Angel-themed Deck?
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on April 28, 2016, 10:16 a.m. by BlueBat93
Hey there guys,
I'm currently very fond of the idea to create an Angel-themed deck, because I just think some of them are really cool. I did a little research and there are some strong candidates already (main colors were white/red), but I also ran into a problem. As I browsed the list of Angel-type creatures I realized pretty quickly that most of them are damn expensive when it comes to mana cost.
I thought about running some Elvish Piper and splashing in some green with some "Mana of any Color"-Cards but I'm not quite sure on how to resolve this problem as I know the need to ramp up my mana supply quite quickly if I wanna run these big creatures. Another possibility would be to reduce mana cost of white/red spells or somehow work around it.The thing is, I am a just-returning magic player. The last edition I participated in was the Alara Block, so I am kinda out of knowledge regarding card effects and which cards to run or how to build up a working Angel Deck.
Do you have any good cards in mind? Do you know an Angel Deck that works well and I could use to orient myself on? I'd be really happy about some suggestions as the pure mass of cards and possibilities is pretty overwhelming atm.
Cheers and thanks in advance,
BlueBat
SIDE NOTE: This is not meant to be a higly competitive deck that I could win the tournaments with, but one that is is working well and playable with friends or FNM.
TheInsanelyMadWizard says... #3
Angels are mostly used in Mono White or Boros decks. I suggest using some creatures (since they have high Cmc) and a lot of burn spells like Lightning Bolt and Lightning Helix. For the creatures, I'd run Akroma, Angel of Fury; Basandra, Battle Seraph; Restoration Angel and Aegis Angel. You should also put some ramp like Sol Ring and Expedition Map
Good luck!
April 28, 2016 10:44 a.m.
Well, the first thing you have to accept is that you won't have many creatures in the deck if you want it to be Angel-themed. As you astutely noted, most of them get up there in terms of the mana cost, and that is a prohibitive problem in a format as fast as Modern. I would say that a full-on Angel tribal deck is probably not a good idea, but there are a few ways to use Angels to good effect. One example is Restoration Angel + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, which is an infinite creature combo. You could run that deck in Kiki Chord (which uses creatures like Birds of Paradise to accelerate and spells like Chord of Calling to fetch the pieces of the combo you need). Alternatively, you could try more of a controlling deck with cards like Lightning Bolt, Lightning Helix, Wall of Omens, and Ghostly Prison (or even Archangel of Tithes if you're feeling frisky) to buy time while you set up the combo. As mentioned above, you could also do a Luminarch Ascension deck focused on preventing damage to you then beating your opponent to death with a bunch of Angel tokens. I think those 3 are your best bets, honestly.
April 28, 2016 10:55 a.m.
omnipotato says... #5
This deck got 30th at a recent SCG classic if you want an angel-themed deck that can also be competitive. If it's more casual you can probably take out the Blood Moons
April 28, 2016 12:51 p.m.
It's been modified a little but this is almost the list my fiance runs: Angelic Presence. It is a difficult deck to play against as it will hit you for playing creatures, instants, targeted removal, all while gaining life and giving all her creatures +1's and indestructible. Replace the emeria lands with Flagstones of Trokair and the land base smooths out better. This is a slower angel deck, but highly effective. I will get you an updated list when I am able.
April 28, 2016 1:19 p.m.
Sludgebrained says... #7
I have this list I play casually with my GF. It's great and there's tons of slots to upgrade the angels are pretty flexible. The land base could be upgraded, but it runs surprisingly well against most modern decks with what it's got.
April 28, 2016 3:48 p.m.
Windbrisk Heights can help you cheat some of the bigger angels in for cheap.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx could help with ramp a lot.
Angelic Armaments can help keep the angel theme if you use cheaper cards to fill out the deck for early game with stuff like Knight of the White Orchid.
April 28, 2016 4:24 p.m.
Metheawesome says... #9
Another way to go is some white weenie humans to get through the first 4-5 turns and then play angels. Or you could fill it with removal and wraths for that slot.
Scouty says... #2
I think the closest thing you could get to a "good" angel deck would be a mono-W or Wx pillowfort deck. The main wincon of the deck is Luminarch Ascension, which can pump out a good deal of angels later on in the game.
Otherwise, you've already encountered the biggest problem with an "angel" themed deck, in the high CMC of basically every angel out there.
April 28, 2016 10:31 a.m.