin where there are turns where I can drop 6 or 7 zombies in one turn.
A friend told me about Oath of Lieges - I did not know such cards exist. It is absolutely fantastic because it effectively highjacks green's ramp advantage. We have green players in our meta now that refuse to ramp when that card is out. - either way it's a win.
Cryptic Gateway was on my short list - I've had some success with it, but it just tends to be too conditional to abuse.
Blinding Light and Blinding Angel were also considered....too many cards...too little space. I'll keep them in mind and maybe swap them in at a later date to see how they play.
Thanks for the thoughts.
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU
A few other changes as well. The new additions should help cut down my CMC as well.
See decklist in OP and changelog for details.
| B Erebos, God of VampiresB | GYeva SmashG | RBosh ArtifactsR | GURAnimar +1 BeatsGUR | RBVial's Secret Hot SauceRB | UBRNekusar, Draw if you DareUBR | RGBDarigaaz'z DragonsRGB | GBSlimeFEETGB | UBOn-Hit LazavUB | URBrudiclad's Artificer InventionsUR | GUBMuldrotha's ElementalsGUB | WUGKestia's EnchantmentsWUG | GUTatyova - Draw, Land, Go!GU | WGArahbo's EquipmentWG | BUWVarina's ZOMBIE HORDESBUW | WLyra's Angelic SalvationW | WBChurch of TeysaWB | UAzami...WizardsU