Atalya, Samite Master: Don't Mind Me, Just Healing Up

[BlackbirdPlaysMTG]

A while ago I wanted to brew around a commander that basically saw zero play. Enter Atalya, Samite Master! Apart from a handful of janky cleric-tribal builds, there was basically no-one playing her. Decided I wanted to create a build that plays some repetitive lifegain effects and payoff cards that could bring home to win. It was pretty fun to play in casual pods, but I disassembled the deck a few months ago. Considering to reassemble it again... Added some cards, removed some bad performers and still busy streamlining the deck.

Atalya, Samite Master - Monowhite Lifegain

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander

1 Atalya, Samite Master

Lifegain

1 Abiding Grace

1 Alhammarret's Archive

1 Auriok Champion

1 Authority of the Consuls

1 Beacon of Immortality

1 Boon Reflection

1 Rhox Faithmender

1 Soul Warden

1 Soul's Attendant

Lifegain Payoff

1 Angel of Destiny

1 Archangel of Thune

1 Cradle of Vitality

1 Crested Sunmare

1 Nykthos Paragon

1 Serra Avatar

1 Storm Herd

Draw/Filter

1 Archaeomancer's Map

1 Cosmos Elixir

1 Dawn of Hope

1 Endless Atlas

1 Esper Sentinel

1 Gift of Estates

1 Inheritance

1 Land Tax

1 Mangara, the Diplomat

1 Mind's Eye

1 Oreskos Explorer

1 Scroll Rack

1 Search the Premises

1 Secret Rendezvous

1 Sensei's Divining Top

1 Skullclamp

1 The Immortal Sun

1 Well of Lost Dreams

Recursion

1 Emeria Shepherd

1 Sun Titan

Removal

1 Austere Command

1 Elspeth Conquers Death

1 Generous Gift

1 Grasp of Fate

1 Hour of Revelation

1 Unexpectedly Absent

1 Wrath of God

Ramp

1 Burnished Hart

1 Commander's Sphere

1 Keeper of the Accord

1 Monologue Tax

1 Pearl Medallion

1 Smothering Tithe

1 Sol Ring

Big Mana

1 Caged Sun

1 Extraplanar Lens

1 Gauntlet of Power

Tutor

1 Citanul Flute

1 Enlightened Tutor

1 Expedition Map

1 Ranger of Eos

1 Ranger-Captain of Eos

1 Recruiter of the Guard

1 Search for Glory

1 Weathered Wayfarer

Land

1 Arid Mesa

1 Castle Ardenvale

1 Emeria's Call // Emeria, Shattered Skyclave

1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin

1 Flooded Strand

1 Marsh Flats

1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

1 Mistveil Plains

1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

1 Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins

25 Snow-Covered Plains

1 Terrain Generator

1 War Room

1 Windswept Heath

Approximate Total Cost:

[Krishnath]

Kinda surprised that Felidar Sovereign isn't in the deck, but that said. Looks hella good.

[BlackbirdPlaysMTG]

Kinda surprised that Felidar Sovereign isn't in the deck, but that said. Looks hella good.

From experience, Felidar Sovereign and Test of Endurance don't really work in the deck. You need to be able to flash them in end of turn if you really want them to win the game for you (which is possible with Scout's Warning or Vedalken Orrery), otherwise they just get blown up.

The deck has a lot of difficulties winning, whatever winconditions I play. It is too cute .

[Krishnath]

Kinda surprised that Felidar Sovereign isn't in the deck, but that said. Looks hella good.

From experience, Felidar Sovereign and Test of Endurance don't really work in the deck. You need to be able to flash them in end of turn if you really want them to win the game for you (which is possible with Scout's Warning or Vedalken Orrery), otherwise they just get blown up.

The deck has a lot of difficulties winning, whatever winconditions I play. It is too cute .

That is because everyone is expecting you to flash in a Felidar Sovereign and win like that. I swear, ever since it was printed it's been near impossible to make a successful lifegain deck in commander unless it is blatantly obvious you can't play it (say, by running a white/black Ayli deck with Lurrus of the Dream Den as a companion). The format would be a lot healthier if it just got banned already, because as it is now, if you run monowhite lifegain, people will gang up on you just in case you have it in your deck.

[Sanity_Eclipse]

What about Heliod, Sun-Crowned and Approach of the Second Sun? Grows your creatures into threats and is a hard(er) to remove permanent himself. Approach is a bit more gimmicky, while being in the same vein as Felidar Sovereign and co, while being a bit stronger of a version of that win effect. Heliod is the more serious suggestion though.

Heliod being around $20 give or take currency exchanges is a fair point.