Honestly, I haven't picked up anything from C18 yet, so I haven't yet been able to give any of those bits and pieces a go. Which is really frustrating, because I'm looking forward to building around Varina, Lich Queen.
Anyway, Endless Atlas does look good. I guess I'm just looking for more ways to eke out advantage now. I can soft lock a board nicely and stay in a game pretty good too, but I don't like the idea of pinning all my hopes on Brisela. Any suggestions in that respect I'd gladly take on board.
I highly recommend looking into C18. Endless Atlas is a godsend for mono-color decks (it isn't in my current Bruna list because I put my only copy into Jaya Ballard, Task Mage). Boreas Charger is fantastic ramp, though, and Magus of the Balance can be pretty threatening if you're behind.
Ok, I took a look at your OP list and came up with a few things that come to mind for feedback.
Your low mana creature count looks too high. I normally agree with having a nice conservative curve but being that what we really want to be doing with our commander is casting a 7 mana angel and rezing a 5-10 mana creature ideally with it. Casting a 7+ mana commander and rezing a 2 mana human seems a little lacking. You might also have issues when mono white has issues with card advantage when you start topdecking a bunch of situational 2-4 mana humans late in the game. I am not saying that they are bad but I would look at potentially eliminating a few of the more odd ones and adding some of the missing creatures to your list assuming your budget allows. Things like Avacyn, Angel of Hope ideally assuming your budget allows but even beyond that I just wonder if we could get some random Banslayer Angels or even better Lyra Dawnbringer assuming you can afford it.
It feels like you are focusing perhaps a little too much on anti swarm tactics but some of your choices seem odd to me. I went through your list and I saw: Crawlspace / Ghostly Prison / Archangel of Tithes / Silent Arbiter / Magus of the Moat / Magus of the Tabernacle in your list and while I like the magus and I think Ghostly is always fairly spot on, I think Crawl Space, Arbiger, and the Archangel all seem questionable. Personally I would like to see you cut potentially the three I mentioned STARTING with Silent Arbiter because I think he fits your list the worst of them and he also defends other players from the swarm which forces them to answer your defense to attack anyone. If you want to keep some amount of count of swarm defense my suggestion is to pick up a copy of Eye of Singularity which is a little known card but it has incredible impact in that as it enters play you smash all tokens. What I like about this card though is it serves as removal and if the token player has an answer for your defense they then still have to build up their numbers after their defense where as some of these other cards only defend you as long as you have them in play. I would strongly suggest getting rid of Silent Arbiter but I would also question cutting back a few others in favor of card advantage or tutors. Its also possible to replace some of these potentially with something like Comeuppance which will let you maintain a better board threat level and respond to that sort of problem with an answer they are unaware of.
Some random suggestions that fall in the $10 or less range as I don't know what your budget looks like:
Return to Dust / Crush Contraband - they are just nice 2 for 1 removal effects. Sometimes wrathing cleans up a lot of your own things so its nice to exile remove a few problems as they pop up.
Dawn of Hope - Honestly, I haven't gotten to play it yet myself but we are kind of a slow control style of deck. Assuming you want to run some lifelink style of creatures it plays into that nicely but even just being a 4 mana token producer that can draw cards when you use those tokens isn't terrible. I like it more if you do run some of the lifelink style angels though.
Austere Command - I didn't see it in your OP list and its.... well always fairly great.
Survival Cache - its sort of like white Divination with a little life tacked on. You only need to have more life than a single opponent to draw and we don't run fetchlands so it has been fairly stable for me.
Conqueror's Galleon / Conqueror's Foothold - It seems somewhat easy to crew for this deck and the transformed land seems really nice for being able to fill a lot of functions.
Kozilek, the Great Distortion - He gives you a big threat, draw, and countermagic. He is still fairly affordable too even though it seems as though his price has recently gone up.
Path of Ancestry - its not necessarily a tribal deck but every time you scry 1 its still as valuable as some fraction of drawing a card.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
I highly recommend looking into C18. Endless Atlas is a godsend for mono-color decks (it isn't in my current Bruna list because I put my only copy into Jaya Ballard, Task Mage). Boreas Charger is fantastic ramp, though, and Magus of the Balance can be pretty threatening if you're behind.
Yeah, I intend to. It's just a money thing rn, unfortunately. I haven't been to LGS in like 6 weeks, but I got a bonus coming up, so there may be some extra cash in the budget for Bruna.
Your low mana creature count looks too high. I normally agree with having a nice conservative curve but being that what we really want to be doing with our commander is casting a 7 mana angel and rezing a 5-10 mana creature ideally with it. Casting a 7+ mana commander and rezing a 2 mana human seems a little lacking. You might also have issues when mono white has issues with card advantage when you start topdecking a bunch of situational 2-4 mana humans late in the game. I am not saying that they are bad but I would look at potentially eliminating a few of the more odd ones and adding some of the missing creatures to your list assuming your budget allows. Things like Avacyn, Angel of Hope ideally assuming your budget allows but even beyond that I just wonder if we could get some random Banslayer Angels or even better Lyra Dawnbringer assuming you can afford it.
It feels like you are focusing perhaps a little too much on anti swarm tactics but some of your choices seem odd to me. I went through your list and I saw: Crawlspace / Ghostly Prison / Archangel of Tithes / Silent Arbiter / Magus of the Moat / Magus of the Tabernacle in your list and while I like the magus and I think Ghostly is always fairly spot on, I think Crawl Space, Arbiger, and the Archangel all seem questionable. Personally I would like to see you cut potentially the three I mentioned STARTING with Silent Arbiter because I think he fits your list the worst of them and he also defends other players from the swarm which forces them to answer your defense to attack anyone. If you want to keep some amount of count of swarm defense my suggestion is to pick up a copy of Eye of Singularity which is a little known card but it has incredible impact in that as it enters play you smash all tokens. What I like about this card though is it serves as removal and if the token player has an answer for your defense they then still have to build up their numbers after their defense where as some of these other cards only defend you as long as you have them in play. I would strongly suggest getting rid of Silent Arbiter but I would also question cutting back a few others in favor of card advantage or tutors. Its also possible to replace some of these potentially with something like Comeuppance which will let you maintain a better board threat level and respond to that sort of problem with an answer they are unaware of.
I could agree with this assessment. There's a decent swarm following in my meta, so maybe that's an overreaction to that presence. I'm quite happy to replace these, I should be able to drum up some staples to replace them with. I really like Eye of Singularity - I'd forgotten it even existed. Austere Command I only have one copy of, it's once again a case of falling victim to spells in and out of the game, it's obviously one I missed in its previous releases. I think Dawn of Hope would need a little more building around to see work here. I don't really have a ton of lifelink or lifegain at present so it's a bit of a dead draw - Archangel of Thune and such would help, but damn that thing is pricey.
How have you found Conqueror's Galleon? I like Trading Post style effects, and this one could be useful. As far as tutor effects go, I mean I try to avoid them where I can, and that's easy for this deck because I really don't have any in white. I don't have copies of Enlightened Tutor, Steelshaper's Gift, Recruiter of the Guard, Idyllic Tutor or any of the other staples. I have Open the Armory in the list, but as it is it's really in there only search for a couple of ramp pieces.
Yea, sometimes when playing mono white control you need to accept that you can't draw as much as other colors and sometimes that results in shifting the curve up a little and trying to get more impact per card rather than needing to draw and play a better curve.
Kozilek has been good for me. Unlike the original eldrazi he doesn't shuffle your grave away when he dies and really the trick to the counter magic is mostly just if it doesn't seem like you want / need something in play then don't cast it. Random 2 mana rocks might counter a cyclonic rift if he is in play or 4-6 mana spells might be a counter to a wrath. I don't normally force myself to hold back things but at the same time I don't really play out my hand if I have him out. Normally I let him + whatever else I have in play kind of duke it out until something forces me to move forward and play more.
I could agree with this assessment. There's a decent swarm following in my meta, so maybe that's an overreaction to that presence. I'm quite happy to replace these, I should be able to drum up some staples to replace them with. I really like Eye of Singularity - I'd forgotten it even existed. Austere Command I only have one copy of, it's once again a case of falling victim to spells in and out of the game, it's obviously one I missed in its previous releases. I think Dawn of Hope would need a little more building around to see work here. I don't really have a ton of lifelink or lifegain at present so it's a bit of a dead draw - Archangel of Thune and such would help, but damn that thing is pricey.
How have you found Conqueror's Galleon? I like Trading Post style effects, and this one could be useful. As far as tutor effects go, I mean I try to avoid them where I can, and that's easy for this deck because I really don't have any in white. I don't have copies of Enlightened Tutor, Steelshaper's Gift, Recruiter of the Guard, Idyllic Tutor or any of the other staples. I have Open the Armory in the list, but as it is it's really in there only search for a couple of ramp pieces.
Conqueror's Galleon - its nice that it flips to a land as I find that usually is nice as it leaves me with less on board for wraths. Its just really versatile but I also can't remember a specific game where I had it out which tends to happen with mono white lol. Being able to filter cards though gives you the option to set up a nice rez at end of turn though which is cool and its draw / recovery is still nice stuff while also being ramp.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
Yea, sometimes when playing mono white control you need to accept that you can't draw as much as other colors and sometimes that results in shifting the curve up a little and trying to get more impact per card rather than needing to draw and play a better curve.
Kozilek has been good for me. Unlike the original eldrazi he doesn't shuffle your grave away when he dies and really the trick to the counter magic is mostly just if it doesn't seem like you want / need something in play then don't cast it. Random 2 mana rocks might counter a cyclonic rift if he is in play or 4-6 mana spells might be a counter to a wrath. I don't normally force myself to hold back things but at the same time I don't really play out my hand if I have him out. Normally I let him + whatever else I have in play kind of duke it out until something forces me to move forward and play more.
It really is a different way to play the game. And it's a challenge. Mono white has become a favourite of mine, simply for being a different way to play. I find myself doing the same, I'm not likely to vomit my hand into play.
I like the idea of Kozi 2.0. He's a well priced beater with combat evasion, draw and control built in. That's not nothing, and it's an alternative to death by commander damage. I may try to track down a copy, along with Baneslayer Angel. I really like Resplendent Angel as a strong 3-drop, but apparently so does everyone else. Going for $30 at the moment, so I'll wait on it. I think between those and some other removal options I should be able to give myself a few more options.
It really is a different way to play the game. And it's a challenge. Mono white has become a favourite of mine, simply for being a different way to play. I find myself doing the same, I'm not likely to vomit my hand into play.
I like the idea of Kozi 2.0. He's a well priced beater with combat evasion, draw and control built in. That's not nothing, and it's an alternative to death by commander damage. I may try to track down a copy, along with Baneslayer Angel. I really like Resplendent Angel as a strong 3-drop, but apparently so does everyone else. Going for $30 at the moment, so I'll wait on it. I think between those and some other removal options I should be able to give myself a few more options.
Resplendent Angel is seeing standard play so if you can wait another several months to a year it should drop as standard opens back up. It just went through rotation so the number of playable cards is at its lowest right now.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
Resplendent Angel is seeing standard play so if you can wait another several months to a year it should drop as standard opens back up. It just went through rotation so the number of playable cards is at its lowest right now.
I'm in no special rush for it. If I'm going to drop money on this deck it'll be on pieces that hold their value.
I might just love this card for irrational reasons but what do you think of Golden Guardian? To me it seems sort of like a Burnished Hart that can also give you a mana sink to make golems. The pre-requisite for him to be good is sort of that you run big fat chunky creatures and you want mana / a mana dump. He might not be on creature type to rez but once you flip him he produces good mana and can be land cloned if you want as well. Plus he gives you an out to dump mana and make 4/4s with.
I am not really sure if I just have an irrational love for these flip to land cards but so far I have really enjoyed him. Especially if you are pushing your curve up higher he can give you a 4 mana 4/4 which is a really solid defense if you want to curve play him.
Wall of Omens is likewise not on creature type but given he cantrips he is fairly useful both early and late. He also gives a nice target to dump random rez effects like Sun Titan, Emeria Shephard, or Emeria land to. I don't think he is huge but I think it gives you early defense at almost no cost and when you find it late it cantrips off for cheap.
Thawing Glaciers / Land Tax - just more card advantage options. I suspect these might be because of your dislike of tutoring or possibly their price tags. Land Tax did just get a reprint in Battlebond but its still not what I would call cheap. Just some random food for though of additional ways to stretch your card advantage.
I just thought I would throw you some ideas that I use.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
I might just love this card for irrational reasons but what do you think of Golden Guardian? To me it seems sort of like a Burnished Hart that can also give you a mana sink to make golems. The pre-requisite for him to be good is sort of that you run big fat chunky creatures and you want mana / a mana dump. He might not be on creature type to rez but once you flip him he produces good mana and can be land cloned if you want as well. Plus he gives you an out to dump mana and make 4/4s with.
I mean I don't hate it, but it's a weird card. Has it done alright for you? It just seems like a...weird fit, I guess. I do also like the flip lands, they're fun and original, so if he gives good milage I'd consider giving him a whirl. Azor's Gateway has been good for that, and I haven't flipped it once.
Wall of Omens is likewise not on creature type but given he cantrips he is fairly useful both early and late. He also gives a nice target to dump random rez effects like Sun Titan, Emeria Shephard, or Emeria land to. I don't think he is huge but I think it gives you early defense at almost no cost and when you find it late it cantrips off for cheap.
There really isn't a reason not to run this, tbh. It's reanimatable and blinkable, and it's never a bad cast. I can see adding it for sure, not even sure why I missed it. I guess tribal, but I'm not 100% tied to that as the guiding principle for building this deck.
Thawing Glaciers / Land Tax - just more card advantage options. I suspect these might be because of your dislike of tutoring or possibly their price tags. Land Tax did just get a reprint in Battlebond but its still not what I would call cheap. Just some random food for though of additional ways to stretch your card advantage.
I'd love either of these cards in here. They are both probably outside of budget. I was stoked to see the battlebond reprint, but I had hoped it would drop in price further. I guess that's the difference between a card that costs a lot due to infrequent reprints, and one that's in addition very good. As a general rule of thumb, if I'm paying more than $10 for a card I'll struggle to justify it. Regardless, I'd still love either/both of these.
I just thought I would throw you some ideas that I use.
I do really appreciate it, especially because there's not a ton of people who run mono white. This is one of the few decks of mine I see sticking around long term, so I appreciate the help!
I do really appreciate it, especially because there's not a ton of people who run mono white. This is one of the few decks of mine I see sticking around long term, so I appreciate the help!
I currently have 3 mono white decks and over time there are at least 9 mono white commanders I have at some point built. Its one of my favorite archetypes
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
I do really appreciate it, especially because there's not a ton of people who run mono white. This is one of the few decks of mine I see sticking around long term, so I appreciate the help!
I currently have 3 mono white decks and over time there are at least 9 mono white commanders I have at some point built. Its one of my favorite archetypes
Clearly a favourite of yours, then! I've come to love it, too. Nonetheless, we are in the minority, I believe.
Learning what I have from this thread, I think I might give a shot at going back to Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle . Both commanders have similar styles, however Teshar tends to favor lower CMC creatures more often where Bruna can recur bigger threats. I'll post my list here once I'm happy with it, if you don't mind.
Learning what I have from this thread, I think I might give a shot at going back to Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle . Both commanders have similar styles, however Teshar tends to favor lower CMC creatures more often where Bruna can recur bigger threats. I'll post my list here once I'm happy with it, if you don't mind.
You're more than welcome to, but having said that you'll probably find you get better feedback if you start a thread of your own - the feedback you get will be much more specific to what your deck is trying to achieve, instead of what 'standardmonowhite.dec' is trying to achieve. By all means though if you'd like to share I'm happy for you to do so.
You're more than welcome to, but having said that you'll probably find you get better feedback if you start a thread of your own - the feedback you get will be much more specific to what your deck is trying to achieve, instead of what 'standardmonowhite.dec' is trying to achieve. By all means though if you'd like to share I'm happy for you to do so.
That's a good point. I started one about a month ago and got little attention, but I think I need to do a better job of advertising my thought process behind the deck. I'll try it again!
That's a good point. I started one about a month ago and got little attention, but I think I need to do a better job of advertising my thought process behind the deck. I'll try it again!
Post it here anyway, there might be some tricks I can steal
But yeah, if you've got a thread already keep plugging away at it too. Prettying it up a bit and just plugging away with updates should get people hitting you up, though. Sometimes with obscure commanders you have to be patient. Not every deck is as popular as Atraxa, Praetor's Voice or Meren of Clan Nel Toth
Post it here anyway, there might be some tricks I can steal
But yeah, if you've got a thread already keep plugging away at it too. Prettying it up a bit and just plugging away with updates should get people hitting you up, though. Sometimes with obscure commanders you have to be patient. Not every deck is as popular as Atraxa, Praetor's Voice or Meren of Clan Nel Toth
I dredged up the one that was previously posted that I found in the deck database with some ideas.
Post it here anyway, there might be some tricks I can steal
But yeah, if you've got a thread already keep plugging away at it too. Prettying it up a bit and just plugging away with updates should get people hitting you up, though. Sometimes with obscure commanders you have to be patient. Not every deck is as popular as Atraxa, Praetor's Voice or Meren of Clan Nel Toth
I dredged up the one that was previously posted that I found in the deck database with some ideas.
So, I had a bonus come through from work. I gave some love to Bruna, which is sort of ironic considering I just got through saying I didn't have the budget to spend on Bruna. There are definitely still some pieces I'd like to add, but I still don't have the money to compete with standard prices, so I'm happy to wait.
So, yeah. Big changes, and I feel like there's more of a focus on advancing my plan now rather than holding everyone else back and forting out. Pretty happy with most of these changes, they add a lot of draw, ramp and strength.
I took a barely used Daretti apart last night, and it had some straight up value in it. I hadn't realised how much value it was holding up. There's not a huge upgrade here, but there is some staple value to add:
I was on the edge about removing the charger. It's decent ramp but it's situational. I'm not entirely convinced the unicorn will be better, as it seems a little win more. No regrets about swapping out the cartographer for a direct upgrade though. And the path should be good here - I don't see a lot of theft in my meta, but you never know.
I feel...... hesitant to cut Myriad Landscape from this list. I would be interested to hear more as to why you cut it. If you have a Land Tax or something in play you can just avoid popping it and if you are looking to have an active Emeria you can just pop it into two basics. I don't really see a downside here other than it takes time and mana but being we are a slow control mono white it seems like something we have in spades. I could possibly see cutting into your basic count to keep it in or maybe even cutting Rogue's Passage for it given a lot of our threats already have flying evasion.
Also curious to hear if you have any testing results on any of the recent changes to comment on.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
I feel...... hesitant to cut Myriad Landscape from this list. I would be interested to hear more as to why you cut it. If you have a Land Tax or something in play you can just avoid popping it and if you are looking to have an active Emeria you can just pop it into two basics. I don't really see a downside here other than it takes time and mana but being we are a slow control mono white it seems like something we have in spades. I could possibly see cutting into your basic count to keep it in or maybe even cutting Rogue's Passage for it given a lot of our threats already have flying evasion.
Also curious to hear if you have any testing results on any of the recent changes to comment on.
I guess I was a little hesitant removing it myself. The last couple of games I've played I've been great for ramp, so maybe it was just overconfidence.
As far as playtesting goes, it's been a busy month. I've tried a couple games online, but playing with rando's is notoriously hit and miss. It's hard to get a match that someone doesn't just leave at a moment's notice or disconnect due to lag. It's frustrating. That being said, the parts of games I've got in have been promising. The ramp has been decent and I've drawn into decent states. If anything I probably need a couple more options for incremental draw, but otherwise things are looking decent as far as I can tell.
So I finally managed a playtest today. The deck is playing very nicely, and more to the point it's a lot of fun.
Endless Atlas has been really solid. It's an easy solid draw engine, it's been pretty reliable. Isolated Watchtower has been ok. It's good coming from behind, but my ramp has been good enough that it's not always splendid. Eye of Singularity has been a great add too, it's the sort of card you don't always play, but when you do it's perfect for the task at hand.
The game today was hilariously interesting. Emeria Shepherd is an eminently abusable monster. I cast with Sword of the Animist on a spirit token from another player's Forbidden Orchard, swung with the spirit, hit a plains, resurrected a Magus of the Moat and passed turn. Board blew up, I cast Bruna, res Shepherd, land drop for the turn is another plains, res Sword of the Animist, next turn drop another plains and get my magus back. At that point the entire table tipped hats to me. At some point they even let me meld Brisela, Voice of Nightmares just to see what happened, too. Fun game.
Pretty with how the deck is looking at present. There are a couple more creatures I'd like to add at some point, but I'm happy for them to rotate out of standard first - Lyra Dawnbringer, Resplendent Angel, Archangel of Thune, Baneslayer Angel. Not sure what will move out, but there's plenty of time for further consideration of that.
I am a bit curious to hear more about your experience with:
Restoration Angel - Being that it cant flicker angels is my concern. I only see something like 15ish targets with like..... 6 being things you might want to flicker. I just think it seems really narrow. Angel of Jubilation - as an anthem, its not very good considering this deck is built more to be based on large single threats than swarming out. So, it seems more focused on being a hatebear which how valuable it is comes down to what your opponents are playing. I don't really love the concept of hatebears in mono white considering you can't really control how much effect this will ever have.
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I have officially moved to MTGNexus. I just wanted to let people know as my response time to salvation decks being bumped is very hit or miss.
I am a bit curious to hear more about your experience with:
Restoration Angel - Being that it cant flicker angels is my concern. I only see something like 15ish targets with like..... 6 being things you might want to flicker. I just think it seems really narrow. Angel of Jubilation - as an anthem, its not very good considering this deck is built more to be based on large single threats than swarming out. So, it seems more focused on being a hatebear which how valuable it is comes down to what your opponents are playing. I don't really love the concept of hatebears in mono white considering you can't really control how much effect this will ever have.
Restoration Angel has become a bit less relevant, yes. Currently I'm just somewhat concerned about my curve. There's not a ton at the lower end, and the angels are weighing down the top end, so not hugely sure what to replace it with. Angel of Jubilation has been decent. I couldn't care less about the anthem, it's the restriction that matters. It's one of those tools you hold back till you need it, but given that it shuts down a whole raft of attrition and sacrifice decks, its done well.
I highly recommend looking into C18. Endless Atlas is a godsend for mono-color decks (it isn't in my current Bruna list because I put my only copy into Jaya Ballard, Task Mage). Boreas Charger is fantastic ramp, though, and Magus of the Balance can be pretty threatening if you're behind.
Some random suggestions that fall in the $10 or less range as I don't know what your budget looks like:
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Yeah, I intend to. It's just a money thing rn, unfortunately. I haven't been to LGS in like 6 weeks, but I got a bonus coming up, so there may be some extra cash in the budget for Bruna.
This seems to be the best suggestion to my problem of relying on Bruna. I'd love to slam some more heavy bodies in here - Masako the Humorless and Fiend Hunter could go, maybe Intrepid Hero too. Ideally I want to replace with Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Lyra Dawnbringer and Baneslayer Angel or similar. Lyra will have to wait, but I do like the idea of this being a good place for Kozilek, the Great Distortion. How often do you find his counter ability relevant?
I could agree with this assessment. There's a decent swarm following in my meta, so maybe that's an overreaction to that presence. I'm quite happy to replace these, I should be able to drum up some staples to replace them with. I really like Eye of Singularity - I'd forgotten it even existed. Austere Command I only have one copy of, it's once again a case of falling victim to spells in and out of the game, it's obviously one I missed in its previous releases. I think Dawn of Hope would need a little more building around to see work here. I don't really have a ton of lifelink or lifegain at present so it's a bit of a dead draw - Archangel of Thune and such would help, but damn that thing is pricey.
How have you found Conqueror's Galleon? I like Trading Post style effects, and this one could be useful. As far as tutor effects go, I mean I try to avoid them where I can, and that's easy for this deck because I really don't have any in white. I don't have copies of Enlightened Tutor, Steelshaper's Gift, Recruiter of the Guard, Idyllic Tutor or any of the other staples. I have Open the Armory in the list, but as it is it's really in there only search for a couple of ramp pieces.
Yea, sometimes when playing mono white control you need to accept that you can't draw as much as other colors and sometimes that results in shifting the curve up a little and trying to get more impact per card rather than needing to draw and play a better curve.
Kozilek has been good for me. Unlike the original eldrazi he doesn't shuffle your grave away when he dies and really the trick to the counter magic is mostly just if it doesn't seem like you want / need something in play then don't cast it. Random 2 mana rocks might counter a cyclonic rift if he is in play or 4-6 mana spells might be a counter to a wrath. I don't normally force myself to hold back things but at the same time I don't really play out my hand if I have him out. Normally I let him + whatever else I have in play kind of duke it out until something forces me to move forward and play more.
Conqueror's Galleon - its nice that it flips to a land as I find that usually is nice as it leaves me with less on board for wraths. Its just really versatile but I also can't remember a specific game where I had it out which tends to happen with mono white lol. Being able to filter cards though gives you the option to set up a nice rez at end of turn though which is cool and its draw / recovery is still nice stuff while also being ramp.
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[Modern] Allies
It really is a different way to play the game. And it's a challenge. Mono white has become a favourite of mine, simply for being a different way to play. I find myself doing the same, I'm not likely to vomit my hand into play.
I like the idea of Kozi 2.0. He's a well priced beater with combat evasion, draw and control built in. That's not nothing, and it's an alternative to death by commander damage. I may try to track down a copy, along with Baneslayer Angel. I really like Resplendent Angel as a strong 3-drop, but apparently so does everyone else. Going for $30 at the moment, so I'll wait on it. I think between those and some other removal options I should be able to give myself a few more options.
Resplendent Angel is seeing standard play so if you can wait another several months to a year it should drop as standard opens back up. It just went through rotation so the number of playable cards is at its lowest right now.
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[Modern] Allies
I'm in no special rush for it. If I'm going to drop money on this deck it'll be on pieces that hold their value.
I am not really sure if I just have an irrational love for these flip to land cards but so far I have really enjoyed him. Especially if you are pushing your curve up higher he can give you a 4 mana 4/4 which is a really solid defense if you want to curve play him.
Wall of Omens is likewise not on creature type but given he cantrips he is fairly useful both early and late. He also gives a nice target to dump random rez effects like Sun Titan, Emeria Shephard, or Emeria land to. I don't think he is huge but I think it gives you early defense at almost no cost and when you find it late it cantrips off for cheap.
Thawing Glaciers / Land Tax - just more card advantage options. I suspect these might be because of your dislike of tutoring or possibly their price tags. Land Tax did just get a reprint in Battlebond but its still not what I would call cheap. Just some random food for though of additional ways to stretch your card advantage.
I just thought I would throw you some ideas that I use.
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[Modern] Allies
I mean I don't hate it, but it's a weird card. Has it done alright for you? It just seems like a...weird fit, I guess. I do also like the flip lands, they're fun and original, so if he gives good milage I'd consider giving him a whirl. Azor's Gateway has been good for that, and I haven't flipped it once.
There really isn't a reason not to run this, tbh. It's reanimatable and blinkable, and it's never a bad cast. I can see adding it for sure, not even sure why I missed it. I guess tribal, but I'm not 100% tied to that as the guiding principle for building this deck.
I'd love either of these cards in here. They are both probably outside of budget. I was stoked to see the battlebond reprint, but I had hoped it would drop in price further. I guess that's the difference between a card that costs a lot due to infrequent reprints, and one that's in addition very good. As a general rule of thumb, if I'm paying more than $10 for a card I'll struggle to justify it. Regardless, I'd still love either/both of these.
I do really appreciate it, especially because there's not a ton of people who run mono white. This is one of the few decks of mine I see sticking around long term, so I appreciate the help!
I currently have 3 mono white decks and over time there are at least 9 mono white commanders I have at some point built. Its one of my favorite archetypes
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[Modern] Allies
Clearly a favourite of yours, then! I've come to love it, too. Nonetheless, we are in the minority, I believe.
You're more than welcome to, but having said that you'll probably find you get better feedback if you start a thread of your own - the feedback you get will be much more specific to what your deck is trying to achieve, instead of what 'standardmonowhite.dec' is trying to achieve. By all means though if you'd like to share I'm happy for you to do so.
That's a good point. I started one about a month ago and got little attention, but I think I need to do a better job of advertising my thought process behind the deck. I'll try it again!
Post it here anyway, there might be some tricks I can steal
But yeah, if you've got a thread already keep plugging away at it too. Prettying it up a bit and just plugging away with updates should get people hitting you up, though. Sometimes with obscure commanders you have to be patient. Not every deck is as popular as Atraxa, Praetor's Voice or Meren of Clan Nel Toth
I dredged up the one that was previously posted that I found in the deck database with some ideas.
https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/797816-teshar-aka-i-really-want-to-make-monowhite-work
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[Modern] Allies
That would be mine! Haha! I'll get to updating it when I have time to sit down and write.
2 Unexpectedly Absent
4 Return to Dust
6 Akroma's Vengeance
4 Eye of Singularity
1 Land Tax
2 Endless Atlas
3 Boreas Charger
8 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
10 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
1 Isolated Watchtower
3 Fiend Hunter
4 False Prophet
3 Masako the Humourless
3 Eldrazi Displacer
1 Mana Tithe
3 Intrepid Hero
4 Silent Arbiter
3 Crawlspace
4 Archangel of Tithes
1 Karoo
So, yeah. Big changes, and I feel like there's more of a focus on advancing my plan now rather than holding everyone else back and forting out. Pretty happy with most of these changes, they add a lot of draw, ramp and strength.
In:
Solemn Simulacrum
Homeward Path
Loyal Unicorn
Out:
Kor Cartographer
Myriad Landscape
Boreas Charger
I was on the edge about removing the charger. It's decent ramp but it's situational. I'm not entirely convinced the unicorn will be better, as it seems a little win more. No regrets about swapping out the cartographer for a direct upgrade though. And the path should be good here - I don't see a lot of theft in my meta, but you never know.
In:
Wall of Omens
Out:
Loyal Unicorn
Solid recurrable draw, should be a good add.
Also curious to hear if you have any testing results on any of the recent changes to comment on.
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[Modern] Allies
I guess I was a little hesitant removing it myself. The last couple of games I've played I've been great for ramp, so maybe it was just overconfidence.
As far as playtesting goes, it's been a busy month. I've tried a couple games online, but playing with rando's is notoriously hit and miss. It's hard to get a match that someone doesn't just leave at a moment's notice or disconnect due to lag. It's frustrating. That being said, the parts of games I've got in have been promising. The ramp has been decent and I've drawn into decent states. If anything I probably need a couple more options for incremental draw, but otherwise things are looking decent as far as I can tell.
Endless Atlas has been really solid. It's an easy solid draw engine, it's been pretty reliable. Isolated Watchtower has been ok. It's good coming from behind, but my ramp has been good enough that it's not always splendid. Eye of Singularity has been a great add too, it's the sort of card you don't always play, but when you do it's perfect for the task at hand.
The game today was hilariously interesting. Emeria Shepherd is an eminently abusable monster. I cast with Sword of the Animist on a spirit token from another player's Forbidden Orchard, swung with the spirit, hit a plains, resurrected a Magus of the Moat and passed turn. Board blew up, I cast Bruna, res Shepherd, land drop for the turn is another plains, res Sword of the Animist, next turn drop another plains and get my magus back. At that point the entire table tipped hats to me. At some point they even let me meld Brisela, Voice of Nightmares just to see what happened, too. Fun game.
Pretty with how the deck is looking at present. There are a couple more creatures I'd like to add at some point, but I'm happy for them to rotate out of standard first - Lyra Dawnbringer, Resplendent Angel, Archangel of Thune, Baneslayer Angel. Not sure what will move out, but there's plenty of time for further consideration of that.
Restoration Angel - Being that it cant flicker angels is my concern. I only see something like 15ish targets with like..... 6 being things you might want to flicker. I just think it seems really narrow.
Angel of Jubilation - as an anthem, its not very good considering this deck is built more to be based on large single threats than swarming out. So, it seems more focused on being a hatebear which how valuable it is comes down to what your opponents are playing. I don't really love the concept of hatebears in mono white considering you can't really control how much effect this will ever have.
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[Modern] Allies
Restoration Angel has become a bit less relevant, yes. Currently I'm just somewhat concerned about my curve. There's not a ton at the lower end, and the angels are weighing down the top end, so not hugely sure what to replace it with.
Angel of Jubilation has been decent. I couldn't care less about the anthem, it's the restriction that matters. It's one of those tools you hold back till you need it, but given that it shuts down a whole raft of attrition and sacrifice decks, its done well.