MtG Wiki Aggro-Control-Combo Description
"Some Magic decks are adaptable enough to perform all three roles. By utilizing strong "engines", playing only the best cards for sheer power level, or using a large "toolbox" of silver bullet cards, decks that can claim to be all archetypes at once are usually both adaptive and unpredictable in nature. Generally lacking the full speed of an aggro deck, the constant disruption of a control deck and the pure focus of a combo deck, the extremely rare Aggro-Control-Combo archetype attempts to make up for any shortcomings with metagame adaptability and/or sheer power."
Synergy
The above descriptions fit this deck well enough, for it is made as a sort of cure-all capable of handling all manner of threats yours opponents may throw at you - and thus contains all manner of tricks. Archangel Elspeth, Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Heliod, God of the Sun, Hanweir Militia Captain
's flip side Westvale Cult Leader
, and Castle Ardenvale add a swarm-feature. The Dauntless River Marshals, Suppression Bonds, Authority of the Consuls, Thalia, Heretic Cathar add a prison/control-feature. Fog Bank and the Seraph of the Sword will defend you and, in the Seraphs' case, provide you with an army of flyers augmented by Nimbus Wings (which can give you a 4/4 flyer by your second turn if combined with the Marshal, Topan Freeblade, or Knight of the White Orchid) and Archangel Elspeth's -2 ability. Heliod's Pilgrim will get you the Aura(s) you want. The Knight of the White Orchid is a safeguard against being short of mana with Solemn Offering being an artifact & enchantment removal feature coupled with lifegain. Nyx-Fleece Ram can prop you up and/or keep you on your feet; and if you are on the verge of defeat, Linvala, the Preserver and/or the Resolute Archangel will save you.
Playability Results
This may seem like a jumbled mess but trust me, it works. It has won more games than lost by an appreciable margin and against all manner of foes: from Eldrazi to Vampires, Hydras to Elves, Aggro-burn (and Dragon) decks to mono-White and Blue and much else. (Even I can seldom defeat it on those rare occasions that my friends use it.) As the MtG Wiki description of Aggro-Control-Combo states, it is adaptable, and since each card feeds into multiple strategies you will seldom find yourself in a corner that you cannot escape from. Linvala, the Preserver in particular has saved me more times than I care to count. Finally, and in concert with the above, this deck is designed to perform well with no more than 4 mana at your disposal; indeed, only three cards require more than four. Finally, to provide more empirical evidence, the deck plays well enough that I made a Pioneer (Standard at the time of construction) version of it called Sun Empire's Assault and then a Commander one named The Forces of Light.
(Personal Note: I am not on this website much, so please do not be offended if I do not reply to comments quickly.)
