$100 Heliod Ballista - White Jack

Commander / EDH Combo Construct Humans Mono-White Stax

Jungian_Thing

Creature (45)

• 1x Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
• 1x Aven Interrupter
• 1x Benevolent Bodyguard
• 1x Cataclysmic Gearhulk
• 1x Cathar Commando
• 1x Containment Priest
• 1x Dauntless Dismantler
• 1x Dawnbringer Cleric
• 1x Eagles of the North
• 1x Eternal Dragon
• 1x Ethersworn Canonist
• 1x Fiend Hunter
• 1x Filigree Vector
• 1x Glowrider
• 1x Gold Myr
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Hedron Crawler
• 1x Hope of Ghirapur
• 1x Knight of the White Orchid
• 1x Luminarch Aspirant
• 1x Manakin
• 1x Mentor of the Meek
• 1x Moon-Blessed Cleric
• 1x Myr Scrapling
• 1x Ornithopter of Paradise
• 1x Oswald Fiddlebender
• 1x Palace Jailer
• 1x Phyrexian Censor
• 1x Phyrexian Revoker
• 1x Ranger of Eos
• 1x Ranger-Captain of Eos
• 1x Recruiter of the Guard
• 1x Sanctifier en-Vec
• 1x Scrapyard Recombiner
• 1x Shimmer Myr
• 1x Steel Overseer
• 1x Thalia's Lancers
• 1x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 1x Timeless Dragon
• 1x Tithe Taker
• 1x Treasure Hunter
• 1x Triskelion
• 1x Walking Ballista
• 1x War Priest of Thune
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer

Land (29)

• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Darksteel Citadel
• 1x Desert of the True
• 1x Drifting Meadow
• 1x Idyllic Grange
• 1x Inventors' Fair
• 1x Monumental Henge
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Ruins of Oran-Rief
• 1x Ruins of Trokair
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 18x Snow-Covered Plains

Instant (10)

• 1x Abeyance
• 1x Apostle's Blessing
• 1x Blacksmith's Skill
• 1x Calamity's Wake
• 1x Kabira Takedown  ^Flip
• 1x Mana Tithe
• 1x Mandate of Peace
• 1x Orim's Chant
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Reprieve

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Search for Glory

Commander (1)

Artifact (10)

• 1x Amulet of Safekeeping
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Defense Grid
• 1x Everflowing Chalice
• 1x Pyre of Heroes
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Spear of Heliod
• 1x Springleaf Drum
• 1x Stone of Erech
• 1x Thorn of Amethyst

Enchantment (4)

• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Deafening Silence
• 1x Force of Virtue
• 1x Touch the Spirit Realm

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Maybeboard

Creature (66)

• 1x Abzan Battle Priest
• 1x Alseid of Life's Bounty
• 1x Angel of the Ruins
• 1x Archivist of Oghma
• 1x Archon of Emeria
• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Azorius Arrester
• 1x Benalish Marshal
• 1x Boromir, Warden of the Tower
• 1x Bounty Agent
• 1x Chief of the Foundry
• 1x Cliffside Rescuer
• 1x Coppercoat Vanguard
• 1x Cryptothrall
• 1x Deep Gnome Terramancer
• 1x Devoted Caretaker
• 1x Devout Chaplain
• 1x Eidolon of Rhetoric
• 1x Foundry Inspector
• 1x Giant Killer
• 1x Giver of Runes
• 1x Hopeful Initiate
• 1x Imposing Sovereign
• 1x Inquisitive Puppet
• 1x Iron Apprentice
• 1x Jotun Grunt
• 1x Keen-Eared Sentry
• 1x Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon"
• 1x Kuldotha Forgemaster
• 1x Leonin Arbiter
• 1x Leonin Relic-Warder
• 1x Leonin Squire
• 1x Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter
• 1x Lodestone Golem
• 1x Loran of the Third Path
• 1x Mangara of Corondor
• 1x Metastatic Evangel
• 1x Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Myr Retriever
• 1x Myr Welder
• 1x Palladium Myr
• 1x Reidane, God of the Worthy  ^Flip
• 1x Reliquary Monk
• 1x Reluctant Role Model
• 1x Restoration Specialist
• 1x Salvager of Ruin
• 1x Samwise the Stouthearted
• 1x Sanctum Prelate
• 1x Scholar of New Horizons
• 1x Selfless Spirit
• 1x Siege Veteran
• 1x Silent Arbiter
• 1x Skrelv, Defector Mite
• 1x Skyclave Apparition
• 1x Soulless Jailer
• 1x Sparring Construct
• 1x Stone Retrieval Unit
• 1x Tax Collector
• 1x Thalia, Heretic Cathar
• 1x Treasure Keeper
• 1x Verge Rangers
• 1x Vryn Wingmare
• 1x Walking Atlas
• 1x Witch Enchanter  ^Flip
• 1x Workshop Assistant

Enchantment (15)

• 1x Ashes of the Abhorrent
• 1x Aura of Silence
• 1x Cathars' Crusade
• 1x Charitable Levy
• 1x Darksteel Mutation
• 1x Elspeth Conquers Death
• 1x Flowering of the White Tree
• 1x Glorious Anthem
• 1x Marshal's Anthem
• 1x Paladin Class
• 1x Rally the Ranks
• 1x Reprobation
• 1x Rest in Peace
• 1x Rule of Law
• 1x Trouble in Pairs

Instant (10)

• 1x Angel's Grace
• 1x Faith's Shield
• 1x Lapse of Certainty
• 1x March of Otherworldly Light
• 1x Rebuff the Wicked
• 1x Silence
• 1x Soul Partition
• 1x Surge of Salvation
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Unexpectedly Absent

Artifact (11)

• 1x Conqueror's Flail
• 1x Damping Sphere
• 1x Fractured Powerstone
• 1x Grafdigger's Cage
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Null Brooch
• 1x Pithing Needle
• 1x Portable Hole
• 1x Rings of Brighthearth
• 1x Vexing Bauble
• 1x Weathered Runestone

Land (10)

• 1x Ancient Den
• 1x Crystal Vein
• 1x Drannith Ruins
• 1x Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1x Emergence Zone
• 1x Fountain of Cho
• 1x High Market
• 1x Mistveil Plains
• 1x Remote Farm
• 1x Urza's Cave

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis

Sorcery (1)

• 1x What Must be Done

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Another in my series of $100 decks that I play in my pod. The price is set off TCGPlayer low at the time of the last card change.

How the combo works.

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

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

Tutors

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

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

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

Oswald Fiddlebender gets Pyre of Heroes and can get you to construct tutors at 3 (Scrapyard Recombiner), 5 (Kuldotha Forgemaster) and up to 6 Triskelion.

Search for Glory gets Oswald Fiddlebender and other legendary targets. At a pinch it can get a Snow-Covered Plains and don't forget to net 3 life points for paying with the Snow-Covered Plains I put in for that reason, 3 points is 3 points.

Anthems

The non budget version uses a bunch of very expensive ($) rocks to get around the 9 mana required for the combo. To make the combo cheaper, this build leans heavily into anthems and +1/+1 counter cards. These cards allow you to cast Walking Ballista for 2, or even 0, rather than 4. They also help the deck go agro as a secondary line of play. The best anthem is the "free" Force of Virtue but there is also Spear of Heliod, both findable with the tutors.

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

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

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

Early game tax

Get a s/tax card out as early as possible to slow things down, there are a few in the deck so you should draw into them but they are all tutorable. Most are humans who can feed through Pyre, the artifacts feed through Oswald and the enchantments accessed via Moon-Blessed Cleric - a human that can be recruited and then fed into pyre for Ranger of Eos. Keep in mind Phyrexian Censor is nonbo with a fast combo, so be careful placing it if your line is a quick combo.

Rest of the deck

Mana Lands, Snow-Covered Plains for the sole reason of turning Search for Glory into a ramp spell and getting 3 life when casting it. I have gone with cycling creatures and dorks over a bunch of rocks. The dorks work on Pyre of Heroes lines and cycling creatures bring late game value if you end up trying to win by turning sideways. On rocks, there are a few, Arcane Signet and Sol Ring and Everflowing Chalice, which is really just personal preference, I like the card, it is value no matter when it's drawn and not $$$ but it is an open slot. The rocks also feed Oswald Fiddlebender.

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

Flash Thopters and Myr are sequential to Shimmer Myr and Liberator, Urza's Battlethopter, these are small Pyre lines but there and allow greater opportunity to "go off" or respond to threats.

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

Secondary path to victory

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

Date added	1 month
Last updated	19 hours
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Mythic Rares 36 - 0 Rares 24 - 0 Uncommons 16 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.41
Tokens	Plot, Spirit 1/1 WB, The Monarch, Timeless Dragon 4/4 B
Based on	Deck Prototype Work Bench Jungian_Thing EDH