Buddy Christ & His Easter Eggs
Deck philosophy:
When Theros: Beyond Death was released, Daxos, Blessed by the Sun caught my attention. I always thought Daxos was a cool character. Heck, Daxos of Meletis was the first EDH deck I build and still love to play it! Daxos' lore got me thinking: he was an oracle, he had his fair share of ordeals, he died and went to the underworld, he returned from death and finally he became a demigod. The similarities with the life, death, resurrection and glorification of Jesus Christ are obvious.
This got me thinking: is it possible to create a functioning mono-white deck with cards that are all somehow related to EITHER a character, an event, a custom, a quote from the Bible OR to an office, a dogma or practice in the contemporary church? Well, it turns out it is possible! There are enough cards that meet my criteria. Naturally, a second question came to mind: 'Should I make an alter of my general to emphasize the deck philosphy?' Absolutely! Then the brilliant movie 'Dogma' came to mind and handed the idea for name, art and flavor text of the card. So without further ado, I present to you: 'Buddy Christ & His Easter Eggs'!
Strategy:
In this deck, flavor is more important than functionality. This deck is for shits and giggles. Selecting decent removal and interaction was actually the easy part, since it's one of strengths. Next were ramp and the manabase, which went surprisingly well. Finding good card draw was harder. Luckily, the cycling lands, some graveyard recursion and creatures such as Mentor of the Meek or Bygone Bishop helped out. Those creatures pushed me in the direction of white weenie. Additional strategies are: anthems, creature/board protection, cleric/human tribal, tokens and some life gain effects. I'm not heavy on angels since they play a rather minor part in Scripture. So, all-in-all, there is a strategy, I think?
Card references:
The Commander:
The 99:
- Alms Collector: a deacon (protestant), tasked with taking care for the poor and the widows (Acts 6: 1-6)
- Altar of the Pantheon: the Temple in Jerusalem
- Always Watching: "You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar." (Psalm 139: 1-2)
- Ancestor's Prophet: the Old Testament prophets
- Angelic Voices: "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying: 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'" (Luke 2: 13-14)
- Answered Prayers: the act of praying
- Apostle of Purifying Light: the twelve apostles & Paul (Matthew 10: 1-3 & Acts 9)
- Ash Barrens: the Jordan river, where Jesus was baptized (Matthew 3: 13-17)
- Austere Command: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5: 22-23)
- Barrin's Codex: a codex (ancient manuscript of Scripture written down on beast hide or papyrus)
- Benalish Missionary: a missionary
- Blasted Landscape: a vision of hell
- Burnished Hart: the custom of animal sacrifices in the Temple of Jerusalem / "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." (Psalm 42: 2)
- Bygone Bishop: the apostolic succession
- Carnage Altar: Golgotha, the site where Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27: 27-56)
- Coldsteel Heart: the hardening of Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 4:21)
- Congregate: the weekly sunday gathering
- Containment Priest: the Pharisees plot to kill Jesus (John 11: 45-53)
- Crib Swap: "And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." (Luke 2: 7)
- Day of Judgment: the Day of Judgment (Matthew 25)
- Descend upon the Sinful: the Fall of Man / Adam and Eve are cast out of the Garden of Eden by an angel (Genesis 3)
- Desert of the True: the 40 Year-journey in the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land
- Dictate of Heliod: Moses receiving the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17)
- Divine Sacrament: the christian rites of receiving Baptism and Communion (protestant); the Roman Catholic Church and the orthodox churches also perceive the confirmation, penance, marriage, holy orders and the anointing of the sick as sacraments
- Drifting Meadow: a reference to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob; Genesis 12-35), who were all nomandic (drifting) shepherds
- Evangel of Heliod: Matthew, Marc, Luke & John, the four Evangelists and writers of the Gospels
- Evangelize: the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20)
- False Prophet: Elijah confronting the 450 priests of Baäl (1 Kings 18) / the ongoing struggle against idolatry
- Forbidding Watchtower: the tower of Babel (Genesis 11: 1-9)
- Generous Gift: "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6: 37-38)
- Ghost Quarter: Jerusalem, after it's destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BCE / "How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!" (Lamentations 1: 1)
- Gift of Immortality: the gift of eternal life, promised to all who believe in Jesus' resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15)
- Heliod, God of the Sun: God / 'I am that I am' / The Name / My God / LORD of hosts / Father of Jesus Christ / Our Father in heaven
- Heliod's Intervention: divine intervention
- Heraldic Banner: a reference to the era the Israëlites had kings (± 1000 - 586 BCE)
- High Market: the city of Jerusalem
- Holy Day: the sunday
- Hour of Revelation: the Book of Revelation
- Icon of Ancestry: leaded windows inside a church
- Idyllic Grange: the town of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up (Luke 2: 51-52)
- Increasing Devotion: the first conversions after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2)
- Jalum Tome: the Bible
- Knight Errant: the flavour text is a quote from the book of Proverbs
- Knight of the White Orchid: the conquest of Canaan (Joshua 10-11)
- Letter of Acceptance: the letters of Paul, James, Peter, John & Jude in the New Testament
- Love Song of Night and Day: the poetic books in the Bible, in particular Song of Songs
- Mana Tithe: religious taxes for the benefit of the poor and the Levite priests (Deuteronomy 14: 28-29)
- Martyr for the Cause: the deaths of John the Baptist (Matthew 14: 1-12), Stephen (Acts 7) & Peter (64 CE)
- Mentor of the Meek: the Beautitudes (Matthew 5: 1-12), the opening statement of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)
- Mikaeus, the Lunarch: the Pope
- Myriad Landscape: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Genesis 1: 1)
- New Benalia: John's vision of the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22)
- Noble's Purse: Judas betrays Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26: 14-16)
- Oketra's Monument: slave labor in Egypt (Exodus 1)
- Oreskos Explorer: Paul's missionary travels (Acts 13-28)
- Path to Exile: the Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE)
- 17x Plains: views of Galilee
- Preacher: an ordained minister (That's me! I'm actually a pastor in a Dutch Protestant Church!)
- Rebuff the Wicked: "Blessed is the one who does not walk in the step with the whicked (...), but whose delight is in the law of the LORD" (Psalm 1: 1-2)
- Resurrection: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (John 20)
- Return to Dust: "(...) for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3: 19)
- Righteousness: "This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." (Romans 3: 22)
- Ruins of Trokair: the reconstruction of Jerusalem, it's city wall and the Temple by Ezra and Nehemiah
- Rustic Clachan: Bethlehem, the town were Jesus was born. (Luke 2: 1-21)
- Samite Elder: an elder (protestant)
- Saving Grace: "Amazing grace how sweet the sound / that saved a wretch like me! / I once was lost, but now I am found, / Was blind, but now I see." (Well known hymn written by John Newton in 1772)
- Scapegoat: the sin offering on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16) / while on the Cross, Jesus took upon Him the sins of all mankind (Isaiah 53)
- Scouting Hawk: after the Flood, Noah releases a pidgeon to find out if there is any dry land (Genesis 8: 1-11)
- Scroll of Avacyn: a scroll used in the synagogue
- Sea Gate Wreckage: the Israelites crossing the Reed Sea (Exodus 13-14) / the floodwaters cover the earth (Genesis 7)
- Secluded Steppe: "A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.'" (Isaiah 40:2)
- Selfless Spirit: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 3: 1-3 / Acts 2)
- Seraph Sanctuary: an outside view of a church or monastery
- Serra's Liturgy: the pattern of worship in church service
- Speaker of the Heavens: Moses, sent out by God to Pharaoh to free the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus 3-4)
- Springjack Shepherd: "I am the good shepherd" (John 10: 11)
- Springjack Pasture: "The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters." (Psalm 23: 1-2)
- Swords to Plowshares: "They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." (Isaiah 2: 4)
- Temple Bell: church bells
- Temple of the False God: Samson tearing down the temple of Dagon (Judges 16: 23-30)
- True Believer: a believer
- Worship: praising God through song and prayer
- Wrath of God: The Ten Plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-12)
