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$100 Heliod Ballista - Whitejack (No Sol Ring)

Commander / EDH Bracket 3 Combo Construct Humans Mono-White Stax

Jungian_Thing

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Creature (46)

Land (30)

Artifact (9)

Commander (1)

Commander: Heliod, Sun-Crowned

Instant (10)

Enchantment (4)

Maybeboard

Creature (70)

Enchantment (15)

Instant (10)

Planeswalker (1)

Artifact (13)

Land (10)

Sorcery (2)

Another in my series of $100 decks that I play in my pod. The price is set off TCGPlayer low at the time of the last card change. We banned Sol Ring as it was way too OP, a first turn ring is a good predictor of victory.

The deck has gone up a bit since my last update and because of the pod rules, changing a card means a reset to $100, which makes updates hard to justify for the moment. The big dollar card is Ranger-Captain of Eos and while not part of the combo is a big drop being a creature that tutors and protects. It has to go to get down towards $100, I would also consider nixing Silent Arbiter and Orim's Chant, solid cards but there are cheaper alternatives.

How the combo works.

The deck does what Heliod does, 9 mana (that's a lot!), to pull off a 2 card combo, one of which is in the command zone and indestructible. This is the deck's strength, it is rare in Magic to have a two card combo and rarer still, one that wins an EDH match the turn it lands. In brief, summon Heliod, Sun-Crowned and then Walking Ballista (WB) or Triskelion and presto a two card combo. In detail, you have WB; cast WB for x=2 (4 mana) with Heliod on board (3 mana), activate Heliod's lifelink ability targeting WB (2 mana)(4+3+2=9), then ping one counter from WB at an opponent, Heliod's triggered ability puts a counter back on WB and then just do it again and again.... Same, same for Triskelion with just a couple more mana to summon. And once you stick both Heliod and Ballista, the combo is really difficult to interact with, (Stifle, maybe). There is nothing pretty about this combo, two cards, 9 mana in one turn (5-7 with an anthem/s) or 4 available mana (3 with an anthem) over three turns. As far as the rest of the game plan, just hatebear until you get there.

Lots of words following... mainly for my benefit, notes on build and how to play the deck.

Anthems

The non budget version uses a bunch of very expensive ($) rocks to get around the 9 mana required for the combo. To make the combo cheaper, my budget build leans heavily into anthems and +1/+1 counter cards. These cards allow you to cast Walking Ballista for 2, or even 0, rather than 4 and also help the deck go aggro as a secondary line of play. The best anthem is the "free" Force of Virtue but there is also Spear of Heliod (not quite a Royal Assassin but close enough and white), both findable with the tutors.

Next are +1/+1 counter cards Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit, Metastatic Evangel, Luminarch Aspirant, Myr Scrapling and Steel Overseer all tutorable and part of Pyre of Heroes or Oswald lines. Lands Idyllic Grange and Ruins of Oran-Rief can be found with Weathered Wayfarer and Idyllic Grange is a plains, so the plainscycling cards and Knight of the White Orchid can get it.

At a pinch you can also use Blacksmith's Skill.

Two anthems don't make Walking Ballista free for the combo, you need to land it with at least one +1/+1 counter to get the combo going and anthems don't give counters... then again, an anthem and one of the counter cards will allow you to summon WB for x=0.

Early game stax/hatebear

Get a s/tax card out as early as possible to slow things down, there are a few in the deck so you should draw into them but they are all tutorable. Most are humans who can feed via Pyre, the artifacts feed through Oswald and the enchantments accessed via Moon-Blessed Cleric - a human that can be recruited and then fed into pyre for Ranger of Eos.

Phyrexian Censor is nonbo with a fast combo, so be careful placing it if your line is a quick combo.

Tutors

The deck is tuned to sequential Constructs and Humans to maximise Pyre of Heroes' benefit. There are a few "orphans", these are land cycling creatures, none of which will be fed into Pyre and are likely going to the 'yard and not the battlefield, if they do hit the battlefield it's because they are going into combat.

Pyre of Heroes' lines are Humans and/or Constructs (with a teeny bit of Myr for Flash), these should get you up to tutors. Humans get you to Recruiter of the Guard, Ranger-Captain of Eos and Ranger of Eos all of which can get Walking Ballista. The human line terminates at Thalia's Lancers, it's a bit of a Hail Mary but that will get you Oswald Fiddlebender. Constructs ultimate to Triskelion via Scrapyard Recombiner. I have used a design principle (not a rule) to prioritise 1-2 cmc creatures/artifacts, this makes getting to the tutors easier, there are also some 3cmc utility creatures made easier to find with the density to 2cmc creatures e.g. Fiend Hunter, Treasure Hunter and Moon-Blessed Cleric. The few creatures above 3cmc are 2nd tier tutors, stepping stones or the land cycling creatures.

Kuldotha Forgemaster (removed, too $$$ and likely if you have to cast it too late to the party, but worth considering), you are going to get Triskelion because Walking Ballista is going to die, this can be solved with an anthem but then you will then need 4 mana to get a +1/+1 counter on it for the combo.

Oswald Fiddlebender gets Pyre of Heroes and can get you to construct tutors at 3 (Scrapyard Recombiner), and up to 6 Triskelion.

Search for Glory gets Oswald Fiddlebender and other legendary targets. At a pinch it can get a Snow-Covered Plains and don't forget to net 1 life point for paying with the Snow-Covered Plains.

Inventors' Fair get WB, don't forget you need 3 or more artifacts out.

Rest of the deck

Ramp Lands, one Snow-Covered Plains for the sole reason of turning Search for Glory into a ramp spell. I have gone with cycling creatures and dorks over a bunch of rocks. The dorks work on Pyre of Heroes lines and cycling creatures bring late game value if you end up trying to win by turning sideways. On rocks, there are a few, Arcane Signet and Sol Ring and Everflowing Chalice. The rocks also feed Oswald Fiddlebender.

Interaction There is a good amount of offensive cards in a toolbox setup and all are tutorable. The defensive interaction is mainly instants geared to protecting the combo turn, there are also a few humans that will protect your combo turn.

Flash Shimmer Myr, is a small Pyre/Oswald line but there and allows greater opportunity to "go off" or respond to threats.

Card Draw There isn't much, three cycling lands, and humans - Mentor of the Meek and Palace Jailer.

Secondary path to victory

Anthems and combat, yup get those weenies sideways. Always attack if you can, even if you are on the combo line, you never know when you might need those one or two points of damage to win. Those land cycling creatures, if drawn late game, will help.

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