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Legality
| Format | Legality |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Archenemy | Legal |
| Arena | Legal |
| Block Constructed | Legal |
| Canadian Highlander | Legal |
| Casual | Legal |
| Commander / EDH | Legal |
| Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
| Custom | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Highlander | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Pauper Duel Commander | Legal |
| Pauper EDH | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Angelic Curator
Creature — Angel Spirit
Flying, protection from artifacts ((Remember the acronym debt.) This can't be damaged, enchanted, equipped, blocked or targeted by artifacts. Artifacts attached to this immediately falls off.)
![Giada, Font of Hope - Angel Tribal [WIP] thumbnail](http://static.tappedout.net/chart/100-0-0-0-0-small.png)
![Giada, Font of Hope feature for Giada, Font of Hope - Angel Tribal [WIP]](http://static.tappedout.net/mtg-cards-2/streets-of-new-capenna/giada-font-of-hope/femme_fatale-giada-font-of-hope-snc-16500876480.png)
trippy_mcfly on
Cumly Cube
9 months ago
Introducing Cumly Cube 1.2! 12 months ago, Cumly Cube was updated to Cumly Cube 1.1, offering many needed changes to the card pool. While this fixed some glaring errors, other faults in the cube remained, and a year of careful consideration has hopefully identified all of them. For Cumly Cube's 1.1's 1-year anniversary, I have chosen to make some changes. These changes serve a few functions:
One of them is to smooth the power level of cards in the pool. There should be very few slam-dunk picks or unplayable cards.
Another is to remove the snow card type from the pool. This makes it so players only have the option of including regular basic lands in their deck, increasing accessibility and ease for drafting.
A third is to balance the level of aggression in strategies. It was identified that playing strong, expensive creatures was a dominant strategy in Cumly Cube 1.1, since there was not enough support for aggressive decks to go under this strategy. While aggressive decks are still not supported heavily, a few changes in the card pool have hopefully shifted the meta to a point in which tempo will be an important dynamic in most matchups.
A fourth and final change is in the creature types. All creatures now belong to a supported creature type, and all non-creature cards that produce creature tokens produce tokens that belong to a supported creature type as well, meaning that tribal synergies are going to be emphasized in Cumly Cube 1.2, as was an original goal of this Cumly cube.
One more thing to note is an important change to the rules. Rule 907 has been removed. Players can no longer use this rule to conjure a basic land of any type into their hand, increasing a need for disciplined drafting. While this rule allowed players to play more ambitious decks, it removed the use for Banners, Lockets, and other methods of fixing mana. Ambitious decks are still possible in Cumly Cube 1.2, they just require some extra effort to draft.
Here are the individual card changes, provided with brief justifications:
CUTS:
ARTIFACT
Arcum's Astrolabe: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Ankh of Mishra: Too weak in power level Coalition Relic: Too much utility for general decks Coat of Arms: Ideally, this card would often be symmetrical, since opposing players would have tribal synergies, thus making it too weak in power level Coercive Portal: Too strong Coldsteel Heart: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Crowded Crypt: Creates zombie creature tokens, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 Explorer's Scope: Too strong and too much variability Fellwar Stone: Too strong Glasses of Urza: Too weak in power level Grafted Skullcap: Too narrow Mask of Memory: Too much utility for general decks Paladin's Shield: Too weak in power level Scroll Rack: Too little synergy with the rest of the card pool Sword of Feast and Famine: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Sword of Fire and Ice: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Sword of Light and Shadow: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Sword of Truth and Justice: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Talisman of Conviction: Too powerful Talisman of Hierarchy: Too powerful Talisman of Resilience: Too powerful
CREATURE
Allosaurus Shepherd: Removed to lower the presence of elves and green creatures Angelic Curator: Too weak in power level. Additionally, protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Apex Devastator: Card advantage should require more synergy than slamming one creature card Apex Hawks: Too weak in power level Arcbound Reclaimer: Too weak in power level Avacyn's Pilgrim: A mana dork that costs 1 mana with no drawback is too powerful and too obvious a choice of a Cumly Ascendant Spirit: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Battered Golem: Too weak in power level Beast Whisperer: Too powerful Birds of Paradise: A mana dork that costs 1 mana with no drawback is too powerful and too obvious a choice of a Cumly Boreal Druid: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Boreal Outrider: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Bosh, Iron Golem: Too weak in power level Bottle Golems: Too weak in power level Brokkos, Apex of Forever: Mutate cards have been removed to make Cumly Cube 1.2 more accessible Cartographer: Too weak in power level Chillbringer: Too weak in power level Dryad of the Ilysian Grove: Not a supported creature type, plus too much utility for general decks Elvish Visionary: Removed to lower the presence of elves and green creatures Erebos, God of the Dead: Too strong of an engine for an indestructible card Eternal Witness: Removed to lower the incentive for primarily green strategies Ethereal Valkyrie: Card advantage should require more synergy than slamming one creature card Garth One-Eye: Too complicated of a card Goldspan Dragon: Too strong in the treasure matters archetype Hellkite Tyrant: Too strong of an alternate win condition in multiplayer games and too powerful after sideboarding against artifact-based strategies Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis: Not a viable addition to almost any deck Icehide Golem: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Illuna, Apex of Wishes: Mutate cards have been removed to make Cumly Cube 1.2 more accessible Ingot Chewer: Too powerful against artifact-based strategies Karmic Guide: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Kozilek, Butcher of Truth: Too strong Kozilek, the Great Distortion: Too strong Looter il-Kor: Not a supported creature type Lotus Cobra: Too obvious a choice of a Cumly Master Skald: Too weak in power level Metalworker: Too strong in artifact-based strategies Mirror Golem: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Omnath, Locus of Creation: Too strong Prosperous Innkeeper: Not a supported creature type Rimescale Dragon: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Sea Drake: Too weak in power level Sea-Dasher Octopus: Mutate cards have been removed to make Cumly Cube 1.2 more accessible Skeletal Wurm: Too strong Snapcaster Mage: This card is commonly played in many formats, and fits the same role in Cumly Cube as it does in other formats. That is too boring for Cumly Cube Solemn Simulacrum: Too much utility for general decks Svella, Ice Shaper: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Thada Adel, Acquisitor: Too powerful after sideboarding against artifact-based strategies Thassa, God of the Sea: Too weak in power level Tireless Tracker: Too powerful Torgaar, Famine Incarnate: Too direct of an impact on life total True-Name Nemesis: Protection leads to less interactive games, a dynamic not desirable in Cumly Cube Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger: Too strong Waterfront Bouncer: Too much utility for general decks
ENCHANTMENT
All That Glitters: Too generically-useful of an effect given the presence of artifacts in many decks Ascent of the Worthy: Too cheap for a reanimation effect Blood Sun: Too narrow Curiosity: This effect exists with Keen Sense, and it is more interesting to have that effect be in Green than Blue Duelist's Heritage: Too weak in power level Endless Scream: Too weak in power level Grounded: Too weak in power level Havoc: Too weak in power level Hero's Resolve: Too weak in power level Moonlit Wake: Too weak in power level Path of Mettle  Flip: Too weak in power level Shared Animosity: Too aggressive Sunbond: Too generically-useful of an effect given the presence of life gain in many decks The Mending of Dominaria: Mill of any kind is not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 True Conviction: Too weak in power level Unfulfilled Desires: Too much utility for general decks Unspeakable Symbol: Too aggressive Cold Snap: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Freyalise's Radiance: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Glacial Plating: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Rime Transfusion: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks
INSANT
Abrade: Too much utility for general decks Artifact Blast: Interaction with artifacts should be found as removal, allowing artifact decks to realize their synergies Assert Authority: Too generic of a counter spell for artifact-based strategies Blazing Salvo: Too weak in power level Burning Hands: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Celestial Purge: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Confound: Too strong in certain matchups after sideboarding Crop Rotation: Too strong in Dark Depths decks Dark Remedy: Too weak in power level Darkness: This effect already exists in Batwing Brume, a more interesting card Dazzling Lights: Too weak in power level Flashfreeze: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Fry: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Generous Gift: Creates an elephant creature token, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 Mardu Charm: Creates warrior creature tokens, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 Pyroblast: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Red Elemental Blast: Color-specific hate cards lead to less interesting sideboarding strategies Repopulate: Too strong in certain matchups after sideboarding Selesnya Charm: Creates a knight creature token, a creature type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2
LAND
Cave of the Frost Dragon: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Den of the Bugbear: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Faceless Haven: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Field of the Dead: Too much utility for general decks Fire-Lit Thicket: Replaced with Mossfire Valley Gnottvold Slumbermound: Not a supported creature type Lair of the Hydra: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Hall of Storm Giants: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies Hive of the Eye Tyrant: Mono-colored creature lands have been removed from Cumly Cube 1.2 to discourage mono-colored strategies
PLANESWALKER
Garruk, Cursed Huntsman: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Jiang Yanggu: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Kiora, Master of the Depths: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Kiora, the Crashing Wave: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Liliana, Dreadhorde General: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Sorin, Solemn Visitor: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Vraska the Unseen: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Wrenn and Seven: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed Xenagos, the Reveler: To further encourage creature-type-based synergies, planeswalkers that produce a creature token with a type not supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 have been removed
SORCERY
Avalanche: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Break the Ice: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Essence Infusion: Too weak in power level Farseek: Too much utility for general decks Giant Opportunity: Too narrow Icequake: All snow cards have been cut to remove the inclusion of snow-covered basics when building decks Infernal Contract: Card advantage should require more synergy than this card Reckless Endeavor: Too much variability Strike it Rich: Too weak in power level Three Visits: Too much utility for general decks
ADDS:
ARTIFACT
Relic of Legends: Synergizes well with legendary card type strategies Thopter Shop: Supports the thopter creature type and synergizes well with artifact creature strategies
CREATURE
Ajani's Chosen: Supports the cat creature type and synergizes well with enchantment decks Akim, the Soaring Wind: Supports the bird and dinosaur creature types Augmenting Automaton: Supports the construct creature type while also adding a cheap but scalable threat for black decks Banehound: Supports the nightmare creature type and functions as an aggressive creature for faster decks as well as a lifelink creature for lifegain strategies Be'Lakor, the Dark Master: Supports the demon creature type Bedlam Reveler: Supports the devil and horror creature type and synergizes well with the spells-matter archetype Brightwood Tracker: Supports the elf and scout creature types and offers card advantage at an expensive rate Bronzebeak Moa: Supports the bird creature type Capashen Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type Centaur Rootcaster: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with landfall strategies Cloudblazer: Supports the human and scout creature types Deadeye Brawler: Supports the human and pirate creature types Deadeye Plunderers: Supports the human and pirate creature types Deeproot Champion: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Denry Klin, Editor in Chief: Supports the cat creature type Deus of Calamity: Supports the avatar and spirit creature types Displacer Kitten: Supports the beast and cat creature types and can be used as a value engine in carefully-constructed decks Divinity of Pride: Supports the avatar and spirit creature types Doom Whisperer: Supports the demon and nightmare creature types and is a solid playable for any black deck Dutiful Replicator: Supports the assembly-worker creature type Electrostatic Infantry: Supports the dwarf creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Emperor's Vanguard: Supports the human and scout creature types Falco Spara, Pactweaver: Supports the bird and demon creature types Fathom Fleet Captain: Supports the human and pirate creature types Fathom Fleet Cutthroat: Supports the human and pirate creature types Felidar Guardian: Supports the beast and cat creature types Festival Crasher: Supports the devil creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Fiend Artisan: Supports the nightmare creature type and provides a tutor effect that can enable combos or strong synergies Forerunner of the Heralds: Supports the merfolk and scout creature types Frontier Guide: Supports the elf and scout creature types and offers ramp for landfall strategies Gahiji, Honored One: Supports the beast creature type Galvanoth: Supports the beast creature type and synergizes well with the spells-matter archetype Gloomshrieker: Supports the beast and cat creature types and is an enchantment for enchantment-based strategies Gold-Forged Thopteryx: Supports the dinosaur and thopter creature types Good-Fortune Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type Greater Gargadon: Supports the beast creature type Grimdancer: Supports the nightmare creature type Harnessed Snubhorn: Supports the dinosaur creature type and is a payoff for artifact or enchantment decks Harvester of Souls: Supports the demon creature type Herald of the Pantheon: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with enchantment-based strategies Huatli's Raptor: Supports the dinosaur creature type and synergizes well with proliferate strategies Hunted Nightmare: Supports the nightmare creature type and has an interesting drawback that might incentivize unique drafting Impetuous Devils: Supports the devil creature type Jetmir, Nexus of Revels: Supports the cat and demon creature types Jori En, Ruin Diver: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Kaheera, the Orphanguard: All five creature types meeting Kaheera's companion condition are supported in Cumly Cube 1.2, making this a great pick for many decks Kangee, Sky Warden: Supports the bird creature type Karador, Ghost Chieftain: Supports the centaur and spirit creature type Kiln Fiend: Supports the beast and elemental creature type and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Kuro, Pitlord: Supports the demon and spirit creature types Kykar, Wind's Fury: Supports the bird and spirit creature types Lashweed Lurker: Supports the eldrazi and horror creature types Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn: Supports the unicorn creature type and functions as a solid payoff for lifegain strategies Leyline Prowler: Supports the beast and nightmare creature types and offers utility in the form of deathtouch, lifelink, and mana fixing Lonis, Cryptozoologist: Supports the elf and scout creature types and produces clue tokens for artifact-based strategies or just general value Mahadi, Emporium Master: Supports the cat and devil creature types Marauding Raptor: Supports the dinosaur creature type Memnite: Supports the construct creature type and is a cheap card for artifact-based strategies Messenger Falcons: Supports the bird creature type Mishra's Self-Replicator: Supports the assembly-worker creature type Murasa Rootgrazer: Supports the beast creature type and synergizes well with landfall strategies Nael, Avizoa Aeronaut: Supports the elf and scout creature types and incentivizes multi-color strategies Nightmare Shepherd: Supports the demon and nightmare creature types and is an enchantment for enchantment-based strategies Nihiloor: Supports the horror creature type and synergizes with lifegain strategies Nikya of the Old Ways: Supports the centaur creature type Niv-Mizzet Reborn: Supports the avatar and dragon creature types and incentivizes multi-color strategies Niv-Mizzet, Supreme: Supports the avatar and dragon creature types and incentivizes multi-color strategies Nulltread Gargantuan: Supports the beast creature type Opaline Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type and offers utility in the form of mana fixing Ornithopter of Paradise: Supports the thopter creature type and offers mana-fixing for any deck, especially if chosen as a Cumly Overgrown Armasaur: Supports the dinosaur and saproling creature types Pestilence Demon: Supports the demon creature type Phantom Nishoba: Supports the beast, cat, and spirit creature types and synergizes well with lifegain strategies Phantom Tiger: Supports the cat and spirit creature types Pheres-Band Raiders: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with enchantment-based strategies Pink Horror: Supports the demon and horror creature types and is a payoff for the spells-matter archetype Prowling Felidar: Supports the beast and cat creature types and is a payoff for landfall strategies Quirion Ranger: Supports the elf creature type and works well with Stasis Radagast, Wizard of Wilds: Supports the avatar, beast,, and bird creature types Raging Regisaur: Supports the dinosaur creature type Rakdos, Lord of Riots: Supports the demon creature type Rakshasa Deathdealer: Supports the cat and demon creature types Ramirez DePietro, Pillager: Supports the human and pirate creature types Ranging Raptors: Supports the dinosaur archetype and synergizes well with landfall strategies River Hoopoe: Supports the bird creature type and synergizes with lifegain strategies Ronom Unicorn: Supports the unicorn creature type Rune-Scarred Demon: Supports the demon creature type Salvaged Manaworker: Supports the construct creature type while also providing mana-fixing for any deck Scalding Devil: Supports the devil creature type Self-Assembler: Supports the assembly-worker creature type Seton, Krosan Protector: Supports the centaur creature type and synergizes well with decks that contain the druid creature type, a creature type not purposefully supported in Cumly Cube 1.2 but definitely present Shapers of Nature: Supports the merfolk creature type Snapping Sailback: Supports the dinosaur creature type Snubhorn Sentry: Supports the dinosaur creature type Soul of Emancipation: Supports the angel and avatar creature types Soul of Windgrace: Supports the avatar and cat creature types and synergizes well with landfall strategies Species Gorger: Supports the beast creature type Spectral Sailor: Supports the pirate and spirit creature types Svyelun of Sea and Sky: Supports the merfolk creature type Tatyova, Benthic Druid: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for landfall strategies Thrasta, Tempest's Roar: Supports the dinosaur creature type Tidehollow Strix: Supports the bird creature type Trove Warden: Supports the beast and cat creature types and synergizes well with landfall strategies Tuvasa the Sunlit: Supports the merfolk creature type and is a payoff for enchantment decks Urban Daggertooth: Supports the dinosaur creature type and synergizes well with proliferate strategies Vebulid: Supports the horror creature type and functions as an interesting threat in proliferate decks Vodalian Arcanist: Supports the merfolk creature type and synergizes well with the spells-matter archetype Void Beckoner: Supports the horror and nightmare creature types and can put itself in the graveyard for reanimation strategies Vorel of the Hull Clade: Supports the human and merfolk creature types Walking Atlas: Supports the construct creature type and offers ramp for landfall strategies Watcher of the Spheres: Supports the bird creature type Yarok, the Desecrated: Supports the elemental and horror creature types Ziatora, the Incinerator: Supports the demon and dragon creature types
ENCHANTMENT
Conquer: Further support for land destruction, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2 Detention Sphere: A strong removal spell that can win the game with Worldfire Fungal Plots: Supports the saproling creature type Offspring's Revenge: Possibly a very strong engine in carefully-constructed decks Rumbling Crescendo: Further support for land destruction, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2 Thopter Spy Network: Supports the thopter creature type Trace of Abundance: Offers utility in the form of mana fixing Urban Utopia: Offers utility in the form of mana fixing Verdant Haven: Offers utility in the form of mana fixing
INSTANT
Bedevil: A strong and flexible removal spell Fungal Infection: Supports the saproling creature type Fungal Rebirth: Supports the saproling creature type Schismotivate: A strong combat trick to be aware of in Cumly Cube 1.2 Seed Spark: Supports the saproling creature type Spore Swarm: Supports the saproling creature type Stun: A good tempo play for more aggressive decks
LAND
Dragonskull Summit: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Mossfire Valley: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Rootbound Crag: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Shadowblood Ridge: Bolsters fixing for non-blue decks Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree: Supports the saproling creature type
PLANESWALKER
Aminatou, the Fateshifter: Synergizes well with blinking strategies Angrath, Minotaur Pirate: Supports the pirate creature type Chandra, Pyrogenius: Mainly added to justify the continued inclusion of Chandra's Embercat Chandra, the Firebrand: Mainly added to justify the continued inclusion of Chandra's Embercat Dihada, Binder of Wills: Synergizes well with legendary card type strategies Dovin, Architect of Law: Expensive planeswalkers that don't take over the game but add value are exactly what we want in Cumly Cube 1.2 Huatli, Warrior Poet: Supports the dinosaur creature type Jace, Arcane Strategist: Expensive planeswalkers that don't take over the game but add value are exactly what we want in Cumly Cube 1.2 Liliana of the Dark Realms: Synergizes well with swamps matter strategies, mainly thinking of the powerful engine Dread Presence
SORCERY
Aether Mutation: Supports the saproling creature type Grave Upheaval: Further support for reanimator, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2, and offers utility in the form of mana fixing Lava Flow: Further support for land destruction, an archetype encouraged in Cumly Cube 1.2, as well as unconditional creature removal not normally found in red Summon the School: Supports the merfolk creature type
kirbysan on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
11 months ago
Ah, I guess spoilers don't work in comment boxes, that's annoying.
1. Guardian of Ghirapur IN Angelic Curator OUT
After nearly a year of playtesting, I'm not the biggest fan of the low CMC angels, especially Angelic Curator. While it's a 1/1 flying angel body for 2, the protection for artifacts is more of a hindrance than a help. It helped defend against a Blightsteel Colossus once but being unable to equip it hurts more. By turn 3 when we want to drop Angelic Curator we would rather want to drop a 3-4 CMC angel or an impactful Artifact, Equipment or Enchantment.
Guardian of Ghirapur is a far superior body to Angelic Curator at 3/3 for 3. Initially there weren't that many blink targets for this deck but I've tweaked it to have more relevant targets and provide some outs to accelerate our gameplan. Typical targets would be Stoneforge Mystic, Recruiter of the Guard, Inspiring Overseer, Karmic Guide, Sanctuary Warden, Bruna, the Fading Light  Meld.
2. Karmic Guide IN Angelic Page OUT
Following the same logic as Angelic Curator, Angelic Page simply doesn't do enough when it hits the board. Karmic Guide was initially pulled due to lack of use as 5CMC is a lot for simple recursion and the deck was more focused on mana efficiency. However, with the re-introduction of tutors and blink mechanics it may have a place again.
3. Recruiter of the Guard IN Mangara, the Diplomat OUT
Mangara has proven its worth in a few games if opponents continue with their strategy and play through it. However, like Smuggler's Share, if opponents decide to play around it, it's kind of a dead card on board. The first ability generally doesn't do much since opponents aren't swinging into our board and depending on the deck they can cast one big spell on their turn and save their instants for opponents. Recruiter of the Guard was in my initial build but pulled in favor of more angels. Typical line would be Recruiter of the Guard into Stoneforge Mystic to grab either Lightning Greaves for protection or Sword of Hearth and Home for protection, ramp and blink shenanigans. While it seems like adding 1 card for a maybe synergy seems inefficient I was able to pull it off in 1/3 games so it's not as inconsistent as it seems.
4. Firemane Commando IN Angelic Sleuth OUT
While the clues generated with Sleuth have saved me before, I would much rather have more consistent draw to keep my hand topped off rather than wastinga turn after a wipe to refill my hand. Firemane serves double duty as not only being a solid 4/3 angel body but also provides "free" draw through attacking which we want to do. It also helps direct combat decks towards opponents if they want the draw.
5. Invasion of Dominaria  Flip IN Thorough Investigation OUT
In the same theme as Sleuth, Thorough Investigation provides draw for later with the added benefit of going through the dungeon. I've completed dungeons twice before with this card but the benefits haven't been as strong as I hoped. Invasion of Dominaria  Flip provides lifegain and draw immediately and as long as we have 2 angels (Giada and 1 other) then we can defeat this battle the turn we drop it providing a 6/6 Serra Angel. When you staple all 3 together then that's incredibly efficient. Late game when we're trying to close out the game we may choose to not swing at the battle but instead go for lethal but the option remains.
6. Invasion of Gobakhan  Flip IN The Ozolith OUT
In the dozens of games I've played with Ozolith I've only had it successfully work once. Late game it may seem like a dead card as it sort of hinges on either an opponent playing a board wipe and us refilling the board to swing again or using Pyre of Heroes on a stacked angel to grab something relevant. I much prefer Gobakhan as it slows down an opponents gameplay, easy to flip and provides benefits right away by buffing our board the same turn it comes out and also has "free" protection for later.
7. Conjurer's Mantle IN Mask of Memory OUT
Mask has been pretty great overall but sometimes slows down the game too much by making us filter. While there's a recursion package, it's not always guaranteed, so pitching relevant angel bodies early can be detrimental for late game, especially against graveyard exiles like Bojuka Bog. Yet, we'll still want to draw our cards so the discarding is necessary. Mantle is great not only because it costs the same, has a buff and vigilance and grabs relevant bodies off the top 6 without having to discard.
8. Clever Concealment IN Cosmic Intervention OUT
Cosmic seems good on paper but exile effects like Farewell or Merciless Eviction can make it useless. It also doesn't protect the angel tokens which can sometimes be the main body of threat. Concealment allows us to not just protect the tokens but lets the vigilant angels tap for a surprise protection. Oftentimes opponents will check untapped mana before blowing everything on a boardwipe so the convoke mechanic is super relevant for a well timed protection spell. Depending on the success of this swap I may consider Wand of the Worldsoul as well for some sneaky convoke shenanigans.
9. Chivalric Alliance IN Tome of Legends OUT
In the same line of thinking as Firemane Commando, "free" draw is better than costed draw. They both cost the same but having to pay for Tome of Legends can slow us down as well as if Giada is removed too much in the beginning. At most we'll ever get 1 draw per turn anyway so this swap was pretty simple.
10. Land Tax IN Smothering Tithe OUT
I've loved Tithe for awhile thinking it's a great ramp card. While it is good, it hinges on the decks it's played against. I've been most successful against my friends Jhoira's deck which colored my view when bringing it into pub matches. After reflecting on it for a year, it simply isn't worth it in mid to high powered casual decks that don't use draw as part of their strategy. In 90% of games I'll get 3-6 treasures before it gets removed or the game ends. Figuratively, you would drop it on turn 4 and if no one pays the tax then by turn 6 you'll have at most 6 treasures which is only net +2 mana. If the game lasts till turn 7 then you could have +5 mana but at that point opponents would either have game ending spells or plenty of open mana to pay the tax. Land Tax on the other hand can come down T1 before Giada even hits the field, thins out the deck while filling the hand with relevant plays and synergizes well with Emeria Shepherd or Emeria, The Sky Ruin. It was in the initial build of this deck before but was taken out along with the other artifact ramp to add more angels in.
11. Plains IN Bonders' Enclave OUT
As one of the few available card draws in mono-white, Enclave was a land for hail-mary draws. I've only ever used these abilities in 1 game when I was desperate for any card draw and it felt terrible. Paying 4 to draw a single card is terrible use of mana. Also, there were too many colorless sources from lands so I was struggling early game to play 2 relevant white cards in one turn.
12. Mistveil Plains IN War Room OUT
Same line of thinking as Enclave. Mistveil's ability is more of an experiment as tap lands are generally too slow. Typically recursion would just put the creatures back on the battlefield but Mistveil can possibly help with the Blink/Tutor package we've introduced.
Considering Wand of the Worldsoul and Excise the Imperfect
Opponents: Sigarda, Host of Herons & Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn
Starting hand: Windswept Heath, Fabled Passage, Path of Ancestry, Bruna, the Fading Light  Meld, Folk Hero, Righteous Valkyrie, Invasion of Dominaria  Flip
Game lasted only 20 minutes as this hand curved out nearly perfectly.
T1 - Path of Ancestry tapped, drew Lightning Greaves
T2 - Plains (drew) into Lightning Greaves
T3 - Myriad Landscape tapped into Giada, Font of Hope, equipped Lightning Greaves swung with Giada
T4 - Windswept Heath into Plains into Folk Hero, swung with Giada, cast Righteous Valkyrie, drew a card
T5 - Mutavault (drew) into Invasion of Dominaria  Flip and swung both Giada and Valkyrie into the battle flipping it to Serra Faithkeeper  Flip to gain 8 life this turn and triggering Valkyrie's +2/+2 anthem
T6 - Cast Herald of War and equipped it with Lightning Greaves.
T7 - Cast Lyra Dawnbringer and Invasion of Gobakhan  Flip. Equipped Lyra with Lightning Greaves. Swung in for lethal ending the game.
Lightning Greaves did work this game as it not only protected Giada from early single target removal but also accelerated combat damage each turn. While I did draw into both battles this game I didn't have a chance to test out Invasion of Gobakhan  Flip except making a Krosan Grip more expensive which likely helped my Folk Hero or Lightning Greaves survive till the end.
Opponents: Sigarda, Host of Herons, Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn & Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver
Starting hand: Cavern of Souls, Scavenger Grounds, Mutavault, Guardian of Ghirapur, Folk Hero, Winds of Abandon, Battle Angels of Tyr
Initially I believed this hand was amazing as I had draw, removal and aggro all in one but failed to realize I had 0 colored mana except for angels. It ended up working out as the 2 Selesnya players ramped hard in the beginning allowing Tyr to do some work.
T1 - Cavern of Souls
T2 - Mutavault into Giada, Font of Hope
T3 - Scavenger Grounds into Battle Angels of Tyr, Giada sworded by Lathiel
T4 - Ancient Tomb into recasting Giada, swung with Tyr drawing a card and generating a Treasure token
T5 - Plains into Folk Hero and Herald's Horn and swung again with Tyr and Giada drawing a card and generating a Treasure token. Using the 3 open mana I cast Recruiter of the Guard fetching Stoneforge Mystic.
T6+ Cast Stoneforge Mystic to fetch Lightning Greaves but Stoneforge was promptly exiled. I had originally planned to use Guardian of Ghirapur to chain blink Stoneforge into Sword of Hearth and Home but instead used her on Recruiter of the Guard to fetch Thraben Watcher. I finished the game by casting Avacyn, Angel of Hope and equipping it with Lightning Greaves to give my board protection and started swinging away with indestructible vigilance angels.
I was nearly knocked out by the Sigarda player in the second to last turn because she was equipped with Sword of Hearth and Home making her unblockable as well as a Kaldra Compleat and finally a flashed in Sigarda's Vanguard for double strike. Luckily I had left mana open for Oblation and targeted the Sword of Hearth and Home allowing me to block with Ghirapur and Giada preventing lethal damage.
Opponents: Prosper, Tome-Bound, Sliver Overlord & Muldrotha, the Gravetide
Starting hand was pretty slow with only 2 tapped lands but I figured Luminarch would win me the game provided I wasn't attacked early game.
Starting hand: Kabira Takedown  Flip, Windbrisk Heights, Luminarch Ascension, Invasion of Gobakhan  Flip, Herald's Horn, Bruna, the Fading Light  Meld, Generous Gift
Prosper started off the game insanely fast with a T1 Dark Ritual into Bucknard's Everfull Purse where he rolled 4 to cast Prosper on T1. They proceeded to dominate the game with a Reckless Fireweaver and later a Storm-Kiln Artist draining us to the low 10s. They attempted to finish us off with a Delayed Blast Fireball to wipe our board and swing with lethal. However, Slivers flashed in a Spiteful Sliver and Sliver Overlord to deal 30 damage back to Prosper bringing them down to 3. I used Luminarch Ascension to drop 2 angels before Giada died and got a 7/7 & 8/8 body that survived the fireball. While Slivers could have knocked me out with the Spiteful Sliver they had no real way to deal with Prosper after the fireball so I was able to knock out both players on my turn. Muldrotha had no answers so was dead on my next turn.
kirbysan on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
11 months ago
All,
Grabbed all my 3+ pod gameplays and the recent MOM gameplay and swaps and posted it on my own decklist. I'll keep commenting on Guerric page as it gets more traffic. Let me know your thoughts and if my thinking is sound. Thanks!
Help Me Giada, You're My Only Hope
March of Machine Upgrades (x12) - Blink/Tutor Show
Game 1 (3-man Pod vs. Sigarda Voltron & Lathiel Lifegain) Show
Game 2 (4-man Pod vs. Sigarda Voltron, Lathiel Lifegain & Wilhelt Zombies) Show
Game 3 (4-man Pod vs. Prosper Exile, Sliver Tribal & Muldrotha Reanimation) Show
zapyourtumor on
Ang-Hellic
1 year ago
I'd lower the curve a bit if you want the deck to be more competitive. If you want to keep Brisela in for the fun that's obviously your choice, but the chances of you getting her on the battlefield are pretty slim.
I 100% think you should move the 4 Youthful Valkyries from the maybeboard to the mainboard.
Sensei's Divining Top is not legal in modern (or legacy for that matter).
I'd probably run more Path to Exile, or maybe a couple Fatal Push over some of the other more expensive removal spells you have.
Resplendent Marshal may be worth considering, since it buffs all your angels and also gives a ton of value even if it gets removed.
Segovian Angel is obviously nothing fancy, but you don't have many proactive turn 1 plays.
Serra Avenger could be funny if you go for 3-4 Aether Vial, else probably not worth including.
Not sure if Angelic Curator is worth it as a sideboard card against artifacts, but it is pretty funny. Heliod's Intervention or Kataki, War's Wage might just be more direct though.
Linvala is pretty garbage in the current meta but always a sideboard card to keep your eye on. Currently the only deck she's good against is Yawg.
kirbysan on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
1 year ago
Last game of the year! Sorry I've taken over your comment board, hope all these gameplay interactions help!
Opponents: Koma, Cosmos Serpent, Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools / Armix, Filigree Thrasher
Starting Hand: Marsh Flats, Plains, Sol Ring, Serra Ascendant, Serra Avenger, Court of Grace, Breathkeeper Seraph
T1 - Marsh Flats into Plains into Serra Ascendant
T2 - Plains into Sol Ring and Luminarch Ascension (drew into), swung in for 6 damage
T3 - Plains into Court of Grace, drew on endstep, swung in for another 6 damage
T4 - +1 Angel on upkeep, Plains into Giada, Font of Hope and held up mana to make 2 Angels, drew on endstep, swung in for another 6 damage
T5 - created 2 Angels (6 power & 7 power) on opponents end step, +1 Angel (8 power) on upkeep. Cast a Tome of Legends getting ready for the boardwipe. Swung in for 21 damage, drew on endstep.
T6 - nobody at the table had the boardwipe so I cleaned up next turn with Sigarda's Vanguard knocking out each other player simultaneously. I think this was the fastest this deck has ever performed in a 4-man pod and all the damage was dealt by me.
Opponents: Koma, Cosmos Serpent, Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools / Armix, Filigree Thrasher, O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami
Starting Hand: Windswept Heath, Arid Mesa, Plains, Bonders' Enclave, Serra Paragon, Gisela, the Broken Blade  Meld, Archangel of Thune
Thought about not including this one either as it was a slow hand and a fast game. Muldrotha comboed out turn 4 making 2 million squirrels and nobody had any interaction so we were dead on turn 5.
Opponents: Koma, Cosmos Serpent, Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools / Armix, Filigree Thrasher, O-Kagachi, Vengeful Kami
Starting Hand: Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Plains, Plains, Pyre of Heroes, Gisela, the Broken Blade  Meld, Battle Angels of Tyr, Angelic Curator
I had played Battle Angels of Tyr but it was quickly removed by Tevesh before I could swing with it, which is fair given a 5-man pod.
Instead I went for the slower play with Giada, Font of Hope, Angelic Curator and Angelic Sleuth on the field. I held Pyre of Heroes in hand thinking I would go for the Inspiring Overseer / Serra Paragon line to draw into some cards and get some clues.
However, Muldrotha again was a huge problem turn 5. They had Scute Swarm and cracked some fetches and played green ramp spells bringing up their total to the low 100s but they only had 32 they could attack with. They decided to swing all of them at me as I was the only one with any sort of board presence. O-Kagachi let the table know they had a fog effect but we elected to use it on the next turn.
At this point I had Giada, Font of Hope, Angelic Sleuth, Righteous Valkyrie and Pyre of Heroes on the battlefield. Once Muldrotha had started producing massive amounts of Scutes I knew they were coming at me. Also I had drawn into Archangel of Thune which I played and swung in bringing me back up to the low 20's.
On turn 6 O-Kagachi used the fog and Muldrotha just set themselves up better for the next round. They cast a Sandwurm Convergence to stop me from knocking them out.
Tevesh decided this was the best time to go off so they tapped out for a Peer into the Abyss. A lot of artifact shenanigans happened and they ended up at 4 life due to Bolas's Citadel, nearly wiped the board with Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and killed Muldrotha with an artifact creature with Cranial Plating and Lightning Greaves. Unfortunately they didn't see that O-Kagachi was out and only -5 for Ugin so they were dead to the dragon on their turn.
I was able to build back relatively quickly as I drew into a Thorough Investigation and cracked some clues. O-Kagachi became the new archenemy as they had their commander out and a Fist of Suns so they were casting high-costed cards with the limited mana they had. Koma used Kiora, the Crashing Wave to negate the damage of O-Kagachi's commander. They also countered a Conflux which could've ended the game.
I tried to swing in once but was stopped by a fog. I also made another misplay with Oblation targeting their Myojin of Seeing Winds as I misheard thinking it was a 10/10 flying indestructible when it was a 3/3 that didn't even fly. They removed the divinity counter drawing 12 and drew another 2 off Oblation. Next turn they cast a Morophon, the Boundless and dropped all the spirits they drew off those 14 cards. If I had held up my Oblation for their fist of the suns instead they would have had no mana for anything else and I could've swung in for the win.
Court of Grace was also amazing here. While 1 card a turn is not the best for 4 mana, 1 card and 1 angel for 4 is amazing. Obviously the Sol Ring did work in getting it out early but against slower decks they had no way to attack me regardless.
Pyre of Heroes was actually useful this time! Pitching the 2/2 body of Angelic Curator into a Righteous Valkyrie is a strong move. I was only able to use it once before the Ugin exile but it helped keep me in the game. Without it, I would've been dead right after Tevesh finished off Muldrotha, perhaps even in the same turn.
Sigarda's Vanguard was also great again. However if I'm not planning out dropping my angels out in the correct turn order then I'm not always getting the full benefit from her. Akroma's Will would save us the headache of counting and planning while also providing the evasion to get through flying creatures. I think I'll still stick the Vanguard as the light recursion package allows us to bring her back on another turn for additional value whereas Will would just languish in the graveyard.
We had a turn 0 discussion before games 2 and 3 and agreed on playing more mid-tier decks as I only brought Giada. The Muldrotha player typically durdles with nothing to do and decided to add in some spicy cards not knowing how they'd perform. Tevesh doesn't always go off like this but Peer into the Abyss is usually a card that gets countered. The table let it resolve due to needing to knock out Muldrotha first.
kirbysan on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
1 year ago
Buddies cancelled so I played 3 pub games instead:
Starting hand: Emeria, The Sky Ruin, Plains, Plains, Path to Exile, Angelic Page, Archangel of Tithes, Sanctuary Warden
As we played through the game it became clear that Esix was the big threat. The board was wiped twice, once with N'ghathrod's Hex and a second time with Sigarda's Day of Judgment. Archangel of Tithes helped get a few early attacks in against Esix as they usually tapped out to play some bigger spells.
I was able to keep Esix in check a few times by using Path to Exile on their commander when they were about to pop off. I also used Oblation again on Esix when they cast a Pest Infestation destroying my Crucible of Worlds and Vanquisher's Banner but netting 12 pests. Finally, I had a Kabira Takedown  Flip but only 2 creatures on the field so it couldn't deal with anything on Esix's board so I used it on Sigarda's Soul Warden.
At the final turn I had Sanctuary Warden equipped to Sword of Feast and Famine, Righteous Valkyrie and Angelic Field Marshal. In my hand I had Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Emeria Shepherd, Sword of Hearth and Home and a Seraph Sanctuary. Giada had been removed 3 times this game so she cost 8. Esix was at 6 but also had a Sublime Epiphany with open mana and a Craterhoof Behemoth in hand with 19 creatures, mostly 1/1 tokens on board.
As I'm writing this I realized I had the answer but didn't realize it at the time. If I had casted Sword of Hearth and Home Esix would have countered it and bounced my Sanctuary Warden forcing it out of their hand. I could then equip the Sword of Feast and Famine to another angel and swung for lethal since they had no flying blockers. I could have also moved to equip Sword of Feast and Famine to another angel which they could've countered once, but I had open mana to do it again. Despite losing this round let's count it as a win due to my misplay.
Starting hand: Windswept Heath, Sol Ring, Pearl Medallion, Angel of Vitality, Mangara, the Diplomat, Soul Warden
Perhaps this was a risky hand to keep but with the Sol Ring and Pearl Medallion I could literally play everything in my hand if not disrupted so I kept it.
Kraum also kept a risky hand but it paid off for them in the short term. They cast a Show and Tell which let me only drop Angel of Vitality but they dropped an Omniscience and proceeded to play out their hand giving themselves an immense board state on turn 3.
Kraum made a serious misplay here as they used a Cyclonic Rift on my Sol Ring and a bounce spell that returned all creatures with power less than 5. This was supposed to wipe the board but Angel of Vitality was a 5/5. They followed this up with a Wheel of Misfortune paying 35 life expecting us to bet high life totals so they wouldn't get the wheel. Unfortunately for them we bid pretty low numbers and Kraum took the full 35. With no flying blockers on board they were dead next turn.
With Kraum out of the game and a fresh 7 card hand I ended up dominating the board. Some nice synergies were using Sword of Hearth and Home on Sanctuary Warden to 2 cards a turn, one for ETB, one for swinging. Bishop of Wings with Resplendent Angel and Angelic Accord gave me double angels on my end steps. Finally, having Emeria, The Sky Ruin and 7 plains let me fill my boardstate quickly. While the game took longer I never hit another board wipe and closed it out with 64 life.
Starting Hand: Flooded Strand, Path of Ancestry, Soul Warden, Luminarch Ascension, Pyre of Heroes, Folk Hero, Angelic Curator
I was excited about this hand because it had 2 new cards that hadn't come up in the last couple games I played so I wanted to test it out. While it should have curved out pretty nicely, having only Folk Hero as the draw card with a single angel should've been a warning sign. My early board state included Giada, Font of Hope, Soul Warden and Luminarch Ascension. As predicted, Luminarch Ascension was able to get 3 counters on it after a single turn.
However I was hit by a board wipe early on and had to decide whether to use Luminarch's ability or recast Giada. I foolishly recast Giada only to have her removed again with Skysovereign, Consul Flagship. When Sigarda went to blow up Luminarch I produced 3 4/4 angels with 6 mana to give me some blockers. I had also drawn into The Ozolith but it was only able to add 1 counter on it.
For the rest of the game Kykar solely targeted me with their growing vehicle board state. Since Giada now cost 6 and Skysovereign was pinging for 3 every turn I couldn't waste the mana to recast her which turned off Folk Hero. I cast Angelic Curator just for a blocker since it would be hugely advantageous against vehicles but it was promptly removed with Dispatch by Kykar. I was also able to draw into a Mask of Memory but was stalled out since Kykar had Spirit token blockers, Atraxa had their commander and Sigarda also had their commander. I was the first to be knocked out and this was a definite loss. I did cast Pyre of Heroes but didn't draw into any angels until late game so it had no effect.
Luminarch Ascension is a great card but also a lightning rod. In the third game it presented a threat early on and if Giada hadn't been removed twice so early it could've helped end the game. Not getting those +1/+1 counters on the angels hurt my game plan quite a lot.
The Ozolith saw play but had little impact. Again, if Giada hadn't been removed early I could've dumped all those counters onto it and preserved threats.
Pyre of Heroes also saw play but had little impact. The overall flow of the game meant I was essentially stuck. Eye of Vecna would've been more impactful here but since Kykar had such an oppressive board state I would need to play much bigger threats to make a difference.
While Giada may not always be necessary to our gameplan, not having her and being unable to cast her slows us up so much that opponents can just out ramp or out threaten us pretty quickly. Dodging an entire table's board wipes and single target removals is pretty tough and makes me consider Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots again.
kirbysan on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
1 year ago
I wasn't able to play a multiplayer game this weekend but ran 9 games of 1v1. I won 7/9 games as unblocked angels seems to be consistently good. 6 games were against Necron Precron, 2 games against Faldorn Exiles & 1 game against Aesi Landfall. Made a couple swaps to give Pyre of Heroes a shot. Didn't touch the lifegain package but messed with the protection one. Since all 9 games were duels, some of the changes weren't great.
Eye of Vecna for Pyre of Heroes
Cosmic Intervention for The Ozolith
Angel of Condemnation for Karmic Guide
Angel of Jubilation for Inspiring Overseer
Starnheim Unleashed for Luminarch Ascension
Search for Glory for Enlightened Tutor
I notably left in Together Forever and didn't put in Breathkeeper Seraph because I wanted to see if there were synergies between Together Forever and Pyre of Heroes.
Lost 1 game against Necron Precon due to a combination of things. I missed 2 land drops early in the game and was forced to use Enlightened Tutor for a Sol Ring so I could play my hand. Later in the game Ioverplayed the hand and got hit by Shard of the Nightbringer followed by Their Name is Death on the next turn. I was definitely kicking myself at the end because I had Emeria Shepherd and played it when I should've held it. Necrons actually did pretty well against this deck overall as they had fliers which stopped some early attacks. In the end though, as with most precons, they ran out of gas while Angels could keep chugging along and beefing up.
Lost 1 game against Faldorn Exiles due to Food Chain & Eternal Scourge with Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald producing a million wolves on turn 4. With no answers in hand, it was a quick and clear loss.
I was able to get Pyre of Heroes out in several games. One of my favorite combinations was using it on Inspiring Overseer to drop in Serra Paragon and then recasting Inspiring Overseer for the extra life and draw. On the following turn I sacrificed it again to grab Battle Angels of Tyr and hit for even more draw.
During the final game against Aesi Landfall I wanted to see how much value I could get out of Pyre of Heroes so I kept an obviously risky hand. My starting hand consisted of Arid Mesa, Plains, Fabled Passage, Emergence Zone, Mutavault, Pyre of Heroes, and Path to Exile. Aesi had a pretty slow start without much ramp but dropped Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait turn 5 which I promptly pathed. The only Angel I drew was Angelic Curator which I pyred into Inspiring Overseer. I also had Together Forever on the board so when I pyred Inspiring Overseer into Serra Paragon I was able to bounce it back to hand and recast Angelic Curator on the same turn. Next turn I cast Inspiring Overseer and pyred that into Thraben Watcher and started swinging for lots of damage.
In a multiplayer game other players would've had more answers for our board and Pyre of Heroes may not stick around. However, I don't think it seems threatening on its own and most times it's just a value engine. I think there may be a case for swapping it out for Eye of Vecna. They cost the same for 2 colorless. Their activations are also the same at 2 colorless. The differences are the 2 damage we take for Vecna and also that the draw occurs on upkeep before our draw phase and we have to pay the 2 and life if we want the card. If we drop Vecna early game and we're looking for something key, usually a land or a low cost angel and there's no guarantee that we'll get it. So if we're on turn 4, we've expended 2/3 available mana on drawing either a land or a 2cmc angel because we can't play anyting else. If we aren't dropping Vecna early and instead on turn 6-7 then it's pretty slow compared to its counterparts. Yes it replaces itself but nothing else we do will give us cards the turn we need it. All the other draw cards play into our strategy of either playing angels, attacking or gaining life. Also, the ones we pay into can be done on opponents turn when we're holding up answers, so there's no "wasted mana".
Out of the current swaps The Ozolith and Luminarch Ascension were very mediocre. This is likely due to the duel format and will need more testplaying in a 4-man setting. I was able to get The Ozolith up to 18 counters one game but it didn't matter since I was dead the next turn.
I think just based on this trial run that Pyre of Heroes deserves a strong consideration especially with Inspiring Overseer. Let me know your thoughts!
Guerric on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
1 year ago
That being said, some helpful pushback and discussion here are leading me to qualify my thoughts that there are some changelings which can be good in this deck and be correct play options, so I wanted to talk about which ones and why.
The first of these and the clear strongest option is Metallic Mimic. The reason for this is because it is a 2 drop "angel" that anthems every other angel you cast by increasing the number of counters that are put on it. This is amazing because unlike a Thraben Watcher whose anthem leaves the battlefield when it is removed, the extra counters will remain unless a board wipe happens. Regardless of whether I end up playing this card or not I think it is probably "correct" to play it in an optimal list.
The second of these cards is Irregular Cohort. Phule451 made a good point that this card is a two-for-one that we can cast turn three consistently. If we cast it then from turn four on we are putting at least three counters on everything, which is pretty great. Two-for-ones are great for goldfishing and provide efficiency, so this does that. There are still some downsides to this card since the angels don't fly and as four cmc is the slot where we need to get more choosy since there is more competition for slots, but I think it is a valid and very playable choice in this deck.
The third card is the weakest but is still playable and that is Universal Automaton. The "sole" reason for this is that it costs solely to cast it, and there is only one other angel we get for that rate. Again, low cmc angels don't have to do as much to justify their slot in this deck- cmc is almost good enough on it's own!
Any of the above cards can be "correct" to play in this deck, so if you want to play them, by all means do! All of that being said, I don't think that I personally will be playing any of these cards for two main reasons. The first of these is pretty much what I said before about the flying piece, but perhaps I should elaborate more. I have a lot of experience playing flyer decks across multiple formats in magic and it's something I have a strong feel for. When I've had non-flyers in decks that are built around flying, they've always felt bad, and I've wished they weren't in my deck every time. This already happened to me with Mirror Entity in this deck, and I don't want to really have much of a desire to experiment with them more. The only card I could maybe see myself playing is Metallic Mimic, but if I did play that card it would take the place of a support piece and not an angel, and I would justify it by considering it a support piece and not take a slot from an angel proper. The other reason I don't see myself playing these is more about flavor. This is an angels deck, and I want to play big flying angels with cool art, not creepy shapeshifters masquerading as the real thing. Changelings may be considered angels mechanically, but they also are not truly angels, and it feels wrong for the angel tribe in particular. I love some of the changelings I play in my Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow deck because it seems like ninjas and changelings go together perfectly, but not so much here. Of course, this latter reason is entirely subjective, and in general I try to build my decks as optimally as possible, but where it doesn't hurt the deck's strategy I like to keep my decks as flavorful as possible as that makes it more fun in my book! That being said, I don't want to rain on anyone's parade who likes these cards and prefers them to other angels, as I think they are all playable here. I hope this helps some of you as you plan and play the deck!
