Hey Hexaflexagon, the commander deck thread brought me here.
To answer the question you posed: my answer would be to focus on the creature aspect to try get the most out of Oketras abilityl, rather than go voltron. I think some Anthem enchantments or creatures will help you punch through with the attacks. Also, white lacks card draw alot, so amy artifacts you have will help you with that. Same goes for Mana ramp. Dreamstone Hedron does both on a budget.
I agree that the list looks solid and as you refine the focus towards the creature package, It will certainly take shape
April 25, 2019 10:13 p.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #4
Hey Chandra585,
Thanks for your comment and upvote. I'll try out Mistveil Plains , but I think that it won't really do anything for me as I want my lands to ETB untapped, as I want to use the most of my mana to cast creatures. I really like Knight of the White Orchid , so that will be going in. I think I already have enough removal, so I don't think that Crib Swap will be going in. I like Tithe , but I'm not going to spend $20 on a card like that, so if I can find one in my dad's old collection, then I'll try to fit it in. I'm not a big fan of giving my opponent lands, as they'll just get even more ahead of me, which is why I won't put in Oath of Lieges . I'll try to find room for Wrath of God .
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
Hey Chhris,
Thanks for your comment, upvote, and your opinion on which direction I should take this deck. Do you think Helm of the Host is good for this deck, even though it doesn't trigger Oketra with the copy tokens? I can create multiple Oketras, and me casting creatures will get more value. But on the other hand, it requires 2-3 turns for it to work, and the Helm is prone to removal. Also, what do you think about cutting Luminarch Ascension and Coat of Arms for more Anthem effects that are more consistent in giving pumps and Dreamstone Hedron ? What else do you think I should cut?
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
April 26, 2019 1:12 a.m.
Oh yeah I would say Helm of the Host would be amazing!! You get multiple triggers on the Oketra ability, so if you have three, one creature will get you 3x 4/4 Zombies. Definitely value.
I think if You want to go really hard into the angel theme, then Luminarch Ascension and Coat of Arms are great, but as you're focusing more on Oketra, I think trying to power her ability will be the best way to complement the deck. Spear of Heliod for example can be a great anthem with a secondary ability. Dictate of Heliod is good and at Flash speed. Intangible Virtue would actually work really well, too.
Because the Angel subtheme is secondary to the main "cast creatures, get zombies" thing, you can consider cutting it in order to streamline the deck :) But of course, that's up to you. If you want to do Angels, you could always sub in Lyra Dawnbringer as your Commander. :)
April 26, 2019 6:04 a.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #6
Hey Chhris,
Thanks for your second comment. I really appreciate how you have helped me past the required one comment.
I'm not a big fan of Intangible Virtue , as most of my tokens already have Vigilance, but I'll still consider it. I'm definitely adding Dictate of Heliod and Spear of Heliod for Coat of Arms and Luminarch Ascension . I'm also taking out some cards that I thought were not very helpful in this deck, which I'll say in an update.
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
April 26, 2019 7:22 p.m.
Hey, Hexaflexagon, no problem!! Just read the update: sounds like some great additions to the deck! I like Auriok Champion as an addition too; nice and cheap to cast, triggers Oketra too.
I like the idea of getting some Mana Sinks in there, too. I'll see if I can come back with some suggestions for you on that, too. How is playtesting going?
April 27, 2019 3:48 a.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #8
Hey Chhris, I'm right now having a holiday and where I'm at the MTG stores are quite competitive and don't allow proxies (as I don't have most of the cards and only made this deck about half a week ago) if they even have EDH players. I have been playtesting by myself, and they seem to be going quite well, with consistent ramp and multiple Oketras!. As soon as I get back to NZ in about half a week, I'm going to start playtesting with more casual people as soon as possible and will keep you guys updated.
April 27, 2019 6:39 a.m.
Oh wow what an insane coincidence that you're NZ based! I live in Christchurch. If you're ever in town let me know!! and good luck with the testing :)
April 27, 2019 7:02 a.m.
Hey there,
I bumped into this list and felt like leaving a comment. I love Oketra, because she’s similar to the way I play Karamentra. From that perspective, these are some tips I have for your list:
- I’m missing the best mana sinks for this commander: Whitemane Lion , Kor Skyfisher and Stonecloaker . They can all bounce themselves, leading to cheap 4/4 vigilance tokens. Especially if you also have a cost reducer out.
- Aetherflux Reservoir can be good in this deck. Matches your lifegain theme and your commander.
- You hardly run any carddraw spells. Consider adding creatures like Mentor of the Meek , Bygone Bishop and Sandstone Oracle .
- Your ramp could also use some more spots. Solemn Simulacrum , Knight of the White Orchid , Weathered Wayfarer and Kor Cartographer are all creatures that do so, triggering Oketra. Another nice cost reducer that is just above your budget is Cloud Key .
- Selfless Spirit is a nice creature that protects your board.
Some card I would cut:
- Ajani’s Mantra doesn’t seem to be worth it. There are way better lifegain options
- Divine Visitation doesn’t seem like the best fit in this deck. Most your tokens are going to be 4/4 already. That card seems better suited in a deck that only makes small tokens.
- You are running some cards that require a +1/+1 counter synergy, but you hardly have any cards with +1/+1 counters. That theme also has no relation with your commander, so it seems a bit weird to me to include that here. I would cut some of those cards from the deck: like abzan battle priest, abzan falconer, annoy bond-kin.
Hope some of these tips match your vision for the deck!
GL & HF,
Beebles
May 4, 2019 4:47 a.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #12
Hey Beebles!
Thanks for your long comment. I really appreciate how people like you spend loads of time and effort into helping a person like me. Sorry for responding late, I have been swamped with schoolwork and have had no chance to reply until now.
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I really like your idea on adding cards that bounce themselves or something else to my hand, allowing me to use it as an effective mana sink. I'll definitely be adding some of those in.
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I see your point on Aetherflux Reservoir . I might add one in, but there are so many things this deck needs that I'm not sure I can find a spot for this.
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I'm not so hot about adding in Bygone Bishop , as I only have about 15 creatures with CMC 3 or less. The same thing goes for Mentor of the Meek . I'm also not a big fan of Sandstone Oracle because it has a too high CMC.
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I'll definitely try and slot Cloud Key into my deck, even though it's above my budget. I'm not a big fan of any of your other ramp suggestions, apart from Solemn Simulacrum , but I might try them out.
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I've never seen Selfless Spirit before, so I'll definitely add that in.
Now on to your cuts.
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I like Ajani's Mantra because it pumps my guys if I have a Archangel of Thune out, but I'll try taking it out for something else
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I like Divine Visitation because it allows me to transform my Zombies into Angels, which get Lifelink and Pump from Lyra Dawnbringer .
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I see your point on the "+1/+1 counter lords". I'll take it out for more useful stuff.
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
May 8, 2019 1:02 a.m.
TortillaConfetti says... #13
Hey man! deck is looking good, a Mentor of the Meek or an Aetherflux Reservoir could fit nicely in here, also, have you considered adding the new mono white angel that just came out from the M20? Sephara, Sky's Blade it comes out really cheap and packs a 7/7 flying body in the air, not forgetting that this Angel gives other flying bois indestructible! :D
July 8, 2019 12:41 p.m.
TortillaConfetti says... #14
Also, you are running more than 10 enchantments, a Hall of Heliod's Generosity would not hurt in this list :D
July 8, 2019 12:43 p.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #15
Hey TortillaConfetti,
Thanks for your comment and upvote. Mentor of the Meek is a card I have been considering for a long time, but I only have 13 creatures with power 2 or less, with another 3 cards that can make creatures that fit this criteria, and I'll have even fewer when one of my lords comes out. I like Aetherflux Reservoir , but I haven't really been playtesting this deck (apart from with my brother, I've been travelling a lot) so I'll have to see what doesn't work and what does before making any hard cuts. Sephara, Sky's Blade is interesting, but I think I have too few flying guys to make it worth it (13, discounting Kor Skyfisher and Stonecloaker ), so I might add her, but the only worry is that she's too expensive mana-wise, as I already only have 8 ramp slots with 35 lands. I'm trying to add more ramp, but it's tough without real playtesting. I'll definitely add in Hall of Heliod's Generosity for Zhalfirin Void .
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
July 8, 2019 4:21 p.m.
Hi, nice deck - one of our playgroup has an Oketra deck and it is serious stuff.
I'll start by seconding the inclusion of Hall of Heliod's Generosity , probably just drop a plains.
Other Lands - Cryptic Caves if you think you can handle another colourless source, and New Benalia is handy if you don't need rocket speed. Homeward Path is probably a meta-call and could be unnecessary.
As for suggestions;
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I'd aim to put the Tithe from your maybeboard in if you can pick one up, Land Tax would be even better, but boy, that price tag!
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I'd also like to recommend Odric, Lunarch Marshal so your team gets Double Strike from the big-O and Vigilance from her zombies, as well as probably Flying! He'd be the perfect replacement for the dropped Skirmisher.
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Luminarch Ascension is a beating in Commander if you can drop it and defend it.
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Finally Skullclamp , you'll usually have a weenie or two to bump off despite the inclusion of Divine Visitation .
Suggested cuts for the above with a bit of reasoning:
- Dictate of Heliod (The impact isn't much in the grand scheme of things and you'll rarely Flash it in for a blow-out turn. Cathars' Crusade is way better and will win you more games)
- Dreamstone Hedron (already expensive before it ramps you)
- Staff of the Sun Magus (there's plenty of life gain without this)
- Archangel of Tithes (I don't think your tax effects constitute a sub-theme enough for this to be making life too hard for your opponents, i.e. you don't have a lot of traditional accompanying 'pillow fort' things)
- Angel of Jubilation is also a bit of a meta-call as a potential cut for something.
Hope you do well with the deck! GLHF
July 9, 2019 11:57 a.m.
CasualCucumber says... #17
Mind's Eye might be good if your deck is struggling with card draw.
July 9, 2019 12:35 p.m.
You desperately need more card draw! I'd definitely put a Alhammarret's Archive and Endless Atlas . Consider also Alms Collector , Coveted Jewel , Slate of Ancestry .
I'd highly suggest to remove Bontu's Monument , as for 3 mana you get only half the effect, highly inefficient.
July 9, 2019 5:52 p.m.
I don't see what the point of the life gain package is. You have one card that makes tokens from it, but other than that it does nothing. I would cust most of it for more cheap ramp: Wayfarer's Bauble , Fellwar Stone , Mind Stone , Thought Vessel , Marble Diamond , etc...
July 10, 2019 3:39 a.m.
I'm in agreement with enpc on the lifegain package - There really isn't much of a pay off here. If you want to keep it, I'd include a couple cards that would act as wincons to benefit off all the life gain like Aetherflux Reservoir or Felidar Sovereign .
As for other suggestions, I'd look at:
Emancipation Angel - angel, goes with your bounce sub-theme
Worn Powerstone - good colorless ramp
Gilded Lotus - good colored ramp
Mind's Eye - good card draw
Dusk - one part board wipe, one part brings back half your creatures.
Hedron Archive - more ramp with a side of card draw.
July 10, 2019 11:01 a.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #21
Hey BS-T,
Thanks for your help. I've already added in, Hall of Heliod's Generosity . I'll probably keep in Homeward Path for now, as I haven't really played much at my LGS and have only seen a few decks.
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Now that people have suggested it to me, I'll add in Tithe , but if I can find a Land Tax from my dad's old collection, I'll add that instead.
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I've never before considered Odric, Lunarch Marshal and he will get added.
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I've tried Luminarch Ascension before, but I took it out because I was focusing more on the casting creatures side of God-Eternal Oketra .
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I'll try out Skullclamp .
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I see your point on Dictate of Heliod . While it's fun, it doesn't really do much.
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I'll try taking out Dreamstone Hedron for some cheaper ramp.
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I like Staff of the Sun Magus , but with the cards you have suggested to me, I'll take it out.
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I like Archangel of Tithes because it's an Angel and it has high Devotion, so I won't be taking that out.
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I'm not sure about my LGS's current meta, so I'll be keeping Angel of Jubilation for now.
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
Hey CasualCucumber,
Thanks for your comment. I don't like Mind's Eye because I feel it's too expensive for what it does, and I might be able to find better ways to draw cards consistently.
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
Hey K1ngMars,
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you, I'll be definitely be adding some more card draw. I already have Endless Atlas in the deck, and I'll consider Alhammarret's Archive . I like Alms Collector and Slate of Ancestry , so I'll be adding those if I can find space.
I see your point on Bontu's Monument , I'll take that out.
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
Hey enpc,
Thanks for your comment. My lifegain package is mainly for card draw, but I'll probably take most of it out for other cards. The only thing I would leave in would be Auriok Champion , The Soul Sisters, and Suture Priest . I'll probably also take out Dawn of Hope and Well of Lost Dreams , because they don't do much anymore.
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
Hey Nemesis,
Thanks for your comment. I agree with you and enpc, so I'll be taking out my lifegain package.
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Emancipation Angel is going in.
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I'll also try and put in Hedron Archive , Worn Powerstone , and Gilded Lotus for more ramp.
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I don't like Mind's Eye because I think it's too expensive for what it does.
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I'm not a big fan of Dusk because it will kill most of my guys.
Thanks again,
Hexaflexagon
July 11, 2019 1:45 p.m.
Hexaflexagon: I'm a little confused, you cut Dawn of Hope which can at least generate tokens but kept in the souls sisters package whick now does even less in the deck? In commander especially, lifegain is only good when it's a means to an end. Lifegain for the sake of life gain is generally pretty bad, unless it's attached to a card that already does something else as well.
Also, just remember that while Land Tax is a good card, it's not actually ramp. Sure it helps you get your land drops, but won't accelerate you past one land per turn.
July 11, 2019 5:32 p.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #23
Hey enpc, the reason why I kept the creatures is because they're cheap creatures that can trigger God-Eternal Oketra and give devotion.
July 11, 2019 8:36 p.m.
At that point I personally think you're better off leveraging creatures with better abilities, stuff like Thraben Inspector for card advantage or Serra Ascendant for beats. But at the end of teh day, you do you.
July 11, 2019 11:50 p.m.
Hexaflexagon says... #25
Hey enpc, I see what you mean. Swapping out the Soul Sisters for Grand Abolisher and Eight-and-a-Half-Tails . The reason why I want to take out only the Soul Sisters is because the other two lifegain cards have extra value ( Suture Priest hits opponents for getting creatures out and Auriok Champion has pro-black and red).
Thanks for your continued help and opinions,
Hexaflexagon
Chandra585 says... #1
I would reccomend Mistveil Plains as well as Knight of the White Orchid , Crib Swap , Tithe , Oath of Lieges , and maybe some board wipes the forever faithful Wrath of God . All in all, this is a pretty good deck.
April 25, 2019 8:20 p.m.