Archangel Avacyn - Boros Voltron

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 1 year ago

Archangel Avacyn - Boros Voltron

Last Deck Update: February 2024 | Avg. CMC: 2.45

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Introduction & History
Deck Overview
Why Play Archangel Avacyn
Alternative Commanders
Deck Ranking
Decklist
Budget Considerations
Budget Deck Construction
$50 Decklist
Deck Strategy
Game Stages
Early Game - Strike First
Midgame - Strike Hard
Endgame - No Mercy
Tutoring
Card Choice Discussion
Credits & Thanks
Change Log
Set Reviews

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Introduction & History

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Introduction

Hello, my name is Peter (if we are using our made up names, call me Avacyn Believer). The deck I am writing about has been a passion project of mine for a few years now, the oldest decklist I have is dated October 2017. It is something I channel my creativity into when my job makes it impossible to play Magic for long periods of time. I've even built a website about the deck, and I want to claim it is the only deck with its own website. This primer is more detailed than the tactics and strategy posts you can find there. The website articles are short for brevity, but I love talking about the deck and I was impressed with the primers on this forum, so I wanted to write my own primer. The website is more about displaying the various card alters and sharing my fictional version of Avacyn's story, using my EDH games and the deck itself as inspiration.

If you are interested in the story behind my devotion to Avacyn, see the 'Finding Faith' section below.

Finding Faith

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My history with Avacyn goes back to time before I even knew about the Commander format. It all began with the Divine vs. Demonic duel decks. I didn't know what Magic the Gathering was but I was enamoured with the packaging artwork, especially Akroma, Angel of Wrath. I played the decks with my brothers and since there were three of us, I later bought the 9th Edition Starter Set to give us more cards. I am certain I bought that set because of the Serra Angel promo card. This pattern continued and I ended up picking up the Innistrad Spectral Legions Intro Pack because of Angel of Flight Alabaster, which unknowingly was my first step on the path towards devotion to Avacyn. I didn't end up playing MtG but I kept the cards because I loved the art. I still have all three promo cards.

There was something about Angel of Flight Alabaster that spoke to me, especially the flavour text. I remember back then wanting to know what or who Avacyn was, but it never quite clicked that Avacyn was a character until much later. Somehow I didn't end up finding the MtG story, in those days I didn't spend much time online.

My ignorance of Avacyn did not stop there. Many years later I came across Avacyn the Purifier artwork by James Ryman on DeviantArt. I really loved the design, but I still did not connect that it was the character referenced on Angel of Flight Alabaster. Then, by chance, when I went to play a different game (unrelated miniature wargame) in a gaming store, they had the Avacyn the Purifier cardboard standee, and I finally realized that the character was from Magic the Gathering.

Which is when my interest in Magic as a hobby really started. I began playing kitchen magic with a friend, and then I wanted to explore Standard. At this time, Shadows over Innistrad was already released and Eldritch Moon was coming out soon (remember when we had breaks in spoilers?). I got into the story and fell in love with Innistrad. What sealed the deal for me was when I bought 13 Shadows over Innistrad booster packs and pulled my first Archangel Avacyn. Ever since then I have been a True Believer.

So you can imagine my heartbreak when the story ended with Avacyn's murder, just as I found my faith!

I continued to play Standard until the Shadows block rotated out. By then I already heard of the Commander format, but wasn't interested yet. I lost interest in Standard when I no longer could play Avacyn in my decks, which made Ixalan a bittersweet set for me. I remember my first attempt at a Commander deck was mono-White Avacyn, Angel of Hope. It was terrible but it was a start. Since then I have played all three versions of Avacyn in various decks, but it took some time before Archangel Avacyn became my commander.

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Deck History

It all started with Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, during my first attempts to have a deck for each of the Innistrad legendary Angels. This was in my early days of deck building and it didn't work well. It wanted to win through multiplying non-combat damage but it suffered the classic case of not enough ramp and card draw. Which led me to trying Aurelia, the Warleader for something more combat oriented. That deck worked well enough that I thought, why not just use my favourite card? I already played Archangel Avacyn in every deck I could.

The deck has come a long way since then. It took years to distill down the Voltron archetype, what exactly I love about it and how to make this deck the most effective it can be, while still using the cards I like. It was the nature of my main playgroup that kept challenging me to make this deck better, in terms of playing faster and being more resilient (I faced control a lot). Which manifested by trimming down on high mana value cards, and cards that were slow to pay off.

Improving this deck taught me to pay more attention to mana production ratios and maximizing synergy between cards. To visualise the deck's synergies I've even made a Venn diagram in 2019. I am not even kidding, see it for yourself. It did help me identify the main categories; card draw, land fetch, protection, sacrifice, buffs (boosts), graveyard synergy, tutor and equipment synergy. Which are more or less still the main tactics today, just with better cards.

Eventually I also decided I want this to be my 'foiled out' deck. Which took me down the path of obtaining premium prints, and later also alters. This, alongside getting the best cards available, demanded the deck to be without a budget limit, and led to what it is today.

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Deck Overview

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What Is Voltron?

Voltron archetype is all about defeating your opponents with commander damage. I like this strategy because it can be built in many different ways and the decks are relatively easy to pilot with a straightforward path to victory. There are only two things you have to worry about when playing a voltron deck; how do I make the commander hit my opponents? And how do I increase the commander's power? A common weakness of the voltron strategy is that you are putting a lot of resources into one creature, so having your commander removed from the board can hurt more than in other decks. It is not suitable if you don't enjoy the combat step.

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Why Play Archangel Avacyn

Let's ignore my personal devotion to Avacyn, and look at the card objectively. Archangel Avacyn has several attributes which I think make her stand out from other Boros commander options.

Archangel Avacyn

First, the colour identity. As of writing this post (February 2023), Avacyn is the only mono-coloured legendary creature that fully changes colour when she transforms, from to , and remains a creature. Which has no effect on the game in this deck, but it is a cool unique feature.

Flash

Next we have flash. This is often overlooked by opponents. The obvious use is to cast Avacyn in response to a boardwipe (that damages or destroys) to make your creatures indestructible for the rest of the turn. However, in this deck flash is used for flexible casting as a pseudo-haste. This is discussed in more detail here.

Flying, vigilance

Flying is a useful keyword for evasion, and vigilance helps to mitigate a low number of creatures on the board by allowing Avacyn to attack and still be untapped as a potential blocker. Important to note, only flying is retained by the Purifier side. It is not particularly detrimental, just something to keep in mind during games.

When Archangel Avacyn enters the battlefield, creatures you control gain indestructible until end of turn.

As mentioned above, the ETB triggered ability pairs well with flash. However, it doesn't come into effect often in this deck until later in the game. Once there is a haste enabler on the board, Avacyn can be re-cast and attack while indestructible. To protect creatures, this ETB trigger is more often paired with a flicker spell.

When a non-Angel creature you control dies, transform Archangel Avacyn at the beginning of the next upkeep.

Avacyn's most unique ability is the transformation. When she transforms, Avacyn will deal 3 damage to each other creature (including your own) and each opponent. At minimum this ability can help clear out tokens but the ceiling is much higher. It can be abused for some wonderful results; from wiping the board (regardless of toughness) to gaining tons of life (this ability is explained in more detail here). I'd say the average Archangel Avacyn deck is geared more towards re-using the transformation as a boardwipe, but in my opinion if you don't have a follow up to win the game, keeping the board clean of creatures just needlessly prolongs the game and can create a negative experience.

4/4

Power and toughness is fairly average. Power 4 doesn't multiply well towards 21, but it can be easily boosted by other cards, and when transformed it increases to 6. Toughness 4 at least protects Avacyn from being easily bolted, and it also increases with transformation; though only to 5.

So overall I can recommend Avacyn if you like to play a unique commander, and if you like Avacyn as a character but don't want to be limited to mono-white decks.

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Why Not Play Archangel Avacyn

Objectively, Avacyn is not the best commander for Equipment Voltron. She does not have any inherent Equipment synergy, or built-in card advantage. The deck is built around her to make use of her abilities. If you prefer your commanders to be more synergetic on their own, Archangel Avacyn might not be for you.

I also don't recommend this deck if you don't enjoy the combat step and/or playing aggressively. This is not the kind of deck where you can pillowfort or control the game. The strategy is not subtle (you can't even tutor without revealing the cards), and often you will have to be ruthless by eliminating opponents one at a time. I find Voltron fun, but you might not. With this in mind, I don't recommend this deck for a casual game where people want to play longer games, or if you do, you might have to hold back.

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Alternative Commanders

Boros Voltron is nothing new. There are many options for commanders that synergize with artifacts, and Equipment by extension. However, this deck was built around Archangel Avacyn and her abilities. As such I do not believe there is another Boros legendary creature that can match Avacyn's versatility, and quite a few cards in the deck would not synergize well with other commanders. The options I've listed below are those I believe could work in similar fashion to Avacyn in terms of being an Equipment Voltron deck, and attacking fast and hard, but all of them would be better off with at least some card changes.

Aurelia, the Warleader

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I would say this is the best commander for almost a straight up swap. Aurelia, the Warleader is more demanding on casting cost with pips, but she does have haste and provides an extra combat step each turn when she attacks, which makes her ideal Voltron commander because she will do 6 commander damage minimum and easily scales up. The extra combat means you can focus on one opponent with greater efficiency, or attack two opponents to spread the damage.

Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh & Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist

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These two work really well together in an Equipment deck. As long as you have enough Equipment on the board, Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist can attach them for free to Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh who can grow into a powerful threat with a lot of keywords very quickly. They would also pair well with Bruse Tarl, Boorish Herder because double strike and lifelink is a potent combination.

Khorvath Brightflame & Sylvia Brightspear

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As a pair, Khorvath Brightflame and Sylvia Brightspear have potential because even outside of a tribal deck, they boost each other quite effectively with good keywords for the Voltron strategy, and can be cast on curve one after the other. But it can be fragile because they need each other to be the most effective.

Razia, Boros Archangel

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Razia, Boros Archangel is the OG Boros legend, so very on theme, but her combined casting cost of is a massive drawback. You can forget about attacking early. That said, she does have haste and vigilance, and with 6 power she has deadly potential to one-shot opponents. The tap ability is also unique and could be used in some fun, unexpected ways. I'd say Razia is worth exploring if you want a slower, more casual version of this deck.

Wyleth, Soul of Steel

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The triggered ability of Wyleth, Soul of Steel has a lot of potential for a good amount of card advantage. Which would alleviate the need to find cards that provide card advantage and also fit with the Voltron strategy. The downside is that Wyleth only has trample, which then requires Equipment and Auras that provide evasion. It's up to you to decide if the change in dynamic is worth it, but definitely a commander that works well with the Equipment Voltron deck.

Nahiri, Forged in Fury

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Nahiri, Forged in Fury synergises really well with Equipment. She would make a good commander because she is cheaper to cast the more Equipment you control, and she also provides card advantage when you attack with an equipped creature. Her ability to cast exiled Equipment for mana also makes it easier to include high mana value Equipment in the deck.

Éowyn, Fearless Knight

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I like Éowyn, Fearless Knight as an alternative commander because she has one of the best evasions on a Boros Legendary creature. She wouldn't need the Mirran swords to get protection from colours, freeing space for other Equipment cards to increase her damage output. I would also shift the deck focus from sacrificing creatures and towards something like extra combat steps.

Kellan, the Fae-Blooded

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Kellan, the Fae-Blooded is an easy commander to build around for an Equipment Voltron deck. You are guaranteed to tutor for the Equipment you want on turn two, and then you can cast Kellan the following turn, or wait after you've cast the Equipment you've tutored for. He also has double strike which will help with his low base power of 2. The main drawback I see is that the deck could be very linear to play because you can always tutor for Equipment from the Command Zone.

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Crafting Limitations

Before I get to the deck ranking, its attributes and the rest of the primer, I'd like to briefly touch on the self-imposed limitations. There are two that dictate where I am willing to go with the deck, and by extension what is holding the deck back.

The first limitation is bling; more specifically the masterpieces. Personally I love the Kaladesh Inventions, especially the Mirran Swords (though at this time I am one shy of a full set). So while an argument could be made to swap them out for better Equipment, I'd be unlikely to do so. In a similar vein, the deck has other masterpieces, and altered cards, that I am reluctant to swap out for potentially better cards.

The second limitation is the lack of infinite combos. Personally I am happy with the power level of the deck, and I believe that with the amount of tutors I run, it would not be fun to play against or even pilot. In my opinion, it would make the game play too linear for my liking. As such, at this time I don't want to add them.

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Deck Ranking

I consider the deck high-end casual. It can hold its own in high power games where you expect fast games and quick combos, and it can dominate in lower power games when the games are longer. This version of the deck I believe is near the ceiling of power it can achieve, mainly because of the limitations I've placed on myself (see above). I cannot say how it would perform in cEDH (if upgraded to that level), as I have never played a cEDH game.

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Attributes

Card Draw: Not the worst, not the best. There is enough card draw to keep you going, but you are either looting with red spells, or using permanents for conditional draw.
Combos: There are some fun combos unique to this deck, but none of them are infinite and usually not repeatable. This is not a combo deck.
Commander Dependency: The commander is the Voltron, you need to do commander damage to win. Without your commander you have to rely on doing regular damage with the other creatures, which can be done, but it is the last resort.
Cost: This deck is expensive (nearly $1,500 with cheapest prints) because to make it fast, you need all the expensive lands and artifacts. You can build a budget version of this deck, but it is just not going to be as fast, giving more time to your opponents to deal with it before you can be a major threat to everyone.
Difficulty: The difficulty comes from being comfortable playing aggressively, making yourself the target and knowing the deck. Chances are that you have a solution for every problem, but the trick is knowing how to find the solution. Otherwise the deck is fairly easy; cast your commander, equip all the Equipments and attack!
Interaction: I feel the interaction is pretty good in this deck. It did suffer from lack of it before, but it has been improved since. Currently you have several instant speed removal, sorcery speed mass removal, and commander's transform ability that can be used as a boardwipe. But more often than not interaction has to be used to allow Avacyn do combat damage, not so much for controlling the game.
Linearity: The voltron strategy is straightforward, but you can take many different paths to victory. Each game is its own puzzle to solve so I don't feel like I am always going for the same pieces.
Ramp: There are enough low mana cost artefacts to allow explosive early turns but you are at risk of artifact removal, and there is very little land ramp. That said, the deck does not struggle with mana, but it does require you to play around it.
Resilience: Once you are set up the deck can be surprisingly resilient. The deck is susceptible to repeatable 'sacrifice a creature' effects, but there are ways around it. By default you are expecting to cast your commander multiple times in any given game anyway, so rebuilding the Voltron is part of the strategy.
Scare Factor: This deck can surprise people and you might find yourself the arch(angel)-enemy early in the game if you have an explosive start. In slower games, once the Voltron is assembled and you've defeated someone, you will be the threat. The scare factor comes from the clock hanging over your opponent's heads once you are able to deal massive amounts of commander damage.
Speed: This deck can go really fast, attacking as early as turn one with the right starting hand. On average you are looking to cast the commander on turn three, and attack on turn four. In slower games you'll take longer to assemble the pieces, but once you do, the game should finish soon.

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Decklist

Decklist Sorted By Type & CMC

Approximate Total Cost:

Please see the decklist on TappedOut for the most accurate view of the specific printings and altered cards used in my personal deck.

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Budget Considerations

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Budget Overview

This deck relies on some expensive cards to make it work as well as it does, and as such it does not have a budget limit. As of February 2023, the lowest price estimation for cards of any printing was $1,355. The specific printings I personally use were estimated at $2,750, and that doesn't include the alters. Without the three most expensive cards (Plateau, Mana Crypt, Jeweled Lotus), you can get down to almost half the price. If you remove every card of $10 or more, the estimated price drops to $150, leaving you with 69 cards.

However, this removes most of the fast mana, tutors, colour fixing, and all of the Mirran swords. At this point I do believe the deck would struggle significantly to perform optimally. Additionally, replacing those 31 cards would likely bring the estimated price to around $200, which might be an average Commander deck, but it is still way above a budget deck price.

For better or worse, Equipment decks are not the most popular so there are a lot of budget friendly cards. To get a similar experience on a budget I will offer suggestions on how to build a budget deck, and also provide an example $50 list.

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Budget Deck Construction

I believe the guiding principle behind constructing a budget version of the deck is to focus on the key tactics that make the deck function consistently, and how to achieve mana ramp, card advantage and commander damage while supporting the Voltron strategy. When it comes to mana ramp, my recommendation is to focus on cards that are low mana value artifacts to be able to cast the commander early. It also helps to have cards that allow you to have consistent land drops, such as Renegade Map. Boros colours have very few budget and efficient cards that put lands directly onto the battlefield (at least without conditions like an opponent having more lands), but being able to play a land each turn can really help in the late game when the commander tax gets high. With lands themselves I advocate for only a few lands that enter tapped.

There is actually a decent amount of looting spells in red to achieve card advantage, so it is up to you really how many of those you want to run. Always better to have too many than too little. There is also a good amount of options for card draw that triggers on attacking with equipped creatures, or through some other interaction with Equipment. By utilising those, you are doing what the deck wants to do and draw cards, win-win.

For an Equipment Voltron you'll need a lot of Equipment, and thankfully there are many budget friendly options to choose from. My recommendation is to pick Equipment that either provides keywords (Swiftfoot Boots), or the power boost can scale up (Blackblade Reforged). Anything that provides double strike is also a good option to boost commander damage. Equipment that only provides power boost is not worth it, plenty of better options. Don't be afraid to add some Auras too, but since this deck is about Equipment, you want to focus on those more or it might become an enchantment deck. By focusing on Equipment, you'll also have access to some very budget tutor cards. Tutors can make almost any deck feel more consistent, so I definitely see that as a bonus for Equipment decks.

Lastly, sprinkle in some interaction (like removal), protection, Equipment synergy (like making the equip cost cheaper) and graveyard recursion. You should end up with a deck that focuses on dealing commander damage and assembling the Avacyn Voltron with Equipment.

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$50 Decklist

Using the considerations from the section above, I've come up with a $50 budget list as an example that should work in a similar spirit to the main deck, albeit slower, but it still cares about commander damage and synergizes with Avacyn's transformation. Interestingly, this budget list has an even lower CMC average of 2.39. In February 2023, without basic lands, TCGplayer price estimation was just below $29, Card Kingdom was just over $54, and Cardmarket just over €29.

Example $50 Decklist

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Decklist Sorted By Type & CMC

Commander

1 Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier

Planeswalkers (1)

1 Daretti, Scrap Savant

Artifacts (21)

1 Golem-Skin Gauntlets

1 Sol Ring

1 Blackblade Reforged

1 Mind Stone

1 Mortarpod

1 Plate Armor

Enchantments (4)

1 Hyena Umbra

1 All That Glitters

1 Tempered in Solitude

1 Forging the Tyrite Sword

Sorceries (8)

1 Remember the Fallen

1 Secret Rendezvous

1 Austere Command

1 Blasphemous Act

Instants (6)

1 Cloudshift

1 Ephemerate

1 Swords to Plowshares

1 Thrill of Possibility

1 Valorous Stance

1 Wear // Tear

Lands (36)

1 Ash Barrens

7 Mountain

18 Plains

1 Rogue's Passage

1 Rustvale Bridge

1 Slayers' Stronghold

1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion

1 Terramorphic Expanse

Approximate Total Cost:

Disclaimer; I have not yet tested the budget deck in actual games.

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Deck Strategy

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Strategy Overview

"I am the one who knocks, I am the danger."

As I've briefly mentioned in the Deck Overview, the strategy of this deck is to attack first. You don't wait to respond, you make your opponents respond to you; or at least that is the plan. Your first aim will be to cast Archangel Avacyn, then assemble the Voltron and then eliminate your opponents. All of this can happen in the first five turns, but that is with the assumption your opponents cannot stop you, so realistically you are looking at a longer game than that. Because of this, it is important to know the deck, and your opening hand will dictate what you will be focusing on each game.

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Opening Hand

The most important thing about the opening hand is the ability to generate mana. It doesn't matter how many other things you can cast on turn one if you can't cast Archangel Avacyn in the next two or three turns. The deck does not struggle with colour fixing, if you do not sabotage yourself with the opening hand.

In the early game you will either be casting Equipment and other utility cards to prepare the board for Avacyn's arrival, or you cast Avacyn first and then equip her with weapons and armour. This will be decided primarily by how much fast mana you have in the opening hand.

With each hand, ask yourself how quickly will you be able to cast Avacyn, and do you have a follow-up play? This could be either equipping Avacyn, drawing cards or tutoring. You do not want to be in a situation where you have nothing to cast. Remember we want to put pressure on our opponents and keep them on the defence.

Ideally you want three lands, and a mana rock, a draw spell or a tutor. However, this can vary greatly. The deck has enough tutor effects to get you what you need, and sometimes a good hand will only have one land. I will demonstrate some variations in the Example Hands section below.

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Example Hands

Example Hand 1

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This is a one land hand that I would keep. My first turn would likely be City of Brass and Weathered Wayfarer so that on turn two I am certain to have a land drop. Then I'd cast Mana Crypt and Recruiter of the Guard to tutor for Stoneforge Mystic. If I have drawn into a third land I could either cast Archangel Avacyn on turn three, or use the Mystic to tutor for Swiftfoot Boots, or Embercleave because Hyena Umbra does offer some protection. This would be decided by what my opponents are doing, sometimes it is worth taking an extra turn to set up the board, like tutoring for Dowsing Dagger for more ramp. If not discarded to a draw spell, Austere Command would later allow me to blow up the board and keep Avacyn because of the Aura's totem armour.

Example Hand 2

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This is a sort of average hand. It has lands that will generate mana, a draw spell, and synergy between the artifacts and the Restoration Specialist. It also has protective Equipment, so I would be happy to keep it. My line of play would likely be casting Thrill of Possibility on turn two, discarding the sword. On turn three and four I'd cast the Champion's Helm and the Specialist. Unless I'd draw into ramp, I'd expect to cast Avacyn on turn five, and then sacrifice the Specialist to return the sword to my hand. If this would not be interrupted, I'd end up with a transformed Avacyn, equipped with the sword and the Helm, doing 11 commander damage per combat.

Example Hand 3

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This is a land heavy hand but with Urza's Saga I am confident to cast Avacyn on turn three, if I want to attack fast. For the fast attack, I would play the Saga on turn one, second turn Sacred Foundry and Arcane Signet. Turn three, Hanweir Battlements and tutor for Jewelled Lotus. The Lotus would provide mana, in addition to one from the Saga, and fifth mana from the Foundry. This would leave me with the Signet to activate the Battlements, give Avacyn haste and attack on turn three. If I wanted to go slower I would start with the Weathered Wayfarer to get utility lands, such as War Room, to set me up with some draw.

Example Hand 4

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This hand is very rare, but I wanted to showcase a hand for a turn one Avacyn attack just so you are aware of the possibility. Ancient Tomb, Sol Ring and Mana Crypt will provide you with mana. Jeweled Lotus provides mana for Avacyn, leaving you with floating to cast Swiftfoot Boots and equip Avacyn, giving her haste and allowing you to attack. The last two cards in hand could be anything, but ideally at least another land and a tutor or a protection spell because you've just become the arch(angel)-enemy.

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Game Stages

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Early Game - Strike First

How many spells you'll be able to cast before Archangel Avacyn entirely depends on your opening hand. It can be none, or you might have four turns to cast other spells. Priority is always mana rocks, draw effects like Esper Sentinel and tutors.

The ramp in this deck comes from mana rocks of mana value between to . Jewelled Lotus is arguably the best ramp in the deck. Even if it is one time use, it can allow you to cast Avayn on turn one (see Example Hand 4). Other high value ramp cards include Mana Crypt, Urza's Saga and Ancient Tomb. Don't worry about being set back by all mana rocks being boardwiped. By the time your opponents can destroy all of them, you should be set up to make them pay for it. You can also get a good mana boost with Dockside Extortionist, and Dowsing Dagger.

Early game draw synergies are limited, mainly the already mentioned Esper Sentinel, but you also have Sram, Senior Edificer and Puresteel Paladin. They draw cards when you cast Equipment or it enters the battlefield, and there are a few or mana value Equipment cards which you can cast early. Skullclamp is also great to use after creatures provide their utility. There is some graveyard recursion in the deck, so don't be afraid to clamp creatures for card advantage. Though admittedly, the Skullclamp is best used after casting Avacyn.

There are at least six spells that can tutor for Equipment, and even more that can do it by extension. I will cover specifics about tutoring in a later Tutoring section. Here I want to focus on what Equipment to tutor for first in the early game. Generally speaking, my common first targets are Dowsting Dagger, Swiftfoot Boots or Embercleave. The Dagger provides more value the sooner you can flip it into a land. It should be easy to do in the early game as opponents either don't have blockers yet or don't want to sacrifice their utility creatures. Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus is also a good alternative to the Dagger if everyone has blockers because it triggers on attack, so it doesn't matter if the creature using Bitterthorn is blocked. The Boots could be interchanged with Champion's Helm or Commander's Plate. The goal is to have Equipment that can protect Avacyn once you cast her. Lastly, I go for Embercleave when I already have ramped and I have protective Equipment. Alternatively you can also go for any of the other power boosting Equipment.

If you already have Equipment, take this time to cast it. Having the Equipment on the battlefield can signal to your opponents what your play will be, but this strategy is not subtle, especially if your opponents have seen this deck before. Having the Equipment sitting on the board allows your opponents to remove it before you can use it, but I found it is better not to worry about this too much. Some Equipment, like Sword of Feast and Famine, yes hold it back until you can cast and equip it on the same turn, because it is a high threat, but otherwise I advocate for making your opponents use their removal early on. You want them to be on the defence. Casting Equipment early is good resource management because it will allow you to equip more of them to Avacyn since you won't have to worry about the casting cost, just the equip cost.

As a general tip; if you are ever deciding what to cast first, creature or Equipment, cast creatures first. If nothing else, in the next turn the creature can attack and make use of the Equipment.

It is rare to prioritise interaction in the early game, but sometimes you will have to play low mana value removal spells if an opponent manages to get a faster start. However, keep in mind that you are not trying to control the board. Our goal is to do commander damage, so removal should be reserved for blockers or other creatures that interact with Avacyn in a negative way, such as making us sacrifice her.

One early game interaction to look out for involves Restoration Specialist, Jeweled Lotus and Urza's Saga. If you managed to get the Lotus and the Saga early, you can then use the specialist to get both back to your hand, and transform Avacyn. Great early game start.

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Casting Avacyn

Although your aim is to cast Archangel Avacyn as soon as possible there is one very important keyword to keep in mind when casting her; flash. This allows you to cash Avacyn anytime you could cast an instant. Which means that when you have the mana to cast Avacyn, don't do it on your turn but wait for your last opponent's end step. This way Avacyn won't spend time sitting on the battlefield as a target for removal, and it also works as a pseudo-haste because after you cast Avacyn it'll be your turn and you can attack with her. The exception to this is if you can give Avacyn haste, then might as well cast her on your turn and start attacking!

Sometimes you might be tempted to cast Avacyn to protect utility creatures already on the board, but remember that faith requires sacrifice, and before you cast Avacyn for the ETB trigger that will give your creatures indestructible, evaluate how likely your opponents can remove Avacyn from the board before it gets to your turn. It hurts a lot less to lose utility creatures than losing Avacyn.

Something to be aware of; you might feel safe casting Avacyn because she becomes indestructible until end of turn when she enters the battlefield, but there is a moment between entering the battlefield and the triggered ability resolving where Avacyn is vulnerable to 'destroy' removal. Not much can be done to prevent it, so it is just something to keep in mind. If you happen to have Cloudshift or Ephemerate on hand, it might be worth considering waiting until you can cast Avacyn and one of those spells in the same turn if you suspect your opponents are holding removal. However, if this situation comes up in the early game, you can either spend total mana to cast Avacyn and one of those spells, or total mana to re-cast Avacyn with the first commander tax. Sometimes it is worth holding a flicker spell for later when the commander tax is higher.

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Assembling the Voltron

In an average game, after Archangel Avacyn is on the battlefield you will be looking to start assembling the Voltron. It will be tempting to go for increased power first, but unless you are absolutely certain your opponents are not running removal, you will want protection first. The first Equipment to get is either Swiftfoot Boots, Champion's Helm or Mithril Coat, alternatively Hyena Umbra is also an option if you are struggling for mana. Commander's Plate and the Mirran swords can provide protection from colours, but hexproof is still preferable to those because it is not often that you can account for all opponents with one sword. Basically my point is, get the Boots first.

Mirran swords are a cycle of Equipment cards that give protection from two colours and have various abilities, triggered when the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player. You can find a full explanation and the list of swords on MTG wiki.

The early game ends for you when Avacyn enters the battlefield. This can be anywhere between turn one and turn five in an average game, anything later than that and something is going wrong. At this point you should transition to targeting an opponent with commander damage.

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Midgame - Strike Hard

You will experience two very different midgames with this deck. The first one is when everything is going right; Archangel Avacyn is on the battlefield and you are able to keep attacking. The second is when Avacyn is removed from the game the same turn you cast her, or in the following turn. I will first go over the scenario when everything is going well. In both scenarios, you should be prepared to re-cast Avacyn multiple times per game, the difference is how soon your opponents will make you do it.

Now that Avacyn is on the battlefield and ready to attack, you have two options: a direct line of attack to eliminate your biggest threat, or you can spread out the damage among your opponents. I believe the direct line of attack is the more optimal way of playing this deck, at least in higher power games, so I will go over this strategy first, and then touch on spreading the damage.

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Direct Attack

This approach is all about aggression. The expectations set at the start of the game for everyone should be that you will be as aggressive as possible, so don't hold back. It might feel bad to eliminate someone early in the game, but it is what you have all signed up for.

Threat assessment is very subjective, a lot of it depends on your knowledge of your opponents and their decks, so I won't get into it too much but it is important to decide which opponent to attack first. Ideally, this would be the opponent that is the biggest threat, either to the whole table because they are aiming for a quick combo win, or just to you because they have the tools to stop you from dealing commander damage. If you do not know your opponents, ask yourself which deck is likely to stop you from attacking the longer the game goes on? Personally I prioritise decks that are heavy on control or making others sacrifice creatures (so or decks).

Once you decide on who to attack, the goal is to keep attacking them until they are eliminated. This strategy is not subtle. You are not being sneaky or clever with hidden combos. Any turn that you did not attack is a turn wasted. At the slowest pace, if you are doing 4 commander damage per turn, this could be six turns. The fastest pace is elimination with one hit, but you should be aiming for three to four on average. This might sound slow, but often once you eliminate your target opponent, the others should follow soon because you have assembled the Voltron.

From this point on, all resources should be devoted to keeping Archangel Avacyn on the board, removing obstacles that prevent her from dealing combat damage, and maximising her combat damage. You should also expect to be targeted by your chosen opponent. They will be devoting their resources trying to stop you. I will touch on setbacks in more detail later in this section.

During this stage of the game is when the Mirran swords work really well. You should be able to find the sword which gives you protection from the colour of whatever blockers your target opponent is using. These swords work especially well in combination with Embercleave, because double strike can trigger the swords up to two times per combat.

I'd also like to mention that if politics are welcomed in the game, it might be tempting to make a deal and change the target opponent but keep in mind the biggest threat is the biggest threat for a reason.

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Spreading Damage

Not all games are about who can win the fastest. In more casual games you might want to see what the deck can do by stretching out the turns and keeping everyone in the game as long as possible, or you might want to lull your biggest threat into a false sense of security so that they do not spend all their removal on your side of the board. You can achieve these goals by attacking each opponent in turn to spread the damage equally, or try a faint attack by switching from your biggest threat to someone else, with the aim to give yourself time to build your resources and then attack the biggest threat again when you know you can eliminate them.

In casual games, sometimes I like to attack opponents until they are 'one attack away from death'. This gives you the satisfaction in seeing that the deck is capable of dealing a lot of damage, whilst keeping players in the game and being in a position where you can close the game when it gets to that stage.

The downside of this approach is that the longer the game goes on, the harder it might be to keep Archangel Avacyn on the board because your opponents will have more removal available to them. Not to mention more time to set up defences and counter attacks. Fully assembled Voltron might be difficult to remove and block, but it is not invincible, and the archetype has its own weaknesses that can be exploited by your opponents.

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One Hit, Three Kills

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Voltron strategy is that normally you have to eliminate one opponent at a time, however, certain cards make it possible to eliminate all opponents at the same time. The key piece of this combo is Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar. While this little lizard is on the battlefield, when any commander you control deals combat damage to an opponent, the same commander will deal that much damage to each other opponent. Therefore, if your commander does 10 damage in combat to an opponent, it will do 10 damage to all the other opponents. Do enough combat damage, and you could eliminate everyone. The distinction between 'damage' and 'combat damage' is very important here. The damage dealt to other opponents does not count towards commander damage because it was not dealt in combat, but by an ability.

You might be already thinking, how can you eliminate all opponents with one hit when some might be on 40 or more life, and you can't hit for that much damage. Well, that is where the other part of the combo comes in, the Grafted Exoskeleton. This Equipment gives Archangel Avacyn infect, which in turn means that any damage dealt by her to players is in the form of poison counters. Therefore, all you need to do is hit one opponent for 10 infect damage in combat, and you will eliminate all of them because all opponents will get 10 poison counters! This is arguably the fastest way to win the game with this deck.

This is also a good time to mention how commander damage and infect works. When a commander with infect deals damage, the damage is then transformed into poison counters. Commander damage cares about damage dealt in combat, not what type of damage it is. Therefore the infect damage counts towards commander damage, despite not lowering the opponent's life. For example, an opponent has already been dealt 4 commander damage and Avacyn attacks them for 4 infect damage. That opponent will gain 4 poison counters, and the commander damage total is now 8. Then if Avacyn attacks again for 4 damage, but without infect, the opponent's commander damage total will become 12.

Few additional things to note about this combo; it is not Kediss who deals the extra damage, but the commander who has dealt the combat damage to trigger this ability. Other abilities and keywords that trigger on dealing damage also work with Kediss. For example; if Avacyn has lifelink, you can gain a lot of life. In this deck Avacyn is the only commander that you will likely ever control, but if somehow you manage to control one of your opponent's commanders, they will also deal extra damage because of Kediss. You do not have to own that commander.

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Transformation

At this stage of the game you might also want to transform Avacyn into Avacyn, the Purifier. Though do not see this as mandatory. It is a tool that can help you, but you can go an entire game without transforming Avacyn. To make the best use of this ability, you must first understand how it works, so let's go over the fine details:

Firstly, the transformation is triggered by a death of a non-Angel creature under your control. It is not an optional trigger and your opponents can trigger it by killing one of your creatures.
Once triggered and resolved, it creates a delayed triggered ability that will resolve at the start of the next upkeep (regardless of who's turn it is). For example; if you trigger it during your turn, Avacyn will not transform until your next opponent's upkeep.
The transformation does not cause Avacyn to leave the battlefield. This is important because it means she will not lose any attached Equipment or Auras, or counters.
When Avacyn transforms she will deal 3 damage to every other creature and each opponent. Once the damage is on the stack, it will resolve regardless if Avacyn is removed from the board. This means that opponents have to remove Avacyn before the upkeep, or counter the ability on the stack.
You cannot transform Avacyn back to the front face (that I know of). If she leaves the battlefield, she will re-enter as Archangel again, but that makes her a new entity.

Hopefully now you understand how to time the transformation ability, and when it can be stopped.

To activate the transformation the deck has sacrifice outlets and creatures that can sacrifice themselves. Mortarpod is a hidden gem because it can be easily tutored as an artifact Equipment, and cast for low cost of mana. Because of the living weapon ability, it enters the battlefield with a Germ token that is attached to the Equipment, which you can then sacrifice to trigger Avacyn's transformation.

Now that you know how the transformation works, let me explain a combo that might be the best use of this ability. When Avacyn transforms whilst equipped with Basilisk Collar, all the damage dealt by her to other creatures and each opponent has lifelink and deathtouch. This means that it will kill any creature that is not indestructible and you will gain life from all the damage! This is great to make up for all the life you had to pay for mana in the early game, and boardwipe at the same time.

At minimum you should gain 9 life, assuming you have three opponents, but it scales up linearly with the number of creatures on the battlefield. You could easily end up with over 100 life if someone is playing a token deck. And the best part? This is repeatable! As long as you have the Collar, you can flicker Avacyn with Cloudshift, which will return her to the battlefield as the Archangel, or just sacrifice and re-cast her, and do it all over again.

You can also do infect damage with this ability if Avacyn is equipped with Grafted Exoskeleton.

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Setbacks

This is the second variation of the midgame. It is inevitable that your opponents will remove Archangel Avacyn from the board if they are able to, or the various Equipment attached to her. This can certainly set you back, but the deck is resilient enough that you can keep re-casting Avacyn and follow the strategy, albeit at a slower pace. There is no plan B or an infinite combo to wait and draw into, so don't feel bad when someone removes Avacyn, instead plan how to make them pay for it. The deck can be shut down if an opponent is able to consistently prevent combat damage, but that is a bad matchup, not just a setback.

The only realistic backup plan is using another creature to deal lethal damage. Even a Germ token can kill an opponent if given enough Equipment. It is not recommended but if you can't cast Avacyn, don't be afraid to use other creatures to do combat damage.

One thing that will become important during this stage, when you are likely to re-cast Avacyn, is haste enabling. If you can, try to play a land that can give Avacyn haste so that you can attack the same turn you can re-cast her, such as Hanweir Battlements. One thing to note is that lands are colourless, so even if you are paying or for the ability, you can target Avacyn if she has protection from red or white.

It can also happen that through opponents' actions, you might be prevented from having a fast start, and little to no cards in hand. However, this usually means that everyone else is suffering too, and eventually you will draw into cards that you can set up the board with. Even if it is taking longer and at a slower pace, the game plan for this deck doesn't change. You are still aiming to attack with Avacyn and eliminate with commander damage.

I consider the midgame over when the first opponent is eliminated. In theory, this means that the biggest threat to this deck is gone and you can focus on the remaining opponents, who are likely scrambling to find answers to avoid Avacyn's wrath.

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Endgame - No Mercy

In an ideal situation, after you eliminate someone with commander damage, the remaining opponents are not able to dismantle the assembled Avacyn Voltron and you are able to add more damage boosting Equipment to eliminate the remaining opponents even faster. However, it is more likely that you will have to deal with more setbacks.

This deck is able to deal with attrition because the strategy relies only on two things, Archangel Avacyn and combat damage. As long as you can deal damage with Avacyn, you'll be alright. Unless you've been completely dismantled, you can always keep re-casting Avacyn to attack for 4 damage at least. It might be slow, but it will add up. Commander damage is a clock that your remaining opponents will have to race against because inevitably you will deal 21 commander damage.

The main difference between the endgame and the midgame is that you should have more mana available, but likely have less cards in hand because most of your resources were used to assemble the Voltron. Therefore resource management will become even more important. The resources you need in the endgame, however, are not much different from the midgame. You'll need mana to pay for additional commander tax, card advantage to get more resources, and Equipment to protect Avacyn and to deal more combat damage.

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Card Advantage

Card advantage is arguably the most important resource for any deck. This deck achieves card advantage mainly through looting, where you have to discard cards before or after you draw (most often before). This is by necessity due to the type of card draw available to Boros colours. As a result, it is important to try not to empty your hand because you will need at least one card to discard to draw more. Discarding cards might seem like a disadvantage, but with graveyard recursion you can think of the graveyard as a second hand.

That said, graveyard recursion is limited and therefore it is important to understand which card types you can bring back from the graveyard, so you can plan ahead when discarding cards. The deck can bring back artifact, creatures and enchantments. These card types account for roughly half the deck. Additionally, most of the cards that allow graveyard recursion can be tutored for. Once you understand this, you can be more confident with discarding cards to get card advantage through looting.

The secondary way to achieve card advantage is with Equipment. Mask of Memory and Sword of Fire and Ice draw cards when the equipped creature deals combat damage to a player. To maximise the card advantage these Equipments provide, combo them with double strike to make them trigger twice, and if you can get Aurelia, the Warleader on the battlefield, so you can trigger the card draw up to four times in a single turn. Skullclamp, Sram, Senior Edificer and Puresteel Paladin were already mentioned in the early game section, but they are just as useful in any stage of the game to draw cards.

Card advantage is not the easiest thing to achieve but the deck is designed to make the most of what is available to Boros and the Voltron strategy.

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Mana Management

It was already mentioned several times that you should be prepared to re-cast Archangel Avacyn multiple times per game. Finishing the game with casting Avacyn only once is not impossible, but it is rare. So how do you prepare yourself for the ever increasing commander tax?

The most obvious and easiest way to ensure you'll have the needed mana in the late game is to have consistent land drops throughout the game. The more cards you draw, the more likely you'll end up with lands (or mana rocks) to play, which will accumulate over the course of the game. However, while this is the easiest way, it is also the slowest. There are four cards in the deck that can get you more mana. Three of these were mentioned already in the early game section; Dockside Extortionist, Dowsing Dagger, and Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus. The first two are more of a one time boost, while Bitterthorn can provide additional land per turn, though it is limited by the number of basic lands in the deck.

Smothering Tithe is arguably the best way to get a significant mana boost. The Tithe triggers every time an opponent draws a card, and it is unlikely they will pay the mana every time. If left unchecked you can end up with a lot of Treasure tokens.

Command Beacon is an alternative to paying the commander tax, especially when it gets too high. By tapping and sacrificing it, you can get Avacyn into your hand from the command zone without any mana cost. Though in this deck the Beacon is one time use only because there is no graveyard recursion for lands that are not also artifacts or enchantments.

Certain cards can also reduce (or remove) the equip cost, which will free up mana for the commander tax, and other uses. Puresteel Paladin makes the equip cost when you control three or more artifacts, and Fighter Class reduces the cost by for one time investment of , which makes the majority of Equipment in the deck equip for free. Sigarda's Aid attaches any Equipment to a creature for free when it enters the battlefield. Stoneforge Mystic doesn't alter the equip cost, but she can get an Equipment onto the battlefield for , which can be cheaper than the Equipement casting cost.

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Coup de Grâce

To finish the game, and hopefully win, there are few cards that are the most useful at this stage of the game. Aurelia, the Warleader and Gisela, Blade of Goldnight are both great individually to boost Archangel Avacyn's damage, either by providing an extra combat step or by doubling any damage dealt to your opponents. If you manage to get the Holy Trinity of Legendary Angels onto the battlefield, it should be game over that turn or the next one.

The best way to ensure Avacyn can deal combat damage is to make her unblockable, and Rogue's Passage is the best card for this. Protection from colours granted by the Mirran swords also works in most cases, but the swords do not work against artifact and colourless creatures. It would be a shame if a 1/1 Thopter token would stop you from winning. Also, generally speaking, lands are harder to remove, and therefore harder to lose from your side of the board, than artifacts.

The last card I want to mention is Teferi's Protection. This spell is best used in response to a boardwipe, either your own or cast by an opponent. This way you can preserve your boardstate, while setting back your opponents. Which should be enough advantage to finish the game.

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Tutoring

"Pray and you shall receive, but you need to know what to pray for."

The deck's consistency relies on tutors, and during deck crafting it became important to maximize how many cards can be targets for tutors. Because of this the deck often has an answer for any given problem. The drawback is that you can be overwhelmed by choice if you do not know the deck. To help with this, I will first offer a default line of tutor targets, and then discuss the tutor cards separately.

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Default Tutoring

The most common tutor effect is for artifact and Equipment. When in doubt, tutor for Swiftfoot Boots for protection and haste, and then Embercleave for attacks. Embercleave is good in almost any scenario, because of flash it can be cast after blockers were declared, and when it enters the battlefield you can equip it for free. Double strike is great at keeping Archangel Avacyn alive during combat and dealing lots of damage. After you have those, next would be either Mithril Coat or one of the Mirran swords; Sword of Feast and Famine is a good default target. Alternatively, if you can, search for Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar to do damage to all opponents at the same time.

When you can search for creatures, tutor for Stoneforge Mystic so you can then search for an Equipment. With enchantment tutor, you can't go wrong with searching for Fighter Class that will let you search for an Equipment. See the pattern here? When searching for a land with Weathered Wayfarer, a good default target is Cavern of Souls or Rogue's Passage.

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Specific Tutors

The deciding factor for any tutor will be the board state, which is impossible to predict, so I will offer potential tutor targets to give you ideas that hopefully will help you find the right cards in your games.

Enlightened Tutor: This is one of the most versatile tutors. In the early game you can search for a mana rock like Sol Ring or Jeweled Lotus, or event artifact lands. Then you can also search for any of the Equipment cards, depending on which one you need. If in doubt about Equipment, follow the default tutoring advice above. Lastly, Esper Sentinel is an artifact creature if you want him for card advantage or to sacrifice. There are a lot fewer enchantment targets. Fighter Class is good if you want it for the second ability, Hyena Umbra is better than nothing if you can't get any of the protective Equipment, Sigarda's Aid is great for casting Equipment at instant speed, and Smothering Tide if you want a mana boost. Lastly, don't forget that Uzra's Saga is an enchantment land.

Steelshaper's Gift, Fighter Class, Relic Seeker, Stoneforge Mystic: These four can only search for Equipment cards. In the early game, I often use them to either search for a ramp Equipment like the Dowsing Dagger, or protective Equipment like Swiftfoot Boots. In the midgame when Avacyn needs a damage boost, I search for Embercleave or Grafted Exoskeleton, depending on how fast I am trying to close the game. To make Avacyn unblockable, you can search for one of the Mirran swords. Then there are card advantage Equipments; Skullclamp and Mask of Memory. Lastly, you can search for combo Equipment; Mortarpod or Basilisk Collar.

Imperial Recruiter, Recruiter of the Guard: Almost all creatures can be searched by these two, and with the variety of utility creatures, they can help you smooth out the early game. Most often I end up searching for Stoneforge Mystic so I can then search for an Equipment, or Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar to try to close the game quickly. However, the Recruiters also have search targets for card advantage, mana boost, protection, reanimation, interaction, and graveyard hate. Many of these creatures also double up as sacrificial triggers for Avacyn's transformation. The only difference between the Recruiters in this deck is that the Imperial Recruiter cannot target Cathar Commando, so if you need removal interaction, you'll have to get Recruiter of the Guard first.

Search for Glory: This spell is most often used to search for a legendary card, of which there are few. From Equipments you can get Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus for ramp, or Embercleave for a damage boost. You can also search for planeswalkers, both of which offer different levels of card advantage. Nahiri, the Harbinger also has removal, and Dateri, Scrap Savant has graveyard recursion for artifacts. Among creature options, for dealing extra damage Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar is great in the early game, and Aurelia, the Warleader or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight when you have the mana to cast them. There is also Sram, Senior Edificer for card advantage. Lastly, you can get Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep if you need and/or want first strike for Avacyn. The only snow permanents in the deck are snow-covered basic lands, which you can get if you are in need of colour fixing. Urza's Saga is the only Saga in the deck, useful to get if you have no better target.

Urza's Saga: Often the best use for the Saga's tutor ability is to replace it with a mana rock. This can be Sol Ring, Mana Crypt or Jeweled Lotus. I'd say Sol Ring is the best default target because it doesn't cause damage and isn't one time use. You can also get Skullclamp if you need card advantage, Basilisk Collar to combo with Avacyn's transformation, or Commander's Plate to protect her. Worth noting, you cannot search for Esper Sentinel because it costs , not .

Fetch Lands: Unless it's Prismatic Vista, search for Plateau first, Sacred Foundry second, and after that any basic land will do; with caveat that Plains are generally more useful than Mountains in this deck.

Nahiri, the Harbinger: In the rare scenario that you can use the -8 ability, I recommend getting Aurelia, the Warleader or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. Either of those will boost Avacyn's damage for the turn, and you should have enough mana to cast them the next turn. Alternatively you can get Embercleave or one of the Mirran swords. I do not recommend Grafted Exoskeleton because it will make you sacrifice the creature it was attached to at the end step, though that might be useful to trigger Avacyn's transformation. Which can combo well with Sigarda's Aid, as you could cast the Exoskeleton before Avacyn transforms and deal 3 infect damage to all opponents.

Weathered Wayfarer: This is one of the most game subjective tutors because there is a high number of utility lands in the deck. To make it easier I've listed his target options in a table:

Needed or wanted effect	Land to tutor
Protection	Cavern of Souls, Homeward Path
Extra damage	Cathedral of War, Slayers' Stronghold
Haste	Hanweir Battlements, Slayers' Stronghold
Sacrifice outlet	High Market
Mana boost	Ancient Tomb
Commander tax too high	Command Beacon
Land removal	Field of Ruin
Unblockable	Rogue's Passage
First strike	Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
Artifact tutor or token creation	Urza's Saga
Colour fixing	Plateau, or any colour producing land

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Card Choice Discussion

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Creatures

"An army of the faithful, which bears Her Holy Collar, cannot be beaten."

Majority of the creatures in the deck are low mana value utility creatures to synergize with the various tactics of the deck. The only creatures above mana value are two tutors, and two legendary Angels. All creatures should be considered expendable and ready to be sacrificed.

Creatures

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Aurelia, the Warleader: Aurelia provides two combat steps, which at minimum is double commander damage, and in the best case it is up to four Mirran swords triggers when attacking with double strike.
Cathar Commando: This Cathar provides a lot of utility; for three mana total it can be cast at instant speed to remove a problematic artifact or enchantment, trigger Avacyn's transformation, it can be tutored for because of toughness 1, and because of that it can also be Skullclamped to draw cards.
Dockside Extortionist: The more artifacts and enchantments opponents play, the bigger mana boost you'll get. It is a great value card.
Esper Sentinel: Useful continuous card advantage, especially in the early game where opponents will be unlikely to have one, or more, mana spare to pay the tax.
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight: Gisela is a great finisher card, doubling all of the damage dealt to opponents tends to end games quickly. She also shuts down any strategy that deals 1 damage at a time to you.
Imperial Recruiter: Many creatures in the deck can be tutored with this card to smooth out the early game, and find answers in the late game.
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar: Kediss makes it possible to eliminate all opponents with one attack, especially if Avacyn is equipped with infect damage.
Mother of Runes: Arguably the best creature that grants protection from colours, even to itself. Works as a deterrent against target interaction, and can make Avacyn unblockable.
Puresteel Paladin: Good value for mana card, as it can draw cards and make equip cost with metalcraft, which is easy to achieve in this deck. In the late game it can save a lot of mana when you need to cast Avacyn for or more mana and want to equip her on the same turn.
Recruiter of the Guard: Very similar utility to the Imperial Recruiter.
Relic Seeker: Useful early game tutor on a creature, which in this deck is preferable than sorceries or instances because it can be tutored for, and recurred from the graveyard.
Remorseful Cleric: Excellent card to trigger Avacyn's transformation while also removing a problematic graveyard.
Restoration Specialist: Similar to the Cathar Commando, the Specialist can bring back artifacts and enchantments while also triggering Avacyn's transformation. All for relatively low mana cost.
Sram, Senior Edificer: Sram provides another continuous card advantage effect that synergizes with Equipment cards.
Stoneforge Mystic: Mystic can tutor for any Equipment on entering the battlefield, and is able to put Equipment into play at instant speed for only . Amazing synergy with this deck.
Weathered Wayfarer: The tutor ability is restricted to an opponent having more lands but that happens quite often, so it is rarely an issue. The best part is that you can tutor for any land, which can help out with whatever you are missing as there are a lot of utility lands in the deck.

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Planeswalkers

The two planeswalkers were chosen to provide utility that can be tutored for. They are not expected to use their ultimate. If anything, planeswalkers are a distraction for opponents to attack.

Planeswalkers

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Daretti, Scrap Savant: At worst, Daretti is a 'discard two, draw two' effect for four mana. Not the best value, but he can also bring back artifacts from the graveyard, and if not killed on the turn he is cast, it is just more value for mana. Yet to find a more flexible card with a lower mana cost.
Nahiri, the Harbinger: Nahiri provides flexible choice between drawing a card, and removing something problematic. She also only needs to be protected for three turns to use her ult, which is great for bringing Aurelia, the Warleader or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight to the battlefield.

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Artifacts

All of the artifacts are either low mana value mana rocks, or Equipment, the main synergy card type of the deck. The Equipment is what turns Avacyn into a Voltron, but not all of them provide a power boost. Many Equipment cards have other utility, such as ramp or card advantage.

Artifacts

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Arcane Signet: Cheap mana rock that taps for colours, easy addition to the deck.
Basilisk Collar: Deathtouch and lifelink is a powerful combination with Avacyn's transformation. Can also be combined with other cards like Mortarpod to deal 1 deathtouch damage.
Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus: In an Equipment deck Bitterthorn is a good ramp card and best of all, it triggers on an attack, not combat damage. The only drawback is the low amount of basic lands in the deck, which limits how many times the ability can be used before it becomes only a stat boosting Equipment. Though at worst, it can at least shuffle the library and provide a Germ token to be sacrificed.
Boros Signet: Good ramp card in Boros colours that provides the colours the deck needs.
Champion's Helm: The great thing about the Helm is the equip cost . This makes it really easy to re-equip, and provides both protection and a stats boost.
Commander's Plate: Very cheap Equipment that provides protection from three colours in this deck, and gives +3/+3. One of the best mana value Equipments for Avacyn.
Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale: Great Equipment for early game mana boost. The need to do combat damage to a player can be tricky, but more often there is one opponent without blockers, or someone willing to take the damage.
Embercleave: Arguably the best offensive Equipment. It can be cast for as low as , it attaches itself to a creature, and gives +1/+1, double strike and trample. It only gets better with Mirran swords equipped as well. The colour identity can be a drawback when Avacyn has protection from red, it is not a big drawback, but something to look out for.
Grafted Exoskeleton: Game ending Equipment. At worst it makes Avacyn a two-hit eliminator, at best it can eliminate all opponents at once. The sacrifice clause when unequipped rarely matters.
Jeweled Lotus: Black Lotus for commanders. Do I need to say more?
Mana Crypt: Free ramp that allows the deck to have a very quick start. The 3 damage can become problematic, especially with low life, but at least it makes for tense games and a funny story if you die to your own Mana Crypt.
Mask of Memory: The Mask provides a good way to filter cards in hand and gain card advantage. With double strike it triggers twice, which makes it even better. The main benefit is that it is a card advantage card that can be tutored for.
Mind Stone: This mana rock was selected over other mana value rocks because it can draw a card. Which does come in handy when fishing for an answer.
Mithril Coat:The Coat itself is indestructible which makes it quite valuable protection Equipment. To make it even better, it can be cast at instant speed and equipped to Avacyn for free when it enters the battlefield.
Mortarpod: Probably one of the most underrated cards that has great utility in this deck. It can be easily tutored for when it is needed, and when combined with other cards, it can do some amazing things. Most often used to trigger Avacyn's transformation.
Skullclamp: One of the best card draw engine Equipments. The deck doesn't produce a lot of tokens but the Clamp is great to draw cards while triggering Avacyn's transformation. If nothing else, it also draws two cards when Avacyn is inevitably removed from the board.
Sol Ring: A must have in any deck that aims to have explosive early turns, especially if you have limited options to generate mana in the early game, like Boros decks tend to have.
Swiftfoot Boots: Great value for mana, hexproof and haste is exactly what Avacyn needs.
Sword of Body and Mind: Protection from blue is valuable because many fliers are blue, and if any creature has reach, it is green more often than not. The 2/2 Wolf tokens are great to be sacrificed, and milling an opponent for ten cards can be useful. With double strike and Aurelia, the Warleader's extra combat step, it is possible to mill someone out. The likelihood of this is low, but it is an option.
Sword of Feast and Famine: Arguably the most valuable sword. Protection from black is good against removal, and nobody likes to be made to discard a card, but the main benefit is untapping your lands. That ability allows for explosive turns, if you have cards in hand to play.
Sword of Fire and Ice: Protection from red is not ideal, but it can be worked around. The great thing about this sword is drawing a card when dealing combat damage to a player, and dealing damage is the aim of the deck; win-win.
Sword of Light and Shadow: Protection from white is worse because it stops flicker spells in the deck, and cards like Mother of Runes, but it can be worked around and bringing back creatures from the graveyard synergizes well with creatures that sacrifice themselves.
Sword of War and Peace: This sword has the two worst colours to provide protection from, so it is the least used one, but the ability to deal damage equal to cards in an opponent's hand is useful when someone is playing a draw heavy deck. Even more so if they have no maximum hand size and are holding a massive amount of cards.
Talisman of Conviction: Paying 1 life for coloured mana can hurt, but it is better to have the option than not. The number of mana artifacts that can tap for a colour is limited in Boros.
The Irencrag: Mana rock for , and it can turn into Equipment. Great addition to any Equipment Voltron deck.

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Enchantments

The few enchantments in the deck either synergize with Equipment, protect Avacyn or provide mana advantage. It is the least synergetic card type in the deck, but these few are too useful not to be used.

Enchantments

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Fighter Class: Amazing support card for Equipment decks. It tutors for any Equipment on entering the battlefield, and then a mana investment to reduce the cost of equip abilities can save a lot of mana in the long run. I've rarely used the third level but it has utility as a pseudo removal by forcing an opponent's creature to block.
Hyena Umbra: This is a bit of a pet card, but justifiable because it provides a lot of utility for only mana. First strike is a great keyword in a Voltron deck because even if an opponent blocks, at least Avacyn has a chance to kill the blocker before taking any damage. Totem Armor is like a second life against boardwipes. And on top of that, it provides a small stats boost.
Sigarda's Aid: Another amazing card in Equipment decks that turns all Equipment into a combat trick. More importantly it attaches the Equipment when it enters the battlefield, which is always welcome to save mana.
Smothering Tithe: At worst you get one Treasure from each opponent, but the ceiling is so much higher if opponents are drawing a lot of cards. The mana tax is high enough that many opponents won't pay it.

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Sorceries

Most of the sorceries are used for card avantage, either through looting, graveyard recursion or tutoring. They are needed to find what you need, or draw into it. The remaining sorceries are boardwipes because sometimes you need to clear the way for Avacyn to do commander damage.

Sorceries

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Austere Command: I love spells with options because they allow you to pick the options that will hurt your opponents more. Which to me justifies the mana casting cost.
Blasphemous Act: Probably the best way to deal 13 damage to each creature. In this format it is all too easy to cast the Act only for mana. Best of all, there are plenty of ways in the deck to make Avacyn immune to the damage.
Cathartic Reunion: I like this spell because it draws three cards for mana. Discarding two cards to cast it can be tricky at times if you are low on cards in hand, but I found this spell to be worth it more often than not.
Faithless Looting: Great value draw spell because it draws two cards before you discard two cards, so you can see if they are better than the ones you already have in hand. To make it even better, you can discard it with a different red loot spell, and then cast it from the graveyard.
Remember the Fallen: Being able to bring back a creature and an artifact is good value for only mana. The deck sacrifices creatures often, and it is inevitable that artifacts will be destroyed or discarded. I found this to be the best spell with this effect because the casting cost is not demanding with only one coloured pip.
Search for Glory: This tutor spell has a lot of targets in the deck. In the early game it can tutor for a land to fix colours, or Sram, Senior Edificer for card draw, or Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar for extra damage. In the late game it can tutor for one of the two legendary Angels that will help close the game, or even legendary Equipment. It can also gain a little bit of life, which is not unwelcome since life is paid often for mana in this deck.
Steelshaper's Gift: mana spell to tutor for an Equipment. It doesn't get better than that for this deck.
Tormenting Voice: A classic loot spell. mana, discard a card, draw two. What more can you ask for?
Vandalblast: Devastating spell that can put us ahead of opponents by blowing up all of their mana rocks while leaving ours on the board. In the worst case, it can remove one problematic artifact. Too useful not to run it.
Wrath of God: One of the, if not the, cheapest boardwipes with no downside. Regeneration rarely comes into effect, but it is just an added bonus to an already good spell.

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Instants

One of the looting spells in an instant, but the rest is split between interaction and protection. The flicker spells can also be used for utility to get extra ETB triggers out of creatures.

Instants

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Cloudshift: Cheap on mana, this flicker spell that can protect creatures from target removal, or even boardwipes with Avacyn on the field. Alternative use is to get another ETB trigger from creatures like Dockside Extortionist or Stoneforge Mystic.
Enlightened Tutor: Versatile tutor spell for artifacts and enchantments, though instead of hand it places the card on top of the library, so best used just before the draw step. Great for finding lands in the early game.
Ephemerate: Better version of Cloudshift because it has Rebound, which makes it twice the value for the same mana.
Path to Exile: One of the two best removal spells in white, with alternative use of targeting our own creature to get a land into play.
Swords to Plowshares: The second of the two best removal spells. Giving an opponent life is not an issue at all, no matter how much life it is, because commander damage doesn't care about how high the life total gets.
Teferi's Protection: The best protection spell because it can protect the board and our life. Which makes it great defence against life draining spells, and often helps to close the game the turn after because our boardstate was preserved.
Thrill of Possibility: A better version of Tormenting Voice because it can be cast at instant speed.
Wear // Tear: This spell was chosen over all other artifact and enchantment removal because of its flexibility. Ideally you'd want to exile the targets, but there are no exile spells that can hit either type, or both, for the same mana cost.

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Lands

Lands play a big part in the performance of the deck. There is a wide range of utility lands, from card advantage, to sacrifice outlet to combat support. Furthermore, some lands were chosen because of the additional type that allows them to be tutored; such as Saga and snow lands. The deck also runs a good number of fetch lands, and lands that tap for either of the two Boros colours without entering tapped.

Lands

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Ancient Tomb: Great early game boost of mana. The damage can accumulate overtime but it is well worth it.
Arid Mesa: Fetch land to make sure the deck has the colours it needs.
Battlefield Forge: It doesn't enter tapped and can generate the needed colours. Ideal land to ensure not being short on colours.
Cathedral of War: The only land that always enters tapped, which is not ideal, but it is a passive boost to Avacyn's stats when she attacks alone, therefore I have found it to be worth it.
Cavern of Souls: Best land to prevent Avacyn from being countered. Control decks hate this land, and I love it.
City of Brass: A land that doesn't come in tapped and can generate whatever colour is needed. Taking 1 damage for the mana is worth it. If Gisela is on the board, it doesn't do any damage.
Command Beacon: This is sort of an insurance policy. Main use is when commander tax gets really high, but it can also stop certain spells that take your commander from the command zone.
Command Tower: It generates any colour in the commander's colour identity and doesn't enter tapped, what more is there to be said.
Field of Ruin: It took one game against Glacial Chasm to decide that some land removal is necessary. I like the Field over other similar cards because it gives everyone a basic land, so I don't feel bad about destroying a land, and it can help someone out, making them more likely to help you.
Hanweir Battlements: This land is a great haste provider. The meld ability is irrelevant since the deck doesn't run the other card.
High Market: Sacrifice outlet on a land is always useful in this deck because it rarely gets removed from the board, and it doesn't have any mana cost to use.
Homeward Path: This land was added to the deck after I died to my own commander too many times.
Mana Confluence: A land that doesn't come in tapped and can generate whatever colour is needed. Paying 1 life for the mana is worth it.
Marsh Flats: Fetch land to make sure the deck has the colours it needs.
Plateau: OG dual land, it just doesn't get better than this.
Prismatic Vista: Fetch land for basic lands to make sure the deck has the colours it needs. What makes this better than other fetch lands is that it brings the basic land untapped.
Rogue's Passage: It makes Avacyn unblockable, which is exactly what the deck wants to do. It can also target opponents' creatures, so it can be used politically too.
Rugged Prairie: Another land that doesn't enter tapped and can filter one colour into any combination of the Boros colours. Which makes it quite useful if the deck ends up with too many colourless mana lands on the board.
Sacred Foundry: The second best Boros land because it has an option to enter untapped, and can be tutored by the fetch lands.
Scalding Tarn: Fetch land to make sure the deck has the colours it needs.
Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep: This land is included purely as a block deterrent, or ensuring that Avacyn can survive being blocked by a creature that could trade with her. Additionally, it can be tutored by Search for Glory.
Slayers' Stronghold: This land provides so much value for only mana; vigilance, haste and a +2 power boost! It becomes most useful when Avacyn transforms into the Purifier because she loses vigilance.
Spectator Seating: Ideal land for the Commander format. It only comes in tapped when there is one opponent left, and at that point in the game it doesn't matter.
Sunbaked Canyon: Another land that doesn't come in tapped and can produce the needed colours. It also has card draw ability when you really need to draw one card.
Urza's Saga: This land ticks so many boxes for this deck. As an enchantment Saga it can be tutored for and recurred from the graveyard. The token creation is the least useful ability but if there is nothing better to do, it does provide a creature to be sacrificed. The tutor effect has at least five targets in the deck, from Equipment to mana rocks.
War Room: mana and two life is not the best value for one card, but it is better than nothing. Unlike other lands that draw cards, you don't have to sacrifice it or discard a card.
Snow-Covered Mountain, Snow-Covered Plains: The snow-covered basic lands were chosen because of Search for Glory, so they can be tutored for. There is no other benefit to them being snow type. It is more of a personal preference.

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Exclusions, Alternatives & Considerations

If you think there are cards that should be in the deck or at least good alternatives, let me know and I can add them to exclusions, alternatives or considerations section, thanks!

Exclusions

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Lightning Greaves: The Greaves used to be in the deck but the shroud was too much of a hassle to get around because other creatures don't tend to stay on the board for long.
Land Tax: Also used to be part of the deck but outlived its usefulness and was replaced by Jeweled Lotus. It came down to which card I'd rather have as the first player in my opening hand.
Avacyn, Angel of Hope: It would be on theme and she would be great for the late game, but I don't think this Avacyn really supports the fast Voltron strategy. She just gives you more time in longer games to find answers. Plus I already play this Avacyn in a number of other decks, so I didn't feel the need to include her in this one.
Helm of the Host: This would be an easy swap with Grafted Exoskeleton and would provide lots of utility with ETB creatures, and infinite combo wincon with Aurelia, the Warleader. Which is why I don't play it. To me it would take the deck in a direction I don't want, but it is a great option if you don't want to play infect.

Alternatives

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Demolition Field: This land can be swapped for the Field of Ruin. Arguably it is a strictly better swap because it has the exact same effect but it only gives a basic land to one opponent, not all of them. However, in my mind, if I am already proving a basic land, might as well do it for the whole table. One basic land will not make anyone win, and it might help someone who is struggling. Not to mention you can get a print of the Field of Ruin that features Avacyn's collar to be on theme. You can also swap the Field of Ruin for a Strip Mine or something similar that is more efficient.
Sword of the Animist: Great ramp card for any Equipment deck, but in this deck it was redundant to have this Sword and Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus, though the two are more or less interchangeable if you prefer the Sword. More detailed explanation of this swap can be found here.

Current Considerations

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Academy Rector, Eldrazi Conscription: This combo has been suggested by NZB2323. It is a potent combo because the Rector is bound to die in some way in this deck, and can be tutored for by the Recruiters to make this combo consistent. Even if the Rector can't get the Conscription, there are other Enchantments I would like to have on the battlefield. The conscription itself is very strong for a Voltron Commander and makes Avacyn able to eliminate an opponent in two hits minimum, not to mention how devastating Annihilator 2 can be. This combo is still being evaluated.
Call a Surprise Witness, Delney, Streetwise Lookout: If I don't include the above combo, I want to consider these two cards instead to see if I can make more use of the utility creatures in this deck over the two Planeswalkers.

Rejected Considerations

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Skrelv, Defector Mite: Skrelv was considered to replace Mother of Runes, but had too many disadvantages in comparison to make the cut. More detailed explanation can be found here.
Archivist of Oghma, Deep Gnome Terramancer: I was optimistic about these two but every time I had them on hand they both made me feel reactive rather than proactive, which does not fit the mindset of how to play this deck. More detailed explanation can be found here.

The first five Mirran Swords are what I consider the core part of the deck, so I thought my thoughts on the new Swords deserved their own section.

New Mirran Swords

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Sword of Sinew and Steel: In theory the ability to destroy something while dealing combat damage sounds useful because this deck is all about attacking, but the target options are not ideal. Unless you are facing a Superfriends deck, there are not many Planeswalkers in an average game and problematic artifacts can already be destroyed with interaction spells.
Sword of Truth and Justice: Getting at least two +1/+1 counters each time you do combat damage is not terrible, but it is not great either. There are faster ways to increase Avacyn's damage. This Sword would be more useful in a deck with a lot of counters, which is not this deck.
Sword of Hearth and Home: This Sword could be useful because there are quite few creatures in the deck with an ETB trigger, and an additional ramp is always useful. This Sword could be a good alternative to Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus if you prefer it. I wouldn't run both for the same reason I don't run Sword of the Animist, there isn't enough basic lands in the deck in my opinion.
Sword of Forge and Frontier: I do like this Sword because it provides card and mana advantage. The only drawback is that you have to play the exiled two cards this turn, and since this triggers from combat damage it requires you to keep your mana open for the post-combat main phase. Not a massive disadvantage, just something to consider if you are going to play this Sword.
Sword of Once and Future: Probably the least useful Sword for this deck because the deck does not focus on instant or sorceries. That said, most of those spells in the deck are mana value or less so it could be functional. However, in my opinion the Sword would be more useful in a deck with more focus on the graveyard and low mana value instant or sorcery spells.

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Credits & Thanks

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Thank you,

Primer Committee for the primer guide, and the template. I am also thankful to BlackbirdPlaysMTG for their Sythis Enchantress Primer, which was a big inspiration to write my own. The Sythis Primer is how I found this forum, and the first one I've read. Other primers have also been an inspiration and great references.

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Change Log

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Primer History

4th of September, in the year of the Archangel 2023
Added Kellan, the Fae-Blooded as an alternative commander, and removed Velomachus Lorehold from that list. Added four cards to the Considerations.

28th of June, in the year of the Archangel 2023
Added Nahiri, Forged in Fury and Éowyn, Fearless Knight as an alternative commander, and removed Rem Karolus, Stalwart Slayer from that list.

4th of June, in the year of the Archangel 2023
Reworked of the Consideration, Alternatives & Exclusions section to reflect the first change to the deck since this primer was posted.

16th of April, in the year of the Archangel 2023
Update of the primer to address feedback from the Primer Committee. Most significant updates were to the budget, and game stages sections. To do - March of the Machine set review.

8th of February, in the year of the Archangel 2023
The first version of the primer attempt has been posted, with the current decklist. Waiting for feedback and the time requirement to submit a primer application a month from now. To do - add more images to the post.

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Change Log

February 2024

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Ancient Den > Snow-Covered Plains
Blackblade Reforged > Commander's Plate
Darksteel Plate > Mithril Coat
Great Furnace > Snow-Covered Mountain
Needleverge Pathway > Sunbaked Canyon
Thought Vessel > The Irencrag
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May 2023

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Sword of the Animist > Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus
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Set Reviews

Outlaws of Thunder Junction
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Fallout
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Murders at Karlov Manor
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2023

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The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
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Doctor Who
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Wilds of Eldraine
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Commander Masters
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Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
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March of the Machine: The Aftermath
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March of the Machine
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Phyrexia: All Will Be One
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New Print Highlights

Secret Lair: From Cute to Brute
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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 1 year ago

Set Review

Phyrexia: All Will Be One

I am a fan of the 'Living Weapon' ability, so I was curious to see if any of the cards with 'For Mirrodin!' would be able to fit in this deck, but have to say that overall I have not really found anything useful, except maybe two Equipment cards for the budget version of the deck. The set as a whole did not really offer anything new for this deck. At this time I think only two cards are worth testing as a swap, Skrelv, Defector Mite and The Mycosynth Gardens, and a few more cards could be useful in the budget deck.

Although one of the Commander decks for this set is colours, it is more focused on supporting tokens, and as such I have not found cards that would be useful in a Voltron deck that doesn't generate tokens consistently.

Red

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Red Sun's Twilight: I thought about this card against Vandalblast. The ability to gain copies of destroyed artifacts sounds like it has potential to give you an explosive turn, but that makes the spell cost mana minimum. While Vandalblast either hits one target for mana, or hits all artifacts you don't control for total of mana. Which to me does not warrant a swap in this deck. I might test it, but I am not that confident about the Twilight.
Shrapnel Slinger: At first I thought it could do a similar job as Cathar Commando, but then I realized it only hits artifacts, which put me off from comparing it further.

White

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Against All Odds: This card doubles up as utility by flickering ETB creatures, and reanimation of low mana value creatures and artifact, which this deck has plenty of. In theory it could be considered against Remember the Fallen, maybe even Cloudshift. The main things letting it down is the casting value being a bit too high for my taste, and only a sorcery speed so it can't protect against removal.
Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines: This deck has up to six ETB triggers that could benefit from an extra trigger. Some of them could become double tutor triggers, which sounds good in theory but I don't think there are enough ETB cards in the deck to make swapping Elesh for one of the legendary Angels worthwhile, as Elesh doesn't directly support the Voltron strategy like they do.
Skrelv, Defector Mite: This could be a good swap for Mother of Runes. Her main purpose in the deck is to make Archangel Avacyn unblockable, and protect her from target removal. Which Skrelv can do as well, and since it is not protection it wouldn't interfere with my own spells. In addition Toxic 1 has some small synergy with Grafted Exoskeleton, and also Skrelv is a legendary artifact, so he could be a target for additional tutors in the deck. The drawback is that he is susceptible to artifact removal, and you have to pay mana or life for the ability. Definitely worth testing in the deck though.
Glimmer Lens: The only new Commander card that caught my attention, because it is a new Equipment with card advantage. The drawbacks are that it only draws one card per combat, and you have to attack with at least two creatures, though at least it enters attached to its own creature token. It is also white, so doesn't synergize with colour protection, and has coloured pips to cast and equip. For me this won't make the main deck, but it could be useful in the budget version.

Boros

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Bladehold War-Whip: This is the only Equipment from the set I found mildly interesting. It gives double strike, and makes other equip abilities cheaper, but its own equip cost is quite high. It could find a home in the budget deck.
Nahiri, the Unforgiving: Thought I'd compare this Nahiri to Nahiri, the Harbinger. Option for cheaper casting cost is always nice. The first +1 ability I don't see much use for, this deck doesn't care about opponents attacking it, and the targeted creature can be tapped and not attack. There are just too many ways for that creature to avoid being killed by a blocker. The +1 draw ability by looting is functionally the same. The 0 ability could be useful in some situations but I don't like exiling cards when I get to use the token copy only for one turn. I'd rather not exile the best cards I'd want to bring back, and there are better ways to recur from graveyard. With Nahiri, the Harbinger I see use for all three abilities at any stage of the game, but with this Phyrexian Nahiri not so much. Also swords for hands is just such a silly concept, so minus points for the art too.

Colourless

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Sword of Forge and Frontier: This looks like a decent Equipment for card advantage, and potential ramp. The deck already plays Mirran swords that give protection from , so that doesn't bother me. The only reason I won't consider playing it at this time is what I mentioned in the Crafting Limitations, it wasn't printed as a Kaladesh Invention (I hope they'll make the new swords as Inventions Secret Lair one day).
Tablet of Compleation: mana artifact that can tap for mana, and draw cards without sacrificing itself, which is a plus. So I thought maybe it could replace Mind Stone, but the Tablet feels like it would be too slow to get value out of it because it needs oil counters and this deck has no proliferate or ability to give it more oil counters quicker.

Lands

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The Mycosynth Gardens: This land intrigued me. I am not sure what land I'd swap it for, but I like the potential to make it a permanent copy of one of the Mirran swords, or other non-legendary artifact. Might be worth testing against Battlefield Forge or Great Furnace.

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Reprints of note:

Thrill of Possibility|ONE - Already a cheap card but the new art is lovely.

And a few generally useful cards for Boros decks from the Commander set:

duducrash · Post by **duducrash** » 1 year ago

All names are made up! How do you prefer to be called?

I dont have much to add other than compliments. Sweet write up and deck. Seems like you are really passionate about this project, love to see. I remember that avacyn terrorized me in FNMs, I was playing UR spells with Thermo-Alchemist. Which was a super fun deck tbh.

I think Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier might be the best flavour design of all time. She sweeps in to save the day, but madness grows on her and the transformation just hits that spot!

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 1 year ago

duducrash wrote: ↑
1 year ago
I dont have much to add other than compliments. Sweet write up and deck. Seems like you are really passionate about this project, love to see. I remember that avacyn terrorized me in FNMs, I was playing UR spells with Thermo-Alchemist. Which was a super fun deck tbh.

I think Archangel Avacyn // Avacyn, the Purifier might be the best flavour design of all time. She sweeps in to save the day, but madness grows on her and the transformation just hits that spot!

Thank you! I mostly remember my friend's Azorius control deck which terrorized me, and my poor attempts at Standard deck building

And agreed, Wizards definitely got the flavour right with her, and the whole block really.

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 1 year ago

Set Review

March of the Machine

The main set provided some cards to consider for protection and card draw, and some Equipment too. Though they are all cards I'd consider for the budget deck. Nothing stood out to me as a better replacement for existing cards in the main deck. That said, the commander set gave us Bitterhorn, Nissa's Animus which is beautiful.

I was a bit disappointed that we did not get more cards with 'For Mirrodin!' in either set, and Elesh could have been more creative, Alabaster Host… what a poor knockoff of the Flight Alabaster! Should of been Porcelain Host or something.

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Beamtown Beatstick: I like this stick. Menace is a good keyword, and generating Treasures is also good. Good Equipment for the budget deck more than the main deck.
Mirran Banesplitter: Another interesting, low casting cost Equipment. It has flash and equips itself for free on entering the battlefield. The downside is that it only adds +2 power, and then it is mana to equip. It could find a place in a budget deck.
Into the Fire: This feels like a potentially good draw spell. It doesn't make you discard cards, which can be a benefit. Though not sure it can replace anything in the main deck. I would compare it against Cathartic Reunion which costs and two cards to draw three. Into the Fire would also draw three cards for the cost of two cards, but the casting cost is higher. It does have potential to scale up but that doesn't feel worth it.
Invasion of Kaldheim: This also feels like it has potential to replace a draw spell, but the casting cost is quite high for the main deck, and I think I prefer straight forward looting spells over Battle cards.
Invasion of Mercadia: This Invasion could definitely be considered as a replacement for Tormenting Voice. Not so much for Thrill of Possibility since that is an instant spell. The Invasion does the same thing as the Voice and at the same speed, which is also a reason to not replace it. Attacking the Invasion to transform it into a creature doesn't do anything to support the Voltron strategy.
Wrenn's Resolve: Now this is interesting. I want to test it to replace Tormenting Voice. My concern is that the exiled cards would be stuck there but since you have up to nearly two turns to play them, it might be worth the risk, since it doesn't require you to discard a card.
Dance with Calamity: This could be spicy. With the average CMC of the deck being 2.45, this spell could result in 4-5 spells fairly consistently. The difficulty would be to decide what to replace, perhaps Cathartic Reunion. Admittedly the high CMC does not make it fit into the deck easily, it would be best used somewhere where it can be cast for less, or for free.

White

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Kor Halberd: This could be useful in the budget deck. When Archangel Avacyn transforms she loses vigilance, and this Equipment is really cheap to cast and equip to make up for the lost ability.
Scrollshift: Interesting spell that can be considered against Cloudshift and Ephemerate. The benefit is that it can protect artifacts and enchantments in addition to creatures, and it also draws a card. Which is great, but the casting cost is a downside. I could see this in a budget deck, not likely in the main deck.
Surge of Salvation: Cool new protection spell, and only casting cost! I am definitely gonna consider it against Cloudshift in the main deck. The only drawback I can see is that it doesn't have the added utility of flickering creatures with an ETB effect.

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Sword of Once and Future: The last of the Mirran swords. Unfortunately not one that would fit into this deck as it works best with instants or sorceries, not creatures and artifacts.
Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus: Oh baby, this I love. Either to replace Sword of the Animist, or even Dowsing Dagger. It has the same effects as the Sword, but as a Living Weapon, it does justify the higher casting and equip cost. The Sword usually comes down on turn 3, after casting Stoneforge Mystic or Relic Seeker, and even with mana value it could be cast on curve and I don't have to worry about equipping it. The main downside I can think of is the small number of basic lands in the main deck, it might not be worth it to play it alongside the Sword.

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Reprints of note:

Sram, Senior Edificer|MUL - Reprinted as a Kaladesh Invention in the Multiverse Legends set! This will fit nicely into the deck alongside the other Inventions.
Evolving Wilds|DKA - I just want to give shoutout to the Dark Ascension version re-print, I love this version because it is from Innistrad.

Post by **benjameenbear** » 1 year ago

This is an IMPRESSIVE Primer, sir. Well done and well deserved for getting your Primer tag!

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 1 year ago

benjameenbear wrote: ↑
1 year ago
This is an IMPRESSIVE Primer, sir. Well done and well deserved for getting your Primer tag!

Thank you very much

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 1 year ago

Set Review

March of the Machine: The Aftermath

What an odd set of only 50 cards, and no reprints. I can kinda see what Wizards were going for, but I don't see why not just make it part of the previous proper set. Feels like a cosmetic DLC that doesn't add any playtime but you gotta pay for it

Nothing stood out to me as a 'must have' from the cards that fit the deck's colour identity, though there is some artifact synergy in this set. I think two cards are worth at least considering to test at some point.

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Reckless Handling: This card made me think it would be a great artifact tutor, but it is just a more mana expensive Gamble, and it's not even an instant. I wouldn't mind discarding a card if it wasn't random. Overall, not worth it.

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Campus Renovation: My first thought is that it is a lot of mana to cast, but it could have potential because you can play lands from exile and the effect lasts until the end of your next turn, so plenty of time. Not sure what I'd switch it with though. Maybe Daretti, Scrap Savant, since they kind of do the same thing; graveyard recursion and card advantage. Daretti is lower CMC but needs two turns to do both.
Nahiri, Forged in Fury: This non-planeswalker Nahiri might have potential. Her CMC is not ideal but the Affinity can reduce her down to only , and then she offers card advantage for attacking with equipped creatures. It also triggers for every equipped creature, which would be better for decks with more creatures, but this deck can attack with more creatures than just the commander to make use of this.

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Karn, Legacy Reforged: Only mentioned because of the artifact synergy. It's not terrible, and there is some potential to generate extra mana, but I don't think it fits into this deck because the deck is not mana intensive, and this Karn offers no support for the Voltron strategy.

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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 1 year ago

New Print Highlight

Secret Lair: From Cute to Brute

Finally we got first new art for Archangel Avacyn

Sadly not as part of regular Secret Lair set, but as part of a Secret Lair commander deck. Personally I would have liked both sides of the card to be done by the same artist, but I can see what Wizards were going for. The two sides are very different but they do good job of portraying the front face as protective (cute), and the back face as wrathful (brute). I do like that the Purifier flavour text is just "Pray"... everyone should be always praying to Avacyn!

The Purifier is also featured on the Prismatic Bridge art from the same Secret Lair deck, bottom right corner:

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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 11 months ago

Card Considerations & Changes

Opportunities to test new cards have been limited this year so far, but I have been testing and evaluating these three cards:

Skrelv, Defector Mite vs Mother of Runes

On paper Skrelv does appear as a strictly better version of the Mother but I do not think he is, not in this deck. To start with Skrelv's activated ability costs mana or life. This is detrimental for two reasons. Paying mana adds another strain to the mana resources, and while the alternative option to pay life removes the need to spend the extra mana, this deck already has roughly ten other cards that make me pay life or take damage, and only one semi-consistent way to gain a lot of life. Paying 2 life is nothing by itself, but it can add up quickly with all the other cards, and currently there are no alternatives to replace those cards.

Secondly, Skrelv's ability only provides hexproof from a colour and makes the creature unblockable. Most of the time this is the main purpose of the Mother, to make Avacyn unblockable. However, regular protection from a colour has additional uses, it allows the creature to block without taking damage, and the creature can also avoid non-combat damage. As such, the Mother is useful for both offence and defence, while Skrelv is only good for offence.

Lastly, Skrelv can't block and cannot protect himself with his ability. In comparison, the Mother can make herself unblockable or function as a blocker. Those are important abilities in the deck, because if needed the Mother can be used to activate abilities that trigger on combat damage; such as Relic Seeker or the Mirran Swords.

Toxic 1 is not relevant in this deck. The use of Grafted Exoskeleton is to eliminate one or all opponents in one hit, or two hits at most. Dealing 1 poison damage a turn does not help the strategy.

Does Skrelv have any advantage over the Mother? Honestly, only one that I can think of. Skrelv is a legendary artifact so he can be tutored by more cards than the Mother, but this does not make up for all the disadvantages and it makes him susceptible to artifact removal. So while I like Skrelv's design, he will be used in a different deck.

Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus vs Sword of the Animist

The main purpose of the Sword has always been to provide an early game ramp. On average the Sword is cast on a turn after I've cast a creature. This then meant that in the following turn I had to spend to equip the Sword to make it effective (unless I had mana available to cast and equip on the same turn). This presented two concerns, firstly it reduced the mana available during the turn the Sword was equipped, and secondly it put the creature at risk by attacking. The early game creatures are mostly for utility and I do not want them to die just yet.

As a Living weapon, Bitterthorn removes all of those concerns. It is more to cast than the Sword, but it can still be cast on curve, and it does not have any further cost to be useful straight away. So the way I see it, Bitterthorn is cheaper. Furthermore, the Germ token is not a utility creature, so I do not care if it dies in combat in the early game. Yes, an opponent could kill it before the Germ gets to attack, but that just means the opponent did not use the removal spell (or ability) to target a more useful creature, and I am in the same position as if I cast the Sword and then had to equip it.

In the later game, the higher equip cost compared to the Sword is not much of a disadvantage. Most other Equipment in the deck has equip cost . The Germ token is also useful to trigger Avacyn's transform ability by simply equipping Bitterthorn to another creature.

So overall, Bitterthorn is a strictly better card in this deck. It does the same job as the Sword, and it has no practical disadvantages. I do not plan to run both cards because of the limited number of basic lands (6 as of this post), it is quite easy to get them all out in a game already. Though it is definitely worth it to run both in a deck with higher basic lands count.

The decklist and the primer will be updated soon to reflect this card change.

The Mycosynth Gardens vs Needleverge Pathway

The Mycosynth Gardens are still being evaluated against Needleverge Pathway, or alternatively Battlefield Forge. So far the Gardens do not seem to affect the deck's ability to consistently produce the right colours, but my main question is do I actually need the Gardens? In theory the clone ability is useful to turn the Gardens into an Equipment or a mana rock, but I've yet to be in a position where using it is an advantage and not just overkill. Currently I do not feel I can make an informed decision about the Gardens yet, but I wanted to talk about the card.

To briefly touch on the Forge vs the Pathway. While the Forge does cost 1 life, I do prefer to use it over the Pathway because the Forge has the option to make both colours which can be more beneficial in longer games. The Pathway feels more useful for a specific short term need. Every land slot in the deck is competitive, so I do have to be a bit pedantic about the reasons.

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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 10 months ago

Set Review

Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth

This set presented me with a dilemma, mainly concerning The Ring Tempts You mechanic. It is flavourful for the set that it is presented in, but I struggle to justify using it in this deck. This is a themed deck and I want to consider cards not only for their mechanical utility, but also their flavour.

I won't deny that The Ring mechanic is very useful to the Voltron strategy, but I do personally consider it somewhat of a flavour-fail to have it in a deck that is heavily themed around Avacyn. As such, I am not planning to use cards that use this mechanic.

However, this set did have a lot of new Artifacts and Equipment to consider, which I was happy to see.

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Quarrel's End: This could be an alternative for Cathartic Reunion or Tormenting Voice. The spell does cost more, but the 1/1 Human token could be useful to be sacrificed (to a Skullclamp for example) to trigger Avacyn's transformation. Not something I'll add into the deck, but it could certainly find a place in a budget version.

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Forge Anew: A very interesting Enchantment for an Equipment deck. It does a lot for relatively low mana value, but upon closer examination I do not think that it has a place in this deck. The first ability to return an Equipment from graveyard to the battlefield is good, but limited when compared to the other recursion cards in this deck because those can target any artifact. The second ability to activate equip abilities at instant speed would be quite useful if it was not limited to your turn. I think it is still useful when multiple creatures are equipped as you could swap Equipment between them for combat tricks or in response to removal and such, but in this deck most of the time all of the Equipment is equipped to one creature. The last ability falls short also because it is limited to your turn, and only for the first time. So overall, Forge Anew is very synergetic with Equipment but in this particular deck I don't think it would perform that well.
Reprieve: This could be a budget alternative to Teferi's Protection because in theory it could save your board state from a board wipe. It draws you a card too which is always a nice bonus. I would likely use this spell if I focused the deck more towards Instances.
Slip On the Ring: If you want to use The Ring mechanic in your deck then this would be a good swap for Cloudshift. You pay extra for the same effect, but you also get the bonus from The Ring.
Westfold Rider: An alternative for Cathar Commando. The Rider's advantage is that the activated ability does not cost anything, but the disadvantage is that you can only do it at sorcery speed. In the end they both achieve the same effect, but I'll continue to use the Commando because I believe it is more versatile with Flash.

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Éowyn, Fearless Knight: My first thought was that Éowyn could be useful in the endgame against decks with strong creatures of different colours, for example Dragon tribal decks. Exiling a Dragon of four or five colours could easily give Avacyn protection from all the relevant colours to become unblockable. Though unsure what I would swap for Éowyn, as her use is limited to after entering the battlefield. She might be better as a Commander of her own deck.
Merry, Esquire of Rohan: Merry has some potential because his triggered ability to draw a card synergizes well with the Voltron strategy. The downside is that ideally you need to protect him with Equipment, or through other means, to prevent him from dying in combat so that you can get more than one card draw. Unfortunately for Merry, the low mana value creatures in this deck that draw cards can draw more of them so he will not be swapped in.

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Barrow-Blade: I kind of like this. It reminds me a lot of Godsend, but cheaper to cast and equip, and it does not have a colour identity. While it does not exile the blocking or blocked creature, it effectively makes that creature vanilla, so the Barrow-Blade could work as a good deterrent. I am not sure what I would swap it for at this time, but I will be considering it.
Bilbo's Ring: This Ring could be useful in a budget version of this deck. It supports the Voltron strategy during attack, and you get to draw a card for attacking with the Voltron creature. The main downside of this Ring is the equip cost for non-Halfling creatures. Not the worst cost for card advantage and making the creature unblockable, but a bit too steep for this deck.
Everflowing Chalice: I realise this is not a new card but somehow this card slipped under my radar and only this set review made me realise that it is a fast mana rock. At worst it generates for casting cost of , and it can scale if you have nothing else to spend mana on when you cast it, or if you can increase the charge counters later. So I am glad it was brought to my attention. I won't replace any mana rocks with the Chalice in this deck, but it is a good budget alternative to Jeweled Lotus or Mana Crypt.
Heirloom Blade: Another reprint that I am reconsidering because of this set review. My thinking is that Avacyn is bound to die in most games, and this Blade could be a useful way to get Gisela, Blade of Goldnight or Aurelia, the Warleader into my hand without using tutors. I don't think I will run it in the main deck but it could be useful in a budget deck.
Hithlain Rope: Mana and card advantage in Boros can still be hard to come by, and this Artifact could help you, and to gain some goodwill in the game. Hard to say how useful it would be, especially in four player games where it might never make it back to your board but total to get a land, or to get a card, is not the worst value-to-cost in Boros, especially on a budget.
Mithril Coat: This Coat is a strictly better version of Darksteel Plate. The only disadvantage in comparison is the equip cost but that cost is entirely mitigated when the Coat enters the battlefield, and this deck has enough ways to reduce that cost afterwards. The main advantage is Flash, allowing you to hold it in hand until needed to protect Avacyn, or another Legendary creature. I will be swapping the Coat for the Plate as I do not think I want to run both, but it is an option in the future.
Sting, the Glinting Dagger: The Sting could be useful in a budget deck because it can untap Avacyn the Purifier, but then again, easier to just get Equipment that provides vigilance. This Equipment would be better in a deck with creatures that have tap abilities.
The One Ring: Initially I thought this could be an alternative to Teferi's Protection but it doesn't do anything to protect your board state, only to protect you, which could be useful to avoid death by damage but you can't use the Ring in response, not in a deck like this. With the Ring being indestructible it could stay on the field long enough to get a good amount of cards but difficult to say if the mana value would pay for itself in most games. The life loss would not be a big problem when you can easily get over 100 life in this deck. Overall, it is a good card but don't think it is a right fit in this deck.

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Great Hall of the Citadel: This land could be useful to provide the mana needed to cast Avacyn, especially in the early game. The cost of and is not even detrimental when using two lands (this land and another to activate the ability) to filter the mana. I think I'll swap this land for Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep, because I've never had a game where I've activated or tutored for Shinka, but this land could be rather useful in the early game.
Shire Terrace: Great land for budget colour fixing. I do like that it is effectively Evolving Wilds but it generates mana on its own.

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duducrash · Post by **duducrash** » 10 months ago

What do you think about Taunt from the Rampart , I tought of your deck when I first saw it, it clears blockers, deals a bunch of damage hopefully and in some scenarios will be "time walky"

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 10 months ago

duducrash wrote: ↑
10 months ago
What do you think about Taunt from the Rampart , I tought of your deck when I first saw it, it clears blockers, deals a bunch of damage hopefully and in some scenarios will be "time walky"

To be perfectly honest, I tend to skim over sorceries and instances if they don't draw cards because my default attitude is that if I am going to swap any of them I am looking for strictly better upgrades, and my first thought was that the Taunt doesn't do anything that my current spells do. That said, now that I am thinking about it more, you are right. I can see the use to get my damage through and leave my opponents more or less open to attacks.

The question then becomes what would I swap it for. I've recently started considering what to do about the sorceries and instances, because in an average game I don't see them much, like I can't remember the last time I've cast either of the board wipes. So I have been thinking about Sunforger and if it would lead to too much tutoring. Sadly the Taunt is not something the Sunforger could get, but I'll grab a copy and swap it out for Austere Command, give it few games, see what happens

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 9 months ago

Set Review

Commander Masters

There is not much to talk about in this set. The main set is all reprints and I've listed a few that are either reprints of cards in the deck, or could be in the deck. Though there are more reprints that are good for Boros decks. From the new cards in the commander decks there is only one card that I wanted to talk about: Battle at the Helvault.

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Battle at the Helvault: I can't not mention this card. I love the flavour of it. The card does not exactly support the Voltron strategy, but I do think it could find a place in the deck. The first two chapters could give us additional ETB triggers, like Dockside Extortionist and Stoneforge Mystic, and help temporarily remove problematic permanents controlled by our opponents. The Avacyn token created by the last chapter is a strong attacker and blocker, though it does have the usual token weaknesses and since it doesn't have haste you might have to wait a whole turn before getting an attack out of it. Furthermore, as an Enchantment - Saga the card can be tutored by Search for Glory, and recurred from the graveyard by Restoration Specialist. As such it could have more impact than something like Austere Command, which cannot be tutored for. Overall, it is not the most fitting card, but it is such a perfect Avacyn themed card that I have to at least consider it.

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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 8 months ago

Set Review

Wilds of Eldraine

This set had a lot of focus on enchantments and I only found five cards to consider for this deck. Overall it feels like a fun set with some good reprints, and I do like the theme and art style but my other decks will get more use out of it!

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Witch's Mark: This can be considered a strictly better version of Tormenting Voice. They are both Sorcery spells, cost , and for discarding one card you'll draw two. But the Mark also gives one creature +1/+1 with the Wicked Role token Aura, which in this deck translates to 1 more Commander Damage. This won't work if Avacyn has protection from red, but it's not much of a drawback. I might not play it myself because I use an altered Tormenting Voice but I might at least try it.

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Unfinished Business: This new Commander card could have a good pay off if you have enough cards in the graveyard. Which for me is the limiting factor, I'd like to have more choice where the Equipment goes and with Voltron you'd need to set it up for the Commander to be in the graveyard, but in a budget deck or just any Equipment deck that has more ways to put cards into the graveyard it could be very useful.
Stroke of Midnight: If you are running Generous Gift, this is a good alternative, or even an additional removal spell. It can only target nonlands but it gives the controller a smaller creature token.

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Kellan, the Fae-Blooded: Another strictly better card, this time of Open the Armory. Kellan himself is not particularly useful unless he is the Commander, but because he is a 2/2 you can tutor for him with the Recruiters to then tutor for an Equipment. It is a somewhat roundabout way of tutoring for an Equipment, but at least the option is there if Stoneforge Mystic is not available. Worst case scenario, Kellan is a creature to be sacrificed. I'd swap Kelln for Open the Armory (if you are playing it), or Relic Seeker, or add him as a tutor if you do not have enough.

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The Irencrag: I do like this new mana rock. I think it is great for any Voltron Equipment deck. It is not like many other mana rocks you are disappointed to draw in the late game because it can turn into Equipment that provides +3/+3, which is not a bad boost. The change is also optional, which is great. I will be swapping it for Thought Vessel because I cannot remember the last time I needed to have more than seven cards on hand.

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NZB2323 · Post by **NZB2323** » 8 months ago

What do you think of Academy Rector for the deck? Off of an Avacyn flip it can put an Eldrazi Conscription on Avacyn.

Arena Rector, Auriok Champion, Selfless Spirit, Kor Firewalker, and Sanctifier en-Vec are other cards that might be worth considering.

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 8 months ago

NZB2323 wrote: ↑
8 months ago
What do you think of Academy Rector for the deck? Off of an Avacyn flip it can put an Eldrazi Conscription on Avacyn.

Oh that is naughty. I never thought about it as I've honestly have not been looking at cards that synergize with Enchantments, but hot damn. I am testing some new cards now but I will definitely add this to the list... though I can't decide if it is a flavour win or fail to have Avacyn conscripted by Eldrazi

As for the other suggestions:

Arena Rector: This could be worth it if I had something like Jeska, Thrice Reborn in the deck, but at this time the two planeswalkers are not really crucial to the strategy.

Auriok Champion, Kor Firewalker, Sanctifier en-Vec: I am not sure I am seeing the utility with these. Pro-red could be good to ignore Avacyn's flip damage but I don't feel like either supports the Voltron strategy. Would of been great if they provided some kind of combat boost, or card advantage though.

Selfless Spirit: This used to be in the deck, but I've changed it for Remorseful Cleric in January this year because I've realized I had no graveyard hate. The indestructibility is nice but I used to find myself in situations where I was deciding too often between holding it for protection or using it for flipping Avacyn. The Cleric has been a better fit. Though both are good if I had space for both.

Thanks for the ideas!

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 4 months ago

Set Review

Doctor Who

I do not mind Universes Beyond as their own sets, but I do not like mixing those cards into this deck, especially when they are so far out of the fantasy realm of Magic, and Doctor Who is its own very specific franchise. That said I've had a look at this set to see if there are any cards that would work really well with the Equipment Voltron strategy. I didn't find any, but there are two cards that I thought could work well enough in a Boros deck for some card advantage.

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Four Knocks: I like this card because it provides advantage without being broken. It will disappear on its own in four turns, which hopefully makes it less of a target for removal. It would be better in a deck with proliferate, but even without it you get an extra card for four turns for mana. Not the worst deal.

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Jenny, Generated Anomaly: I kind of like Jenny as a potential way to manipulate the top of the deck. With double strike she is likely to trigger twice, either giving you land/s or boosting her power, with the option to put cards into the graveyard if you have recursion available. This could be handy to remove lands from the deck, or have them on hand for discarding with looting spells like Thrill of Possibility.

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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 4 months ago

Set Review

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan

I did not find many cards that I feel support the Equipment Voltron strategy or fit this deck. There are some interesting Equipment cards and lands for consideration, but mainly I feel those would be for a budget version of this deck. Nothing made me feel like it is a "must have" or a strictly better upgrade.

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Diamond Pick-Axe: The most appealing thing about this Pick-Axe is that it is indestructible, so you don't have to worry as much about not getting any value out of it. You only get one Treasure per attack but in the early turns it could help with a boost of mana to get ahead. It is something I could see myself playing in a budget deck but in the main deck I'd rather turn attacks into lands.

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Deconstruction Hammer: When I look at this card what I see is an interaction against artifacts and enchantments that I can tutor for easily, which is lacking in this deck. The combined mana cost is not ideal, you are spending up to mana to get the effect, and I am questioning if it would be worth it compared to Nahiri, the Harbinger. With Nahiri you are spending less mana to remove something, although with constraints, but she can also draw a card. As such I don't think this will make the main deck for me, but it is worth considering for any Equipment deck in my opinion.
Helping Hand: This is an interesting option because fourteen creatures in this deck are mana value or less, so there are plenty of potential targets and none of them care about being tapped the turn they enter the battlefield to provide value. It could produce great value with the likes of Dockside Extortionist. What card would it replace though? I am thinking perhaps Cloudshift, sacrificing one protection card for additional recursion. This card would pair well with the sacrifice aspect of this deck.

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Paleontologist's Pick-Axe: This Pick-Axe could be an alternative to Mask of Memory. They have the same casting and equip cost. The Pick-Axe provides less card advantage but it triggers on an attack rather than combat damage. The reverse side is not as useful but in some instances it could be, like if you cannot bring Gisela, Blade of Goldnight from the graveyard.
Tarrian's Soulcleaver: This could easily get out of hand in many games. Any aristocrat deck will think twice about sacrificing their creatures, and Treasures are so prevalent in the current format that in most games this should get value. On other hand, it could also be a dud in games where not many things leave the battlefield, as such I am not sure I'd want to play it because with this deck I prefer not having to rely on my opponents to get value and I don't think there is enough consistent ways to make the Soulcleaver valuable on my own.

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Promising Vein: This is Shire Terrace with a different name. These two lands could even become the new Terramorphic Expanse and Evolving Wilds because they produce mana on their own. They are not as fast in the early game, but in the late game it doesn't feel like a waste of a land drop.
Volatile Fault: If you do not like Field of Ruin this is a good replacement. It feels like a middle ground between cards like the Ruin and Ghost Quarter. You have to pay mana but the opponent is not the only one getting value out of it. I still prefer the Ruin because it replaces itself with a basic land for me, which I prefer to have over a Treasure.

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Reprints of note:

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 4 months ago

Feels like I've missed out on more than two sets whilst deployed overseas but turns out it was only Doctor Who and Ixalan. I've also had a look at the full preview of Ravnica Remastered but there was nothing to review about that set, it is just re-prints.

Post by **benjameenbear** » 4 months ago

Thanks for consistently updating this. This is one of my favorite Primers to read, as a fellow Vorthos fan. I do like the Eldrazi Conscription angle, since it's so thematic with what happened in the storyline. Maybe a small Rector package could be worth it, especially since Avacyn can kill the Rector with her trigger.

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 4 months ago

benjameenbear wrote: ↑
4 months ago
Thanks for consistently updating this. This is one of my favorite Primers to read, as a fellow Vorthos fan. I do like the Eldrazi Conscription angle, since it's so thematic with what happened in the storyline. Maybe a small Rector package could be worth it, especially since Avacyn can kill the Rector with her trigger.

Thank you, glad to hear someone enjoys reading it

To be honest I have been meaning to test the Rector and Conscription combo (got both cards now) but haven't had the chance to play often since it has been suggested. I hope to give it a proper try over the Christmas break (as well as few other changes). I also suspect that it will change the deck strategy a bit, which will require significant update to the Primer. It will give me something to do when they send us overseas again next year.

Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 3 months ago

Set Review

Murders at Karlov Manor

I wasn't expecting much from a Ravnica set for this deck because it is not a setting known for its Equipment synergy but I was surprised. Not because of Equipment but because the cards I did find interesting are making me reconsider the structure of the deck to fit them in. None of them are easy swaps but that is the fun of deckbuilding I suppose.

Investigate and face up or down cards seem to be prevalent in Boros colours in this set, neither of which are particularly useful in this deck. Murders at Karlov Manor feels full of niche mechanics to fit the crime theme.

Red

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Demand Answers: Another strictly better Tormenting Voice (the last one being Witch's Mark) because it has the same effect but at instant speed. It could even considered an upgrade to Thrill of Possibility because you have a choice to sacrifice an artifact, which can be useful when you have abundance of treasures, or even to sacrifice Esper Sentinel to trigger Avacyn's transformation, or any other artifact creature you might be using. I am not sure I will play this card because all my draw spells (except Faithless Looting) are altered, so I don't want to replace either of them, even though Demand Answers has cool art featuring Aurelia! Tough choice.

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Call a Surprise Witness: I like this because it is a low mana value spell that can reanimate almost all of the creatures in the deck (14 out of 16 in the 99), and it gives that creature flying which is always useful for blockers. It could be swapped for Remember the Fallen, or even Daretti, Scrap Savant since using creature tutors to find Equipment is the more common approach than reanimating artifacts with Daretti. I never tutor for him, nor tend to play him much anymore when on hand.
Delney, Streetwise Lookout: This has potential. All the low mana value creatures with triggered abilities are 2 power or less, and getting double triggers on them would be great. Dockside Extortionist, Stoneforge Mystic and the Recruiters are obvious targets, but it could potentially double-trigger Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar, which would be an awesome way to deal tons of damage with Avacyn. Delney is definitely worth considering as a surprise addition from this set.
Trouble in Pairs: This seems like a crazy value enchantment, similar to Smothering Tithe. It could easily draw a ton of cards, with the only drawback being that it is not a may trigger. I wouldn't replace it for the Tithe because cards in hand are useless without mana, but I can easily see this becoming a new white staple in the Commander format for card advantage.

Boros

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Colourless

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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 3 months ago

Card Considerations & Changes

In this round of changes I've added cards from recent releases, and I've also taken the opportunity to have a look some lands, and reconsider a card I was excluding.

Changes

Ancient Den, Great Furnace > Snow-Covered Plains, Snow-Covered Mountain

I feel like at some point these two artifact lands outlived their usefulness in the deck. They were included mainly to have more early artifacts for Puresteel Paladin's metalcraft, however, for better or worse the amount of tutors in the deck made this redundant, as well as increased number of cheap artifacts. In recent months I've felt the detriment of these lands being susceptible to mass artifact removal without providing any significant benefit. In addition, I wanted to have a few more basic lands for Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus.

Needleverge Pathway > Sunbaked Canyon

I've mentioned the Pathway in the previous post about deck changes, and changed it for the Canyon for very similar reasons. I want the option to choose the colour when I tap the land, even if it includes a cost. It is important to me to maximise the probability of having the colours I need, especially in the early game. I also like the Canyon because of the card draw. I don't expect the ability to be used all the time, but I do believe it is better to have that option than not.

Blackblade Reforged > Commander's Plate

For a long time I was not keen on the Commander's Plate but it has also been a long time since I tutored for, or even used, the Blackblade. The sword is a good Equipment for a Voltron deck but it is overshadowed in this deck by the likes of Embercleave and Grafted Exoskeleton. The Plate is cheaper to cast and equip to Avacyn, and it can be tutored by Urza's Saga. Not to mention the obvious benefits of protection from three colours (, and ) and a good boost of +3 power. It also helped that Commander's Plate from the Secret Lair Angel deck has really cool artwork.

Darksteel Plate > Mithril Coat

Mithril Coat is a strictly better upgrade of the Darksteel Plate. It is the same mana cost and has the same abilities; they are both indestructible and make the equipped creature indestructible. However, for an additional equip cost, the Mithril Coat can be cast at instant speed and attaches itself to a legendary creature when it enters the battlefield. Both of these cards could be in the deck but at this time I do not feel I have space for both.

Thought Vessel > The Irencrag

When I saw The Irencrag I knew I wanted it in the deck because as a mana rock of mana value it is useful in the early game, but it also has the option to turn into an Equipment that provides +3/+3 which is a decent boost to power, and in turn to commander damage. I chose to replace the Thought Vessel because neither of these mana rocks taps for colour, and it has been rare with this deck for me to have more cards than the maximum hand size.

Considerations

Archivist of Oghma & Deep Gnome Terramancer

I was optimistic about these two but every time I had them on hand they both made me feel reactive rather than proactive, which does not fit the mindset of how to play this deck. I do not want to be in a position where I have to wait for my opponents to do a specific thing to get value. I might feel differently if I played this deck in a consistent group where I know what to expect from my opponents' decks, but I travel a lot and play with different people often, and as such I experience a large variety of games. That all said, I am sure these two cards will find a good home in different decks of mine.

Academy Rector & Eldrazi Conscription

The jury is still out on this combo. The two cards I've replaced first to test this are Relic Seeker and Dowsing Dagger. I have been struggling to see this combo in my games, so far I've really only managed to get it off once and the Conscription was removed straight away

I still like the combo in theory but I want to test more before I fully assimilate it into the deck. My main struggle is timing it correctly to get the best value.

I am also thinking I ought to try replacing the planeswalkers rather than the Seeker and the Dagger, because these two are useful in the early game while the planeswalkers mostly find their use in the late game and too often I have them on hand without wanting to cast them.

If I don't end up using this combo in this deck, I do have a Sigarda Enchantress deck where it will fit nicely.

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Avacyn Believer · Post by **Avacyn Believer** » 2 months ago

Set Review

Fallout

I don't get excited for new sets often anymore, but %$#%$#% I do like the Fallout set! Mostly I am excited because it has so much support for Equipment (and Auras), which I love to see, but also because I am a fan of the franchise.

My biggest challenge with using cards from this set is that I don't want to have obvious Universes Beyond cards in a heavily themed deck. Cards like Pip-Boy 3000 are awesome, but also stand out so much. It is not a deal breaker by any means, but it is something that I do consider a lot for this deck. Thankfully, alters (and proxies) are a thing I am happy to use! Or I might just build Universes Beyond Avacyn deck

My two disappointments with the precons are that they are a mishmash of various Fallout themes, rather than being themed around a single faction or game. That makes them less flavourful in my opinion, especially when compared to the Warhammer or Lord of the Rings precons, but on other hand it makes it easier to swap cards around and still keep the decks all within the Universe Beyond. LotR had a whole set to pull cards from, and I did wish there were more Imperium themed cards I could swap in for that precon.

Second is that there is no card for Joshua Graham, the best character in Fallout in my opinion. I get they couldn't include every character, but I am still disappointed he can't be my commander. Also there not being any mushroom cloud on any of the cards feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

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Brotherhood Outcast: Returning an Equipment or an Aura to the battlefield is a solid ability, and being able to choose a shield counter if the graveyard is empty makes the Outcast versatile and a good fit into any Equipment/Auras Voltron deck.
Codsworth, Handy Helper: Everything Codsworth does is an ideal fit with Equipment Voltron. He protects the commander, makes mana for Equipment and is able to get around the equip cost. What more is there to say.
Pre-War Formalwear: I like any Equipment that attaches itself to a creature on ETB, and this is even better because it reanimates a creature from the graveyard. In a deck like this it would fit well because most of the creatures are mana value or less, and they want to be put into the graveyard. Vigilance is also a good keyword if the commander doesn't have it.

Boros

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Armory Paladin: Card advantage for casting Equipment? Sign me up. Even better that the effect lasts until your next turn. The only drawback for this deck is that the Paladin cannot be tutored for by the Recruiters, but still a good creature for the majority of Equipment/Auras Voltron decks.
Inventory Management: I love this card. I'd love it even without a split second but the fact it cannot be countered (in most cases) is so good. This is one card that I will definitely aim to include in the deck.

Colourless

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Pip-Boy 3000: I love that the Pip-Boy is so cheap to cast and equip. All of the abilities are useful at some stage of the game, especially the untapping of two lands. It is basically free equip, and it can sort of get around lands that come in tapped.
Silver Shroud Costume: Just like previously mentioned Pre-War Formalwear, this Costume attaches itself for free, which is already nice but it also makes the creature unblockable. In this deck it might not be so relevant with all the protection from colours, but an unblockable Voltron commander is what you want.

Lands

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Sunscorched Divide: This land could be really useful in the early game alongside all the mana rocks and lands that only make colourless mana. Not sure what land I'd swap it out for in this deck, but I will at least playtest it.

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