Let's look at the age-old question: What does white not have? Can White stand on its own? Is it the worst colour in EDH? Well, I'm here to answer that question(s). Card advantage, Yes, and NO.
Below you will see how I circumvented all those questions. Yes, I understand there are better colours for what I am trying to do, but I'm here on a mission... that Mission: Provied a basis for a decent card drawing engine for White.
We will start with the commander, Kiyomaro, First to Stand, a legendary creature from Kamigawa.
First off, we can look at his base stats. Five mana creature whose Power and toughness is based upon the number of cards in your hand. Now, at first glance, you may think "This guy is not good, a creature with P/T dependent on the cards in my hand, why would I play a five mana creature that can die the instant I no longer have a hand?" But nay, the fun doesn't start there. For that, we must read what this guy does:
"As long as you have four or more cards in hand, Kiyomaro has vigilance.", Now that is what I call value. Now we're looking at a 5 mana 4/4 with vigilance, not looking too bad. But it does not stop there, it gets better.
Whenever Kiyomaro deals damage, if you have seven or more cards in hand, you gain 7 life. Now, this is the kicker, and what gravitated me to him. 5 mana 7/7 with vigilance and pseudo-lifelink. Basically a non-flying card: Sephara, the sky's blade with vigilance.
But you cant have more than 7 cards in your hand... White cant draw enough to keep him at 7/7 or above, what happens if you are forced to discard your hand? That where the fun and problems arise, to wit, white just does not have card advantage. But I am here to show you that it indeed, does.
We will first look at the colourless spells I have included to produce card advantage
Alhammarret's Archive: Doubles life gain and extra draws.
Bottled Cloister: Protects your hand during your opponent's turns and nets a card on your upkeep.
Farsight Mask: Attack deterrent that draws cards.
Library of Leng: Prevents discarding cards, allowing you to maintain card advantage.
The Immortal Sun: Additional draw, cost-reducing, turns off planeswalkers, and an anthem. Need I say more?
Well of Lost Dreams: Mana sink later game, card draw for life gain, the basic of white's abilities.
Mind's Eye one mana for a card is a good trade-off.
Each of these produces card advantage, albeit mana intensive card advantage, but trust me, they are all worth it.
But I can only have 7 cards in my hand! Psshhh... manipulating hand size is easy
Thought Vessel
Library of Leng
Venser's Journal
Reliquary Tower
All ways to no longer have a maximum hand size. Now that we have lain the very basics of what you need, we can look into the more nitty-gritty details.
The Draw spells. Now, I will admit there are better colours for card draw, but white has an advantage over them: Extra value added to the card draw. For this list, I am only looking at the cantrips.
Abeyance A strictly better Silence that draws a card
Aura Blast Enchantment removal and card draw
Blessed Wine Life gain and delayed card draw. But Blessed wine only gains one life Yes, and we will use that later ;)
Dazzling Beauty Free blocker and card draw, allows blocks for special requirements without the loss of a creature.
Defiant Strike +1/+0 and card draw, pushes a creature over a tough blocker or can push that last point of commander damage.
Due Respect Blind obedience on an instant and draws a card
Equal Treatment Damage equaliser and card draw
Heal damage prevention and card draw
Prophecy Can mess with those pesky tutors and card: Sensei's Diving Top's
Revitalize Even more lifelink
Scout's Warning Flash in your commander and draw a card? YES.
Shelter Instant speed protection and card draw, yummy.
Each of these has a beneficial effect, and draw you a card.
Now, how can we add to the card advantage? With enchantments of course.
Armistice I draw, you gain life, ill take that trade.
Inheritance Your opponent decided to cast a wrath? No Worries you can draw for each of your and their fallen soldiers
Pursuit of Knowledge forgoing drawing three cards to draw seven is a mighty advantage in my book.
Spiritual Focus Replacing your discarded card with a new one and gaining 2 life to boot, could not ignore that.
Now we have those out there we can look at the life gain which I had mentioned above.
How can you turn life gain into card advantage?
Dawn of Hope Now here we have a big beauty drawing a card when gaining life for 2 mana is a great ROI.
Well of Lost Dreams Turning those life gain cantrips into better versions. Turn that Blessed Wine into 2 mana gain a life draw 2 cards.
Words of Worship: Turns that card advantage into Life gain which you can then turn into more card draw.
Now let's look at the combos that we can do.
Well of Lost Dreams+Revitalize Paying 5 mana to draw 4 cards and gain 3 life.
Basically the same return as a Divination.
Now we have all those cards in your hand, we can buff up Kiyomaro to make him a scary spirit.
Empyrial Plate
Empyrial Armor
We can get him to essentially have triple P/T equal to cards in hand. Gaining 7 life on damage, feeding into the Well.
But all this is super mana intensive
That's why we play mana rocks and land search.
card: extraplanar lense and Snow-Covered Plains doubles the output of white mana per land.
Caged Sun will also double the output of white mana produced and is an anthem to keep Kiyomaro out if you drop to no cards in hand.
Now that we got all that out of the way, we can get to the combo that I am most looking forward to playing.
I have 3 cards in my hand:
Plow Through Reito+Kiyomaro, First to Stand+Empyrial Plate
Bouncing 5 plains to your hand giving him +5/+5 in addition to the +8/+8 he will get from the Plate and his base 8/8 from his own ability, making him a 21/21. pretty scary don't you think?
