NensouHiebara: I didn't know Bastion Protector was sort of on the chopping block. Guess I must have missed that discussion.

I don't suppose it's possible to make a section with a list of cards you aren't 100% happy with/unsure about so we have an idea what cards might be replaced and with what so we don't have to flood comments with a bunch of questions?

@NensouHiebara

What are your thoughts about the following cards :

• Martial Coup: A wrath effect at manas that will leave you some tokens ready for an equipped attack on the next turn. Martial Coup is both an Answer and a Threat. It seems better than Day of Judgment.

• Hallowed Burial: Terminus number 2. It seems better than Day of Judgment.

• Oreskos Explorer: Could it be better than Sad Robot ?

• Windborn Muse, Ghostly Prison: I am wondering why you play those defense cards in an aggressive Voltron deck ?

@Guerte

I can make a list of potential cuts if it makes things easier.

@Stefouch

Martial Coup - 7+ mana is too much for a sweeper that only hits creatures, even though it also has an additional effect. This isn't a token deck. I can't do much with a bunch of 1/1s. It's not better than Day of Judgment. Day costs 4 mana. Huge difference.

Hallowed Burial - Alright card, still wouldn't use it over Day of Judgment. 4 mana is still cheaper.

Oreskos Explorer - Not even close. Solemn Simulacrum is land ramp. Explorer is a worse Gift of Estates on a body. Two very different effects.

Ghostly Prison & Windborn Muse - I have multiple opponents to defend myself from and I have very few creatures I'm willing to block with. Prison effects are efficient ways to keep most creatures off of me. Opponents can't attack me if they spent all of their mana. Although, I feel that I'm running thin on cards that could be replaced and that these will inevitably see the chopping block.

NensouHiebara: It definitely would make things a bit easier, but only if you have the time and it isn't too much of a hassle. If I'm playing a deck that someone else knows better, I like to get into their mindset of understanding the deck so I can become better with it. I'd really appreciate it!

Thank you NensouHiebara for your inputs about your choices.

I would suggest Grasp of Fate in place of Oblation, but it's because I doesn't like the later and its ability to allow your opponent to draw 2 cards.

@Stefouch

I like Oblation too much to get rid of it. White lacks direct Planeswalker removal. Oblation is the only reliable option that can hit a Planeswalker with the least likely chance of it coming back.

Council's Judgment, Banishing Light, Oblivion Ring?

@Noctem

Council's Judgment is at the mercy of my opponents' decisions and they can easily collude against me.

Banishing Light and Oblivion Ring are susceptible to removal and Green is a popular colour. One enchantment removal spell or ill-timed sweeper gives opponents their cards back, which is why I'm wary of using this type of removal.

Fair enough.

Hmmm, thought I had a decent suggestion with Inquisitor's Flail, but I see that you recently removed it. Any comment on its successfulness?

I am a fan of Godsend, but not with Eight-and-Half-Tails. Have you been in a situation where it fell off because you had to protect a creature?

Also, I'm a big fan of Reconnaissance as pseudo-vigilance, and free protection from bad combat.

I know you have commented on it already, but I think Crackdown is worth it as a wrath-like effect, and it works well with other cards I like, like Blind Obedience. Honestly, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep them in, but I like them in most situations. And when they are bad they aren't that bad.

Haven't seen you comment on Selfless Spirit, and not sure how well it works here, but it is something that can hold equipment, protect you when your shields are down, and be profitably reanimated with Sun Titan, Reveillark, Emeria the Sky Ruin, etc. as well as be searched up with Recruiter of the Guard. The threat of activation is often enough of a discouragement, and it can let you cheaply Plague Wind far earlier than Avacyn.

My utility lands are very different, but that's fine. Notably, I have Geier Reach Sanitarium instead of Mikokoro, Center of the Sea as I have slightly more reanimation, and it can be difficult to get value without a bit of discard anyway.

@htruane

I never got around to use Inquisitor's Flail and I want to put more focus into any new Equipment. With the solid Equipment support that has been added in the last few sets, I have high hopes that Kaladesh is the set that finally delivers. If Kaladesh turns out to be another bust like the rest, I might give the Flail another look.

Haven't had a situation where Godsend fell off yet, but I know it will happen eventually. One of my more commonly tutored Equipment is Swiftfoot Boots, so the Equipment wielder tends to has hexproof.

No interest in Reconnaissance. This deck's not all-in aggro enough for a get-out-of-bad-combat-free effect.

I feel uneasy about using Crackdown. I don't like the fact that other White players are unaffected.

There's nothing to comment on Selfless Spirit. I have no need to make sweepers asymmetrical. It doesn't offer enough for a place in my deck.

Recruiter of the Guard is pretty good. You can get stoneforge mystic or puresteel paladin depending on your situation.

NensouHiebara: Thank you for the Chopping Block addition! I really appreciate it!

Now I must pose a question to you: why cut Bastion Protector over something like Transcendent Master?

They're both 3/3s for 3. Both are vanilla on their own. They can both hold equipment.

Bastion provides protection and pump when your commander is out without having to tutor up specific equipment to give both.

Transcendent does get better, but you have to spend 9 mana to get a 6/6 lifelinker, and 15 mana to get a 9/9 lifelinker with indestructible. Wouldn't that be considered too costly? Do you ever level him up or do you leave him as a 3/3?

I understand he's a pet card for you, but it just seems to me that Bastion would be the better choice to keep in since on a base card level, it does more right away.

Hopefully this doesn't come off as me being rude or negative in any way, just a simple curiosity.

I'm probably going to grab a Recruiter, Protector, and Throne land to give it a try and see how they work out.

@canderson

Recruiter of the Guard is going into the deck as soon as I get one. It has a large handful of potential targets for any situation.

@Guerte

I don't want to drop any of my standalone threats. I need them for games where I'm facing heavy artifact hate. It does take a bit of mana to fully level up Transcendent Master, but it's not unreasonable.

Bastion Protector is too narrow. It boosts 8.5 and nothing more. If 8.5 is stuck in the Command Zone, Bastion Protector is just a 3/3. It's much easier just to tutor for Equipment that offer the same buffs.

I am looking through your cards and it looks like you've pretty much glanced over every colorless and white card out there but, I am still going to shoot anyways.Ancient Den Arifact land that grants 1 White mana. Helps out with number of artifacts.Burnished Hart Sacrifices and brings in 2 lands at the cost of 3 and 3 mana. Your deck has a lot of ways to bring it back as its both a creature low cmc creature with low stats and an artifact.Hanna's Custody 1 mana cheaper than Leonin Abunas however, it does protect all artifacts.Ethersworn Canonist Artifact creature that slows down non artifact players.Heliod, God of the Sun Solid Blocker and gives creatures vigilance.Blade of Selves Interesting effect that gives potential to one shot all players at once.Thran Dynamo 4 cmc grants 3 colorless mana.Kor Duelist Gains double strike when equipped 1 cmc creature.Brimaz, King of Oreskos and Kemba, Kha Regent Just mentioning these two.Steelshaper Apprentice Fetch but, its rather costly at 5 mana and taking 2 turns.Isochron Scepter Has synergy and works with Unexpectedly absent. Don't feel like you have enough instants to make it worthwhile though.Mentor of the Meek Card draw.

• Well rip I messed that one up anyways I am just making a list to see the cards easier.
• Burnished Hart
• Ancient Den
• Leonin Abunas
• Ethersworn Canonist
• Hanna's Custody
• Heliod, God of the Sun
• Kor Duelist
• Steelshaper Apprentice
• Isochron Scepter
• Mentor of the Meek

NensouHiebara: I guess that makes sense. Never took into consideration 8.5 being stuck in command zone.

I did end up winning a game off the back of a fully leveled Transcendent Master so I shouldn't be too quick to rid of it.

If you decide to add in the "Monarch Package," what would you cut for Protector of the Crown? I think I'd cut Dust Bowl for Throne of the High City.

@KuberaLeez

Burnished Hart - Used it before. Took it out after Sword of the Animist was added. Hart was slow in comparison to the other ramp options in the deck and I needed the slot for other utility creatures.

Ancient Den - Not a fan. It doesn't do anything aside from getting hit by artifact sweepers. I only have one card with metalcraft in the deck and it doesn't need the help.

Ethersworn Canonist - Not needed. Canonist an anti-combo card. I wouldn't even agree to be in a game with a combo deck.

Hanna's Custody - It affecting all artifacts is a deal breaker. I don't want to make my opponents' artifacts hard to remove.

Heliod, God of the Sun - Used it before. Didn't do a whole lot and devotion is tricky to build in a deck with a heavy use of colourless cards.

Blade of Selves - Not a fan of Equipment that don't benefit 8.5.

Thran Dynamo - No interest. I'm intentionally keeping mana rocks to a minimum so that my mana ramp isn't collateral damage from artifact sweepers.

Kor Duelist - Doesn't do enough. I like my double strikers to have an added bonus to them, preferably ones that also benefit the Voltron gameplan, like Silverblade Paladin.

Brimaz, King of Oreskos - No interest. Doesn't offer anything for the deck.

Kemba, Kha Regent - Kemba was the original Commander when I built the deck. I switched to 8.5, as I never cared for tokens and wanted to be pure Voltron. She's not worth it in the 99.

Steelshaper Apprentice - Used it before. Hard to justify using it again with all of cheap, efficient Equipment tutors that are now available.

Isochron Scepter - No interest. I don't want to be "That Guy".

Mentor of the Meek - No interest. Unless I happen to have one of my Planeswalkers out, I can't draw as many cards as I'd like with it. Mentor is a better fit in decks like Tokens where it can trigger much more easily.

@Guerte

I don't have any plans on what to cut for the Monarch cards. Not even sure if want to use them. Just putting up ideas on my Maybeboard.

Dust Bowl is an important card for my utility land removal package. Strip Mine handles any immediate problems and Dust Bowl prevents opponents from using too many.

Ancient Tomb?

@gzusvictory

Used to have Ancient Tomb. Dropped it for one of the cycling lands. At the time, I was running too many lands that didn't tap for coloured mana.

Space for utility lands is extremely tight and I don't have room for multiple lands that produce more than one mana. Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx is my choice of those lands. It beats out Ancient Tomb by producing coloured mana, even though I need devotion to fuel it.

I love the deck, simply looks magnificent in flavor, function, and overall design. Just some questions and considerations.

1.) Do high CMC cards like Avacyn, Angel of Hope pull their own weight or do they just distract you from your gameplan? You mentioned Profound Journey was on the chopping block due to being awkward in your opening hand and lack of ramp. Same question for Caged Sun and Eternal Dragon.

2.) What are your thoughts on Aven Mindcensor? Wears equipments decently and forces opponents to play more fairly.

Sorry, forgot to add this.

3.) Thoughts on MLD as a wincon? Suited up commander with no way for your opponents to interact with it seems like a game sealer.

@NateJH

1) The high CMC cards I use completely pull their weight. I neeed some high CMC cards, as the stronger effects in the game are behind them. I just choose to only use so many to avoid as many bulky opening hands and forced mulligans as possible.

Avacyn, Angel of Hope is, for the most part, being used as a Darksteel Forge on a body. She keeps commonly played artifact removal off of my Equipment and is a threat herself when needed. Completely worth the 8 mana she costs.

Eternal Dragon is almost never cast. I use him primarily for his cycling ability. He's a back-up body for emergencies. By providing a land drop, a shuffle effect to refresh my library for Sensei's Divining Top and Scroll Rack, and a flying body, he's never bad at any stage of the game.

Caged Sun doubles my mana. Equipment costs add up and a lot of mana is needed. Although, I've been questioning whether or not it's necessary anymore.

• I have a strong desire to keep artifact-based ramp to an absolute minimum and focus on land ramp options to avoid collateral damage from artifact removal harming my manabase. Sword of the Animist has been especially great for building my mana, as it's easy to tutor for. If I can get enough land out of ramp and fetch effects, doublers are superfluous.
• It's the only mana doubler I use and the remaining ones I avoid due to deal-breakers. As a lone effect in the deck, mana doubling is unreliable.
• I make no attempts to recur it when destroyed. Recursion is better spent on fallen Equipment.
• Cost circumvention effects like Sigarda's Aid and Puresteel Paladin make Equipment quicker and cheaper, lessening the need for larger mana stockpiles.

With Open the Armory and Sigarda's Aid from Shadows over Innistrad block and Stone Haven Outfitter from Oath of the Gatewatch, there are strong implications towards Equipment becoming a significant theme again in Kaladesh. I'll need space if there's an abundance of new cards to use. If not, I could simply replace Caged Sun with another cheaper ramp effect.

2) I'm on the fence with narrow hate cards like Aven Mindcensor. One one hand, they stop opponents' annoying shenanigans. On the other hand, they're 1-ofs in a 99-card deck that I'm unlikely to see every game. Running hate cards becomes awkward when they don't stop the damage before it's dealt because you didn't happen to draw them early enough. They also fill up valuable deck space. Every hate card is one less spot available for something that would benefit the deck's gameplan. Rest in Peace is the only hate card I'm perfectly comfortable with. If I'm not against a graveyard deck, every other deck usually has some forms of recursion worth stopping.

3) I see Mass Land Destruction as win-more, at best. MLD effects are only effective if I'm in a winnable position. Otherwise, they're dead cards that will only turn games into miserable rounds of draw-go while the opponent with the stronger board takes over the game. I have zero interest in MLD effects.

How do you feel about Ghirapur or rery (http://mythicspoiler.com/kld/cards/ghirapurorrery.html)? Sure, you could see it as a mana stone and avoid it due to artifact hate being prominent or that it's effect works for every player. But it does ramp and draw you cards when you're out of gas, two things that white has a hard time doing.

@vennamuel

I don't like "Group Hug" cards. They give opponents way too much value off of your cards. Ghirapur Orrery in particular would empower ramp decks from the extra land drop and gives out free refills for opponents that can dump their hands quickly.