Defense of the Heart

Enchantment

At the beginning of your upkeep, if an opponent controls three or more creatures, sacrifice Defense of the Heart. If you do, search your library for up to two creature cards and put those cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.

Combos

• Defense of the Heart + Hall of Heliod's Generosity

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (49)

RCD2023 on Lathiel, Who Blots Out the Sun

3 weeks ago

hello rakdosrunner!!

i really enjoyed the enforce that u had describing the deck and the mechanics.

i'm playing Lathiel for a long long time and i'm updating him a lot since then.

all the cards that u described i alredy test it, some of then still in the deck but mostly i had cut from the deck in order to be fastier and be more "Go for the troat" (my playgroup dont play easy haha).

firstly i wanna say the awesome cards that i wouldn't dare to touch that u metion before: Aetherflux Reservoir Authority of the Consuls Mangara, the Diplomat True Conviction Worldly Tutor Teferi's Protection Ozolith, the Shattered Spire Branching Evolution Light of Promise Well of Lost Dreams Scholar of New Horizons Tribute to the World Tree Esper Sentinel

it took me a long time to get this deck better and i still getting some frustations but if you like to consider, here some tips of cards to be implemented in order to have a better experience with it: ( mostly of this cards i proxed it because i dont wanna spend a lot of money and because i dont have a headache changing they every 2 months when wizards bring some new things )

starting with the nasty combos :

God Mode ( infinity mana + infinity draw :D ) : Argothian Elder or Priest of Titania + Quirion Ranger+ Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Beast Whisperer with Eternal Witness in the deck u can even cast your grave again

Lathiel Gatling Gun: Walking Ballista + Heliod, Sun-Crowned or Cleric Class

“Life moves pretty fast..” — Ferris Bueller’s Spike Feeder + Light of Promise

ramp : Marwyn, the Nurturer : counters will get him a good ramp Mirari's Wake : awesome ramp Land Tax: can save you in early game Burgeoning : get ahead Priest of Titania : every elf in the battlefield Exploration : get ahead again Arbor Elf : very good with Selesnya Sanctuary or some mana that u need Mana Reflection: awesome ramp Circle of Dreams Druid : gaeas crandle in creature Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx : why not ? proxy <3 Crop Rotation: get those good lands in battlefield Carpet of Flowers: very good against 2 or more people Smothering Tithe : just perfect

draw : Generous Patron: our green budget risky study, perfect in lathiel Guardian Project : good in general The Great Henge : we have big creatures so probably will cost onle 2 green mana Toski, Bearer of Secrets : unstapable, can't be countered and draw Archivist of Oghma: meh... sometimes good sometimes not, but its 2 mana

tutors: Finale of Devastation : go for the troat Enlightened Tutor: very good tutor in our deck Eladamri's Call : get those pieces that u need Fauna Shaman : get those pieces that u need Defense of the Heart: this is funny, but moste of times works haha Yisan, the Wanderer Bard : good in general Natural Order : to the battlefield! Primal Command : say goodbye to ur grave zombie players

utility: Akroma's Will: defense or end game Alhammarret's Archive : it's 5 mana, but double life gain and double draw Eternal Witness : u have awesome cretures that people wanna destroy so... also good piece of combo God Mode Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines : Hushbringer + Hardened Scales, but better Serra Ascendant: sooooo goood in this deck ... first piece to be tutored by yisan, the wanderer bard Angel of Destiny: go for the troat Ashaya, Soul of the Wild: combo, but also a big creature Overwhelming Stampede : go for the troat Walking Ballista: good in general andd combo Cleric Class: combo but also grave Spike Feeder : Snowball effect, one of the best synergy of lathiel, 'each turn' change counters for life/

Good interactions : Aura Shards , Force of Vigor 2 ducks 1 shot ,Farewell exile :) , Kenrith's Transformation (interaction with draw)

Poly_raptor on I am rubber, you are glue

1 month ago

Hey! Please accept my apologies for the delay in doing this, life gets in the way and I haven’t been back on the site for a month!

This deck looks pretty neat, do you think running a few more tutors could be useful? Maybe Defense of the Heart or Pattern of Rebirth as a way of getting to the Phyrexian Vindicator?

Hybrow on Goreclaw Beary stompy

1 month ago

Defense of the Heart - whenever i look at a creature heavy green deck, its always a suggestion.. Can grab stuff like Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger and Craterhoof Behemoth

thefiresoflurve on Atraxa Crazy Counters

3 months ago

Hey, there!

Grateful Apparition is a slight upgrade to Thrummingbird (or could run both easily).

Semester's End could be some good board wipe evasion in a pinch, and sets you up to come back swinging.

If you're looking to run big creatures and cheat them in, you can do a bit better than Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy. Defense of the Heart is low-key broken. Some other useful cards: Elvish Piper, Quicksilver Amulet, Lurking Predators. Depending on your average creature CMC, you could just run all of them and call it a day.

Kinnan does have the advantage of being instant speed and repeatable, but it's easier and cheaper (mana wise) to setup draw alongside play-from-hand effects than it is to put mana into that activated ability. I think it's just a bit too much of a slot investment to build into Kinnan as not-commander.

You probably want a Smothering Tithe and Rhystic Study in here unless your group runs truly obnoxious amounts of enchantment removal.

Boon of Safety with Atraxa is pretty useful, or Contractual Safeguard can do the same thing for all your creatures for just 2 additional mana. I'd probably prefer the latter if I had to choose, but both are good.

Happy building!

Epicurus on A New Experience - Atraxa Experience Counters

7 months ago

Minthara, Merciless Soul also fits the colors, and is the only other experience counter creature that does. Totally should be included. Also, this is one design I'd spend money to get Defense of the Heart.

Dangerwillrobinson79 on Muldrotha, Matron of the Grave

8 months ago

Always love good Muldrotha builds. Check out Defense of the Heart. Cheers!

legendofa on Do you consider "Value" = …

9 months ago

I wouldn't call them draw. They fall under the card advantage umbrella with draw, but I would consider Defense of the Heart a tutor and the other two as general card advantage.

Niko9 on Do you consider "Value" = …

9 months ago

I think that value is a very vague thing, but these would definitely qualify. Have heard something like sacing creatures into Pitiless Plunderer as value, and I think that anything that is a direct benefit to you the player rather than a play against your opponents, is value. So draw, impulse, gaining treasures, or even something like untapping lands with Seedborn Muse is value because it is gaining you resources. At least that's how I see it : )

Also, and I don't mean this as a slight to any creators, but I really don't like the idea of templates for commander decks. Saying you want X of anything is such a double edged sword. Your example of Defense of the Heart is a great one. It's not really draw, but in a lot of green decks it's a straight up wincon. If I'm playing elfball Defense of the Heart will be better than even Ancestral Recall because most of the time you will have 4 mana turn 2 and it's a win if you draw it.

And even on a basic level, the amount of anything and everything you want in a deck is so highly variable. A five color deck will always want more card draw to nail land colors, but a mono color deck doesn't have that and will often have more space for spot removal and things like that. Experimentation is key : ) You won't know the best version of your deck until you try it.

Deck templates are a good place to start I guess, but so often you will find that your deck takes a mind of it's own as you test it anyways, so I don't know. I like when command zone or something does tips and tricks, but I find their structural deck design tutorials, honestly, one of the least useful things.