Combos Browse all Suggest
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 |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Rules Q&A
Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Legendary Creature — Angel
Flying
Activated abilities of creatures your opponents control can't be activated.
NV_1980 on
Dihada, Binder of Wills
1 month ago
Hi Mattio38, thanks for elaborating a bit. There are a lot of interesting legendary creatures out there, but not many that will help you to outright close out games AND be cheap to cast. It's usually one or the other :) It also depends on how you want to close out games and how many turns you want to take for that.
For instance, white provides some excellent legendary creatures to block your opponents' progress. I'm thinking of cards like Myrel, Shield of Argive, Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant  Flip, Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker, Thalia, Heretic Cathar and Linvala, Keeper of Silence.
Black legendary creatures have some massive damage dealing and recursion capacity. Especially cards like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Gisa, Glorious Resurrector, Ghoulcaller Gisa and Mikaeus, the Unhallowed.
And then there are some red legendaries you haven't considered yet that influence your damage-dealing capacity, like Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs, Drakuseth, Maw of Flames and Moraug, Fury of Akoum. By the way, I'd also really recommend Grenzo, Havoc Raiser as he's given me some insane value in past games.
Not sure if any of this helps, but here you go.
thefiresoflurve on
WIP Control Deck
1 month ago
Hey, there!
First, what's your budget like? 'til I know that, I'll keep suggestions "standard".
Second: Cuts.
Sleep + River's Rebuke - not really an EDH card, since you usually have more than one opponent.
Martial Law - similarly, this is just one creature, and there are bound to be so many more problems than just one on the field at a time.
Invisibility - There are better sources of evasion (getting damage through to other players). Also, getting damage through is something Augustin isn't the best at, so that might not make for a strong win-con.
Robe of Mirrors isn't bad to protect your commander, but for 1 more mana you can use Curator's Ward (because Augustin reduces it) and then get 2 cards if someone uses a boardwipe later. I call that a deal. Diplomatic Immunity is another equally costed option as well, if you find your playgroup runs an obnoxious amount of enchantment removal, since it itself is also untargetable.
Consulate Crackdown - Kind of mediocre for what it does. For just one more mana, you can instead run Farewell or Austere Command, which both produce a much better effect.
Some things traditionally run in Augustin are used to basically slow the game to a crawl, and others are used to tax your opponents while this is going on to create advantages for you while you draw into your win conditions: Cursed Totem, Hushbringer, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Vryn Wingmare, Containment Priest, Reidane, God of the Worthy  Flip, Hushwing Gryff, Silent Arbiter, Ethersworn Canonist, Wandering Archaic  Flip, Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Sphere of Resistance, Torpor Orb, Damping Sphere, Static Orb, Karn's Sylex, Meekstone, Crawlspace... not quite an exhaustive list, but it's a really good start, and gets the point across.
There are some weird cards that you can use as win conditions to go with the "stax" style, like Azor's Elocutors.
If you're interested, https://edhrec.com/commanders/grand-arbiter-augustin-iv has some more suggestions as well - in my opinion, it's not a terrible place to start as a new player, although I'd encourage you to switch it up as you and your wallet like from what's listed there.
https://scryfall.com/ can also be a really good tool if you like to go full nerd and search for alternative cards with similar effects to really expensive cards - I've stumbled across a few hidden gems over time by using it.
Hope that helps, and Happy building!
Guerric on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
3 months ago
As I continue to ponder the Breathkeeper Seraph/Pyre of Heroes combo, I think I am leaning towards putting it in the deck. This change would almost certainly accompany swapping Steelshaper's Gift for Enlightened Tutor, though I'll probably wait till the latter is reprinted in order to do that. While the combo itself is what draws a lot of people, this deck works very well without it, and it would be a mistake to build the deck around it. That being said, the utility offered by both pieces even on their own is worthwhile. The pyre is just a great utility tutor in its own, and one of the few ways we can grab any angel in the deck we want, including the seraph if we have a five drop. It can be really helpful in grabbing our hate pieces, including Linvala, Keeper of Silence and Angel of Jubilation (even though the latter shuts the pyre off, we'll still be glad to have her against lifepay and sacrifice shenanigans). We can sacrifice the seraph to it to grab Sephara, Sky's Blade, and then can pair it to seraph when she returns in order to give us a really mean indestructible board state that will be difficult to get around. We could use it to get Brisela, Voice of Nightmares  Meld  Meld out, and can even sacrifice the seraph to get Bruna, the Fading Light  Meld, bonding it to Brisela when it returns. We could also sac a three-drop to get Serra Paragon, and the immediately get back said three drop with paragon's ability, and then can keep the same thing with other one, two, and three drop angels, getting focused "card draw" out of the equation. We can do the same thing by sacrificing the seraph to get out Emeria Shepherd which we can then use to get it back immediately if we have a plains in hand. Even on its own the seraph can protect Giada, Brisela, Sephara, or any other angel that is critical to our gameplan.
Needless to say, I think it would be a mistake to not include this combo, though I also think it would be a mistake to get too excited about it and build around it as it could compromise our main plan which is goldfishing and killing the table. This combo gives us some resilience and allows us to potentially leverage our angel library as a resource. It's great, but it's not essential. As such, a surgical approach would work best. I think I am likely to cut Darksteel Mutation and Starnheim Unleashed to put it in. I'll add Kabira Takedown  Flip into the mana base to keep my removal at parity, and cut the worst removal piece, which is mutation. Starnheim Unleashed is an awesome card in the deck and I am reticent to cut it, but this combo is just better. I'd still recommend playing it for anyone who has room in their list.
Including the pyre also raises the question of other pieces that could be included. Inspiring Overseer is one I've had my eye on for awhile, and it is great here as we can sac it to get four drops and then get it back when paired with the seraph. It was already good with Sword of Hearth and Home for getting a draw engine going, and will be great with Serra Paragon and Emeria Shepherd as well. It's not essential by any means and we have to consider the floor of the card which is that it is an over-costed, one-off angelic version of Elvish Visionary, but at the three drop slot it gets some consideration at any rate because of the times where it can be really good.
The other card that should be considered now is Archangel of Tithes. This wasn't high priority before because we rarely needed either of its abilities since we usually have enough huge blockers to deter attacking and our flyers don't often have issues with blockers. Nonetheless, it is a great toolbox piece against infinite attack step/attacker combos like Godo/Helm Kiki-Jiki/Village Bell Ringer, etc. These combos still kill us because they can generate enough attackers to get around and eventually kill our defenders, but with the archangel they'll never be able to pay for it, making it a helpful hate piece much like Linvala and Jubilation are.
I currently don't have slots to add these, but will be keeping an eye on things to potentially cut to potentially add them.
NaN on
Heavenly Saint
3 months ago
Thank you kindly KBK7101, there are plenty of legitimate considerations to make here and I deeply appreciate the time you took for my horny RP deck.
I'll add most of the suggestions at the very least and it's likely I won't be able to run this deck IRL just due to its nature — even if I collected everything finding a group comfortable and appropriate to support the theme just isn't likely. I'm more partial to the deck being a way to spark discussion about card art and how it resonated for us.
I adore all the angels you mentioned by the way and added basically every suggestion you made to my deck. I'm really glad you like Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Angel of Flight Alabaster and Lyra! They're all sooo beautiful! I know the deck is supposed to be cards I found erotic bound by the angel planeswalker — but I wanted the selection to focus a lot on sensuality, and Linvala and AoFA really speak to that more quiet and private sort of lust.
Thanks for entertaining my weirdness, I'm eager to discuss more on discord or twitter c:
KBK7101 on
Heavenly Saint
3 months ago
I know that this is a WIP, but there are a few issues. Archangel Avacyn  Flip technically has a color identity and isn't legal in this deck. Same problem with Sigarda, Bruna, Razia and a handful of others. There are also some cards that are included twice.
If you want this deck to be playable, Giada, Font of Hope is probably your best bet for the commander. Sephara, Sky's Blade is another option. Morophon, the Boundless is a five color option, though that means the manabase will get pretty expensive. If you don't care about this deck being terribly competitive, and your playgroup is cool with it, then you could change the format of this deck to Commander: Rule 0 and run Serra the Benevolent anyway. If anyone isn't okay with that, then just swap her for Giada or Avacyn or someone. Easy. Just be sure to ask beforehand. The only issue with Serra as commander is her ultimate ability being immune to interaction. Promise not to use it and most people should be fine with it.
You'll probably want to look at cards like War Room, Bonders' Enclave and Vanquisher's Banner as sources of card draw, as well. Other cards that work really well with the angels tribal theme are Bishop of Wings, Rally of Wings, Resplendent Angel if you focus on a lifegain theme, and Harsh Mercy as a "board wipe but not for me".
Art wise, Angel of Flight Alabaster, Linvala, Keeper of Silence and Lyra Dawnbringer (who's getting a new full art treatment in Dominaria Remastered!) are some of my favorites.
kirbysan on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
3 months ago
Played another 4 games of 1v1 yesterday against my buddy's Yisan, the Wanderer Bard deck. This mono-green deck used to be the bane of my existence when I first started playing commander so it was fun seeing how Angels stacked up. Unfortunately I didn't get any Pyre of Heroes plays in these 4 games. TLDR - Giada won 3/4 games and I should've mulliganed the one I lost. Also Yisan was a bit rusty piloting his old deck so he didn't have the most optimal lines of tutor.
While this hand technically has a draw card I had nothing below 4cmc. I did have a form of lifegain so I could potentially activate the Well. What I didn't expect was never drawing another angel for this entire game. I think it ended by turn 6 due to a Craterhoof Behemoth finisher and a bunch of mana dorks swinging in.
This hand had a perfect curve, an easy draw and a tutor so I obviously kept it. While I could've tutored for Pyre of Heroes I decided to go for the more efficient play and grabbed Pearl Medallion instead on turn 1. So on turn 3 after swinging in with Giada, I played Pearl Medallion for 2, Folk Hero for 1 and Youthful Valkyrie with Giada. I drew into Herald's Horn and played that next turn. That early game was so efficient that the game ended shortly after with no responses.
I also drew into Path of Ancestry which was just great when comboed with Folk Hero and Herald's Horn. If I had an Angel in hand then I would draw then scry and try and leave an Angel on top for the Horn. If I didn't have an Angel then I would scry then draw into an Angel to keep the value train going.
I kept this hand because I had the perfect hate-bear for Yisan. Playing Linvala turn 3 essentially shut down Yisan's whole deck. They couldn't tutor or use their mana dorks so just had to slow play using their lands. Eventually on turn 6 they drew into a Beast Within to kill her but by that time I had gotten so far ahead in board presence that it was another easy win.
T1 Sol Ring into a Pearl Medallion felt so great but if it wasn't for the Battle Angels of Tyr then I would've run out of gas quick. While I did get Luminarch Ascension out T2, I only added 3 quest counters on it before I closed out the game so I never saw it perform.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence was amazing against Yisan. Any deck that involves activated abilities will be shut down hard with her on the field.
Enlightened Tutor is a strong early tutor, I think it might warrant replacing Steelshaper's Gift. I haven't had much success with Search for Glory the few times I used it but will probably swap it back in when I play multiplayer.
Luminarch Ascension still hasn't been great in 1v1 because the games finish so fast. If you play it turn 3 and you start first then you'll need to wait till turn 7 to start using it. All the games I played yesterday ended by turn 6 or so. I'll leave it in for multiplayer and post about it then.
Path of Ancestry was a nice bump. Obviously it's better with the draw on angel cast cards but on its own provides value. Even if we don't have an angel to play it still taps for white.
Guerric on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
3 months ago
Pyre of Heroes is a card I love that I've definitely considered putting in here, and which I may put in here still. It is at its best in toolbox tribal decks, and is arguably one of the all-stars of my Inalla, Archmage Ritualist deck, and should probably go into my elfball deck as well. It's main advantage here is that it allows us to tutor out whatever angel we want, though we do so at the cost of some mana and an angel which costs less. There are instances where this can be great, such as to get Linvala, Keeper of Silence out when we want her, or to help to form Brisela. It could also help us replace angels targeted with single target removal- if we have mana open we can just sac the targeted angel and bring something else out in its place for short mana. It would also give us tutoring that we don't have a lot of in white. It wouldn't be broken in this deck the way it is in tribal decks with more toolbox effects, but it might not draw as much hate either. If I do put it in, Together Forever is the sort of card I might put it in in place of. While it isn't as good in a board wipe, it is arguably better in many situations with targeted removal as we can just replace the lost piece with a costlier spell.
I think Pyre of Heroes could be good regardless of whether we have the combo, but Breathkeeper Seraph is a card I am a bit more dicey on. While on its own it definitely protects itself and one other creature from destruction (but not exile, bouncing, etc) it costs 6 mana, and I am pretty picky with cards in that range. In the combo it's amazing and works as a draw piece, but outside of the combo I'm not too jazzed about it, though I am open to it and certainly don't think it's useless. Unexpected synergies like these can make the deck stronger if they don't weaken our primary gameplan too much.
The Ozolith is a card that's been suggested and considered from the beginning along with a host of other counter-moving shenanigans cards. While I think it's the most worthy inclusion of such cards, I've still never been personally too jazzed about it. We aren't really focused on counters shenanigans in this deck as we leave those to Ghave, Guru of Spores and Heliod/Ballista decks, and devoting more than one card to this subtheme would water down our gold-fishing. This card on its own could protect our counters as you say, but I'm just not sure it would work so well as to be worth it. This might just me my playgroup, but artifact hate of all kinds (destruction, bouncing, etc) is plentiful and this is exactly the sword of card they would blow up as a matter of principle, especially if they just board wiped and wanted to make sure I couldn't just put those counters on the first creature that I play afterwards. If I thought it would work out I would be more open to it, but I see it doing nothing more often than not in my group. Nonetheless, I wouldn't see any harm in trying it out. Every play group is different and sometimes things could be possible like knocking someone out with commander damage by putting them on Giada. I don't see this being likely in my groups, but I could be wrong!
Guerric on
[Primer] Helming the Host of Heaven *Update*
3 months ago
Thanks for the input! I think I'll probably cut Sigarda's Splendor after all. I haven't seen Vanquisher's Banner be bad yet, so I'll keep monitoring things but it's probably better to go for the high ceiling low floor type cards when we get above 3 cmc. As for Darksteel Mutation, the key is simply having a removal place to take the spot of Harsh Mercy. I've found that several times when I had it in hand I didn't need a board wipe but did want a targeted removal. That card wasn't good for that since each player gets to pick a creature type to keep, so it went. Mutation is nice since it can sideline a commander at least temporarily, though there are ways around it. Another good option is Fateful Absence, which simply destroys a creature or planeswalker, but which can be done at instant speed. Either way, it doesn't have to be integral, we just want to up the efficient removal with this slot.
As for other cards, my thoughts are as follows. Linvala, Keeper of Silence is the easiest because this card has saved my bacon more times than I can recount, and has been a true all star for me. I expected her to be fine but she's been a real star. Angel of Jubilation is also solid. We're always happy to have the anthem and when her second ability comes into play we'll be very glad we have her as she shuts down some of the more degenerate shenanigans in the format. Search for Glory is another easy one, and is a very underrated card. We have a lot of amazing legends here, and she can tutor all of them. One which I have used multiple times is tutoring Sephara, Sky's Blade and then immediately playing her for .
Together Forever is a board protection piece and the theory on it is good. I haven't seen it as often as other cards, but when I have I've played it, used it, and been glad to have it. It doesn't stop our pieces from being destroyed per se, but it does preserve the cards themselves for the cheap cost of per card. The biggest danger in this deck is getting blown out with an empty hand, and this ensures that we can at least have a hand if we play carefully. It is also good in less dramatic situations though. When I've enjoyed it most is when I've used it to save Sephara, Sky's Blade only to immediately replay her for the next turn, something that vexed my opponents greatly. Now if I were putting Avacyn in I could consider cutting this card since it is in the same category (sort of), but I've found it to be good and plan on keeping it for the time being. Starnheim Unleashed in this deck is the sort of token splashy card that allows for a big play that can put us over the top. It's not critical to the function of the deck, but where it is good it is generally pretty great. The ceiling is to play it with Crashing Drawbridge on the board or to flash it out on the end step right before our turn with Emergence Zone, where the element of surprise can take over the game. That being said, if you wanted to slot Luminarch Ascension in, something I have thought about doing, it could go in place of this as it has a similar function in terms of being able to pump out a massive amount of angel tokens. Luminarch Ascension has added value as a permanent since it can generate angels repeatedly for small mana. It'd downside is that there is no element of surprise. Our opponents will instantly know the threat it poses and will likely work to remove it as quickly as they can, possibly before we get to activate it at all. I think both cards are good and can justify a place in the deck, though I wouldn't say either is essential.
Angel of Condemnation is a card that I have pondered cutting and haven't really used too much in my playtesting so far, though it's certainly not bad and the theory on it is good. It's one of those cards with a lot of utility. On the one hand it is a removal piece, and a think we can use extra mana on at instant speed to repeatedly disrupt our opponents. Often we shouldn't need to exert him. Just blinking our opponents degenerate piece on their upkeep will generally keep them from exploiting it during their turn. Of course if we do exert him we can sideline a piece until an opponent removes him, and usually only the opponent who owns the degenerate piece will be willing to do so. This card can also be useful on our own stuff. We'll be happy to blink Sanctuary Warden for an extra card sometimes, or maybe blink any of our creatures to gain life off of Bishop of Wings and make an angel token off of Resplendent Angel or put some counters on stuff with Archangel of Thune. I've played enough blink decks to know that we tend to find all sorts of synergies like this if we have a card like this one in the deck and are looking for them.
Needless to say I am pretty happy with the list in general, and most of the cards I haven't liked I've cut. This doesn't mean we can't cut these or any other cards, but the threshold of a new card needs to be high for me to consider it.
| Have (2) | Azdranax , sepheroth119 |
| Want (8) | Yeagermon , theyounghansolo , Lunar_Wing , Amaterasu312 , Jayce_Ran , Phyrexian_Negotiator , Elsueter , mflint |